W.I.T.C.H: The Heart of Earth Chapter 1
Introduction: Ten years have pass since the guardians of Kandrakar have defeat Nerissa. Lilith Hale is experiencing new powers and has unknowingly giving Christopher Lair, the class clown of Sheffield high, the task of becoming her knight.
Irma hates visiting her parents for one reason, her brother Christopher. He hasn't change at all since he's seven and still does stuff a pea brain will do. On weekly basics, he prank calls her from college and gives his number to his other friends to do the same. During vacations, he puts rotten stuff in her room, steals her underwear and puts them on the roof and gives her wet willies when she lets her guard down. He's the rebirth of Uriah; much worst that him because she has to live with Chris until she finally moves out. Christmas break is just for a couple weeks, and then she'll go back to her dorm in college, meet up hot guys and study. Irma's mother tells her to wake up Chris from his deep slumber, "Mom, his room is cave people territory."
"Irma, be good to your brother and wake him up. Besides, I don't want him to get use to sleeping late." Chris has overslept during school days and waking up thirty minutes after school starts, so his mother makes sure that he wakes up early throughout Christmas break so he can wake up on time when school starts.
Irma heads up stairs and stands next to the door. She puts her ear on the door to hear any movement inside, but quickly retracts her head back when her nose picks up a moldy smell seeping through the cracks of the door. She pounds the door, yelling for her brother to wake up. When that didn't work, she forces herself inside the disgusting room fill to the brim with dirty clothes, posters of racy women and cars & empty pizza boxes. Irma pulls the covers off her brother uncovering the image of the "man" behind the sheets: greasy brown shoulder length hair, red and black plaid shirt with brown slouchy pants (the same outfit he wears the day before) and his muddy, worn out converse sneakers still on. Irma slaps him hard enough on the back for him to twitch. "Wake up, loser!"
"Ir-me, with age the development of bitterness follows." He turns his sister. "You found a guy yet?"
"Shut up!" Irma snorts. "Mom wants you downstairs, now!"
Not even wanting to continue the argument with his big sister he goes down the stairs, unaware that he's wearing the same outfit from yesterday after partying hard with his friends. Mrs. Lair yells at him and throws a plastic spoon at him. "Go and take a shower!" She digs through the kitchen drawer for an extra pair. "You better be out in ten minutes or else I'll drag you out of there!" Irma's mother goes on complaining that he's wearing shoes in the house, hangs out with stupid people and that he's stupid himself. Irma stands and drinks her hot coco in silence, smiling while her mother complains until Chris comes down stairs in a green long sleeve, black baggy skinny jeans and black boots. His hair is still a mess, but at least it is clean. He picks up the spoon from the ground, then towers over Irma and gives her a wet wily.
"You idiot," She yells. The shock of the wet filth rushing in her right ear leads her to splash hot coco on her top. She grunts, slams her mug down on the counter and heads up stairs to change. Chris goes to the kitchen table and lays his head down, complaining that he's sleepy.
"Sleepy because you have sneaked out every night." Chris looks at his mother. "Yes, I know what you're doing and you need to stop. You started out you freshmen year good until you have hung out with those friends of yours. That's why you are going out to the mall with Irma today to meet Cornelia and her sister Lillian."
"You want me to hang out with her two days before Christmas, Lillian the loser?"
"You two were very close during freshmen year and she helped you get good grades at the time. You can do some Christmas shopping too."
"Mom," Chris picks up his head, "She is WEIRD! You really need to know this girl. She still believes in stupid fairy tales."
"She has a very creative imagination." Mrs. Lair gets strict. "And if you don't go, you punishment will be shoveling the snow from every yard off this street! I'll clean your room if you do one or the other, it looks and smells horrible."
"Harsh," Chris whispers. "Can you give me extra pancakes?"
"Keep up with the extras and we will have an extra pot belly in the house." Mrs. Lair taps her daughter, referring to her father. Chris and Irma taunt each other until their mother stops them and makes them leave without breakfast.
"And these shoes are so cute!" Corny says, showing it to Lillian, who doesn't care less. Corny loves that her sister is growing up. Her birthday is in two days a she wants her to get something fantastic, well in Corny's eyes. As she checks through the boots in the shoe section, Lillian keeps her head into her fantasy book. Her gentle blond hair kiss the pages of her novel, her out grown bangs getting in the way of reading. Corny scans her sister outfit. "A pink sweater with long tan denim skirt and brown boots, Lillian you look so, middle school!"
"So?" Lillian looks up and sees Irma and her brother Chris together. "Oh great," She whispers.
"Irma," Corny yells. Her excitement fades when she sees his face. "With your brother; how are you?" The Uriah rebirth, Corny thinks.
"Hey Cornelia, the early bird gets the five-minute sale." Chris "charmingly" tries to kiss her hand but she snaps it away from him, telling him little boys doesn't amuse her. Chris looks at Lillian, "So you birthday is on Christmas Eve, like two days away right?" He asks sounding as falsely polite as possible.
"So you remember," Lillian says, she goes back into reading her book. Irma ends the tension when she drags the gang to get something to eat. After a while, Irma distances herself away from her brother to talk to Corny and Cornelia does the same to Lillian. "How's Lillian?"
"The Oracle told me that her powers would come back slowly the better she becomes. The only thing now is that who will protect her? She has her cat, but Matt has a live and Mr. Huggles 'had' one."
"Let's give a moment of silence to the cutest mouse in the world," Irma and Corny bow their heads down for at least 10 seconds, and then get back up. "What if your brother…?"
"She will have more protection with a broom! Besides they hate each other."
"I wish I can go guardian on command and protect her," She looks over at her unsuspecting sister, "but I have a life."
Irma looks at her brother and Corny's sister. "Let's give them some time alone." Irma tells them that she and Corny are going on a bathroom run and they need them to watch their stuff until they come back. The two then leave their siblings without letting the younger get a say in their elders leave.
Chris looks over at Lillian. He is so sick of her reading all those fantasy novels about witches and princesses. He hates being with her because of that and wishes he's hanging with his friends. His wish comes when he is hit in the head with a hamburger wrapper. "What the,"
"Hey Chris," He sees one of his friends from a distance and yells back at him. He sees Chris with Lillian and starts to snicker. "When do you still hang out with the loser?"
"My sister loan me off with her and her crap to go potty!" He looks over at Lillian. "Besides, the only girl I'm interested in his her sister!"
"Hey Lillian, do you still think you a princess?" Chris and his friend begin laugh. "It's SO ODD that you have NO FRIENDS!"
"Christopher, you will always be a punk and a loser. Just like that idiot you call a friend." Lillian walks away from the two into a private area in the mall.
Corny and Irma come back immediately, giving Chris a hard time after seeing how he hurt her. His friend sneaks away. Irma orders Chris to find Lillian and apologize to her. He grunts and follows the direction Lillian last went.
"I hate him so much." Lillian says to herself. Alone, he's nice enough to her but with his friends he's insulting and stupid. She looks around and notices he's in the parking lot and goes back to open the door, but it is lock from her side. She puts her book in her shoulder bag and tries to find another exit. She feels fine until she sees the lights dim until they are all completely out, and then she gets frighten. A hand touches her shoulder and she jumps up and screams.
"Lillian, it's me Chris." Lillian relaxes, but she's still angry at him. Chris can see the anger in her face however he continues to play dumb, "Where are you going?"
"The door's locked from this side…"
"No it isn't," Chris opens the door. The lights turn back on. "Listen, I'm sorry about what it said. I was thinking about something that pissed me off. I'm not just apologizing only because my sister tells me to, but I do feel really bad about what I said."
"Do you? "Lillian pushes him and goes to the door. "The next thing you'll do is tell your friends something different. Chris, don't put up a fake personality with me. I don't care who you follow, just don't be a hypocrite to me."
Lillian takes a hold of the door, but a strong force shuts the door close. A cold breeze brushes pass her neck. She hears a deep, quiet voice saying words in a language she can't interpret. Lillian gets closer to Chris. The lights flicker until they burst, then a purple light illuminates from the far end of the parking lot and hard, heavy footsteps comes close to them. Chris tries to open the door, but it is jam shut. "Open,"
"Your efforts are useless…." A deep voice is voice across the lot and the footsteps stop. Lillian sees the silhouette of something in the shadows. It looks like a person wearing a long cape, but when they stretch their arms out, bat wings are shown. "The Heart of Earth is Lillian Hale! Your powers are ripe for the taking." The creatures face is hideous. It looks at Chris, then at Lillian. "Your guardians aren't here! But he can still be one!" Lillian and Chris begin to run, but the monster is too fast. He jumps up at Chris, slams him to the ground and tries to claw his face out. "I must have Lillian to myself!"
"Stop it!" A wave from Lillian's body bounces both the creature and Chris away in different directions. Lilith heads to Chris and tries to wake him up. The creature gets back up and flies to her, but it is stop by a thin barrier. Lillian is shaking, the barrier will break soon, Chris is unconscious and the fantasy she's wishing for is trying to kill her. All she can think of doing is hold Chris's hands. "Cornelia, Irma," She whispers. "Dad, Mom," She looks at Chris, his eyes starting to open. "Chris…." She stars to cry. Her hands glow and the glow transfers to his hand and throughout his body. The light blinds the creature and prevents it from breaking the shield even further. Lillian steps away from Chris until the light disperses, then she slowly gets closer to him, but he is hardly recognizable. "Chris?" She says.