W.I.T.C.H- The New Generation
Chapter One: Return to Meridian
Alarms rang throughout the castle of Meridian. After years of peace, Phobos had escaped. And he escaped with a bang. Now he was in search of the ones who put him behind bars for so long, hiding in the depths of the world.
Queen Elyon sent a message with the page to the Guardians, who were living on Earth. She waited for word back from whomever the page made contact with...
Wanda was thirteen years old and lived in San Francisco with her parents, her mother Will and father Matt Olson. There was a reunion of the five families at her mother's house that day. She got on well with the children of her mother's friends, and often times broke up fights between Cerella- Cornelia's daughter, and Ingrid- Irma's daughter.
Wanda loved the lightning storms that often times struck near San Francisco. She stood outside reveling in the flashes of lightning even when her mother would be calling her in. Her hair was long and brown, much more different than her mother, but her eyes were the same shade of green. Wanda's favorite colors were violet and light pink.
Ingrid loved the water. She swam in it every day like she was born to swim. Ingrid was also incredibly smart, and great at chess. Ingrid's hair went just beyond the shoulder shoulder and was strawberry red with light blue streaks dyed into the front. Her favorite colors were navy blue and light blue.
Tress was Terrane's daughter, with black hair kept back in a knot at the nape of her neck, wearing glasses, and dark brown skin. She was fascinated by fire and model carving. Tress's favorite colors were fiery red, and black.
Cerella had long blond hair like her mother, and bright blue eyes. She loved fashion and anything related to the latest in jewelry, often being caught watching HSN on television when she wasn't with her father Caleb in Meridian. Green and Red were Cerella's favorite colors. Cerella also had a brother who was older than her by two years that practically lived in Meridian: Derek. He had brown hair and eyes like his father.
HuiLing was Hay Lin's daughter, with long black hair kept up in a braided knot that was done in Chinese fashion. White and bright pink were HuiLing's favorite colors.
The five thirteen year olds were in Wanda's room while the parents were in the large back yard getting the picnic dinner ready. Tress, Ingrid, and Cerella were playing with Wanda's Nintendo Wii console, while Wanda and HuiLing were sitting at a nice little round table by her big window that had a view of the city arguing about random things.
The two argued a lot, but it was all in fun. Right now they were arguing about weather or not Wanda had a crush on Cerella's older brother, which Wanda vehemently denied even though her face looked beat red while she said it.
"Don't tell me you can't ride a Chocobo!" Shouted Ingrid suddenly.
"Come on Tress! It's easy!" Said Cerella.
Wanda looked over at the screen just in time to see fire sprouting from Tress' hands in her frustration.
"Watch it!" She shouted, darting over and ripping the wand from her friend's hands just in time.
"What was that all about?" Blinked Ingrid. "Sudden human combustion?"
"No! I mean... I don't know. It happens when I get irritated or angry. It didn't used to be so bad." Blinked a stunned Tress, looking at her singed hand.
"I'll get some cloth and ice." Said Cerella at once, putting her Wii wand down and striding out the door. She knew this house just as well as her own.
On the first floor, Cerella was in the kitchen when Will and Cornelia entered.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were playing with the girls in Wanda's room." Blinked Cornelia.
"Yeah. Tress burned her hands again, though. So I just need a cloth for the ice pack..." Cerella was bending over not noticing the look on the two woman's faces as she said "HA! Here it is!" She pulled out an old, ragged looking white cloth, wrapped it around the ice pack she already pulled out, then went back up to Wanda's room after saying "See you at dinner!" To her mom and Will.
"Here you go." Cerella reached the room and wrapped it around Tress' hand.
"Does this mean we don't get to play the game anymore?" Asked HuiLing.
"Tress burnt her hands and video games are all you can think of?" Asked an irritated Ingrid.
"Calm down, Ingrid!" Said Wanda rather quickly. "We can always play after she heals up. It doesn't take as long as it used to."
"Right, sorry!" Smiled HuiLing, rather embarrassed at herself now. She suddenly felt a sneeze coming on when a warm breeze went through the open window. When she sneezed, air blasted with such force that it knocked the girls over, and broke windows in Wanda's room.
At that moment, Will, Irma, Terrane, Cornelia, Hay Lin and Caleb all looked up from the fenced in back yard.
"Sounds like your daughter sneezed again." Said Caleb to HayLin, who looked rather guilty.
"That's the third time this week I've had to replace those windows..." Said Will, looking very irritated.
"I'll go see if the girls are all right." Said Irma rather quickly. "You wanna come, Corny?"
"Yeah, sure!" Agreed Cornelia, also sensing danger in the atmosphere.
HuiLing was standing, staring aghast at the mess she had made. The other four girls were blown over, Tress with her ice pack and cloth smacked on her face instead of her hands, her glasses askew, nearly broken. Wanda was nearly sitting on her shoulders, her back up against the wall, feeling like she had cracked something with glass on it. Cerella was up against Wanda's bed, hanging on to it for dear life, and Ingrid had knocked over the very table HuiLing and Wanda had been sitting at, looking stunned.
"Sorry!" Said HuiLing rather quickly. "I've been doing this a lot lately!"
"Is anyone hurt?" Asked Cornelia as shouts could be heard from down below. Caleb soon joined the two, glad to escape the wrath of Wanda's mother.
"No, we're all fine... windblown, but fine." Said Tress, fixing her glasses on right.
"Looks like you mean that in literal terms." Caleb crossed his arms, watching his daughter stand up and straighten out her skirt, looking much like her mother as she did so.
Wanda did a sort of summersault, which was made easy by her jeans, to straighten herself up, pulling her hair back behind her shoulders.
HuiLing looked over as her mother, Terrane, and Will came to survey the damage.
"Sorry about that, Auntie." She said to Will.
"Well, no harm done. We can pay for the windows no problem. Anyway, just wanted to let you know, dinner's ready." Smiled Will. Her anger ebbed away at HuiLing's apology.
The group tromped down the stairs into the backyard, which smelled of Hay Lin's excellent cooking.
"Too bad my mother can't cook like this." Said Cerella.
"I heard that young lady!" Snapped Cornelia.
"Eh-heh!" Cerella put a hand behind her head as they lined up at the barbeque.
"Prepare for China's best!" Said Hay Lin as though she were advertising the restaurant she had inherited from her grandmother.
"Honestly mom, we're not working. Why advertise a place everybody here already knows about?" Sighed HuiLing.
"Lighten up! It's all in fun!" Said Hay Lin enthusiastically. "You girls should come back to Heatherfield sometime in the near future, we could have a REAL feast!"
"Yeah, we should!" Said Terrane.
So the families sat at an extended picnic table, ate their food, caught up on old news, and the new. Until finally dark arrived, when the families separated. All but Will's were going to hotels for the night.
"See you tomorrow!" Said Cornelia.
Wanda was actually glad to see the girls leave. Even though they had cleaned up the mess, she still was not thrilled about all the noise.
"Finally." She sighed.
"Come now, it wasn't all that bad." Said Matt, placing a hand on her shoulder rather roughly. "Too bad Derek couldn't make it." He added in an off hand voice.
"What are you implying by that, DAD?" Wanda added with a sharpness to her voice that made her sound like a clone of her mother.
"Oh nothing. Just that you and he always seem to get on so well. I overheard Cornelia saying something about that." He said quickly as they walked back into their house.
"Just because we're friends doesn't mean anything else, you hear me dad?" Snapped Wanda irritably.
Will smiled, then blinked when she felt a small heat in her chest, and noticed the Heart of Kandrikor was glowing. She quickly hid the glow by stuffing it down her shirt.
"Wanda, why don't you get your milk and go to bed. Mom and I need to talk." Said Matt, seeing the glow.
"Fine. Good night." Sulked Wanda. Will bent down to kiss her daughter goodnight, Wanda scowled, and Matt muffled up her hair before she finally retreated.
"It's glowing again." Said Will. "It hasn't' reacted to anything in years."
"Maybe it means danger is approaching." Matt leaned against the wall.
"No, it doesn't act as an alarm bell for enemies... it only glowed like this when it was close to the leader of W.I.T.C.H. after being separated." Will shook her head.
"But you're right here, wearing it. You're still the leader." Said Matt.
"I used to be..." Will looked in the direction her daughter had skulked off in.
Matt followed her eyes.
Wanda was in her room finishing her glass of milk when she heard her mother scream out. And her father shout something in audible.
Night had fallen completely.
Running from her room down the hall way, thanking God that she had not changed into her night gown yet for it would make it much harder to run, she skid to a halt at the door. Now she heard the loud crashes and bangs.
"Mom...?" She said in a barely audible whisper, terrified of what she might find in there.
"Leave her alone, Lizard boy!" Shouted her father.
"Stay back Matt!" Her mother shouted, throwing what sounded something like glass. Then she heard a voice that sent a chill down her spine.
"The leader of the Guardians... Again we meet." It was the voice of a man, but it sounded more part lizard than human.
"What do you want, Cedric?" Asked her father.
"Revenge!" Shouted the giant lizard just as Wanda had opened the door.
She opened it just in time to see a giant green lizard with long white hair lunge at her mother and father.
"Mom! Dad!" Shouted Wanda, leaping forward.
"No! Stay back!" Shouted Will and Matt.
Phobos looked at Wanda with a gleam in his eyes.
"I'll deal with you later, child." He hissed.
It happened in a flash, Cedric jumped towards Will and Matt, knocking Wanda aside, into Will's dresser top mirror with his tail. Grabbed her parents, and a flash of light appeared in front of him.
Will tore off the Heart of Kandrikor from her neck and tossed it on the ground near Wanda's feet during the few seconds that Cedric was focussed on grabbing her and Matt and not caring what she was doing. The last thing Wanda heard was her mother shouting her name before she blacked out on the floor...
It was all a dream, she told herself. This throbbing in my head is just because of the company last night.
She heard her cell phone in her pocket ringing over and over.
That is just HuiLing calling to bug me about Derek again...
Slowly she opened her eyes, then realized in an instant it had not been a dream. This mess was still here, yet her parents were completely gone. All that remained was her mother's precious jewel necklace that lay at her feet. Reaching into her pocket, she picked up her phone and looked at the caller I.D. It was a four way call... But all at once?
"Hello?" She said slowly, as her head still ached.
"Wanda! My mom and dad are gone!" Shouted HuiLing into her phone.
"What kept you, Wanda? We've been calling for hours!" Tress also sounded panicked.
"We thought you were kidnapped too!" Said Cerella.
"Are you all right?" Asked Ingrid when there was a long pause.
"My mom and dad are gone too... I tried to stop it from taking them... but it knocked me out completely." Said Wanda with some effort, trying to remember what happened.
"They must have struck your place last..." Said Ingrid.
"Dad called him Lizard Boy... And mom called him Cedric..." Said Wanda.
"I remember mom saying something about that too before she vanished." Replied HuiLing.
"Is there any clue as to their disappearance?" Asked Ingrid.
"Only Mom's jewel. It was left right at my feet when I woke up just now." Said Wanda.
"We'll be over there in fifteen minutes!" The girls all said at once. "Just hang in there, we'll be there!"
"Ok." Wanda gave an unseen nod, keeping the fear she felt in her voice to a minimum.
She hung up her phone and stared around in numb shock. She started to tremble when she saw her mothers jewel, and that it was glowing a red light.
Sooner than later, she heard footsteps, and then the four girls appeared at the doorway.
"Wanda!" HuiLing was first to launch herself into Wanda's arms to give her a reassuring hug.
"Our mothers and fathers are gone too..." Said Ingrid, sitting on her other side.
"So is that the jewel?" Asked Cerella, looking at the necklace.
"Yeah. It's been glowing like that ever since mom and dad vanished." Nodded Wanda. She could not bring herself to say the word "Taken away."
"There's only one thing to do then..." Said Tress, who also joined the group. "Pick it up and see what happens."
"Hey, maybe it'll lead us to our parents!" Said Cerella on a whim.
"Maybe." Nodded Ingrid.
"Wow, your brain cells DO work!" Said HuiLing.
"Hush, you're not that much better." Snapped Cerella.
"Ok... Here goes..." Sighed Wanda.
She reached forward, and grabbed the jewel.
Almost instantly she felt warmth spread throughout her body as light filled the room. She felt herself being jerked forward mere seconds after grabbing the jewel.
"Wanda!" The girls all grabbed hold of her trying to pull her back, but the pull from the jewel was too strong even for the four of them and their combined strength. The jewel ended up pulling the five girls together in a flash of light through what felt like water mixed with air...
Caleb stared in stunned silence. His daughter was on top of the pile of girls, one of which was holding on to the Heart of Kandrikor as though for dear life.
The girls landed with a rather loud thud while screaming at the top of their lungs as they fell from the sky from a portal. And they landed during an emergency meeting between Caleb and Queen Elyon.
"What is this? I thought the children didn't know about Meridian." Said Elyon in alarm. "Isn't that what you just got through telling me?"
"What I'd like to know is why they're dressed up like the guardians..." Said Caleb, walking over as the girls untangled themselves.
"That's the last time I let you suggest anything new..." Said Wanda to Cerella.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Caleb staring down at them.
"Uh... Dad... Hi!" Said Cerella nervously, still on her hands and knees and looking up at him.
"What are you doing here?" Blinked HuiLing.
"That's what I'd like to know from you young ladies." Caleb looked from one guilty face to the next.
"Sorry... Mom always told me not to touch her necklace... but when she was taken by this giant lizard guy... thing... I woke up and saw it at my feet. The girls suggested I pick it up... And I did..." Said Wanda rather quickly and all in one breath.
"Wait... Did you say giant lizard?" Elyon stood up and walked over.
"Yeah. Why?" Blinked Wanda.
"Phobos... It's gotta be him." Said Caleb, suddenly serious. "And these girls..."
"Have been chosen as the next Guardians of Meridian." Smiled Elyon. "Your mother told us of your development with your powers, HuiLing." She said.
"What about our mother and fathers?" Asked Tress. "How are we going to get them back?"
"First we need to find Phobos' new hideout. And to do that, I've already dispatched Derek. He should-" Elyon blinked as a boy came running up. "Ah, speaking of. How was your search?"
"Successful, My Lady." Said Derek, panting heavily.
Wanda blinked, looking at him wearing clothes she had never seen him wear before. He wore a long tail coat, black pants, a black shirt, and thick leather boots that were caked in mud and weather worn. His hair was brown and short like his fathers, but his eyes were blue like his mothers.
"Good. We must inform the guardians at once then." Smiled the Queen.
"Where are they? I thought they were on Earth." Blinked Derek, having not noticed the girls yet.
"A bit dense, isn't he?" Asked Ingrid in a whisper to Cerella, who sniggered.
"Right here." Elyon pointed at the five girls in the outfits that their mothers once wore.
Derek had to do a double take when he saw Wanda.
"Ok genius, where's Lizard Boy's hide out?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. She liked to tease Derek every now and then.
"Down in the southern plateau of Meridian, in the swamp lands." He said. "It will take some time to get there."
"Then the Guardians should get a head start." Said Caleb. "But they can't go alone."
"I have an idea, why not let Derek take us there?" Asked Ingrid. "He knows this land just as well as Mr. Caleb does probably."
HuiLing and Wanda burst out laughing as they always did when Ingrid used this term of respect for Caleb.
"What?" Blinked Ingrid.
"Never mind, never mind." Said Wanda, wiping her eyes.
"First you will need some training to get used to your powers. The gardens should be the perfect spot." Said Elyon. "Once you have developed your powers and teamwork, you will be able to proceed with the main mission: The retrieval of your families. Caleb and Derek can help you in your training."
"Great... another baby sitting job." Sighed Caleb.
"Hey!" Snapped Tress, fire crackling in her hands at her sudden rage.
"It's not my choice to become a Guardian." Huffed Wanda, who was ignoring the fact that Derek was looking at her again.
"Right... Any way to stay close to Derek." Smirked HuiLing.
"It's not what you think!" Shouted Wanda, her face bright pink yet again, almost matching the shade of pink on her outfit.
"Really now? Care to prove it?" Ingrid also joined in on the teasing.
"I'll get some rooms ready for the girls." Smiled Elyon at Caleb, who was staring aghast as the five girls started arguing yet again in the throne room that was usually so peaceful and calm...