Chapter Sixteen

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: Uh, oh. I'm getting bored with this story, and don't want to finish it. LoL Well, I mainly feel that way right now because organizing this chapter was annoying and kinda gave me writer's block. Because I don't want the battle to be 1-2-3, you know? I want it to be believable, after all of the drama that occurred beforehand and built up to this moment, etc. So I ran through different ways that could work where, the girls would still fight, but it'd take a while to get "positive" results. And . . . well, this reject of a chapter came out. Just read and see.

This chapter was written/created in April 2006.

"I can't believe that you drove us here, Cornelia, instead of just letting us transform and teleport!" fumed Wilhelmina at the fatigued blonde as the five women wearily climbed out of her vehicle after at last arriving in the red head's hometown of Fadden Hills another hour later.

It seemed as though, as each second passed, that not only did all of them continue to grow increasingly drained, but Wilhelmina's patience had all but vanished and her attitude had grown more and more aggressive and fiery.

If I had more time, I'd probably be far more worried about that as I currently am, thought Cornelia tiredly as she practically stumbled out of the car in exhaustion and put the keys back into her pocket.

"Because, Will! It's like I said on the way here: in case you haven't noticed, none of us are in any shape to even be conscious and mobile right now, let alone transforming into our Guardian forms! It'd probably suck the last of our energy to do so.

Plus, I didn't want us to approach Sitara in that way, and have her think that we're here to attack her . . . Besides, the map and the Heart of Candracar continued to show that Sitara's still here, so driving -- while it did take longer -- didn't really make much of a difference," she remarked, watching each girl having difficulty remaining erect.

Wilhelmina merely scoffed and glared daggers at the eldest girl as she countered vehemently,

"Aren't we here to attack her? I am getting so pissed off and tired of you telling me how to deal with something that has nothing to do with you! If you don't want to come, stay in the car! But I'm going in there to finish this!"

"Will, wait!" called out Cornelia to the irascible red head as the other girls watched her storm off towards the entrance of where the Heart of Candracar had directed them.

". . . Am I the only one who's noticed Will's sudden 'bitch fit' that seems to be growing more and more? I mean, one minute, she's docile; the next she's anxious; and now, she's incredibly insane! Not to mention that the Heart seems a lot less . . . bright and power-charged than it usually seemed to be every time Will would call upon it," commented Irma as a faint, dizzy spell began to come over her while Hay Lin and Taranee both helped her slowly follow after their former leader.

Taranee weakly inclined her raven colored head in agreement, she and Hay Lin barely able to walk themselves.

"Y . . . Yeah . . . Something definitely isn't right, here . . . and I'm beginning to think that it has to do with what's going on around the world, with Sitara as the connection . . ."

Cornelia immediately stopped walking ahead of them and whirled around to face the slightly accusatory young woman.

"I thought we agreed that Sitara has nothing to do with the world's chaos, Taranee? Don't you start in on her, too! You, none of you, know her like I do!" she defended torridly, wiping away a few beads of feverish sweat that had begun to form upon her fair visage in tiredness.

Taranee sighed heavily as her perfectly waxed eyebrows drew themselves down into a light frown.

"I'm too tired to argue, here, C . . . Cornelia, all right? In fact . . . I'm not arguing at all. I was just . . . just stating a bit of the obvious. Everything was just fine before Sitara went ballistic. And now, all of a sudden, the world's in disarray, and we're practically two seconds away from falling into a five year coma or something . . ."

Despite the anguish she felt to face it, Cornelia had made the very same relation a few hours ago, however didn't want to readily admit it. She couldn't imagine that Sitara would ever do anything to hurt the entire world, no matter how hurt she felt or whether or not she had that kind of power.

Well, regardless if it's true or not, I won't let anything happen to you, Sitara . . . I'm going to save you, no matter what the costs . . . she thought in determination as she resumed her walking.

"So . . . why do you think Sitara's at a cemetery of all places to go?" asked Hay Lin in amalgamated fear, fatigue, and curiosity as the four remaining girls at last pass through the mysteriously broken front iron gate of Fadden Hills Cemetery.

None of them wanted to enter the unfamiliar, eerie and dark territory that was surrounded by a platoon of the deceased -- not to mention a more than formidable foe that they may or may not would have to fight once they'd found her. However, they also knew that they had no other choice.

Irma scowled deeply as she shook her caramel brown head in feeble attempts to shake off her dizziness.

". . . Maybe she's into the whole necrophiliac scene," she muttered bitterly, earning a resentful glance from Cornelia.

"Irma, please! I know you hate her guts too, for what she did to you, but --"

"-- You're right! I do hate her wholeheartedly, Cornelia! And as soon as I find her, before Will or not, I'm going to tear her a new one," spat Irma, her outburst causing her to fall forward out of Hay Lin's and Taranee's weak grasp.

"Irma! Are you all right?" asked Hay Lin in thick worry, decrepitly bending over to help pick her back up, although with great difficulty.

Cornelia moved over to help in the process as she sighed lightly.

". . . I think we should save the energy we barely have left for if we have to fight Sitara, instead of bickering with one another," she said, wrapping one arm around the weaker girl's waist while slinging one of her own arms around her neck with the other in order to give Hay Lin and Taranee the rest they obviously needed more than she did.

"Let's just hope that we get to her before Will does . . . because if we don't, I have a strong feeling that she'll do something we'll all regret . . ."

YYYYYYYY

"Get ready Heart of Candracar, because as soon as I find my crazy sister, you and I are going into battle . . ." muttered Wilhelmina to herself heatedly as she fearlessly maneuvered her way throughout the spacious cemetery, the knuckles on her right hand turning chalk white from clutching the mystical medallion a bit too tightly while acting as a faint flashlight for her.

She'd never bothered to return the Heart back into her body since first summoning it a little over an hour ago, as besides knowing that she would use it once she'd found her twin sister, it would require too much energy to do so . . . energy she simply did not have.

In fact, keeping the Heart out like this was also requiring a great deal of strength to maintain in itself; however, the red head was too focused upon finding Sitara that she simply did not have the time to pay much attention to the devastating pain -- or notice the Heart seeming to wan in brightness . . .

Suddenly, Wilhelmina heard angry sobs wafting over a hill directly in front of her. That was when she'd at last noticed the suddenly darkened clouds, harsh winds and bullet-sized rain mercilessly crashing down upon and around her.

"Ow! Dammit . . . I think it's safe to say that I've found her, judging by the drastic change in weather and crazy screams ahead . . ." she reflected, convinced more than ever that her calamitous sister truly was responsible for the chaos spreading across the entire planet.

"How could you? It's your fault that I turned out this way, you lying, abusive bastard!" Wilhelmina heard a voice scream out into the night as she made her way over the hill.

There, eerily floating several feet before her with her back facing, was a young woman with long, fiery hair thrashing to and fro her assumed similar visage.

Wilhelmina gasped in surprised horror and apprehension as she took in the supernatural, black aura that acted as a mystical covering for the menacing girl's bare body.

And even though she was at a distance, Wilhelmina somehow knew exactly whose gray marble tombstone the other girl was angrily hovering in front of . . .

". . . Dad . . ." whispered Wilhelmina in blended emotion at the realization.

". . . I knew you'd come find me eventually, dear sister . . ." said Sitara in a toneless manner as she turned her attention from their deceased father's final resting place to a surprised Wilhelmina, the helter-skelter weather seeming not to have any sort of typical effect upon her as she continued to remain dry as a bone.

Her heart jerked in growing rage as well as faint fear as her livid brown eyes locked with the vacant gems of her seemingly possessed twin. To say that Wilhelmina wasn't feeling intimidated right then would have been greatly untrue; however, as tired and possibly unmatched she was just by the looks of her foe's appearance, Wilhelmina couldn't afford to back down.

And so, without thinking, she began to blindly charge toward her, screaming,

"You're going to pay for what you've done, you heartless bitch!"

"Will, don't!" Wilhelmina suddenly heard what sounded like Cornelia's pleading voice call out to her before feeling her outstandingly weakened body being tackled down to the ground by her.

"Oof! What the hell? C-Cornelia? What are you doing? Let . . . go of me!" she grunted, struggling beneath Cornelia's purposely debilitating weight as the thick wind and rain steadily beat down upon them.

"I . . . I'm stopping you from doing something you'll regret! We came together -- we'll do this together! But not through violence!" hissed Cornelia against her ear, as both Irma and Hay Lin suddenly collapsed onto the ground, nearly passed out.

The two women watched Taranee immediately rush to their sides and looked them over in concern.

"Are you guys all right? What is it?" she asked as Cornelia slowly rolled off of Wilhelmina, however kept a firm grip upon her wrist just in case.

"It . . . It's the rain . . . it's too much . . ." uttered Irma in pain, gasping for breath as her turquoise eyes became greatly dilated.

"What's too much, Irma? Stay with us! What's too much?" inquired Cornelia feverishly as Taranee gently tapped Irma's face repeatedly to keep her focused.

". . . It's too painful . . . The wind is crying out . . . burning my skin . . ." Hay Lin gasped out from her crumpled place at Irma's side, she too not looking any better.

In the midst of the confusion, no one had noticed Sitara's formerly stoic figure slowly begin to retreat as she clutched at her heart, her insides swirling with a multitude of different emotions.

No you don't . . . I will not let you take over me, no matter how overwhelming you feel . . . she thought to herself as she referred to the conglomeration of emotions she'd been feeling tenfold for a while now, wincing in agony. By the same token, however, her newly acquired powers had grown as well, and so as soon it'd started, she'd managed to shake off the crippling sentiments and regain control of her continued rage.

As Cornelia and Taranee tried to tend to the apparently down for the count Irma and Hay Lin, Wilhelmina wrenched her hand free and as quickly as she could manage, moved towards Sitara the same moment she'd extended her right arm in front of her and unfolded her protective hand concealing the ostensibly languid Heart of Candracar.

"What is this? Did you bring me a gift, sweet sis?" asked Sitara in mock amusement, cocking her crimson colored head to the side.

With her last ounce of strength -- as suddenly the crashing rain and tumultuous wind began to enfeeble her as well -- Wilhelmina exclaimed,

"If you call your ass about to get beaten by the five of us, then yes it is!"

Cornelia shakily stood from her spot and pleaded with the red head before her.

"Will, you can't! It might hurt us more than help if you --"

"-- Irma, Water! Taranee, Fire! Cornelia, Earth!" Wilhelmina interrupted, calling forth the powers of the elements from out of the Heart of Candracar, preparing for both their expected transformation as well as the fight of their lives . . .

-- End of Chapter Sixteen

(A.N. Ohhhh, good LORD, that was AWFUL. I'm so embarrassed. Can I please burn this chapter? And every other chapter I couldn't stand? Good GOD, this sucked monkey chunks. LoL Because what I wanted to display without giving away EVERYTHING, before I want you to know a little later on, didn't really get conveyed well, I don't think. And so, NOW, I know for SURE that there'll be SOME smart arse who'll read it later on when I DO reveal it, and be like, "Oh yeah? Well that didn't make sense the way you wrote it BEFORE!" And THEN, I'll have to cut their face as a result, thus losing popularity. LoL So NOW you understand why I hate this chapter. Roar! Oh, well. Please be nice to me with the reviews, okay? 'Bye-ee! LoL)