“Probably a…” she paused, wondering how much of her faerie schooling she could give away, “…a phantom that feeds on negative energies given off by those in despair,”

Joel and Kaori looked at each other, then at Phantasia.

“Are – are you a witch or something? A psychic?” asked Kaori, her whisper barely escaping her lips as her eyes flickered around from door to corridor.

Phantasia realised this was a perfect diversion and nodded her head. “I can see a few things. Nothing too amazing,”

“Yeah, we know some dudes into that sort of thing,” said Joel, his shoulders relaxing and the suspicion vanishing from his eyes, “Just, we gotta be careful about it. Gotta watch out for the Inquisition, you know?”

Kaori’s face was still pale, though, and she clung to Joel’s arm. “If what she’s saying is true. Joel, do you think it could be…?”

He kissed her on the cheek and hugged her tight. “I dunno. Maybe. Best not to talk about it here. Maybe Phantasia can come to the club tomorrow night and see what she finds?”

“Could you?” asked Kaori. She placed her hand on Phantasia’s arm, creating a tingling, warm sensation. “Tomorrow night? Will you be free?”

Phantasia nodded. She wasn’t sure quite what was going on, but it was making her feel useful. “I’m free,” she said, “If you need my help, just ask and I’ll do what I can,”

In a sudden burst of life, Kaori threw her arms around her. Her senses were overwhelmed by physical, mental, emotional and spiritual messages, but through the fear and despair, Phantasia could feel a soothing light. That moment confirmed it for her. It confirmed that those faerie stories about humans being nothing but evil, untrustworthy fiends were wrong. She smiled, and hugged Kaori back.

***

Phantasia arrived late to her next lesson, though she was excused because of the circumstances. Art was a new subject for the faerie, but within an hour of picking up her first brush, she had painted a diorama of the Water Queendom, showing the shell towers and coral walls of the Water palace drifting under the light of the Goddess. Her teacher – a young woman with pink streaks in her hair – called the image ‘surrealist’. Phantasia was more interested in seeing what her fellow students were painting, but most of them were gossiping about the incident. It only got worse when Joel and Kaori showed up halfway through the lesson, both pulling up chairs and avoiding the looks sent their way. When the lesson ended, there was an awkward silence, as some students shuffled by, and others searched for comforting words. Phantasia watched the kaleidoscope of shifting feelings with interest, and was the last to leave the class. Joel and Kaori were waiting for her, along with their friends, both of whom had been in the previous lesson.

Byron was the first to be introduced. A handsome boy, he clutched his hat to his chest as he took Phantasia’s hand in greeting.

“I have seen many a dazzling rose in this withering world, but none so splendid and pure as you,” he said. Doyle was grimacing, and she could see the bonds that linked the close friends distort as he did.

Chapter 5
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