Chapter Thirteen

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: Yay! The chapter that will get me flamed! LoL It's also the chapter where I finally reveal one of Sitara's active powers, while having her use her other ability you're kind of familiar with. Woo! LoL It's an ability I'd taken from my other original character/sailorsenshi for my "Sailormoon: Cosmic" story that's also here. I'd named her "Sailorempath" and personally, she's one of my most fave sailorsenshi I've created over the years, so yeah. :Dances: LoL Anyway, I won't say much about this chapter. I'll just let you read it, be outraged, and flame away probably! LoL But I say: bring . . . it . . . ON. Mwa ha ha. LoL Enjoy!

P.S. Mild cursing, sorry.

This chapter was written/created in April 2006.

Irma was completely stunned and nearly catatonic when they'd found her and carried her into the living room -- given what she had unfortunately witnessed not but several moments before they had arrived, it was understandable. She knew that her mind was pretty much fried from all of the drugs and alcohol she'd habitually partake in during the past few years, and so she could have very well imagined it. However, she was about eighty-five percent sure that she hadn't.

Of all of the bizarre, horrendous and frightening things she'd witnessed during her brief stint as a Guardian of the Veil, Irma readily stacked tonight's event at the top of the list.

I'm can't believe that I'm still alive, actually . . . I can't believe that Will's related to such a monstrous bitch and that she could do . . . do whatever she did to her mother . . . she thought in incredulous emotion as her widened and glazed over turquoise colored eyes gradually focused upon a worried looking Hay Lin who hovered over her upon the Vandom-Collins's couch and shook her repeatedly.

"Irma! Irma! Snap out of it! What's happened here? Are you okay? Where are Mr. and Mrs. Collins?" she heard her ask frantically while heated footsteps running throughout each room surrounded them.

Irma slowly regained her motor functions as she gradually shook her honey brown colored head.

". . . Gone . . . Just . . . gone . . ." she murmured detachedly, rolling her eyes tardily from Hay Lin's horror stricken face to what appeared to be Will's corrugated form upon the ground near the entrance of the hallway she's presumably emerged from within the now destroyed loft.

"What . . . what do you mean gone, Irma? Where are Dean and my mother? Tell me!" said Will hoarsely, more so to the ground than to Irma, as her crimson colored head was now buried within it.

Although she could not truly tell, the former leader of their once tight group suddenly looked completely gaunt and drained of energy, as though struggling to remain both conscious as well as functional.

I don't know what happened to her while she was out, but it's probably nothing compared to what I barely lived through, she speculated mentally, shivering in dread as her mind traveled back to the traumatizing event . . .

"Irma, I've finally gotten Mrs. Collins to rest in our bedroom, so please try to be as quiet as you can, all right? I'm going to go down to the corner store to get more aspirin for her -- please look after her until I get back," said Mr. Collins as he emerged from the hallway that led to the bedrooms and headed to the front door.

Irma, who had by then moved to the kitchen table to indulge in a few more snacks laid out for the failed party, merely nodded in acknowledgment as her sea-blue eyes remained glued to the tray before her and only heard Mr. Collins presumably leave the premises.

Even though what had happened earlier that night had nothing to do with her, Irma was positive that it had affected her more than it should have Will and her supposed sister, Sitara. It was understandable that both girls would be surprised to learn of one another after all these years -- a true miracle . . . and while she was sure it hurt them, the brunette would give everything and more to have the same kind of luck . . . To have her father return to her miraculously . . .

Hearing that Will's own father had perished had struck a major nerve within the presumably unaffected Irma, and effectively caused her to plunge back into her continuous grief she tried desperately to numb with her self destructive habits she was well aware were as such.

It wasn't as though she hadn't tried to quit several times before, knowing that it wasn't what her father had wanted for her and was probably turning over within his grave that she was engaging in such acts. However, without her father actively by her side, getting through her life, even day to day, had become an unbearable chore.

Irma missed her old life, where the only major drama to deal with was what to wear for the upcoming school dance, or trying not to get yelled at for taking the traditionally long baths she'd used to and would drive her father crazy. She'd hated being at the end of his stern demeanor; however, now Irma often craved it more than she craved air to continue on living.

'But what's living, when the one person who truly cared for me is gone from me forever?' thought Irma deplorably as unwanted tears began to form within her eyes.

She was thankful that everyone had gone and Mrs. Collins was presumably knocked out to come barging in to witness her breakdown. The last thing she needed was to add immense embarrassment to her increasingly long list of disconsolate sentiments.

'It'd probably make Taranee's millennium to see me like this, given that she detests the crap out of me now . . . but so does everyone else -- even Hay Lin, I'm sure . . .' she lamented within her mind of her former best friend.

"I can't honestly blame her -- I haven't given her any reason to feel otherwise towards me now . . . Ugh! I don't see how this night could get any wor --"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, conjectured to be within Mrs. Collins's bedroom, as Irma could then hear her startled cry ring out into the atmosphere.

"Mrs. Collins? Are you all right?" she asked stupidly as she bolted out of her seat and rushed immediately down the hall and swung open the Collins's master bedroom door.

The color instantly drained from Irma's face as her turquoise eyes widened in shock at the sight before her.

Mrs. Collins appeared unscathed by the various shards of glass from the now broken bedroom window that surrounded the room, however her fatigued face twisted in horror as her dark blue eyes locked with the inflamed eyes of . . . Sitara?

No. It couldn't be Sitara. Sitara was just some regular looking girl who also happened to be Will's long lost twin as a bonus. This girl appeared . . . greatly sinister and almost . . . demonic like, with her long, flaming red hair whipping furiously around her darkened visage -- not to mention the eerie, black aura that acted as a blanket for her unclothed body.

"S . . . Sitara? Is that you? W-what's happened to you?" asked Mrs. Collins weakly as she slowly rose from her bed and continued to gaze at the young woman who curiously floated before her as if by magic.

'Maybe it is magic . . . how else can you explain Sitara's complete transformation into the new age "Bride of Chucky?"' thought Irma in great fright, unsure of what to do as her feet remained planted within her spot.

"Aww . . . is that fear I see riddled within your eyes, 'Mommy?' I can also sense it, you know . . . Your terror, I mean. You'd be surprised at what I can feel and, more over, what I can do . . . Want a first hand demonstration?" boomed Sitara in a deep, almost otherworldly and possessed voice that neither Mrs. Collins nor Irma recognized to be the one they'd heard just an hour before and sounded a lot like Will's.

Irma wasn't positive at what she could do to help, as her powers over Water had presumably vanished (as she could not recall when she'd last bothered to use them); however, she knew that she couldn't just stand there and watch Mrs. Collins be hurt by her now extremely dangerous daughter.

As if psychic in addition to being psychotic, Sitara suddenly veered her attention perilously upon Irma and smiled cruelly.

"Ah! Perfect timing! You see, 'Mommy Dearest,' this girl here, is feeling a great urgency to try to stop me somehow from -- if you can believe it -- hurting you. My own mother! Now, why would I do something so barbarous?" said Sitara, giggling a bit manically as she tilted her crimson head to one side.

"Oh, are you surprised? Don't worry, I'm not a clairvoyant -- although I'm pretty close. No, see, I'm an Empath. Mmhmm! A recent . . . power, if you will, that I've just acquired. Don't ask me how and why, mind you, as I don't rightly care.

But it certainly explains why I've been feeling and sensing so many different emotions lately that definitely weren't my own, such as: happiness, or security . . . or, my personal favorite, love.

It almost drove me insane to try to deal with, you know -- oh wait! Maybe it already has! But no matter. Neither of you will have to worry about any of that for much longer . . ."

Irma rapidly tried to piece together what had been terrifyingly delivered by the menacing young woman, as Mrs. Collins bravely (or stupidly, in Irma's opinion) began to slowly move towards her feverish daughter.

". . . Sitara . . . baby, please . . . I . . . I can't pretend to even begin to understand what you're saying or . . . how you look and why, but . . . you look and sound to be in pain, and I have to help you. I'm your mother, so pl --"

"-- You're damned right I'm in pain! Sixteen years that's all I've ever known! It's so ironic that I can feel apparently all of the world's freaking emotion -- bad or good -- when I can't even personally experience the happy ones, myself!" bellowed Sitara, suddenly reaching out to grab her mother by the neck.

"You and Dad have always been the root of my pain! My suffering! Well, no more! If I could get rid of him, I can do the same to you, and by the same means!"

At this, Irma immediately regained her footing from her glued spot and blindly charged towards Sitara, not at all confident on how she would be able to stop someone who was obviously more powerful than she ever was or could be.

"Sitara, stop! She's your own mother! I -- ahh!" cried Irma before she felt her body being thrown to the wall like a helpless rag doll by the invisible forcefield that ostensibly surrounded the coercive girl.

Irma struggled to remain conscious as her aching, bruised and battered being helplessly watched the terrifying scene continue before her.

"And that was just a taste of what I can do -- so if you're wise, you'd stay down, girl," said Sitara harshly as she turned her attention back onto her mother, who remained within her strong grasp and frantically struggled to break free.

"S . . . Sitara, please . . . Don't . . . don't do this . . . Stop now, before . . . before --"

"-- I regret it? Oh, no, no, no, Mommy. This will probably be the only thing I won't regret in my otherwise pitiful life. Being born into this world as your daughter is what I regret. Having miserable parents who didn't care for me, and decided to play favorites between me and my freaking twin is what I regret. But, not anymore. No. Now, I'm going to give to you the same treatment you've given to me all this time . . ." murmured Sitara in an eerie calm as she tightened her grip upon her mother's neck.

"Don't worry -- it won't hurt nearly as much as what I've felt every day . . . and as a consolation, you'll soon be reunited with both of your loving husbands, as I'd . . . 'taken care' of your new one before coming to see you . . . Now, it's been fun, mother, but now, you're nothing to me -- to anyone -- anymore . . ."

Irma's eyes widened in horror as a heart wrenching scream escaped from Mrs. Collins's throat and her body became enveloped within black energy.

Irma could only watch as Will's mother vanished within the black blanket until literally nothing remained in her stead . . .

". . . A-and . . . that's all I can remember before blacking out and Sitara magically disappearing from sight . . . When I had come to, it was you guys here now instead . . ." said Irma as she finished relaying the horrific events to her stunned, former friends.

Her body was still sore from her encounter with the vicious and suddenly magic infused Sitara, and a massive headache was forming as a result as she closed her eyes.

That was when she heard someone sobbing uncontrollably.

"N . . . no, Irma. You have to be wrong. Sitara's my sister! Mom's daughter! She wouldn't . . . she wouldn't do something like that! Besides, how can she have magical powers?" she heard Wilhelmina cry out from her remained place near the entranceway into the hallway.

"W . . . Well . . . I know how much . . . all of you would like . . . to believe that I demolished the place . . . and then willinglyslammed myself against the wall . . . after first imagining that Sitara was possessed by some magical devil . . . a-and turned her freaking mother into nothingness, but I didn't! Dammit! I've had it with you guys automatically thinking the worst of me!" cried Irma as she gradually regained her voice, slowly rising from the couch as she suddenly shoved Hay Lin away from her face as she was busy tending to her wounds.

"Well, maybe if you'd stop giving us ample reason to think that way, we wouldn't!" said Taranee bitterly as she appeared from the hallway and crouched next to Wilhelmina to help her from off of the floor.

"Guys, please! This is no time to fight! We --"

"-- No, Hay Lin! You're right! Wilhelmina, I'm sorry for your . . . loss, and that I couldn't stop your sister, but . . . I'm outta here!" said Irma, as she limped her way over to the front door that the girls had apparently left open in their haste.

Suddenly, Cornelia barreled through the doorway and collided with Irma, knocking the two of them over.

"Ow! Jesus, Corny! Have you gained weight or something? I'm already banged up! I don't need your clunky self adding to my pain!" cried Irma as she struggled to push an extremely flustered Cornelia off of her body.

It's too bad that I'm too distraught and in agony right now, otherwise this might actually be somewhat enjoyable, she mused briefly as Cornelia rolled off of her, tears within her blue eyes.

"C-Cornelia? What happened to you?" asked Hay Lin as she rushed over to her side to examine her own bruised and dirty body.

"I . . . Sitara! Sitara, she's . . . something's happened to her!" stammered Cornelia through her excited tears and lack of breath, wiping furiously at her marred face as Irma remained reclined upon the floor, feeling slightly more pleased than concerned that the blonde had apparently seen what she had -- which would then prove to everyone else within the room that she hadn't imagined it.

"Wait . . . you saw her, too? Where was she? Where is she now?" asked Taranee in surprise after handing a grieving Wilhelmina some tissues, looking a bit embarrassed (which, Irma, hoped, was due to her previous outburst against her).

"Y-yes! And . . . I don't know! I . . . I saw her out in one of the alleyways, and . . . something happened to her . . . like some sort of . . . magical alteration . . . and then she just disappeared . . . Oh, God, she looked so --"

"-- Evil? Corrupt? Sadistic?" suddenly interrupted Wilhelmina, advancing from her spot.

Every girl within the room looked at her in surprise, unsure of what to say.

"I don't know where she is . . . but I don't care. I will search the world over if I have to to get my revenge . . ." said Wilhelmina darkly, her brown eyes filled with rage.

Cornelia was the first to speak, using Hay Lin as support as she rose to her feet and then helped Irma up afterwards.

". . . Will . . . what are you saying? She's your sister . . . she --"

"-- Killed my mother and stepfather, apparently! How can I just sit here and let it go unpunished, sister or not?" roared Wilhelmina as she locked eyes with a taken back Cornelia.

"Killed? What do you mean . . . killed? How? She wouldn't! She couldn't! She --"

"-- Did! According to Irma, that is. Besides, take a look around! My place is destroyed! Mom's bedroom resembles a tornado disaster zone, while Irma looks like a walking punching bag! And you don't look any better yourself, Cornelia!" said Wilhelmina as she seized Cornelia's shoulders and shook them repeatedly.

"L-let go of m-me, Will! I'll admit this . . . this looks bad, and we will find her, b-ut . . . you can't kill her! She's still your sister! She's just . . . lost or something right now . . . I know it . . . If we engage her, wherever she is right now, we should save her in any way that we can . . ." stated Cornelia softly, reversing the "attack" by gripping Wilhelmina's own shoulders in attempts to snap her out of her heated daze.

Irma couldn't help but admire the eldest girl's determination during a less than bleak situation. It was sort of nice to see that not everything had changed within the brunette's otherwise saddened and unrecognizable "new" life.

"But . . . she could be anywhere by now . . . How do we find her?" asked Hay Lin carefully, jumping in surprise as a roll of thunder sounded outside, the weather suddenly and curiously beginning to reflect the chaos that was continuing to occur indoors.

Irma, leaning against one of the living room's chairs for support, was the first to speak up, a look of seriousness upon her contused face.

". . . By any means necessary . . ."

-- End of Chapter Thirteen

(A.N. OH, boy. Can't wait to see all of the "lovely" reviews for this chapter. Can we say, chaos, much? LoL I hate doing flashbacks within my writing, but I didn't feel like having Irma go "blah blah blah" the entire time AND try to display the emotions she'd gone through. So, there's the flashback, in italics in case it confused you. And her thoughts, while THEY'RE normally in italics, I had to put 's around them.

Anyway! This is actually my fave chapter of them all right now, because it didn't turn out as bad I'd thought, and it's SO much more involved and heated, plot wise. AND, I finally took you into the mind and emotions of Irma, and showed that there really IS hope for her, as some . . . no, a LOT of you were worried that there wasn't. I would've written more, and more to this chapter, but it was pretty involved as it is. Chapter fourteen is basically, in a way, chapter thirteen part 2, kind of. Well, the first scene, really; it's of the girls trying to figure out how to find Sitara, and actually and FINALLY beginning to TRY, at least, piecing their failed relationship back together – which I was gonna do in this one, and kinda started to when Taranee "started" with Irma, but I figured the chapter's sorta mainly about Will and her loss, so let's just focus on that for now. I just hope what I have in mind for chapter fourteen and the final few chapters WORK! LoL Oh! By the way, the Hay Lin drawing I did and is in my profile? I kick arse at doing eyes, right? But I purposely made Hay Lin's eyes look so . . . "bland" and empty to reflect how she pretty much is now because of all of the drama lately and in the past two years. Oh, and not making her smile in the picture as she USUALLY is featured in her pics, I did on purpose as well. So, yeah. No worries. LoL)