Chapter One

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. -- I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said series, as well as the original character, Sitara/Amandella.

Note: Wow. This is probably the very first story I've written for ANY genre that I didn't give it a subtitle (you know: "Chapter Thirty: Fate" or something like that.). Nah. I figure what's the point in this case, when you'll know what it's about once you read the chapter. LoL Anyway, thanx for the reviews, Gaby's heart and KaNdRaKaRgrl -- much obliged.

A few things to note when reading this: 1, while it IS a W.I.T.C.H. inspired story, it won't honestly follow everything that's actually happened throughout the entire series (including the Nerissa saga, etc. So, when you read this story, put that out of your mind. That never happened. LoL So it basically takes place after the battle with Prince Phobos, and THAT was it. As in, everything else that's happened after that incident NEVER HAPPENED. LoL). It's the only way that this story will honestly work -- plus, I haven't read the entire series just yet – what's out, anyway/that is. So, yeah. NO REVIEWS, TELLING ME I DID THIS/THAT WRONG! 2, there's some mild swearing in here, so all you kiddies, watch out. LoL And 3, while I in NO way/shape/form advocate smoking of ANY kind (which obviously means I personally don't smoke/never will, no), my character honestly strikes me as one who'd be driven to smoking, really. So that's why I wrote her doing so. Otherwise, I generally don't write nonsense like that in any of my stories. Yep. LoL No, worries: I know you'll instantly love her, or at least feel for her -- either hate, like, or indiffence. LoL REGARDLESS, you'll feel! LoL

This chapter was created/written in March 2006.

"Argh! I can't believe I'm going to be late again! I don't know why Mom doesn't just let me use the spare car, rather than force me to take public transportation every morning!" The luminously blonde, Cornelia Hale, muttered under her breath with great annoyance as she skidded to a reluctant stop on the already busy sidewalk of downtown Heatherfield that early Monday morning of September.

She blew a stray strand of her now shoulder length hair from out of her face, while her bright blue eyes shone with agitation as they watched the pale blue public bus speed away from the bus spot ahead of her, once again without her on it.

This would make it the fifth time that month that the tall, confident beauty would be late for class at her new school, Heatherfield High, and it was beginning to become far more than a mere nuisance.

Everything about her new life was becoming "far more than a mere nuisance," in all honesty, the more Cornelia thought about it -- and quite frankly, she'd had it. Which surprised her, given that it's been two years now, since she had been abruptly yanked out of her comfort zone and had her controlled life turned upside down . . . But it still felt like it was just yesterday that it had happened . . . when she'd arrived home to her lavish penthouse apartment (after having celebrated all day with her best friends and former Guardians of the Veil over their victory of successfully sealing all of the veils that separated Earth from the mystical world of Metamoor) to find her family waiting for her in the living room to break the news that her parents were divorcing one another . . . That her mother would be moving to downtown Heatherfield and taking Cornelia with her while her little sister, Lilian, stayed behind with their father.

Cornelia could still remember what a slap in the face it had been to hear this, to know that her picture perfect family and lifestyle would be no more:

"It really is for the best, girls," her father, Harold, had tried to weakly assure both her and her sister (who, although not completely understanding what was going on -– having only been seven at the time -– was by that time bawling her eyes out, as she could tell that something "not good" was transpiring at that moment), after having explained the situation in its entirety.

"It would have been futile to continue on like this, with both your father and I so unhappy and trying to keep it from you. But . . . now, in this way, we can all move forward, and hope for the best," her mother, Elisabeth had added, sadly readjusting her cat-eye shaped glasses with a shaky, petite hand.

"'Hope for the best!' By you 'bisecting' us! Uprooting me from the only home I've ever known and force me to start over, just because you two can't get a clue!" Cornelia remembered herself exclaiming heatedly, throwing down her hands onto the coffee table before her for added emphasis.

Of course, those words had gone unheard and made no impact, for only two months after that fateful day, she and her mother did in fact move from away their family and friends and into an apartment building and a part of Heatherfield that –- she felt –- were both greatly beneath her standards.

It's a good thing the girls and I had managed to close all of the veils before this social tragedy, otherwise it'd be pretty hard to journey back and forth to help them out –- seeing as I can never catch the damned bus! thought the former Guardian of Earth bitterly, as she sat down onto the metal bench at the bus stop and heaved a heavy sigh in frustration.

It was still a little funny to regard herself as a "former" Guardian of the Veil, after finally having gotten used to the idea of being some winged-back, magic wielding superhero who frequently crisscrossed between different dimensions on rescue or infiltration missions.

However, a former Guardian was exactly what she and her friends now were, as their destinies had apparently been fulfilled the moment they had sealed the final veil. Because it wasn't soon after that did Cornelia begin to notice her powers were slowly, but greatly diminishing in strength, to the point of being barely present as they were now.

Although concerned, Cornelia hadn't yet bothered to consult with her friends via-telephone or Internet as she was now forced to do (which was a rare occurrence in itself, giving her the strong impression that now that she didn't live within the same district or needed to help them save the world, they clearly didn't have much time for her anymore) about the matter, for she had honestly been too busy dwelling within her belated teenage angst.

Rebellious, unorganized, and mildly popular sixteen year old Cornelia Hale greatly missed the in control, never-late-for-anything and vastly popular fourteen year old she used to be. She had everything back then: true friends, a nuclear type of family, flawless lifestyle, and perfect boyfriend, even.

Now, all she had to show for her "hope-for-the-best" new life was a school full of people who felt that she was too good and uptight for them to hang out with, an ex-boyfriend who had to stay behind in his home world of Metamoor to assist in its reconstruction, and a tiny apartment that she had to help pay the rent for with her mother, thanks to the so-called "astounding and promising" job that had dragged them out to this area in the first place.

"At least I still have my ice skating, although it just isn't the same, anymore," she murmured morosely to herself, gazing at her green wrist watch to see that she only had ten more minutes until the final bell rang.

She threw her arms into the air in defeat, ignoring the curious stares from passersby she was now receiving as a result.

"Why should I even bother! I might as well drop out of school at this rate! It wouldn't make my life any worse!"

"Ah, another rage-infused teenager about to skip school? What is this world coming to?"

Jumping in her spot, Cornelia whirled around to tell whomever was eavesdropping to mind their own business, when she abruptly stopped herself.

". . . Will?" she whispered softly to herself in confusion as she slowly stood up from the bench and took in the sight of the young woman standing behind it.

The girl certainly looked like her former leader, with the same big, light molasses colored eyes and poor, slouchy posture . . . however, that was actually where the similarities between the two women had ended.

For this young woman's hair was not at all short or bright crimson, nor was her skin a warm, tanned complexion. Her vaguely untamed, ebony colored locks cascaded down to her slightly past her shoulders (in the same manner Cornelia's had before she'd decided to trim them), while a shock of white tresses gingerly rested over her right eye, completely obscuring it from view.

And despite the condescending smirk that was currently being spread across her considerably pale and black makeup themed face, those familiar resembling orbs were instead dull and unmoving. It made Cornelia shiver as she continued to gaze into them, noting the broad difference between hers and Will Vandom's.

Will, although she had had the frequent tendency of becoming sad or livid, her seemingly red eyes had always shone with happiness and life. Not once had they ever displayed such emptiness and despair as the pair before her continued to reflect.

And my Will never smoked, either, as this girl seems quite familiar with doing, thought Cornelia as her delicately waxed eyebrows gently drew themselves down into a faint furrowing upon her creamy visage, watching the other woman raise a newly lit cigarette to her lips to inhale.

She also seems to have a thing for an all black attire, as well, she silently added as an afterthought, looking the girl's slightly baggy, true to form black wardrobe over that concealed her slender, tall and curvy physique.

"Why don't you take a picture or something, babe? 'Cause I definitely don't have time to hang around while you gawk at me all day," the girl said, breaking through Cornelia's thoughts and intake of her.

Returning to her senses, a small rouge gathering upon her cheeks in embarrassment, the blue eyed beauty now glared back at her with indignation, beginning to feel her former aggravation of an already bad day returning.

"Excuse me? You're the one who decided to intrude into my personal life, thanks!"

Laughing coldly, the ebony-themed young woman merely gazed at her with indifference, before purposely blowing a large puff of cigarette smoke into her face.

"Right, and exclaiming boldly out into the atmosphere for the whole world to hear was 'intruding into your personal life.' Maybe you should skip school today –- that way you'd have more time for the therapy sessions you so obviously need, talking to yourself like that," she replied sarcastically, flicking the cigarette onto the ground.

Coughing and vigorously waving away the smoke from her face, Cornelia moved around the bench to properly stare the girl down, her blood boiling.

"Yeah, maybe I should skip school, because then maybe I could hopefully turn out to be such a deadbeat like you!"

Expecting to receive a venomous sort of rebuttal from her, Cornelia was surprised to see a brief instant of hurt reflecting within the girl's lackluster orbs. Cornelia immediately felt guilty for having said such a thing, regardless of whether or not it had been deserved. Even though she did honestly detest her new life and the already lousy day she was experiencing, it didn't give her the right to take her frustrations out on another –- even if this one was becoming a rapid pain in her side.

"I . . . Sorry for that . . . I don't even know you, and no matter how rude and unpleasant you're continuously being to me, I still shouldn't have said that," she apologized, lightly frowning more at herself than the girl before her.

Apparently her apology had come as a bit of a shock, for the slouchy young woman could only regard her fair haired counterpart with wide eyes (or wide eye, given that her right continued to be sheltered by her white strands of hair) for several moments, before gruffly clearing her throat to respond.

"Yeah, well . . . Whatever. No skin off my back how you think of me, toots. But I am surprised that you're late to class, princess, given your obvious prissiness . . . Not to mention your having a nervous breakdown over the fact," the girl recovered, returning her erstwhile smirk back onto her face.

Cornelia couldn't help but smile, herself, as she was suddenly reminded of the naturally sarcastic and comedic Irma Lair. Being called "princess" or "prissy" would have been something Irma would have jumped at the chance to actuate against her, as she knew it would instantly annoy the taller girl. However, being without any of her lame jokes and gossip updates for a while now had left Cornelia honestly missing it . . . and her.

Shaking her head slowly, breaking herself out of her thoughts this time, Cornelia merely shrugged and folded her arms across her chest.

"Honestly, it's becoming a bit of a habit, sadly. My mother refuses to let me borrow the spare car that's basically rotting away in our apartment's garage. She's probably scared that I'm going to crash it into a parked car or something," she said, rolling her eyes heavenward, no longer caring that she was now extremely late for class by this point.

"That must be a bitch, huh? As for me, I don't have to worry about that, because I have my own wheels to take me wherever I gotta go, whenever I gotta go," the girl purposely bragged, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her baggy, onyx colored jeans.

Cornelia, no longer phased by this girl's acrid nature, only mirrored her smirk at this.

"Yeah? Then where is it, stranger, pray tell?"

"Parked it around the corner, while I headed to the drug store up ahead for a few things, princess. And my name isn't 'stranger;' it's Amandella. Ember, as my last name, if you must know," the girl now known as Amandella revealed, before yawning loudly without bothering to cover her mouth.

Wrinkling her nose in faint disdain at this, Cornelia nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Duly noted. By the same token, my name isn't 'princess,' but Cornelia. Cornelia Hale. I would say 'nice to meet you,' but I'm not honestly sure if it is just yet," said Cornelia, the simper upon her face broadening.

Amandella merely took one of her hands out of her pocket and ran its fingers through her jet black hair, while she continued to look at Cornelia with her traditionally dull eyes.

"I get that a lot. It happens. Well, anyway, since I'm in a generous mood, I'll give you a lift to your precious educational facility, before your teachers blow a major gasket. That is, unless you're too anal or something to get in a car with a girl who could seriously kick your ass if she wanted to," she offered sarcastically, already turning on her heel to presumably head back to her parked vehicle.

Cornelia, however, remained planted within her spot, a bit unsure of what to do. It was true, she had just met this rather dynamic individual, and so it would be a bit foolish of her to go any place with her, let alone the inside of her car. Still, for whatever reason, Cornelia felt comfortable and almost familiar with Amandella. And so . . .

"H-hey! Wait up! It's not like I'll ever cross paths with you again after this, so I don't suppose it'd kill me to bum a ride off of you," she said, catching up to Amandella, who was pulling out a pack of cigarettes from out of her pocket.

"But, shouldn't you be coming to school with me? You're what, fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Nosy little thing, aren't you, princess? Let's just worry about you getting there, so you don't wind up a deadbeat like me, huh?" murmured Amandella as tonelessly as she could, although Cornelia could detect a hint of sadness underlining her words.

Suddenly, my life doesn't feel as crappy as I think it is, she thought sympathetically, as the two women rounded the corner together and headed further down the street to the mysterious girl's means of transportation.

I know absolutely nothing about you, Amandella Ember, but I get the strong feeling that there's definitely more to you than meets the eye . . .

-- End of Chapter One

(A.N. Yeah, I know. Abrupt ending . . . kinda. Not really. LoL But I KNOW ONE of you WILL comment on that, so I just saved you the effort. LoL This is actually a short chapter for me – only seven pages. Pfft. Child's play for MY works. LoL But yeah, there you have it. Chapter one, and Cornelia being the first to meet Miss Ember. And before you ask me where I came up with the name, while the last name honestly has no significance – it was just a name for an old character I'd created for a story I never bothered to publish – her first name does. I'll tell you what it is later on. But KaNdRaKaRgrl loves her name, and that's even better. LoL

Oh, and please don't flame me about Cornelia, all you avid Cornelia fans. You know, for making her "perfect" life basically falling apart. And don't ask me why I chose her for that of the five or did it, I just did. LoL Well, I guess I chose her because she's just TOO "perfect" to me, in a way, and obsessed with being in control. So, I knocked her down a peg. Pfft. LoL No worries, though. I DO like her, too, so I won't destroy her character/nature completely or anything like that.

What else, what else . . . Oh, right. Before the question is posed, I'd decided to name this story "Requiem for a Dream," after one of my fave books/movies, because I just felt that it honestly fit. How? You'll see. LoL Plus, it was the first time I had an immensely hard time figuring out what to name my story. LoL Anyway, this chapter isn't honestly so "exciting," as it IS the first, and I was concentrating on revealing more of what's happened in the past two years since they closed the veils, etc. So yeah, hope I did a good job of that.

And would someone PLEASE tell me WHY "no one" seems to care enough to REVIEW my OTHER W.I.T.C.H. story, my Harry Potter X'over, "Harry Potter and the Collided Worlds"? I've been working SO dmned hard on that one, and while I've gotten more than 1,000 hits, I've only 38 reviews since its debut . . . That hurts, you guys. Sniff . . . LoL I laugh, but it does, honestly. LoL C'mon, now! LoL

Stay tuned for chapter two! LoL)