~CELESTIA~
I felt something cold rest upon my forehead. I didn't feel sick, but my body ached like I'd trained non-stop with Master Magnor. As my mind drifted in and out, I wondered if Sia had gone above and beyond during her daily training sessions with Magnor and Arielle.
She must have and I was paying the price for it. I guess Magnor felt bad and wanted to prevent my body from getting all feverish. I really wished I could fix this unbalanced issue between us. I wondered where Magnor was now?
"Are you sure you can watch her, Mr. Charm?"
Watch me? Who is Magnor speaking to? It wasn’t normal for him to bring strangers into our home, especially into my room. I'm in my room...right?
"I'll be fine. I doubt she's gonna mind. We may not know much about one another, but if I were in her shoes, I'd rather wake up to a familiar face then a strange nurse in those stupid cloak uniforms. When I woke up, I thought I’d joined a cult during my sleep," a soft but deep voice replied.
Who was that? I knew him...but from where again?
"Alright. You were asleep when I arrived so it makes sense why you’re the first to wake up," Magnor replied.
"I missed all the good stuff. And Celestia in her unicorn form. Why is nature magic the most draining?"
"Because it's connected to other elements in its class. Water and Earth are both involved when you summon a single vine. Imagine multiple ones such as you displayed during the exam, Mr. Charm. You will get stronger in time. Hopefully, this school can help you gain the experience you require," Magnor explained.
School? What school?
"I hope so, Master Rune. Sorry, a few of my friends may not know who you are. We're all from different dimensions and backgrounds. We simply know each other due to a few past encounters and the exam."
"It is understandable and I take no offense. I'll leave you to watch over Celestia and the others. Notify me when everyone is awake. All of you take it easy until we can explain everything to you," Magnor replied.
"Thank you, Master Rune. Please get some rest as well."
I listened to the fading footsteps and heard the door close. I fought to open my eyes that felt as though they were weighted with bricks. From the conversation I overheard, I assumed I must have shifted. Why though? My mind was still muddled and things weren't adding up.
I opened my eyes, squinting at the bright light.
"Celestia? Hold on," the soft-spoken male announced.
I heard his feet shuffle along the floor; the bright lights above me dimmed. I sighed in relief, letting my eyes close for a few seconds before opening them again.
"Where am I?" I pondered.
A handsome male with bright green eyes looked down at me. He gave me a sad smile. "Cutie Pie. Do you have amnesia? Magnor did say you experience it from time to time when you shift," the male asked.
"Um. Maybe? You're...Pixie...Boy? The cute one...I mean, no. Not cute," I stuttered as my cheeks tinged with embarrassment. I hated when this happened. If I did shift into my unicorn form, then I was totally dealing with memory loss and the other side effects that came after. As long as I didn't have a giggle fit or start talking about saving starving children, I guessed it wouldn't be too bad.
He gave me a wide grin and removed something from my forehead. I noticed it was a pink face cloth and watched as he dipped it into a bowl of water.
"Yes, Cutie Pie. I'm Pixie Boy or Finn. Magnor said your memory would come back in waves so don't sweat it," Finn explained.
I tried to sit up, but I felt nauseous even from the slight movement.
Finn pressed his hand on my shoulder. "Easy, Cutie Pie. You're not in a stable state yet. Magnor said he'd make something to help you recover faster," Finn confessed.
"Right...why are you in our house? Wait, this doesn't look like my room," I realized, glancing around the white-curtained box my bed was stationed in. It looked more like some type of medical clinic, like the one Magnor once took me to when I was sick and he got concerned.
Finn chuckled. "You’re even cuter when you’re confused, Celestia. Why don't you rest a little more before we play Twenty-One Questions? But to reassure you, you're in a medical ward in Aslan Academy. Magnor went to have a meeting with the headmaster. He'll be back later," Finn explained.
"Oh," I replied, resting my head back on the pillow. That made sense...I think?
"At least you’re cooperative," Finn acknowledged, squeezing the excess water from the face cloth before laying it back on my forehead.
I sighed in relief at the cold fabric against my hot skin. I wanted to ask more questions, but a nap was rather tempting.
"Celestia, go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere. Our team is knocked out and they won’t tell us what happened until everyone is fully rested, including you," he explained.
"How about you?" I asked, opening my eyes slightly to analyze his smooth skin. For a guy, he sure has lovely skin. I wonder if he uses facial products?
"I'm fine. I slept enough already. You need to worry about yourself, Cutie Pie." He brushed his hand against my cheek.
"Why?"
"Why what?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.
"Why are you taking care of me? You don't know me...or well, barely. Everyone thinks I'm useless...a liar that doesn't deserve Magnor's training. I don't know why he cares, either. You don't need to be here, yet you are. Why?" I asked.
The smile on his face fell and a sad expression replaced it. I didn't mean to make him sad or upset. I just couldn't comprehend why anyone would care. All those years of loneliness, and the countless days I sat in the garden and wished for even one friend. Now here I was, in some medical ward with a man who was willing to stay up and take care of me in Magnor's stead. It made no sense and I wished to understand.
"Because we're friends, Celestia. Friends don't abandon one another. Even if we've just met...you put your life on the line for people you hardly knew. To you, this may seem fast and even preposterous, but I can speak on the others’ behalf that we care about you. And to be fair, we wonder the same thing. How did we meet a girl who could mingle with us so easily after such a short amount of time? Why would this girl put her life on the line to protect us, a group of misfit shifters who she knew nothing about other than our names and a few minor details?" he explained.
Even with my current memory loss, his words made sense.
He continued, "For the first time, I sat around a campfire with a group of shifters that were happy to be around me. Even though this was an exam, we tried to get to know each other. I know for some, friendship takes days or months to develop, but to me, if you’re willing to risk your life for another, that counts as friendship in my book and I take care of and protect my friends. . So...we're friends," he concluded.
I stared into his green eyes. I could hear the honesty in his voice and his facial expression showed me a glint of hurt. It was like getting a peek into his troubled past which made me curious as to what he and the others had dealt with before coming here. Most of all, it made me wonder if we were all the same. If we were truly a bunch of misfit shifters who people didn't take seriously or care about because we weren't among the majority. And if my thoughts were true, would we find acceptance with each other?
"Friends," I repeated.
He nodded. "Friends," he confirmed.
I closed my eyes, a small smile on my lips as I thought about the simple word that brought such happiness to my lonely heart. I'd rest a little more and hope I remembered everything when I woke up.
I woke up to see Finn next to my bed. His eyes were closed with his arms crossed over his chest. From the way his head leaned forward, I figured he was falling asleep. I glanced down to his chest that rose and fell in a slow rhythm. Between that and his peaceful expression, I could tell that he was on the verge of sleep.
"Finn?" I whispered.
He squeezed his eyes, opening them slightly to meet my curious gaze. He covered his mouth, yawning. "Cutie Pie, you remember me now?" he asked.
"Why would I forget you, Pixie Boy?” I questioned. I removed the wet cloth from my forehead, looking around the bed I was in. White curtains surrounded three-fourths of my bed. Only one section was open which was behind Finn, giving me a glimpse of a few other beds in my row.
I slowly sat up; Finn placed a hand on my shoulder, urging me to take my time. I took a moment to peek over Finn's shoulder. The bed next to me had a sleeping Hunter and Orion looked to be in the one on his other side.
Finn followed my gaze, pointing to the other three beds that were slightly hidden by the white curtain.
"The twins and Theo are on that side. Orion wanted to be in the bed next to yours, but apparently everyone was placed in alphabetical order," Finn explained.
"Alphabetical...McGinty and Meadow. But that makes no sense. I'm Rainbow," I countered.
"Charm, Kristopher, McGinty, Meadow, Rainbow, Sun Twins. Mine and Theo’s beds were supposed to be on this side, but I'm awake and the twins and Theo were mid-conversation and told the nurses they would go back to their beds when they were done." Finn grinned.
"They fell asleep, didn't they? And really, why alphabetical? We're all adults. That's a stupid rule," I mumbled.
"They get multiple rounds of students during entrance exams so they organized it this way so it's easier to direct their family members to their bodies," Finn replied.
I blinked. "Bodies...as in..." I trailed off.
Finn nodded. "It happens or so Hunter explained. Do you remember what happened during the exam?" Finn asked.
I took a moment to recall my thoughts. Written exam— Team M, stupid Vincent, campfire...Sia. Huh. Oh, Sia took over before I shifted. Wow, she did a good job with those Rhinroys. Hmm...oh. OH.
"I shifted and the Forsaken’s gone. Magnor! Is he here? Why is he here? He should be in Versa." I looked left and right, scanning the room as if he'd appear any moment.
Finn stood up and walked to the edge of the bed, placing his hands gently on the side of my face to stop me from doing another look around. "He's at a meeting still. You’re gonna give yourself whiplash," he mumbled.
I frowned, noticing how soft and large his hands were. I blushed and looked away from his analyzing gaze. "Okay. Sorry," I replied.
He chuckled. "You sure are interesting, Celestia," he admitted.
"Why?" I asked, glancing back to meet his gaze.
"Too many reasons to list. I'll tell you later," he replied, giving me a wink and letting go of my cheeks. He sat back down, leaning back in the chair.
"Shouldn't you resummon your familiar? I bet she's worried," Finn reminded.
My eyes grew wide as I gasped. "Oh no! Arielle. She's gonna be so pissed at me," I huffed. I could already imagine her fluttering feathers as she chirped nonstop in my ear just to annoy me. I shivered. "Ongoing chirping spree," I complained.
Finn grinned. "Don't worry. I'll wake up Hunter if she makes too much noise," he stated.
"You don't understand Arielle's chirping sprees. It's like death music to your ears. I bet it could cause internal bleeding at its worst," I disclosed.
"She’s probably just worried that her one true family and partner could be dead and she's impatiently waiting to find out," Finn stressed.
I frowned, "You’re right. One sec," I admitted, closing my eyes. Release and awaken, Arielle Rainbow.
I felt the section in my heart that was connected to my familiar awaken. I was slammed with a wave of emotions: fear, anxiety, hope, regret.
It only took ten seconds before I heard the flapping of wings. Finn looked over his shoulder at the door that was left open; Arielle's small frame flew into the room and straight to where I laid.
"BRU-REE!" she chirped, crashing into my cheek.
"Ow. You totally did that on purpose and not so loud. You'll wake the others," I huffed.
She landed on my lap, immediately shifting into her larger form and began to ignite.
"Uh. Is she gonna make the bed catch fire?" Finn asked, looking concerned.
"Ugh. Depends how upset she is. Arielle relax. I'm okay. I'm sorry for unsummoning you, but I couldn't afford to lose you and you know that," I confessed, petting her flaming body that continued to burn wildly. I knew she wasn’t truly upset or the bed would surely be on fire by now.
"Bru. Bru. Bru. Bru," she began her chirping spree while she glared at me.
I sighed, "Told you." I turned to Finn who looked pleased. "Why do you look so happy?" I asked.
"Arielle loves you dearly. She's only causing a fuss because she wants you to understand how worried she was. It's hard to find a familiar that cares so dearly for their owner," Finn acknowledged.
I looked down to Arielle who was still chirping away, but I noticed that her amber eyes were pooling with tears. "You were that worried?" I whispered.
"Bru-REE!" she replied, going back to her chirp spree while hopping up and down.
I smiled, wrapping my arms around her fiery body. Her warm body stilled and her flames began to fade, leaving only soft feathers. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Arielle. Next time I'll let you fight with me, okay? I just didn't want to lose you. You're my best friend, remember?" I whispered.
"Bru..." She snuggled against me, rubbing my cheek with her head.
I pulled away, allowing Arielle to shift back to her smaller form. She flew to sit on Finn's shoulder, brushing his cheek in greeting.
"Hello, Arielle. Welcome back," Finn greeted.
"Bru-Ree," she replied.
I giggled. "It's nice that my familiar gets along with you guys," I admitted. It made me wonder if we'd stay together as a team. Which reminds me.
"What happened? I think I woke up before, right?" I asked.
Finn grinned. "You woke up twice actually," he confessed.
"Twice? I vaguely remember hearing you talk to Magnor, but I can't recall waking another time. Was that a dream?" I pondered.
"Nah, that was real. But you woke up when we arrived here in the medical clinic. Magnor warned us you'd act a little different," Finn confessed.
My eyes grew wide as my cheeks began to burn red. "Please don't tell me my ditzy side came out! Please? Was it me or Sia?" I asked.
"Sia? Who's that?" he asked.
"Okay. Not Sia. Then it was me. Oh no. How bad was it?" I ranted on, wondering if I would have to remove all traces of my identity and escape the school grounds when everyone was asleep to escape the shame.
"Are you gonna explain who Sia is?" he asked.
"I'll explain when everyone's awake. It's a long story," I admitted. I was fine with them knowing since I could imagine Hunter would eventually tell them what happened with the Rhinroys anyway, but I needed to know what my unicorn drugged self said first.
"Okay. To answer your question, you were basically having a giggle fit for fifteen minutes straight; we thought we'd have to put you in the mental ward on the other side of the school," Finn explained.
"Oh...that's not bad." I sighed, feeling relieved.
Finn grinned, continuing. "Then you started preaching about world peace and how the dimensions need to think about Mother Nature and the usage of recycling to rid the world of useless junk. Then you went on about how rainbows came to be and how unique and different your name was. Then you called Orion a hot magic magnet and that you'd love to ride his pon—"
"STOP!" I raised my hand as if to prevent his next words.
Finn chuckled but continued. "Aside from your multiple attempts at getting in the sheets with Orion, you began telling the twins how interesting it would be if they dated the same girl and the magical positions they—"
"I did not!"
"You certainly did and then you said that two was better than one," he revealed.
I covered my face that I was certain was bright red. "Please no more."
"Oh, Cutie Pie, I'm not done. You wouldn't leave Hunter alone until you stripped off his shirt and felt his abs. Then, you went to Theo and told him his hair was an abomination for having black in the mix and he needed to add orange or any other color from the rainbow to be worthy," Finn continued.
"..."
"And you called me Papi and told me I could use my vines on you any day."
"..."
"And all this occurred when Magnor was in the room; he eventually knocked you out after you pinned Orion and began kissing him," Finn concluded.
"Kill...me...now. I should have let the Forsaken get rid of me," I cried, falling back into the sheets.
Arielle flew to my side, sitting on my pillow. "Bru-Ree?"
"Yes, Arielle. If I die, I'll take you along with me," I confessed, lifting the blanket to hide us both. Maybe if I hid, I could forget I ever heard any of that.
"It was cute," Finn pointed out.
I lowered the sheet to glare at him. "You’re gonna cast me away because of my weirdness," I grumbled.
He frowned. "I wouldn't."
"But—"
"Celestia. We aren't gonna ditch you or make fun of you. Unless you don't want us as teammates or as friends, you're stuck with us," he declared.
I sat up, letting go of the blanket and turning to stare straight into his eyes. I knew he was serious by the gravity in his tone, but I couldn't believe it. It felt like I was in a dream and would wake any minute. "Finn..." I whispered.
"Just say yes, so we can go back to sleep," a muffled voice encouraged.
I turned to my left to see Hunter staring at us, a pillow snuggled in his arms. He looked like he could barely keep his eyes open.
"I agree. But I still want to switch beds," Orion mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Are we planning a sleepover?" Caio called out.
"Cause if you are, we're attending," Cairus finished.
"Or we can just agree to be a team and get our dorm secured so we don't need to sleep here. These beds suck ass," Theo complained.
Finn snickered. Arielle hopped off my lap, flying over to perch on Hunter's bicep.
"Hunter, Orion...Caio, Cairus...Theo…you guys want me on your team?" I asked.
They all nodded.
"Totally," Caio and Cairus said together.
"Sure. Bonus points for ticking Vincent off," Theo grinned.
"Yes," Orion confirmed, a serene smile on his face.
"I'm saying yes so I can go back to sleep," Hunter mumbled.
"Bru-Ree." Arielle poked his cheek.
"OW. Okay fine. Yes," he grumbled.
Finn leaned his chair back. "You see? If you were more honest, life would go much smooth—" he began, but was cut off by his chair falling back and crashing to the ground.
I covered my mouth to muffle my giggles, but the others all laughed.
"Hunter!" Finn growled.
"Wasn't me," Hunter mumbled.
"Orion," Caio and Cairus said together.
I glanced at Orion who had a sly smile on his pink lips.
He shrugged. "Too tempting to pass up. Now, Celestia are we friends already? I wouldn't mind another nap before we have to listen to story time," Orion confessed, yawning.
I smiled. "I'd be honored to have all of you as friends and I think Team M would be a perfect fit," I announced.
"Team Misfit," Theo pondered.
"I kinda like it," the twins said in unison, nodding to one another.
"Hmm. Everyone thought they were bringing us down, but we'll prove to them what we got," Orion replied.
"Fine by me. Better than a stupid name like Team Magic," Hunter replied.
"That's because Magic was my idea, you jerk. Move the fuck over," Finn muttered.
"You have your own bed," he countered.
"So? Move it or I'll tell Celestia about that time when we were younger and you—"
Hunter groaned, shuffling over.
Arielle flew to sit on Orion's shoulder.
"Team Misfits of Aslan Academy. Perfect," I finalized.
The others nodded in agreement.
Finn settled in on one half of Hunter's bed, both of them falling asleep within a minute. The twins both settled and Theo walked over and sat between them, the three of them having some conversation about some dimension I never heard of. Orion got out of bed, walking over to my side.
"Can I sit with you for a bit, Celestia?" he asked.
I grinned, shuffling over to give him space. "Sure," I said, patting the free half of the bed.
He sat down, tucking his legs underneath the oversized white blanket. We relaxed, watching Arielle who had begun hopping back and forth on the blanket.
I didn't know what to say; I tried to come up with something to think about, when Finn's words came to my head.
"And all this occurred when Magnor was in the room; he eventually knocked you out after you pinned Orion and began kissing him."
I groaned, slapping my hand over my face. I can't believe I did that.
"Celestia? Are you okay?" Orion asked.
I peeked through my fingers to see his concerned face; those light purple eyes looked even more alluring up close. I bit my lip, lowering my hand to stare up at him. "I'm sorry for earlier. Like the whole pinning you down and kissing you senseless situation," I apologized and glanced down.
"I didn't mind," Orion replied. His hand brushed against my cheek, trailing down to my chin, before tilting my head upward to look at him. He gave me a little smile. "For my first kiss, I didn't expect that. You're a good kisser, Celestia." He winked.
I groaned, "I'm so sorry!" I bowed my head again and again. Great! Not only did I make a fool of myself and kiss him, I took away his first kiss. Wait, FIRST kiss!
I looked back up at him with a shocked expression, his admission sinking in. He nodded in understanding.
"Yes. First kiss. And don't apologize. It was fun," he admitted. He leaned in, whispering in my ear. "But next time, I want to be the one to kiss you," he teased.
"Bru. Bru. Bru," Arielle began singing happily, hopping onto my leg and then back onto Orion's.
I blushed. "...Okay," I replied, shyly.
I never imagined meeting someone like Orion. He was confident in what he liked without giving off a cocky attitude. Plus, our unique connection made me interested in learning more about him.
It sucked that I couldn't recall kissing him, and I did want to enjoy my first real kiss with him. A proper kiss without a dose of magically drunk unicorn shifter.
"Good." He gave me a wide smile, making my heart flutter with happiness.
I loved when he smiled at me, giving me all his attention like I was the only shifter in this dimension. It made me feel important and even somewhat loved.
"Why don't we get a bit more sleep? I feel the discussion ahead is going to be a long one," Orion suggested quietly, glancing off to the side at Hunter and Finn.
I leaned forward to check on them, seeing they were still fast asleep. We glanced over to the twins and Theo; all three of them were sleeping, with Theo laying where Caio had been and Cairus and Caio sharing a bed.
"Yes. I think a little more sleep would do some good," I admitted, still feeling rather tired.
Orion slipped his arm around me, allowing my head to rest on his shoulder.
"I'll stay awake until you’re asleep," he reassured me.
I nodded. "Thank you, Orion," I whispered. I was grateful to all of them, and hopefully I'd be able to show my gratitude to all of them during our stay here.
"More than welcome, Celestia. Get some rest," he encouraged.
Arielle flew over to perch on the table next to the bed. She fluffed her wings and relaxed, closing her eyes.
I let my eyes close and the tension left my body as I relaxed in Orion's hold. It was a weird thing to experience. It felt like I was meant to be in Orion's arms and I loved the way his arm wrapped around me protectively.
After all the years of being neglected and ignored, it felt nice to finally be noticed and for someone to share that they were interested in me.
I knew Sia and I felt the same. We wanted someone who loved us for who we were. It didn't matter what kind of shifter they were. We just wanted to be accepted and enjoy life with a companion.
Being lonely was the hardest part of life and one of our biggest fears. I just hoped this group of friends would stay by my side. I knew it wouldn't be permanent. Eventually, they would all leave me. Maybe even Orion would lose interest too. But just for this moment, even if it was only for a short time, I wanted to learn and enjoy the feeling of having friends and maybe...with time, a companion to love.
Maybe if I was lucky I'd have more than one option?