Chapter 8

"I'll call the others," said Katharina and closed her eyes.

"What is she doing?" asked McCoy.

"Telepathy," Spock and Caro answered at the same time.

Katharina opened her eyes again. "They'll come as fast as they can. As for the call, telepathy works better down here than my cellphone. Vampires are telepaths but we Guardians communicate this way, too."

The door opened and three other girls entered.

The first, Verena, had long blond hair and brown eyes.

Sorena's hair went down to her hips in brown waves and she looked them up and down with suspicion in her emerald-green eyes.

The last one, Carola, or Lola how she was called, had shoulder-length black curls and dark blue eyes.

"You begin," Caro mentioned for Kirk to start explaining.

"We are officers of the USS Enterprise, a starship from the future. I am Captain Kirk, this is my first officer Cmdr. Spock and my CMO Dr. McCoy. In our time we discovered the possibility to go back in time. We tried and landed here. We discovered a strange source of energy and went down to investigate but got caught by a teacher. In order to stay undiscovered we applied for jobs. When we went to the basement the next night there was nothing unusual."

"What about him?" Sorena nodded in Spock's direction. "Kathi said something about green blood."

Spock removed his cap, revealing his pointed ears. "I am a Vulcan. My home planet is 16.454 light years away from here."

"Another alien," Verena said with a smirk. "Looks like Kathi is not alone anymore."

Katharina lowered her lashes. It was obvious that she didn't like being called an alien.

"You said something about a portal and another world. Was that what our sensors picked up?"

Caro nodded. "But Kathi's the magical creature. She can explain better."

Katharina took a deep breath and stood. "Let me show you."

She darkened the room and made sure that nobody could see them. Then she took a bucket from the corner and filled it with water in the nearby sink. She put it on the teacher's desk.

"A long time ago," she started and held her hand over the water and lifted it slowly. The water came out and formed into two globes with a move of Katharina's hands.

"The magical and the not magical world were united. Humans and magical creatures lived along each other in peace and harmony. One day that changed. The people with magical abilities started to feel superior and the humans became afraid. They started to fight until the council of Perlagan, the world which watches over all magic, separated the worlds."

She moved the water globes further apart. "Ever since then, the Veil exists. To keep it from falling and protect the universe from harm, five Guardians are chosen by the Oracle, the head of Perlagan."

She let the water disappear and opened the curtains. "What your sensors picked up was a portal, a passage way to Puvlagon, the planet where my people come from. Caro and I went down and closed it. That's why you found nothing."

"Yeah, but if you translated correctly we have this reptile guy after us. Where is he and what's his cover?" Verena obviously was worried.

"Then we'll fight together and kick some giant snake's butt, right girls?" Lola was the optimist of the group.

"They are not exactly after 'us'. They want me."

"What do you mean by 'they want you'?" asked Spock.

Katharina regarded her feet, a deep scarlet on her cheeks. "Because of the coronation tonight. They want to get rid of me before I get my vampire powers," she said with a thick French accent.

"Could you explain this in detail?" Spock probed.

Her cheeks colored impossibly darker. "I believe you know that I'm only a hybrid. My father was human, only my mother was a vampire. Before she went to earth she was the queen of Puvlagon. I am her oldest daughter, what makes me…"

"The crown princess," concluded Spock and Katharina nodded.

"Tonight's the ceremony where I officially become the crown princess of Puvlagon and get my powers. My family wants to prevent that from happening at all costs. They hate me. They hate me for being what I am. A mentally disabled, weak, half-human bastard."

"No, you're not!" It came from the other girls simultaneously.

Verena, who was the nearest to Katharina, sat down next to her and pulled her friend into a hug, rubbing her back.

"You shouldn't say that about yourself. You're good the way you are, pretty princess."

Caro smiled. "It's hard to guess that they are fire and water, don't you think?"

"What's with the elements," asked McCoy.

"I'm the leader, the Guardian of energy and the keeper of the soul of Perlagan."

"Soul?"

"Every magical world has a mystic jewel called soul. It gives us our guardian form and full powers. Anyway, our powers fit our personalities. Kathi's element is water, calm, unemotional and highly unpredictable. Verena is the Fire Guardian. It stands for temper and warmth. Sorena has the power over earth. She is a much grounded person, well most of the time. Lola's element is air. She is optimistic and courageous."

"It is possible for two people with completely different attitudes to be good friends," remarked Spock.