Chapter 34: Underwater Hysteria

"She loves the serene brutality of the ocean, loves the electric power she felt with each breath of wet, briny air."
― Holly Black, Tithe


"My King. My King that's enough. I'm expecting, after all."- Leonida hardly even tried to hide her irritation as she pushed the semi-naked man off herself.

Phobos grunted but didn't protest. He eyed her stomach and she flashed him a fake smile which he didn't return. He just got off the bed.

"My patience is running dangerously low, Leonida."- he said, making circles around the small bedroom. "I'm tired of waiting. Waiting for justice over 10 years is making me sick. Same can be said about the life of a prisoner. I can't even satisfy my carnal desires... Life has turned into an eternal forfeiture for me."

Oh, you poor thing, the ex-princess thought, stifling her yawn. She stretched and took a more comfortable position without losing his gaze.

"Endure just a little more."- the blonde said conspiratorially

"And then what!?"- Phobos raged, throwing his pillow in the other end of the low-ceiling room. "Then what, you tell me?! I'm losing all hope that what I deserve and desire will ever come back in my hands. I'm losing time for ages! Elyon is and always will be stronger than me, the amount of effort needed to trounce her put together with all the trouble that raising this child will be, are hideously huge! Things shall never be as they used to again!"

Leonida felt an urge to roll her eyes. The closer she was getting to her goals, the more she faced troubles enduring that man's rants and whims. But she shouldn't be doing that; no, she could not afford to be seen out of her role. Not yet. Not now when things were on the verge of happening according to her taste.

"Excuse me just a minute, my King."- she said sweetly and proceeded to exit the room, leaving Phobos alone with his anguish.

She planned on getting rid of this unwanted onrush of crisis in him the way Cedric used to predispose him. Cedric, that foolish snake. Leonida smirked at the thought of him and once again thanked her luck for getting rid of him on time. He was just another thorn in the heel which she didn't need and now that he was away for good, she had one obstacle less in front of herself. His stash of herbs, however, had been left behind. Leonida had found it. It served her good.

She had just finished brewing the water for the tea she planned to give Phobos, when his sudden appearance in the dimply -lit, tiny kitchen space, scared the living days out of her:

"What are you putting in my beverage?"

Leonida turned around lightning-like, seeing him leaning on the door frame, a look of suspicion on his face. Phobos pinned her down with his cruel green orbs, before she could even gulp. He was approaching her, she had to think fast...

"N-no, my King, I was making tea for myself. These herbs, Elyon left them with me, they're good for the chi-"

"You've been giving me tea at least twice every day for a while now. Is it not a little too big of a coincidence."- Phobos whispered and came face to face with her. In the dark kitchen, his close presence somehow managed to startle her. Leonida looked away from his eyes, trying to gather her composure.

"Herbs, you said. May I see the herbs which my caring little sister left you with? She wouldn't do it herself, but she is idiotic enough to allow herself to be fooled. What if that hag, the Mage, passed on something poisonous for you too? Let me see!"

The ex-princess looked at him, incredulous. He was concerned for her?! After what he had just seen...could it be that even his threatening glare had morphed into...care... Care for her and their unborn. Astounding...

"Leonida!"- Phobos waved his hand in front of her face, losing patience. "Are you listening to me, silly girl? Show me the herbs Elyon gave you!"

Leonida came back to her senses. She smiled. Now that she had her magic, switching the contents of two little bags was effortless, but she still had to be careful. The prince shouldn't know that she has a part of her powers back...

"It's just peppermint leaves and ginger roots, my King."- she smiled feigningly, showing him the newly-arranged bag. "I don't lack that much common sense, don't worry. I'd never risk our future."

Phobos examined the herbs, the ginger in particular detail. Not tarnal ginger, thankfully...He still remembered the coughing upon taking just a spoon full of that porridge, crammed with the gut-wrenching roots...

Then he looked up at Leonida again:

"Very well. I wanted to...to be sure that the baby is safe. It is very important to us, after all."

Leonida nodded and watched the man retire back to their bedroom for the night. Once she was left alone in the kitchen, she leaned against one of the olden counters, her eyes wandering beyond time and space.

Zowie, who would've thought, she said to herself. Prince Phobos and care? Concern for someone other than himself? Times really do be changing people in ways which the majority would never consider in the first place. Oh, my King Phobos. I love this new you. Her lips stretched into a dark smile. It makes it that much easier for me to control you fully and indefinitely.


Heatherfield, Lair House

Anna Banister- Lair turned around in the bed, shooting her husband a playful smile:

"Well, that was fun. Do you have to go though?"

"Trust me, honey, I'd rather stay here and have more fun with you all day and night."- Tom pulled his pants over his boxers as his wife rolled her eyes comically. Men would be men. Rough sex would always be better than sentimental romance to the majority of them. "But alas; duty calls. That dickhead Alexis left them with work for months to come. But what to do, corrupt cops."

At the mention of the late criminal's name, Anna frowned. She hadn't liked him from the start and had turned out to be right for more than she had anticipated.

"I hate corrupt cops. They always ruin everything and make people hate the police as a whole. Because of people like him you face distrust that's uncalled for."- Anna ranted as she stood up and wrapped herself in her nightgown.

"What to do. Some people abuse their authorities. They use it to get to people or to preach their wrong beliefs about life."

The Latina breathed in agreement as she sat in front of her dressing table, applying lotion on her elbows.

"Yes, but Jessie Alexis's type has to be worst. Speaking bad of the dead is bad by itself, but he? He was an absolute monster. He targeted the Vandoms for that Serena's sake, yet he couldn't even target the one who she actually had beef with."

"You mean Tony Vandom?"- Tom was all set to go. He walked to her side in his uniform. "He's not helping himself by choosing to keep hiding. There's an open case against him; and even though there's not much evidence, if Serena, who's also hiding, decided to reply to the lawsuit that Susan started, the mess is guaranteed. I don't envy Theresa and the other guys in the judiciary. Their case may go on for years."

Anna's smile quenched at that as she remembered the scene she had witnessed at Susan's house on the night of the Policemen Ball. Tony had been there; Dean and Susan knew of Tony's location, yet they had all chosen not to have him turn in. She hadn't told Tom about it, not so much because she didn't trust him, but because she didn't want to put him in an uncomfortable situation in which he'd have to keep the truth from his colleagues.

Now that he had mentioned it, though, she felt like she had been a bystander for too long. She had to interfere, even if her interjection was unwanted because she couldn't live with a tainted conscience. She had to at least try...

"Bye honey. See you tonight."- Tom kissed the top of her head. "I hope you'll still be in a naughty mood."

Anna smiled him goodbye, but mentally, she was out of the house before him. The moment her husband left the room, she started getting ready to do the same.


"What the actual fuck?! Amanda, why didn't you tell me about this earlier? It's been four days, Amanda, why did it take you so long to tell me that my mother never went on a business trip in the first place!? You got scared...Right."- Will tried to restrain her raging emotions and sighed. "OK, Amanda, let it be...I'm sure that everything will be alright, eventually. No, don't apologize, it's not your fault. You were doing what she asked you to. Just call me immediately if you hear from her, OK? Bye."

Will disconnected the call and removed her eyes from the screen of her smartphone, focusing them on her step-father, who was standing in front of the desk in his office, his arms folded on his chest.

"Well?"

"Your wife is insane."- the redhead announced grimly, taking a seat in one of the armchairs nearby. "She purposely made her assistant lie that she's going on a business trip so that we wouldn't look for her. Thank God Amanda is Amanda; after she couldn't reach her for four days, she called me in panic. I don't know what to do, Dean. I really don't know what to tell you."

"She is with your father, I know it."- Dean shook his head. "He got this crazy idea about getting revenge on Serena in her head. With all the trauma she's been through during the last months, Susan's mental state was more than labile and he took advantage of it...The bad thing is that I'm starting to panic too; four days and no response from her are a lot, Will."

"He's not my father."- Will declared. "You are. You are the best father I could ever have; don't worry. He'll never win her back, nor is she in any real danger, I'm sure of it. She's just being hell of insensitive."

Warmed by her words, the teacher barely managed to contain the happy tear from rolling down his cheek, as he took her hands in his. Their relationship had come a long way since the first day they had met in class, that was for sure. He knew that she had long accepted him as some sort of father figure in her life by now, but hearing her voice it herself felt even better.

"I'm touched, Will, and I love your mother and you. You know that. You two and William are my family; I don't appreciate Tony Vandom by any means, but I can't deny that he does care about you in his own way. He does, you're still his daughter, no matter what, trust me."

Will wanted to protest, but instead, she just looked down. Dean was probably right but admitting it was beyond her power at this point. Beyond her will, whenever it was about Thomas Vandom.

"Don't be afraid to admit it to yourself, you still carry love and concern for him too. It's only natural, sweetie."- Dean smiled at her, rubbing her fingers between his palms. "Tony is a troubled guy, but he's not indifferent to you and Susan, and that's the only reason why I haven't reported her missing yet. I don't know what to do..."

The guardian was just about to say that she didn't care whether the police caught her father or not, when a new female voice from behind, said it instead of her. Well, almost...Father and daughter aimed their attention at the opened door with more than startled expressions:

"You should report her missing, Dean. This is serious. Besides, by escaping prosecution, Tony isn't helping himself, on the contrary."- Anna Bannister tossed her wavy hair back and carefully closed the door behind herself. "I'm sorry I just barged in like that, but I had to speak to you, once I saw the two of you together."- she played with the handle of her purse. She was visibly on pins and needles, much to Will's shock. "May I?"

"Mrs. Lair, it's alright, you know everything about our situation, yet you decided to stay silent for Tony's sake."- the redhead began, but Dean interrupted her:

"Will's right, Anna, and we're beholden to you for that. But why are you saying this...for the sake of the case or because-"

"For everyone's sake!"- Anna exclaimed as she walked in and sat in the second armchair next to Will's. "I want the best for everyone. After what happened because of that dirty man, Alexis, I've been thinking about it a lot, and I decided to talk to Susan about the future. She needed to know that clearing it and sorting out everything, once and for all, is better for her ex-husband, but after I couldn't reach her or find her anywhere, I came here. Hearing that Susan's been missing for four days, my hair bristled! Dean, Will; Serena, and her brother are dangerous people. Serena is still somewhere out there, don't you see how alarming this is, especially now that Susan's been missing four days?!"

"Mrs. Lair, she's with my horrible father. They're after Serena..."- Will sighed. "I know how it sounds, but-"

But she couldn't finish her objection again:

"Do you think that she...that she might be in actual danger?"- the history teacher whispered. His stepdaughter moved her eyes from his to her friend's mother and the other way around. They looked absolutely beyond the edge of their own tension.

The Latina frantically shook her head and, at that moment, Will was bedazzled by the astonishing resemblance between her and Irma:

"Absofuckinglutely! I don't want to scare you people, but that Serena is a dangerous streetwalker. I've seen her in action, she's totally nuts and we shouldn't lose another second in waiting! Will, I understand your doubts, but think about it. You know your mother, whatever she might do that you're not OK with, she's a mother. A mother! Would she ever allow herself to be unreachable for four days in normal conditions? No, she wouldn't. Just give me a sign and I'll call Tom right away. Think about it, pumpkin, but I'm absolutely sure; we have to help your mom before something irreparable happens."

Will looked down and then up again. Her most recent tasks had kept her occupied, but Anna's words really did make her think deeper. Apparently, her dislike for the fact that Susan and Tony were up to stupid stuff together, had created a sense of illusory security for her. Will also knew what edges Serena was willing to reach in the name of her sick ambitions. She turned to Dean, who mentally thanked God for hearing his prayers when he heard her say:

"Dean, Mrs. Lair makes a very valid point. I think that we should do as she says."


"Will, don't blame yourself; we were all engulfed by work. The mission on Ero and all that kept us busy."- Taranee tried to soothe her friend's nerves, one hour post her learning that her mother's phone had been last detected aside from the highway with Midgale, four days ago. "We're going to find them."

"She took them. I just know it."- Will just said dryly, making Taranee and Hay Lin look at each other helplessly. They all knew it, it was pointless to deny it, because any other alternative wasn't any better anyway.

Matt was driving towards the place where Susan's smartphone had been detected last, even faster than the police cars, if that was possible. His portable sportscar was practically flying.

Inside with him, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Irma sat on the backseat, while Will rode in the front next to the driver. Her face was slowly starting to resemble that she had carried for weeks upon losing her unborn baby, and that terrified Hay Lin:

"Will, I know that it's scary. It's always scary when it's about your mom and dad, but don't forget who we are and what we can do. We will find them, I promise you. We'll find them and it will all be alright-"

Will took a deep sigh:

"It never really is, with my family. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. And I still believe."- she turned to her friends. "I still believe in justice."


Paris, France

Cornelia woke up early that morning. She spent an hour in the hotel gym and then 20 minutes in the sauna before taking a quick cold shower. A big day was in front of her, and hence, she wanted to be in the perfect shape for it. Over the years, she had broken out of habit, but now that she was sleeping alone for the first time in ages, she had quickly forced herself to get up fast and get to business. It was easier without someone like Caleb tugging on her, drowning her with endearments and kisses. He was especially affectionate in the mornings, humping on her leg and keeping her in bed forever. Cornelia smirked as she thought of the sex machine that she lived with. But it was not like she was complaining, not at all. She loved their morning routine on her fiancé's half days, his tender loving touch and fierce, passionate grips; every moment of the life with their baby son was also amazing. It was just that now, when she was in Europe to work, alone, she also enjoyed the solitude and the fact that there was no one to slow her down.

But Caleb had found a way to be a part of her morning nonetheless. Cornelia was just exiting the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her slender body, when her iPhone rang. It was around 7:30 AM in Paris.

"Caleb?"- Cornelia exclaimed, seeing his image in the FaceTime feature. "Isn't it like, night back there? Why are you up so late?"

She positioned the phone on the vanity, propped up against one of her bags, as she seated herself in front of the big mirror and let her long, wet hair down from the big towel.

"Hi to you too."- he retorted. "You're looking fine."

"Don't I?"- she beamed, busy with looking at her own reflection. "Are you alone there?"

From what she could see, the man was lying on their bed. She could recognize her Persian couverture anywhere.

"Duh, just myself here. And your son sleeping in his crib."

"Good."- Cornelia said and allowed her towel to slide down from her upper body. It had been too loose anyway.

Caleb's soft moan of approval was quick to come. Cornelia blew him an air-kiss and proceeded to apply oil to the lengths of her blond hair.

"Yeah, you bet you're fine... You're over the whole time difference thing, huh? Where are you off to now, your interview?"

"Yeah. Urgh, don't even mention that! I had the worst jet-lag yesterday."- the woman complained while combing her hair out with a big transparent comb. "I hadn't flown on a plane in forever. But now I'm much better and I'm getting ready. Hey, should I wear my hair straight or should I curl it?"

Seeing her fiancé getting carried away, she rolled her eyes:

"Would you stop staring at my boobs and start giving me answers? You didn't even tell me what you're doing up this late. You usually like to go to sleep early so that you can get up early?"

"Sorry, I'm just tired and easily distracted by tits."- Caleb snorted, trying to rub the sleep away from his eyelids. "I'm up because we've been on alert mode all day."

"Why, trouble on Meridian again?"

"No. It's Will's parents. Apparently, someone abducted them. Everyone suspects Serena, but you know how it is. Earth authorities still have nothing in particular."

"What?!"

Cornelia was shocked by what she had just heard, and took the phone in her hands, bringing it closer to her face.

"Yeah, it's quite disturbing. Susan and Tony went after Serena, but she was the one who got them."

"This is beyond insolent of her! Did the girls try their magic? The Heart or-"

"They did, but the Heart has been acting weird all day. It decided to run low on power in the worst possible moment."- Caleb tried to suppress his yawn. "We've been trekking the area around the place where the alleged abduction happened all day-"

"Oh, my God."- Cornelia covered her mouth with her hand. "This is my fault, isn't it?"

"What? What are you talking ab-"

"The five guardians have to be together to use their powers most efficiently. I left Heatherfield in the worst possible moment and that's why the Heart's betraying us."- she bit her lip with concern, but her boyfriend interrupted her, peeved:

"Don't talk nonsense, Cornelia! You've done nothing wrong. That's why the girls didn't want to tell you! Anyway, listen to me. We trekked the area, we found this abandoned farmhouse that looked like it had been used recently. There were ropes and blood in numerous places."

"Blood?!"

"Not too much. Relax. Hay Lin caught on Susan's essence, but she lost it somewhere near the nudist beaches in the outskirt coast side of Midgale... "- Caleb was fighting his body to keep his eyes open at this point. "Mom and dad returned from Meridian late in the evening, now mom's making a locating potion or whatever. Don't worry, things will be fine here. I hate to tell you all this right before you go to your interview, but I wanted you to hear it from me and brace yourself before opening up your phone in a wrong moment; the story of Susan and Tony Vandom's disappearance is all over the local news web pages and social media...Sorry."

Cornelia took a deep breath.

"No, you did good, baby. Thanks for letting me know everything. You're right, I guess that if I had opened this story right before entering the room for the interview or something, I would've totally lost it."

Caleb smiled groggily.

"Good. Now leave all this aside, promise that you'll be strong and confident, and go rock them."

"I will."

"And don't blame yourself for anything. It's not your fault. We'll find them."

Cornelia tossed her wet hair back and held her phone with a firm hand.

"OK, I won't, don't worry. Go to bed."- she smiled at his grinning, half-asleep image. "I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"Love youuu."- Caleb smacked the screen of his phone before dropping it next to himself and closing his eyes.

The Earth guardian took a minute to look at his image lovingly before disconnecting the call. Caleb had always been amazing- so full of ardent, passion, and love. There was a soft side to him, beside that strong warrior energy which he exuded. She could barely wait to be back by his side again.


Heatherfield

"She could've come back for ten minutes! Then she could've teletransported back, it's not like it's impossible!"- Irma fumed from the lid of the car she was sitting on. "But noo, you said no. We could've at least tried it...You girls just make everything ten times harder for no reason."

"Quit it out, Irma!"- Taranee couldn't hold back anymore. She turned back and glared at the water-witch: "We all agreed, plus Will insisted on it- Cornelia won't be bothered until she's done with her job. She's doing something for herself and her future, and we don't have the right to be selfish!"

"Especially since Will said so. This is about her parents."- Hay Lin added despondently. "What do you want to do, upset her even more?"

Irma sighed and gave up on justifying her suggestion. Taranee and Hay Lin would never stop thinking of her ways of offering help as too intrusive. They all waited for a couple more minutes, in total silence.

The three cars, Irma's silver Acura MDX, Taranee's 2018 Lexus ES, and Eric's classic BMW, were all parked in a circle like composition near the docks. It was chilly, even though they were about to enter the month of March. Dusk had long fallen. They had tried everything during the last hours, up to the point where they had actually stumbled upon undeniable clues. Susan's broken tossed aside phone near the highway and the abandoned farmhouse where they had found ropes and blood...Irma shook her head. If last summer someone had told her about all the trouble Serena would get to create in the future, she would've taken her off that damn plane herself.

The figure that teletransported nearby, caught Eric by surprise; he almost fell to the ground.

"About time."- Irma commented, forcing Martin to shut her up with an embrace. Even he knew when she had to keep quiet by now.

Nerissa didn't pay attention to her. She straightened the collar of her trench coat and held a small vial up for everyone to see.

"Your locator potion."- she announced as Blunk stirred behind her empowering figure. "I've also brought you an additional nose. Where's Will?"

"She had to be here already, I don't know why-"- Taranee began saying, but that was when they all heard the tires of a fast-approaching car.

Matt's car lined up with the rest of their vehicles.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to talk to the police about my mother again."- Will explained as she exited the car.

"But now we're here to find Susan and Tony ourselves."- Matt suggested optimistically. "Isn't that right, Nerissa?"

Nerissa didn't retort, she simply made Will a sign to come closer.

"Your mother's belonging."- she stretched her hand out expectantly, barely waiting for the redhead to place a little cross-shaped chain in her palm.

"She wears this all the time."- the keeper explained.

The Mage nodded and then let a few drops of the potion fall on the golden chain. It took the magic but a few moments to start working. First the necklace started to glow, then it slowly lifted itself up in the air until it was above the group's heads. Susan's cross started to spin around its own orbit for a few minutes and then...then it fell back in Will's palm.

"Woow. What a trick! Where's your tip jar, Mage?"

"Wow, what just happened?"- Eric interfered. "Wasn't this supposed to like...lead us to Mr. and Mrs. Vandom?"

"Is something wrong?"- Taranee added, looking at Nerissa who just frowned harshly. Taranee pursed her lips. She was always quite irritated by the fact that Nerissa knew so much more about magic.

"Nothing's wrong with my potion."- the ex-guardian snapped. "It never fails to trace anyone by their possessions."

"Oh, yeah? Then what happened just now."- Irma didn't remain obligated.

Nerissa gave her a death glare before giving her questions further thought.

"Wait a minute..."- Will began, feeling her throat close at a sudden dark thought. "Does this mean that she..."

"No, it does not mean that your mother's dead."- Nerissa rolled her eyes. "Even if she was, the potion would've at least led us to her body. It hardly even moved. Therefore, the case is different."

Insensitive much. Taranee shook her head but said nothing. She just looked at the evening sky and the stars, thinking about all she and her friends had to go through in life, because of being guardians...

"Then what does it mean, that's she's too far away?"- Matt inquired, rubbing the slightly relieved Will's shoulders.

"No, dear heart. The chainlet didn't even start a journey, it just fell back. That only happens if..."- Nerissa made a brief pause.

"If?"- Hay Lin prompted her, holding her boyfriend's hand close to her concerned face.

"...if the searched object is under the patronage of one of the four elements."- the ex-guardian finished thoughtfully, baffling the others.

"Huh? Say wha-"

"Of course."- Nerissa kept narrating, more to herself than to the rest. "When the old emperor locked the four dragons away, he locked the borders of their powers. When one of them had food, they couldn't share it with the others. Not before the nymph united them in the Heart, which is profoundly ineffective today-"

"Get to the point!"- Irma raged. She was so annoyed with everything; she really didn't have the desire to listen to Nerissa's crap in addition. "Susan's under the patronage of one of the elements, what is that supposed to mean!? Since when does Serena have control over the elements? Which element?! Can't you get one simple thing described thoroughly?"

The older woman offhandedly pulled the jewel around Will's neck out of her blouse and added a few drops of her potion on it. The Heart glowed and changed colors before their baffled eyes.

"Whoa."- Matt protested, but was cut short. "Why- "

Eric whistled under his nose. Irma was the one left most smitten:

"What the..."

"It is as you heard me say, fool. She's under the patronage of one of the elements. Your element."- Nerissa looked at her coldly, as Irma moved her shocked eyes from the Heart which had focused its light on her, to the others. "According to the Heart, water veils Susan's location from the common seeker, but thankfully, we have the guardian of water here, now, don't we?!"

"What games are you playing again!?"- the water-witch spat, rebelling in Martin's arms. "Why can't you be open and fucking nice to us for once?! Just speak without mockery or riddles!"

"None, I play no games with you, you mannerless whelp." - Nerissa retorted coldly, pursing her creamy red lips. "I'm out here helping you; you fail to appreciate everything I do."

"Well, maybe if you stopped doing everything with such evident aversion!"- Irma didn't remain obligated. "All you're up for is belittling us each time, that's the only reason you help us, you wanna constantly feel like you're something more! I just want you to keep in mind how many times we came out as cleverer in recent times. Your reluctance, honey, it's as if you'd poison us with a glance if you could-"

"Enough, both of you."- Matt demanded, but his interjection turned out to be pointless. The quarrel would be halted either way when in the next minute Will's mobile rang.

"Great."- she murmured. "It's an unknown number."

"Pick up, kid."- Jim, her Samsung, advised her. The guardians, who could hear him, looked at each other. "It's important. Put on loudspeaker."

Will looked at her friends before fulfilling Jim's request with a tightened Heart. Nerissa removed her glare from Irma, fastened her trench coat, and listened in silence together with everyone else:

"Hello?"

"Will. Will listen to me very carefully and calmly, sweetie. I have only five minutes."- Susan Vandom's voice was trembling.

"Will's mamma!"- Blunk exclaimed quietly.

"Mom!"- Will yelped, her heart racing fast. "Mom, where are you? What's going on?!"

"Will, I only have 5 minutes before this phone becomes unusable! P-please, listen to me."- her mother cried from the other line.

The redhead and her friends, who were all hearing the call, exchanged shocked glances that just displayed how much they didn't know what to do. Even Nerissa looked puzzled at the next words:

"She is a monster, a monster! She kidnapped me and your father; I-I made things worse because I attacked her. But I couldn't control myself, honey, the way she spoke...I wanted to kill her! B-but her goons caught me when I returned for Tony...she was very angry, Will. She tormented, drugged and abused us, and when she thought it to be enough, we refused to give her the amount of money that she needed to flee the country and start a new life. That made her go insane! She s-said...she s-said that she would kill us. Then, about half an hour ago, when the sleeping drugs' efficiency was over, she put c-cloths over our eyes again, she moved us; she put us in something like a box and then injected us again. Previously, we were in a dark cellar...an old dark wine cellar... T-the last thing which I recall was her instructions about the five-minute call. S-she wanted you to hear us d-dying, Will...she-she's the devil!"- Susan was hysterical, but her daughter could feel herself getting close to the similar state.

The uncertainty...being unable to help her parents in a critical moment like this, not knowing where to look or what to do, combined with the terrible suspense, made the redhead sick to her gut. Serena had done this to them, but how could she stop her when the bitch aimed for her parents?! When she was in the dark, despite her powers...

I can't help my own parents, despite being a guardian, Will thought despondently. This is the end. This is my end...

"Mrs. Vandom, this is Taranee, we're all searching for you, the police is searching for you too, remain calm!"- Taranee interjected when Susan's horrified mutters became unreadable. "Serena kidnapped you near the Midgale highway and then held you hostage in an abandoned farm shed. Then what happened? Where did she take you, stay calm!"

In the meantime, Jim had sent all the data he could get from the device the woman had called from, sending it to Martin's open laptop. He was already recording it too. The most which the phone could do for his disturbed owner, the guardian of Quintessence, was done. In his turn, the young man feverishly typed something, balancing his device on the truck of the car. He was trying to locate Susan's whereabouts, but it was harder said than done; she was calling from somewhere where the service was extremely bad and apparently through an old contraption...

"S-she, she blindfolded us, we moved, I don't know where..."- Susan stammered. "I don't know! Oh, my God, it says that I have 3 minutes left..."

"But, Mrs. Vandom, did you hear something?! Try to remember."- Hay Lin interjected.

"I..I heard cars; I heard seagulls and a horn! I heard a horn-"- Susan stammered.

"Sounds like some sort of port. The dockside? That might be here!"- Eric suggested and his girlfriend nodded. She thought so too, as the wielder of all sounds transmitted through the air. Susan's description sounded exactly like the dockside. But why had Serena taken them there?

"Susan, where are you now? Try to look around yourself."- Matt demanded. "We're all here, don't lose hope and have faith. We will find you, just gives all that you've got-"

"I-I don't know, Matt!"- the woman cried. Her terrified voice made Will's heart tighten. Her mother was so afraid, all she wanted was to protect and calm her down. But who would calm her? She was shivering at this point. She had a terrible foreboding... "I'm in a..in a box or something...it's dark. It's dark and it's so unusually soundless...it's like there's nothing around me..."

"Soundless..."- Hay Lin repeated, confused. No place on Earth was absolutely soundless. Where could Mrs. Vandom be? "Do you hear nothing, Mrs. Vandom? Absolutely nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing! Nothing! It's like I'm in a vacuum, it's almost deafening!"- Susan blurted. "I'm scared. I can't push this box open, no matter how hard I try. It's wooden, it looks like a crate or something, I don't get it! It feels like, it feels like I'm moving...moving towards the ground, so slowly...It's terrible, I want to be out of here. I want to hold my babies! G-god I want to be with my family..."

"Susan, don't cry, everything will be fine."- Taranee insisted, even though she was terribly spooked by the situation as a whole.

Just then, another unknown number called Will's phone. Jim managed to merge the two calls:

"Will? Will is that you?"- Tony Vandom's voice was the very next nail of shock that got hammered in her heart. Will's jaw hung open:

"Dad?!"

"Finally! Will, I have five minutes. She's playing games with us."- Tony appeared to be better collected than his ex-wife, even though his unrest could be heard in his voice. "She wants us to be scared and to suffer, but I'm sure that we'll be alright. Whatever you do, you have to save your mother's life. Fuck me, I'll be alright. I'm scared for her."

"T-tony?!"- Susan sobbed. "Tony, don't talk like that..."

"Susan?!"- he exclaimed from his side of the call. "Susan where are you?! Are you OK?!"

"We got in this together, we have to e-exit it together. I don't know where I am!"- Susan cried. "I don't know...I'm so scared."

Will put her hand on her mouth as Taranee briefly explained to her parents about the merged calls thing. This right here was the absolute worst situation she had ever been in. Both her parents had only minutes left to talk to her. Both of them in danger and scared, somewhere away. Somewhere where Serena could hurt them and she, the keeper of the Heart, was powerless against it. And that terrible feeling of dread stuck in her throat that insisted she has little to no time to act...Will felt like she would die right there and then. If she lost her parents to Serena's revenge, she would die. The pain would be too much...

"I don't want to scare any of you, but this five-minute thing she has thought of discourages me."- Tony's voice admitted. "I'm rammed in some box, I don't know...these phones, this whole scenario...it makes me think that she has set a bomb of some sort-"

"Oh, my God!"- Susan cried in terror.

"Relax, Susie-Q, I might be wrong."- Tony said quickly. "It also feels like I'm moving...Like I'm sinking into something, isn't it crazy?

"Same here."- Susan sobbed. "I've got 40 seconds, if I don't see you again, know that I love all of you. I love you!"

"Don't talk like that, Susan, we'll be fine!"- Tony scolded her and then went on, quickly: "I don't know, kids, think about it. I'm sure you can find us; I really don't know what that whore has done with us, but I can't open this square that I'm in even if my life depended on it. It's mere wood, but it feels like steel!"

"Wait."- Taranee said. "You feel like you're what? Like your sinking?"

Tony seemed to think about it for a second or two:

"Yeah, it's very odd...it's this...this feeling that I'm suddenly weightless. But it doesn't stop and I can't hear anything-"

Irma had walked away from the group. Little to no time was left till the phones Serena had given them died, but she had this sudden attraction. Attraction to the ocean behind her. As if it was calling her. Irma took another step towards the dark waters as the cold wind blew her hair back.

Nerissa turned around and noticed the water guardian's change of position. She squinted her eyes, moving them from the younger woman to the ocean...Susan's time had just ended. Matt was trying to calm the redhead down and everyone's tension and suspense grew, hers included, but Irma's actions interested her greatly at that moment. And then, something in her head clicked:

"Wait a damn minute, you feel something, don't you?! Your element that veils their location, that's what this means! That's why the Heart pointed at you, why the locator's had no effect...that's where they are! Underwa-"

In a swift second, Irma turned around in shock. Nerissa's words were that deaf current she had been hearing in her head the entire time, translated.

"Well?! Stop wasting time, feel it! Tell us!"- the ex-guardian insisted, her wide eyes on Irma. "Tell us, fool, only you will know for sure!"

"Oh."- the Latina muttered, the grave realization sinking in her mind. "Oh, shit..."

"What?"- Tony wanted to know. "What's going on?"

Everyone was staring at Irma at that moment.

"What are you trying to- "- Taranee began and just stopped. She had also gotten their idea and the way it all started to unfold in front of her eyes made her gasp in horror: "Oh, my God! No way...but it fits the story...the dockside, that's why they were here. That's where they took off..."

"...the sounds which Mrs. Vandom heard were the sounds she was last exposed to."- Hay Lin went on. "That also explains the stillness around them- "

"And why they're undetectable by both magic and technology."- Nerissa frowned. "God..."- Blunk hid behind her in his own fear.

But the fear was for everyone to feel. The nastiest of terrifying feelings nested in their minds as they came to realize the bitter truth:

"And the reason why they can't open their boxes is the pressure, isn't it."- Will gasped aghast, having followed their thoughts. "T-that's why their sinking they're...they- "

Eric and Martin looked smitten to the core. Matt stood like he couldn't move, as Tony's phone call, muted the moment magic had been mentioned, was cut short for good; it all made sense. It all fitted so well, it was so unfortunate and scary, but it did, and everyone knew it at that point...

"That crazy hoe threw them in the ocean."- Irma finished the grave conclusion, turning back to stare at the cold, dark still waters together with the rest of her horrified friends. "She left them to die under tons of deep, black, cold water..."


"Will, Will look at me- "- Taranee tried not to lose it while she spoke to her friend, who was irresponsive ever since Irma had departed. Taranee was shivering despite her big beige woolen sweater and the denim jacket she wore on top. She was trying to get Will to keep having faith, but so far, she couldn't tell whether her attempts meet any success or not. "Will, please stay with us, don't fall in desperation right now, we will save them!"

The scenario that they had found themselves with was indeed more than horrific, she had to admit to that. Knowing that two people, Will's parents for Pete's sake, were sinking deeper and deeper into the dark, cold ocean was more than terrifying. Taranee couldn't imagine a normal person dealing with it, even they, who had incredible powers and magic on their side were facing great difficulties with rescuing the Vandoms.

A nightmare, Taranee thought. This is just a nightmare. Poor Will...

"It's not the time to be weak."- Nerissa said coldly shaking her shoulders. "Stand up and use your brain. Use all that's necessary to be of any use at all."

Taranee and Hay Lin stared at her in bewilderment. Taranee was about to stop the ex-guardian from being so darn insensitive and inappropriate, but for some reason, Hay Lin knew she had to stop her and she did. She caught her hand and pulled her back to herself.

- She's reaching to her. Let them be. It might actually help her...

Will looked up at the brunette with red eyes:

"Weak?"- she yelled. "My parents might be taking their last breaths as we speak! How can you expect me to hold back? They might be getting crushed by pressure, fighting with the deep icy waters where they have no chance to make it to the top. How am I supposed to react, knowing all this?! Knowing that I'm powerless to help them? Weak...easy for you to say when it's not your close ones!"

"And how did you decide that you're powerless?"- Nerissa shook her head tartly. "You dense girl, are you still unaware of the immense powers which you have? You're the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar! The Heart of Kandrakar!"

"The Heart betrayed me!"- Will spat bitterly. "It couldn't even transform us, what is left be of any help!"

It was true, Irma had been the only one who had managed to get her transformation that day when the Heart was running low on power. She and Matt had flown out to try to detect Susan and Tony's locations. Knowing that Irma could sense them through her element was the last hope which Will carried. What was Nerissa even talking about, she knew that full well!?

Taranee, Hay Lin, and the rest of the group had been left to wait at the dockside. Currently, they were in the old, unusable parts of the old loading area. Stuck to wait. Wait and do nothing; they couldn't even contact the police. How could they contact them? What would they say? What was the point at all...If Irma couldn't save her parents then no one could.

But what Nerissa did next was the next big shocker that evening. It had been literal minutes since Irma and Matt left, minutes which she had spent observing Will with a deep, spiteful scowl. She had observed her breaking down, helpless and too shocked to do anything, and she hadn't liked what she had seen. Obviously. But the slap which she gave her replacement next was the least expected following reaction. Her long firm fingers slashed the redhead's cheek furiously.

Hay Lin gasped in shock:

"NERISSA! What the actual hell?!"- Taranee roared, outraged, but Nerissa ignored her completely. All her anger was focused at Will, who turned back to her in bafflement, her hand on her red cheek:

"You FOOL! I REFUSE to believe that after so many years you're still such a pathetic wimp! The Heart didn't betray you, you betrayed it! You've stopped believing in it, by stopping to believe in your own self!"- she spat ardently. "I've been watching you degrade more and more, but I can't bear to look at you anymore! It's your parents that are in grave danger, wake the fuck up, moronic girl! Don't just stand there! If it had been me, I would've made the world turn the other way by now! I-"

"I'm NOT YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY SLAPPED ME!"- Will yelled back, glaring daggers at her. She pushed her back with both her hands, but Nerissa didn't bulge. Her voice was so loud, the words she was saying were barely understandable at this point: "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH, DON'T YOU DARE CRITICIZE ME! WHAT KIND OF HEARTLESS MONSTER ARE YOU?!"

"QUIT MAKING EXCUSES FOR YOURSELF!"- Nerissa shouted in response nailing her index finger in the younger woman's shoulder. "Oh, you think that slap was outrageous? I will drag you through this entire lot if you don't stop being such an abject sook! You're THE KEEPER OF THE HEART! ACT LIKE IT!"- her voice thundered like the sky during a summer storm and her green eyes threw lighting-like glares. Taranee and Hay Lin were totally out of their league, in the background with the two men, as the two keepers yelled at each other:

"FUCK OFF, YOU HAG, YOU WERE THE KEEPER AND YOU FAILED, DON'T TRY TO TEACH ME BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY CAN'T!"- Will kept screaming. She was out of breath at this point. She barely ever allowed herself to fall into such hysteria, but this time she was beside herself. As if what was happening to her parents wasn't enough, Nerissa had decided to be unbearable too. How dare she?! Did she enjoy this?! "Your time is long over, stop trying to relive your days as lead guardian through me and my troubles! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"How stupid can you get?"- Nerissa raged. "It's not about me, it's about YOU! You're so busy pitying yourself, aren't you? Let me tell you, once you lose your parents to your sheer idiocy, you won't be able to look at your reflection ever again! You think that you've been through a lot? Try living with the guilt of someone's death that you've done nothing to prevent! You brat, your parents need your powers and those of the Heart, they don't need your sorry cowardice! -"

"Quit projecting the story of your life on the wall of mine!"- Will hissed against her, her tears streaming down her face. "That was what happened to you! I'm doing all that I can, I can't do anything more!"

"Yes, what's about to happen to you is going to be much WORSE if you keep being such a pathetic excuse of a guardian!"- the older woman sneered. "Of course, you can do more, you're not even trying! Get over yourself. Be worthy or be gone!"

Overtaken by a new surge of fury, the redhead spat in response:

"PLEASE, POST THANOS, YOU NEVER EVEN CARED WHETHER YOUR PARENTS WERE DEAD OR ALIVE! YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON TO PREACH CHILD TO PARENT LOVE TO ME!"

For a moment, Nerissa stopped at the low blow. She had been the one to tell the younger woman that last summer. But then she just laughed coldly and came dangerously close to her replacement:

"You're such a little bitch, you're making it greatly hard for those who are helping you."- her eyes pinned her down coldly as her hand rested on her shoulder in a patronizing manner. "But I'm not going to leave you alone, I'll be your biggest hater until you learn from all the past mistakes."

"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU HELPING ME?! WHICH MISTAKES? MY MISTAKES OR YOURS?!"

Their eyes met, a stigmatizing glance. Then Nerissa grabbed her by the collar and shook her:

"If you don't get yourself together, you don't deserve to hold the Heart, nor do you deserve to be a guardian! Remember that"- she finished in a low voice, but suddenly stopped again, shocked to see that Will had stopped pulling for freedom. She had left herself in her hands and was just looking through her.

Clenching her teeth, Nerissa slapped her across the face again, despite her friends' protests. Taranee couldn't just stand and watch this any longer, she made her way to protect Will, but the taller woman lifted her hand and slammed all four of the bystanders, together with the poor Blunk, into the wall of the wooden tilt behind them. Their interference was highly unwelcome right now. She then dragged the still Will and pushed her. Into the water. The redhead had tried to stir and pull back, but she had lost balance; Nerissa had pushed her too hard and it resulted in her big splash. Hay Lin's scream of shock got stuck in her throat:

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"- Will coughed as she came back to the surface, spitting the cold water that she had just swallowed. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"

"If you're not going to be doing anything, you might as well kill yourself."- Nerissa retorted coldly, looking down at the girl behind the edge of the dock. "Your apathy results in that illusory sense of helplessness that holds you in its claws, and it disgusts me. You have turned into a purposeless dolt and if you can't help your parents then you will forever remain that. Tell me, Will. What's the point of you then?"


Flying above the dark ocean at night was especially terrifying, even to the guardian of water herself. The view was a lot to handle; dark, unknown, and inspiring true awe. What was more, she knew that at a certain point, she'd have to actually use her powers to dive in and breathe under the tons of water while trying to get a hold of two boxes, sinking deeper and deeper in.

According to Martin's tracking attempts, Susan and Tony were in two separate objects, approximately near to each other, sinking in at a speed which she had barely understood by his words:

"First I must calculate the weight of the sinking object in Newtons."- the man had started. "Calculate for the buoyancy of water. Using the formula BF = Vdg where V is the volume of the object, d is the density of the water, and g is the acceleration due to gravity. I use g = 9.8 m/s^2. Then subtract the weight of the sinking object from the buoyant force of water to get the net force acting on the sinking body. I calculate for the acceleration of the sinking body by dividing the net force by its mass expressed in kg..."

"This is not the science fair, Martin, get to the point!"- Irma had interrupted him, irritated.

In the end, she knew that she had to listen to her element and connect to it in order to get to the objects of search. Neither maths nor science could help her with that. She had to rely on her magic, which had proven to be quite touchy, considering that the water still gave her no signs or indications, despite her attempts to connect to it. Maybe she wasn't doing it right, she didn't know...It was her fucking element, after all, wasn't it supposed to make the first steps?! Irma cursed her fate for putting her in such a traumatic situation where both parents of one of her best friend's lives depended on her.

"Did you feel anything yet? Where can they be, she can't have dropped them in the middle of the ocean, she's wanted, she probably rowed or something...She can't have rented a bigger boat-"

Matt's jittery comments definitely weren't helping her. Irma made a face at him in his Shagon form.

"Yeah, then how do you explain her having goons and everything? She obviously has the needed resources to do all this shit, I really doubt that she just had the two of them thrown from the docks. Matt, just be quiet and let me do my thing."

"I understand that, but you must understand that we have very limited time."- he flipped his big wings next to her. "We can't afford to be late, if anything, the pressure might crush them while we're up here. We have to hurry up, Irma, it's Will's parents that are in question. I can't let them die! I'd never forgive myself if I did."

Irma sighed, knowing that he was right. She understood him and more than anything wanted to prevent that from happening with Mr. and Mrs. Vandom, but what could she...Suddenly, Irma had an idea. A feeling of sorts. The ocean had called her. It wanted her to dive in. It wanted to tell her more.

"Wait here."- she told Matt before taking a deep breath, flying headfirst in the dark waves.

It wasn't necessary for her to hold her breath, she was aware, because the minute she was under the surface of the water, it encircled her loyally, preserving the oxygen in an erratic, but prominent, forcefield-like aura that went around her entire body. Like a water suit that surrounded her, protecting her from the cold and the pressure, which kept increasing as she allowed herself to sink down. Water was her element. Her element would never betray her trust.

Now that she was traveling to the core of the depths, she no longer felt any fear. She only felt all the water's care, vast and power, fueling her own stamina, but overwhelming her at the same time...

Irma relaxed and listened to the deaf currents and every little movement of the waters, all around herself. Flowing with the waves, her hearing and her sight expanded, going all around the depths. Every little corner of the at-sight infinite ocean, was opening to her will and her mind could visualize everything around her. It was an overwhelming, but empowering feeling as she felt herself able to explore kilometers upon kilometers of water width without moving from her place...

A few minutes had already passed without her being able to tell just how much of the enormous ocean she had managed to connect to. It was most probably just a little district of the ocean vast, but her all-seeing inner eye caught sight of them. At last. Two crates, enveloped in steel...on the bottom?! No, it wasn't the bottom of the ocean, it was an underwater elevation. Irma smiled happily; Serena had managed to drop the two crates exactly above a huge ocean elevation, like a mountain underwater...Thanks to that, the two crates had managed to remain whole, without bursting because of the high pressure, which they hadn't managed to reach. They rested quietly, a few meters from each other, but the oxygen in them was surely quickly evaporating.

Irma had seen them in her mind, now she closed her eyes and concentrated. She concentrated on the two boxes that contained Susan and Tony and teletransported. When she opened her eyes, she was standing on the same elevation, between the two. Irma breathed in relief. Alright; the hardest she had already done- she had found them in the vast ocean thanks to the power surge she had felt while flying above the surface. It had been like something had provoked her to become one with her element. Now she had to get the Vandoms out of here. Out of the ocean depths and hopefully with the same mad luck that had helped them not to keep sinking towards deeper ends...Irma looked up and felt the urge to whistle under her nose. The dark waters were endless; the surface was no near sight...they were most probably already at least 20 stories underwater...

Holding on to the two boxes, struggling to push them closer to herself and in her reach, Irma tried to lift them up, stepping on the gritty surface of the underwater hill for support. But it was a done deal- even though water usually reduced the weight of things, swimming up while holding the two massive crates was impossible. Then she had a new thought; she could use her powers to make the ocean throw them out. But then again, then she'd still have to carry the crates...And she had no idea how far from the dockside they had actually ended up, her water scanning never left her with any particular data coordinates. Even if it did, she wouldn't remember them for the love of Jesus...There was also Matt who she had to tell before returning to the docksides, after all, he was still waiting for her above the night ocean...

Come, on, Irma, think, the Latina strained herself. You have to hurry up, the Vandoms have been underwater for too long now, their oxygen is definitely low... THINK!

- You could've just teletransported, you know.- Taranee's voice suddenly sounded in her head.- But nonetheless, you made it, Irma, you found them. Good job! Look behind yourself!

Irma turned around, bedazzled, coming face to face with a large vision fold in which she could see her friends.

"Oh."- she muttered. "Yeah, that's right. How did you...Never mind, Matt should-"

"We will get to Matt, get the boxes through the fold, and come out of it yourself."- Taranee urged her and Irma didn't waste any more time.

She used her waterkinesis to fire the two crates towards the open fold; she was next to follow.

In the next moment, it closed behind herself- her magic water forcefield-suit disappeared and she found herself near the abandoned part of the docks, where she had last left her friends.

Taranee checked her watch. 21 minutes since Tony's call had been cut. Hay Lin patted Irma's back:

"Good job, Irma."- she was almost out of breath from tension. "You're amazing!"

"Ah, well, you know."- the Latina smiled nervously, looking at Will. "My element and stuff. Let's open them up!"

Quickly, they all gathered around the two crates. Taranee's green fire melted the steel parts away in seconds as it got through the wood and made it crack open. Everyone watched every next move without even having the time to breathe.

Once the boxes were ready to be easily opened, Will got her hands on them and did it; she pulled the lids, cut in by Taranee, with a racing heart, and just stared inside. She hoped that they were OK; what had just happened to them was among the absolute worst she had ever imagined. She hoped that her parents were still alright, despite being submerged into the depths of the ocean in boxes, for over 20 minutes... According to Martin and Taranee's calculations, that was still possible, right? They had to be alright, they just had to.

The lids were removed for good. The crates were deprived of all their additional coverage.

"Oh, my dear God..."