Death in the Dark Forest: A Winx Club Mystery

by Robert Teague

This story was written for the entertainment of Winx Club fans, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story may be reproduced, provided no changes are made, and you let me know.

Author's Note:

This came to me while working on "Convergence", and would not let me alone until I got in on virtual paper. It does fit in with the events of my other stories, taking place during Season 2, after Lord Darkar had freed the Trix from Light Rock and Brandon had been rescued from Princess Amentia.

Chapter One

Flora sat up slowly, putting her hand against her head. It throbbed horribly, and the sun's light didn't help. She shook her head and quickly discovered that was a bad idea. With her eyes closed she took stock of herself. Other than her head splitting open she felt fine.

Then she expanded her senses to her surroundings without opening her eyes. She was still outside near the shore of Lake Roccoluce. From the direction of the sun's heat she could tell a couple of hours had passed. There was nobody near her, but the picnic basket was.

She groped inside it without looking and found a glass vial. She pulled it out and took a clear potion she had made for general physical distress. She had brought it in case her companion had a bad reaction to the food. Mirta wasn't from Linphea, and Flora didn't know what she could or couldn't eat. No sense in taking a chance, and now she was glad to have thought of it.

What had happened? She and Mirta had come down to the lake to talk and eat lunch. The Witch-turned-Fairy was still new to Alfea, and Flora felt responsible for helping her become comfortable with her new surroundings. Mirta had been telling her about the way other Fairies (with a few exceptions) had treated her: with suspicion and hostility. They had eaten lunch and cleaned up, getting ready to go back to the school when suddenly she had blacked out.

Wait a second. The Voice of Nature told her nobody was nearby, and that shouldn't be right. Where was Mirta? Her head was hurting so badly maybe she missed sensing her.

"Mirta? Are you there?" she said softly. Talking loudly made her head hurt worse.

There was no reply. She heard the water lapping against the shore, birds singing, and the light breeze making the tree branches rustle.

Suddenly her headache dropped in intensity, and as she sat and waited it receded to the back of her head and disappeared. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly, putting up a hand to block the sun.

"Mirta?" she called, standing up. She looked around, but there was no sign of her friend.

"Maybe she went back to Alfea for help when I collapsed," she thought. She picked up the basket and oriented herself. With a final glance at the calm waters of the lake she headed back into the Dark Forest toward Alfea.

She walked along for several minutes, the phantom pain left from the headache dulling her senses. She wanted nothing more than to get back to the room she shared with Bloom and sleep until tomorrow.

Suddenly she became aware of Nature's distress. Something was very wrong nearby, and apparently was just ahead. She went around a grove of tall bushes and into a clearing. The sight she beheld shocked her to her core. Then she let out a VERY loud scream.

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"She went this way?" asked Bloom, pointing down a path through the Forest.

"Affirmative," said Tecna, "I observed Mirta and Flora on that path two point two six hours ago."

Bloom rolled her eyes, but didn't let the Technology Fairy see it. They stood at the edge of the trees near Alfea's front gate.

"Is something wrong?" asked Tecna.

"They were going to eat lunch by the lake, and should have been back by now," answered Bloom.

A scream from the forest interrupted any reply Tecna was about to make. The girls looked at each other for a second, then without hesitation took off down the path.

The first thing they saw was Flora. She was standing and staring at something, mouth open, eyes wide, and tears pouring down her cheeks. She had dropped the basket, and it had overturned, the dishes and cloth spilling out.

"FLORA! What's wrong?" asked Bloom, coming to her side.

Tecna stopped beside her. Bloom had already asked the pertinent question, and there was no point in repeating it, so she said nothing. She did a visual scan of the Flower Fairy, and nothing appeared to be physically wrong.

Flora grabbed Bloom's hand and pointed behind them with her free one, not taking her eyes away from what she was looking at. The other two Fairies turned and looked. Bloom immediately threw up, and Tecna clamped down hard on her emotions.

There was Mirta, dead. She was surrounded by bamboo, and several of them had pierced her, one through the stomach, and another through the heart. The blood had dried on her clothes and the ground and bamboo, and an expression of pain and horror was on her face.

As Bloom leaned against a tree and emptied her stomach, Tecna stared at the body. This was no time to be slowed down by feelings. She could deal with them later. She reached for the green tab on her blouse and tapped it. One function it had was a pager. Another was a multispectral/multispacial data recorder.

Then she grabbed her cell and hit a speed dial button. "Ms. Faragonda? This is Tecna. We need you and Ms. Griselda to come where we are immediately. We are in the forest between the school and the lake. I am sending up a magic flare. Please hurry." She closed the phone and held up a hand. A green burst of energy left it and exploded above the trees.

About five seconds later Headmistress Faragonda and Head of Discipline Griselda appeared in a flash of light. Spotting their students they immediately went to them.

"What's wrong, you three?" asked Griselda.

Bloom pointed wordlessly at the grisly sight. She was trying hard not to throw up again.

The two teachers, who had seen much worse in their long lives, were still horrified. The sight was completely unexpected and they both felt cold chills.

"What happened?" asked Faragonda.

"I don't know," said Flora. Her tears were harder than ever. In a halting voice she told them what had happened both before and after she woke up, and Bloom and Tecna added what they knew.

As the teachers walked around the scene, Flora suddenly lost strength in her legs and sat down heavily. Bloom and Tecna squatted down by her, and did their best to comfort her.

"Why, why?" said Flora, "She was harmless. She was my friend. She deserved a long life, not this horrible fate."

"We're going to find out, Flora, I guarantee it," said Bloom.

"I concur," said Tecna. "I will put all my resources to work and make it top priority."

"Do you feel that?" asked Griselda, glancing at Faragonda.

"Yes, I do. Magic caused these bamboo stalks to grow," she said, holding a palm toward the scene, "And they grew so fast Mirta couldn't get out of the way."

Flora gasped and looked up. "I-- I think I did this."

Four utterly shocked Fairies stared at her.

"I'm starting to remember..." said Flora, wiping her hand across her eyes. "We went down to the lake and ate, then cleaned up." She paused and gathered her thoughts. "I remember now Mirta said something that made me mad."

"What was it?" asked Tecna.

Flora shook her head. "I don't know. I just remember it made me furious. I've never been so angry in my entire life. Mirta became... became afraid of me, and got up and ran into the Forest, and I followed." She looked up.

"Go on, dear," said Faragonda.

"I trapped her with bushes, and noticed the bamboo stalks under her feet. I-- I wasn't thinking. All I wanted was to hurt her for what she had said. I made them grow. I-- I killed her..." She bowed down and put her hands on her face. "Then I went back to the lake and sat down by the basket. Then I woke up with the headache."

The elders looked at each other, and Faragonda made a slight nod at Griselda.

"We have to call the police in Magix," she told them. "Flora, you'll probably be arrested."

"I understand," was the reply, in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, Flora, but I need to take your magic. Stand away from her, girls," said Faragonda.

Seeing Bloom's expression, Tecna quickly said, "Don't argue, Bloom. This is the most logical course of action until we learn what happened."

Reluctantly Bloom nodded.

They stood up and moved away a very short distance. Faragonda gestured, and a ball of yellow-green magic was pulled out of Flora. It went to Faragonda, who caught it, and it disappeared in her hand. The magenta and red-headed Fairies went right back to their friend, helping her stand up.

"Get away from me," said Flora, pulling her arms to herself, "I'm a murderer, and I don't want you to be contaminated by my presence."

"Flora..." said Bloom.

"Ms. Griselda, you need to confine me, before I hurt... kill someone else," said Flora, ignoring Bloom's protest. The tears continued to pour down her face.

Griselda nodded. "I'll send you to the Detention Room. Without your powers you won't be able to leave."

"Please," said Flora, hugging herself.

Griselda gestured, and the Flower Fairy disappeared from the grove, leaving the remaining four in shock and pain.

What would happen now?