Irma was so angry with herself as she walked slowly to Olsen's Pet Shop in hopes of catching Will before school since that was where Susan said she was going. After what happened the previous day with Will dumping all that food on Cornelia Irma was furious at Will while feeling hurt and a little betrayed at the same time. It wasn't that Will dumped the stuff on Cornelia, in a way the blonde deserved it and Irma actually found it a little funny. Irma knew that deep down Cornelia really cared for Will as all of them did bit the blonde kept blaming her for Elyon being taken. Cornelia kept claiming that Will was a worthless leader when she went into one of her lecture slash tantrums.
"Who the hell needs friends like you anyways?"
The phrase kept repeating itself through Irma's head over and over the entire morning after that incident and it made her go back and forth from being hurt to being angry. Irma, or any of the other girls except Cornelia, never said anything bad about Will. And yet, in a way, Will attacked them just as much as she attacked Cornelia by saying it. Irma knew Hay Lin and Taranee both took it very hard after it happened, neither really wanting to talk much for the rest of the day.
Then it happened, Irma learned what happened to Will and all of the bad things Irma was thinking about Will because of what happened were completely shattered. One of her best friends was hurt very badly while Irma was busy being mad at said friend. It devastated her, making her feel that she was the one who hurt and betrayed Will for ever being mad the way she was.
She never did go back out the previous night, instead she stayed in her bed trying to decide what to do. She tried calling Will but she didn't answer and when she called the home phone all she got was voicemail. She never called the others to tell them what happened, instead she wanted to talk to Will first which was why she was going to the Pet Shop. She had finally gotten through on the home phone and Susan had said that Will was heading to the pet shop then school.
She was just in time as she saw Mr. Olsen unlocking the doors and Will standing there with him. Hurrying faster Irma ran up to the two of the, gasping a little as she tried to catch her breath after reaching them.
"Will, please, we need to talk." Irma gasped.
"There is nothing to talk about." Will said angrily.
"Its okay, Will, you can talk to your friend." Mr. Olsen said as he pushed the door open, "I'll be inside so take your time."
After Mr. Olsen went inside Irma was about to try and say something to Will when the red haired girl spun around to glare at her. The anger and intensity of Will's glare caused anything that Irma was going to say on her lips though.
"What are you doing here?" Will asked angrily. If looks could kill, Irma was sure that she would have died a thousand times over by the looks Will was giving her.
"Will…I, I want to talk to you. I found out last night about what happened to you." Irma said, trying to figure out what to say to convince Will that she cared and really wanted to be there as she was sure the others would want as well. The only problem was that Will's angry glare just jumped up about a thousand notches.
"So you came to make fun of me, huh?" Will snarled, "Well guess what, I don't give a damn if you think I am worthless!"
"Will, I don't think you're worthless, none of us do." Irma cried, reaching out toward Will who smacked Irma's hands away. "Will…Yesterday…that was just Cornelia's stupid rants about Elyon."
"I don't believe you!" Will cried, "I was stupid to think I actually found real friends. None of you are any different than those fakes back in Fadden Hills! I don't need that so stay the hell away from me!"
"Will, please." Irma cried, walking closer to Will who was shaking now.
"Stay the hell away from me, Irma. The only friends I need are inside this building so leave me the hell alone!" Will snarled, "At least they don't talk about me behind my back! Just…Just go, Irma…please just go."
Irma couldn't believe it, she didn't want to, Will meant a lot to herself as well as the others but because of Cornelia's big mouth they all had probably lost her. Will was convinced that they really didn't care about her and Irma couldn't blame her. She sighed in defeat as Will stalked into the store and slammed the door shut behind her. Irma wanted so much to just collapse then and there and cry but she couldn't. She had to get to school and talk to the others, she refused to give up on Will. Maybe the others could help if Cornelia wasn't still swearing eternal vengeance on Will.
XXXXXXXXXX
Will stormed into the pet shop fuming, how could Irma even do something like that? Will was not stupid, she knew what they were talking about yesterday. They were talking about how worthless Will was, and what was hurting her the most was that she was starting to agree with them. It seemed all she ever did was cause problems where ever she went, including Heatherfield. If she never came there then would there be any guardians? Would Elyon be in Phobos's clutches?
If the guardian thing wasn't bad enough as it was, there was also Mr. Olsen now who was sick all because of Will. If she was stronger or faster and had time to call the heart then maybe she could have fought him off. If she did then Mr. Olsen wouldn't have had to take her to the hospital which had strained him more than he should have been. By carrying her around that much he had gotten sick and it was because of her and she still couldn't forgive herself for it. In fact, she doubted that she could.
"Will." Ted said sadly, "Maybe you should give her a chance. She's your friend and she really cares for you."
"Y-You heard that?" Will asked, refusing to cry anymore. Especially in front of Mr. Olsen, he had enough to deal with without her adding to it.
"I'm sorry, Will." Ted sighed, "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop but the two of you was rather loud."
"I'm the one who should be sorry, Mr. Olsen." Will said, rubbing at her eyes. "I've caused you so much trouble the last few days. Maybe…maybe I should just…"
"What Will?" Ted asked sternly.
"Maybe…I should just…end it." Will said, looking everywhere except at Mr. Olsen. "I'm worthless…I…If I was gone then I'd be out of everyone's way."
"Don't you even think like that Will." Ted said, tears falling as he pulled Will into a strong but loving embrace. "You are NOT worthless, Will. So many people love you, so very, very much. Your mom, me and your friends. And I don't mean the animals here, I mean your real friends. Give them a chance, I don't know what happened with Elyon but I know them enough to know that they love you."
"I don't deserve anyone." Will cried, "When my mom finds out…"
"Find out what dear?" Ted asked, kissing the top of her head.
"Who it was…I'm real sure she'll love me then…" Will cried, half laughing bitterly.
"Who was it, Will?" Ted asked.
"I have work to do." Will said as she pulled away from Ted while wiping her eyes. She couldn't stop crying but she needed to get the animals taken care of and get to school. Mr. Olsen was sick because of her so it was her responsibility to take care of the animals until he was feeling a lot better.
"Will, please don't walk away." Ted begged.
"I have work to do." Will said again though her voice sounded dead.
XXXXXXXXXX
Phobos was quickly beginning to hate this world, this Heatherfield. There was barely any magic here but there was something else about all of these people that were making it almost impossible for him to detect any magical auras or signs of its power. If he was back on Metamoor he could draw on the power there and cut through all of this easily and find the seal but he was weakened a great deal being so far away from his source f power. This, unfortunately, meant that he had to search for the guardians the hard way.
Many of these people were actually kind of rude as the walked by him, some of them laughing at his extremely long hair as they passed. He especially wanted to turn them into ash and would if it wasn't so important for him to keep a low profile. He needed to blend in and find the guardians before revealing himself and taking back what was his from those damned guardians.
A red haired girl came out of a building just in front of him and walked right into him causing him to growl in annoyance. Another rude, little pathetic…beautiful goddess. He couldn't take his eyes off of hers as they stood there staring at each other. He seemed to be swallowed up into them the longer he looked into them. Her eyes though was filled with so much sadness though as he realized that she must have been crying.
"I'm so sorry." The girl said, her face red as she looked down at the ground. "I…I wasn't watching where I was going.
Phobos couldn't believe that one of these insects was apologizing to him, especially this beautiful goddess. Beautiful goddess? What was going through his mind? He didn't need any distractions, even one that was causing so many unfamiliar, yet pleasant feelings to flow through him. "Don't worry about it, are you all right?"
Phobos couldn't believe he just asked that, why would he even care if she was okay?
"I'm fine…I…I have to go, I have to get to school." The girl said.
"Can I at least have your name?" Phobos asked with a small smile.
"Will." Will said, her face growing brighter.
"I'm Ph…Phil." Phobos said, gagging at the name. It was one he heard earlier and he hated using it, he much preferred his true name but he couldn't afford using it at the moment.
"It was nice to meet you." Will said, turning to leave, "I really have to run, I'm going to be late."
Phobos watched as she ran down the street as was so entranced by her he didn't sense the older man approaching quietly from behind and putting his hand on Phobos's shoulder causing him to jump a little.
"Remarkable girl, isn't she?" the man asked.
"I guess." Phobos said.
"She truly is but she's been through hell lately. Add to that and I'll make sure you suffer ten times worse than anything you cause her." The man warned. It wasn't a threat but a promise the man was making. Phobos pulled away from the man and turned to face the older man.
"Don't worry about that." Phobos said. He normally would have been very angry at anyone who dared touch or speak to him in that way but he couldn't bring himself to be upset at this man. This man held so much warmth in his eyes, love for the red haired girl and a great amount of protectiveness. "I'm Phil."
"My name is Ted Olsen." Ted said.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Olsen." Phobos said with a genuine smile.
"Likewise…would you like to come in for a drink?" Ted asked.
"Sure, why not?" Phobos said. He could talk to this guy for awhile and maybe learn a little bit about the surrounding area.
XXXXXXXXXX
Irma reached the school in low spirits as she looked for her friends, she decided to not tell them exactly what happened to Will since it wasn't her place to tell them but she had to tell them something. Especially Cornelia, she had to find a way to cool the blonde down before something happened.
"Where were you?" Cornelia asked as Irma reached them.
"Good morning to you too, sunshine." Irma said sarcastically before continuing, "Cornelia, you need to lay off of Will for awhile."
"What?" Cornelia demanded, almost screaming.
"Look, Will was hurt really bad Cornelia and when she overheard you little tirade she thought you was making fun of her because of it." Irma explained, "She doesn't need the drama or the crap so cut it Corny."
"Don't call me CORNY!" Cornelia growled.
"What happened?" Taranee asked worriedly.
"Is she okay?" Hay Lin asked softly. Irma felt really bad for Taranee and Hay Lin, it seemed they took what happened the morning before the hardest. The angry and betrayed look in Will's eyes at the time had really shook the two up. It hurt Irma but it devastated those two.
"She will be if we let her know that we love her and are here for her, even if she tries to push us away." Irma said.
"After what she did to me?" Cornelia demanded.
"Fine, Cornelia, if you ever get hurt and need help DON'T come crawling to me. I don't want to be seen with someone who would abandon their friends as easily as you have been doing lately." Irma growled.
"She dumped food all over me in front of half of the school!" Cornelia snarled, "Am I just supposed to forget that?"
"And you called Will worthless after what happened to her! God, Cornelia, it sounded like we were all calling her that and making fun of her. She was hurting Cornelia, do you even care?" Irma demanded but didn't even get a response this time.
"What happened?" Taranee asked.
"She was hurt, that is all I'm saying." Irma sighed, maybe she shouldn't have brought this up. She didn't know what else to do and if Cornelia was left unchecked then the blonde could make things infinitely worse.
"Will…will she be okay?" Cornelia asked, her voice sad and almost too soft to hear but Irma did hear it. She was glad that Cornelia was coming to her senses, even if only a little bit and was showing worry for one of their friends who really needed them.
"All we can do is be there for her, Cornelia. Someone…she was hurt really badly." Irma sighed.
"She was raped, wasn't she?" Taranee asked. "She's who my parents were talking to your dad about."
"She couldn't have been, Taranee, she's the keeper of the heart." Cornelia said.
"It still didn't stop it from happening." Irma said, rubbing at her eyes.
"No…no, no, no…" Hay Lin cried, shaking her head in disbelief.
"She'll be okay, Hay Lin." Irma said gathering the smaller girl into her arms, "She is a strong girl and I have faith in her and so should the rest of you. We just need to let her know that we are here for her."
"We won't let her go through this alone." Cornelia said.
XXXXXXXXXX
Will cursed her luck as she made her way to her class, she was very late for it but she was praying to get out of any detentions. Fortuanately Mrs. Knickerbocker hadn't said anything about Will skipping school the day before. She also didn't say anything about what had happened to Will which was making Will hope that the older woman just didn't know anything yet about it.
When she arrived at the door she took a deep breath and went in and gave the note Mrs. Knickerbocker had given her to the teacher who glared at her and told her to take a seat. She quickly made her way to her seat while ignoring the questions about her eye from her fellow students. It was mainly healed now but it still sported some of the darkness around it from where that bastard hit her.
"Will, are you okay?" Hay Lin whispered from beside her. There was a lot of worry in the girl's voice that confused Will. If Hay Lin really hated her then why did she sound so concerned?
"What do you care?" Will sniffed as she folded her arms on her desk and hid her face in them.
"Because you're my friend Will." Hay Lin said, her voice sounding like she was about to cry which was tearing at Will's heart. She couldn't do this to the smaller girl, Hay Lin sounded like she was on the verge of breaking down and here was Will taking out her problems on her. Will believed it was just more proof how pathetic she was.
"I'm sorry, Hay Lin." Will whispered as she rolled her head so she was facing Hay Lin. "I'm okay, really."
"Is there something you girls would like to share with the class?" the teacher asked.
"No, sorry." Hay Lin said sheepishly.
"Talk tonight, I'll call you after work." Will whispered, "I'm leaving at lunch."
"Thanks." Hay Lin whispered back, confusion in her voice. Will refused to go to the same class as that bastard.
XXXXXXXXXX
Phobos, for some odd reason, couldn't help but feel sorry for the old man as he helped him to the back to lay down for awhile. The two of them had talked for a couple hours and Phobos, though grudgingly, had built up some respect for the fool as he watched the man deal with customers coming in and out during that time. It didn't take long for Phobos to actually catch on to the currency being used and how to use the strange machine that Ted kept the money in.
Ted had started clutching at his chest though and fumbled through his pockets until he pulled out an orange bottle of some sort and took something out of it and swallowed it. He sat down on the chair behind the counter and leaned back against it breathing a little heavily.
"Are you okay?" Phobos asked though he was telling himself that he really didn't care. Nothing mattered but getting back his property, the Seal of Phobos and taking his sister's powers insuring his reign over the same people who turned their backs on him all those years ago.
"I just need to rest." Ted gasped.
"Do you have somewhere you could lay down?" Phobos asked.
"In the back." Ted said.
"Then lets go." Phobos said, using what little bit of power he had left to him to implant suggestions in the man's head to get him to listen to Phobos without hurting the old man.
That was what led Phobos to where he was now, helping Ted climb into the cot that was set up. Another simple suggestion sent Ted into a deep sleep before Phobos walked back to the front of the store while gasping himself. Using that little bit of power had drained Phobos severely.
Phobos sat down at the chair behind the counter just as the, what Ted had called a kitten, jumped up on the counter before him. Ted had been surprised when the little creature seemed to fixate on Phobos, following and playing with him. The kitten even ate some food that Phobos had shown the creature which surprised Ted. The man had said the kitten came in a few days ago but had refused to eat or drink anything. The relief and amazement on the old mans face had actually caused Phobos to smile a little though he would deny it if asked about it.
