Hey! Well, my first days of school haven't been too bad. A little too many rules this year, and strict ones at that. I already know that 8th grade won't be easy...ok. There is a song that some might recognize from the movie,'The Cheetah Girls' and it's called, 'Is This the End of the Line', which you mightnotice is the title for this chapter. I credit the two guys who wrote it, but I don't have my notebook with me right now so forgive me for not doing so.Just like I said, this chap has come on Wednesday! Yay! Here's chapter 21, enjoy!
Chapter 21: Is This the End of the Line?
Cornelia's POVWill we be friends, when we grow old?
Or is this the end of the line?
Cornelia could barely breathe. Everything had been taken from her. Caleb was gone, her powers were gone, and now, the Heart of Candracar was gone. She looked over each of the Guardians sitting down and knew that they were occupied with the same feelings that had been pouring through her own heart. Hurt, betrayal, fear, weakness. Loneliness? Cornelia wanted to cry out loud! The last of their power had been stolen from them the moment that Evil Will had stolen the Heart of Candracar. There were so many feelings of loss in her soul. She was sure that Will's heart wasn't the only one broken. Cornelia was sure that hers had split in two as well. What would happen now? Would they be stuck here? Was there some way to ease this pain?
Did she still have her friends?
I hurt with you, I love with you.
The world just seems to get in our way.
Is this the end of the line?
Cornelia hadn't been this close to her friends for a long time. And yet, they felt so far away. What had they done? What had she done?
Will was still shaking. The Heart had been taken from her. And it took a part of her body with it. It had taken a part of each of them with it. Cornelia longed to feel the earth and smell the flowers and the trees. She once felt like it was a part of her. Now, it was gone. Will stood up and just started walking. The others did the same. Cornelia had been wanting to be alone lately. She had isolated herself from her destiny and from her friends. Why did she feel all that hurt and anger? Why did she push them away? And why was she feeling differently now when each girl got up and walked silently down her own path, thinking, wondering…
Oh please don't leave me.
Don't let your heart let go.
We'll find a way.
The journey has only begun
Is this the end of the line?
She had been so confused lately. Everything in her life was going wrong! She had just wanted to be an average teenager who went to the Sheffield Institute. She had wanted to be with her best friends and keep it the way it used to be before Meridian and Prince Phobos, the Heart of Candracar and a magical destiny came into her life. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so heart broken and defeated. Things would be simpler.
Na na na na, na na na na. Na na na, na na.
But she knew that she was a Guardian of the Veil deep inside. She could never let that go. No matter what happened to Caleb. No matter what happened to their powers.
Oh baby, oh.
Is this the end of the line?
Why couldn't she ever have admitted that she was wrong? There were plenty of opportunities while in this nightmare. Cornelia couldn't help thinking that a lot of it was her fault. If she hadn't left, they would still be together. They would still have their powers. None of this would have happened. Elyon wouldn't be captured, Phobos wouldn't have been broken free, and Evil Will wouldn't have gotten the Heart of Candracar…
Cornelia felt anger in her stomach. They could have told me, she thought angrily in her head. They didn't help much either. They fought and argued too. Cornelia huffed with satisfaction. But she still felt guilt lining her insides sourly. She was tired of blaming everyone else. After what had just happened, Cornelia realized something. She had no one to blame but herself.
Cornelia looked on ahead at the four girls walking off a little ways from each other. It didn't matter whose fault it was. The question was-what were they going to do about it? Cornelia jumped up. She had never felt so confused or hurt in her life, but everything that had just happened, everything that was happening was pushed aside in her mind. Nothing else mattered. She could make it right, they all would.
She started running. Cornelia was sure like nothing besides this was certain. She knew it was right even when everything else was wrong, even when her and her friends were wrong.
If you leave, I'll follow.
Don't let your heart let go.
We'll find a way.
The journey has only begun
Is this the end of the line?
No matter how badly she had treated them. No matter how badly they had treated each other. They needed to pull through this, they had to! After all that they had gone through together…Cornelia knew that she needed them. She had missed them. Cornelia was heading to her friends.
Because that's what they were.
Her friends.
And the Guardians of the Veil.
The other girls heard her footsteps. They looked back from all around her. Cornelia stopped. They all stopped. Feelings were more moving than words, but that's what she needed right now. Words. Cornelia wasn't sure that she could do it, she wasn't sure that she had ever done it before. They all stared for the longest time, but nothing came out. The girls slowly turned their backs. They started walking. Cornelia's heart stopped.
Is this the end of the line?
"I'M SORRY!" she shouted.
She had done it.
"What did you just say, Corny?" Irma asked in an astonished voice. The other girls spun around and were staring at her with amazement. Cornelia took a deep breath. It had been really hard to say, but she knew that it came from her heart.
"I'm sorry, for everything. I shouldn't have left you when Caleb got turned into a flower." Cornelia started to feel the tears well up in her eyes as she reminded herself of what she had lost. She had to stay strong. It was what Caleb would want her to do.
"I should have thought of you guys instead of being rude to you. I was going through a hard time. I didn't want anybody else. I was wrong."
"Wow! Is it too late to re-shoot that Corny? I'd love to go home and get my camera." Irma said. Cornelia glared at her. Irma's smile tilted downward slowly.
"I'm sorry too." Irma admitted. "I shouldn't have been so careless when I transformed into my Guardian form the first time. And I guess I was too hard on you Cornelia."
Cornelia was now the one astonished. The two people least likely to apologize to each other had done it. Her and Irma have said something to each other that bonded them quicker than yelling and silly nicknames: an apology.
All of them started moving back towards her slowly. Cornelia was feeling all of the emotion stir in her. She had never felt so sorry and so grateful in her entire life.
"I'm sorry, that we have been so stupid." Hay Lin said. "We threw away our friendship, which was the key to our powers. If we had stuck together, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"I'm sorry for arguing." Taranee said softly. "For all of us. I remember how strong we were together, before we started fighting." They all walked into a circle and looked at each other.
"And I'm sorry." Will started. "For leading us into this place. Either way, the Heart of Candracar is gone." Will winced painfully and Cornelia felt so sorry for her. She felt sorry for everyone and the situation they had gotten themselves in.
"Is there any other way to get out of here?" Taranee asked quietly. "I can't believe that we could have used the Heart of Candracar to go back!"
"But we didn't know!" Hay Lin squeaked. "At least not until it was too late." Cornelia started thinking about their time in that cell. They had talked things over and learned a lot. Her thoughts wandered to the Whispers and Serenity. There has to be some way! Please, she thought desperately. Please, help! Now would be a really good time to help.
A sudden wind blew all around them. It whistled sharply in Cornelia's ear, it lifted up her purple Guardian skirt above her ankles and made her silky, long hair blow everywhere at the force of the air billowing around them.
"They're here again." Hay Lin said.
("Your Heart is gone.")
("Don't let it stop you.")
("Too many have suffered.")
("Too many will soon be gone.")
"But how do we get out of here?" Will called out into the wind. "There must be a way!"
("There are only two known ways to get out alive.")
("Use the Heart of Candracar.")
("Or have someone kill you.")
("I killed myself, I died.")
"Those can't be the only ways!" Cornelia yelled. "We're going to be stuck here!"
("I'm sorry Guardians.")
("We can't help you anymore.")
("…fight, …heart…")
("Friendship…")
The wind died down too quickly. Something was wrong. The Whispers couldn't even finish giving their encouragement. Cornelia started to feel that all was lost. She shook her head. There must be a way!
"So." Taranee stuttered. "The only other way to get out besides the Heart of Candracar is to, kill someone?" There was a very long moment of silence after this statement.
"Okay, so, who wants to go first?" Irma asked. It seemed that she had tried to make a joke, but then was half-heartened. They each looked at each other. It was a real creepy feeling…
"No." Will said firmly. "Friends wouldn't do that. We couldn't. Cornelia's right, there just has to be another way."
Cornelia stared at them hopefully.
"Does that mean that we're friends?" Cornelia asked.
Will smiled back at her.
"Of course."
Cornelia could feel a powerful feeling returning to her again. She loved this feeling. Power, love, friendship…
Will held her hand out in front of her. She had a determined look on her face and was smiling, even if it was hard with the Heart gone from her. Cornelia even smiled back.
"I will get the Heart of Candracar back." She said. The rest of the Guardians grinned too.
"We have faced our fears and figured out what's more important." Hay Lin said. She put her hand on top of Will's.
"We are the Guardians of the Veil!" Irma declared, placing her hand on Hay Lin's.
"We are best friends, and we will never be divided again." Taranee placed her hand on Irma's and looked at Cornelia. All the confusion and fear in her life seemed to evaporate in the instant that she looked back. Cornelia still didn't like what she had done before, all of the dumb stuff. This wasn't the end of the line. They had forgiven her. They were her bestfriends.
"Never." Cornelia confirmed. She placed her hand at the very top of her friends'.
A sudden burst of power flew through her body. She felt more alive than she ever had been. Shapes were flying around them in a circle of dizziness. Their hands were stuck together, they couldn't move.
"Hang on!" Will cried. Not that they really had a choice. A strong force was pulling on them, it was keeping them together. Colors were flashing in her eyes. Cornelia saw sparks of pink, blue, orange, green, and silver swirling around them. She felt her feet leave the ground. A rush of power and a clear head was making her happy! She didn't know where they were going. Were they getting out of here? It doesn't matter what's happening, Cornelia thought as she spun around and around. As long as we're going to be together, we can pull through any challenge that faces us! The Evil Guardians and Phobos better be prepared. They weren't going to give up! They had their powers, and they had their friendship!
They were the Guardians of the Veil!
Whew! I'm not sure if that was a corny apology or chapter, and if it was, oh well. By the time the next chapter comes. It won't really matter. Yep! They have their friendship and full powers back again! All in one chapter too.(Like I said, probably corny.)I told you that it would get better! When I was planning this, I kept thinking of that song and I thought it fit perfectly after the Heart and their powers were gone. Wahoo! Now we all get to see the finale of the first season of W.i.t.c.h. tonight! Okay, review please and I'll get the next chapter up soon!