"Happy birthday, darling!" Charmaine's mother, Irena Dewmist smiled. Beside her was Charmaine's father, Lingo Dewmist. He presented a small pendant that shaped like a water bubble. Charmaine's eyes stared at the pendant with awe.
"What is this?" she asked.
"It's a water crystal. It's not a normal pendant. This water crystal can filter any dirty water and summon bubbles from rivers. It can also make rain." her father replied.
"But I'm a water fairy." Charmaine said, "I can make rain."
"With or without your fairy powers, this crystal can definitely become a backup to you." Lingo explained.
"Thanks, Mum and Dad! I love it!" Charmaine grinned.
Charmaine slipped the pendant through a necklace chain and wore it around her neck.
"Whoa! What is that?" Penelope asked, staring in awe at the necklace around Charmaine's neck.
"It's a water crystal. My parents gave this to me this morning." the birthday girl replied.
"Cool!" Penelope continue to exclaim. She reached one finger to touch it, but Charmaine quickly slapped Penelope's finger.
"Don't touch it! It's fragile!" Charmaine hissed.
"What's the big deal? I just want to feel it." Penelope frowned in disappointment.
"This crystal is precious to me. I promise myself not to lose or break it." Charmaine said firmly.
Penelope suddenly sprinted off without a word. A confused look plastered on Charmaine's face. "Penelope. Why are you running? It's only 15 minutes to 10am." Charmaine called, running after her.
The blonde girl vanished into the classroom in a flash. Charmaine stepped inside a few seconds later.
"SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 20 students screamed.
A "Happy Birthday" message was written on the blackboard of the classroom. The whole class of Fairy Language were grinning from ear to ear.
" Happy Birthday, Charmaine!" they smiled.
"It figures!" Charmaine laughed, "Thank you all so much!"
"Well Penelope didn't mean to ditch you." Sabrina winked.
"And we have a present for you!' a familiar voice floated from the door. The couch of Paigenium's badminton club, Mrs. Heather approached from the back of the classroom. "Guess who make it to the finals of the badminton championship?"
Charmaine's eyes widened. "Get out!" she gasped.
"Congratulations, birthday girl! You've come this far!" Estella smiled.
"Thanks!" the athlete replied, squeezed herself in a group hug with her friends.
"So when can I start practising, coach?" she asked.
"How about tomorrow after school?" Mrs. Heather suggested.
"Perfect!" Charmaine accepted.
A cough interrupted everyone. The Fairy Language teacher, Minister Reloise, stood by the door with arms folded.
"I believe this little party ends here. We're ten minutes late to the lesson." Minister Reloise scolded.
"Sorry, ma'am." the students apologized.
The next day, the final bell rang at 2 o'clock sharp. Charmaine's heart banged like a hammer on a nail. She was the first one to rush out of the classroom and down the corridor. 10 minutes later, she arrived at the Aurelz's suite of the student apartments and get changed. She also reminded herself to leave her water crystal in her desk drawer so that she won't drop it during practise. But she didn't realized that someone was stalking her.
Charmaine left the suite with her sport attire on and a racket bag with the strap on her left shoulder. A dryad of Ryethest, Tulip, poked her purple head out of a wall and sneaked into the suite. Her mind only focused on the order of Lithelle that said, "Bring me a possession from that water fairy. Charmaine is her name, I believe. We need a part of her element to make rain." Tulip recognized the bedroom where Cornelia and Charmaine shared which was scented in saltwater. She began to snob Charmaine's furniture . The closet, the bed covers, the book shelves. Finally, she spotted the crystal hidden deep inside the desk drawer. She felt that it was the possession her captain was looking for.
Meanwhile, during badminton practise, Charmaine nailed every single round. Charmaine was an ace of Paigenium's badminton club. She definitely had high hopes of winning the championship. After an hour of swinging her racket and aiming birdies, Charmaine's face and back were stained with sweat.
"You're going to be a shoo-in during the real competition, Dewmist!" Mrs. Heather grinned.
"Wow, Charmaine! You bet me 10 points!" Reina, one of the members of the club, exclaimed.
"All right! Today's practise ends here. We'll resume tomorrow, same time." Mrs. Heather sighed.
Charmaine went back to the apartments 15 minutes later, wondering whether her water crystal was safe in her room. She somehow sensed something tragic. The scent of saltwater welcomed here to her room, but suddenly her eyes glued to the mess on her desk.
"Hey!" Cornelia popped her head in, just came back from her English club. She spotted the mess in seconds with her jaw dropped.
"Oh no!" Charmaine mouthed, "My water crystal! It's gone!"
"You're what?" Cornelia asked, craning her neck for a closer look at Charmaine's drawers.
"Someone must have snobbed around my things and stole my birthday present!" the girl frowned.
"There's no footprints on the floor. Could it be some sort of creature?" Cornelia asked.
"I don't know. If only there's some sort of detection spell," Charmaine replied, thinking.
"Maybe I can help!" Rosemary smiled as she entered in, "Earth has a good sense of direction and suspension."
The other friends were told about the mysterious case and decided to gather outside the school.
"I'll use my navigation ribbon to search the thief." Rosemary suggested.
"Let's give it a shot then." Estella replied.
Rosemary, the earth fairy, stood forward and screamed, "Rosemary! Earth summoner!"
Showers of flower petals swirled around her body, transforming herself into her green dress and wings.
"Rose ribbon!" she chanted, summoning a magic ribbon of rose petals in front of them. Its end pointed to the north.
"It's pointing at Ryethest forest!" Rosemary predicted.
"Maybe those horrid dryads stole it." Sabrina said, annoyed.
Rosemary flew a little higher to follow the ribbon as the rest tailed after her on foot.
They went deeper in the forest. Spring had come, but the trees in the forest were still leafless. Not even a single fresh leaf pop out of the branches. There's suppose to be plenty of rain in town.
"The dryads!" Charmaine gasped, eyeing at her fugitive.
Tulip stood at a far corner with the water crystal wrapped tight in her purple hands. The leader of the drayds, Lithelle, approached shortly. Tulip was about to hand in the possesion, while suddenly a scream of fury broke the silence.
"What do you want with my water crystal?" Charmaine snapped, charging like a bull at Tulip. Tulip's face went white. She got hit in the stomach.
"I....I didn't mean to!"Tulip quivered.
"Well, look who's dropping by?" Lithelle asked coldly.
Charmaine snatched her precious present from Tulip.
"That thing will be prefect for rain." Lithelle said.
"Stop with your made-up excuse! You'll never take the crystal away from me!" Charmaine bellowed.
"Hold your horses, young lady. I order this fellow dryad to get that thing to make rain for my forest. It has been months since rain come." Lithelle explained.
"Yeah, you take my water crystal without me noticing or getting my permission. That's stealing, you know that? And I'll never..NEVER...forgive you!" Charmaine scolded furiously, "Charmaine! Water summoner!"
Firece rolling water waves swiped her body off as she metamorphosed herself into a fairy.
"Aurelz! We have to transform too!" Cornelia called.
"Cornelia! Fire summoner!"
"Estella! Music waves summoner!"
"Penelope! Ice summoner!"
"Sabrina! Air summoner!"
The other four soon were turned into their alter ego. In the nick of time, Lithelle was fuming and ordered her warriors to fight. Charmaine was terribly irate as well. She zoomed straight ahead and shot water waves at dryads who blocked her way.
I wish I have my element core by now, Charmaine thought, I want to tear that bitchy queen into bits!
Charmaine was a few feet away to Lithelle. She quickly planned an attack.
"Tsunami strike!" she tossed a sprouting 10-feet tall wave at her nemesis. Unfortunately, Lithelle leaped off the ground like a kangaroo.
"Charmaine! Look out!" Cornelia yelled.
Lithelle pointed her feather spear right above Charmaine.
"Inferno core!" Cornelia hurriedly rushed to her friend, "Flame wall extension!"
The spear stuck onto Cornelia's fire shield in three seconds. "Whew! Thanks, buddy!" Charmaine sighed.
"Damn you!" Lithelle growled, trying to pull her spear out of the shield.
"Let's get out of here! You got your water crystal, right?" Cornelia asked.
"Yeah, but I'm not finish yet." Charmaine replied.
A couple of dryads were aiming their swords at them.
"Now what? Lithelle's been pulling her spear and my shield's unfortunately about to break!" Cornelia panicked, looking at the crawling cracks of her barrier with fear.
"Ocean tail!" Charmaine cried, gripping on Cornelia's right hand. A long, swirling water wave transported both of them safely away from the attackers.
"Come on!" the Aurelz leader said.
"Wait," Charmaine pulled back, "I want to destroy that dryad captain."
"Charmaine, you've got way too far!" Cornelia argued, "Remember that time when I was in a coma? While fighting against Lithelle?"
Charmaine stopped for a moment. Her mind pictured a flashback on Cornelia got knocked out by a falling tree trunk while in a battle with the dryads at the school entrance. That day was very painful for Cornelia Mirathe. Charmaine had been seeking revenge after blaming the one who started the stealing.
Cornelia remembered her coma tragedy as well. She hastily shook that off her head ans pulled Charmaine's hand.
Lithelle sneaked behind Charmaine and grabbed the water crystal in a flash.
"Charmaine! Your crystal!" Cornelia gasped.
Charmaine let out a furious grunt, charging at the dryad. "Help me, plasma silhouttes!" she finally shouted.
Lithelle skidded to a halt. A ring of Charmaine's illusionary bodies surrounded her. She couldn't tell which was the real Charmaine. "Hand my crystal over, Lithelle!" the circle of Charmaines uttered.
"Never! My forest needs rain to live!" Lithelle snapped in dismay.
The illusions raised one palm at the dryad and chanted a spell, "Then so be it! Divine splash!"
Lithelle just stubbornly stood there, allowing jets of water to aim at her. The water crystal dropped from Lithell's grip. Charmaine finally unsummoned her silhouttes and grabbed her present like a baseball glove.
The Aurelz left the battlefield. The enemies behind were slightly injured.
"Thanks, girls, for helping me getting my water crystal back." Charmaine grinned.
"No problem." Sabrina winked.
"But.." Rosemary wondered, "something's not right."
The other girls stared at the earth fairy.
"Spring has occured two weeks ago, and all the trees and flowers are supposed to be blooming. But here," Rosemary explained, "The trees are dying."
Charmaine gazed at the crystal. Then at the bald flora. Lithelle might have a purpose for getting her water crystal, but she still never forgive Lithelle.
"The heart of nature is in this forest. We can't just do nothing." Penelope agreed.
No one said a word for 5 minutes. Not a shower of fresh air was drawn to their noses and they felt uncomfortable. It reminded Cornelia of the story of The Lorax.
"Maybe," Charmaine finally said, "I'll give rain for them, just for this once."
Charmaine raised her water crystal high in the air. "I haven't figure out an attack or an incantation to make rain, but luckily this will be a backup for me." she smiled.
The water bubble shaped pendant glowed in a luminous white light. Like a garden sprinkler, it shot out blue sparkles that smelt like ocean water. Shortly, heavy cumulonimbus clouds covered the sky. Rain sank down to the trees. Charmaine quickly used a barrier to shield her friends over the rain.
"Nature is weakening, after all." Rosemary murmured.
"Do you think the drayds are actually really mad at our school? You know, for cutting down half of the trees here." Sabrina questioned.
"Queen Cressida told us not to worry about it. The drayds are our enemies and that's that." Charmaine replied wittily, "And besides, someday we, fairies will destroy the dryads. Once and for all."
Charmaine wore the necklace with the crystal round her neck from that day onwards. She was afraid of another burglary to happen. It acted as a lucky charm as well! During the badminton championship she had pracitsed for so long, she couldn't believe what she had.
The final round was nerve-wrecking. All eyes of the spectators glued at the match. Charmaine swung her badminton racket as she aimed the birdie at her opponent. The time was running out. The opponent swung her racket and hit the birdie right back at Charmaine. It finally crossed the net and dropped at Charmaine's area.
Charmaine raised her hands with victory. The Aurelz, Mrs. Heather and her teammates whooped with joy. The water crystal, which still hung around the necklace, was as warm as ever. It was a good lucky charm to her after all.
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