Wow! Two reviews in one night!
Chapter 13: Fears Unleashed
Cornelia's POVOpening her eyes, Cornelia jumped out of her bed and looked wildly on the spot. Her bedroom seemed almost normal. Normal, that is except for Cornelia being wild and jumpy instead of her cool and confident, and lately sulky self.
Okay, she thought, racking her brain for an explanation. Something just happened, I know it! But what? Fragments of memories started playing through her head. She remembered a gold mist and then she remembered darkness. Then… she woke up tied in Phobos's castle before Elyon came in. After that, a black shadow passed over her and she was in darkness again. Now what?
Cornelia was breathing very fast. She was scared of what had happened to her. She was mostly filled with confusion though, and anger. Nothing made her more mad than things not making sense! She sat down on her bed and closed her eyes to think calmly. What had those people said? She knew there was Phobos, but how did he get out! And who were those girls who looked exactly like her and her friends? Cornelia stomped her foot in anger. Every time she tried to think of what happened, more questions came up.
"Maybe it was all a dream. But… oh I have to find out!" Cornelia stormed out of the door with only one thought. She had to find Will…
Cornelia set off into the still night. More questions were pouring through her head as she moved quickly from each street. Okay, she thought again as she rounded a corner heading to where Will lived. I think Phobos said in my dream or whatever that that shadow thing was a Dream Catcher. What was that supposed to mean? What, did it catch dreams? He also said it would soon find the others. At least she thought he had said that. But did that mean that her friends were in danger…
She walked up the stairs to Will's apartment and knocked loudly. There was no answer. Cornelia cautiously turned the knob and found that the door swung open easily.
"Uh, hello. Anyone here?" she asked as she stepped inside. Again no one answered. Cornelia walked through the place and saw a note on the table. She went over and picked it up. The writing was very shaky and there were large blotches here and there from tears.
I know you guys have come looking for me. I'm sorry but I've made my decision. I just can't do anything anymore. I can't be a Guardian, I can't be your leader. I don't even know why the Heart chose me. After Cornelia left, everything bad has started to happen, and now… I just need to be alone for a while. Please, don't come looking for me.
Will
Cornelia stared at the letter. It sounded like Will had left the group. Well it's about time it all caught up with her, she thought with a sniff. Will has finally seen my point of things. But Cornelia couldn't help having a pang of guilt at what Will had written. 'After Cornelia left, everything bad started to happen'.
"Is it my fault?" she asked herself quietly. "Is that how everyone is feeling, that bad things start happening because I left?" Anger surged through her again. She just knew that that was how they felt. They thought that everything was her fault. She knew that the instant they saw her, they'd start to blame her for everything! Her anger dimmed a little as some of it was filled with curiosity.
"But, why would she leave? What happened?" Against her own will, Cornelia turned around and head out the door. The Guardians were the last people she wanted to see, but yet, they were the ones she needed to see. She needed answers! She would not stop until she got them, even if it meant confronting the people who she was angry at. Still clutching the note in her hand, she ran out the door and started to head toward Taranee's house. She was the closest.
What is happening, she wondered running again through the night. Oh, things were simpler while we were fighting Phobos in Meridian. She frowned. Actually, things were simpler when she was an average, popular girl. Not a Guardian of the Veil…
When she got there, she knocked heavily, so worn out from running. Taranee slowly opened the door and yelped.
"Cornelia! You're the last person we expected to see! What are you doing here?" Cornelia couldn't respond. Her chest was still screaming for air so she sat down in a chair with her hand on her chest.
"Wow, what's got in to you? You are all mad and say that you don't want to be a Guardian anymore, and then you come wondering back to us!" Irma said stiffly. Cornelia kept her hand on her chest to steady the breathing.
"I, never, said that." She breathed. She got a pang in her chest. Cornelia had sort of felt that way, but she had never had the courage to say it aloud, after all they've been through…
"What do you mean you never said that?" Hay Lin questioned looking confused. "Elyon wouldn't lie to us!" Cornelia gasped.
"Elyon was here! I last saw her in a prison with Phobos!"
"Okay." Taranee said using a calming motion with her hands. "How is any of this possible? You yelled at Elyon and then we went to Candracar where Yan Lin told us that you were held captive by Phobos. Now you are out of his prison and you are telling us that you never said any of those things? What's going on?" They all looked at Cornelia. She shrugged.
"I'm confused too. I remember a gold mist coming. I yelled 'help' and fell asleep I think."
"So something did happen to you while we were on the phone." Hay Lin said. Cornelia looked up.
"I think so. The next thing I remembered was that I was bound by magical ropes and Elyon was being lead to where I was held. A shadow thing came over me. Then I woke up." They all paused and looked at each other. A little bit of understanding passed through them.
"The same thing happened to us." Irma stated as her eyebrows furrowed. "A shadow passed over us and the next thing I knew, I woke up from what seemed like a dream."
"No way!"
"Me too!"
"Really?" Cornelia asked. "So we either all had the same dream, or everything that happened to us was real." Silence followed her words.
"But," Taranee began. "If you never said anything to Elyon, then the Cornelia she saw was an imposter! It could have been our evil look alikes. But how are we supposed to know if it was a dream or not?"
"Phobos called the shadow a Dream Catcher. Maybe something's happened to us that we don't know about." Cornelia told them frowning. Voices broke into her thoughts and reminded her something.
("Break this curse.")
("Go find her.")
("Work together.")
("Or be destroyed.")
"Those voices again!" Hay Lin shouted. "They keep trying to tell us something!" Cornelia looked down at her hand. Her knuckles were white but she saw the note that was still held tightly in her fist. 'Go find her'.
"You guys. I stopped by Will's. She left this note."
The girls' eyes opened wide as they read it. They each got up quickly and ran to get their jackets.
"Come on." Irma shouted pulling on her arm.
"Wait but what's going on? Has something happened?" Cornelia yelled as she chased after them. Taranee just called over her shoulder.
"We'll explain on the way Cornelia."
"Hold on!" Hay Lin yelled pulling to a stop. "We don't know where to look for her." They all stopped and stood there wondering.
"Well, there's one place I think she might be." Said Taranee slowly. "It's the perfect place to be alone."
Cornelia just realized something. Wasn't she the one who wanted to be alone? Isolated like Will was at the moment. Her thoughts went back to why she was in the first place. She felt like kicking herself. She had left the house with Caleb unprotected. If anything happened to him… she would never forgive herself, or her friends. Cornelia just thought of how the situation looked to Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin. They were acting like she had just joined the group again, like she was a Guardian of the Veil again. Cornelia wasn't ready for that yet, and she wanted to make that point clear.
"I just want to point out that this doesn't change anything right now. We just need to find Will and sort out everything and that's it, okay." The each looked at her. And Cornelia couldn't help the feeling that they looked a little hurt. They looked at each other and sighed before they started running again toward where Taranee was pointing ahead.
"Well, maybe you'll change your mind." Hay Lin shouted. "You know, we miss you."
Feelings started stirring inside of Cornelia, emotions she couldn't control. Why was she treating everyone badly? Well, she thought. I just can't deal with all that right now. I need answers though so that's why I'm going with them. Phobos has something to do with this. Cornelia just knew.
"Friends or no friends." Cornelia whispered to herself as she jogged behind Irma. "We're going to go find Will, and then figure out what's going on!"
Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chappie! I might write the next one and post it tonight. It depends on how happy I am. (So far it's looking that way because I just bought another book!) But I'll write and then read. The next chapter goes back to Elyon and Phobos, but you'll catch the Guardians again on the 15th chapter. Please review! I love reviews!