Hey everybody! Wow, I didn't think you guys would really like that last chapter, but since you did, I'll leave it alone. I know, I know, the whole Joel & Irma meeting wasn't the greatest, but I've got a way for it to come into play later. Thanks to topazchick08, Elementalflame, Sokai (bing-bong!) and strayphoenix for reviewing! Here's chapter 6!
Disclaimer: Still don't own it.
Chapter 6
Loving Through Life
Pink. The Heart of Candracar had dressed her in pink. Will Vandom smacked her forehead in frustration, gritting her teeth as she stared at the floating orb before her.
"C'mon, Heart of Candracar. Matt's rehearsing his big number today, and if I don't look drop-dead gorgeous when I tell him what a great job he did, my mind will not be a happy place for you to spend the night!" The jewel shuddered, and Will sighed an apology. She raised her auburn eyes to her bedroom mirror, sizing herself up. A white tank top hung loosely around her shoulder, covered by a hot pink, long-sleeved sweater and then, she cringed, a miniskirt to match.
The Heart of Candracar seemed to sink a little in the air, but nonetheless launched a bright beam of brilliant, dare I say it, pink to wrap around its keeper. As she let the transformation take her away, Will's mind set off down the one-track that was Matt Olsen. The eyes as soft as morning sky, the hair she longed to run her fingers through, the crooning voice she wished would sing her name one day.
The Heart shook in her outstretched hand. Jolted back to reality, she let her eyes drink in her reflection. A navy blue shirt, midnight black sweater, just-the-right-amount-of-ripped jeans, hair tumbling down in loose waves of crimson…she smiled, giving the jewel a little squeeze.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down." She gave it another little thank you squeeze before it disappeared into herself. And before she started off for school, she couldn't help but whisper. "Look out, Olsen, here I come."
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"The trouble with schools is, they always try to teach the wrong lessons…"
"Got that right!"
Ms. Kelly let her fist slam the CD player's OFF button as her reproachful gaze swiveled over to the stage. "Uriah, we all know very well that education is not your cup of tea. But FOR THE LOVE OF OZ, could we PLEASE get through this song without you pointing it out!"
"But that's just why I'd make a better Fiyero!" the redhead protested from his place onstage. "We both hate school! Put two and two together, woman! Maybe this is why you're not a math teacher…"
You could almost see the veins throbbing in Ms. Kelly's forehead. "Taranee," she said in a voice that came out eerily calm. "Would you mind helping Uriah learn his place in the production? Somewhere FAR, FAR away from the stage, perhaps?"
The fire guardian nodded obediently, worried that Ms. Kelly might pop a few gaskets if she do as told. So while Matt resumed his position and his voice flowed over the music, Taranee had made to grab Uriah's wrist and drag him out the door, only to turn around and find that he was already halfway out.
"Uriah!" she called out down the hallway, running toward his tensed, retreating back. She reached out and let her hand clamp around his shoulder. He froze for a second before wheeling around to face her, his expression furious, and yet…he looked surprised, surprised that she had come after him instead of letting him keep stalking down the hallway.
"Look," she said, careful to harden her voice as she remembered who she was dealing with. "I want to this about as much as you do. My friends were the ones who signed me on for this, and who even knows why you're here. So if you can't do anything about it, just sing about dancing through life and gliding where turf is smooth without complaining that you're more of a Fiyero than Matt, got it?"
The gang leader gave Taranee a long, hard look. To tell the truth, the fire girl didn't blame him. Where had this no-nonsense snappish mode come from? And how had it corralled her courage to attack Uriah?
"At least I speak up." And he left her with those words as his footsteps echoed down the hallway. Taranee's feet seemed rooted to the ground as Uriah's voice rang in her head. At least I speak up.
"Taranee?"
She turned around, smiling as she recognized the voice. Nigel Ashcroft, the shaggy-haired softie of Uriah's groundless gang, grinned at her from across the hallway. Taranee almost flew to his side, managing to get in a "Hi, Nigel," before she enveloped him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist, then pulled back so he could see her face.
"Cornelia just got here, so we're going to run the dance number one more time. So since Uriah's obviously blazed a trail out of here, would you care to join us?"
"I'd love to." Nigel slipped his arm around her waist, and Taranee was only too happy to lean on him.
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"Listen, Hay Lin…" Eric Lyndon cringed as his line came out wrong…again. Hay Lin fought the urge to shake her head as she sat patiently in the props department's masterpiece of a wheelchair. She simply smiled. "Again?" she questioned calmly, thankful that Ms. Kelly had let the pair of them practice alone.
Eric nodded, struggling to keep from blushing as he shuffled his song sheets. He cleared his throat, praying for some perfection. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Hay Lin this time…then again, that was what he had wanted the last five times he'd tried to get those two simple words to come out right. He was just too focused on her, too busy revolving around those light, dancing dark eyes of hers…
He shook his head, willing his voice to come out of hiding. "Listen, Nessa?" Eric smiled as his words matched the paper's.
"Yes?"
"Uh, Nessa, I've got something to confess, a reason why, well, why I asked you here tonight. Now I know it isn't fair…"
"Oh, Boq, I know why."
"You do?"
"It's because I'm this chair, and you felt sorry for me…well, isn't that right?"
"No! It's because…because…because you are so beautiful!" Hay Lin's heart fluttered as Eric belted out that line, secretly hoping that his character's thoughts could possibly match his own.
"Oh, Boq, I think you're wonderful! And we deserve each other, don't you see, this is our chance!" Hay Lin looked up from the script and into Eric's eyes as she finished. "We deserve each other, don't we, Boq?" Eric leaned down, and Hay Lin craned her neck up, thinking maybe, just maybe, this was it, this was when Eric would finally give her lips what they'd been craving since their night under the stars.
"You know what?" Hay Lin saw herself as guardian, feeling as if she was about to fly off into a sky of bliss. "Let's dance." And then the guardian her crashed and burned. Of course, she thought bitterly. It's all just a play. Not the way he really feels…
And so she sat back in the wheelchair as Eric whirled her round and round.
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The world of Candracar was asleep. Except for one young man, a young man with emerald green eyes, soft brown hair, and few green slashes across his face. Caleb, the rebel leader of Meridian, who'd endured weeks of constant worry and kept sweat at bay, was, well, worrying.
He envisioned her. Night and day, hard as it was to tell between them, his mind looked upon her vision of a face. He tried to send his thoughts to her, tried to communicate his endless "I love you"-s. They were worlds away from hearing each other, worlds away from gazing into each others eyes and wishing everything else away.
And for that, he cursed the worlds daily. But cursing did him no good. He was no sorcerer. He was the Herald of Candracar, and according to the Oracle, "even Heralds need their rest." So before a pillar became his pillar, he couldn't help but think.
I wonder if she misses me.
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"Hi, my little sweet potato! I wondering if–" BEEP!
"Hi, my little onion ring! I don't know if you got my last message, but–" BEEP!
"Hi, my little passion flower! Something must be wrong with your answering machi–" BEEP!
Irma sighed as her finger pounded her answering machine's delete button, erasing Martin Tubb's daily round of hopeful messages. He was like a fly that just wouldn't stop buzzing, so obvious, so out there, so…loud.
I need some silence…well, me and everyone that's met Martin Tubbs. A face flashed through her mind, a face with gentle eyes and blonde hair falling all in it, a guitar playing in the air. Silence equaled Joel, and for the second time, he was the last thing she thought of before she drifted off to sleep.
"No," she whispered. "Too quiet."
There's a nice long chapter to tide you guys over! I've got to say, I'm a lot happier with this one than the last one. Lots of fluff in this one, and there's Caleb, guys! Enjoy it, though, because he might not pop up again for another chapter or two. But enough about what I think, tell me what you think! 30 reviews & I'll update!
