Hey everyone! Um. . .I know it's been quite awhile since I updated so please forgive. For my insensitivity I ask of you a thousand pardons.(winks) The chapter will have a couple of twists and turns that I am sure you will enjoy, at leastI hope so anyway. I want to take time now to thank everyone for your kind and inspirational reviews, Thank you so very much your reviews truly mean the world to little ole me.
Well now, I agree that Taranee was quite out of character from the show, but have we seen Taranee truly angered or hurt before? And according to the Zodiac, Aries are quite spirited when ruffled or slighted, besides her powers are growing at an alarming rate triggering her quick and heated temper. That is just an explanation. Well enough of my babbling. Story on!
Disclaimers: I do not own them. So leave me in peace I command you!
Chapter 5: Friends?
Two weeks have gone by and Taranee and Will still have not made amends. Not that Will has not tried, but Taranee is still so hurt by what happened. Cedric and Taranee are now officially a couple much to Nigel's disappointment. Although Will and Taranee aren't speaking, she's forgiven the others. Something is amok in Meridian, Elyon has sent a telepathic (holographic) message to Earth to warn the others of what could be happening and to ask for their help whenever she needs it.
An unknown beast attacks a town in Meridian, and it is immune to all elements except fire. The beast now is headed toward the castle. Caleb heads to the Silver Dragon to get the guardians help.
Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Irma are heading to pick Will from her apartment so that they can meet at the Silver Dragon.
"Guys we really need to get those two back together. It's weird not seeing those two talking." Hay Lin said as she looked out of the window of Cornelia's Car.
"I with Hay Lin, here. It's not natural for those two to be mad at each other. I don't ever remember them having an argument. It's been two weeks for crying out loud!" Irma said looking back at Hay Lin.
"Well you two can risk losing Taranee, but I'm going to stay out of this. I told Will she should have told Taranee, and that she would have preferred hearing it from her than anyone else. She and Nigel would be back together right now, but I think Rick is a far improvement to Nigel. If you ask me."
"Well nobody asked you Cornelia." Irma said putting her arms across her chest in an irritated manner. Cornelia just shrugged her shoulders.
"Hey you two cut it out. We need to make a plan"
"I'm not getting involved." Cornelia began cutting Hay Lin off. "I stuck my neck out for Will against Taranee once. I'm not doing it again."
"Why are you suddenly a Taranee cheerleader, Corny. Huh? What are you up to?"
"What do you mean?" Cornelia feigned innocents.
"You know what I mean."
"Okay, okay. ." Cornelia shrugged her shoulders, "Peter and I started dating again, and I don't need Taranee telling her brother that I betrayed her."
"Cornelia!" Hay Lin fussed
"What? Oh, come on, you know you would do it too. Besides Peter is too cute to let get away, for something Will could have prevented in the first place."
"You never seem to amaze me with your selfishness." Irma said shaking her head in disappointment.
"Whatever, we all know you're dating Martin. So how can you come down on me, at least everyone knows my angle. "
"You're dating Martin!" Hay Lin exclaimed then scoot toward the center so she could hear better.
"So what if I am! Is that a crime!" Irma shouted tucking her arms back under her arms.
"I don't know what the big deal is? He's so not a dork anymore. In fact he's cute."
"You and Martin!"
"Yes, Hay Lin. Me and Martin."
"Oh hey there's Will." Cornelia said as she pulled to the curb to let Will get in. Hay Lin slid back to her side of the car still dumbfounded as she continued to shake her head.
"Hey guys!" Will greeted as she closed the door behind her.
"Hey Will!" all three girls said. "Have any of you seen Taranee?"
"Yeah. She told me she was meeting Rick at the bookstore after school." Cornelia said as she made a right turn.
"Oh." Will said as she turned to look out the window.
Taranee walked down the street humming a tune to herself. She was nearing Hauffman's bookstore and she couldn't wait to see Rick. They have been almost inseparable since Rick asked her to be his girlfriend. She opened the door and immediately called out Rick's name when she didn't see him at the front counter.
"Where is he?" She asked herself out loud her pretty brown eyes searching for him. "I guess he's upstairs." she said as she began her ascent.
"Cedric, we mustset this planin motion. I need to get out of here! I want to take back my kingdom and destroy my sister. Besides, I don't know how much longer the Oracle is going to be fooled by the snake imposter."
"I assure you Prince Phobos, everything is going according to plan. The Oiling Beast is headed to the Castle as we speak my Lord."
"Are the Hellions ready?"
"Yes, my Lord. They are going to break into the Amity Temple for the Talisman of Ignominy."
"The Talisman of Ignominy." The Prince stated as he looked toward the ground. "The Talisman holds untold power. With it I can more than restore my powers to it complete state. I can destroy my sister, and make sure no one ever challenges me again." Phobos' eyes held a faraway gleam. He looked up when he heard Taranee opening the door.
"Rick are you in there? Who are you talking too?" Taranee asked as she entered the room. Cedric quickly covered the hologram of Phobos by standing up.
"All be out in a minute Taranee. I'm on speaker phone with a very important client."
"Sorry." She said meekly as she exited the room quickly. He turned to Phobos who held a puzzled look on his handsome face.
"A thousand pardons my prince." Cedric held his head down ever so often peaking up at the hologram.
"Who is she? She looks very familiar to me."
"She no one my lord."
"Sheismore than no one Cedric, otherwise you wouldn't protect her from me. So who is sheyou can tell me. I'm not going to hurt her." The young Lord looked up at the prince with hope in his eyes,
"She is my girlfriend, my Prince." He searched the prince's face for approval and was delighted by the princes reply.
"She is beautiful, stunning actually,but do not let her become a distraction. We havean agendathat must be attended too. I can not stay in this prison much longer. Are we clear Lord Cedric?"
"Yes my prince.So you do approve of her?"
"Yes, for now, but there is something very familiar about her to me." He brought a hand to his chin in deep thought. He dismissed the nagging thought, "Anyway you make sure that beast does its job! I want that Talisman!"
"What about the guardians? They have not resurfaced for months after the incident with the rogue guardian."
"Let them come! As long as the Hellions get me theIgnominy Talisman I don't care. I want you thereto make sure that everything goes according to plan, but stay out of sight. We don't need this blowing up in our faces. Phobos out!" The hologram disappeared and Cedric got off of his knee and left the room. He went into the living roomarea and saw Taranee sitting on the couch doing some homework.
"Hey you." Cedric said distracting her from her work. "What are you doing?" She looked up at him with a smile on her face.
"Hey yourself, ohI'mjust doingsome Level Three Calculus. I'm sorry about disrupting your call. I didn't make you lose your client or anything did I?" He shook his head as he continued to stare. She looked up for the third time and noticed he was still staring. "You know if you like staring at me so much might need to give you a picture."
"Oh. . ." Cedric said coming out of a slight stupor, "Sorry, but would you?" he said with a sly grin. He looked at his watch then back at Taranee. "I'm sorry but I going to have to take you home now. I have a meeting at 6:00."
"What about dinner with my parents at 7:00. Rick you have to be there. My brother is coming down from the University to meet you?"
"I'll be there." He said walking over to her moving the books out of her hand and wrapping her up in his arms. "I'm promise." He said kissing her cheek then rested his chin on her head. She smiledto herself as sheheld on tohim tighter.
"Thank you Rick. I don't know what I would do without my knight." Cedric's eyes looked forward as a slight sadness overtook him.
"And Ipray you never have to find out."
Everyone listened intently to Caleb to as he explained what has been going on in Meridian lately. Every so often he would glance a Cornelia, but she seemed focused on what he was saying and not him.
"The Oiling Beast is has been attacking the villages, and destroying homes as it continues it's path. We have tried to fight it but nothing seems to work, and Princess Elyon has been going from town to town fighting the different beast that seem to emerge all at once. She hasn't returned to Castle yet."
"Girls monster is big and scary. Blunk not want to get in the way of that!" The friendly green creature said looking from one girl to the next.
"So how do we destroy it?" Will asked Caleb
"With fire. Where's Taranee by the way." The young man asked looking for the fire guardian.
"She quit." Will said simply
"We need her! That Oiling Monster's only weakness is fire. You have to call her or something or Meridian's finished!" Hay Lin whipped out her phone,
"I'm on it!"
Taranee and Cedric were walking to his car when her cell phone rang.
"(Hello?) Taranee said her eyes looking over at Cedric who simply shrugged. . .
(Hey Taranee! Where are you?) Hay Lin asked slightly out of breath from excitement. . .
(I'm with Rick why?). . .
(We really need your help!). . .
(What do you need?)Taranee asked becoming worried I hope nothing has happened to anyone. . .
(There's a monster in Meridian and)
(I told you I quit remember?) Taranee snapped cutting Hay Lin off after realizing what the phone call was about. . .
(I know but onlyfire,no onlyyou can beat this monster. Please help us, Taranee.). . .
(Fine. But this better not be some sort of trick. And Will better not utter a word to me.)
(Done.Do you need us to come and get you?). . .
(No.I'm riding with Cedric.)
(Okay thenmeet us at the Silver Dragon. Thanks a bunch!Bye)"
Taranee hung up the phone then looked over to Cedric.
"There's been a slight change of plan. You mind dropping me off at the Silver Dragon? Hay Lin needs a favor. I'll get my brother to pick me up."
"Sure."
The townspeople scattered as the Oiling Monster stomped through the town. The beast was hideous, standing 12 feet tall. It had red eyes, gray skin with bonesprotruding out of it's ugly body, and two tusks sticking out of both sides ofwhat looked like it's neck. The beast dripped black fluid as is massive back moved up and down. Screams could be heard miles away awhile the monster wreaked havoc. It grabbed a knight that was attacking it into a nearby house. More knight threw spears at it, but that had no affect it just hung in the monster's thick skin looking more like needle than spears. The monster swung one arm that had bony spikes protruding out of it at a group on guards. Several of them died on impact and hung from its arms like rag dolls.
Cedric sat in a nearby tree with his arm propped up on his knee watching and enjoying the show with a smile on his handsome face.
"I do love to see destruction before dinner." He said playfully then chuckled at his on joke. His chuckle sounded more like a hiss, but was quickly cut off when the guardians flew in. "Bloody Hell! Damn those guardians." he screeched flailing about in the tree. "Cursed them!"
The girls flew in and instantly began attacking the creature. It snarled when Irma hit it full force with a stream of water. Cornelia landed placing her hand on the ground calling forth veins to wrap the beast up so that it couldn't run from Irma's attack. Hay Lin took a deep breath then blew the beast.
The monster became agitated, and began howling. It pointed the bony arm at the stream of water and reflected the water back at Irma hitting both her and Hay Lin. It then took a step forward and shook of the veins, stomping knocking Cornelia a good ten feet. Caleb ran to check on her. Will flew in to hit it with the energy from the Heart of Candrucar. The monster grabbed Will and began squeezing the life from her.
Cedric laughed loudly at the scene before him. His body shook with glee as he witnessed the fall of the guardians.
"I should haveknown all the leader needed was a hug!" He cackled loudly"I should have used him to destroy the guardians long ago." His laughed againhis shoulder convoulsing heavily buthis laughs were put to an halt quite quickly,
"I'm coming Will! Just hang on. Get away from her you ugly whatever you are!" Taranee screamed as she flew head first into the monster. She stretched her arms out in front of her and the flames started at her hands then traveled the length of her body until she was truly on fire. She flew right through the mid section of the beast. The beast shrieked in pain and dropped Will who was caught by Hay Lin.
"Oh my God Hay Lin. I never would have believed if I didn't see it with my own eyes." Will said slowly as she watched Taranee. The flames around Taranee increased tenfold as she released more energy. The monster swung wildly at the fire guardian trying to stop her assault. She placed her hand on her one outstretched arm,
"Don't you ever mess with my friends! Especially my best-friend!" A fire ball the size of a meteor struck the beast. It's body contorted and writhed in pain before it exploded. Bits and goo from the monster fell from the sky as Taranee's shoulders moved up and down she began falling from the heavens but was caught by Will. Will brought her down slowly and held her in her arms.
"You okay?" Taranee asked her between breaths.
"Yeah. You?"
"I've felt better."
"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me?"
"After seeing you almost die, how can I not. Friends?"
"No. Best-friends." Will said hugging her.
"Group hug!" Hay Lin shouted running to her friends. The girls hug each other and vow to never let anything come between them again. But in a nearby tree Cedric studies the fire guardian and notices some striking features between her and Taranee. Then it donned on him,
"No! This can not be! I won't believe it. Taranee can't be the fire guardian."
So what did you think? Worthy of giving me forgiveness for my delayed update? (Smiles hoping for approval) Well anyway have a safe and happy New Years. And may your New Year be Joyous and Prosperous!
gracefulraven,
out!