Sleeping Rose

"What?!" Both Abbie and Ollie were shocked to hear about Belle being a Witch like them.

"Back up..." Ollie is sitting back. "How could you be a Wicked Witch and a Magical Girl?"

Belle tilted her head with a smile. "Same reason as you."

"We're actually here to destroy this house, and these papers here." Dorothy replied.

"Oh? I thought you three here have the same goal as me." Belle drinks her cup of water as she didn't seem to hear what Dorothy said.

"And that is...?" Abbie asked.

"Reshape the whole Magical Girl system." Belle answered which all three are confused, stumbling on trying to find the words. "But perhaps the background check?" Belle offers.

All of them nod.

"The Witch who I met was Sandra Black." Belle reveals.

Ollie is preparing her Wand. "How do you know about my Mentor?"

"I have known her since my first week as a Vigilante. 5 years ago." Belle answered.

§

5 years ago.

Belle Rose is leaping around Chicago, as Sleeping Rose but with a large bag on the side. Looking around to see multiple Vigilantes that seem to be out of her league. Looking around to see a tired out woman in the alleyway.

"Um, hello." Belle greeted the woman.

The woman has curly blonde hair. 5'5". She has a tough girl look.

"Do you need any help?" Belle asks her.

"I would love that. My house is just outside of Chicago." She replied, "But I don't think you ain't here to help though." She said to Belle.

"How come?" Belle smiled.

"I might have some Wicked intentions towards you." She grinned at her. "Like a good warm meal." She chuckled but coughed to hide her cackle.

"I don't mind that at all. I could go for a tiny meal." Belle accepts. "I'm Sleeping Rose." Offering her hand.

"I'm Cassandra Black, but for short, Sandra will work." She smiled as she accepted the handshake.

Belle helps Sandra through Chicago and towards a somewhat isolated location. Carrying her on her back as she's leaping around.

"See that little house down there?" Sandra points at an old building. "I have lived there all my life."

"Then I shall carry you back to your house." Belle smiled at her.

Sandra seems to be affected by it, but grins as she has a sinister plan. "Later on, I should have a lovely warm bath." She coughs to hide her crackle.

Belle helps Sandra in the old home that has an odd smell, but Belle smiles as she seems comfortable with it when she places her back to her feet.

"Let me offer you some water," Sandra said to Belle. "How about changing back to your regular form."

"I don't think so, but thank you for the drink though." Belle respectfully declines it.

"Come on. Just just cheer an old woman up." Sandra is sneaking in some poison pill.

"Alright then." Belle heavily signs then transforms back to her regular form.

Sandra walks back to her then sees Belle with her glass of drink. To her surprise, she sees Belle with no hair, tired looking and bagged eyes, frail body, and has cancer support equipment.

Sandra was stun to see her in that state, but she tried to harden her heart. "So... what do you have, if you don't mind me asking?" Setting up the table.

"Stage 4..." Belle starts coughing till the point she sounds like dying.

"Oh..." Sandra looked at her glasses of water then back to Belle. "Perhaps... I'll give you something better then, I think my water might be contaminated." Sandra poured down the poisoned water. "How about changing back to your Sleeping Rose form. I would love to hold up a conversation with you." Sandra makes a couple of glasses for orange juice. After a short while, she came out with a tray with orange juice and chicken noodle soup.

Both of them start their meal with Sandra awkwardly looking away.

"So, how long have you been fighting against cancer?" Sandra asked.

"About a couple of years. Getting worse every year though. The doctors say this might be my last year." Belle drinks her juice.

"Why become a Magical Girl? And how could you afford this, because I know this is one of the Big 5 expensive models for Vigilantes." Sandra asked as she's eating her soup.

"If I have to live out my life to the last breath is to be the one thing I always wanted to be. A Magical Girl. Even though I'll never live far enough to see it happen, being a Vigilante is thrilling enough. If I want to die, I want to die as a Magical Girl who still has their dream come true in the end." Belle slowly swallows the orange juice.

"But how did you manage to get that?" Sandra asked as she pointed at the Locket.

"It just flew through the window one day. I just assumed that God had replied to my prayer, but it was a girl who tossed it away. Couldn't handle the responsibility. So I just became Sleeping Rose, and started my career as a Vigilante. When I first transformed, I felt like all the pain just went away. I could be in it forever, but I don't want to cause the hospital trouble, so I make it limited." Belle answered.

"How's your noodles?" Sandra awkwardly asked as she felt uncomfortable.

"Wonderful!" She smiled. "I haven't had chicken noodles for a long time. I managed to taste different kinds of meals whenever I wore this outfit, but whenever I changed back, my digestive system didn't react the same way. So I either puke it out or crap it out. Either way, it's very painful." She chuckled slightly while Sandra awkwardly laughed.

"Any long term goals?" Sandra continued to ask.

"Live out my final year as a Magical Girl." She smiled brightly at Sandra who felt regret for trying to kill her and bathed in her blood.

"Perhaps, I can help you." Sandra looked around then sneaked in some intel. "There are some new crowds down the street. These girls are moving some kind of stuff that is suspicious. Maybe poison. I didn't want to make a report, but since you're a Magical Girl, I can trust you with this information." She softly smiled at Belle.

§

"Ever since that day, I go up to check up on Sandra whenever I'm on patrol, looking for Witches. And whenever I get a few days off, she comes to visit me at the hospital. Besides my parents and family members, she was the only person who visited me.

I have been getting worse whenever I go back to my normal form. Barely making my way back up, and even feeling every ounce of my blood running through my veins. Sandra always seems to keep bringing me orange juice and chicken noodle soup. Each time she does visit, I feel like I could go one more run as Sleeping Rose.

Back then, I didn't know she was giving locations to other Witches, the bad ones at least, by saying they're some sketchy movements in a certain area. She kept doing this in order to stop them and increase my dream. They were weak, so I managed to handle them."

"When did you expect that she was a Witch?" Dorothy asked.

"The day I went into the Cauldron. There was a Witch Hunt alert, but that's pretty normal to cities since there's always such multiple Witches working in them. But we were hunting an actual Salem Witch. When I saw who it was, I was surprised that it was Sandra Black. It was reported that she was located across town, but I know where she really was. So when I met her, I didn't confront her as a Magical Vigilante. I confront her as Belle Rose. She told me that she wasn't planning on being arrested by others, but perhaps by me. She left money for her Apprentice and a letter. She leaked her information of her whereabouts on purpose, only for me to capture her. She told me that she kept me alive by letting me have virgin's blood mixed into my drink with spellcasting. I was so shocked to hear that." Belle leans down and shakes her head with her hand across her face.

"She was willingly to do all that for you?" Ollie is shocked over Sandra attitude. "When I met her back at the 50's, she was this tough girl and still was when I reborn as a Witch. She taught me on how to survive. We fought, steal and kill other Witches and Magical Vigilantes. Till the Five that managed to kill Sandy." Ollie pulls out Sandra's Wand, a cigarette case.

"But when the Magical Vigilantes attacked the building, they destroyed the house. Nearly killing me while Sandra was ready to leave. When I was on my dying breath, I was placed in a Cauldron, deep under the house they destroyed. That was the last time I saw her." Belle looks at Ollie who seemed to be distraught over the story.

"And what happened when you woke up?" Ollie asked.

"I had to dig myself out of the ground but lucky for me, I kept the Sleeping Beauty locket then transformed to dig myself out. I saw the house and another broken home. I leave out of the house after transforming back to normal, but..." Belle held her heart. "My cancer was cured. At first I can breathe much better with no sharp pain afterwards. I didn't notice my hair growing out. My body had filled out from being frail to a healthy girl with some meat on the side. I felt grateful that I got a second chance in life at first, till I realised that I came to accept that I didn't earn it. I saw an old friend at the hospital who managed to fight cancer then made me feel nothing but regret and misery afterwards. I didn't go through Witch training as you three, but I continue on being a Magical Girl but realise that if there's good Witches out there, I got a chance to reform the Magical Girl system from the inside." Belle looks at Dorothy. "When I heard about Glinda the Northern Good Witch, I had to meet her and talk about changing everything together on both sides."

"People don't call me a Good Witch. You can ask Ms. Wolfe." Dorothy said to Belle. "But I don't want to kill. I will defend myself, of course, but I had no intention to kill anyone here. Not even Ms. Wolfe." Dorothy adds. She had a thought then smiled. "But since you want to change the system, then how about join my Guild." Dorothy offers a handshake. "You're technically a Witch. And we're called the Wicked Witches for now till I find a better name."

"And I accept." Belle smiled as she accepted the handshake.

"What about the Vigilantes that killed Sandra?! Know anything about them?" Ollie asked about the Vigilantes with a death glare at Belle.

Belle leans back as Ollie looks disappointed with the result. "As for the Vigilantes you're looking for, only the Wolf survives since the MGK got to them first. I was gonna confront them, but I didn't know about the MGK till I met them. Such... brutality. I never saw such horrific attacks on the Vigilantes. The Wolf you're looking for is named Katharine Fitzgerald."

"Katharine Fitzgerald?" Ollie sat down and started carving out a name on her Sandra's Wand. "I got the bitch name. And boss, once I see her, I'm going for the kill. My last kill."

"If the MGK killed her friends, then she should be in the MGK Bounty List. I'll call Makayla about it." Abbie added as she walked away.

"And also, tell her about the Archangels coming here. Maybe her sister might know them." Dorothy said to Abbie, who nodded at her.

"How did you got your Lockets?" Belle asked them.

"We got ours by... killing them. Which I don't really agree with." Dorothy regrets.

"We all live with regrets." Belle smiled sadly at her.

"Dorothy!" Abbie rushed in. "We might also get another problem."

"Which is?" All three asked.

§

Layla is walking down the hallway. She kicks the door open. "Ladies!" She shouted which got other MGK attention. "I got some wonderful news from my dear little sister! We got the Archangels coming down to Oztown. Kill anyone that gets in our way! I don't care if they're Witches, AWM, or Vigilantes, I want those bitches dead more than anyone! But leave Radcliffe to me! And if anyone goes after her, kill them!" Layla walked up to her broom then treated it like a motorcycle. "Let'em up, ladies!"

The MGK start flying up while they cackle towards Oztown, some have bodies behind some carts.