Chapter Text
{...}
It was another sunny day on Unicorn Island. The enchanted animals were grazing around the school; the fate faeries were flying through the sky, but that majestic day was also back to school. The pier was full of boats coming and going, bringing more students than ever before. Everyone was excited to be back, but no one was more excited than the Sapphire dormitory.
Sophia, Ava, and Rory were waiting for Layla when they spotted the boat in the sky. Ava started screaming with joy, waving to her friend and almost falling into the water if Sophia hadn't held her back.
— Layla! — exclaimed Ava, running to hug her as soon as she got out of the boat, almost knocking her friend to the ground. But Layla managed to keep her balance and returned the hug.
— What's up, Layla! How was your vacation? — Sophia asked.
— It was great! I managed to do some research, study more about unicorns and write down various things about species and...
— Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Did you spend the rest of your vacation studying? — Rory asked, with his hand on his head, perplexed.
Layla adjusted her glasses and smiled slightly. — There's no better fun than learning. — she replied proudly, making the other two laughs.
— Yeah, Layla's still the same. — Sophia said, hugging her friend, and they headed off to school.
— Where are Valentina and Isabel? — Layla asked, looking around.
— Where do you think? — Rory replied, throwing up a blackberry and catching it with his mouth. The group turned off the path and headed for the track, where there were some students watching a race.
— Oh, they're already at it? — Layla commented, standing next to her classmates and watching her teammates go head-to-head.
— It's Valentina and Isabel, they're always competing. — Ava said, and the others nodded in agreement.
The race was almost over, with Isabel in the lead, teasing Valentina, who tried to respond. But on the last lap, Valentina remained quiet, focused on the track. Cinder accelerated even more, her horn glowing brightly, and her body markings began to glow as well, setting off at speed and overtaking Isabel.
— Hey! — Isabel shouted, waving her face to disperse the smoke that enveloped them.
— Ha! We won! I knew it. — Valentina said, shaking her hair and smiling victoriously, waving to her classmates who were celebrating their victory.
— That wasn't fair! — Isabel complained, getting off River and heading towards Valentina with long strides. Valentina also got off Cinder and came face to face with Isabel.
— Oh, stop whining. You didn't say anything about using the powers. And even without them, I would have won anyway. Right, boy? — Val said, crossing her arms, while Cinder nodded. Isabel filled her lungs, ready to continue the discussion, but the school bell rang, causing everyone to quickly disperse from the dance floor.
At the entrance, the students gathered, waiting for the teacher to appear to give her usual speech and then head for the dormitories. As they walked towards their rooms, Val was dialing on her cell phone, walking behind the others, when she was suddenly pulled into a secret room.
— What the-! Isabel! — Val exclaimed, frowning in annoyance as Isabel smiled softly. — Why did you do that? You wrinkled my clothes. — she complained, adjusting her jacket. Isabel sighed and rolled her eyes.
— You look great. I wanted to talk to you alone. — Isabel said, throwing herself down on an ottoman in the living room.
— Talk about what? I need to pack my things. — Valentina warned, crossing her arms.
— Okay, I know. — Isabel huffed, getting up. — I just wanted to talk to you for a bit.
— About what? — Valentina asked impatiently, but ended up holding her breath as Isabel approached.
— I... missed you. And I'm also sorry for losing my temper on the track, I'm sorry. — She spoke with a soft laugh and scratched the back of her head.
Valentina looked down, sighing. Isabel cleared her throat, thinking of a way to lighten the mood, but Valentina was quicker: she grabbed the blonde's jacket and pulled her in, kissing her.
The kiss lasted about ten seconds, but it was enough to make Isabel completely bewildered. When Valentina pulled away, still looking at the blonde's lips, Isabel blinked, trying to come back to reality.
Their gazes met, their breaths mingled, and their hearts began to beat faster. Val turned her attention away, tucking her hair behind her ear. Isabel, on the other hand, couldn't even move. Valentina looked away, hid her lips with her hand and rubbed her throat.
— Yes, yes, yes! Haha! — Isabel exclaimed excitedly, unable to contain her laughter. — Isabel, you're amazing! — she said, looking at herself in the mirror, making pistols with her fingers. — Thank you. You're welcome! — she smiled broadly, putting her hands on her waist. — Oh, I really am incredible.
{...}
In the sapphire dormitory, Ava and Rory were having fun playing basketball, using a basket that the young man had brought and fixed to the wall just to entertain themselves. Layla was sitting on the sofa, taking notes as usual.
— Look at the basket! — Rory exclaimed, throwing the ball. — Look out! — he ducked as the ball hit the wall and came back, hitting the living room table, scaring Layla, and finally falling into the hands of Isabel, who suddenly appeared in the room.
— That's how it's done, Rory! — She said, knocking the ball to the floor before throwing it and scoring a point. Rory and the girls applauded the throw, boosting Isabel's pride.
— That was amazing. The angle of the throw was sensational. Maybe I can do it if I change the angle and the position of my feet. — Layla began to record in another notebook, causing the rest of the group to laugh.
Sophia was coming down the stairs when Isabel surprised her by grabbing her hand and spinning her around as if they were dancing. Then the blonde came up the stairs, smiling as brightly as ever.
— Wow, Isabel is really excited about going back to school. — Rory commented, as everyone followed the blonde to her quarters.
— I think she's more excited about resuming her training. — Ava replied, and the three began a brief discussion, while Sophia, still standing by the stairs, raised an eyebrow.
...
Isabel was organizing her belongings when a noise at the door piqued her interest. She turned and saw Sophia leaning on the door frame.
— Hi!
— What's up? Do you need anything? — Isabel asked, grabbing a soccer ball and putting it in the box where she kept her other balls.
— Nothing. It's just that I noticed your smile today. You're smiling more than when you win a race. — Sophia began, closing the door behind her.
— Is that so...? — Isabel scratched her throat, feeling Sophia's gaze burning into her back.
— I was talking to Val just now. She was stressed about her things, but although she tried to hide it, you could see that she was smiling. — Isabel dropped one of the books she was carrying, and Sophia raised an eyebrow. The blonde didn't dare look directly at Sophia, but soon she would. — Have you looked in the mirror recently? — Sophia asked with a playful smile. Isabel turned sideways, a confused look on her face.
— Of course! I need to check out my body to put together my training routine for the day. These muscles don't just appear, do they? — she declared, raising her biceps to Sophia, who only nodded in agreement.
— So you've seen your face too, right? — said Sophia with a mischievous smile. Isabel frowned, dropped her bag of clothes and walked over to the mirror, her eyes widening. — Valentina won the race, but you won a great prize, didn't you? — Sophia teased.
— I can explain!
— You don't have to, the evidence is in your face. Literally. — Sophia joked, watching Isabel move from side to side, looking for a tissue to wipe off the lipstick that had marked the corner of her mouth.
Isabel wiped everything off, checking her face to make sure there were no more marks, when she suddenly noticed Sophia grinning from ear to ear in the mirror, turning to her.
— So... Val didn't give me many details; she kicked me out of the room when I kept asking. But tell me, are you really dating?
Isabel felt her breath catch, not understanding exactly why she had hesitated to answer the question. Sophia continued to stare at her with eyes full of curiosity.
The blonde sighed, realizing she couldn't escape her. — Yes, we're dating. — As soon as she said it, Sophia let out a squeal of delight, but then kept quiet.
— I'm so happy for you. After everything you've been through, I expected it. — she commented, smiling proudly and happy for her friends. However, something in Isabel made her frown, worried. — Did something happen?
Isabel took a deep breath, walked over to the bed and sat down facing Sophia. She took a few seconds to answer, letting out a longer sigh than usual.
— It's just that... we went home, and then we had to go back to save the island, and then we went home again. — She detailed, running her hand through her hair and stroking the back of her neck. — Valentina and I started exchanging more messages, and four days before the end of the vacation, Val called me at dawn. She sounded sad, so I continued talking to her about other subjects. There was a moment when I made a joke and she started laughing a lot. And... I don't know what came over me, I just know that, without meaning to... — Isabel paused, clearing her throat and avoiding eye contact. — I said... I love you... to her. — Isabel confessed, without looking at Sophia, but she knew exactly what expression she was making.
— Okay. That's... — Sophia brought her hands to her mouth, inhaling deeply. — Okay, that's too much. And also to explain why Val was a bit strange when you arrived on the island. — She commented, running her hands through her hair. Isabel didn't say anything, just nodded.
— Oh, I screwed up, didn't I? — Isabel stood up, rubbing her frown.
— No, you didn't. I mean, maybe a little. — she replied, causing Isabel to turn around suddenly, with her hands open and a surprised look on her face. — Sorry. But, look, if she kissed you, that means things are okay, doesn't it?
Isabel let out a sigh through her nose, fiddling with her jacket restlessly. — Well, she kissed me twice and said she'd use her credit to do whatever she wanted, so... I guess so?
Sophia choked on her own saliva, beating her chest to catch her breath. Isabel just looked at her with raised eyebrows, confused by the girl's reaction.
— Are you all right? — the blonde asked.
Sophia took a deep breath, made an Ok sign with her fingers and said: — Okay, that was... Wow, I didn't expect that from Valentina. — She said, a little surprised, but continued. — But if she said that, then everything's fine. You don't have to worry so much. If you still have any doubts, you can ask her. After all, you're dating, right? Communication is fundamental in any relationship. — Isabel let out a weak sigh, looked down and gave a small smile.
— Yes, you're right. — She said, and Sophia smiled back, went over to her friend and hugged her, leaving the room.