Chapter Ten

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 Vandom/Amandella Ember.

Note: Oh, my gosh! I'm not really proud of this chapter, because I worked so hard to "get it right" and make sure I captured everyone's (everyone who mattered, anyway) emotions just right. So I just derived it from a personal experience of mine a few years back (no, I'm not a twin, and no, I don't have my own kids that I've kept secrets from LoL). I just mean the emotions aspect, etc. But, yeah, enjoy, and please read my other A.N. at the end of this chapter to learn why I'd chosen both of Sitara's names as I'd promised I'd reveal.

This chapter was written/created in April 2006.

The ambiance within the Vandom-Collins' loft became steadily thick with discomfort as everyone within the room stared at a very astounded Mrs. Collins expectantly for an explanation to her sudden outburst. However, no words would come out of her mouth, as her dark blue eyes began to fill with unshed tears while continuing to gaze at an equally surprised Sitara.

She couldn't believe it. The last time Susan had laid eyes upon her, she had only been a baby just like Will. Still, Susan would have eternally been able to recognize her anywhere, and not because she looked identical to her other daughter, but because of the mother-child bond that was far too strong to ever be diminished.

This was her baby girl. Her precious daughter . . .

"Look at you, Sitara . . . You're so big . . . So grown up, into a beautiful young woman . . ." she unvoiced gently as the tears at last began to fall and she took a shaky step forward towards the chagrined girl.

"Susan? What's going on? Do you know this young lady from somewhere?" she heard her husband ask in confused curiosity, reaching out to rest a supportive hand upon her arm.

Susan immediately brushed it aside as her legs continued to weakly head towards her long lost child with a mind of their own.

"I've known her, in my own way, all of her life . . ." she murmured softly to herself.

Both Wilhelmina and Sitara continued to look increasingly flustered as the moments dragged on, neither of them laying eyes upon the other just yet, but instead upon their unknown shared mother -- as did everyone else -- as the commotion was too great.

"Wha . . . How do you know my name, lady? Who are you? Cornelia, what's going on?" asked Sitara in shaky defense, as she began to blindly back away towards the still open door and her arid brown eyes shifted from the eldest woman present to the blonde at her side.

Cornelia slowly reclined a comforting hand out to her, much like how Mr. Collins had done for his wife a few moments before, and gave the progressively en garde young woman a small smile at the same time Sitara had swatted her hand away – quite possibly one of the first, mimicking characteristics she shared with her estranged mother.

Cornelia wasn't exactly sure how her secretive friend would inevitably react to the makeshift intervention she'd decidedly thrust her into, however she continued to hope that it would all work out in the end for Sitara and wouldn't cause more pain than happiness for the solitary young gentlewoman.

". . . Sitara, please . . . Don't be afraid . . . I --"

"-- So you are in on this, too? An ambush or something? I trusted you!" exclaimed Sitara in an accusatory tone, as she turned on her heel and began to head for the open, unguarded doorway.

"Sitara, stop! Please! Let me explain!" Susan pleaded as she swiftly rushed across the room to her frazzled daughter, half surprised as well as pleased to see that she had actually obeyed.

Hesitating, Susan slowly extended her arms out and securely rested them upon the girl's shoulders the moment she'd turned around to face her. Smiling warmly, Susan gasped loudly as she pulled Sitara to her chest and hugged her generously for the first time in over sixteen years – sixteen, long and overdo years to do something that most other parents take for granted.

She greatly expected Sitara to shove her off, as while she unfortunately did not know who she was, she seemed to possess a slightly aggressive nature, unlike her other daughter.

Living with that God awful man for sixteen years too long will do that to a person, I'm sure, she thought with intermingled anger and remorse as she slowly reached up and pulled off the white ski cap that concealed, what Susan assumed, was a head of the same beautiful red hair that Wilhelmina possessed.

"Oh, Sitara . . . you don't know how long I've waited for this moment . . . How many times I've dreamed about you, and having you here with me and your sister . . . Where you belong . . ." she breathed against Sitara's ear, before moving her away from her body slightly to gaze at her thunderstruck being and gently run her slender, tanned fingers through the girl's long, now unsheltered red locks.

Sitara's insides were doing back flips as she tried to grasp what was continuously unfolding before her. She was surprised that she hadn't completely bouldered over this delirious woman and bolted out of the door already, as she was absolutely positive that she would have under normal, potentially dicey situations as this seemed to be.

However, there was something strongly familiar about her . . . and her voice . . . as though it had been heard once upon a time, in a dream or . . . distant memory?

"I . . . I don't understand . . . What're you trying to say?" asked Sitara hesitantly, eyes boring into the skull of the woman before her as she frantically searched her face for answers she so desperately needed.

Meanwhile, Wilhelmina (whose own eyes had been shut tight with her hand cupped over her forehead for the last minute or so, with both Hay Lin and Taranee on either side of her to lean upon) tried to rapidly piece together what her mother had been gradually revealing, while also trying to fight off an oncoming fainting spell she increasingly felt coming on.

It may have been two years since her last "episode," but she'd frequently had so many at the time that it was hard not to recognize the symptoms of magical phenomenon transpiring somewhere.

Where, or why, Wilhelmina could not straight off tell just yet, as her astute senses to such occurrences had decreased over the years. For the time being, however, she would have to settle for trying to figure out what was unfolding before her right then and remain conscious as she did so.

At least, though, this meant that not only did hers and possibly her old friends' powers still existed in some fashion as she'd been privately wondering on and off for a while now, but that the Heart of Candracar still resided within her body as well . . .

"M-Mom . . .? What are you trying to say? Sister?" Wilhelmina ventured weakly to her mother as she evenly divided her weight between both perplexed women beside her.

Almost forgetting about the daughter she saw regularly as she'd lost herself within focusing upon the other she'd never seen until then more and more, Susan quickly turned around and gently led Sitara over to Wilhelmina, whom she saw looked curiously faint.

Must be just as understandably shocked as I am about all of this, she thought with integrated worry and happiness as she seized the girl's hand.

"Willie, honey . . . this . . . this is Sitara . . . Sitara . . . This is Wilhelmina . . . your sister . . . Twin sister, to be more precise . . . And I am Susan -- your mother . . ." she revealed as delicately as she could, given the overwhelming, lurid impact it undoubtedly had upon not only her two children and husband, but upon their guests (who all remained planted firmly within their individual spots, utterly speechless for the entire duration -- even Irma, who appeared to be viewing the matter more subjectively than objectively as the other girls presumably were).

At that moment did both cardinal haired young women at last rest their similar hued eyes upon one another for the first time since the start of the dramatic event. An awkward, stupefied silence descended upon the entire room as both Wilhelmina and Sitara optically examined each other's symmetrical visages.

It was mind boggling to see a familiar face that was seen on a day to day basis upon the body of a complete stranger.

Is it true? Is this girl my . . . my sister? Twin sister? thought Will to herself as she looked over the black appareled girl before her while she did the same to her.

But . . . this can't be true, because . . . He would have said something about it . . . wouldn't he? Sitara questioned mentally as a feeling of minute familiarity washed over her, in addition to other emotions that were becoming not only alarming, but utterly staggering, as she could not keep track of them all.

"Wait . . . This . . . has to be a mistake. My mother died when I was just a kid -- my father said so. And . . . I'm an only child. He never mentioned anything about having any siblings -- let alone a twin sister -- the entire time I've known him and right up to his death," she said, lightly frowning in growing suspicion as she eyeballed both the young and older woman directly before her.

"Father? As in, Thomas Vandom? He . . . he's dead?" asked Wilhelmina in a nonplus manner the same instant Susan had closed her eyes shut in regret and sighed.

". . . Yes, Will . . . Your father . . . your birth father, that is, is dead," she revealed as carefully as she could, placing each of her hands upon her daughters' shoulders.

However, both women immediately backed away with disconnected, expectant glances upon their faces.

"W-when did he die? Why didn't you tell me?" ushered Wilhelmina heatedly, brown eyes filling with anxious tears, at the same time Sitara began to speak as well and her own, traditionally less vibrant eyes slowly, but surely became livid.

". . . Thomas Vandom? That was my father's name . . . If . . . you know that and that he died, then . . . you really are my mother and . . . my sister," she said, her face twisting into a chilling, darkened manner, and her voice became deeper as it steadily filled with hurt.

". . . I used to dream of you coming to take me away from that man's clutches all of the time when I was growing up, even though he told me you were dead . . . Then I'd start to fantasize about dying, myself, so then I could be free of him and be with you . . .

I never wanted to believe him at first, because as I got older I just learned never to believe a word he'd say, let alone trust it . . . But . . . when I'd never hear from you, or see you finally come to get me . . . I figured that you had to be dead, otherwise you'd never willingly leave me alone with him . . ." Sitara continued, raising both of her hands to her head and squeezed her eyes shut as the overpowering multitude of feelings increasingly claimed her, her emotions dangerously close to its breaking point.

"Sitara, please let me explain!" Susan pleaded fruitlessly, her request falling upon deaf ears.

". . . And then I see you here, alive and well while living it up in this lavish apartment building, with your apparent new beau and precious other daughter you obviously felt was good enough to keep . . . clearly never once bothering to think of how I was doing, or how I had to struggle and fight my entire life! And against one who should have protected me, but only instilled terror and instability within my environment on a day to day basis!" Sitara interrupted violently, causing everyone within the room to gasp in alarm and back away.

"Sitara, that's not true! Please, if you'd just --"

"-- You may be my family by blood and in theory, but you stopped being my mother the day you decided to give me up . . ." she said darkly, before whirling around and storming out through the door.

"Sitara! W-wait! Don't go, I beg of you! I can't lose you again!" Susan cried out as she helplessly collapsed to the ground in agony, her befuddled husband rushing to her side.

Irma, Hay Lin and Taranee watched Cornelia rush to the door and called after the heated girl a moment before turning their attention onto Wilhelmina, who looked just as shaken up and distraught as both her mother and apparent sister.

". . . Wilhelmina? Are you all right?" asked Hay Lin feebly, unsure of what to say or do to ease whatever pain her friend was undoubtedly going through.

Susan slowly raised her raven colored head and looked at her remaining daughter through bloodshot eyes.

"W-Will, honey . . . I don't --"

"-- How could you keep something this epic from me, Mom? That was my twin-freaking-sister! Sixteen years you've let me continue to live in the dark about it!" exclaimed Wilhelmina, her fainting spell thankfully and mysteriously began to subside by then, although her head continued reel at the massive, not at all easy-to-swallow news.

"A-and then to not tell me that my -- our father had died? I know he wasn't exactly the best of dads in existence, but to not at least let me know that he's no longer here? What were you thinking? Or, weren't you at all?"

"I know, baby, I know! B-but if you would just li --"

"-- I don't want to hear anything you have to say, Susan! I suddenly feel like I don't know you any more than Sitara does! And as far as I'm concerned, I'd be just fine if I never saw you again!"

And with that, Wilhelmina released her former friends and flew out of the door, herself, before anyone could stop her.

-- End of Chapter Ten

(A.N. I TRULY hope at least SOMEONE liked this chapter, as I've struggled with it A LOT. Why? Because I wanted it to be perfect, in terms of conveying the "important people's" feelings. So, sorry if the various point of view changes throughout the chapter confused some of you. I don't usually do that, and usually focus upon one person per chapter as I have so far throughout this story. But, if I did the "YYYYYYYY" scene divider bit I usually do, it'd ruin the mood and momentum.

Anyway, there you have it. I was going to continue on after Will leaves and have Susan at least explain herself to the other girls since she can't to the ones who truly matter at the moment, but after that point, it becomes more "magical" and dark. It wouldn't have really fit with the beginning of the chapter, which is mainly social – AND depressing, my GOD LoL – stuff. I at least did that brief stint with Will's feeling faint and Sitara's curious emotional build up, so I can live with that. It'll make a great allusion to what happens next. LoL

But, yeah! Thanks SO much for all of the WONDERFUL reviews and continued support! AND for going into my forum about this story and telling me your views. I've gotten various requests to make a sequel of this story, which I REALLY don't want to do, personally. But I'd LOVE to see one of YOU make a sequel spin off of your own. That'd thrill me to no end, to see that someone cares that much about my works to want to do something like that. In the meantime, at least JayxKay is currently drawing comic strips for certain scenes of this story, so that's really great as well!

Stay tuned for chapter eleven, which will finally be the first of many action/magic oriented chapters as this story draws to a close very soon . . . Sad, I know. It's been fun. LoL But, beware: this story, in case you hadn't already taken the hint, is very dramatic, depressing, and now, after this, pretty dark. You've been warned. So have the box of tissues handy. LoL

Right, before I forget, I GUESS I can finally reveal the reason I chose the two names for Sitara, as WildXOrchid just asked me - she couldn't find its meaning, she told me: as I said, the last name of "Ember" was just a name of another original character I'd created a few years ago and so just used it as Sitara's alias - couldn't think of any other last name for her at the story's beginning. However, as I'm pretty sure everyone can now gauge Sitara's general personality . . . sorta, anyway, LoL I chose the name "Amandella," because it means "worthy of love." It's a variant of "Amanda," and also the real name of my friend's niece, which I find is a beautiful name (I'd never heard of it before, and only am familiar with "Amanda" instead). So, it's sort of an ironic thing that Sitara chose that as her new name to go by without thinking, as clearly her home life with her father wasn't the most "loving" we can already tell by her slight revelation . . . it's sort of her feeling that perhaps she wasn't worthy of love and that's why she was treated the way she was by him . . .

As for her REAL name of "Sitara," I'd chosen that name as a more "beautiful" counterpart to the sad reason of her alias. "Sitara" - while I'm sure it can mean other things, however one meaning is all I'm familiar with, as I am with "Amandella" - is Hindu, and means, "Morning Star." Now, before anyone thinks I'm being sacrilegious OR religious – depending how you perceive the name "morning star" - and trying to impose either views upon you readers, I'm not. While I'm aware the "Morning Star" is continuously argued to be Lucifer or Jesus, I chose the name for her because it truly represents – I think – the real her. See, one sees stars the best at night, and get to see them all shine their brightest and most beautiful. And during the day, they're no longer seen, right? But that doesn't mean they're still not there and don't shine in all their gorgeous glory. That's the way I see Sitara. When SHE'S seen at first glance, she's perceived as something worthless or without potential more often than not, if noticed at all. However, she really IS a "morning star," because inside of her IS the potential to shine and be absolutely beautiful if given the chance and noticed by the correct person . . . Hope you got that. And there you have it: finally, the reasons why I'd chosen each name for my character. TOLD you I always chose specific, meaningful names for my characters for a reason. LoL)