Back to Classes
The hallway was filled with the sounds of chattering students, the buzz of excitement, and the clattering of shoes against the stone floor as they rushed to their first classes. The Winx stood just outside the classroom doors, staring at the old familiar walls that now felt like a maze of uncertainty. Everything was the same, yet everything was different.
Stella pressed her palm against the cool stone of the wall, grounding herself for a moment. She could feel the hum of magic in the air, the familiar pulse of Alfea, but it didn’t feel like home anymore. Not with the weight of their past selves pressing in from every direction.
“Alright, here we are,” Bloom said, her voice steady but laced with nerves. “It’s just another day at school, right?”
Stella shot her a sharp glance. "If only it were that simple."
"Nothing ever is with us, is it?" Musa muttered, crossing her arms. Her usual playful demeanor was strained, her face shadowed with unease. “I can’t even imagine what’s going to happen in class today. It’s like we’re just. . .walking through someone else’s life.”
“Let’s just try to survive the first day,” Aisha said, trying to lighten the mood. “We’ve done it before.”
“Before, yes,” Tecna agreed, pulling up her tablet. “But in this version of the past? We’re going to need to adjust — quickly.”
With a final glance at each other, the group stepped into the classroom, the door creaking open and revealing the familiar sight of desks arranged in neat rows, a few students already seated.
"Welcome to your first class at Alfea!" the teacher said, her voice cheerful but with a faint edge of authority. Stella recognized her, though she couldn’t place her name just yet. The teacher’s presence felt off, like a half-remembered dream.
“Today we’ll be reviewing basic spells and magical techniques,” she continued, smiling at them all. “It’s important to establish a foundation. There’s no shame in starting from the basics.”
The Winx exchanged glances, each of them feeling the weight of her words. They all had far more advanced skills than what was being offered here. Stella could feel the burn of her powers simmering just beneath her skin, desperate to break free, but she had to hold it back. The illusion of being a normal student was just that — an illusion. If any of them showed the slightest bit of their true abilities, everything would crumble.
“Alright, let’s begin with a simple light spell,” the teacher said, her eyes scanning the class as she raised her wand. “A flick of the wrist, a gentle burst of energy, and we’ll start with the basics. Who’s ready to demonstrate?”
There was a pause before Stella felt the weight of all their eyes turning toward her. Her hand twitched, an automatic response, but she held herself back. She didn’t want to be first. Not now.
But then she saw it — Musa’s hand had shot up. It was as if her body had acted on its own. And for a moment, the air seemed to shift, the world slowing down just slightly. Stella’s heart skipped a beat as she saw Musa’s face tighten. Not now, Musa. She hadn’t wanted to be the center of attention either.
The teacher, seemingly oblivious, called on Musa. “Ah, yes, Musa. Come on up.”
Musa stood slowly, her eyes narrowing in concentration. As she raised her hand, a soft, melodic hum escaped from her lips, a faint note that hung in the air like a delicate thread of magic.
Stella's breath caught in her throat. The hum, the pull of magic — it was the wrong magic. It wasn’t the simple light spell the teacher had asked for. It was her siren power, slipping free despite her best efforts. A sweet, haunting melody that was both dangerous and irresistible.
Stella quickly focused, calling on her own powers, an illusion forming around the sound before it could spread. The magic flickered and pulsed around the room, shimmering briefly before it dissolved into nothing. Musa’s eyes widened in realization. Her mouth tightened into a thin line as she realized what she’d almost done.
“Sorry, I — ” Musa began, but the teacher wasn’t listening.
The teacher smiled approvingly, “Ah, yes! I can see some of you have a natural affinity for music-based magic. You’ll do well in this class.”
Musa’s hand dropped back to her side, and she quietly returned to her seat, her face flushed with embarrassment. Stella gave her a quick, reassuring glance, silently letting her know it was okay. They would manage to blend in, despite how hard it was.
The class continued with a series of basic spells — simple levitation, light bursts, and a few healing techniques that seemed beneath all of them. But they all held their powers back, only allowing them to be used in the most minimal way. They had to. They had no choice.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, the Winx rushed out of the room in a quiet, tense huddle. They needed to talk.
“I almost lost it back there,” Musa said, her voice tight as they gathered by the exit. “I didn’t mean to let my siren magic slip. It’s just. . .it’s so hard to control when it wants to come out.”
“We can’t afford to show too much,” Tecna said, her eyes scanning the hallway as if looking for hidden dangers. “The more we show, the harder it’ll be to blend in. And we need to blend in right now.”
“I hate it,” Aisha muttered, her hands shaking as she gripped the strap of her bag. “It’s like we’re constantly being pulled in two different directions. We have all this power, but we can’t use it. Not fully.”
“We’ll find a way,” Bloom said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “We have to. For now, let’s just focus on surviving the next class. One step at a time.”
Stella nodded. It was all they could do — move forward. They couldn’t afford to be distracted by what they couldn’t control.
The weight of their powers was heavy, but it was nothing compared to the weight of their memories and the reality they were now living in. They had been sent back to the past, yes — but they weren’t just students anymore. They were warriors trying to rewrite history and what was now the future.
But for now, they had to survive the mundane. They had to be students at Alfea — again.