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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟖
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐂𝐓

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The three of them walked side by side through the halls of Alfea toward their destination. Even though Bloom texted Sky about being back in their suite, Savannah couldn't help but wonder why they didn't see her and Beatrix leave the archives. Or why they suddenly disappeared in front of Royce. Even if he wasn't paying full attention to them, he would've heard them leave. Something wasn't adding up. It didn't feel right. But the Silva girl just hoped she was being paranoid.

It wasn't long before they finally reached their destination. Savannah didn't hesitate to push open the suite doors, only to find three of her friends staring back at her. Terra and Musa were sitting on the couches while Aisha stood between them. It was obvious that they had walked in on an important conversation, but they didn't have a chance to explain thanks to Sky.

"Is Bloom here?" the Ekon boy asked as his eyes bounced between the three Fairies in front of him.

The Fairies kept their eyes glued to the Specialists and Royce as the two on the couches rose to their feet. They let the silence remain for a moment longer before Aisha broke it. "Did Silva tell the two of you what was happening today? He must've."

"What are you talking about?" Savannah asked, not bothering to hide the confusion in her voice.

"Is this the suite drama Bloom was talking about?" Royce added, clearly just as lost as both of the Specialists.

"There is no suite drama," Musa responded before her eyes landed on the Silva girl, "you would hear if there was suite drama."

"Okay, I'm so lost right now," Sky admitted, earning annoyed looks from the Fairies.

"Dowling's assistant died, and the faculty thinks a fairy did it. So they held the assembly to find out which fairy, but they didn't because he or she wasn't there, so now we don't believe or trust literally anyone," Terra urgently explained before taking a deep breath.

Not even a second after that passed when Aisha, Musa, and Terra's attention fell on Royce. His confusion instantly grew, only for it to be replaced by realization a second later. The Darnell boy quickly raised his hands in the air before speaking. "Don't look at me. I didn't do it. I can't even find Dowling's office on my own."

The Zimri girl's eyes were glowing bright purple before slowly fading. "He's telling the truth."

Sky's eyes soon widened when he remembered another fairy who wasn't at the assembly. One who gave everyone she passed a bad feeling. "Beatrix."

"I knew there was something wrong with that girl," Savannah said while she and her suitemates, along with Sky, began texting the Fire Fairy.

What they didn't notice was how Royce tensed at the mention of Beatrix. If she was who he thought she was, then there was a part of him that wanted to protect her. But a bigger part of him was telling him that what the Taina girl was doing with Bloom was wrong. And even if she ended up being his sister, Royce knew he needed to help stop her.

"This is ridiculous," Sky muttered under his breath when Bloom didn't respond to their numerous text messages. After shoving the phone into his back pocket, the Ekon boy turned toward Savannah. "I'm gonna find Riven. I could use some backup."

"I'll come with you," the Silva girl told him before turning toward Royce, "it might not be a good idea for you to come. Sky may be warming up to you a little, but Riven still doesn't really like you."

The Ekon boy couldn't help but scoff at his sister's words while Royce chuckled, knowing that Savannah was pretty spot on. "Glad one of your bodyguards is starting to like me. I'll stay here and help your friends. You go talk to Culbert."

"Thank you," Savannah said before placing a kiss on his cheek and following Sky out of the room.

A comfortable silence surrounded the siblings as they walked through the corridor toward Specialist Hall. A million questions were bouncing around in both of their heads, most of them left without answers. But there was one thing that Sky needed to clear up with his sister sooner rather than later.

"I'm not warming up to Royce," the Ekon boy stated, causing a smile to appear on Savannah's face.

"And yet, you're starting to call him Royce instead of Darnell."

Before Sky had a chance to argue with his sister, they made it outside of Fairy Hall. They did their best to ignore the questioning looks from those they passed by as they rushed toward the suites across the way. Their pace didn't slow after entering Specialist Hall and rushing up the stairs. An irritated look soon appeared on Sky's face when they got to the corridor that would lead to his and Riven's suite. He only hesitated outside the door for a moment before storming inside. Savannah was right behind him, making sure to close the door behind her. They didn't need any unwanted ears listening to their conversation. Especially since it may lead to the topic of Dowling's assistant.

The Silva girl wished she could say she was surprised to find Riven sitting on his phone. He looked over at them with his normal smile on his face, as if nothing had happened between them just an hour ago. The Culbert boy just glanced between his friends, unsure what to make of their sudden appearance.

"Where is she?" Sky asked, breaking the awkward silence that was slowly filling the room. However, the only response he received from Riven was a blank look.

Savannah couldn't fight the irritated sigh that passed over her lips before opening her mouth to speak. "The psycho Air Fairy who's been manipulating you and tormenting my friends. Where is she?"

"I don't know. Beatrix isn't surgically attached to me," the Culbert boy responded with a chuckle while putting his phone down, "why do you need her?"

"I'm looking for Bloom," Sky told him, causing the smile on the brunette boy's face to fall. But only Savannah seemed to notice Riven's attempt to get the Ekon boy to stop talking. "Beatrix was the last person who was with her-"

"Seriously?" Stella interrupted after coming out of Sky's bedroom. Anger covered every inch of her face as she approached the Ekon boy. She didn't stop until she was standing a foot away from him. "I sent you twenty texts, and you're running around looking for Bloom?"

The tension within the room continued to grow as Sky stared at Stella in silence. It was obvious that whatever was going on between the pair was getting too awkward for Riven, who started squirming on the couch. He soon got to his feet with a fake smile on his face. "Yeah. You have fun with that."

Before Savannah had a chance to think, the Culbert boy grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room. He continued leading her through the halls, completely unaware of the annoyed look on the Silva girl's face. She waited until they were in an empty corridor. It was at that moment that Savannah pulled her hand out of Riven's grasp, causing him to stop in his tracks to face her. "What's your problem, Sav?"

"What's my problem?" Savannah repeated while glaring at the boy standing in front of her, "my friend's missing. No one knows where she is. She could be in danger, for all we know. And all of this started because you opened your mouth and told everyone she was a changeling."

"It's not my fault that Stella told me that. She knows I'm not good at keeping secrets," the Culbert boy retaliated while crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall behind him.

The Silva girl couldn't help but scoff as the irritation she was feeling continued to grow. "You know I love you, Riv. But you've become one of the most selfish people I've ever met in my entire life, and I'm tired of pretending otherwise. And it all started when you started hanging around Beatrix."

All the emotions instantly faded from Riven's face as he stared at Savannah. His eyes studied every inch of her before he finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "I may be selfish, but I least I know who I am and what I want. Unlike you, who's trying to be a perfect copy of Sky."

"I'm not trying to be a copy of Sky."

"Could've fooled me."

Before the Silva girl had a chance to respond, Riven turned his back on her and walked away. The irritation she was feeling did nothing but grow as she watched him until he disappeared around the corner. Savannah was about to chase after him, wanting to continue their conversation. But before she could take a step, her phone started going off. An irritated sigh passed over her lips as she pulled it out from her pocket, revealing a text from Terra.

TERRA:
Meet us in Dowling's
office ASAP.

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It didn't take long for Savannah to find Terra, Aisha, and Musa in the hallway right outside the Headmistress' office. She was a bit surprised when Royce was nowhere to be found. But that soon faded after the Harvey girl explained he went to help Sam with his homework. They all looked like they were about to burst with anticipation. She thought they would go ahead without her, but the Silva girl knew why they waited. They didn't have all the information. They had no idea why Bloom and Beatrix weren't at the assembly. But Savannah did.

The girls waited outside the Headmistress' office for another moment before forcing their way inside. Dowling and Ben Harvey were shocked by the Fairies and the Specialist's sudden appearance, but they didn't force them away. Instead, they waited for whatever the teens had to say. They wanted to know why they had come in so urgently. But neither of the professors expected what they were told.

"Beatrix wasn't at the assembly," Savannah explained, earning shocked looks from the adults standing in front of her, "she was in the east wing with Bloom, Sky, Riven, Royce, and me."

"And why were you down there?" Dowling questioned, keeping the expressionless look on her face.

"That's not important right now. Bloom can explain it when we find her," the Specialist stated, earning a somewhat annoyed look from the Headmistress. But Savannah chose to ignore it before continuing to speak. "What is important is that Beatrix wasn't at the assembly."

Dowling didn't hesitate to glance over at Mr. Harvey, who looked just as concerned as she was. When neither of them responded to Savannah, Terra could no longer contain her emotions. "We know! We know someone killed Callum, and that it was a Fairy, and the assembly was to find out who it was. So can we please drop the b*llsh*t?"

"Terra!

"No, no, no. You don't get to shush me," the Harvey girl told her father, whose eyes filled with shock as he stared at his daughter, "and if something happens to Bloom because you didn't tell us about this-"

"We haven't heard from Bloom in hours, and nobody's seen Beatrix," Aisha interrupted Terra, knowing she needed to stop the Earth Fairy's rant before she said something she'd regret.

The next thing anyone knew, the door swung open. Everyone instantly turned their attention toward the newcomer, only to find Saul staring at his daughter with a hint of shock in his eyes. However, before he had a chance to question why Savannah was there, Dowling began speaking. "It's alright. They know."

"We'll talk about this later," Silva told his daughter before his attention toward the Headmistress, "one of the Queen's guards was knocked out. His SUV is gone."

"We'll find her. I promise," Dowling told the teens before she and Ben followed the Headmaster of the Specialists out of the room.

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Later that night, Savannah found herself sitting on the front steps of Alfea with her suitemates. They had been waiting there for a long time, watching the front gate for Dowling, Mr. Harvey, and Silva to return with Bloom. No one had said a word since they got out there, all of them on edge about what they had learned. If the Silva girl were being honest, she desperately wished they were wrong about everything. No matter how much Beatrix drove her insane, she didn't want her to be the one who killed Dowling's assistant. But deep down, Savannah knew that no matter how much she hoped for it not to be true, that wouldn't change anything.

What felt like an eternity passed when they saw approaching vehicles in the distance. Everyone instantly jumped to their feet and rushed toward the end of the driveway. No one said a word as they watched the vehicles until they parked directly in front of them. Savannah couldn't help but hold her breath, waiting for the doors to open. It wasn't long before they finally did, revealing a stone-faced Bloom. Aisha, Terra, and Musa didn't hesitate to pull the Fire Fairy in for a tight hug, something she looked like she needed. But what surprised Savannah was the look Bloom was sending her. It seemed as though it was just a blank stare, but deep down, the Silva girl knew it held so much more. However, before she could question anything, another car pulled up.

Everyone's attention instantly turned to the Specialist vehicle just in time to see Saul and Dowling get out. Ben went over to have a hushed conversation with the Headmistress while Silva forced Beatrix out of the backseat. The Taina girl just stared at Savannah until she was hauled away by the professors.

"We were so worried about you," Aisha told Bloom, drawing everyone's attention back to the Fire Fairy.

"Legit freaking out," Musa added without bothering to hide the shakiness of her voice.

"What did Beatrix do?" Terra questioned, hatred laced within every word.

"Nothing," Bloom responded as she looked between her friends. When all she saw were unconvinced looks, the Peters girl continued speaking. "She's not some monster."

"Bloom, she killed Callum," the Harvey girl retaliated, surprised by how much the redheaded girl was defending Beatrix.

The Fire Fairy's blank expression soon turned to bitterness. "Who told you that?"

"Dowling, Silva, Harvey," Musa listed, unsure of what to make of their friend's sudden mood change.

"Do you have proof?"

Aisha just stared at the Peters girl for a moment before asking the question bouncing around in her head. "Why would they say it if it wasn't true?"

Bloom was silent as she thought back to everything that happened while she was with Beatrix. "You never know why people really do things."

"My father isn't a liar, Bloom. Don't try to frame him as one," Savannah ordered, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. The two of them just stared at each other, neither of them backing down from where they stood on the subject.

"Maybe we should go in and get some rest," Aisha suggested, wanting to break the tension that was building between the Specialist and the Fire Fairy.

"You guys go. I'll meet you there," Bloom told them. After glancing at Savannah one last time, she walked past them to talk to Sky.

The Silva girl stood with her suitemates as they watched the pair have their hushed conversation. Just as they were about to go back to their suite, someone called out to Savannah and Sky. When they turned toward the voice, they found Silva gesturing for them to join him. A long sigh soon passed over Savannah's lips as she walked toward her father, who led her and her brother around the corner and out of the Fairies' sight.

No one said a word as they continued to walk through Alfea's grounds and into the building. Savannah just stared at her father's back as they walked, listening to the thoughts bouncing around in her head. She was doing her best to keep calm, knowing that an outburst would do nothing to help the situation. Especially when Silva was already on edge. At first glance, the Silva girl thought Sky was thinking the same thing. But then she noticed the look in his eyes. That was all she needed to see to know that he wasn't going to keep his thoughts to himself much longer.

They continued to walk through the corridors until they reached the Grand Hall. Savannah was surprised that it was completely empty. A few students were usually hanging around before they had to go to their suites for curfew. But something told Savannah that Dowling had something to do with the lack of students roaming the halls. And the Silva girl was somewhat happy about that. At least their peers didn't witness them being led around the school by a heated Silva. But that happiness soon faded when she saw the determination in Sky's eyes.

"You could've told us what was going on!" the Ekon boy exclaimed, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

"I told you what you needed to know," Silva declared without so much as glancing back at his children.

"No. After the Specialist Party, you said 'stick close to Bloom. We'd like to know more about her.' That is not the same as 'Bloom might be in danger from a killer.'"

Sky's words caused the Headmaster of the Specialists to stop in his tracks, forcing the siblings to do the same. It wasn't long after that when Saul turned to face them with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. "What both of you are doing is important, but you have to trust me."

"We do. You know we do," Savannah said while her brother nodded along beside her. She hesitated for a moment as her father stared at her before she continued speaking. "But we need to know the whole truth, Dad."

"One of the lessons you are at this school to learn is that sometimes a soldier just has to take orders," Saul responded as he looked between the young Specialists standing in front of him. That continued until his gaze landed solely on Sky. "So let me reiterate them. You are to gain Bloom's trust, find out everything you can, including what happened on that road trip."

"You want him to spy on Bloom?" Savannah questioned, drawing her father's attention toward her.

"He's getting needed information. And you'll be doing the same with that Darnell boy."

Confusion mixed with the shock that was flowing through the Silva girl. "What? Royce? He has nothing to do with any of this!"

"Mind your tone, Savannah," Saul told his daughter, making her fall silent. The Headmaster of the Specialists studied Savannah until speaking once again. "This is Royce's third year at Alfea, and we still know next to nothing about him. We need to know that he isn't a threat. You are to find out what you can about him, and you are to tell me. That is where your loyalty lies, Savannah. To me. To Alfea. No one else."

Silva studied the young Specialists for a moment longer before turning and walking out of the Grand Hall. Neither Sky nor Savannah said a word as they watched him go, both not knowing what to say. Or so the Silva girl thought. But that was proven untrue the second Saul was out of sight. It was only then that the Ekon boy turned toward his sister with determination in his eyes. "So what do we do now?"

Savannah's eyes stayed glued to where her father disappeared as a million thoughts bounced through her head. What felt like an eternity passed before she finally responded, but what she said wasn't necessarily what Sky wanted to hear. "I don't know."

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