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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟔
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘

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Hours had passed since Savannah's conversation with her father. She couldn't believe he was planning for his children's futures for after he was gone. The battalions were still working hard to find the Burned One that attacked him, and here he was planning for his death. It annoyed Savannah to no end, but she didn't have it in her to fight with her father, not like she usually did. It pained her to see him in his current condition and she didn't want to add any more stress to him.

If it were up to the Silva girl, she would be in her room with a book. That was the best way to forget everything wrong happening around her. But Royce and Sam had other ways for her to forget her misfortunes, and that was attending the Specialist party in the east wing of Alfea. Savannah was walking with the boys through the crowd of students, none of whom she wanted to speak to. So to avoid any unnecessary conversations, the Silva girl kept her head down, making sure to keep an eye on Royce and Sam.

It wasn't long before they found themselves at the food table, a place Savannah was always happy to be. Just as she was about to grab a cookie from the table, Musa and Terra appeared on the other side. The Mind Fairy sent Savannah a small smile before her attention moved to Sam, which made her grin grow even wider. That was all it took for a matching smile to appear on the Silva girl's lips. She was happy seeing Musa happy, especially since she was usually carrying everyone else's emotions around.

"Look who showed their face," Sam said after his eyes moved to his sister, "with Mom's Tupperware, no less."

"What do you want, Sam?" Terra questioned, clearly annoyed by her brother's presence.

"I'm getting a drink. Relax," the Harvey boy responded without bothering to hide the confusion in his voice. It wasn't long after that when his attention moved back to the Zimri girl. "It's Musa, right?"

The Mind Fairy did her best to stifle a laugh, something that only the trio in front of her seemed to notice. "That's me, yeah."

"Hi, I'm Sam."

"I didn't think you'd make it," a new voice greeted, causing everyone's attention to turn toward Dane, who was walking toward them with a large smile on his face.

No one failed to notice the bashful smile that appeared on Terra's face the second the Mallory boy appeared. The Earth Fairy let out a small chuckle before finally responding. "No. Uh, well, I just decided to come last minute."

"Yes. So last minute that she had a few hours to make brownies," Sam added with a large smirk on his face.

Before Terra could respond, the Harvey boy turned and walked away from her. That left the rest of them standing in a somewhat uncomfortable silence, waiting for someone to be the first to break it. It wasn't long before Savannah sent her roommates another smile and followed Sam with Royce right by her side. Even though Savannah was slightly concerned about Terra's interest in Dane, she wasn't in the mood to try to talk to her about it. It made her feel like a terrible friend, but she wasn't in the right mindset to be of any help. Her thoughts were still clouded with thoughts of her father and ways to escape the party.

Savannah, Royce, and Sam kept to the edge and watched the crowd. Despite all the laughter that greeted their ears, none of them were eager to be caught in the middle of the dancefloor. It wasn't long before their trio became a duo after Sam disappeared into the crowd to meet up with Musa in secret. Savannah was happy for her two friends, knowing both of them needed the other more than either of them knew. She just wished they didn't have to hide their feelings from Terra. But the Silva girl didn't blame them, especially after how strange the Harvey girl had been acting recently.

Just as the music moved on to the next song, Savannah felt herself suddenly becoming overwhelmed by the world around her. She knew it had to do with all of her conflicting emotions, but that didn't make the feeling any better. The world seemed to fade as her breathing slightly quickened. The Silva girl needed to get out of there and find a quiet place to think. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as her eyes scanned for the nearest exit. What she didn't expect was for a hand to force its way into hers and give her fingers a gentle squeeze. That was all it took for Savannah to relax enough for her to think straight. When she looked at the person beside her, she found Royce smiling down at her.

Before Savannah had a chance to question anything, the Darnell boy pulled her away from the crowd. They walked through the dark hall with only the distant music to break the silence. The Specialist had no clue where they were going, but it was obvious that the Air Fairy knew exactly where they were headed. Just as Savannah was about to question Royce, he guided her up a set of stairs and out a door. A gasp instantly passed over the Silva girl's lips when she found herself staring out at the roof. The party continued in the courtyard down below as they walked further out onto the roof and sat down.

"This is amazing," Savannah said as her eyes scanned over the crowd below them. It wasn't long before her attention turned to Royce. "How did you know the way up here?"

"The Specialists have had their party here for years. Gave me the opportunity to explore," Royce explained without taking his eyes off the girl sitting next to him, "I thought you needed a quieter place."

A long sigh passed over the Specialist's lips as she reached up to grab the ring hanging around her neck, something that she tended to do absent-mindedly. "Thank you, Royce. I really appreciate this."

Neither of them said another word as they listened to the faint music coming from below with their eyes glued to the stars above. Well, Savannah had her eyes glued to the stars. Royce's eyes bounced between the sky and the girl beside him, enjoying the uninterrupted moment of peace. But he knew that there was no peace going on in Savannah's head. There was too much negativity currently in her life for that to happen.

"I hope you know you can talk to me if you need to," the Darnell boy said, drawing Savannah's attention back to him, "I know a lot is going on. It can be helpful to voice your feelings. But I'm not gonna force you to talk."

The Silva girl just stared at the boy beside her for what felt like an eternity before letting out a long sigh. "My dad is in pretty rough shape and getting worse by the day. He wants me to be strong, but he and Sky are all I have left. I don't know what I'd do without him. The battalion is closing in on the Burned One. So it's only a matter of time before he gets better."

Tears soon began forming in Savannah's eyes as she looked away from Royce and at her interlaced fingers. "I've been trained to fight and be prepared to risk my life, but I've never really thought much about that until now."

The Darnell boy couldn't help but wipe away a single tear rolling down her cheek. That caused Savannah to move her gaze back toward him. The two of them kept their eyes locked as Royce began speaking. "I know what it feels like to lose a parent. I lost both of them when I was just a child. It's never a good feeling. But just because we can't see them doesn't mean they're gone. We're their legacy. As long as we're here, their memory will live on forever."

"That's a great way to put it," Savannah said just loud enough for Royce to hear.

The Silva girl didn't hesitate to wrap her hand around Royce's and gave it a gentle squeeze, just like he had done with her. She soon rested her head against his shoulder and looked up at the stars. All the tenseness the Darnell boy was feeling suddenly vanished. A small smile appeared on Royce's lips as he leaned his cheek against the top of her head. The two of them just sat there listening to the music below them. They felt comfortable in each other's presence, more comfortable than either of them had felt in a very long time. But while that brought joy to Savannah, it gave Royce an uneasy feeling. Because deep down, he knew whatever was happening between them wouldn't last forever.

Their moment was soon interrupted by Savannah's phone beeping. An irritated sigh instantly passed over her lips as she pulled out her phone. She thought it was Sky or Riven asking where she was until she saw the name on the screen. It was her father. The Silva girl quickly tapped the notification to read the text. A gasp escaped her as she placed her hand over her mouth. She reread the text a few times, wanting to make sure it was real. It wasn't until she was absolutely sure that she looked up at Royce.

"They killed the Burned One."

"Then what are you doing sitting here with me?" the Darnell boy asked, the smile still plastered to his lips. It wasn't long before he got to his feet and held out his hand to Savannah. "You need to go see your father."

Savannah's smile soon returned to her lips as she accepted Royce's hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. But what the Air Fairy wasn't expecting was for the Specialist to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," the Silva girl whispered into his ear before disappearing through the door.

The Darnell boy didn't dare move a muscle as he stared at the door. The music was all that could be heard, but it was a massive contrast to his inner thoughts. And all his thoughts led to one thing: he never should have pulled Savannah Silva into his mess of a life. But there was nothing he could do to change the past. All he could do was protect her from the future.

Savannah's pace never slowed as she ran through the castle and toward the training grounds. She bumped into Sky along the way, who received the same text from Saul as she did. Both of them were hopeful that the worst was finally over. They were finally done with worrying about their father and could move on to focusing on other things. However, all that changed when they finally found the Silva man sitting on one of the training platforms. Sky hadn't noticed it yet, but, even in the moonlight, Savannah could still see the black veins on her father's cheeks.

"How do you feel?" Sky asked as he and Savannah jumped up onto the platform to sit across from Saul, who remained silent as he stared at his children. It was at that moment that the Ekon boy noticed his condition. "You said they killed it."

The Silva man remained silent for another moment before swallowing the lump in his throat. After letting out a long sigh, he spoke two simple words. "They did."

"Then why are your wounds not healed?" Savannah asked, not bothering to hide the emotions bouncing around inside of her.

Saul hesitated once again, but not as long as before. "The one they killed mustn't have been the one that attacked me. Clearly, there are more than one of the creatures out there."

"So the battalion will keep looking-"

"It's too late, Sky. It's over," the Silva man interrupted while trying and failing to mask the sadness in his voice.

Savannah kept her eyes glued to her father, not caring about the tears escaping her. But when she looked over at Sky, she didn't expect to find his eyes filled with anger and hate.

"You told me to wait," the Ekon boy hissed while glaring daggers at the man in front of him.

"It's all there was to do," Saul responded in a tone just above a whisper.

The blonde boy continued to study the man who raised him for what felt like an eternity. Only for the silence to be broken when he finally spoke again. "The one thing you always told me about my father was that he died fighting. And now you're just gonna lie here and take it? Screw that."

The next thing they knew, Sky jumped down from the platform and walked back toward Alfea, ignoring Saul calling out to him. Savannah just watched her brother until he was out of sight. It was only then that she turned her attention back to her father, who was already staring back at her. The two of them remained silent, neither of them knowing what to say. That was until Saul broke the silence surrounding them. "And what do you have to say about all of this?"

"You don't wanna hear what I have to say. You won't like it," the Silva girl admitted. But when her father just stared at her, Savannah knew she needed to voice her thoughts. "I agree with Sky in a sense. I don't expect you to go out into the woods to fight a Burned One in your condition. But I don't expect you to just give up either. That's not the person I know you are or how you raised us to be."

"What do you expect me to do?" Saul asked, the shakiness very evident in his voice.

Savannah couldn't help but stare at her father before forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat. "Mom always said 'a person's strongest power is hope.' Maybe instead of sitting around waiting for your death, you should hope that you'll live to see tomorrow."

Saul opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. All he could do was watch his daughter. That was all it took for Savannah to realize that was where their conversation was going to end. It always does when one of them mentions her mother, someone who left this world far too soon. After scanning over her father's face one last time, the Silva girl hopped off the platform and headed toward Alfea. She wrapped her arms around her as she went, trying and failing to fight off the bitter chill of her conflicting emotions.

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While all her roommates were still at the Specialist party, Savannah found herself back in her dorm. The tables were covered with books that varied from Alfea's history to medical books. Even though her father was losing all hope, the Silva girl wasn't. She couldn't just sit there and let another parent slip through her fingers. No matter how much sleep she would lose or how much training she would miss, she was going to find a cure before he succumbed to his injuries.

Savannah didn't know how much time had passed since she got back to her dorm. All she knew was that the silence was getting harder and harder to bear by the minute. Lucky for her, it was broken by a gentle knock on the door. A long sigh passed over the Silva girl's lips as she forced herself to her feet and walked toward the door. She was shocked to find Royce standing on the other side.

"Hey. Sorry. I know it's late. I just wanted to check to see how your father was," the Darnell boy said with a small and somewhat forced smile on his lips. Savannah didn't say a word as she stepped aside and allowed Royce into her room. He only hesitated for a moment before walking inside. After closing the door, the Silva girl led him over to the couch, where he scanned over all the books laid out on the table. His eyes scanned over every title before locking with Savannah's gaze. "I take it he isn't any better than before."

The Specialist forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat before responding. "Worse, actually. The Burned One killed...it wasn't the right one. The one that attacked him is still out there. My dad is dying, Royce."

The Darnell boy wished he could say something to ease her pain, but he knew there was nothing he could say or do to make her feel any better. So instead, he turned his attention to the clutter on the table. "And you think these books are gonna give you all the answers?"

"Well, I couldn't just sit around and wait for it to happen," Savannah sighed while rubbing her hands over her face, "I can't just do nothing."

Before the Air Fairy had a chance to respond, Savannah's phone interrupted him once again. She let out a long sigh as she reached for it, only for a confused look to take over her features after reading a text from Bloom.

"Is everything alright?" Royce asked the second he saw the change in her demeanor.

"It's Bloom. She said Sky's going after the Burned One on his own. That doesn't make any sense," Savannah explained before her phone beeped once again, making her confusion transform into worry, "she just shared her location with me. She's moving fast toward the forest."

Not even a second after that passed when the Silva girl rushed to her room to put on her armor and grab her bow and quiver. When she went back out into the living room, she found Royce standing in front of the door, blocking her only way out of her dorm. The two of them just stared at each other in silence until Royce began speaking. "What the h*ll are you planning on doing?"

"I can't let Sky face the Burned One with a poorly-trained Fire Fairy. I shouldn't have to explain all the reasons that could go wrong," Savannah retaliated without bothering to hide all the emotions in her voice, "now, get out of my way, Royce. You aren't gonna stop me from protecting my family."

"Who said anything about stopping you?" the Darnell boy questioned before stepping aside and opening the door, "I'm coming with you. Now, lead the way."

Savannah didn't hesitate to rush past Royce and into the hallway. He stayed close behind her while running through Alfea. Neither of them slowed down as they left the school and approached the clearing that led to the Stone Circle. The duo were surprised to find Terra, Musa, Aisha, and Stella arriving at the same time. But none of them had time to ask questions as they raced in the direction of Bloom's location. It wasn't long before they found themselves standing in front of the barrier. They only hesitated for a moment before sprinting into the forest.

Despite the fear rushing through Savannah's veins, she kept pushing forward, knowing she would lose the rest of her family if she didn't. They continued tracking their friend until they lost signal, leaving them to try to guess where Bloom and Sky could be. That was until they heard a loud snarling in the distance. Savannah was the first to sprint toward the sound, followed by the rest of her friends. It wasn't long before they reached another clearing where they found Sky and Bloom locked in battle with a Burned One. But it wasn't long before the duo was knocked to the ground with their enemy closing in on the Fire Fairy.

"Close your eyes!" Stella called out.

Everyone instantly did as they were told before the former created a blinding light, causing the Burned One to shriek and look away. Terra soon grew vines from the ground and wrapped them around its legs. Bloom instantly jumped to her feet and blasted the Burned One with all the fire she could muster. She called for Aisha to help her, causing the Water Fairy to hit the creature with a stream of water. Their combined powers created a smoke screen around the Burned One, confusing it. That allowed Sky to charge at it and drive his sword into its stomach. Savannah then loaded her bow and fired it at the creature, landing an arrow in the Burned One's heart.

The Burned One fell to the ground the second the Ekon boy pulled his sword out from its stomach. Everyone just stared at it as it lay motionless on the ground in the center of the clearing. Just as they thought it was all over, Musa's eyes began to glow pink. "Wait. I don't think it's-"

The next thing anyone knew, the Burned One got to its feet and charged at them. But before it could get close enough to them, Royce held his hands out toward it with his eyes brightly glowing white. Lightning emitted from the wounds Savannah and Sky caused as the Burned One shrieked in pain. That lasted for another moment before a bright light radiated off the creature. It let out one final scream before falling to the ground once again.

"No, it wasn't dead," a new voice said, causing the teens to turn around to find Dowling standing a few yards away. Her eyes were glued to the Burned One before moving to meet Royce's gaze. "But it is now."

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After receiving a very long lecture from Dowling about their reckless actions, Savannah and Sky were dismissed to see Silva. The two of them walked side by side through the halls and out into the courtyard. Neither of them slowed their pace as they approached the greenhouse, where they knew their father would be getting treated by Ben Harvey. Both of the young Specialists had hope running through their veins, wanting nothing more than to see Saul back to full health. But there was a small part of them that wondered if they had just completed another failed mission to save him.

It wasn't long before they found themselves standing in the doorway of the greenhouse. Neither of them made a move to enter as they watched Ben stitching up the wound on Saul's back. That was until the Silva man's attention landed on his children. Anger and irritation instantly filled the Headmaster of the Specialists' eyes as he got to his feet and approached Savannah and Sky.

"You are an idiot. A stupid, impulsive, reckless idiot," Saul said without taking his eyes off Sky. It wasn't long after that when his attention fell on his daughter. "And you know better than to follow his idiot ways."

"I know, but is it better?" the Silva girl asked the question she had been building up the courage to ask. When her father didn't respond right away, Savannah found herself looking over at her best friend's father. "Professor Harvey?"

Ben didn't say a word to the family in front of him. Instead, he simply responded with a smile, which was enough to tell the Specialists all they needed to know.

"Don't smile at them," Saul said before being pulled into a tight hug by his daughter, one that Sky didn't hesitate to join. The Silva man let out a long and relieved sigh as he wrapped his arms around his children, something he never thought he'd be able to do again. None of them wanted the moment to end. Unfortunately, it finally did when Saul pulled away from them. He kept his hands on their shoulders and his eyes locked with theirs. It wasn't long after that when a smile appeared on his lips.

"Your mom would've been proud," the Headmaster of the Specialists told his daughter before his attention moved to the Ekon boy, "so would your dad."

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