Disclaimer: W.I.T.C.H. is owned by Disney Enterprises, Inc. See them about making a line of Hay Lin goggles. The lyrics to "Devil Inside" were written and performed by Utada Hikaru and not the author and are used without permission but also without intention of profit.
Summary: When a mission goes wrong, Will and the Guardians must confront the darkest parts of their souls or risk losing everything. Sometimes the hardest person to face is yourself...
Author's Notes: This story is set between "The Underwater Mines" and "The Seal of Phobos." This is technically AU, but I'm purposefully trying to keep it in line with the series as much as possible. You may notice some odd references like Hay Lin's nonexistent goggles, Will's messy hair and maybe some other powers and characters not seen in the show but prevalent in the books and comics; those are there simply because they add something to the story or make for a line too amusing to cut. All are included with the idea that they could exist in the show but aren't seen or talked about.
I'll try to avoid any OOC if possible but this story is also a (like many if not all fanfics) character study. As such, my opinions and observations are how I believe the cast would behave in a more realistic slant. Your opinions may differ and that's okay; keep in mind that I don't hate any character or pairing. There will be zingers that seem out of place but when it's done you could fit it in the show and it would mesh fairly well.Language and angst are going to be present, as well as touchy feely stuff and slightly risque situations. Though I have a few lyrics in front of the story it is not a songfic.
Wow, if he's going on this long it must be good. I'll try not to let you down. Pull the curtains, Blunk!
Everybody wants me to be their angel
Everybody wants something they can cradle
They don't know I burn
Maybe there's a devil or something like it inside
Maybe there's a devil or something like it inside of me
Maybe there's a devil somewhere really deep inside me
Jealous angel deep inside of me
"Devil Inside" by Utada Hikaru
Who in the world am I? Ah, that is that great puzzle. - Lewis Carroll
Chapter One: Dark and Stormy Soul
Everyone was shouting. She didn't know what about, but it might have been because the sky was on fire. Things like that tended to upset people.
Voices, young female voices, were bellowing battle cries. The loudest she connected with the fire somehow. The fire-voice was directly overhead amidst the flames, shouting a wordless yell directed at something behind them. She was sincerely glad she wasn't the fire-voice's target. Whoever she was, she sounded royally pissed.
The other female-voices were off to the sides, all around her except to her right which was dominated by a blue light visible out of the corner of her eye. Usually when one of the voices raised it was accompanied by a sound like the water roaring at the beach or the wind blowing like a hurricane. Beyond the girls' voices there were others that sounded less friendly: growling, snarling voices that sounded less than human but more than a pack of beasts. She felt very grateful for the female voices, especially when one loud bad-voice ordered the others to "Stop them, you fools!" That voice scared her more than the others did.
She became aware that she was being carried. Strong arms held her securely against a solid chest as whoever it was ran toward the blue light. When a sudden drop and impact rolled her head against said-chest where her half-slitted eyes saw the messy-haired yet handsome young man that was carrying her. His name came to her a few seconds later, like a barely remembered dream.
"Ca-leb..." Only a whisper, yet it took all her strength to say it.
He glanced at her, his features bathed in the blue light. The concern in his eyes and the heavenly blue-white glow made him even more attractive to her fogged mind and she was thrilled to realize she was the object of his attention. She briefly wondered if her hair looked alright and realized it probably didn't. She also realized she didn't remember what color it was. God, she hoped she actually had hair.
"Hang on, we're almost there!" he urged. She decided she could, and worked her mouth into a small smile. This didn't seem to reassure him. Instead, his pace picked up as the glow grew in intensity and masked his features. Past his shoulder she saw four young women in green and purple outfits flying over them, one of them carrying a small green monkey. The fire-voice was facing the way they had come, covering their escape with a wall of flames that kept the bad voices away.
"Thanks, T," she whispered, though in her state it sounded like "thantee." What the T stood for, she had no idea. The feeling that she should know bothered her a little; if she could see the fire-voice's face like she did with Caleb, surely she would remember who she was.
Her eyes shifted back to Caleb just as they hit the light. There was a cackle of electricity and then everything was gone... and then came back again, only different.
There had been another light before, pre-dawn sunlight that filtered through Caleb's hair. Now the sky was dark and raining fat water drops on her face. There was a flash of lightning and Caleb dropped to his knees; at first she thought he was hit but slowly realized he was just tired. She wasn't sure how long he'd been running, but it must have been quite a distance to exhaust the young warrior. Maybe she needed to go on a diet.
Caleb staggered to his feet and turned toward the light, which she now realized had brought them to this place of rain. She watched as the girls came through the light after them, the last being the fire-voice. She was a dark-skinned beauty with her hair done up in thick braids and intelligent-looking glasses. Small flames still covered her hands; though the girl looked like a fierce warrior she felt very safe knowing the fire-voice was near.
Taranee. That was it. Thanks, Taranee. She attempted to wave and found her arm was incredibly heavy. That was it. Diet time. Probably should do something about the selective amnesia, too. Might as well reinvent herself while she was at it. God knows she probably needed a new look.
She grunted (gurgled with attitude actually.) Whoever she was, she apparently had something of a perfectionist streak. Or extremely low self-esteem. As long as she had hair that Caleb liked, she felt she could deal with either.
"How close are they?" Caleb asked between breaths.
Taranee, hands still flaring, spun around to face the light. Though she couldn't see her face, her less-than-reliable mind told her that T was scowling at the light. "Not far; I torched the whole area around the portal. The Lurdens aren't coming through for sure, but Cedric..."
Lurdens. Cedric. The first word sent waves of revulsion through her while the second made her skin grow cold and her heart race. Unlike names conjured by faces, the words carried no mental images but struck upon her emotions like cold water on a deep wound. Suddenly aware that the bad voices could come through the light as well, she silently and desperately willed the light to just go away.
A pinkish glow surrounded her vision and the light shrank until it vanished with a small flash. Her gaze fell toward her chest where, the pink glow resolved itself into a pretty amulet around her neck. She noticed that she too wore one of the individualized uniforms and wondered why Caleb didn't have one.
She giggled madly at the image of Caleb in green and purple tights even as she blushed fiercely. Caleb seemed to know what she was thinking and looked at her in surprise. "Will?" he asked.
"Will" sent a shock of recognition into her. Struggling to remember her own appearance, she pictured herself as a tall, willowy young woman in the "uniform" she wore. This image didn't sit right with her as the real "Will," so she dug deeper and found a shorter girl without the curves and confidence who was clothed in an pink jacket and slouchy jeans. This "Will" disappointingly fit better and she willed herself to become "Will" and the other girls as their non-uniformed selves as well.
Hey, if I can't look like a model... she quipped to herself. Whatever a model was; she wasn't really sure of anything at the moment. The words came but the meaning was lost somewhere in her mind.
She looked up at Caleb, wondering if he would still carry her around now that she was shorter and flatter. When she saw him smiling at her in relief she gave a rather goofy grin back as the other girls entered her view. They weren't smiling and instead were looking at her as if she would faint at any second.
Which she did.
Far be it from her to disappoint.
"Is she okay?" Hay Lin asked urgently, Blunk still in her arms. Somehow the usually perky girl seemed to be able to stand the Passling's smell. It was likely the shock they were all feeling; if Blunk had been wrapped around her head she probably wouldn't have noticed. "Is she all alright?" she repeated when Caleb didn't reply.
No, the rebel leader thought, she isn't. What he said was, "I'm not sure. We need to get her to the Dragon." Though his body was on the verge of collapse, the weight of the girl in his arms only served to strengthen him and his resolve to get her to safety. Not that she was particularly heavy to begin with; since transforming back her weight barely registered in his weakened arms. It was a disturbing feeling to be carrying a person usually so full of life who seemed to weigh less than a bag of grain.
Without a word the five youths began to run through the cold rain. Caleb was in the lead, the other girls keeping pace with him. Surely they could have passed him easily if they wished, he thought to himself; he was tired and pushing himself to his limit. He was certain they were running along side him so they could stay near Will. Caleb hoped the bond between the Guardians would keep their leader safe from whatever it was that had stricken her. He himself could carry her to the one person in this world they could turn to. Not to mention pray to the heavenly beings in Candracar to watch over their chosen. Not, he reflected bitterly, that they had been tonight.
It had been raining for hours since they had traveled through the portal to Meridian, and with Heatherfield never having much of a nightlife to begin with, the streets were practically deserted. Still, they stuck to the back alleys in case any well-meaning citizens tried to "help" them. As impressive as the medical arts were on Earth (Caleb particularly liked the Neo-Sporing that Cornelia applied to his cuts and scrapes), none of it would help the leader of the Guardians of the Veil.
He spared her a glance as he ran. Will was pale and soaked from the rain, so much so that she looked like a drowning victim. The only sign of her being alive was her short breaths against his neck. As he ran through the alleys to the Silver Dragon he counted the seconds between those breaths so closely that any deviation in the pattern caused shivers of alarm down his back. The feeling was not foreign to him.
One of the worst parts of war was carrying an injured ally. To hold your own life and the life of your enemy in your hands was one thing; to challenge the Reaper of Souls for a comrade's life was a battle he never wanted to fight. At least with physical wounds he could gauge how serious a person's condition was; with magic he had no idea if Will's condition was the equivalent of a flesh wound or a mortal injury. His gut said it was bad, and until he got her to Yan Lin that would have to do.
That Will was able to close the portal and change herself and the others out of Guardian form was a good sign, yet it may not have meant anything in the long run. Far too often, Caleb had seen men and women accomplish incredible things with their last breath. Collapse a tunnel, hold off a mob of soldiers, take a barrage of arrows and still keep fighting...
He mentally shook himself and refocused on the present. They rounded the corner of a building next to the restaurant and slid to a stop in front of the back door. Just as Irma was about to start pounding on the door it opened, her clenched fist stopping just inches from Yan Lin's nose.
"Mrs. Lin!" Irma shrieked. "I'm..."
"Hurry inside, everyone," the former Guardian said, her eyes landing on Will. Irma dove in first followed by Caleb and Will and then the rest of the Guardians. "Take her to the basement."
So intent on counting breaths, Caleb was barely aware of traveling through the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement with the girls and Yan Lin right behind him. The basement (jokingly called Caleb's Condo by Irma) was where he stayed while on Earth. Despite the name, the only sign of habitation was a small bed with a blanket and pillow set up under a window to the street above. Caleb crossed the basement and gently lay Will on the bed; as soon her head hit the pillow the full force of his exertion came over him and he stumbled backward into Taranee and Cornelia. Both girls caught him and directed him to a crate. Slipping out of his overcoat, Caleb watched as Yan Lin examined Will.
The other girls looked only slightly better than their leader simply by virtue of being conscious. Drenched from the rain and covered up to their knees in mud from the lot where the portal had deposited them, the four Guardians stared at Will as if losing sight of her would mean losing her for good. Hay Lin had set Blunk down on the stairs and was standing next to her grandmother, hugging herself and probably freezing in her mini-skirt. Irma and Taranee were sitting on a crate next to his, Irma's arm held comfortingly around the other girl's shoulders. Cornelia stood next to him, her fists clenched with anger.
He wasn't sure who she was mad at; it may have been Will for getting hurt, Cedric and Phobos for putting Will in this state, or even him for causing all this in the first place. Most likely, she was blaming herself for not being the one who was injured. Cornelia Hale was the epitome of "tough love," even if she wouldn't admit it.
His eyes locked with her's; she immediately looked away but not before Caleb saw the tears being held back. He wanted to stand up and take her in his arms, to assure her that everything was going to be alright. He couldn't, though; she was angry with him, too much to take comfort in his embrace. He could not even reassure her because he, leader of the rebellion, was too pragmatic to lie about Will's chances when he wasn't sure what was wrong with her.
Damn it all to the Hells!
Caleb slammed his fist into the crate, startling everyone but Yan Lin and Will. The former Guardian did not take her eyes off her patient as she rebuked the rebel. "Breaking your hand will not help Will to recover, Caleb. I'm sure she appreciates the thought, of course."
Yan Lin's sarcasm broke Caleb's last shred of restraint. "It should have been me! Will knew something was wrong and tried to..."
He was interrupted by Cornelia's hand slapping his mouth closed. The stinging on his face was enough to stop him from talking; the look in Cornelia's eyes made him want to hide behind the crate. "Hay Lin's parents are right upstairs, genius!" she hissed. Her hand dropped away. "No one's saying you wanted this to happen; this isn't your fault. It's their fault."
"Yeah, the snake hit her with that... thing," Irma said. She now had both arms around Taranee, the shy girl's head on her shoulder. "If it had been you Caleb, without the Heart, you might've..." she trailed off.
Caleb lowered his head. It was true, all of it. The facts were there and indisputable, yet even indomitable reality has little effect on the heart. His own kept accusing him, presenting his desire to defeat Phobos as proof that he was responsible for nearly killing a young girl. A Guardian of the Veil and a woman in many ways, but still a child as well. Had she been a peasant trying to join the rebels, he would have turned her down due to her age and inexperience.
And here he had dragged her-all of them-into a trap. Though they may argue otherwise, he felt that the Guardians were under his protection in Meridian and therefore he was responsible for them like his own troops. The guilt of an injured subordinate was not foreign to him; it was as familiar as his own face in the mirror. And he dealt with it like he always had: he kept fighting.
Straightening up, Caleb stood and addressed Yan Lin. "So, what can we do?"
The effect was subtle but powerful. Cornelia smiled at him, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. Irma let out a breath, relieved to see Mr. Rebel was back in the saddle. Taranee grinned at no one in particular. Hay Lin practically doubled in size with delight. Even Blunk seemed uplifted.
Yan Lin stood and gazed at something beyond the brick wall of the basement. "Nothing, I'm afraid."
Caleb's jaw dropped. Her tone had been conversational as she told them that they was nothing they could do to help their leader and comrade. Cornelia's response was more vocal. "WHAT? WHAT DO Y..."
Caleb covered her mouth with his grimy hand before she could finish her sentence. The other Guardians and Blunk made sshhhh-ing noises at her as Yan Lin continued. "The only thing we can do now is let her rest, my young friends. She is in a deep sleep and her breathing has steadied."
A collective sigh of relief filled Caleb's Condo as everyone looked at the leader of the Guardians. Will's expression was one of sheer contentment as if she were sleeping in her room at home instead of the basement of a Chinese restaurant. Caleb felt the weight that had been wearing him down lift; it was a feeling that was far too rare in his life. The guilt wasn't completely gone but for now he could think clearly.
Cornelia was the first to break the spell when she realized Caleb's muddy glove was covering her mouth. She yanked it off with a grimace as Caleb looked over at her. His expression changed slightly and he looked away sharply. Cornelia frowned at this; usually guys were looking at her. "What?"
It started as a snort from Hay Lin. Then Taranee picked it up and then Yan Lin until everyone except Caleb and Cornelia was shaking with quiet laughter. Even Will was smiling slightly, as if she could sense that something amusing was happening next to her. And no one was looking directly at Cornelia.
Cornelia growled. "What? What are you laughing at?" Pulling out the compact she always carried out of her jacket, Cornelia flipped it open and tilted it to show her lower face.
It looked like she had tried to eat a mud pie; her lip-glossed mouth was ringed with mud and leaves. She gasped in shock and glared at Caleb, whose ears were turning red underneath his long hair. The others only increased their guffaws, pent-up worry and frustration transforming into giggle-fits.
Everyone was laughing so hard at the two lovebirds that no one was looking at Will. For an instant her face twisted as if she was having a nightmare, then returned to normal.
When it came to the Guardians of the Veil, "normal" was a relative term at best.
After Cornelia had cleaned off her face (and gave Caleb a swift kick in the leg), preparations were made for the girls to spend the night at the Silver Dragon. The storm outside had actually increased in intensity since the girls arrived and provided an excellent excuse for worried parents. In a serious case of "TGIF," the next day was Saturday and the girls were spared the rigor of actually going to class after an emotionally charged evening. The anonymity of the Guardian's duties made getting signed excuses from battling evil difficult.
The team went to work right away, both eager to do something after the events of the evening and feeling like dropping where they stood. Cornelia had been nominated to call Will's mother and think up a suitable excuse as to why her daughter couldn't come to the phone. Irma and Taranee were in Hay Lin's room trying to clear a spot on the floor for sleeping bags, Irma sarcastically asking if they could light a brush fire to aid in the task.
Caleb and Blunk had been forcibly removed from the basement so the Lin women could dress Will in drier clothes; Caleb had started mopping up the mud they had tracked in while Blunk had took off saying "Me get something for Will get better." Caleb hoped that whatever it was wasn't alive or had previously been alive; dead rats weren't the best gifts to give an ailing friend. Unless you were a Passling, maybe.
He and Cornelia were alone in the kitchen when she finished her call to the Vandom residence. Mrs. Vandom had been insistent that she could drive over and pick up her daughter, but Cornelia had convinced her that a trip to the Dragon would be too risky in the heavy rain and that her daughter would be just as safe with the Lins.
To hear the Earth Guardian converse in such confident tones would have made a stranger think she was talking to someone her own age instead of the adult mother of one of her best friends. Caleb was constantly impressed with how she handled herself in almost any situation with the dignity and willfulness of a noblewoman. Well, except for when they broke into the underwater mines... though she did cling tightly to him through the whole ordeal, so who was he to complain? Caleb hid a slight smile as she glanced at her, an act that was all too easy considering his dour mood.
Cornelia flicked her phone closed and shook her head. "I never knew I was such a good liar until I became a Guardian. Even I believed it when I said Will conked out doing her math homework."
Caleb was reminded of her telling Elyon that his father was a crusading dentist as an excuse for his employment at the Silver Dragon; it had seemed like a good excuse until Hay Lin told him what a dentist actually was. Still, he held his peace as he took in every detail of the Earth Guardian. Perched up on the edge of a table so Caleb could mop under her feet and muddy from the knees down, Cornelia didn't resemble the self-confident young woman he knew she was. Even in her disheveled state Caleb could have stared at her for hours, or at least until she threatened to kick him again.
Realizing his gaze was drifting to the front of her dampened tank top, Caleb coughed and said, "She always says that math's not her favorite subject; I never understood why you put letters and numbers together anyway. Complicates things."
"Amen." The rain was the only sound for a moment, before being being broken up by distant thunder and an inevitable question. "Caleb, what happened? After you three left?"
Caleb dropped the mop in the bucket and stretched. His arms and legs were still sore and would probably be bothering him tomorrow. No matter; he'd had worse. Still, he plopped down on a stool next to Cornelia before answering. "Cedric happened. We were almost to the main chamber when a pack of Lurdens appeared. Will... told me to keep going." His face darkened. "I almost had the artifact when Cedric slammed me into the floor. Must have been a secret passage I didn't see. He grabbed the Shard of Inimini and was going to use it on me when..."
He had never seen the snake so happy, his impossibly huge maw grinning from pointy ear to ear. The Shard was held in his claw like a dagger, the sharpened tip of the black crystal gleaming in the low light of the chamber.
His legs pinned between the monster's tail and the Shard's pedestal, Caleb could only scowl at his potential murderer. The Guardians were nowhere in sight and the ornate yet bare chamber offered nothing he could defend himself with. Death was all but assured; he was afraid but more than fear he felt anger that his death wouldn't cause Phobos more trouble than it would. He hoped his father wouldn't act hastily to the news. He hoped Cornelia really thought he was an idiot and wouldn't mourn his loss. Mainly, he hoped the bastard would get on with it.
Cedric seemed to read his expression. "This is not the end, rebel," the beast hissed. "This is the beginning."
It seemed odd that Cedric would reassure him of an afterlife. As far as he knew neither the reptile nor Phobos were especially religious because most faiths would have condemned them to the lowest hells for their crimes. As the Shard descended in slow motion, Caleb wondered if he would see his mother soon.
"NO!"
A flash of violet flew toward the Shard from overhead. Will had meant to grab Cedric's arm and use her magically augmented strength to wrest it away from its target. Startled, Cedric instinctively altered his attack to meet the new threat. Helpless, Caleb shouted for her to stop but was too late.
When the Shard struck her breastbone he had expected the point to pierce her small frame and cover him in innocent blood. However, Will seemed to absorb the Shard into herself, her reddish-brown eyes staring into the snake's reptilian slits with disbelief, like Cedric had spilled a drink on her instead of stabbing her. Cedric was as shocked as she was and could only stare back. When he recovered, Caleb was surprised to hear him snarl "No, not you!" as if murdering a Guardian was a bad thing.
Will didn't respond right away. When she did, it was with a whimper that grew into a unnaturally high-pitched scream that made Caleb's head ache. The black light of the Shard began to glow blood-red before dissolving in a massive explosion that sent Will and Cedric flying to opposite ends of the chamber. Will fell limply to the ground behind him, the Heart of Candracar glowing faintly around her neck; Cedric smashed into the far wall and through it, leaving a massive hole that vaguely bore his outline. The only thing visible was his ringed tail, which twitched once and was still.
Freed, Caleb glanced at the hole before running over to Will. He checked her pulse and found it weak but steady. Lifting the young Guardian gently but quickly, he turned and found Irma hovering in the entrance, her face frozen in shock. Without a word, Caleb ran under her and toward the sounds of howling winds and landslides.
This was not going according to plan.
He had been relieved to feel her breath on his face; even if she had been dead he still would have taken her body away from Phobos' hordes. Resistance fighters killed in battle had been dragged through the streets as examples to those who might rebel against Meridian's ruler. He didn't want to think about what they would do with the remains of a Guardian.
Cornelia was silent. Caleb couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking; she and the other Guardians were hard to predict. She might put her arms around him; she might start yelling at him. The women in Meridian were much safer by comparison, but certainly not as... interesting.
When she finally spoke, her voice was thankfully sympathetic. "That must have been awful, not being able to do anything." She slipped her arm through his, her fingertips stroking the back of his hand. Her touch eased away his aches and made him want to lay his head in her lap and fall asleep. No other girl had ever had that effect on him and he wasn't even sure she realized her power over him.
Caleb was no stranger to women. The leader of the rebellion had quite the well-earned reputation when it came to romancing young ladies. One of Phobos' more laughable fabrications was that Caleb liked to ravish the young daughters (and even wives) of Phobos' loyal supporters. Caleb had long since stopped taking offense at the outlandish claims of Phobos' propaganda; anyone dumb enough to believe the lies of a king that raped his own land's life force to increase his power was not someone Caleb needed or wanted to associate with. And if he needed something from them, he could always use force.
Like any effective lie, though, there was a bit of truth in the accusation. When every day could be your last it was best to enjoy every second you could, whether it was the one good meal you'd had in weeks or the company of a governor's beautiful daughter. Good food wasn't such a luxury anymore now that he spent half of his time on Earth; Caleb had actually gained weight from Mrs. Lin's cooking. As much as Earth confused him with its strange ways and customs it was a veritable land of plenty compared to Meridian. As he'd told Aldarn, the food was incredible and the girls even better.
"Better" meaning, in heterosexual male terminology, that they wore fewer clothes. Shorts, mini-skirts, halter-tops... compared to the long dresses and concealing blouses he was used to it seemed like the whole planet was one big red-light district, especially during the summer months. He never told the girls this, of course. The last thing he wanted them to think was that he thought they looked like ladies of the evening. His mission helped him stay focused, thankfully, though it was hard not to notice the scenery.
Lately, though, Caleb's eye hadn't wandered too far. His father had told him it would happen one day, but he had scoffed and said that it wasn't possible for any woman in Meridian to tame him.
Irony, it seemed, was a sharp-tongued, fashion-conscious blonde from another dimension.
Between his exhausted body and the warmth generated by Cornelia's touch, Caleb felt like falling asleep right where he sat. Without thinking he placed his head on Cornelia's shoulder, breathing in her scent of pine needles and wild flowers. The rain had washed away most of her lemon-scented perfume and revealed her natural aroma, which Caleb preferred by far to the ointments so popular on Earth. He was a little surprised when she placed her head on his, but her next words sent rivers of shock running through him. "Every one of us would have taken her place. Even me."
Caleb wasn't sure how to respond; fortunately, he didn't have to as Hay Lin came stomping up the cellar steps with Will's muddy clothes in a waist basket. Her weary face brightened when she caught sight of the two teens. "Awwww...," she cooed. "Stay... right... there! Let me get a camera!"
Cornelia scoffed haughtily at the suggestion that they would pose for the photo. "As if," she said, lifting her head from Caleb's. He was pleased to note that her arm stayed where it was. "How's Will?"
Hay Lin shrugged. "Grandma says she's fine. Physically, anyway. I mean, that's good enough for me because it's Grandma, but... she hasn't woke up yet. I mean, she doesn't respond when I say her name but she's not like those people that are in a coma on TV, she's breathing real heavy and tossing in her sleep and... I'm babbling, aren't I..." Cornelia smiled and nodded tolerantly. "I'm sorry. It's just so weird, you know? We undressed her and dried her off and everything and she didn't even seem to feel it."
Caleb listened intently despite the distraction that Cornelia presented. Though Hay Lin's report had been a little long-winded it was still full of vital information. He quickly surmised that Will was in a deep sleep but didn't seem to be comatose; she was oblivious to the outside world but still responsive to whatever was in her mind. Which meant that Will was still in there. He hoped that meant something. Caleb resolved to question Yan Lin personally at the first opportunity.
Caleb yawned, the action causing his lmbs to ache even more. Damn, he thought. I'd better ask her now before I collapse. "Is it okay if I go talk to your grandmother now? I have some questions."
Hay Lin nodded. "Sure. Will's all covered up. I gave her one of my night shirts. I don't think blue's her color, though. She always struck me as more of an autumn..." She trailed off when she noticed Cornelia's arched eyebrows. "Right. I'll take these to the laundry room."
When she was gone, Cornelia looked over at Caleb. "What sort of questions? Did you think of something?"
Caleb was about to respond when Irma and Taranee walked into the kitchen, both of them looking fairly winded. "Man," Irma said. "That girl's room could hide five Cedrics and a car. And probably a Vathek. Uh, are we interrupting something?" From the way Irma was smirking at their intertwined arms, the question was purely rhetorical.
Cornelia narrowed her eyes at her longtime headache. Irma had on an oblivious look that seemed slightly out-of-place on her face; out-of-place meaning "false." Caleb grinned and gave Cornelia's hand one last squeeze before letting go.
Taranee either ignored the brewing storm or didn't see it coming. "Is Will doing any better? I heard Hay Lin in here."
Distracted, Cornelia filled the two girls in on the situation with their leader. When she finished, Irma looked at Caleb. "Is that what Mr. Scaley wanted to do to you, Caleb, knock you out so he could deliver you to Phobos?"
Caleb shook his head. "I don't think so. Something that Cedric said... I don't think the beast wanted to kill me with the Shard, either. There are easier ways to do both. I think that whatever was supposed to happen to me wasn't what happened to Will. The snake seemed upset after he attacked her, like the Shard was intended for me alone. In any other situation, a Guardian would be a better catch, especially the carrier of the Heart."
"So, if he didn't want to capture you or, you know," Taranee asked, grimacing at was left unsaid. "What was the point of the whole thing? If the Shard wasn't a magical WMD then what was it?"
"I don't know," Caleb admitted. He also wasn't sure what a WMD was. "I have to get into the castle. That's our only lead right now."
"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way," Irma mused. "My dad says that the first step in solving a crime is finding motive. 'Figure out why something was done and it's easier to figure out who dunnit,' that's what he says. Huh. Maybe that's why he always knows it's me that uses up all the hot water."
"And your point is?" Cornelia asked irritably.
"Sorry. Thing is, we already know who it was, with what, and where." Irma had to fight from making a Clue reference here. Cornelia was fairly torqued at her already and it was way too late for a cat-fight. "So we go backward. The question is, if Cedric didn't want to do A or B, then what's C?"
Caleb nodded. "Great thinking, Irma. If he didn't want to capture or kill me with the Shard, what else would Phobos want done to me? I remember seeing the Heart flash when Will was struck, so if it had been me..."
"Torture?" Taranee said without thinking. Cornelia winced and Irma whistled at the shy girl's casual tone. "Oh, I'm sorry! It was the first thing that came to mind!"
Caleb waved her concerns off. "I was thinking the same thing, Taranee. That would explain what Cedric meant when he said it was just the beginning."
Irma's eyes widened. "Yeah, I heard him say that! I was just outside the chamber with Will when I heard that raspy voice of his. I was flooding out some Lurdens when Will flew off to help you... oh, no." Her eyes widened even more as her light brown complexion paled. "I should have been the one. I could have blasted that snake away without getting close..."
"No!" Caleb said fiercely. "Don't start blaming yourself. Every battle makes more sense after it's over. When you're in the middle of it you do what your instincts tell you to. You were the best choice to guard our backs; Will couldn't have held back the Lurdens and they might have broke through. Besides, this was my plan. If anyone's getting the blame it's me."
The three girls were staring at him like he'd grown an extra head and it looked like Blunk. Again Caleb cursed the fact that the Earth girls were so hard to read; he wasn't sure if they disagreed with him and felt that it wasn't his fault, or that they did agree with him and just realized that it was his fault. The idea of them blaming him hurt more than he thought it would. Hay Lin had returned during his outburst and stood frozen in the doorway, as if walking into the room would cause an explosion. At least he knew what she would believe, even if it was wrong.
"I thought we established that it was Phobos' fault, rebel boy," said a voice from the basement door. Yan Lin stood there with an amused expression on her face. "Seriously, Caleb, do you brood like this because you thinks clicks dig it? In my day we liked our men to have a little more sunshine and less rain in their souls."
Hay Lin chuckled. "That's 'chicks', Grandma. And what about that James Dean poster you still have in your room? He wasn't exactly sunny."
This got a few laughs from the other girls. Yan Lin sniffed. "Hmmph. That's not the point. I simply wish for you all to keep your spirits up. Will is alive and in good health; her chi has been disrupted but she is named well. Her spirit is strong and I expect her to make a full recovery. I am more concerned with you lot at the moment, especially you, Caleb. Your heart and body have taken some severe beatings lately; even the leader of the rebellion needs his rest."
Caleb was conflicted. The concern in Yan Lin's voice was both appreciated and annoying. Before the events of tonight Caleb had been running missions every day this week. With Elyon now in Phobos' hands, the underground was working twice as hard to overthrow her brother. Caleb could count the hours of sleep he gotten over the past four days on one hand and the strain was catching up to him.
As true as it was, though, he didn't want to be reminded about it in front of the girls. Despite their odd behavior, they were intelligent and capable in ways he never would have thought possible when he first met them. Their respect meant more than he would have liked to admit and showing weakness in front of them was not something he particularly wanted.
It might not matter if he desired it or not; even now Cornelia was searching his face out of the corners of her eyes, no doubt noticing the dark circles under his own. Another thing about Earth women he needed to tell Aldarn: they were either completely oblivious or way too observant. The Guardians and Yan Lin fell into the latter category, for better or worse.
"I'm fine," he insisted. It sounded weak even to him, but he had to say something in his defense.
"Maybe when you're facing certain death you're good," Irma said. "But not right now you're not. Much as I hate to go "Mom" on ya, how much sleep have you been getting?"
"Enough," Caleb responded in the authoritative voice he used when addressing his troops. The effect was lost on Irma; a policeman's daughter knew plenty about the chain of command and the only C.O. she reported to was sleeping on the job. Caleb had as much power over her as she did over fire; probably less, considering that Irma could put fires out and Caleb had no chance of stopping her with his lame excuses.
If Cornelia Hale was Tough Love, Irma Lair held the rank of Corporal Punishment. "I'll bet. News-flash, Caleb: you're not invincible. Eventually you're going to make real mistakes, and then you're gonna wish the Evil Suitcase finished you off because that would be cake compared to what we'll do to you." Cornelia nodded, for once agreeing with Irma.
While Caleb wasn't too afraid of what Taranee or Hay Lin could do in the way of torture, Irma and Cornelia were something else. Considering their talents, it would likely involve near-drowning, sharp rocks and possibly poison oak in sensitive areas. Probably poison oak, knowing Cornelia. He (silently) admitted defeat and rose from his stool. He took a few steps toward the basement before he remembered that his place of rest was occupied. "Uh..."
Perhaps because the Silver Dragon was her home, Hay Lin realized his problem first. "You can have one of the sleeping bags and Irma can sleep with me. There's air mattresses in the basement we use for camping you can have; it'd probably be best if someone stayed with Will anyway. I'll go blow it up." With that, she bounced down the basement steps.
"Oh, man," Irma groaned. "If there's one thing I learned from all those sleep overs is that she kicks like Mia Hamm."
Caleb smirked. "Hey, I thought you wanted me to get a good night's sleep."
"I just hope she doesn't drool anymore."
Yan Lin coughed. Irma shot her a questioning look, but the elderly woman spoke to Caleb first. "Caleb, please help my granddaughter with your sleeping arrangements. I'll bring you your clothes and the sleeping bag. That should keep you away from Hay Lin's room while the girls change. Avoid the temptation, as you kids say." The girls giggled at the insinuation, which is exactly what Yan Lin intended.
Caleb rolled his eyes and departed for the basement, slowly due to his weariness. Irma waited until Caleb was out of earshot before turning to Yan Lin. "He's running on fumes, isn't he?"
Cornelia looked at Irma with no small amount of surprise. There was no trace of sarcasm in her voice for once; rather, there was genuine concern for their reluctant friend.
Yan Lin nodded. "He blames himself for losing Elyon to Phobos. He was already giving everything he had to the rebellion and now he seeks to give what he does not possess."
"Do you think, maybe..." Taranee started. She seemed unwilling to finish her thought.
"That he made mistakes tonight?" Irma finished for her. Cornelia bristled and was about to rip the smart-mouth a new orifice when she shook her head. "No, he didn't. We were with him every step of the way and not once did I say to myself, 'Oh, this is a trap.' The setup was too good. Even at one hundred percent Caleb would have the done the exact same thing. We all would have. Besides, Caleb's not the kind that makes little mistakes then burns out; he's the kind of guy that works fine until he finally crashes. My dad's old partner was the same way, according to him. Guy would practically kill himself once he got on something, and Caleb's been on his thing his whole life."
Cornelia couldn't believe that this was the same person that made fun of her designer clothes; Irma's assessment was dead on. Cornelia remembered Caleb running with them through the rain. Exhausted and carrying Will, he still set the pace for the group and probably didn't realize it. Caleb would run his body to pieces while his mind stayed sharp and alert. Well, sharp for Caleb... he is a guy after all.
"Will will need several days to recover from her ordeal," Yan Lin said. "Since you will not be at full strength until then, it would be best for you girls and Caleb to rest for a bit. I will also need the time to assess any side effects of Will's condition. When Blunk returns tell him not to seek out any portals for Caleb until Will is strong again. Threaten him with a run through the carwash if you have to. Understood?"
The girls nodded. Cornelia sighed as she realized something. "What about Caleb? He's going to want to find out what the Shard was supposed to do."
"That is the trick. I'm afraid that we may have to play dirty with Rebel Boy."
"We're gonna run him through the carwash with Blunk?" Irma joked. Cornelia actually grinned as she pictured Caleb and Blunk going through the carwash in a shopping cart. It was the only way they could get the Passling to bathe.
"No. Maybe. What I meant was that someone has to stay with Will until she recovers. An Astral Drop can take her place at school and home while Caleb and I care for the real Will. I do not wish to do it, but I may have to play on Caleb's guilt to force him to stay. Perhaps tending Will will ease his soul and allow him some peace. The Oracle knows he has had so little in his life."
I could give him peace, Cornelia thought. She wanted to help him, needed to help him. Plus, the idea of Caleb devoting any attention to a girl other than herself was definitely in the "not alright" category, even if it was an unconscious Will.
She mentally shook her head. Now was hardly the time for that kind of thinking. Will may have saved Caleb from a fate worse than death tonight; whatever their issues (and there were many, or maybe just one) Cornelia owed her that and more for being her friend. Still, the image of Caleb holding Will's hand even to check her pulse was too much to process.
Part of Cornelia wondered why she would even worry about Will in the first place. For one thing, Caleb wasn't technically hers yet. The two had strong wills and were dancing the old dance of courtship, waiting to see who would give in first; it may be a while before either submitted or they reached an agreement. Even if he was hers and she had to pick someone that would try to steal Caleb, it definitely wasn't the Frog Fanatic or any of the other Guardians. Will was crushing on Matt Olsen still and Taranee was pursuing the Outfielder Nigel Ashcroft. Hay Lin... no.
Irma might have the guts to do it, but Cornelia had yet to see any indication that she held any interest for Caleb other than staring at his butt when he bent over. Besides, they were her friends and knew without her saying that she felt strongly about Caleb. They had certainly teased her enough about it. Why should she be worried? She was probably just being possessive. It was one of her worst traits when it came to the people in her life. It was the main reason why she couldn't stand her sister, always playing sweet and innocent to reel in their parents. Well, besides the fact that Lilian was a monster from the underworld.
"Let's get changed. Like I've said before, mud is never in style," Cornelia said to the others. She had hoped to bait Irma into a sarcastic reply to distract her from her confused thoughts but was disappointed when the class clown merely nodded and led the way to Hay Lin's room. Great, Irma, the one time I need you to be yourself you grow up on me. Thanks a lot.
Irma must have heard her telepathically or been distracted earlier. "You know you can make anything look good, Cornelia. Have you considered wet cement for a swimsuit? You'd be the life of the party. For a while, anyway."
Irma was a little surprised when Cornelia grabbed her from behind in a fierce hug and whispered, "Only if you'd wear a muzzle that matched your eyes." After all, Cornelia Hale wasn't the huggy sort
Time is often the best indicator of the strength of a relationship. Though Irma considered all of the Guardians to be her sisters-in-arms second and best friends first, Hay Lin had been with her since the beginning. Cornelia had run in different circles than Irma pretty much all her life and Will and Taranee were new if welcome additions to the crew. Hay Lin, though, had been a constant fixture in her existence for almost as long as she could remember.
When the two had first met Irma had barely been able to write her own name, yet Hay Lin had written hers in English and Chinese and drew a small self-portrait during art time. Irma had been so impressed that she had asked the hyperactive artist to draw her picture. Hay Lin had been thrilled to be asked, and by the end of art time they were "friends forever." Irma still had the picture Hay Lin drew of them in a frame on her wall.
Ten years later Hay Lin knew Irma better than anyone, including Irma herself. Irma, however, still had no idea what made Hay Lin tick. As she stared at the girl's room, the self-taught comedian wondered if she ever would.
A pair of boxer shorts hung from an engine nacelle on a replica of the Starship Enterprise. Magazines ranging from Cosmopolitan to Star Wars Insider lay scattered on the floor. Various plushies and knick-knacks of green aliens (practically Hay Lin's mascot) were strung around the room; even Hay Lin's jacket had a small alien sewn on a sleeve beneath an official Sheffield Institute patch. Drawings of people including the Guardians in their transformed states covered Hay Lin's desk and furniture. One could pick a spot on the floor and within two feet find a pair of goggles that Hay Lin wore despite not being involved in any sports or pastime that required eye protection, unless one counted Guardian duties as extracurricular activities.
The girl is insane, Irma mused expertly. Must be why we get along so well. Irma had given the sleeping bag to Yan Lin a moment before and was now tasked with retrieving sleepwear for the girls. Mission: Impossible for anybody who hasn't known Hay Lin as long as I have.
Cornelia sniffed, as if the messy room somehow offended her sense of smell. "It's a miracle she hasn't slipped on something and broke her neck."
"Years of practice, I guess," Irma replied as she picked her way to Hay Lin's closet, the M:I theme playing in her head. Making sure she was to the side of the door when she opened it, Irma remained unfazed when an avalanche of clothes and toys fell out of the closet. Taranee and Cornelia watched in amazement as Irma climbed over the pile of clothes and dug around in the closet for nearly a minute before pulling out three long night shirts, each with a Disney character emblazoned on the front.
Tossing the Pluto one on the bed and the other two to Taranee and Cornelia, she bent down in front of the pile and pushed it back into the closet. After closing the door (with considerable effort), Irma once again picked her way to the bed and began to undress.
"Does the closet always do that?" Taranee asked innocently as she removed her glasses. Minnie Mouse seemed appropriate for the sweet girl.
"Far back as I can remember," Irma stated. "First time Hay Lin asked me to get a jacket for her, I ended up buried alive. She freaked out a little." Irma smiled as she recalled the panicked expression on Hay Lin's seven year-old face. I'm okay, I'm okay, Irma had reassured her friend even as her face was being strained through a tennis racquet.
"Would it kill her to clean?" Cornelia huffed, as she tossed her muddy jeans into a laundry basket. Donald Duck was perfect for the perky-one-minute-and-fire-breathing-the-next Ms. Hale.
"Oh, she cleans pretty regularly. In two days it's back to the way it was. She told me once it was good exercise." When they had undressed and changed, Cornelia and Taranee collapsed onto the sleeping bags while Irma crawled into Hay Lin's bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow Irma realized just how tired she was; her concern for Will had kept her from noticing. Gazing over the edge of the bed at her friends, she noticed that Taranee was already breathing evenly and Cornelia was staring at the ceiling through slitted eyes. "Good night, guys."
"Good night, Irma, Taranee," Cornelia said, breathing the words out with some effort. Taranee murmured something unintelligible.
Irma smirked. "Good night, John Boy."
Cornelia gave a good-natured groan. "You're impossible."
There were serious advantages to being the Air Guardian. For one thing, you never needed an air pump.
Technically, you were the air pump.
Holding the air plug in her teeth, Hay Lin breathed in through her nostrils and exhaled a blast of air into the queen-sized air mattress. The mattress went from a wrinkled sheet of rubber to fully-blown up in less than a second, not unlike a cartoon Hay Lin had once seen. Any one watching would have thought that some sort of trick was involved for a pre-teen girl that weighed under a hundred pounds to inflate something that was longer than she was tall.
Sealing the mattress tight, Hay Lin looked over at Will. She was resting comfortably now that she was dressed for bed and wrapped in Caleb's covers. The Heart of Candracar hung from a nail on the wall where Caleb usually lay his overcoat, its soft light illuminating Will's face.
The artist known as Hay Lin had always found Will aesthetically pleasing. Short red hair mixed well with cappuccino-colored skin and was so rare that Hay Lin had never seen another person that resembled Will Vandom. The fact that her hair rarely stayed in one place was okay with Hay Lin, who valued the natural over the proper. Will, surprisingly, was extremely self-conscious about her appearance; most girls and a fair amount of guys their age were to be true, but Hay Lin suspected that sometime in Will's past her unusual appearance had caused fellow classmates to make fun of her. The only thing she had going for this theory was something Will had said shortly after they met.
Hay Lin had nearly died with excitement when she first saw Will. An ardent people-watcher, Hay Lin was always on the lookout for unusual characteristics. She had almost whipped out her pen and pad right then and there. Instead, she had complimented Will on her hair and skin colors. Will's reaction to the unusual praise had been wary as she thanked Hay Lin, who may have come on a little strong in retrospect. "Retrospect" being ten seconds after she first freaked out over the new girl.
Hay Lin had tried to counter her earlier outburst by saying that Will must have gotten a lot of compliments like that. She had gotten a faraway look in her brown eyes and shook her head. "No, not really," There had been pain in her voice when she said it, hidden under a small laugh.
Hay Lin bent down next to Will and swept stray crimson hairs out of the sleeping girl's face. Why anyone wouldn't love the way Will looked was beyond her. Most likely it was some sort of evil Cornelia that used her popularity and looks to push people down instead of lifting them up, even just figuratively, to her level. Well, whatever had happened in the past was history now; if any drama queen tried to use Will as a stepping stone they would have W.I.T.C.H. to deal with. Well, I.T.C.H., anyway. Will rarely took up for herself, though she sure turned into a fighter when a girl tried to move in on her "man."
I.T.C.H.. Heh. And speaking of her boo...
"And you know who really likes the way your hair and skin mix, Will?" Hay Lin asked her, as if her thoughts in her head had been part of a talk they were having with each other. "Matt. Musicians always have an eye for the special. Every time he thinks he can get away with it he always looks at you like you're some sort of celebrity. I swear, if you two don't hook up soon I may have to step in and..."
The sound of footsteps on the stairs broke Hay Lin from her one-sided conversation. Caleb slowly descended the steps and made so little noise that it seemed like he was trying not to wake Will. This struck Hay Lin as odd since waking up Will was exactly what they wanted. When Caleb's face came into view she realized he wasn't trying to be stealthy; he was simply too tired to move any faster. When he reached the bottom of the stairs and looked at Hay Lin, she had a strange flashback to a zombie movie she'd seen last summer.
"Something wrong?" Caleb asked. That warm voice certainly didn't sound like it came from a flesh-eating zombie. The look he gave Will through bloodshot eyes certainly wasn't one that hungered for human brains.
"Uh, no! Nothing! I got the mattress ready for you; I'll go get some sheets."
"No need." Caleb picked up one of the pillows Yan Lin had set aside for him and tossed it on the mattress. "It's too hot, anyway." A pause. "Thanks for getting the mattress."
"No problem." Other than Cornelia, Hay Lin wasn't sure what the other Guardians thought about Caleb exactly. Any questions about the subject were usually met with rolled eyes and complaints. Sure, he was cute, and braver than any guy in Sheffield and probably on Earth as well but he was also stubborn and more than a little condescending. As galling as he could be to the Guardians, Hay Lin could only imagine how frustrated he was by them. In Meridian he was a general with over a thousand troops that obeyed his every order without question.
Suddenly, a group of prophesied heroes appear on the scene and instead of wise and powerful warriors you get a bunch of teenage girls that can't even control their powers. And not only were they inexperienced, they refused to listen to your advice and for some reason think that they know more than you do about fighting a tyrannical despot. Forget frustration; Caleb probably had stomach ulcers the first few weeks after he met them.
Eventually Caleb and the Guardians had settled into a comfortable give-and-take chain of command that worked because both parties knew that there were times when one had to shut up and trust the other. Cornelia was infatuated with him, obviously, and the Guardians as a whole liked him as one liked a friend that you were wary about introducing to your other friends, if only because one never knew what he was going to say or do. Overall, Will, Irma, and Taranee's opinions about Caleb could be summed up in eight words and a comma: "I like him, but I wouldn't date him."
Hay Lin wouldn't date him either, but her reasons were different and had nothing to do with dealing with Caleb's attitude. Or her father freaking out over an older boy, for that matter. Actually, she thought of Caleb as somewhere between a foreign exchange student and a foster brother. In a way, he was the closest thing she had ever had to a sibling, even compared to Irma. He lived with her, ate dinner with her and puzzled over her homework with her; Mrs. Lin was enamored with him for sure, treating him like one of the family.
And the feeling was mutual, she was sure; once he'd carried Hay Lin up to her bed when she'd fell asleep while studying. She knew this because she'd woken up halfway to her room and felt Caleb tuck her in. She'd also stifled a giggle when he stubbed his toe on something on her floor and learned a Meridian swear word for her effort.
While she would never want a younger sibling after hearing Cornelia and Irma's horror stories, Taranee had regaled her with tales of her older brother teaching her to surf and introducing her to his cool friends like she was the greatest thing ever just because she was his little sister. Hay Lin knew not every family was like that, but it didn't stop her from daydreaming. Even with his faults, Caleb was a bonafide hero and pretty cool and could even be sweet at times; definitely big brother material. As such, Hay Lin felt that she had a responsibility as a sort-of little sister to look after him since Caleb seemed to neglect the little things from time to time. Like regular meals. And sleep. And bathing.
When Caleb was on this side of the Veil he usually stayed with the Lins. Hay Lin's parents knew that Caleb stayed over some nights but Yan Lin explained this away by saying that Caleb had several jobs around the Heatherfield area to support his great aunt (twice removed) who happened to live in a nearby town. This aunt also happened to be an old friend of hers that Hay Lin had never met, but was apparently someone of such high standing character that her parents accepted Caleb without question. It helped that Caleb was very polite to her parents at least; his rather gruff manners were supposedly a product of his less-than-perfect home life.
Ironically, Caleb's back story was that his mother had died and his father was in jail. It wasn't until Caleb discovered that his father was alive that the fabrication happened to be true. Well, more or less; Julian was a pretty nice guy and not the kind of man you'd think would be in prison, Hay Lin thought, though he could use a haircut. And maybe a George Washington-style outfit. Hay Lin resolved to sketch this down later.
Yan Lin's word was law at the Silver Dragon; once she vouched for Caleb that was it. Chen Lin was a glorified mama's boy when it came down to it and Hay Lin's mother Joan loved her mother-in-law like she was her own flesh-and-blood. It didn't hurt that for her over-protective father that Hay Lin now had an escort that her grandmother trusted implicitly.
Caleb could be every bit as dangerous as he looked and Hay Lin had a sneaking suspicion that many potential flirters were scared away from W.I.T.C.H. by the fear of accidentally hitting on Caleb's girlfriend or, Hay Lin thought scandalously, girlfriends (hee!). Of course, if things kept developing with him and Cornelia it would soon be pretty clear who was Caleb's girl.
Hey, she pondered, if he and Cornelia get married, would that make us sort-of sister-in-laws? That's way too many dashes.
Her musings of strange relations were interrupted by Yan Lin coming down the stairs with the sleeping bag, Caleb's Earth clothes and a pair of sleep pants. "Here you go, Caleb. I pressed them just the way you like them."
"Uh, thank you, Mrs. Lin." Hay Lin noticed that Caleb looked surprised that Grandma knew how he liked the feel of ironed clothes. He had never said as much, but Yan Lin was a grandmother after all.
"Are you sure you don't want some sheets, Caleb?" Hay Lin asked, seizing the chance for some Grandma back-up. "It can get cold down here when it rains and those sleeping bags are pretty thin." She winked at her grandmother, code for Caleb's being stubborn again.
Mrs. Lin nodded, tossing a return wink at Hay Lin. Loud and clear. "Please retrieve some sheets, Hay Lin, and a quilt for Will. Mighty Rebel Leader here would catch his death of cold just to look tough in front of girls."
Caleb crossed his arms and glared weakly at Hay Lin, who giggled as she ran up the stairs to the laundry room. As Grandma always said, the Lin women had to look after their men. Whether they wanted them to or not.
Yan Lin smiled benignly at the glowering young man standing across from her. He was nothing like her own son had been, yet she had claimed him as her own from the first day the girls brought him to Earth. It didn't hurt that she saw herself in him sometimes, particularly when he was being stubborn.
Though Hay Lin resembled her as young girl and probably would grow to look as her grandmother had throughout her life, the young Yan Lin had not been as light-hearted and playful as her granddaughter. Tolerance was not in abundance in those days and a Chinese girl in a mostly white neighborhood had to prove herself in ways that most of her peers never had to. Words were powerful and harsh words as hard as stones, whether whispered or shouted. Pain and anger had nearly overwhelmed her and some days she felt that she was as black in the heart as others had claimed she was, if only because she was different. As if that made her more prone to the faults all people possessed.
Thankfully, she had not been alone long. She had never seen the girl she ran into, her eyes so full of tears from the unfairness of the world. A crash and a spill on the sidewalk later she was being picked up by warm hands and asked if she was alright. This was her first real friend with whom she had spent the whole afternoon with laughing and seeing Heatherfield with new, open eyes. Other friends had come with her, and soon there were five of them. As the kids said, the rest was history. Sometimes painful history, but she regretted little of it.
Yan Lin had thought being a Guardian was the most difficult and rewarding thing she would do in her life. Than she met a handsome young man with a strange sense of humor and married him, bore his child, and realized that motherhood made being a Guardian seem "easy-peezy" as her granddaughter put it. She had started her own restaurant and raised a good man who had met a wonderful girl, who in turn had given her a granddaughter that lifted her spirits whenever she entered the room. She had a long and fulfilling life of her own and now she was the new Guardians' mentor, or "den grandma" as Irma put it. Not bad for a little China girl that didn't fit in.
As much as she loved the girls, her current position as their guide was not always an ideal one. Being a Guardian was one thing since you took the risks yourself; mentoring the Guardians of the Veil was harder on the heart by far. The duty of the Guardians was necessary, vital for the survival of Earth and countless other worlds that would be consumed by Phobos' greed. The danger was acceptable; the stress and storms placed on such young shoulders had to be given to someone. This generation was, naturally, well-suited for the task and she had the utmost confidence in them. This did not make it any easier to send them into danger and hardship.
She looked past Caleb to where Will slept fitfully. Had it been Hay Lin lying there, she did not know if it would hurt more than it did. She had taken in all the girls that day when she had told them of their destiny. She saw a little of herself in all of them as well; Cornelia's stubbornness, Irma's wit, Taranee's shyness, Hay Lin's features, and Will's burden. Yes, she knew what Will felt, having seen it in another girl's face long ago; the pride at being chosen to hold the Heart, the uncertainty in one's self, the weight of being responsible for the lives of her friends, and the fear.
The fear that the Heart could be wrong. Someone who had their world turned upside down like Will had very little faith in anything being completely right. Especially herself, the chosen one who had to lead a group of girls she had known for less than a year against a powerful evil that seemed to possess every advantage in this war..
And the toll it took showed, if only to eyes that were old and experienced. Often she wanted to take Will in her arms and tell her that she would take care of everything and not to worry herself. She couldn't, though, not without scaring the child even more. She gave advice and comfort when needed, but to do any more would have undermined the girls' confidence if they thought she was hovering over them like most adults were prone to do. The future was fluid and inconsistent; Yan Lin might be around for a hundred years, or a week. As such, she had to let them make their own decisions and mistakes, no matter the outcome. The crisis on whether to inform Elyon of her heritage was perhaps the costliest error they had made: in trying to keep her safe and happy Will had not realized that much more than just one girl's peace of mind was at stake.
Just as not knowing about the threat from Meridian didn't make the rest of the world any safer from Phobos, Elyon's ignorance had made her even more vulnerable to the designs of her brother. Yan Lin could have told this to the girls before but chose to keep her peace in the hopes that they would come to see that Elyon could no more run from her destiny than the Guardians themselves. The alternative was unthinkable; a selfish and cruel tyrant that would devour the life force of worlds unopposed. To stop him, the young and innocent had to suffer in place of countless others.
There were times the black dragon that had died in her heart stirred to life and wanted to burn Phobos to ashes for what he had done. Not to mention for what he planned to do. And then she would look at her granddaughter's face and the serpent would be swept away with golden light.
Her mind drifted back to the present. Caleb was standing there looking like a major dip was on his shoulder. Or was that clip? "Do you have to do that?" he asked.
"Do what? Keep you from freezing?"
"Making me look like a weakling. I've slept in rainstorms like the one outside, you know. Soundly. And yet you all treat me like a fool that doesn't know his own limits."
Yan Lin shook her head. "Oh, Caleb, I know you are aware of how much you can take; I also know that you are strong and wise beyond your years. And the girls know it, too. The problem is, as strong as your body and as intelligent as your mind is there is a greater power that neither can stand against."
Caleb scowled. "Phobos is..."
"I didn't mean Phobos, silly boy." One wrinkled finger pushed into his breast bone. "Your heart is so strong, it will keep going long after the rest of you falls. It gives you strength but you must control it, or it will hurt you in the long run."
Caleb was silent, but not due to being speechless. Emotions ran across his usually stoic face as he considered her words. Finally, "I...understand."
"Good. I'll need you to stay with Will for a few days until you both are back to yourselves. I'll leave you now to prepare for bed, Caleb. She is in your care now. If there is any change with your charge, come get me immediately."
Yan Lin's voice became lighter than it was a moment ago as she encouraged him to, "Cheer up. If there's one girls dig, it's a man that can play nurse. Gets them hot under the collar." She turned to leave. "Remember, come and wake me if anything changes."
Caleb could have insisted that he would do that anyway, but the boy (yes, still a boy) simply nodded. Maybe, she thought as she ascended the stairs, she was getting him trained after all.
She'd been here before. Sort of.
The howling wind buffeted her like a current of dry water as she walked through a gray expanse that seemed to go on forever. The sky was as gray as the land, the only divider between the two was the horizon which was tinged with pink around the edges, like a three-hundred and sixty degree sunrise that would never come.
She was alone and defenseless, as bare as the day she came into the world as she stumbled against the wind that pushed against her with the strength of an ocean current. Her feet dug into the textureless gray ground that had the feel of soggy sand and pulled at her every time she lifted a foot. She had been walking for hours, she thought, but she wasn't sure.
She barely remembered what had come before. A boy, a monster, pain, a scream... all running together like the not-quite-sand that caused her to stumble to her knees. Her hands shot out from where they had wrapped around her small body to catch herself, her face stopping inches from the ground. Her vision blurred; pulling one of her hands from the not-sand she touched her face and found her cheek soaked with moisture. Tears. She was crying.
And why shouldn't she be. She was alone in this strange place without her friends and she was naked and scared and the expanse went on forever and there was no hope of crossing it and no hope at all... Drops of water fell into the sand and were absorbed like they had no meaning in this wasteland.
Despair gave way to anger; with a harsh shriek she turned the tear-stained hand into a fist and slammed it into the ground. Staggering up from her knees and fighting for every inch she had sunk into the sand, she got to her feet and began to stumble toward the pink horizon. Whereas the light had been evenly distributed around her before, now the part in front of her began to build in its brilliance and she knew instinctively that it was the way out. The way back to home. She smiled for the first in perhaps forever; her temper had actually helped her for once. Shielding her eyes, she pressed forward
She'd been walking for a minute/hour/century when she saw Her.
Barely a black outline when she first glimpsed the figure, as she stumbled closer the silhouette resolved into a person. The light was so bright now she could barely tell it was a woman until she was ten feet away. Stumbling to a stop, she held herself upright as best she could manage, her breaths coming from her in ragged pants. Her heart, which had been pounding furiously from her exertion, stopped beating when she saw the short red hair that had been set on fire by the pink light and the unclothed body which was nothing but curves and the barest hints of muscle.
Even more shocking were the large wings that sprouted from the woman's shoulders and rose up above the sides of her head like some royal garment. They were nearly three feet high and shaped like bird feathers but looked more like black-rimmed butterfly wings. The pink light filtering through them like stained glass in a cathedral on the woman's body, a tattooed mosaic of purples, greens, and blacks that spilled over her shoulders and perfect breasts. Because that was what this woman was; a work of art that was simultaneously sophisticated and primal.
She stumbled forward some more and the woman's face became clearer. She was a young woman, barely out of her teens and only a few years older than herself. A head taller than the girl, she was constantly looking down on her in a literal and perhaps figurative fashion. Her expression was neutral, as devoid of any emotion as any she had ever seen. Her brown pupils were like the earth, strong and unyielding as she stared into the girl's eyes. Her skin was exotic, the color of hot fudge mixed with vanilla which combined with the strangely still red hair to further enforce the impression that she was no earthly creature. Her face was soft in form yet rigid in motion, almost statuesque yet her eyes that never left the girl's were proof that she was alive.
She was the most beautiful woman the girl had ever seen.
Barely three feet from the woman she stopped and bent over in half with exhaustion. As she struggled to regain her breath she noticed the woman's perfectly pedicured feet stood above the not-sand while her own sank up to her bony ankles. When she had regained her breath as much as she could she straightened up, her gaze traveling up to her equally perfect legs, blushing slightly at her private areas, until her eyes landed on the goddess' face. As she stared into those unshakable eyes, she noticed her reflection in them.
With a small shock she realized that she looked exactly like the woman. Or rather, the awkward younger sister of the woman. Her hair was messy even while blown back in the wind, her face looked childish in comparison and her body was bones and small lumps of flesh that had little value at all. The self-disgust she felt was overcome with realization that if she and the woman looked similar, however remotely, they had to be connected somehow.
Maybe family, and family had to help each other. Surely this incredible creature would take pity on her and try to help her less beautiful version escape this place. Surely a physical beauty such as hers would be matched by a soul as lovely and pure as her exterior.
Convinced that this woman was an angel sent to save her, she took in what she could of the thin atmosphere and said," Help me." Only a whisper, yet it took all of her strength to say it.
The woman did not respond at first. For an agonizing second the girl despaired at the thought that perhaps this angel was sent to judge her instead of save her, and the gray expanse was a purgatory where the unworthy were kept until trial. Finally the woman smiled faintly, the only movement she had displayed so far. Her hand rose to the girl's face and lightly cupped her cheek. Her skin was warm and drove away the chills of the forsaken landscape. The girl closed her eyes and sighed in contentment.
The hand traveled along her face to her chin, tickling her like a feather. Deft fingers brushed over her thin lips as if exploring her features, yet they moved along the edges of her lips with the precision of a thousand caresses. Her touch was so familiar it was like she was being touched by herself, closer than family and more intimate than any lover could be. The thought that this beauty could be her caused a twinge of excitement. She would give anything to trade places with this woman and know what it was like to be worshiped and truly loved... to be beautiful and not ugly... to be strong and not weak...
As soon as she thought this, the fingers traveled over her chin and across the hollow of her throat, then clasped her neck in that perfect hand. Her reverie was broken when the fingers tightened, causing her to grasp in surprise and open her eyes. The smile on the woman's face had not moved, but the blank look in her eyes had been replaced by a look of strong desire... of hunger.
The girl tried to say something to indicate that the woman was hurting her, but the vise-like grip was choking what little air she had left. As soon as she realized that the woman knew exactly what she was doing the girl grabbed at her attacker's arm, but her bitten nails couldn't scratch the delicate flesh and the woman was so strong she couldn't even bend the arm. She tried to kick at her but her legs were held fast by the sand.
She tried to say "Stop!" or call for help but all she could get out was a gurgle. The woman's fingers that had looked so long and finely manicured at first now felt like cold claws. The sweet smile had widened until it seemed to cover half of her face like the monster she barely remembered. The perfect hair had flared outward, the ends becoming as sharp as spikes. All the loose skin and feminine curves had contracted to her muscles and bone structure, giving the creature the appearance of a dried mummy from the neck down. It had gone from an angel to a harpy in seconds.
That which was once beautiful had become so ugly that, had she not been held in its grip, the girl would have rather stared at her own unattractive self instead of the gut-wrenching thing she had once worshiped.
As she sank to her knees and her consciousness began to fade, she looked desperately at the woman, who now blocked her view as she knelt with her. The light from the wings covered them both now, a horrifically beautiful display of victim and murderer that transformed the girl into a mosaic of her own. The colors of the wings that had looked so brilliant and bright on the woman at first now seemed darker; the green was the color of decay and rotten flesh, the purple the color of rust mixed with blood, and the black as deep and suffocating as a starless night. Those dark gossamer wings now looked like two shards of sooty stained glass sharp enough to cut innocent flesh in a virgin sacrifice.
For that was what it was, she realized. A sacrifice of the innocent so that this creature could be born. The worst part was that she had provided herself as the token virgin. She increased her struggles and expended the last of the air, but it was futile to fight this unnatural thing. As her arms fell away from the creature's and her mind began to fade, the thing that was her leaned in closer and kissed her forehead tenderly. The message was clear: Nothing personal.
Somehow, without having a voice, she screamed. And, somehow, her cry was heard.
But not soon enough.
It really is cold down here, Caleb thought as he pulled off his still wet jerkin. He made sure Will was still asleep before he began to remove his pants, just in case. He wasn't particularly shy about his body, but he didn't want the first thing Will to see when she awoke was him in his shorts.
Caleb had just started putting on his pajama bottoms when Will began tossing violently in her sleep and groaning in what sounded like pain. Modesty forgotten for the moment, Caleb rushed over to the cot and gently shook her shoulders.
"Will?" he asked quietly. This seemed only to increase her struggles as her legs began to flail wildly and her hands clasped at her throat. He repeated her name several more times, each time louder and more desperate than the last. "Will, wake up!"
Just as he had turned to leave and find Yan Lin, Will's struggles ceased. As he turned back to her his throat was gripped by a pair of small hands. Will was staring at him just inches from his face, her eyes full of rage and teeth bared. He was barely able to say her name before her fingers clamped down tightly around his throat and she began to strangle him.
Yet Another Author's Note: I would be remiss in not mentioning a major source of inspiration for this story: a Mummy fanfic called "Rebirth" written by Anna M.C. that I read repeatedly after finding it on my hard drive has affected not only "Dark Gossamer Wings" but my whole writing style. It's filled with non sequiturs, capitalized phrases like Posture of Intense Concern, out-of-place metaphors that fit perfectly and is hilariously funny while being both dark and dramatic. I didn't plagiarize, of course, and there is a notable difference in our styles (her vocabulary is a hell of lot better) but I felt I had to say it. Give it a look if you like my story, but it's on a four year hiatus and none of Anna's links seem to work. If you're still reading Anna, please continue! I'm your No. 1 fanboy! Not in a creepy way or anything.
Also, I'd like to thank Vathara for the advice on header breaks and cluing me into the fact that no longer has love for asteriks. If I'd known I would have posted this sooner, stupid me. Thanks, man. I'd also like to plug the "Urban Legends" crossover universe he works on. It's very intelligent and well-written.
This is the part where you hit the "Go' button. And if you want to add "Dark Gossamer Wings" to you Favorites and maybe the author as well, by all means, do so. I'd be happier than Blunk in a dumpster, but I'd smell a lot better.