Chapter Eleven

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, SitaraVandom/Amandella Ember.

Note: Can I JUST say how happy I am that you actually fancied chapter ten, even WITH the "confusing" p.o.v. changes? Guess I pulled it off a lot better than expected. Go, me! LoL AND, NOW, with all of the "promises" of spin off sequels and fan art:Sings: "Heaven, I'm in Heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak . . ." LoL Anyway, now is the beginning of a slight series of magical chapters; but first the beginning half will have to deal with Susan telling the girls (AND you) why Sitara didn't grow up with her in the first place. So, sorry if the lack of it "annoyed" some of you, but I DID "warn" that this story was more so "social oriented" than "magical," etc. And I'm pretty sure after reading the other chapters, you could tell. LoL Oh, and sorry a lot of you are annoyed with the "new" Taranee and Irma -- it happens. LoL Oh yeah, and no "grrness" or drama about the kinds of powers I've given Sitara and will display more of. But, honestly? I'm not sure anyone can actually DEFINE them just yet, and that's jusssssst fine. LoL I'll do it for you, later. LoL Enjoy!

P.S. I sort of switch between calling Susan "Mrs. Collins" or "Susan" in this chapter a little bit, but that's only to better indicate when you're going inside HER mind and feelings, versus when she's referred to as "Mrs. Collins," in which case it's obviously into someone else's mind/feelings you're now delving into. Thanx! LoL

This chapter was written/created in April 2006.

"Geez . . . This has been the most lively party that I've been to in a while, and that's saying a lot," murmured Irma incredulously (and earning surprised and resentful glances in the process), several minutes after Wilhelmina had gone and the other girls helped Mr. Collins settle his wife onto the couch to calm down.

"Irma, please . . . this isn't funny," said Hay Lin softly with pleading eyes, before Taranee could retaliate with the obvious fiery comment she had in mind as it now shone within her gray contact colored eyes.

". . . I wasn't trying to be funny -- I don't do 'funny,' anymore," countered Irma, lightly frowning as her insipid sea-blue eyes became all the more vacant than they were already.

"Oh, yeah? Well then that's probably about the only thing you don't 'do,'" provided Taranee bitterly before Hay Lin nor anyone else could stop her.

At this, Cornelia, who had been busy tugging at her curly blonde locks and frantically pacing the room, suddenly whistled loudly to capture the complete attention of the room's remaining occupants.

"I've had it! Will, her mother, and her sister are all hurting and in massive pain right now, and all you can think of doing is bickering with each other! Our relationship and bond may have been shattered, but that doesn't mean that theirs has to meet the same fate, as well!" exclaimed Cornelia, immediately stepping in between Taranee and Irma before either woman could take a verbal or physical shot at one another.

"Well, I'm not the one who invited the drama -- literally -- Cornelia, so I wouldn't talk, 'Miss Home wrecker,'" muttered Taranee piercingly in retaliation as Mr. Collins wearily looked up from his sorrowful wife he held securely within his arms upon the couch to the blonde.

"Cornelia . . . you seemed the least surprised about all of this . . . Does that mean you knew about Susan having another daughter besides Wilhelmina?" he asked quietly, the heartache reflecting within his hazel eyes.

Cornelia sighed heavily as she gazed back at him and slowly nodded.

". . . Yes, Mr. Collins. I did. That's why I invited Amandella -- I mean, Sitara along. It's the main reason I put this party together in the first place, to be completely honest," she began, shifting her saddened, guilt filled eyes over to the completely distraught and crumpled heap of a woman before her.

"You see, after Taranee and Hay Lin had revealed to me that another girl had been brought into the hospital with Will for the same reason . . . I don't know why, but I just had this strong feeling that it might have been Sitara . . . only, I didn't know her as 'Sitara' just yet. It wasn't until after I'd seen her real name written upon her medical clipboard -- in addition to the nurse's assumed explanation of her being Will's twin and your daughter, thanks to the similar physical appearance and last name, but you 'didn't bother' to visit her as you did Will -- that I found out . . .

And . . . well . . . Please believe me that I only wanted Sitara to find out the truth if she hadn't already, and find some sort of happiness or even closure when I brought her here, Mrs. Collins -- I never wanted all of . . . this to happen as a result," she finished, sinking to her knees in front of the woman she'd inadvertently wronged.

Susan looked at her with tired, heartbroken eyes.

"I . . . I believe you, Cornelia . . . I guess it was just . . . Fate that you got dragged into this mess -- all of you . . . the mess that I created . . . Had I known that Sitara was even in Heatherfield, let alone in the same hospital with Will for nearly dying as well, I swear with all that I have within me that I would have visited her just as much as I had Will," she murmured hoarsely, squeezing her dark blue eyes shut.

"She . . . she looked so hurt . . . so betrayed . . . And her eyes . . . the complete opposite of Will's . . . so empty and dull . . . Without love . . . Oh, God! Why did I think for a moment that that horrid man would have taken good care of my baby?"

Hay Lin and Taranee settled down on either side of the shaken up Mr. and Mrs. Collins, while Irma suddenly scoffed loudly and moved towards the open window behind them unexpectedly.

Cornelia rested a sympathetic hand upon Mrs. Collins's leg as Hay Lin gently asked,

". . . Could you . . . That is, maybe we could help you out with all of this a little better if . . . if you'd tell us what happened?"

Susan wiped away the several tears that had fallen down her inflamed cheeks as she cleared her throat.

"It . . . it happened when the girls were just infants . . . their father and I were already heading down rocky roads . . . Sitara, who was born five minutes after Will, had to spend the first few months of her life on a respirator due to complications of her birth . . ." Susan began softly, clasping her clammy hands together tightly as she dove into a past that obviously still stung to reflect upon.

"At the time . . . Thomas was making more money than I was, and so paid most of the hospital bills and expenses that were needed to properly care for Sitara . . . It, of course, made me feel horribly guilty and inadequate, because I was her mother and should have been able to care for her, myself, but couldn't . . .

By the time she was better and completely healthy, however, Thomas and I were going through our divorce . . . and good old 'Tommy,' because he had ended up 'sinking' the majority of his inheritance, as he'd put it, into caring for her, fought for sole custody of Sitara if he could not have them both. And me, without enough money and efficient legal support to continue fighting him, had no choice but to concede . . .

But I'd promised that I would make it a point to get the best visitation rights or at the very least send frequent letters to her to let her know that 'Mommy still loves' her . . . But because Thomas had gotten rather dangerous, it made me fear for both mine and Will's life, and that's when we moved here, where the twins were actually born -- Saint Memorial, that is -- while Thomas and I had been in the middle of looking for different areas to move to . . .

Will obviously doesn't remember it, and clearly neither does Sitara . . . but it's truly ironic that she'd end up here of all places to reunite with us . . . And I'd realized the chance I was taking by moving to a place Thomas was even slightly familiar with, as then he could find us, but I also knew that he never was in the habit of checking the same place -- checking anything over twice . . .

And I guess . . . staying hidden became more important than getting Sitara back over time . . . but I never thought that her father would ever harm or mistreat her in any way, since she is his flesh and blood whom he helped to keep alive . . . I guess I was wrong, judging by her reaction . . ." she at last finished, sinking her tear stained face into her hands.

Cornelia could only stare in astonishment upon hearing the truth.

I had a feeling that Sitara's past had to have been pretty . . . dynamic for her to be and act the way that she does, but . . . I never thought that this would be the story behind it -- how heartbreaking, she thought ruefully, feeling more and more helpless within each passing second.

"What . . . I mean . . . how did you know that Mr. Vandom had died, though?" asked Taranee carefully, hesitantly resting a hand upon Mrs. Collins's shoulder.

"I . . . I'd read it in the obituary out of the 'Fadden Hills Informer' newspaper two years ago, when a girlfriend of mine had come to visit and brought over a copy . . . It had said that he had a sudden heart attack . . . but it didn't say anything about Sitara being one of the people survived to him, mysteriously . . .

And so, after . . . I had gone to his final resting place without Will or anyone else of relation knowing -- although it wasn't really out of respect, but mainly to be absolutely sure that Thomas really had died, if that doesn't sound too horrible . . .

I mainly went to see if I could find Sitara . . . and when I couldn't, I . . . I didn't know what to think . . . but I knew that I had to find her . . . I've been actually saving up for a private investigator as well, but . . . I don't suppose I have to anymore . . . Two years too long, too late . . ."

No one could say a word after hearing Mrs. Collins's revealing, heartfelt story. In the few years they had known her, the girls -- including Mr. Collins -- never had even the slightest inclining of the personal hell she'd been been battling singlehandedly.

None of them could imagine the perpetual turmoil of wondering about a long lost child and whether or not they were safe, let alone still alive . . .

"Dean, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you . . . I should have . . . I should have been more brave, and --"

"-- No, Susie . . . I'd already understood about your rough relationship with Thomas . . . I would've liked to have known about Sitara, however, but . . . I married you for better or for worse . . . and I love you. I support you; and we will get through this together . . . and get our girls back . . ." said Mr. Collins firmly, although his eyes were soft with sympathy and understanding as his wife slowly looked up and gazed into them.

Smiling softly, Cornelia nodded as she rose to her feet and began to head to the door that had long since been closed.

"Cornelia? Where are you going?" asked Hay Lin curiously, standing up as well with expectancy.

"If this family has any chance of reparation, we can't just sit here and wait for it to do so on its own. I'm going to go try to find Sitara and Will," she replied with her own steadfast determination, opening the door.

"Wait! You can't do it alone! You're going to need help -- our help. Right, Taranee? . . . Irma?" said Hay Lin as she rushed to the taller girl's side.

Taranee hesitated a moment before nodding, while Irma remained stoic at the window with her arms now wrapped around herself as though in comfort or protection.

"Well, I highly doubt that she'll help, as it's probably around time for her cigarette or booze break or something, but . . . why not? Count me in -- though I don't know where to even begin looking," she stated sullenly as she moved from her spot on the couch next to Mrs. Collins and walked to the door, where the other two girls momentarily stationed themselves.

Cornelia inclined her blonde head in acknowledgment at Taranee a moment before veering her attention onto the last of the former Guardians present.

". . . Irma? How about it? You always did hate being left out of the loop," she said lightly and tactfully, hoping that'd spark the usual desire within the brunette to fulfill a good challenge as Cornelia had often been successful in doing in the past whenever she would engage her.

However, Irma remained both undaunted and immobile, as she replied a bit tonelessly,

". . . It's like Taranee said: it's nearly time for my self destructive hobbies. I wouldn't want to cramp 'Little Miss Popularity's' style if I accompanied you guys -- besides, someone needs to hold down the fort. Oh, but I promise not to trash the place just by being here . . ."

Cornelia could only stare at her old friend with curious, commiserating eyes, making a silent promise to herself to fixing whatever was ostensibly wrong with her after first fixing things for Mrs. Collins.

"All right, then . . . I'd left my cell phone number with Mrs. Collins earlier when I was still organizing the party, so if we find Sitara and Will or if they come back, we'll be able to keep in touch," she informed before heading out of the door.

"Cornelia, wait! I . . . all of you. Thank you so much for doing this for me -- for us. I'd come with you, but I'm far too distraught to do so. Besides . . . I don't honestly think either twin would want to see me if and when you find them if I did . . ." said Mrs. Collins as she and her husband both gazed appreciatively at the three girls at the door, before turning to bestow the same courtesy to Irma behind them.

"It's no trouble, Mr. and Mrs. Collins -- we will find them . . ." said Cornelia, smiling softly back at them before she, Hay Lin and Taranee all left the loft in pursuit of the crimson haired twins . . . as well as each of their destinies.

-- End of Chapter Eleven

(A.N. Um . . . okay. So, I guess I DIDN'T make it "magical," this chapter. I was going to! You know, like I said, make the first half "social" and the second half "magical." But, Susan's explanation turned out a lot longer than I thought it'd be, so I just said forget it. And sorry for a lot of it having been with the usual breaks I do in between dialogue and descriptive text. But I felt doing so while she was busy explaining everything would have ruined it/the moment in a way. But yeah, about this chapter and not doing magic crap, this isn't me trying to stretch out the story or get more reviews as a result. It just ended up that way. LoL If ANYTHING, I'm anxious to not only finally write the magic crap, but to finish this story already. LoL Oh, right, and someone asked me how/why is it that Sitara actually seemed to know fashion back in chapter nine when she took in Corny's current clothes she's still wearing right now, since Sitara doesn't strike them as the fashion-aware type. Good point. To answer them and anyone else who might have wondered the same thing, my having being specific with the type of clothes Cornelia's wearing right now while in Sitara's p.o.v. Wasn't really her reflecting on it. To her, it was just fancy looking clothes. LoL I only got that specific because to just say that she was wearing pants and a sweater would have made it far less descriptive, and I can't/don't do that. LoL Besides, the clothes Corny's wearing right now are mine in actuality, as I have them hanging in my closet right now. LoL So . . . yep. Anyway. Chapter Eleven, everybody! Yay! LoL)