Chapter Eleven:

Homecoming

It had been a month since the girls returned to Earth, and Wanda and her parents moved back to Heatherfield. As she unpacked a box full of her favorite books, she looked around her room. They were staying with her grandparents, in the very house that her mother spent her middle and high school years living in. There was a clap of thunder, then the sound of rain hammering down on the roof of the house.

She looked out her window and sighed. It was supposed to do this, so she was not surprised. However, she'd hoped it would not continue to her first day at Sheffield Institute tomorrow.

Wanda already had her bed in the room, a desk by the window, a nightstand by her bed with a curved lamp, and the Heart of Kandrikor hung from the hoop of the lamp so she knew it would not get lost amongst all the boxes and books she had spread out everywhere.

A knocking on the door, and Will entered the room. Or at least, she tried to.

"Wanda, once you clean up, Grandma says things are ready for dinner down stairs." She said.

"Thanks Mom." Smiled Wanda.

"How do you like your room?" Asked Will.

"It's great. The perfect size for me." Replied Wanda as she stood up and put a large, towering stack of books in the bookshelf next to her desk.

Instead of being green and full of frogs like when her mother inhabited this room, Wanda had hung purple fabric on the walls over the green paint, and on the large television she placed several glittering geckos. Even on top of her book case and desk, glittering geckos covered the spots that weren't taken over by her books or computer laptop. Over the purple fabric wall was posters of white tigers, phoenixes and dragons. She taped pictures of her favorite singers on her closet door.

Shaking her head at the mountain of work still left for her daughter to do, Will left the door open before she went back downstairs. Wanda was more of a pack rat than her mother was, and just could not get rid of many of her things from San Francisco.

When she lifted up a particularly large stack of books, they fell straight to the floor and her left hand flew up to her right shoulder.

"What the...? I thought they healed it!" She growled.

"Wanda? Something wrong?" Matt came in when he heard the books clattering to the floor.

"I'm fine Dad. Just lifted to many heavy books." She managed a smile up to her father. "Tell Mom and Grandma I'll be down in a bit, okay?"

Matt looked down at her, knowing she was lying. But he also knew his daughter was just as stubborn as her mother and it was pointless to badger her about it.

"Just come down whenever you're ready." Matt gave Wanda one last worried look before heading back downstairs. "Will, can I talk to you for a moment out here?" He said to Will in the kitchen.

"Sure." Blinked Will in surprise, setting down the knife she had in her hands before walking in to the living room. "What is it?"

"I'm worried about Wanda. She hasn't been the same since that encounter with the woman Rhea back on Meridian." Matt told her in a lowered voice so Susan would not hear.

"What do you mean? She's been fine." Will looked up at him, non-concerned.

"It's that shoulder of hers, the one that was pierced. I'm not sure that the healers got all the poison out of it." Said Matt after a long pause.

"Look, Cornelia said she got all of the poison out... and even if there was some that she missed, I'm sure Wanda will go straight to her if that's the case." Smiled Will.

Her first school day at Heatherfield Institute came much too quickly for Wanda. That day she decided to wear blue jean overalls, and a purple and white stripped long sleeved shirt. Will dropped her off first thing in the morning.

"Hope you don't mind me not being a butterball of emotion like your grandmother." Smiled Will.

"Thanks Mom." Wanda smiled back, grabbing her bag pack from the back seat. From one of the zippers was clipped a key chain of glittering geckos.

"Your lunch is in your bag. Dad's going to pick you up tonight for the party, ok?"

"Thanks Mom." Wanda said again with a note of impatience in her voice.

Will smiled and waved goodbye as Wanda closed the back seat of the car, and watched her mother drive off. Wanda then turned to face the Institute and felt a sense of foreboding.

In the hallway within the school, Cerella, Ingrid, HuiLing and Tress were gathered around a locker.

"Ok, so we've got everything we need for tonight, right?" Asked Cerella. She wore a spring green tank top over a white u-neck long sleeved shirt, a spring green skirt, and white shoes.

"Yep. I've got the decoration," Smirked Tress. She wore a red striped shirt that cut off right at the shoulders, red jeans, and shoes.

"I've got the food!" HuiLing raised her right hand. She wore a maroon long sleeved shirt with bell sleeves and a v-neck, a black vest, a black skirt, and matching maroon shoes.

"And I've come up with a way to ensure she won't skip out on this one." Ingrid held her index finger up. She wore a blue checkered shirt with a u-neck, blue jeans, and shoes.

"Great! And we all agreed that purple and gecko's are the theme? Good... Oh! Here she comes!" Cerella looked up to see Wanda walking through the hallway holding a piece of paper from the office detailing where her locker was, the combination, and where her classes would be.

"Hey, Wanda!" HuiLing ran over and, catching Wanda completely by surprise, flung her arms around Wanda in a big hug.

"HuiLing...? What are you doing here?" Blinked Wanda in surprise.

"We go to school here too, silly." Smiled Cerella, as Tress pried HuiLing away from Wanda.

"Oh, right." Wanda found her locker, unlocked it, and unzipped her bag.

"Hey girls." Derek had just arrived at the school. He was surrounded by a gang of boys who idolized him.

"Derek, who's the new kid?" Asked one of the boys. "Haven't we seen her before?"

"She's Wanda, Matt Olson's daughter." HuiLing said before anyone could stop her.

"The rock star? No way!" The boys looked at Wanda in surprise.

"Anyways, guys, I'll meet you in class. I need to talk to my sister for a bit." Derek waved at the boys, who took the hint and left. He turned to the girls. "We'll need to be on high alert. Queen Elyon's investigative team still have not found Phobos or any of his allies."

"So you're saying they could be hiding anywhere?" Blinked Ingrid.

Derek nodded.

"Just be careful. Even Fusagu does not know where Phobos may have hidden himself at this point." He replied.

"Great. So now it's a game of cat and mouse." Sighed Tress.

"Well, it was before but the stakes are much higher this time around." Ingrid pointed out.

"Hello there." Came a voice from behind.

They looked up, and in Wanda's case, she turned around.

"Grandpa!" She shoved Derek aside and flung her arms around the man who had walked up to the group. Dean Collins smiled down at his granddaughter.

"Glad to see you found your friends already, Wanda. You'll be in my class this year. Although you need to be more careful with your friends." Dean pointed at Derek, who had been tossed to the wall like a rag doll and blinking in surprise.

"Sorry." Wanda put a hand behind her head in an embarrassed way.

"That's fine. I'm used to being pushed around by girls all the time." Muttered Derek, dusting himself off.

"What was that?" Cerella glared at him.

"Nothing! Well, I'd better go. Don't want to be late for class." Derek waved a fast goodbye before rushing off, in order to avoid digging himself a deeper hole.

"Well, let's get going girls." Dean said, and Wanda grabbed her books and writing utensils, closed her locker, and followed the group.

When class started at eight in the morning, Wanda chose her seat in front of HuiLing and Dean made the announcement.

"We have a new student here, today, class. I'd like to introduce my granddaughter, Wanda Olson, who has moved here from San Francisco." He smiled, pointing out Wanda, who seemed to shrink as all eyes turned to her.

"Come on! Don't be shy!" HuiLing grabbed Wanda by the collar of her shirt and pulled her back up with surprising strength.

There were many whisperings about her last name by her fellow classmates. She could hear Cerella and Tress sniggering in the background as well while she rubbed the front of her neck.

During break, Wanda was bombarded by a gaggle of people asking her about her relations and what San Francisco was really like.

"Is your Dad really Matt Olson?" A blond girl calling herself Rachel asked.

"Yes." Blinked Wanda.

"Can we get his autograph?" Another girl named Jessica pleaded.

"Ask him yourself if you want his autograph." Retorted Wanda rather bluntly.

"We're too nervous." Admitted Rachel.

"He's a good guy, he won't be mean about it." Assured Wanda.

Rachel and Jessica looked at each other hopefully.

"Come on, we're going to be late for our next class." Tress managed to pull Wanda away from the group.

"Thanks." Wanda breathed a sigh of relief as she joined her friends.

"Hello ladies." An older, gray-haired woman came up to them.

"Hi Principal Knickerbocker!" HuiLing said brightly.

"I see you're already making friends, Wanda. That's great! I hope you do as well here as your parents did." Smiled the Principal.

Wanda gave a sheepish smile, shook the Principal's hand, and when the Principal left, gave a sigh of relief.

"This is what I hate about whenever my family moves." She told the others. "Everyone expects to get my Dad's autograph through me, and they expect more than I can give."

"Don't worry, once the hubbub dies down, you'll fit in just fine." Smiled Ingrid.

"I hope you're right... I hate all these people asking for my Dad." Wanda scratched the back of her head. "I don't get what the big deal is. He's just an ordinary guy."

"An ordinary guy who's the lead guitarist in a famous rock band, and you're his daughter." Tress pointed out.

"Your Dad is a big star here, since this is where he went to school and started out his career." Cerella added.

"Enough about my Dad please." Snapped Wanda, slamming her locker shut. When she did so, a small current of lightning could be seen by the other girls as she removed her hand from her locker.

At lunch time, the five girls decided to eat outside in the sun. Wanda pulled out her lunch bag to find a huge salad with all of her favorite vegetables and cheeses.

"Guess this is the surprise lunch." She smirked, pulling out the diet pepsi from her bag pack.

HuiLing was sitting next to her, eating an array of Chinese foods made for her by her mother, HayLin. Cerella was directly across Wanda, eating a sandwich, Tress was having stir fried rice with lots of bell peppers and water chestnuts, while Ingrid was having a sandwich with hot peppers and meat.

"How can you stand Pepsi?" Asked Cerella. She herself was drinking Coca Cola.

"How can you stand Coca Cola?" Snapped Wanda.

"Now now, at least wait until there's something worth fighting about." HuiLing said nervously over her knife and fork.

Deep within Meridian's swamp land, Phobos had erected a new fortress for himself without alerting his sister or her guards and investigative team. The castle blended in to the swamp itself, and to the untrained eye, looked like part of a mountain.

Cedric bowed before Phobos.

"Forgive me my lord, we were unable to retrieve the new Guardian leader... And we lost several of our best fighters." He said.

"Yes, but Rhea did manage to critically wound her." Smiled Phobos. "And with that poison still inside her even if my sister's healers helped restore her health, it will be easier to capture her."

"But if she's anything like her mother, she will find a way to escape from your grasp." Warned Cedric.

"That is where our blessings start, Cedric. We can learn from our mistakes in the past and find new ways of capturing the Heart of Kandrikor." Replied Phobos. "To capture the Heart, we capture the person holding it as well. We've also learned that the Guardians are much quicker this time at using their powers, though they thankfully have yet to use them to their full potential. We'll send an old friend of ours to Earth and test their ability."

"An old friend?" Blinked Cedric.

"Frost..." Phobos raised a hand in greeting as Frost entered the room, bowing to Phobos.

Cedric frowned at Frost, but turned back to Phobos without saying anything.

"See you at the party!" Cerella waved at Wanda after school as Wanda stepped in to her father's car into the passenger's seat next to her father, while tossing her bag into the back seat.

"How was your day?" Asked Matt as she buckled herself in.

"Chaos." She replied simply.

"Same as always, then, huh?" Sighed Matt as they drove away from the school. She never said much about her school life or social life before, so he did not see why things would change right away. He hoped, however, that now she was with her close friends, Wanda would soon begin to open up.

"We need to stop off at the house so you can get out of your school clothes. Your mother will kill me if I let you go to a party dressed in coveralls..." Matt pulled up to the house and spoke up when she looked at him with an inquisitorial look on her face.

Just as they reached the house, he slammed on the breaks.

"Dad? What is it?" Wanda demanded, rubbing the part of her forehead that slammed on to the dashboard.

"Wanda, transform, quickly!" Matt told her as they stepped out of the vehicle.

"Why?" She blinked at him as his eyes began to glow bright neon green.

"Because an old friend is here." Frost said from behind them.

Wanda whirled around as Matt, now in his transformed state with black wings and golden armor and mask, stood in front of her.

"Hurry." He told her.

She pulled out the Heart of Kandrikor, but there was not enough time.

Frost's ride came from the opposite end that they were just staring at, and knocked her over, sending the crystal flying under the car.

"Crap!" She muttered, trying to stand up as the beast reared its head and started to charge. She dodged it and made it to the car, then started to dig as Matt flew over, ignoring Frost, and fought off the beast as long as he could.

"Hurry up!" Matt shouted.

At Cerella's house, the four girls were sitting at a table completely bored.

"This sucks." Muttered Tress.

"We go through the trouble of planning a party, and the main guest never shows." Cerella growled.

"Perhaps it's not here fault that she is not here yet." YanLin said, walking up with a platter of some of her best cooking. She smacked HuiLing's hands when she went to grab a dumpling.

"Ouch!" HuiLing rubbed her hand. Her Great Grandmother still had some bite in her.

"Maybe you guys should go and check on how things are doing at the Olson house?" Smiled Terrane.

"Ugh, fine." Cerella stood up. "Should be more entertaining than THIS." She waved her hand rather unenthusiastically around at the decorations.

"Hey, where's Derek?" Asked HuiLing.

"He should be along here shortly. He mentioned something about getting a gift from Meridian." Smiled Cornelia. "I'll send him your way when he gets back."

Cerella looked at her mother with a suspicious expression on her face before Ingrid grabbed her arm and dragged her out with them.

"C'mon!" She snapped.

They paused at the door when they nearly ran in to Fusagu, who was in Earth clothing and looked more like a ten year old than a powerful sorcerer.

"Is something going on?" Blinked Fusagu.

"We're just going to check on Wanda really quick to make sure she did not bail on us." Smiled Ingrid.

"I see. So I'm not too late. I was worried... Mind if I join you guys?" He asked.

"Sure!" Smiled HuiLing before Cerella could say anything.

"Let's just go!" Sighed Cerella, now taking the lead.

There was a flash of red light by the car, then Matt and Frost turned around to see Wanda standing in her Guardian form.

"Why is it bad guys never learn?" Asked Wanda as Frost's beast prepared to run at her again.

"Maybe it's their thick skulls." Replied her father as he sent more laser beams that kept Frost at bay.

Wanda directed the palms of her hands at the beast as it approached, then at the very last second sent a pillar of lightning at it, and the result was it flying backwards. It landed on the ground with a dull thud.

Frost unsheathed his sword at this point and let out a yell.

"Time to take to the air." Matt looked at his daughter as Frost mounted his beast once it recovered.

They took to the air just as Frost rammed the horn of the beasts' nose in to his car.

"Man, that's going to cost a fortune to repair." Matt sighed as the beast retracted the horn and looked up at the two of them.

"And he better not have messed up that essay for Grandfather's project." Glared Wanda.

"Like father like daughter." Said Frost.

"Wanda!" Shouted HuiLing.

"Woah! Who would've thought your dad was a buff warrior from Meridian, eh?" Cerella looked impressed.

"Cerella!" Ingrid and Tress looked aghast at her.

Wanda flew over to the girls and held out the Heart of Kandrikor.

"Guardians Unite!" She shouted before any of them could say a thing.

"We've got a bit of a crisis on our hands, sorry. No time for chit chat." Wanda looked at Frost, who turned his beast around to face them.

"Ugh, talk about ugly." Cerella made a disgusted face.

"We'll be safest in the air!" HuiLing stated, noting that Wanda and her father had been in the air when the rhinoceros-like creature rammed itself in to his car.

The five girls flew up to the air to join Matt.

"So what do we do now Dad? We can't stay up here forever." Said Wanda.

"And he's not going to pace forever." Blinked Tress through her glasses.

"Here we thought you'd bailed on us." Smirked Ingrid at Wanda.

"I was going to but Dad wouldn't let me." Sighed Wanda.

That earned her glares from the other girls.

"Joking! Joking!" Blinked Wanda suddenly, seeing the look of outright mutiny on their faces.

"So, Fusagu," Said Frost. "You have joined the enemy?"

Fusagu, who could not fly without the power of his water spells, remained on the ground. He looked at Frost, and the girls all looked at him. Matt hung slightly behind them.

"No Frost, I have not. I have joined the side that is right." Replied Fusagu at last.

He raised his right hand and directed it at Frost. A pillar of water shot out from the ground behind them, and rose like a whip at Frost and his beast that he rode on. The whip encircled them until it formed a sphere around the enemy.

Ingrid's eyes went wide at the power that Fusagu still had even though he left Phobos. With a flick of the boys' hands, he sent the sphere crashing in to the house. Cerella took action then, raising her hands to the air. A group of tree roots rose up and trapped a now soaking wet Frost and his beast against the wall of the house.

The girls felt it was safe to go to ground level, so they landed next to Fusagu.

"You know, you could really be a great member of our team." Wanda was blinking at the struggling enemy in their prison against her house.

Ingrid was fighting hard not to say anything sarcastic. But finally caved in when they looked at her.

"Looks like he's really root bound, doesn't he?" She snickered.

The girls all looked at her.

"Brother." Tress rubbed her forehead.

"I don't get it." Blinked Fusagu, not familiar with Earth jokes or sarcasm.

"It's better if you don't." Tress patted his head.

There came a loud crashing noise, that told the girls Frost and his beast had broken loose from the trap. Instantly, Frost came pelting at them, catching them off guard.

A flash of black light interrupted the girls from flying away. Cerella looked up and saw Rhea sitting in the branch of one of the trees around Wanda's house.

"Still alive?" Blinked Cerella.

Matt sent several lasers at Frost and Rhea. Frost's beast reared itself up and was forced to stop. Rhea made a giant leap from the tree and landed in front of Wanda in one swift movement.

"You Guardians thought you'd finished me?" Snarled Rhea. "When I still have my trump card to play?" She raised her right hand, then Wanda had grabbed her left shoulder in a burst of searing pain.

"Wanda!" HuiLing tried to get to her side, but Frost bolted forward on his beast and knocked her out of the way.

"Quickly." He said as Wanda slowly fell to the ground.

"No!" Shouted Matt, flying forward at top speed. but he was forced to stop when Rhea picked up his daughter around the waist like she was a rag doll. Rhea's eyes glinted up at him as a needle appeared in her fingers.

"One more move and your precious daughter really WILL die." She said.

There was another flash of light, and Rhea, Frost and his beast vanished.

In the moment when Rhea and Frost had been distracted, however, Wanda remembered what her mother did with the Heart of Kandrikor to prevent it from being captured. She let the crystal necklace slip through her sleeve of her right hand and it rolled on the ground to HuiLing's feet as she disappeared and her transformation was undone. The other girls reverted back to their civilian state as well.

"Oh this is perfect." Said Cerella in a tone that suggested she was close to sinking the whole town in to a giant crater as Matt flew down and landed next to them. He transformed back in to his civilian form, and HuiLing saw the look on his face.

"Don't worry, Uncle! We'll get her back just as we got you guys back!" She smiled.

"HuiLing, what's that at your feet?" Asked Tress.

Blinking, HuiLing looked down and saw the Heart of Kandrikor glittering at her feet. She picked it up and was surprised at how warm it felt.

Derek had just gotten ready to head back to Earth when he heard the news from Matt that Wanda had been captured.

"What?" He half-shouted, unable to contain himself.

"And this time we don't know where Phobos' hide out is." Nodded Caleb.

"We may not, but I think this thing might!" HuiLing held up the glowing crystal.

"Hey, that's right!" HayLin said suddenly. "Remember, we used it to find Will when we first met after she was captured by Phobos!"

"In this case, it may not be so bad to follow the light." Smiled Irma.

"You and Derek will go find Wanda and bring her back." Will looked at HuiLing, Cerella, Tress, Ingrid and Derek who all nodded.

"Welcome Guardian of Meridian." Phobos said to Wanda, who was tied up with thorny rose branches and roots that came out of the ground.

"So you're Phobos?" Blinked Wanda, looking up at him.

"Yes, and you will tell me what you did with the Heart of Kandrikor." He replied with a sneer.

"Screw you." Spat Wanda. "I may not know much about this world yet, but I do know not to hand over the crystal to a prat like you."

"You dare talk to me in such a way you brat?" Phobos stood up, and the vines tightened themselves around her, the needles digging in to her skin and causing her to bleed all over.

"Yes I dare." She retorted. "You sniveling little slug monkey." She had no idea what the words meant in that form, but she knew it would get the reaction she desired. Wanda wanted to get him angry at her, she wanted him to be out raged.

And that is what she got.

"If you will not talk now, then perhaps some time in solitary confinement will do the trick." He looked down at her with steely eyes. "And this time, you will not escape my grasp."

Several guards appeared on either side of her, grabbed her roughly by the arms and hauled her away.

"Look! That must be his new hideout!" HuiLing pointed to where the crystal was leading them. So far they had trudged through dense swamp lands, and heavy mud-filled waters to get to this place.

"I can see why Phobos would want to keep on the move." Derek looked at the castle that nearly blended in with the surroundings.

"Yech...!" Cerella accidentally stepped in to a mud hole and had to be pulled out. "And these shoes were brand new!" She raged.

"Heaven forbid your footwear should get broken in a little." Sighed Ingrid, who had helped her out. She earned a nasty glare from Cerella.

"Guys, I think we're close!" HuiLing said. "This thing is going crazy."

It looked as if it was trying to break free from her hands, and was glowing brighter the closer they got to the castle.

"There must be a secret entrance or something..." Said Derek. He started looking around near the area that the crystal led them.

"Really, Derek, this is no time to play Sherlock Homes." Cerella huffed, still in a bad mood. "We're in Meridian, not England or Scotland, or wherever the heck those stories took place."

Derek grabbed a branch to try and move it, but found it was made of metal and only disguised as a fallen tree branch. The next thing the group knew, they had plummeted several feet below ground and landed in what looked like...

"Great... more tunnels." Sighed Ingrid as she stood up.

"You'd think Phobos would learn about where he puts his castles and tunnels." Stated Tress, rubbing the back of her neck.

"If he was trying for the old 'medieval' style, he got it down pat... stinky sewers and all." Nodded Cerella, plugging her nose at the stench.

"Ugh, girls..." Derek rolled his eyes, annoyed at the talking going on.

"Let's get going." Said Derek, helping his sister to her feet.

They followed HuiLing down the long tunnel, the light from the crystal illuminating only a few feet ahead of her at any given moment.

"Talk about follow the leader to the max." Ingrid muttered.

They reached the end of the tunnel, and HuiLing stopped so suddenly they nearly crashed in to her.

"Look!" She pointed up.

They saw Wanda was in a cage that was being lowered in to a single pit.

"Let's see how you like eternity in prison, Guardian of Meridian." The guard said, releasing the control and she fell in to the pit with a muffled yell.

"Well, at least she's alive." Whispered Ingrid.

"Quiet!" Said Derek as the guards passed.

They ducked out of sight, then waited for the dungeon to be empty of all guards.

"Ok, now." Derek looked around.

They reached the pit that Wanda had been dumped in to.

"Hey!" HuiLing called. "You down here Wanda?"

"Yeah. What's up?" Wanda looked up, still rubbing her knees.

"We think you dropped something." Cerella called down as HuiLing let go of the Heart of Kandrikor, and it fell gracefully down to Wanda at the bottom of the pit.

"Guardians Unite!" Wanda called out as soon as the crystal reached her outstretched hands.

There was a flash of red light, and the girls now stood in their Guardian form. Wanda soon flew up and landed next to them.

A muffled angry yell came from the doors to the dungeons, and the girls looked around.

"We need to brace the entrances." Said Derek at once.

Cerella opened her hands, directed the palms down at the ground. A giant tree root system rose up at each of the ground floor entrances. HuiLing saw stairs from above circling down to their level, and sent large bursts of air at the stairs, causing them to collapse.

There were loud crashes and bangs from out beyond the doors.

"Wanda, you remember how to get us back, right?" Derek looked at her, and she nodded.

She took out the crystal, and imitated the movement that her mother showed her the last time she was in Meridian.

"Hurry!" HuiLing said, as the doors on the second level burst open.

The girls went in to the veil first, followed quickly by Derek. They could hear a roar of rage and fury as the veil closed behind them when they stepped in to Cerella's parents' kitchen.

"Wanda!" Will hugged her daughter the second she came through, the veil, nearly bowling her over.

"Mom? What?" Wanda blinked.

"Matt told us what happened and how you got caught." Smiled YanLin.

"Well, we were able to find her and stall the guards long enough to get back." Smiled Cerella, flipping her hair around.

"And the fact that your clothes got ruined in the process doesn't matter anymore does it?" Asked Ingrid with a slight sneer.

"Now now, no fighting girls." YanLin warned as Wanda transformed them back to their civilian clothes. "The guests are waiting." She opened the kitchen door to the living room.

"I'm not going out there looking like this!" Cerella protested, pointing at all the mud and sewage water caked on to her clothes.

"Heaven forbid there should be a fashion disaster beyond the family kitchen." Caleb rubbed his forehead, already sick of the arguments.

"Here, I'll give you a quick bath." Said Ingrid. She waved her right hand. The sink in the countertop filled up with water, then the water was raised up slowly moving towards Cerella.

"Oh no... no, no no..." Cerella took several steps away, but Ingrid smirked evilly and the water was over her head in seconds. Then there was a loud splash. "You are so DEAD Ingrid!" Shouted Cerella, who was now soaking wet.

"Hey, at least you're not smelling like a sewer anymore." Smiled Ingrid, ducking out of Cerella's outstretched hands.

"This is the worst day ever." Cerella glared at Ingrid.

"Hey, chill out." HuiLing sent a gentle wave of air at Cerella, quickly drying her off.

"That does NOT excuse the fact that my best clothes are now ruined!" Glared Cerella.

"GIRLS." YanLin rarely raised her voice.

"Yes, Great Grandmother?" Asked HuiLing rather nervously.

"I do not know about you, but I'm ready for some partying." Smiled YanLin.

"I'll make you guys pay for this later." Cerella gave Ingrid and HuiLing an evil glare, before smiling elegantly and striding out in to the living area to greet the guests. "Sorry about the wait, the main guest of honor nearly bailed on us." She said with a twisted smile to Wanda's grandmother and grandfather, and everyone came out in to the now decorated living room.

The living room was full of purple streamers, and glittering geckos everywhere, even on the lamp posts and shades.

"You guys did all of this?" Blinked Wanda.

"Yep." Smiled Cerella, brimming with pride. "Dad tried to help, but he just ended up crashing to the floor on the ladder. So it was just Mom and I, but we had fun."

"I can tell." Blinked Ingrid.

"I'll be seeing purple geckos for a week after tonight." Tress was rubbing her eyes underneath her glasses.

"Tell me you weren't trying to bail on us, Wanda." Smiled Susan as she walked up. "Even after I went through the trouble of making your favorite cookies?"

Wanda gave a guilty smile.

"Well, at least Cerella didn't invite the whole school this time." She took one of the cookies and bit in to it. "Love it grandma! Almondette with chocolate chip!"

"Thought you would." Smiled Susan.

"Well, at least she knows how to cook now." Smiled Will.

"What's that mean?" Blinked Wanda up at her mother.

"You didn't have to deal with Sewer Soup when your grandma was still single." Said Will, looking rather green at the thought.

"Hey, Wanda," Derek said after everyone was involved in their own conversation and Wanda was enjoying some peace on the armchair by a bay window. "I've got something for you." He handed her a square package wrapped in plain paper.

"What is it?" She blinked.

"Just wanted to give you something for a little decoration." Smiled Derek, looking rather nervously.

He didn't see Cerella tapping HuiLing on the shoulders, and the two looking over with curious expressions on their faces.

Wanda unwrapped the paper and blinked.

"I thought it suited you." Said Derek, clearly waiting for her reaction.

It was a picture of her in her Guardian form, with lightning swirling around her.

"So that's what you asked Dad about and were in Meridian for such a long time for?" Cerella snuck up on the two of them.

"Wow, you're good at that!" Said HuiLing, leaning over Wanda's shoulders.

Derek gave a clearly annoyed look at the girls.

"What's it made from?" Asked Wanda, ignoring them.

"It's made from Emerald stones, silver veins, ruby, and Meridian Aqua dragon scales." He replied. "There is also Tiger Lily powder in there."

"I like it." She smiled up at him.

HuiLing looked at Wanda, then Derek, and back again. Then she smiled brightly.

"All right girls, we need to go get dinner ready!" She said suddenly, making Cerella, Tress and Ingrid jump. She corralled the trio in to the kitchen. After a quick look at Wanda and Derek, she closed the doors.

"HuiLing, dinner is already ready." Cerella said angrily.

"I know, but can't you tell when he wants to talk to her alone?" Asked HuiLing, surprisingly serious. "He's your brother."

"Yes, but I like annoying him." Cerella flipped her hair around.

HuiLing and the other two looked at her.

"Thanks for this. I really do like it." Wanda smiled up at Derek.

"Uh... yeah... you're welcome." He had a hand behind his head. Now that he was alone with her, he wasn't entirely sure what to say. Suddenly he found she had wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug before pulling away.

"Anyways, let's get back to that party, shall we?" He asked, feeling his face burning red and seeing hers the same shade. At least it did not turn out to be a disaster. Perhaps there was hope after all, even if he did not quite say what he really wanted to tell her. He would just have to wait and hope things continued to improve.

HuiLing glanced out of the kitchen doors, and smiled when she saw the two joining the families, and opened up the kitchen again. Now the girls had all the food that was prepared in their arms, bringing it out to the rather large dining table.