I can finally bring another chapter! I have school so I keep writing a little each day (if I don't have too much homework or a project) and as much as I can on my days off so I can try to post the next chapter. Writing these stories is making me sane through the school week. It's starting to get really crazy. I have really great news that I was really happy about. I got the position of copy editor on my newspaper! I'm happy, so that's good for you so that I can write and post this chapter! Okay, Ona and Phoebe are here for their first day at Sheffield. Check it out!

Chapter 8: Day at Sheffield

Ona's POV

I'm dreaming, Onalia told herself as she turned around in her blankets. I was dreaming that we past through a mirror, and met the Guardians of the Veil. Then, we stayed over at the Silver Dragon and talked and laughed all night with Hay Lin. Ona yawned and started rubbing her eyes. She sighed heavily and sadly. It was a really good dream though, she thought again. I wish it wouldn't have to end once I opened my eyes. Ona suddenly blinked and pushed herself up with another sigh and a shake of her head. Well, I guess it didn't end.

"You still can't believe it either?" Phoebe whispered. Ona turned her gaze over to Phoebe with her fist under her head lying to the side on her pillow. Ona grinned.

"Nah! I believe it, but sometimes you feel, you know."

"That it could never happen, even as much as you have wanted it to, and then when it does you can barely believe it." Phoebe said. Ona stared at her.

"How do you always do that?" Phoebe smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Best friends think alike I guess." She responded. They both grinned at each other right when they heard Hay Lin's feet thumping up the stairs. She came into the room kind of blushed, but then smiled when she noticed that they were both awake and scrambling out of their pullout beds.

"Well, you guys are finally awake. That sun is way too bright! I woke up thirty minutes ago because of it." She didn't even move to block the sun from shining in her room, but instead, continued talking to them.

"We've got breakfast out downstairs. Come on. There are some things you need to know about Sheffield." She started hopping down the stairs towards the restaurant. Phoebe went down behind her and Ona was the last to follow. They each slid into chairs and started eating their food. Hay Lin stared at them, like she was wondering where to start.

"Um, okay so… do you know a lot about Sheffield? Well, you have read those books and all but…" Ona could tell that Hay Lin still wasn't too comfortable with the fact that her secret identity and life had been spread into another world through books and a television series. Onalia shook her guilty feelings aside and nodded her head.

"Anything that went on in your heads, everything that you did at your school was in the books! It's like we got to read your minds without even knowing you!" Ona exclaimed. Hay Lin shivered and Phoebe cut in quickly.

"No it's okay. We know a lot, but you can tell us anything about everything when the time comes." Hay Lin nodded silently and took a sip of orange juice.

"Well come on. We've got to get walking and meet Irma- oh. Yeah, that's right." Hay Lin said with a fallen face. Ona looked automatically at Phoebe and she looked back while she bit her lip in concern and guilt. Onalia looked down at her hands. Some guilty thoughts were darting across her head too. They had, after all, broken up these friends, although Phoebe and Ona were also away from their best friends.

Onalia pictured the five Guardians doing everything together happily while they were both back on Earth. What would they be doing at school if they weren't here in Heatherfield? Ona could picture Wei, however annoyingly, talking about all of the classes they had had so far and how much work she had to do later. Eva and Ona would be looking around the cafeteria for the cutest boys, except that Eva would have the exception of doing her makeup and hair and smiling in her way that got every boy's attention. Onalia would normally be telling jokes or very long stories in which Rachel would listen quietly and nod and laugh at all of the appropriate parts. And Phoebe? She would be doing a mixture of everything, whatever she felt like saying or doing. They were a happy group most of the time and Ona could barely picture being away from everybody. That must be how they feel, Onalia reasoned. Broken.

Even though everyone thought that there was a reason behind her and Phoebe being there, Ona started to think that they just happened to come about a freaky mirror where they were taken into the W.i.t.c.h. world. I mean, Ona thought in her head, maybe we were just the ones there to get this chance. There doesn't have to be a reason for everything. Does there? Ona brushed that thought away quickly with a smile. I'm thinking too much like Wei and maybe even Eva or Phoebe. This is a fun chance, and it's not like it's anybody's fault…

"We're so sorry." Phoebe whispered. "We're trying to understand how we got here but-"

"Hey. Don't worry about it. I understand." Hay Lin said with her cheery smile again. She looked over at the clock on the wall.

"But if you want to get to Sheffield on time, we'd better get moving." Hay Lin said. She grabbed her backpack and lead the way out the door. Ona could feel the first day of school jitters. What was weird was that she hadn't gotten those since her first day of Kindergarten. It was just the excitement. They were going to Sheffield! They now knew the Guardians of the Veil! Could it get any better?

"You want to know something funny?" Hay Lin stated as they started down the sidewalk after leaving through the front door. "If you guys found us here, what if your friends in your world found Irma and Will and are helping them and stuff! Like, guides to another universe!" Phoebe started laughing.

"I can barely understand Rachel and Erika understanding them if Will and Irma did find them and tell them the truth, but I know for sure if they did, Wei would deny everything and run off convincing herself that it was all silliness, and Eva would try to come up with as many excuses as possible to prove her denial." She told her.

"Yeah." Onalia said as Hay Lin just shrugged and kept walking. "Not a chance."

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Ona exclaimed as they started to enter Sheffield with Phoebe, Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Taranee. "Can you believe that we are actually here?"

"Calm down Ona! It's our first day here and if you're jumping up and down, people will think you're weird." Phoebe said, although she was smiling and looking around the place like she wanted to see everything at once.

"If you guys are smiling like that, everyone will think you're weird." Cornelia said with a small grin, but then she composed herself. "This is school, not a new roll coaster at the fair. Act like real new kids." Phoebe nodded and elbowed Onalia in the stomach when she started humming the W.i.t.c.h. theme song out loud.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Ona asked as she rubbed her side.

"Didn't you just hear what Cornelia said?"

"Come on, I'm tired of listening to people who drag me down." Onalia answered back with a pout and she continued to sing. Phoebe sighed and threw her hand up to her head in defeat. Hay Lin started giggling and Cornelia rolled her eyes.

"Why? How come once Irma finally leaves, another one has to take her place?" Cornelia said in a very annoyed tone.Ona, Phoebe, and Hay Lin started laughing while Taranee was looking around the corner as students started shuffling lazily past them.

"Well, I was a new kid so I can tell you exactly how it's like." Taranee said helpfully. Ona nodded as she gave up being funny and spirited, for their sake, and listened quietly to Taranee's lecture. She hadn't been a new kid since Kindergarten while Phoebe had just come to Cradd Jr. High in seventh grade along with Eva. Onalia and Rachel had gone to West Elementary since Kindergarten until they met Erika in the first grade. Eva had said that Phoebe and her knew each other for four years until Phoebe moved somewhere else. Ona grinned when she remembered the looks on both of their faces when they saw each other for the first time in three years while unpacking their notebooks and pencil bags during first period Science! Ona giggled as she just started to remember everything about her friends after being in Heatherfield. She looked to the side while still barely paying attention to Taranee talking with Phoebe nodding boredly.Phoebe had done all of the new kid stuff, probably even more than any of them put together.

"Ok, you ready to go?" Taranee asked. Ona shook herself of her thoughts and nodded with a grin. It was time for the fun to begin!

"I'll go take them to get schedules and stuff, you are both supposed to be in eighth grade right?" Cornelia asked.

"Yep!" Ona replied happily. Cornelia nodded.

"You guys go ahead before you're late. They might be in some of my classes anyway." Cornelia told Hay Lin and Taranee. They started waving back to them.

"Okay. See you later!" Hay Lin said.

"Yeah. We'll talk and try to figure everything out at lunch." Taranee called out. They disappeared behind the corner and Cornelia tugged on both of their shirts.

"Let's go and get to the office before Mrs. Knickerbocker comes out and catches us wandering the hallways." Ona walked slowly behind Cornelia like she was in a trance. A couple of kids were running down the hallways as of not to be late. She looked forward again as Cornelia opened the office door and peaked her head through. She motioned for them to come in and Ona moved cautiously through the door.

"Can I help you ladies?" Ona heard Mrs. Knickerbocker ask. "Miss Hale. Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Um, I have two friends who just moved here yesterday. This is Phoebe Whitfield and Onalia Johnson. It was, kind of a sudden move so they couldn't register or anything-"

"Very well." Mrs. Knickerbocker said roughly with a tiring sigh. "They can have all of their classes with you until their parents can come and fill out the paperwork." Ona gulped.

"Um, you see. Our parents are still in our hometown." Phoebe thought up of quickly. "And they sent us here for them to sort out some stuff. We're staying over at the Silver Dragon with Hay Lin."

"And where exactly is it you're from?" Mrs. Knickerbocker asked warily.

"Fadden Hills." Phoebe answered quickly. Cornelia gave her a weird look with her eyes really wide and Ona's mouth dropped open.

"Really? Miss Vandom came from there too. Well, I guess we will need to get Mr. And Mrs. Lin to come back here later and sort this out. Just go ahead with Cornelia to her classes and, take this note Miss Hale, to your teachers. Now, if you don't mind." She went over and opened the door. Cornelia, Phoebe, and Onalia went out obediently and started walking though the hallway.

"So." Ona asked slyly. "What's our first class?"

"History." Cornelia answered. "But we've got to hurry and get this note to Mr. Collins." Cornelia finally reached a door. She looked back at them with an 'Are you ready? We're about to go, but please don't do anything wrong' look, and then she pushed the door open. Ona sucked in a gulp of air when every student in the class looked up at them. She hadn't had that nervous feeling in a long time and started to feel very uncomfortable and scared, like she wanted something to come and swallow her whole. Maybe if Cedric could get through a portal…

"Okay, thank you Cornelia." Mr. Collins said after Cornelia had handed him the note and started toward her seat next to Astral Will. Ona looked at Phoebe and could tell that she looked a little scared as well, even if she was trying to put on a brave face and smile. Ona guessed that no matter how many times you are new to somewhere, you never fully get used to it. Phoebe's confidence finally won her over as she smiled at the still staring teenagers. Ona was normally happy and giggly, but she wished she could pull it off now. She still wished for the ground to swallow her. Ona always yelled at herself for being so scared sometimes. Sure she would always tell stories and jokes and get all happy when something exciting happened, but she got scared and jumpy easily. Even if a lot of the time she could hide it, she knew that she felt that way inside.

"Okay class." Mr. Collins began. "We have two new students who will be joining us today. They are Phoebe Whitfield and Onalia Johnson. Now, who is who?"

"Um, I'm Phoebe." Phoebe said kind of shyly. Mr. Collins nodded.

"So you must be Onalia. Okay, you can take those two seats behind Cornelia and Will. Now class, you know the rules. New students, treat them nicely."

"I sure will." One boy in the front said, eyeing Phoebe. She ignored him and sat behind Astral Will while Ona took her seat behind Cornelia. Mr. Collins started teaching on the subject of the Middle Ages. Ona was day dreaming too much. She still felt like she was wondering in a dream where there was no end. She wasn't even sure if she should pay attention or not. After all, they might not be there for long, so they might as well enjoy this day. There was a thud in her stomach as Ona was sure that her heart had just dropped to the bottom. What would happen if they never went home? The mirror didn't turn up again for them to go back? The Guardians would be broken and wouldn't be able to fight together again. And what about her family? What about her mom and dad and Katie and Max, what would they do without her? And her friends? If they never went back, that would mean no more afternoons together shopping at the mall or any more sleepovers at each other's houses where they would talk about the boys they liked and she would grab a diary and read it to everyone while jumping on the bed and sending everyone into a cloud of hysterics! Ona thought it would be so cool to come here, it was, but she couldn't think of staying here forever. It was like she was leading a double life or something…how empty…

The rest of the day, until lunch, went by like a blur. Even if that never going home thought lingered in Onalia's head, she couldn't help enjoying their day at Sheffield. She past by Hay Lin and Taranee in the hallway after her second class and they came up with a lot of questions. Were they liking school? Did they have to do any work? It wasn't until Cornelia said that they all needed to get to class and that they'd all see each other at lunch that Hay Lin and Taranee finally waved goodbye and hurried off.

"Yes! I'm starving! I hope the food here isn't worse than the food at our Jr. High." Ona said as she placed her tray of food down and plopped down on a table outside on Sheffield's front lawn in front of Taranee andCornelia, who were already sitting down and munching on their food.

Ona looked around and saw a group of boys looking at her and Phoebe. She fluttered her eyelashes expertly while Phoebe continued to ignore it in the middle of the line to get out, although her cheeks started glowing red.

"Ooh, looks like the boys are liking Phoebe." Hay Lin said with a giggle after she placed her tray next to Onalia and sat down. Phoebe turned even redder and self-consciously moved her shoulders upward as she started heading after her with her food in her hands.

"They can't be looking at her instead of you guys or something." Ona said with a pouting face. Cornelia nodded in approval, and then in disgust as she noticed Uriah moving around the tables and stealing some boy's muffin.. Ona looked around again. "Okay, so a couple of them are looking at her.She should be used to it. What with last year-"

"Last year what?" Taranee asked with a grin."She doesn't seem-"

"Never mind." Onalia said. "She never really knew."

"You looked just Will when you did that." Taranee told Phoebe out loud with a laugh. "Oh, I miss her…" she added in an undertone.

"Well, at least these two astral drops are doing fine." Cornelia said as she glanced to her side where Astral Will and Irma were eating sandwiches.

"I still can't believe we're at Sheffield." Phoebe said as she set her lunch tray down on the table and sat down next to Hay Lin. "Everything feels so real. It's just like our school."

"I doubt that." Cornelia said, raising her eyebrows. "You don't have punks like Uriah at your school, I bet."

"Actually we do. His name is Kevin. Ooh! Matt's here! I'm getting out of the way before Uriah even makes his way over here." Onalia said and she hurried to get up and was about to walk away before Taranee grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing? Don't you know Will has a huge crush on him?" Taranee asked blankly.

"Of course I do." Ona replied with a smile. "Believe me. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Onalia walked over to Matt with pure confidence. This is going to be fun, Ona thought as Matt looked up when she approached him.

"Hi, um Ona, right?" he asked. Ona nodded her head.

"Yeah, so you're Matt? Is it true that you help your grandfather in his pet shop?" Matt kind of looked embarrassed and surprised at her question.

"Uh, yeah. Sometimes." Matt said awkwardly. Ona could tell that he was thinking that she must like him to come up and start asking him questions. Sure, he was cute and Onalia could understand why Will liked him, but she didn't want to give him the wrong impression. She was justa girl on a mission!

"I just wanted to tell you that someone there really likes you. If you want to of course, maybe you should ask her out and get to know her better." Matt's face turned red.

"Really?" he asked. Ona shrugged and smiled.

"You didn't hear it from me." She made her way back toward the table with a feeling of deep satisfaction and slipped into her seat right next to Phoebe.

"What did you do?" Taranee asked fearfully. Onalia just gave a breezy grin.

"Don't worry. It was just a little favor to Will. Even if we never meet her, make sure you tell her for me, okay." All of the girls' mouth grew into wide grins and they started laughing. The laughter soon faded as each girl started thinking silently. Ona got nervous as she noticed the stillness and intensity in the group. She put down her fork and waited for someone to start speaking. It definitely wasn't going to be her.

"Okay, well…I know we are all still wondering how we got here and if Irma and Will really did go to where we are from." Phoebe said. Cornelia nodded firmly while Taranee and Hay Lin kind of shrugged their shoulders, and then nodded also.

"How exactly did you get through that mirror?" Hay Lin asked. "There might be something we can go on to figure out how to get everybody where they're supposed to be."

"There might also be some purpose for you two being here, or for Will and Irma to be in your world, or even both." Taranee reminded them. Onalia nodded.

"Well, it was really weird." Ona admitted. "We were looking at books at our bookstore, Barnes and Noble, after getting stuck in there by a thunderstorm with the power knocked out. Phoebe was standing in front of the mirror and called me to look in it. The W.i.t.c.h. books were the only things reflected in the mirror besides us! Not the other books on the shelf, not even the tables or chairs were shown in that mirror! We got kind of freaked and decided that we should really go back and study when, Phoebe, uh…" Phoebe looked up at her and Ona's eyes squinted with concentration and confusion. Phoebe had stopped quickly and then pulled her over a table right when the lightning struck the mirror. How had she known? Phoebe's words of before they past through the mirror and found themselves lying in the grass with a confrontation of Taranee, Hay Lin, and Cornelia were echoing in Ona's head. 'But it wants me to.'…

"What Ona?" Phoebe asked with a puzzled expression. "What were you saying about me?"

"I was just wondering…well, I bet you can tell them basically how everything happened more than I can. What was the mirror telling you to do Phoebe?" Ona questioned her. Well, Ona thought of herself for once as demanding. The other girls stopped eating and looked up at Phoebe who looked surprised and terrified at being in the spotlight.

"Wha- what?" Phoebe asked blankly. Onalia rolled her eyes.

"How did you know that lightning was going to strike in Barnes and Noble?" Onalia demanded. "Come on, I know you know something!"

"But I-"

"I think you'd better answer her Phoebe." Taranee said. "You do know something on account that once she asked you what the mirror told you to do, you stated panicking in your head. 'How did she remember? Oh my gosh! What does that have to do with anything, it's too weird.'"

"Okay, okay." Phoebe said angrily. "And to think, there was a time when I thought that your mind reading was cool." She sighed warily. "I felt electricity and made us both move, then I heard a voice and I stuck my hand through a mirror. There." They all still stared at her, but Ona couldn't help it. She felt like she was going to die if she held it in any longer. She started laughing so hard her side of her stomach, where Phoebe had elbowed her, started to ache really badly. Short and to the point. That was Phoebe. Saving all of dramatic details because she was too modest or thought it would be so stupid to say, that she wouldn't even waste her time or breath. Hay Lin and Taranee joined in the laughing, but Cornelia wanted to get back down to business.

"Ha, ha. Now can you say everything exactly the way it happened." Cornelia told her.

"It's hard to explain. Besides. You would all think it's weird." Phoebe replied.

"Well, how would you think about flying fairies who are protecting the world by using the earth's five elements?" Hay Lin chirped sarcastically. Phoebe rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Okay, whatever. I still think it's weird…"

"Ona and I were thinking that that whole W.i.t.c.h. books in the mirror thing was really creepy. We were going back to our table to study when I noticed something. It was a really strange feeling inside of me. I somehow knew that the lightning was coming down. I felt a tingling feeling all over my body, but somehow, I knew instantly what was happening. I grabbed Ona and threw ourselves behind the table when the lighting struck the mirror, right near where we had been standing before. I should have been freaked, I really felt like it, but instead I just calmly walked over to the mirror. It was glowing and the color stirred in my eyes. I had that feeling, you know like when you finally find your talent, the thing that you are good at. Meeting your best friend for the first time, or having a date with the one who you would truly love later. There was a strong connection that was pulling me toward it. Don't ask me what it was because I have no clue. Don't ask what the voice was either, because I am blank on that one too. There was a soft voice in my head, and no it wasn't my conscience Ona!"

"I didn't say anything." Onalia said innocently. Phoebe just continued with her story.

"I know it was a woman though. Her voice was soft, but strong and soothing. She kept saying 'Go through the mirror. Your secret is on the other side. Your destiny is on the other side. Go through the mirror. You must go through…' Then, the books started flipping pages and a huge gust of wind blew past us and your colors of magic started flying everywhere like bolts of lightning. Ona asked me what I was doing. I had no clue. I was hypnotized by the voice. We were up to the mirror and I was pretty sure that I saw Irma and Will in front of it on the other side. That's what we have to assume right? I was too focused on doing what the voice said so my hand went through it and we landed in Heatherfield. Whew! Glad that's over." She looked around at each of the girls who were still silent. "Come on! I tell you what's been bothering me and what happened, and all I get is the awkward silence!" Everyone was still quiet and Ona could tell that Phoebe was about to get very impatient until Taranee broke the silence.

"So, you like, felt the lightning. You're saying that you felt the energy through the lightning before it, went through your bookstore?" Taranee asked. Phoebe shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I guess." She replied.

"How come you never said any of that before Phoebe?" Ona asked with hurt. "Are we best friends or what?"

"No! I mean yes! We are. I just didn't really think it was anything to worry about after all of the excitement of being in Heatherfield. Onalia shook her head.

"Phoebe, you'll never hear me say this again unless you do something really dumb, because you can always backfire this right back. For someone who is usually smart, what you just said was really stupid."

"I resent that!" Phoebe called out.

"You hear a voice telling you to go through the mirror and you are surrounded by magical people here and you didn't think it was anything to really worry about?" Onalia said frustratedly. Cornelia took up the conversation.

"So about this voice-"

"Ah!" Phoebe cried. Her eyes were shut tightly and her hands were pressed against her head like it was going to explode any moment.

"It's here, it's, ohh!" Phoebe cried.

"What? The voice? Phoebe! What are you-"

"CARVER CAVES!"

"FIND YOUR SECRET."

"CARVER CAVES."

"Carver caves."

"Carver caves…"

Phoebe looked like she had a pounding headache. Ona felt like she did too.

"Are you al-"

"I'm fine." She responded. "That was her, the woman who made me go through the mirror."

"She spoke to us too. Carver Caves? Where's that?" Taranee asked.

"There are caves that are about forty minutes away from here called Carver Caves." Hay Lin answered. "Nobody can get near the entrance. Any time anybody has tried, something happens like their shoes melt or their cars brake down. I've even heard that if you get close enough, something like bounces you back to keep you from entering. A lot of people got scared from all of the accidents and nobody has been near them except for the occasional teenage dare of trying to get inside, in the last century. Carver Caves has been blocked by rocks and those mysterious happenings for around a hundred years."

Ona shivered. She could still hear the ringing of 'Carver Caves' in her ears. Why did they need to go there? What was this secret?

"Well, it seems like you guys will have to come with us even if you, don't have powers." Cornelia said with the last bit coming out of her mouth slowly. Everyone nodded and a bell sounded to signal that lunch was over.

"Right, after school then. Our mission is clear. Maybe we'll get to figure everything out after arriving at the caves." Cornelia continued. "Let's just see what this secret is."

Finished. Gosh I need to stop writing so much, as a favor to myself. I love it but I just sit and type for hours on the weekends! (When I have time.) We get back to Will, Irma and the others in the next chapter. We're just one chapter away from being halfway though this story. I'm hoping to start the sequel eithernear the end ofNovember or sometime in December. (I kind of have to around then since it's around Christmas time in the setting.)I will post the first chapter for that one on the same day that I post the end of this one okay! Send reviews please if you would be so kind! Bye!