Howdy! Long time no see from the P.o.w.e.r. gals! But I'm back to writing again (these girls would kill me if I didn't continue their story, hehe). Anyway, onto the 12th chapter!

Previously on P.o.w.e.r….

Ona: Wow, I so just heard some theatrical voice saying that…

Phoebe: Anyway, after journeying to the World of W.i.t.c.h. through a mystical mirror, I discovered that I was the owner of this magical mirror and ring to control it that was passed on from my great, great grandmother and previous Guardian, Amelia.

Wei: And Will's Heart of Candracar doubled itself so that we could become the new Guardians of our world, fulfilling the deal of Amelia and the Oracle and a prophetic inscription on the mirror (which I have, of course, memorized)

Eva: But don't forget that we have big enemies now. Phobos is planning his revenge on us for helping W.i.t.c.h. defeat him and Cedric and all sorts of monsters are crawling around in our city!

Rachel: And now even our best friend, Erika, has betrayed us! We finally learned the truth to everything that had been happening for the past few months and then that Erika was helping us from Candracar, but only to have her be turned into an enemy and go away with Cedric. This can't be real

Ona: No, what can't be real is the fact that I still have to go on a date with that nerd, Tony. HELP!

Chapter 12: Old Friend, New Enemy

Ona's POV

Onalia sighed and rested her head on her folded arms as she stared out the window of Rachel's room at the stormy clouds and graying skies. It had been like this for some time, hours perhaps, that the five girls sat in silence as the rain continued to pound down overhead and splash against the window glass. What were they waiting for? Some resolution, some miraculous end to their problems?

Ona drummed her fingers on the windowpane in annoyance and then looked around at all the other girls. Wei was sitting on the green rug on the floor with a grim expression on her face as she stared at her hands. Phoebe, her eyes clearly holding back frustrated tears, was silently trying to comfort Rachel, who had her head buried in Phoebe's lap and was shaking with dry sobs. Eva, who was sitting in the computer chair, had her back turned toward them and wasn't saying anything. The rain seemed to be imitating the mood in the room, but that didn't make Ona any happier about the situation.

"So…" Wei said softly. "Does this make Erika our enemy?"

Rachel hiccupped in response and Ona looked down at the floor.

"I can't believe she attacked us," Ona said in a strangled whisper. "I mean, we've known her for years."

"We thought we knew her," Eva said, still with her back turned to them. "It turns out that there's a lot that we didn't know about her."

Phoebe nodded with her eyes downcast.

"So does that leave us to believe that Cedric put some sort of spell on Erika, or that she really is-"

"No!" Rachel shouted as she pulled her head up quickly. "No, this all has to be some sort of trick, a game, anything but the truth." Phoebe reached out to pull her into a hug and Wei moved onto the bed next to them.

"It's my fault!" Rachel cried. "I never once asked, I never bothered to find out about all that she's suffered!"

"Erika never wanted us to find out," Ona told her. "She was very secretive about her past."

"Yeah, whatever happened to her, she is trying to mess with our heads," Eva said thoughtfully.

Rachel got up and walked across the room with her arms folded to join Ona at the window.

"Okay, I won't cry anymore. But I still don't think that's Erika. They did something to her, I know it," Rachel whispered.

Phoebe sighed. "Well, it looks like there are more things we need answers to, and it doesn't look like we'll be getting any help on solving them."

Ona had to agree with Phoebe. It seemed that the more that happened, the more they figured out the more confusing their situation got. What was the point of magical powers if they couldn't solve all your problems for you?

"All I know is," Rachel started and then paused. "We've got to save her."

"Yeah, we've got to save her and everybody else from evil," Ona declared.

A silent agreement followed her statement and everybody fell into each of their own thoughts once more.

They knew their mission, what they were going to have to do, but Ona wondered how long it would take and ultimately, how they would even do it.

Winter Break was finally over and all the students trudged up the steps leading to the front doors of Cradd Jr. High with many yawns and thoughts of staying at home and watching T.V. But it was time once again to open books, take notes, and sit in a classroom for seven hours of learning torture (or at least that's how Ona thought of it.) It was the first time that the girls were going to school since the big drama with the W.i.t.c.h. girls and discovering their powers and it felt kind of weird to them to be studying again.

The bell rang for the students to go inside their classrooms and start the day. Everyone went to each of their classes, their teachers already setting up their notebooks for a day full of lesson plans. Only two girls in particular were running very-

"LAAAAAATTTTEEEE!" Ona screamed as she and Phoebe raced across the front lawns of their school. Nobody was outside. How long ago had the bell rung?

"I told you to wake me up, Phoebe!" Ona cried out as they hurried up the steps into the school.

"It's not my fault! I told you that my alarm started talking to me and I freaked," Phoebe exclaimed, pushing the door open. Their sneakers squeaked along the floor as they bolted down the hallways towards their lockers.

"Hurry up Phoebe!" Ona hissed frantically. "You're going to make me even more late!"

"Go ahead without me and tell Wei and Mrs. Pattrick that I'm sorry!" Phoebe told Ona who gave a frustrated sigh and ran off.

Up the stairs, to the left, in the middle of the hallway, Ona finally came upon her English classroom. With a large gulp and plastering a sunny smile on her face, she opened the door.

"Come on, come on!" Phoebe whispered to herself in a panic as her locker finally clicked open.

"Yes! I thought I had forgot the combination."

Gathering up her books, she shut the locker with her foot and began to run at full speed toward her class. On her way, she passed the principal who looked up at the sound of her frantic running.

"You're late, Miss Whitfield," Mr. Wilson told her.

"I know, I know!" Phoebe responded, not even slowing down as she rounded the corner-

SLAM!

Phoebe fell to the floor in a daze and blinked as she rubbed her head where a very large and heavy book had fallen on her. It was just her luck to have run into something when she was late to class.

"Are you alright?"

Phoebe blinked and looked up and could feel her face going red. Evan, Brandon's cousin from England whom she had met right before Al's Christmas party was staring down at her in concern.

"Hmm, you seem to have a lot of accidents," he said with a laugh as he lent Phoebe a hand. She blushed deeply and let him help her up in her dizziness.

"Sorry about that," he chuckled as he picked up the huge book which had obviously fallen on Phoebe when the two crashed into each other.

"It's okay," Phoebe responded as she rubbed her head. "Why are you in here? I thought you went to the high school?"

"Oh, well I'm a student helper for the office and library and such for a couple periods," he answered with a smile. Phoebe noticed herself blushing again as he smiled at her and decided to bend down and pick up her dropped books instead of answer. Phoebe looked up and saw that Evan was staring at her curiously with his crystal blue eyes.

"Do you like that?" he asked.

"What?" Phoebe asked in confusion as she stood upright again with her books in her hands.

"That necklace. I was wondering if you liked it."

Phoebe fingered the pretty turquoise necklace that she had gotten from her Secret Santa at the Christmas party. It had some pink and purple beads in it too and a shiny pink heart as the center jewel.

"Yes, I love-wait, does that mean you were my Secret Santa?"

"Yeah," Evan answered with another of his trademark smiles. "I didn't really know you or anything, but I thought that you might like this necklace. My cousin Brandon helped me pick it out."

"Oh?" Phoebe responded. "Well thanks. I really like it."

They stood there for a moment in silence until Evan spoke up again.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in class or something?"

"Oh no!" Phoebe yelled in horror. "Yes, yeah I've got to go!"

She started running down the hall again when she heard Evan call her name.

"Hey, Phoebe!" he yelled. "I was wondering if you wanted to go, I don't know, out and do something on Saturday?"

Phoebe stopped in her tracks. Was he just asking her out, as in on a date? She turned to him, but didn't know what to say.

Brandon, she liked Brandon.

But why was her heart beating so fast?

Well, she could take a chance. She couldn't exactly say no to hanging out with someone just because she was waiting for her crush to ask her out.

"S-sure, yeah, okay on Saturday then," she managed to squeak. He grinned at her and waved.

"Okay, see you later then and don't get into too much trouble for being late."

Evan walked away and Phoebe stared after him with her mouth open. She felt numb with shock, but was strangely filled with happiness at the same time. It took a few seconds before she remembered that she had to get to class and finally managed to run up the stairs toward her classroom. She didn't even notice the boy she passed in a hurry.

Brandon was staring after her, dumbstruck, behind the corner.

Lol! I just had to put the corny classic "bump into each other" scene. Well I guess you'll see what comes next in the 13th chapter of P.o.w.e.r.! Review for Valentine chocolates!