Second week of March, classes at Belladona were going very well and the students adapted very well, some more than others, Alana was entering the outdoor dining hall accompanied by some third year students, one holding her bag, another her notebooks and a third walked arm in arm with her leading her to the table where Megara was already waiting for her friend; the students were:
Steven Obsidian, 18 years old, his eyes were amethyst, his hair black, his skin brown; a very handsome young man, showy and with a broken body, specialist in black lightning.
Ethaniel Frost, 18 years old, his eyes were blue, his hair short and white, his skin white; his specialty was ice magic, a very handsome guy with a look that would fall in love at first sight.
Craig Nambu, 18 years old, brown eyes, short black hair, black skin; his magic was that of chaos, a very handsome young man who made a show of himself.
Sandy was in the cafeteria with her friends and saw it, thought it was curious, but realized that Alana was not really happy, she had to get that story straightened out, after all when she was down, Alana helped her, but at the table some thought more with another "head".
– Alana is so lucky, three handsome seniors, I used to mess with them, especially Frost. – Apollodro said, he did not know if he should eat his breakfast or look to Alana's boyfriends.
– Well, I also have white hair. – Nathan said supposedly "unpretentiously".
– This was good. – Apollodro laughed, taking it as if it were a joke.
– That one hurt on me. – Artemisia said to the prince in his ear.
Alana was already sitting with Megara and her "boyfriends" seemed to be giving her gifts, Frost gave her a diamond necklace; Nambu a spider-design ring made of emerald and Obsidian gave her what looked like a refined dress.
– Boys! I love you guys, go I know you have a mission today. – Alana said smiling and thanking the presents, giving each one a kiss and in the process it was almost imperceptible, but she seemed to mumble something and their eyes sparkled pink for a moment.
– All for you, princess! – The three said in chorus and then left.
– Friend, I knew you were good, but your magic is lasting with three seniors, I'm impressed... So what if Hecatrix has her bunch, we're both better than that bunch... You are my best friend, I'm proud that your powers work so well, even if no one can know. –Megara said smiling and cautious not to speak too loudly what she shouldn't, since classes started she wants to solve Artemisia by an old defeat, and in the meantime Alana seems to be the only one who understood her and she was always trying to understand her friend also, she knew of his effort.
– It's a lot of work… But it's worth it, being pampered like this, three of the hottest students in the last year, if I can keep them like that, I can even get engaged. – Alana laughed, but something wasn't right, she didn't know how to explain and didn't want to show weakness to her friend, she knew that Megara hated weakness.
– Nothing that you can't get around, emotional manipulation magic is rare, friend. – Megara commented.
– I just have to pay attention to one detail, the number one rule of emotional magic, we can't create feelings, we can only manipulate, decrease, increase what already exists, I can only keep them on the effect of a psychotic infatuation manipulating their sex hormones and thus weakening the psyche and making them do what I want. – Alana explained simple and direct to her friend.
– In short, if they were gay your tactic wouldn't work because you are stimulating their sex hormones to manipulate their mind, but do you have other ways to manipulate people other than through sex hormones? – Megara asked curiously.
– Of course, the younger the targets, the easier it is to manipulate sex hormones, but it's not the most efficient method for mature people, then I would have to manipulate their neural synapses to stimulate the feeling of desire and pleasure in general, make that feeling reign, leave their mind unprotected and dominate like a puppet, this magic is very complicated, but manipulating the hormones of three 18 year old stallions is basically the best test dummy a mage like me could ask for. – Alana laughed, but deep down she still felt empty.
– Nobody holds you back, you're powerful, Alana, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. – Megara smiled.
After lunch Alana and Megara were leaving for their next class, but near the exit Sandy approached Alana.
– Alana, can we talk? – Asked the young mage of Kora'q origin.
– No problem… Meg, will you go ahead and save my place in teacher Anitta's class? – Alana said, she liked Sandy as a friend, even though they weren't so close due to the abysm between Megara and Artemisia.
– Okay, but just don't be late. – Megara said, giving a weak smile and walking, she had thought it strange that Sandy was going to talk to her, even a little jealous, since Alana was her best friend.
Sandy and Alana went to talk on one of the white stone benches in the garden area.
– What did you want to talk about? – Alana asked.
– About you... When I was in trouble you came to help me, I couldn't not come back. – Sandy smiled.
– But I'm not in trouble. – Alana said she didn't know if she understood what Sandy meant.
– It will be? I'm no one to judge, but "love magic" on those veterans to get perks, you don't need that, why keep submitting to these illusions? – Sandy said.
– You don't know what you're talking about, I'm just having fun with those three, that's all. – Alana said defensively.
– So why don't you do it naturally? Why do you keep them with your spell? – Sandy said he had the answer in mind.
– You don't understand, you don't understand. – Alana said that she got up and left for teacher Anitta's class.
– "Ivy". – Monologued Sandy worried about her friend.
***
6:00 pm At the end of the afternoon classes, Alana and Megara had left the classroom and headed to the gym, they were going to train a little, the Belladona academy gym was large, had five floors, each with 300m2. the design worked on the glassware and in metallic tones, state-of-the-art weight machines, there Alana was still stumped by her earlier conversation with Sandy, it was hammering in the mage's head.
– Meg... – Alana began, wanting to open up with her friend, talk about her insecurities, but stopped to continue, remembering how her friend admired strength and hated weakness.
– Yeah?! – Megara said.
– Nothing… It's just that I forgot my water bottle, I'll go to the dorm to get it and I'll be right back. – Alana lied that she wanted to go look for Sandy.
– Okay, fine, I'll warm up while you go there. – Megara said, she was suspicious.
Alana left the gym and went to look for Sandy, Megara was still very suspicious and went after her friend in the background, she managed to be very discreet and not be noticed.
***
Alana went after Sandy, when she was going to the dorms area to look for Sandy she ended up bumping into her, she seemed to be going to the outside cafeteria to meet her friends.
– Sandy, I need to talk to you… I'm really not okay. – Admitted Alana.
– Of course, let's go to the gardens. – Sandy said.
The two went to sit on the bench in the garden area, Megara was hiding there, she was using a magical booster spell to amplify her hearing.
– So, what's happening? – Sandy said.
– You were right, I was choked on it, but I couldn't vent to Meg, she's my best friend, but I know how she doesn't like weakness. – Said Alana fearfully.
– This issue with Megara you'll see later, but what's troubling you? – Said Sandy worried.
– Fear, trauma and pathological need to demonstrate power and to be wanted... Growing up being despised and looked at with a crooked look, Celestia may not be a prejudiced country by gender, color, food, religion, sexual orientation, but still prejudiced against non-nobles who wants to be from the Royal Guard, things have improved a lot, but there is still a very elitist view... Who doesn't know who my grandfather was, doesn't see me as more than a "poor woman who entered by quota", I wanted to get away from that look, and I also don't want to have to rely on that alone, "my grandfather was a master of the Royal Guard", I'm wanting to go my way, and controlling these boys gives me a feeling of power, of seeing the same kind of person who spent his life telling me I couldn't be here or become a Royal Guard mage, doing as I please, doing what I say, I could even get an easy marriage, but I won't. I feel good about it all the same way, I don't know what I do. – Alana said crying.
– Ivy, you're special, you have value and you shouldn't belittle yourself or depend on someone else's approval, you need people to put you up. – Sandy said.
– And she does, that person is me. – Megara said that she reveals herself and goes near the two of them, she hugs Alana tightly. – Ivy, why did you say you were feeling bad? Looked at with disdain and that slapping was a kind of revenge and personal satisfaction? If you're suffering, I'm here to help you. –
– It's just that you always talk about being strong, I didn't want to appear weak to you, one of the few people who, even without knowing my grandfather, always looked at me as equals, and never discredited my dream. – Alana said with teary eyes.
– Our partnership is in good times and in bad times, I can't be happy if my sister's heart isn't happy. – Megara said sincerely.
– You have people who love you, who respect you and believe in you, you don't need to pretend to be who you aren't, you don't need those three boys, even though it's wonderful to take all three at once, but it's not right the way is doing and you know it. – Sandy said affectionately holding the mage's hands.
– I got it, thank you so much Sandy, and tomorrow I will break the spell I did on them. – Alana said.
– Friends are for that. – Sandy said. – I have to go, Artê and Gale are going to be mad if I don't show up soon. –
- Goodbye! - Said the other two mages.
– Ivy, you don't need to hide anything from me, I'll always be there, being strong isn't the absence of asking for help, but recognizing when you need it… No matter if it hurts you, with me you can always be whoever you are, you don't have to act like you're not comfortable. – Megara said welcomingly.
– Thanks, my sister! – Alana said emotionally hugging her friend.
– Let's go to the gym? – Megara suggested.
– Let's… There's a cute sophomore kid who works out at this time. – Alana laughed.
– We just had a conversation about the problems of manipulating boys and that it doesn't feel right. – Megara commented.
– Who said I was going to use magic? – Alana laughed.
– Let's go! – Megara laughed.
***
The next day, Alana and Megara were in the main building's lobby on their way to class, Megara filing her nails and Alana thoughtfully, when she least expected Craig, Ethaniel and Steven showed up bringing more gifts, a box of heart-shaped chocolates, a bouquet of rare flowers and an expensive sensoria magic book for her to study, was everything any mage or teenage mage would want, three sexy mages fawning over her and giving her presents.
– We brought to you, princess! – Said Ethaniel.
– How about we go out tonight? – Craig said.
– No, she goes with me. – Steven said.
– She prefers to go out with me, doesn't she? – Said Ethaniel.
– Boys, I'm sorry about all this. – Alana said that snaps her fingers in a rosy aura manifests around the boys and then breaks down, she had broken the spell. – I was controlling you all this time, sorry. –
– We know! – Said the three in chorus.
– What? – Alana said shocked.
– Your spell was incredibly well done, but teacher Margareth realized that we were under the effect of magic and purified us, it could harm us in the mission, but that doesn't change that we really like you. – Ethaniel said with a romantic smile.
– That's right, it turned out that we're really into you, you must have thought you wouldn't have a chance and you bewitched us, but it's okay. – Craig said with a charming smile.
– Yeah, that was it! – Alana lied that she didn't want to go into details.
– So, you agree to go out with us tonight? A real date? – Steven said.
– Boys, I'm flattered and relieved, but right now I just want some time for myself, to know who I really am, I spent so much time not wanting to be seen or labeled in a certain way, that I didn't stop to pay attention to who I am, I need this time for myself. – Alana said.
– We understand, when you want to talk with us, just give a touch, princess. – Said Ethaniel who then left with his two teammates.
– I'm proud of you… Reflecting on your psychological state more than the compensatory impulses for past traumas. – Megara smiled.
– Since when are you a psychologist? – Alana laughed.
– I've been reading something about it since you said how you felt. – Megara said.
So the two went to class, Alana learned more about herself, to accept her problems, her addictions, her traumas, now she's working on them instead of just supplanting it with ephemeral palliative measures, it wasn't fair to manipulate those young boys, she learned that the fact that she was hurt did not give her the right to hurt and manipulate the other, and perhaps more important was seeing that she had friends who cared about her and liked her for who she was and not for what she looked like. be mainly Megara who had been his companion at the Academy from day one.