"So, your friend created this place and lets you live here for free? That is awesome." Said Hay-Lin with a smile while sipping her orange colored tea. The conversation had become strangely uncomfortable and stale. Secretly, Will hopped for the cat girl to drop onto the table again to kill this awkwardness. As though thinking of her summoned her, Nana appeared gracefully beside Diana from thin-air in a pose of a professional gymnast. As expected, Will's four friends gasped in surprise.
"Glad to see that you did not wreck anything when appearing for once." Diana's greeting was flat and sounded more like an exhausted mom than a roommate.
"Well, I wasn't fearing for my life this time. So, I had time to clearly think where to land; I figured you would be in the kitchen, as always." Replied Nana in a snarky tone of voice before noticing Will and the rest of the W.I.T.C.H gang. "Wow, this is the most people we have ever had in the Inbetween. Is it someone's birthday?"
"Oh my god, it is a real-life Neko!" gasped Hay-Lin before squealing with delight and bouncing in her seat; trying to restrain herself from jumping up and flinging herself at Nana.
"A wat?" the glazed, confused, look in Nana's eyes it was clear that she had never heard that word, let alone was referred to as one. "Care to 'xplain what a Neko is, pigtails?"
"Please don't mind Hay-Lin, she just gets easily excited." Said Cornelia, slightly embarrassed of her friend's childish outburst; though, she herself was looking at Nana stunned. Will only rolled her eyes to herself. Though Nana was an odd sight to look at, it wasn't everyday one would see an animal-human hybrid. She could understand Hay-Lyn's excitement, she too had been in awe at seeing Nana for the first time. She could even understand Irma and Taranee whispering to each other about Nana's appearance; what she could not understand was Cornelia. If anything, Cornelia had been acting funny for several days; perhaps it was that tough teenage-phase she heard of from her mother.
"Where we are from, a Neko is Japanese's for cat and girls that look like you are often called Neko." Explained Will over the rim of her cup.
"Well, that does sound cuter than mutt, but I am used to being called that. So, who are all these folks?" Asked Nana, gesturing to involve the entire kitchen.
"These are my friends Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay-Lyn." Said Will, gesturing to each guardian respectfully. "I told them about this place and asked them to come along since Diana mentioned how quiet it gets around here."
"Well, Diana has a point." Replied Nana and took her seat at the table.
Just then Sophia entered the kitchen, looking at the tea party. "Where is mine?"
"How was I supposed to know when you emerged from that forest you all a room?" replied Diana.
"Fine, I'll make my own cup." Huffed Sophia and grabbed hold of the teapot, but Diana shot up from her chair and yanked the teapot out of Sophia's hands.
"You keep your hands off my teapot! The stuff you make is not fit for human- nay- living consumption. I would sooner let you ignite an atom bomb in MY KITCHEN then let you make even a single cup of tea here."
"Alright, I'll have a seat with the guests and you make me a cup of tea."
The exchange was settled and Diana, begrudgingly got up to make more hot water for tea while Sophia took Diana's seat at the table, introducing herself to the rest of the group. Diana informed the group to keep a watchful eye on their cups as Sophia might attempt to sneak something into them and Sophia frowned as though missing out on a tone of fun.
"I am beginning to see why you mistook her for a Meridian spy, she is so beautiful." Whispered Irma over the rim of her cup to Will.
"Thank you for the compliment, but speaking of that Meridian, who is this guy that you all think sent me as a spy?" Sophia in Will's stead.
"I was worried that Prince Phobos from Meridian had sent a spy, but now I know he hasn't, so can we please drop the subject?"
"Why would that Phobos guy send a spy after you?" asked Nana, obviously a can of worms had been opened that demanded answers in order to be closed.
"Prince Phobos is an evil guy who wants to rule over existence and we are the only ones standing in his way. That is why he would send a spy after us. With Will being our leader, it is easy to speculate he would target her." Answered Irma in Will's stead.
"So you are his enemy number one, so to speak?" asked Sophia with a grin. "I never thought I would have tea with a political rival."
"I am not a political rival, just his worst enemy and he would do anything to get me out of the way." Responded Will, returning her attention to her tea.
"Ruling over existence sounds like a difficult thing to manage. Why does he want to do that?" asked Nana
"He is evil and that is all that matters." Replied Cornelia. "What else would an evil wizard do?"
"Look blondie, I have met several evil, magical, Lord's in my life that wanted to rule the world, so I know there is always more of a reason then just 'they are evil.' Have you tried getting his attention on something else? How about stamp collecting, would he be interested in that? 'Cause trying to become the most powerful in existence is like trying to rearrange deck chairs on a sinking ship." this earned Nana an angered look from Cornelia.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? He is evil, who cares what his motivations are and who cares what his hobbies are? He isn't going to stop on his own, so we are the ones to stop him."
"Alright, then why not just have him assassinated? There are thousands of flavorless/odorless poisons, why not kill him off and put someone else in power?" suggested Sophia
"Sophia, that is the worst decision you could have come up with. Have you considered the power vacuum that would create?" stated Diana as she finally presented her with a cup of tea at the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. Sophia thanked Diana and took her up to her room.
At the mentioning of murder, a chill ran down Will's spine. She didn't like Phobos, but she didn't wish him dead either. If anything, she hoped Phobos could be captured and his sister Elyon put into place with as little bloodshed as possible.
"Please don't pay Sophia any attention. She is the type of person to find a quick and permanent fix. This doesn't mean any of her fixings are any good." Said, Diana, as though sensing Will's discomfort
However, the idea had been planted in their minds and wouldn't leave. Sophia was right, it would end him and his wicket action, but Diana was equally correct. Looking up at the clock, Cornelia gasped as she was supposed to be on a date with Caleb. The date was supposed to clear-up some hiccups in their relationship. Will sighed, clearly, nothing she had told her earlier had stuck. The five girls finished their tea, helped clean up, and thanked Diana for her excellent tea. Will even promised to return the next day before returning to the back side of the school. Once there, all except Will were shocked at how little time had passed.
"Well, at least I'll have extra time to prepare for my date. See you guys tomorrow at school." Said Cornelia and rushed off. The others said their goodbyes and went along their way. At home, Will internally groaned when she discovered Mr. Collins was sitting on the couch waiting for her mother to get ready for their date. For the past week, Will's mother had barely been home; always out on some date with her new boyfriend. At first, Will was angry, but had grown to accept that her mother deserved another shot at love; besides, Mr. Collins seemed to make her happy. However, today, Will could have used her mother's advice on how to get over a sudden break-up. She said her half-hearted greetings to Mr. Collins and joined him on the sofa.
"Hello, Will, how are your studies going?" asked Dean concerned, he had seen Will earlier and noted her sour mood.
"My boyfriend broke up with me this morning for no real reason, but I'll be alright. It was just my first teenage romance."
"Well, I am sorry to hear that. Nice that you are being so mature about this; however, should you need someone to talk to you, your mother and I are there for you. Who was your boyfriend and why did he break up with you?"
"Thank you Mr. Collins, but I'll be fine. Matt and I simply didn't work out. Enjoy your date." She picked up her bag and rushed to her room before Mr. Collins could correct her on the name she should call him by when school is out. She knew his name but didn't have the mind for it at the time; despite the pleasant experience of meeting the girls of the Inbetween, her heart still ached like it had been garroted with guitar wire.
When Susan came out of her bedroom, dressed in her finest black dress, Dean simply mentioned to her that Will might need some assistance later that evening. He didn't feel it be his place to tell Susan everything that was wrong and how to fix it.
XXXXX
On her date with Caleb at the Heatherfield park, Cornelia couldn't help but tell him everything about the Inbetween and the people within it. From how Will found it and told her about it, to what she experienced herself; she even told him about Nana's suggestion to interest Prince Phobos in stamp collecting and about Sophia and what she suggested to be done with Phobos. Cornelia neglected Diana's warning of a power vacuum as she didn't believe in it. She tried to say anything to keep Caleb's attention on her, as she had felt it slipping in the past weeks. Caleb was her first true love and she would try anything to keep him.
However, the mentioning of Sophia's ability to make poisons and the suggestion of assassination spiked his interest. Caleb hated Prince Phobos with a passion and the idea of permanently getting rid of him sounded enticing. He mentally noted where the portal was to the Inbetween and planned to visit Sophia once the date was over. He still felt affection for Cornelia, but it wasn't like it had been when he first met her. She was still the most beautiful, but the spark was gone. Instead, Caleb found himself thinking of Cornelia's friend Will more and more.
The thought of murder itself was frightening, but to Caleb, Phobos did not deserve to live another minute. Once the poison was procured, he could find a way to sneak it into the castle and into the food or drink of the dark tyrant.
After the date, Caleb pretended to return to his world but snuck away instead and made his way directly to the backside of the school. There, he patted the walls until his hand passed through the brickwork. Smiling to himself, Caleb jumped through the invisible portal, he found himself in front of the door of the Inbetween. Confidently, he knocked and a woman fitting Diana's description answered.
"Umm…Hello. How may I help you?" asked Diana confused.
"Hello, my name is Caleb, I am a friend of Wilhelmina Vandom. I apologize for my sudden appearance, but I have a sick parent and Will mentioned how crafty Sophia is with her tinctures. Is it possible to have a talk with her? I am willing to pay anything."
"Oh, I am sorry. Sure come in and follow me." Replied Diana and let Caleb in and lead him to Sophia's door. "Make it quick though and don't consume anything she offers you." She then knocked on Sophia's door, "Sophia, you have a surprise customer!"
Caleb thanked Diana for her guidance before she walked off and waited for Sophia to open her door, growing more and more anxious. At first, the door in front of Caleb only opened a crack; just enough for him to see Sophia's avocado green eyes. "How can I help you?"
Caleb leaned in and whispered, "I heard you know about poisons."
"What do you need poison for?"
"You met my friends earlier and mentioned assassination to them. That is would be an effective way to get rid of Prince Phobos."
"Alright, so an assassination it is. Is there anything special about the poison you wish?"
"Special poison?" Caleb was a little stumped as he hadn't fully planned his assassination plot.
"Do you want it to work quickly, slowly, with a lot of suffering, a little suffering, with sure, or without a cure? I need to know what you want so I know what to make," asked Sophia, slightly annoyed how vague her customer was being. "Otherwise, you could have gone to your local alchemist and asked for a potent rat poison."
Caleb thought for a minute and then made up his mind. He was going to make Phobos suffer for his mother's death. "It needs to be odorless and flavorless, or it can be sweet and pleasant; just good enough so he wouldn't think to spit it out. It should potent, without a cure, and make him suffer. It should take effect immediately, but not kill him immediately. That tyrannical bastard killed my mother and deserves to suffer for his sins."
"Alright," it was clear Sophia was taking notes, "I will make the poison and you and pick it up tomorrow evening your time. I have an idea of what to make and just need to collect a few ingredients. You better have a form of payment or I won't give you the poison. Is that understood?"
"You are being crystal clear. Also, can you keep it a secret from Will and her friends? I know Will well enough to know she is against murder." Replied Caleb.
"Sure, I'll keep this between us; I usually keep quiet about my clients. Again, it will be ready when you return. If you cannot pay, I will keep the poison. Do you have a way to administer it?"
"I will think of a way, which is why it needs to be difficult to detect. Do you have an estimate on what it is going to cost?"
"It is going to be a little on the expensive side as some of the ingredients are rare and the plants they come from are extinct. I'll get to work right away."
Caleb thanked Sophia and as fast as he met Sophia, her door was closed again and Diana had returned to his side with a cup of tea. Still thanking her, he declined the offer of tea and asked to be lead to the front door; secretively smiling to himself. Soon, the tyrannical Prince Phobos would stop being a menace to everyone Caleb loved.
