THE SCREAMS echoed throughout the greenhouse. He was glad he wasn't the only one scared, as Dane was on the verge of a breakdown next to him.

However, he didn't understand how Viperine managed to be so calm. She was sitting on the table, but she was already looking much better after eating a granola bar a few minutes ago. Anakin was curled around her neck, sleeping.

Even though he was shaking all the way to the bottom, Dane was still trying to grind those herbs, but he was failing miserably.

"I don't understand how you're so good at this," he said as he saw Riven's mound of chopped herbs.

"You don't know because you don't know the real Riven."

Verena. She entered the conservatory, closing and locking the doors behind her. From the top of the table, Viperine tried to understand what she was doing there.

"Terra and I used to hang around here a lot," Riven said, blushing slightly.

Viperine threw her head back.

"I never thought you were the nerdy type," she scoffed. "Was Terra your girlfriend too, Riven?"

"Are you crazy?" he exclaimed, disgusted. "Of course not!"

This unnerved them both.

"Riven is not like Sky, Viperine," Verena said. "And unlike you, at least, he tries to do things right."

Viperine rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Did you make that potion right?" she asked, ignoring Verena's comment. "Isn't she taking too long to wake up?"

"If she's going to be judging, do it better," Verena ordered.

"Wasn't the potion yours?" Dane yelled to Viperine, his eyes wide with fear.

But before their argument could get any further, Riven looked worriedly at Verena and asked,

"Verena, are you okay?"

"What the hell is happening to you?" exclaimed Viperine, slightly startled at the sight of her awful appearance.

Verena opened her mouth to respond, but muttered "shit" when she felt blood run down her nose.

"I want to know too," Verena said. "And I'm losing control of my powers."

"But weren't you the indestructible fairy who didn't die?" Viperine asked dramatically.

Even in pain, Verena laughed, along with a shrug.

"Finding out more about Bloom, I discovered my problem," she hissed.

"Fairy?" DanE repeated. "Aren't you a specialist?"

"It's obvious you two know each other," Riven declared. "Do you mind explaining?"

Viperine looked at Verena and said something like, "Want to tell them yourself?" Viperine shrugged, giving Verena a chance to explain:

"Beatrix and I were raised together," she explained. "She's my sister. Now with Viperine, the case is a little more complicated."

"More complicated and a story for another day," Viperine cut in.

Verena leaned against the table in pain and a little dizzy. Still looking a little weak, she leaned against Beatrix's body, placing a kiss on her forehead. Soon, she rose, turning to the three:

"Don't leave here, understand?"

Giving them no chance to respond, she left the greenhouse. None of them—Viperine, Riven, and Dane—made a point of following her. Little did they know what was happening after all.

Viperine got to her feet, walking over to Beatrix's body and poking her in the ribs with the tip of her sharp nail.

"Hey, lightning girls," she called."She's already gone. You can drop the act."

Riven and Dane nearly had heart attacks.

And Beatrix opened her eyes.

◈

IN THESE TIMES OF MURDERING AND ENDLESS TROUBLES, Riven had found solace in toying with Dane's mind. Not just him, but Viperine as well. The couple didn't really care if he was being harmed; she was too nice to care.

"Fighting like a girl!", "playing like a girl" and "running like a girl"? exclaimed Viperine. "That's sexist.

"All very troublesome," Dane informed him.

In her lazily amused voice, Beatrix rolled her eyes.

"They're playing with you, Dane," she said. "Viperine understands contemporary gender language much better than she lets on. It's even cute by her standards."

Viperine flashed her a reading, smug smile. Beatrix was familiar with her; after all, they had grown up together. As much as they seemed to hate each other at various points, the two had a huge affection for each other.

"You know me so well," she murmured, laughing.

"Better than yourself," Beatrix replied.

The lights flickered and the conversation fell silent. Riven looked at Dane, now an expert.

"We need to go back," he said.

"We should," he agreed.

Nobody moved. They knew that if the two of them left, it would be over. Technically, Beatrix and Viperine were prisoners who shouldn't even have been taken out of the cells where they were so dangerously classified.

"Rosalind will be here soon," Beatrix said. "Listen to her. My father, Viperine's aunt, and I have a plan."

"She's not exactly my aunt," Viperine muttered, but she gave herself reason to say, "You two could be a part of the plan. It doesn't have to end here, you know?"

Viperine was telling the truth, not acting. She knew she could get them into their "team". She just had to ask the right person.

"Did your father send you here?" Dane asked Beatrix.

"Technically, he's not my father, but he'll know that...'[

Then the door opened. An older blonde woman stood facing them from the greenhouse's main entrance. She wore an unsettling smile. And that attitude... Riven knew she was in the military—she was in charge.

"Rosalind," Beatrix whispered.

The woman nodded, smiling.

"You remember me," said the mentor. "Good."

She looked at Viperine with a slight smile. She might be in control of the plan, but she knew Viperine wasn't a force anyone could control. The look she directed at Dane and Riven was hostile, as if she were wondering who they were.

Riven didn't need to be a mind faerie to feel the intensely unbalanced vibrations. Sky would definitely try to date her if she were fifty years younger.

"They're friends," Beatrix assured him. "Both."

That sounded good. Riven felt Rosalind's magic like a torch glowing in all the darkest corners of her soul as her eyes gleamed. Rosalind finally nodded, as if he'd passed a difficult exam, expecting a F.

"It's always nice to have friends," she agreed. "I bet they want to know what happens next."

Rosalind smiled, a slow smile that felt hot as the sun and cold as a snake... Ah, that must be where Viperine had learned to smile.

"Not to get in the way or anything," hissed Viperine, catching Rosalind's attention. "But anyway, I wanted to ask you a little favor. It has a bit to do with Verena, actually. "

━━━━━━
9.27.22

N O T E S

For those who are unaware, Hurricane Ian is making its way towards Florida and will pass near my university. My classes for the rest of the week have already been canceled, according to the notification I received. As some of you may know, I am a Brazilian foreign student studying in the United States. I'm not sure what was approved, but several of my Tampa friends are already leaving the city or seeking protection.

I just wanted to remind everyone in the area to stay safe. Make sure you have everything you need for up to three days without electricity. I'm sending my prayers for everyone's safety!

𓆙 𓆙 𓆙

[ Uᴘʟᴏᴀᴅs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ ]
I'ʟʟ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ