Before you read this I would advise you go and read the first story, ths is the sequel! The title is The other side. Cheers!

Chapter One: Awakening

I'm dead.

There's no other explanation for it, I died and I'm not coming back. I know very well I'm dead because I'm cold...aren't the dead usually cold? And stiff! I can't seem to move... I wonder if I should be concerned about why I'm not breathing. No, it's fine. You want to know why?

Because I'm dead...Aren't I?

I'm transfixed in time. I don't move, talk or breathe. I don't need too. I'm not suspended in the air but I feel like I'm floating. The only other thing I feel is this tiny feeling of discomfort.

What is that?! Why can't I just exist in wherever I am without feeling? Then why am I so uncomfortable? Heaven wouldn't have that feeling. And what could I have ever done to land in heaven? I don't know...but this can't really be hell, can it? Hell would seem more fire and brimstone instead of this...darkness. Wait! Maybe's it's limbo!

Yeah that makes more sense. Limbo...ok then...

But if I'm in limbo...then why can I feel my body? I know it's crazy! But I really don't think that I'm in limbo...god why can't I just stop obsessing over this?! I feel my body but I can't move it. Hmm...I know! I'll wiggle a toe!

...

I don't seem to be able to wiggle my toe...

Ugh! There's only the feeling of discomfort. Maybe if I try to figure out how I got here...starting with what's the last thing I remember. Let's see...I remember a hand! It's a slim hand, probably female with...my god, nicely coloured nails...stop it! I need to focus! Ok...the hand it's like I'm the one looking at the hand, oh it might be my own hand! The hand seems to be crumbling away, why is it doing that?

Maybe my whole being crumbled and now all the little pieces are spread all over the world and my subconscious just didn't know which piece to stick with.

Ok, where I am and how I got here doesn't really matter that much. But there is one thing that I really want to know, something that has been lingering at the back of my mind for ages...

Who am I?

The girl's eyes twitched with the thoughts running through her head. The lonely girl in the darkness had not the slightest idea of who she was and all that she had done in her lifetime, only that she existed in nothingness. While it was dark inside her mind, it was a whole different situation on the outside. If a person were to see what the girl looked like and where she was, one would have such a shock of horror that the person could only stare at the horrible manifestation of torture the girl was being put through without even knowing.

The girl was thin and pale, she had no marks of battle or war on her flawless skin, her peaceful face was of one who was asleep, blissfully aware of her present situation. Her most striking feature was her flowing red hair, flickers of gold and orange could be seen running through the blood red locks. The hair hung around her face and shoulders flowing outwards behind her, this effect was only achieved when a person was underwater, where the hair swims aimlessly around her, moving with the slightest twitch of her eyes as the poor girl tried to desperately fight her way out of unconsciousness.

But this was not the horror that would terrify a normal person about the girl. It was the fact that in every inch of the girls skin was stuck some sort of needle, tube or mechanical device. She was trapped in a long glass tube with wires protruding from her body, small scars formed where they had pierced the skin, the blood having no colour effect on the blue, almost green, water that she floated in.

Who could I possibly be? I know that I was alive...once. I remember little things like a girl. A beautiful girl with long blond hair, she was tall and always had something to say...she was my best friend. Who was she? And then there was a boy, he was blond too, and strong and brave, I think I was in love with him. But if I was in love with him then...why does it suddenly hurt to think of him?

Who was he? I know he was always on my mind and that when I looked at him, everything else seemed to melt away. Ugh! Why can't I remember!?

The girl's body jerked violently once in the cold water, swinging her hair further around her face and straining the wires.

Oh my god! What was that?! There was this...blinding pain. Like my whole body and my insides were just jerked out of place. What's happening to me?

The girl was starting to panic, her eyes twitching madly now as her body began to jerk again. This time as her head flew forward a few inches a small bubble escape her lips, disturbing the liquid.

Help me! Anybody! Stop this pain; kill me again so I can go back to the peaceful numbness of the void!

This time the girl's eyes opened the slightest bit, the girl's body stilling as she observed her surroundings. Her eyes went wide as they fell on the first wire, protruding out of her chest, the needle visible under the pale skin.

What is that!? Oh my god! I'm in a tube, like a sick science experiment gone wrong! Who would do this to me? How did I get here? And ouch! This is starting to hurt...

The girl's body starting twitching violently in the tube now, the wire scrapping against the glass as the girl came to life. Her eyes flew to the glass and she could faintly make out the lights of five more tubes, from what she could tell these six glass structures were situated in a dark room, no door was visible. Bubbles flew out her mouth now and the girl started to feel water flood her throat and into her lungs.

Air...I need air!

With painstaking concentration the girl reached out and placed both her hands on the glass in front of her, pushing with what little strength she had. Her vision was starting to blur as she gasped and swallowed more water.

Does this mean...I'm alive? I breathe, I move and I feel...I live. I don't want to die again, I want to break away from my glassy prison and run! Run as fast and as far as I can...Please...what is my name?!

Realization hit her and eyes going impossibly wide again the girl found the strength to push with supernatural strength and will. The glass giving way under her hands, shattering the whole tube sending the girl and her wires flooding the floor.

Breath filled her as she lay gasping on the floor like a fish. Now having the chance to use her voce the girl screamed as loud as her lungs would allow. The pain of the wires now started to enter her mind, like being stabbed in a thousand places at once and leaving the knife in the wound.

Her hand shaking the girl reached and grasped the first and most large wire, the one in her chest that seemed to connect to her heart. Gripping it tightly she started to pull; more pain flooded her system as the hideously long needle freed itself from her chest. Wire out the girl quickly moved onto the next one in her stomach, violently removing it. One by one she pulled out the offensive metal, screaming as she went. It was agony.

Once they were all out the girl laid on her back, shivering from the cold of the stone floor under her, water still dripping from her hair and the slight drip of blood out of the puncture wounds. Her head was a dizzy weight, like someone had put her brain in a blender. But now that the girl was mostly out of pain with air in her lungs she took this opportunity to say what had occurred to her in the tank.

"Bloom" she whispered with a small humourless laugh escaping her "My name is Bloom"

After a moment of numb thought the Bloom turned her head and looked around, the room was circular with the six glass tubes lining the walls, giving off the only light. On the bottom of her old tube was a brass plate with 'Bloom: Number One' on it. She didn't linger on this information long, instead she tried to stand. After a few attempt of slipping and stumbling she was able to pull herself up using the broken watery cage next to her and look into the other tubes.

Five girls, all beautiful with the same wires in them except they were all still asleep and they were naked. Looking down Bloom was startled to see she was naked as well, that hadn't occurred to her the whole time. Shrugging she took slow steps over to the glass case next to her one. Inside was the same blond girl she remembered, her brass plate read 'Stella: Number Two'.

Making her way around to each tube she read each of their names, a little sense of familiarity coming to her with each person.

'Flora: Number Three', 'Musa: Number Four', 'Techna: Number Five' and 'Layla: Number Six'

"These girls...they were my friends" she mused quietly as if she might wake them. Bloom walked over to a key pad on Stella's tube. It was a screen touch key pad. Pressing it she found that she could read all of these different things about her friend. Her heart rate and her temperature were normal, she was at this point in time eighteen years old and she was scheduled to wake up in-

"Five years!" Bloom exclaimed as she spotted the countdown clock. Bloom stumbled back over to her own keypad to discover hers had the word 'error' written on it. She pressed the screen and a blurb came up saying 'Subject Number One: Early activation. Cause unknown'

"Great, I'm now known as Number One" Bloom then walked around to each of her friend's keypads, confirming that the five year thing was for all of them. I can't wait in this room for five years! Nope, it won't do. Bloom had landed back at Stella's keypad and started typing furiously. She locked onto the countdown and with a few touches of the button found she could not change the time of activation.

"Damn" she muttered still searching the screen. Her eyes fell on a square option in the bottom right corner reading 'Activate', smiling she touched the button and stepped back. A loud alarm came on over Stella's tube as the blue liquid started to drain from the tube. Stella didn't seem to notice anything as the wires weirdly started to pull out of her skin. Now why the hell couldn't my tube do that!?

Once all the water and wires were out the glass -unbelievably- started to melt. Bloom was able to catch and stumble with her friend's body away from the tube and lay her on the stone floor. What if she doesn't wake up?

Her prayers were answered when Stella's eyes flew open and she gasped her whole body arching. After a long time of loud breathing Stella's eyes rested on her friend, her eyebrows scrunching.

"What's your name? Do you know who I am?" Bloom asked gently, it took Stella a moment of thinking before recognition flashed in her eyes.

"Mom?"

Bloom dropped Stella with a thud and crossed her arms; this caused Stella to laugh "I'm sorry I couldn't help myself Bloom!" After she stopped giggling she looked up at her friend "My names Princess Stella of Saloria" Leave it to Stella to use her full formal title.

"Where are we? Why are our friends in coffins? And why am I naked?" she asked looking down at her naked form. She didn't bother covering up, clothes were nowhere to be found and neither of them had ever felt uncomfortable naked in front of each other.

"I don't know. I really don't know much of anything except my names Bloom, you're Stella, these are our friends, my 'activation' was early and that we weren't supposed to wake up until five years from now"

Stella raised her eyebrows at this "No way can we wait five years, I'd age horrible without clothes or food and—Ah! What happened to my skin?! It's got holes everywhere! You think these will go away?" Bloom nodded and walked over to Flora's tube.

"You wake up Musa and Layla; I've got Flora and Techna. Just press the activation button" Bloom said pressing the button and watching Flora's tube empty, Stella stumbled over to Musa's tank doing as Bloom instructed.

When Stella had Musa out and on the floor she waited patiently but when the small girl with long black hair did not open her eyes Stella, without hesitation, reached out and slapped her "Musa! Wake up you selfish pixie bitch!" Musa's eyes went wide as she heard this and she gasped.

"Mother of god!" she managed to get out as she breathed heavily. Stella rolled her eyes and walked over to Layla's tank, repeating the action. Musa's body shook violently as she watched the things around her. She noticed Flora, who had been newly freed, next to her. Flora met her eyes with a wary look.

"I'm so cold" she whispered

"It's probably the shock settling in" said Techna who had just joined them; she was being dragged over to the centre of the room by Bloom. Stella exclaimed happily from where she crouched over at her tube, from a hidden shelf she pulled out a long black cloak from its draw. The fabric was silky but sturdy, able to keep the wearer warm. Soon Stella had collected six cloaks from each of the draws and handed them to her friends.

"Thank god! I thought we would have to stay naked for the next five years" Stella said as she ran her hand over the material. Musa turned to Techna and mouthed 'five years?' to which Techna shrugged.

The girls were all out now and they all stood or sat in the middle of the room, struggling to think or move. "So what happens now?" Asked layla. Bloom stumbled over to a keypad that had just lit up in the wall; she observed it for a moment before pressing the surface. The screen came up with the message 'Injection and transportation in process' at that moment the room suddenly flooded with smoke, the girls exclaimed as they breathed in the substance. They felt weak in their muscles and their vision had started to drastically blur. Bloom was able to make her way back to her friends in time for her to collapse into a sort of unconsciousness along with them.

When Bloom opened her eyes again she could feel a cold wind coming from her left, grass under her skin and fresh air in her lungs. Groans came from her friends as the girls once again tried to move. Their heads pounded with the effects of the smoke, like a chainsaw cutting into their skulls. Bloom was able to lift her head enough to glance around, the girls were in a felid at night, the sky was remarkably dark, like it was seconds away from rain. In the distance there was a large building casting light over the felid. This building looked very familiar to Bloom and for a moment she tried to remember the name...

"Alfea, school of fairies and Red fountain soldiers" she whispered as the first raindrop struck her cheek.

...

Miss Faragonda stood in front of the fire in her newly remodelled office, thinking over the events of the last few months. Heavy rain started to pound the glass of her windows and lightening struck outside in the sky. It was a miserable night, perfect for reflecting the events going on in the older woman's head.

We never found the girls. That day of the attack where the armies of the universe joined together as one and fought back against the evil Valtor passed exactly three months ago. We don't know for sure what really happened or how he was killed but the Specialists assured us that he was dead and that the girls had finished him.

Ah the girls.

Where did we go wrong with them? I'm almost positive that something awful happened to them, I could never stop thinking of them since that day; we should have helped them somehow. If we had maybe they wouldn't have left us...again.

Alfea has not been the same since that day either. The students had been freed from the jails cells of the school, teachers rehired, the school rebuilt but no amount of healing will ever erase the scars that have been afflicted.

Miss Faragonda turned away from the flames with a heavy sigh. This is the line of thought that had plagued her mind for weeks, she also had a feeling, a feeling of anticipation that something was coming. But tonight it was different; tonight it was stronger than before. She felt that that 'something' was closing in this every moment and that it would be upon them in minutes.

She paced back and forth in her large office, staring out into the rain as it pounded down against the windows, making it impossible to see out into the night.

A flash of light erupted inside her head. Miss Faragonda closed her eyes as she felt her head sway, images coming to life behind her closed lids. It was hard to make out the vision but it looked like a group of people in black cloaks, struggling against a hard wind and heavy rain toward a beckon of light.

...

The Specialists gathered around a large wooden table in the dark hallway, the only light came from the few surrounding candle holders lining the stone walls. They had been studying for hours when the sudden burst of the doors opening made them jerk their heads up to see Miss Faragonda exiting her office in a panicked rush. She spotted the guys and ran over to them.

"Miss Faragonda?" Asked Helia as he put his pen down to stare at her concerned "What is it?" The other guys were looking at her the same way, they had never seen her look so stricken and shocked.

Miss Faragonda stared at nothing as she stood there, eyes blank and mouth agape. The guys stood up when they did get an answer and crowed around her, truly worried now.

After the longest moment Miss Faragonda took a breath and said slowly "There coming back"

The specialists didn't need her to explain what she meant, they knew. The girls, their loves and lives were coming back to them as they had always hoped they would. Brandon stepped forward quickly and started at Miss Faragonda meaningfully "When?"

Miss Faragonda looked up but not at the people around, no she looked straight ahead of her down the dark hallway toward the Large wooden doors of the Schools entrance in wonder, the only sound was the rain pouring outside and the occasional lightening strike.

"Now" she whispered, the starling sound of three booming knocks echoed through the room...they had arrived.