Chapter Three

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: Forgot to say that I'd written chapter two in March 2006. Whoops. LoL But, yeah. I did. Anyway, can't think of anything to say right now about this chapter, so just read it, please. LoL

This chapter was written/created in March 2006.

"No . . . s-stop . . . Please! I'm sorry! I --"

Amandella awoke with a start, sitting up sharply in her bed in a cold sweat. She feverishly gazed about the darkened bedroom, clutching the white colored comforter protectively to her chest.

After confident that everything was as it should be and how she'd organized it after moving in, with no surprising visitors or any such thing, Amandella slowly reclined back onto her bed and sighed.

"Not again . . . You've got to get over it already, Amandella-- everything is fine now," she said to herself softly as she wearily gazed up at the ceiling, half scolding and half reassuring her still rattled nerves of the formerly terrifying dream.

She thoughtfully listened to the multitude of evening sounds that continued to create a harmonious symphony outside: passing cars and its horns acting as a heavy bass, while its lighter counterpart, crickets melodically chirping and the wind gracefully swirling around the trees in passing provided a soothing chorus of strings and wind instruments.

Despite the surrounding area sounded and seemed safe, it certainly didn't make the lone young woman feel as such.

"Dammit, all! I've only been here, not even a week, and already I'm getting the urge to blow this Popsicle stand," said Amandella incredulously, rolling onto her side to look at her alarm clock and see that it was only eleven-thirty, ten minutes since she had first retired for the night.

"And, now I can't even get a full night's sleep, either! Maybe I should just hit the road again . . . No. No, I refuse to run again. There's no reason to, anymore! I'm free . . ." she whispered thoughtfully, biting down onto her lip as she closed her eyes to try to fall back asleep.

However, after that unfortunate night scare, sleep--in addition to comfort--had fled from her body. Groaning, the raven haired girl reopened her eyes and threw off the covers away from her body and slowly rose from the bed.

"Well, I guess sleeping tonight is out of the question. Mayberunning isn't such a bad idea right now . . ."

Walking over to her open window, Amandella picked up the pair of black sweatpants and t-shirt she had carelessly thrown onto the ground next to it, and put them over her evening wear of a black tank top and boxer shorts.

And after pulling on her ragged, favorite pair of sneakers and tying back her long dark tresses into a messy ponytail, she set off, heading out of her small, lonely apartment and out onto the relatively quiet street.

Gradually, Amandella's nerves began to relax as she concentrated on her jogging, inhaling the cool crisp night air as she did so. It was enough to, for the time being at least, convince the generally introverted young woman that she truly was safe, and that absolutely nothing and no one would get to her.

Speaking of "no one," her mind momentarily traveled to the thought of the brash, uptight blonde she'd met earlier that day: Cornelia Hale.

It would have to figure that someone that hung up would turn out to be my new neighbor, she thought to herself, lightly yawning into the atmosphere as she rounded a corner and headed further away from her apartment building.

It was usually people with Cornelia's self-righteous attitude that she'd made a religious point to either avoid or make as much fun of as she possibly could. In her experience, looking down upon others whom they believed were not up to their standards--namely, her--was all they were good at, and being a perpetual pain in her side was all they were good at.

So, having to now share an apartment building with the usual "enemy" would definitely become quite the chore, she was sure . . . Although, there was something distinctly different about Cornelia, Amandella felt. What, she was not readily sure of just yet; however, she knew it had to be something, otherwise she would have never bothered to offer her a ride to school that morning, let alone say more than the usual two-worded phrase that began with an "F" she habitually reserved for people of the blonde's "kind."

Maybe she just reminds me of someone you knew, Amandella thought to herself, racking her brain to find a solution to her internal inquiry. No, that couldn't be it, because then that would entail her having had friends.

The fact of the matter was, if Amandella came off as socially inept to those who would see her on the street, it was because she was, point blank. Not by choice, but by force.

Yeah, by force . . . Just like everything else in my life has been by force . . .

Immediately she skidded to a stop and frowned heavily at herself for diving back into a past she'd worked so hard to keep buried inside.

"If this new life of yours is going to work, you've gotta start looking forward, not back! You didn't make it this far to fall apart now . . ." she scolded, beginning to cough repeatedly as she looked about her new surroundings, to see that she'd managed to jog herself to the front of Heatherfield High, the school that Cornelia ironically attended.

". . . Oh, man. I've . . . I've gotta quit smoking . . . Although . . . I-I am surprised that I'd managed . . . managed to jog this far without collapsing . . ." she panted, wheezing loudlyinto the night for a few moments and gingerly placed her drooping head between her knees as she hunched over.

"Well, well, well . . . Lookit what we've got here: some stray cat wandering the streets alone. What's the matter, sweetheart? Looking for some catnip to satisfy you?"

Amandella's posture instantly straightened up as soon as she'd heard an unfamiliar, drunk sounding male voice breaking out into the atmosphere. Sure enough, standing before her with a shaky, swaying posture and a silver flask clutched firmly within a sweaty hand was a tall young man, seemingly around his mid-twenties.

Amandella's nose wrinkled in disgust the moment the foul stench of his liquor sodden breath reached it and tickled her nostrils. She was more concerned with regaining fresh air than what this obviously drunken pervert had in mind for her.

"Hey . . . I don't want any trouble, all right? I was just out for a night jog, and --"

"-- A bit of some education, too? You know, seeing as you've jogged yourself back to school," the bibulous boob slurred, running his other sweat-drenched palm through his greasy, matted down short brown hair.

"One day's lesson wasn't enough for you? Well, then, you're in luck, baby, 'cause I've got a lesson for you that they don't teach you in any school you'll go to . . ."

Amandella's eyes widened more so in appalled surprise than fear as she began to back away the same moment the predator began to approach.

"I-I'm serious, here--I don't want any trouble. But if you keep it up, I'll be forced to do something you'll later regret," she warned, raising her hands in front of her to ward him off, however to no avail.

The heavily intoxicated male merely let out a mocking chortle as he continued to advance.

"Oooh, do you promise? Now, c'mere, baby, and gimme a kiss-- I don't bite . . . much."

Suddenly, the air around the two of them became immensely thick the same moment the inside of Amandella's being became increasingly warm and tingly. Molasses colored eyes now narrowed and piercing into the confused looking man's face, Amandella's still extended hands mysteriously began to take on an eerie black aura, while a curious wind whipped around her body and caused her jogging attire as well as tied up hair to flap about uncontrollably.

"I warned you, didn't I? Now, why don't you fly away, you dirty piece of trash!" she exclaimed at the apprehensive man coldly with a bit of cryptic undertone, watching with little amazement as he'd began to do what he was told . . . Except, instead of merely fleeing from the scene with his person still in tact, with a flash of dark light did his body seem to undulate and shrink until it somehow magically transfigured itself into a frivolous piece of discarded paper trash.

As the former human-now-turned-dirty-garbage literally flew away, courtesy of a sudden, perfectly timed gust of wind, Amandella continued to watch the peculiar display with glazed over eyes for a few more minutes, until at last all strength within her exited her now shaking body and the dark glowing of her hands subsided, causing her to collapse to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"N-not again . . . W-why couldn't that dirt bag have just let me alone?" she whispered to herself shakily, wrapping her arms around herself and squeezing her eyes shut that now began to tear up.

"What is it about this damned place that suddenly has my carefully controlled emotions out of whack? Why didn't I just stay where I was before, where nothing out of the ordinary happened to me and everyone just ignored me?

Oh, God . . . you know I've never bothered to acknowledge your presence before, but . . . what do you want from me? Why'd you have to make everything so hard for me, and make me a freak, to boot?" she cried angrily into the night, feeling enraged more so at herself for finally giving into her concealed emotions after so long.

". . . Amandella? Is that you?"

Startled, ardently wiping away her regrettably fallen tears, Amandella scrambled to her feet and whirled around, already recognizing who it unfortunately had to be.

". . . Wha . . . What, are you stalking me now, princess? What're you doing here?" she tried to say as confidently and nonchalantly as she could so that the perplexed looking blonde couldn't suspect her currently flustered nature.

Cornelia stepped forward from out of the shadows the tree above her had been providing for her and into the bright streetlight between them, a worried look plastered upon her face. It was obvious to Amandella that she had just gotten off from work, as she was currently adorned in a bright yellow fast food uniform, with an equally bright yellow visor resting gingerly upon her shoulder length locks.

Amandella couldn't help but lightly chuckle at the sight, as Cornelia honestly resembled a confused looking canary in her attire.

"I just got off from work and the bus drops me off in this area . . . What're you doing here? Are you all right?" asked Cornelia, confirming what Amandella had already suspected.

Shrugging, by then expertly regaining her front of an insouciant demeanor, Amandella began to walk past the expectant young woman, folding her arms across her chest.

"Meh. Couldn't sleep, so I went jogging. No big, really. Besides, last I checked, it was a free country to do such things."

"Well, yeah, it is, but at midnight? This isn't exactly the safest of neighborhoods, you know. What if you'd gotten mugged or attacked, or something?" Cornelia pointed out in a slightly reprimanding tone, rushing forward to walk beside the fast paced girl.

"Aww, you're already so worried about me, 'sis?' Will you be my bodyguard from now on?" smirked Amandella, reaching back to take her hair out of its ponytail so that more of it could effectively conceal her tear reddened eyes.

She felt Cornelia silently studying her, looking her appearance over thoughtfully as though checking to see that her body remained unscathed.

What is this chick's deal? She must be a natural "busy-body" or something, mused Amandella in silence, beginning to feel uncomfortable at Cornelia's ongoing mental inspection of her.

"Like what you see, princess? Maybe I should give you a makeover--that way you can finally look good," she joked, walking faster, desperate to get back to their apartment building so that she could be free of the girl's stares and inquiry.

Cornelia, undaunted by the girl's insulting comment, immediately placed herself within her direct path and raised her hands in front of her, much like how Amandella had several minutes earlier--with the exception that Cornelia's hands were not mysteriously glowing black as hers had been as a result.

"Hold on, will you? Now, I know you don't know me--I don't know you, either. But, we are neighbors now, which means I'll see you on more than one occasion. So . . ." she began, trailing off as her blue eyes became soft and shimmering with genuine concern.

". . . Are you sure you're all right? I mean, you were on the ground, hunched over, and it looks like you've been crying . . . You sure nothing happened?" she finished, looking the other girl over.

Amandella sighed in frustration, trying her hardest to keep her emotions in check, lest Cornelia might meet the same fate that drunken fool had.

"Yes, all right? I'm fine. If you must know, I tripped over a pot hole, scraped my poor wittle arm, and it made me cry," she lied, maneuvering around Cornelia and beginning to jog the rest of the way back home, not giving her the chance to try to disprove her statement.

"But -- ! . . . Then how come there aren't any scratch marks on either of your arms . . . ?" Cornelia murmured softly to herself, helplessly watching the other girl race away.

"What're you hiding, Amandella?"

-- End of Chapter Three

(A.N. There you have it. Yet another short chapter that sickens me BECAUSE it's so short, courtesy of yours truly. But I honestly think that I didn't do a bad job of it. I got out what I'd wanted to, and it will hopefully have you wondering what's her background story. I see I've managed to entice some of you to ponder what I'd hope you would while reading this story, so THAT'S great, as well –- means I'm doing a bang up job with my writing. LoL

Anyway, I SWEAR I was going to write more in this chapter after this scene, but yet again, what I had in mind would not have honestly fit/flowed well with it. Since, YES, I'm finally going to shift gears and reveal what the other Guardians have been up to in the last two years. But, I'd wanted to establish a sturdier set up between Cornelia and her dealing with Amandella, in addition to revealing some personal insight of Amandella, herself, and let you know that there IS more to her than meets the eye as Cornelia has the hunch of –- although, she has no clue how right she is . . . yet. LoL But yea, so there it is. Chapter Three. Honestly, my heart breaks for Amandella, even though I'M the one who made her this way, and know what's in store for her. LoL Still . . . I like her. LoL Review! LoL)