Disclaimer: No I don't own W.I.T.C.H. Do you REALLY think that I did? No? Good to know.
Irma nervously approached Taranee as she walked through the school gates. She wasn't sure how to approach this, or what to say that would make this any easier to talk about. How often does a person ask whether they think their friend is a murderer, or even capable of murder? But she needed to talk to someone about her thoughts, to help her decide her next move, or else she'd go crazy. She was still musing over what to say when Taranee spoke first.
"I think we need to talk about Cornelia. And Will." Taranee said firmly.
"You have your doubts too?" Irma blurted out and Taranee nodded.
"Something about this doesn't add up. I mean, we've known-" Taranee paused for a moment, clearly determined not to break down. "Knew Cornelia for some time. Elyon too. None of this makes sense."
"No it doesn't." Irma agreed and Taranee pressed on.
"The thing is, we've only known Will for a few months. And up until recently, I would have trusted her with my life."
"But all this crap with Cornelia has made you wonder if you really know any of us." Irma finished. "With the exception of Hay Lin, I've been thinking the same thing. But it still boils down to those three scenarios. Either Will killed Cornelia and set her up, Elyon killed Cornelia and set her on Will, or Cornelia was murdered after she tried to kill Will and someone is trying to frame either Elyon or Will."
"Exactly. Which is why I think we SHOULD investigate her murder!" Taranee exclaimed virulently. "I don't want to go into battle worrying about whether I can trust my leader!"
"The question is, what do we do if Will DID murder Corny?" Irma cut in. "As things stand, it's the only one that makes any kind of sense." Irma felt her stomach twist and turn violently as she said those words. Taranee frowned.
"I can't believe we're even having this conversation. Will is our friend and leader. We KNOW her! And the Will we know WOULDN'T murder a fellow Guardian!"
"We thought we knew Corny too." Irma pointed out, her mind rushing as it moved with sickening certainty to a conclusion that she refused to acknowledge. "I just want to be prepared for the possibility."
Taranee sighed with exasperation.
"You're not the only one of us who's thought about this." Taranee said, fiddling with her hair braid in a nervous manner. "I was up most of the night thinking about it. We might be able to take Will down if we worked together."
"Probably would." Irma said with a sour expression on her face. "But it would be pretty hard to do."
"The biggest problem is that I don't think we COULD rely on Caleb in a fight with Will. The way he is with her, I think he'd fight by her side even if she was as evil as Phobos." Taranee finished.
"We could try ambushing her if we have to." Irma suggested and Taranee frowned.
"Ye-es. But we'd have to time it right, otherwise it would go as badly for us as it did for Cornelia." Taranee pointed out, before shaking her head. "Urgh, this is ridiculous. We'll just have to talk to Will. I'm sure she'll listen."
"Yeah, you're right." Irma agreed half-heartedly. But, deep down in her heart, Irma was not so sure. After all, Will hadn't listened to Cornelia about Elyon, so why would she listen to them?
As the two girls walked into the school buildings, Caleb emerged from behind the bins. He'd overheard them talking and he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Were ALL of the Guardian's out to get Will? Well, no matter. He would protect Will from their schemes no matter what it took.
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Alchemy Jones leaned against the lamppost and kept her eyes firmly on the Silver Dragon. She was determined to catch her quarry alone and the best way to do that ambushing her target on the way to school. As Hay Lin waved goodbye to her parents, Alchemy moved in.
"Hi Hay Lin!" she said brightly as she approached. Hay Lin seemed to jump at her approach, before breathing out a sigh of relief as she realised who it was.
"Hi Al. What are you doing here?" Hay Lin asked brightly. "You come from the other side of town. What's up?"
"Actually, I want to talk to you." Alchemy said firmly as she pulled up alongside Hay Lin. Hay Lin's expression became puzzled.
"Why?"
"Well you know Caleb better than anyone else at our school, don't you?" Alchemy asked.
"Yeah, why?" Hay Lin replied, before giving her friend a look. "You do know he's going out with Will, don't you?"
"Yes, but that's not why I'm asking." Hay Lin raised her eyebrows quizzically and Alchemy continued. "See, I want to know about Caleb's relationship with Cornelia." At this, Hay Lin turned pale and Alchemy decided to press home her advantage. "Because Cornelia really liked him, not to mention the fact that he's the only boy that I know she would have trusted en-"
"Alchemy, Caleb didn't murder Cornelia." Hay Lin cut in and Alchemy raised her eyebrow. "He DIDN'T!"
"Well if you're sure." Alchemy said slightly dubiously. "Was there anyone else who she trusted enough meet on her own? Her parents thought the world of her and I know that you guys earned her trust and her and Elyon were practically sisters and Caleb she probably would, but was there anyone else?"
"There wasn't anyone else, nobody at all!" Hay Lin gabbled and Alchemy decided to press on.
"Are you sure? Because whoever killed her had to meet her on her own and I think that she knew the person who killed her."
"What makes you so sure?" Hay Lin asked in a very brittle voice as she strained against the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks.
"A hunch. And I knew Cornelia well. I thought that you might be able to help me catch her killer."
"Al, you have no id-"
"Are you being threatened? Is that why you're trying to warn me off? Did Caleb threaten you?"
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH!" Hay Lin yelled with uncharacteristic anger, tears of frustration and sadness running down her face. "You really have no idea. Please Al, back off. I don't want to see you hurt." She added in a quieter voice. "Don't ask me to explain, you wouldn't believe half the stuff that's been going on with us."
Alchemy raised an eyebrow, before shaking her head in disbelief. Finally she decided to speak.
"Ok Hay, I'll back off." She said in a disappointed voice. "But I wish you'd tell me." Hay Lin gave Alchemy a kind smile.
"I wish I could tell you." She replied. But as the two walked on towards Sheffield, Alchemy seethed in silence. Whatever was going on, Alchemy would get to the bottom of Cornelia's murder. No matter what.
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"Elyon?" a familiar voice asked cautiously and Elyon turned to face its owner.
"Come in Phobos, come in." She said with a smile. Phobos stepped forward and beside him walked a girl about Elyon's age, with short black hair and muddy green eyes.
"This is Miranda." Phobos said with a smile. "She's a ward of the castle. I thought you two might want to get to know one another." As Elyon opened her mouth to speak, Phobos cut her off. "I've forgotten how lonely it can be living in the castle at your age. Why don't you take a tour of your land with Miranda, see what we're fighting for?"
"C'mon, lets go!" Miranda exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed Elyon's hand and dragged her through the door. Elyon paused for a moment just outside her room and gave Phobos one last look, before letting Miranda drag her away. Miranda was clearly meant to distract her from something, but what? Whatever it was, Elyon was determined to find out.
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Will let out a huge yawn as she stepped towards the school gates. She hadn't slept well last night, with nightmares about Cornelia and the others running through her mind. She spotted Caleb approaching her and she woke up a bit with a smile. Seeing her boyfriend always brightened her day and when he kissed her, she felt her heart lift into her mouth.
"Hi Caleb." She said with a smile.
"Hi Will." He replied with a thousand watt smile, before his face turned grim. "We need to talk."
"If it's about Phobos, we should talk with the other girls here." Will replied as her face fell. Caleb shook his head.
"It's not about Phobos. It's about…" he dropped his voice. "It's about Irma and Taranee."
"What!"
"I think that we might well have another Cornelia situation. And I think we should be prepared."
"No, this is not happening!" Will moaned as she brought her hands to her face. "I hope you're wrong, I really do."
"So do I." Caleb admitted grimly. "So do I."
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Hay Lin spotted Caleb and Will standing at the gates of Sheffield. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.
"Guys, we need to talk." She said firmly, even as she bounced from foot to foot, radiating enough nervous energy to power Heatherfield.
"Hay, we don't bite you know." Will pointed out and Hay Lin relaxed slightly with a grin.
"It isn't that. It's Alchemy."
"What about Alchemy?" Will asked, puzzled.
"She interrogated me about Cornelia and us earlier. I think I persuaded her to back off, but I think we need to be careful about her." Hay Lin explained. Will frowned.
"Great, as if things weren't bad enough." She turned and faced Hay Lin. "Can you tell the others what you told me?" Will gave Caleb an affectionate look. "I'd like a little time with my boyfriend. Alone."
Hay Lin gave Will a two thumbs up sign and a smile, before walking into the playground. As she walked away, Will turned and faced Caleb.
"Do you think she's in on it as well?" she asked. After Cornelia had tried to kill her, Will was a lot more wary than she probably would have been. Caleb shook his head.
"I don't think so. It's not her style. And she can't lie worth a damn either." Caleb said. "No, I think it's the other two we need to be worried about."
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Irma and Taranee exchanged glances as Hay Lin approached them.
"Do you think we should talk to her about what we've talked about?" Taranee asked Irma and a sour look came over Irma's face.
"No." She said after a brief hesitation. "We only talk to her if we can prove Will DID kill Corny."
"Hiya guys!" Hay Lin exclaimed excitedly. "We need to talk about Alchemy."
"What about Alchemy?" Taranee asked curiously.
"Well it's like this…" Hay Lin started and as she explained what had happened to her that morning, Irma's face darkened. But Taranee started thinking things that before the events of last Saturday, she would not have thought of in million years. It's amazing how fast having a friend murdered can have on your thinking, Taranee mused.
