Chapter 25

A Is For Aggression

"What do you mean she's not coming back?" Cybelle's voice filled the chamber, echoing on the walls as she stared at Phobos, Cedric and Rhea.

"You have not heard wrong, Cybelle... She has gone to the side of the enemy." Phobos explained.

Cybelle, in spite of everything, couldn't help but feel that she should have known that this would happen eventually. She'd known all along that Wanda's heart belonged to her comrades, and her boyfriend. But still, she'd hoped that Wanda would at least remember the one friend she had in Phobos' castle. At the moment, however, she felt thoroughly betrayed.

"If you wish to bring her back, then by all means try. We are better off without the wench, though." Rhea said haughtily.

BAM.

Cybelle lost her temper at Rhea's words, and had the woman pinned against the wall behind Phobos' throne. A blade had seemingly come from nowhere, pressed to Rhea's throat without any sign of mercy.

"Take that back... now." Growled Cybelle. She saw no sign of regret or remorse in those silver eyes. She had not shown Wanda this side of her on purpose, but her massive strength despite her small stature helped get her to where she was now, and she pressed the blade of her sword harder against Rhea's throat. This time she drew blood.

"That is enough." Phobos hadn't moved from his spot on the throne, but he knew exactly what was happening. "If you must, take your rage out on the Guardians. Now... to more important matters..."

He stood up finally, as Cybelle reluctantly let go of Rhea. "We need to make a trip to Kandrikar." He continued as though nothing had happened.

Wanda blinked when they were on the other side of the portal on the beach of the lake just outside Heatherfield.

"Oh, just to let you know, we've told everyone you've been out with your Mom on a business trip looking at prospects for a second pet shop." Matt said, having returned to his civilian form before passing through.

"Right." Wanda was still treating her mother and father with cold indifference as she held up the Heart of Kandrikar. There was a flash of light, and the five girls reverted back to their own civilian forms. She was about to say something to Derek, when Tress spoke up.

"What do we do about this?" She asked, and Wanda looked at it. Although it had changed in color, there was no doubt that it was still the Crystal of Cepheus.

"Keep it. I'm sure the original owner will come for it." She didn't want anything to do with that Crystal. She knew it probably wouldn't harm her anymore, but there was still a risk. She knew she was vulnerable still. Most likely she would always be vulnerable to those kinds of attacks. But if she was going to be the leader of the group again, she had to make sure not to give history the chance of repeating itself.

Derek was surprised at the hint of fear she showed when she saw that Tress still had the Crystal of Cepheus in her hands.

"Wanda..." He began, she blinked but showed no other sign that she heard him. Why was she avoiding talking, or even looking at him now that she was back?

Matt and Will looked at each other. Matt understood what Derek needed.

"I'll take the others home, Derek, you can stay with Wanda for a bit." Matt said.

HuiLing blinked at the sudden command of departure. But she could see that Derek and Wanda needed time alone, so she agreed without argument. She grabbed Cerella by her hair and dragged her away from her older brother.

"Hey!" Cerella exclaimed.

Derek waited as Will and Matt led the group away from them, back to their homes on the other side of the lake.

Wanda understood that she wasn't to follow her parents, but that didn't mean she was in the least bit happy about it. She was leaning against the rock wall of the cave nearby, listening to the silence that seemed to drag on.

"Wanda..." Derek began once he was certain they were alone, he looked at her and again noticed with a pang that she was still avoiding looking at him. He felt helpless, not sure what to do or say. But that nervousness he had in the beginning when he first told her he loved her was gone.

"What do you want?" She asked. There wasn't a demanding tone in her voice as there had been before, instead she was quiet and withdrawn. Like how she'd been as a child.

"To ask you why you won't look at me anymore." He said calmly. "I know...you've been through hell. I did my best to help you out of it. But why... now that you're back, you won't even glance at me?"

There was a plead in his voice that she couldn't ignore at this point. Why wasn't she? The answer came slowly.

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled. "All those horrible things I said to you." She could still hear herself shouting at him 'you didn't teach me a damn thing!' while she was under Phobo's control.

Next thing she knew, Derek was standing in front of her, hands on the rock wall on either side of her to make sure she wouldn't be able to get away from him again.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault." He said, speaking low and quiet when she looked up at him for the first time since she came back. "I should have done more to protect you. I knew Phobos was after the Heart of Kandrikar, but I thought you had everything under control until you sent HuiLing the crystal. I won't let it happen again. I might not have super powers like you, but you'd be surprised what I can do." He looked at her straight in the eyes as he spoke, still not letting her move away from him.

"But..." She looked up at him, then to the side. "Why? I'm not the leader you thought I was, nor the person. I did all those awful things. Even tried to kill my best friend." Her lower lip was trembling.

He put his forehead to hers, and he caught her scent that he had missed while she was away.

"Listen to me... That wasn't you. I know the real you. And I still love you. I know you're meant to be the leader of that group just as I know we're meant for each other." Derek knew the words sounded cheesy in his head, but they sounded even worse when he spoke them. Yet he had the feeling that she needed to hear them one way or another from him.

There was a long pause, then she leaned forward abruptly, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head in to his chest. Being caught off guard was an understatement as he blinked a few times with a slight pink tinge on his cheeks, but he slowly put his own arms around her.

"I'll do what I can to back you up in battle, you just worry about the Heart of Kandrikar, and your friends." He said quietly.

"Ok." Her voice sounded muffled as her face was buried in his shirt still.

He fell silent after that, grateful that her parents were so understanding about their relationship and even approved. That much was obvious with the way Matt had managed to get the others away from them. It would have been hard to talk with Wanda like this otherwise. Will had gone through something similar, when Matt had been controlled by Nerissa during the days of Will's guardianship. Trust had been key in their bond after Matt came back, so he knew he had to show Wanda that same trust to help her return to more of a normal life again. Well, as normal as it could get in her situation.

There was an eerie silence in the castle of Kandrikar as Phobos moved through the halls. Rhea had her needles out and threw one at each guard or Priest that approached them. This time instead of poison meant to control a person, this poison put anyone the needles pierced to sleep instantly. The sleeping poison would only wear off after a couple of days, which was the amount of time Phobos needed to achieve his next goal.

"Dropping like flies..." Commented Cybelle as they reached the library.

"Nice, isn't it? Too bad I can't kill them... But that would alert the Guardians to what's going on." Rhea nodded. The two of them had been oddly polite since their scuffle in Phobos' throne room a few hours before. They had reached an unspoken agreement to keep their arguments from Phobos and Cedric's line of earshot in the future. Phobo's temper was not to be tested at this moment, him having just lost one of his most powerful allies. They didn't need to give him an excuse in order to want to show them his wrath. At least that was one thing the two of them could agree on.

The library was a tall circular room whose ceiling could not be seen. Every wall of the room was covered with books, some seemed to be inches thick, others were old and faded looking. Shelves upon shelves of volumes containing ancient knowledge, half of which were written in even older languages long forgotten by man, or some other race of a different world.

"What's going-" The Oracle and Halinor came running out from a room on the other side, but were struck down swiftly by two of Rhea's needles before they could finish their sentence.

A small smile came across Phobo's face as he watched them fall to the ground. It was anything but endearing to anyone who looked at him right now.

"Now... You are certain that is everyone in this castle?" He asked Rhea, who nodded. "Good. Then my search will go uninterrupted." He closed his eyes, holding up the staff in his right hand as Rhea, Cybelle and Cedric each took a door to guard just in case. He needed to find a certain book, and he was certain that it would be in this library.

As clouds formed overhead, Derek finally pulled away from Wanda.

"Let's have a date this weekend." He said. "Not during the week, you've probably got a lot of catching up to do at school. But I want to have dinner with you." He smiled at how pink her cheeks went when he said that.

"You just had to remind me of school, didn't you?" She asked sarcastically, and he was actually glad to hear sarcasm coming from her again.

"Got to have some form of normalcy in your life now that you're back." He poked her on the forehead with his index finger. "Let's get going. I don't want you to get sick or anything."

As they walked, he noted how she kept her arms around his even if he didn't say a word about it. He wondered what other changes he would see in her over the next few weeks because of what happened.

If Will and Matt had been hoping their daughter's anger at them would fade by the morning, they were sadly mistaken. She was quiet at the dining table during breakfast in regards to her mother and father, even if she was perfectly cheerful with her grandparents.

"Did you guys have a fight?" Susan asked Will and Matt when Wanda left with Dean to go to school with him.

"You could say that. It wasn't exactly the best end of a trip I would have liked." Said Will.

"Well, give her a while." Smiled Susan. "Sometimes anger takes a while to ebb."

"I made Wanda her favorite meal for lunch, so hopefully that will help." Will showed her appreciation for her mother's support, even if she didn't know the full story. She'd never told her mother about the powers that she and her brother had, after all. Having felt it was best to keep them out of that chaotic life as much as possible in order to keep them safe from people like Phobos and Nerissa.

"Thanks for the ride, grandpa." Wanda got out of his now parked car as he was gathering his own things.

It was early in the morning even for her, but she had to get to school in order to talk with the Principal and her teachers about all the work she missed while on the so-called business trip with her mother. Which meant that she was there before most students, and her friends. It turned out to be a long morning when she got in to the Principal's office, but she was able to get her homework figured out and find out how far behind she actually got.

"You missed about three tests... one in math, history, and English One o' One." Said the Principal, whose hair looked whiter than ever. "I'll let you get caught up on the other subjects this week, and next week you need to take those tests."

"Thanks." Wanda said, though she wasn't entirely thrilled at all the work she had to do. On top of her job as Guardian of Kandrikar. She took it as best she could, though. It wasn't like she could explain the true meaning of her near month-long absence from school because she'd been controlled like a puppet by some mad man bent on the dominion of the very world she lived in. Plus a few other worlds.

She yawned as she left the Principal's office finally, her backpack feeling strangely heavier than normal, which was saying something since she had about six textbooks and three binders in it. Plus all of her pens, pencils, and papers. When she reached her locker, she saw Derek standing there with a Diet Pepsi in his hands.

"Here." He handed it to her, knowing that she liked soda more than coffee.

"Thanks." She said, genuinely grateful, and took a long swig from the can.

"Hey girl." HuiLing joined them moments later.

"Hi." Wanda blinked at her friend's sudden arrival.

"Thought you'd probably have a long day of it." HuiLing looked ecstatic at the fact that she had her best friend back.

"Understatement." Mumbled Wanda, then she took another drink of the soda while putting her books, papers, writing utensils, and bag in the locker. Her locker walls were adorned with pictures of the girls from Sailor Moon, some of her favorite singers and groups which included Evanescence, and Within Temptation, and a few pictures of Derek that HuiLing and Cerella had given her the night before after Wanda came back.

"Where did you get those?" Derek asked, upon seen one of the pictures of him asleep at his desk at home.

"Oh come on, she's your girlfriend. You can't be angry that she's got your picture in her locker." Cerella grinned broadly, joining the group.

"But still... I'd like to know next time people are taking snapshots of me like that." He pointed at the image of him quite obviously snoring at his desk again. He vividly remembered HuiLing taking the picture of him while they were at Hawaii after coming out of the water from a lengthy swim in the morning. He tried to wrestle the camera from her after that, but Taranee ended up taking over with the snapshots instead the rest of the day.

"Wish I could've gone to Hawaii with you guys. It sounded amazing." Wanda sighed as she lobbed the now empty soda can in to a nearby garbage recycler container.

"Next time we go, he'll be able to see you in that swimsuit you have." HuiLing said before she could stop herself.

Wanda was spared farther embarrassment by the arrival of Ingrid with a month's worth of notes she'd been taking for her.

"Thanks." She looked briefly through all the notes, and was glad at how thorough she was. "These will help me out loads. I've fallen behind so much." She avoided looking at Derek, but more out of embarrassment at HuiLing's statement, than anything else.

Derek meanwhile, blinked as his imagination went in to overdrive for a moment. He could see Wanda in a violet swim suit enjoying the water with her friends again, before he realized someone was trying to talk to him in the real world.

"Yo, space cadet." Stevie waved his hand in front of the older man's face.

"Sorry." Derek blinked, remembering where he was again.

"So, after school we're getting to work with my training again, right?" Asked Stevie.

"Yeah. I've got plans after I see how you do after a rehash of what I've taught you so far." Derek put a reassuring hand on the younger boy's shoulder while making sure not to get too far from Wanda as she was talking with her friends and his sister.

Then another voice came that none of them wanted to hear.

"I see you're finally back from your trip, Olsen." Wanda blinked, turning to see Eva standing there with a haughty, imperial look on her face as she observed the girl who still looked exhausted from her apparently longer than expected business trip.

"And I see you've crawled out of your cave." Retorted Wanda as she closed her locker before Eva could see what images she had in the door. She wasn't going to put up with the blond girl's crap anymore. "Why don't you go talk with your fellow flies around the garbage bin? I think they're missing you."

"At least my clothes don't look like they're from a second hand store." Eva shot back.

"I think you look great, Wanda." Derek piped in, unable to resist. He made sure to speak Wanda's name, so that Eva wouldn't get confused about who he was talking to.

"You be careful, Olsen... I'm going to snag your boyfriend one way or another." Sneered Eva in her temper.

Derek rolled his eyes. This girl just didn't get that he loved Wanda, and he doubted if Eva could last two minutes in the battlefield against Phobos and his cronies. It might short circuit her brain if she knew the full truth of their relationship.

Wanda chose not to respond to this. She knew Eva was looking for an excuse to call a teacher in and get her in trouble, but she had other things to worry about. Like getting caught up in math class before she had a nervous break down, for instance. She could feel Eva's eyes on her the whole time she was standing outside her grandfather's classroom door waiting for it to be opened.

"Just ignore blondie with pigtails." Cerella said. "She's just a sore looser because my brother fell for you instead of her." She flipped her hair imperiously as Eva passed, and didn't bother to keep her voice down. "Personally I'd rather have you be my brother's girlfriend. At least you're fun to hang around."

Wanda gave a small, simple smile at Cerella's support. Again she felt a great rush of affection for her friends, who were still sticking by her despite what she'd done and said while under Phobos' control.

Eva glared at the group as they went on their way to their classes, her eyes narrowing as Derek planted a goodbye kiss on a flustered and blushing Wanda before he left up the hallway. She decided then and there she'd stalk the girl to find out where they kept vanishing to after school, sometimes for days. She knew the Principal and her parents said she was sick, or going on business trips. But she didn't buy it for one minute. There was something odd about that necklace Wanda wore around her neck all the time. And the fact that she didn't make as much of a scene as she normally would have with Eva in that hallway got her wondering what had really happened.

Phobos was reading a single and very ancient volume that he had pulled down from one of the highest shelves in the library. The novel contained the information needed for proper resurrection, not just spirits of past selves turned in to flesh. While he was certain of his capabilities, he needed to make sure that there weren't any means of the plan to backfire on him as the plan to control Wanda had so utterly failed.

He found a page that he'd been looking for, and a small smirk appeared on his face.

Rhea and Cybelle were both standing guard at the doors, making sure no one could get in if anyone managed to wake up. The silence in the castle was eerie, almost deafening, pounding on their ears. Cedric was on the inside.

After finishing what he was reading, the book went back up to its proper shelf, high up near the ceiling. He left the library in silence, nodding at Cedric, who stepped aside as the door opened.

"Did you find what you were seeking, My lord?" Asked Cybelle, and Phobos nodded.

"Exactly what I needed. Now come... we are making a journey to Earth." A portal appeared in front of them at his command, and they stepped through it.

They reemerged not in Heatherfield, but in front of what looked like a large volcano that was in the shape of a horse shoe with a massive, ancient dried up mudslide coming from the center. Snow capped the highest points on the volcano, and inside was a dome.

"What are we doing in this waste land?" Asked Rhea.

"This is where we will find the spirit of a former guardian resting. They were once united under the same Heart, but when their mission was completed, they spread out, finding places they were fond of to spend their remaining days." Explained Phobos as they approached the very heart of the volcano. The smell of sulfur, and the heat that came from the mountain would be enough to turn anyone else's head, however, it hardly effected Phobos, Cedric, Rhea and Cybelle. "Rhea, use your needles to determine if the spirit is indeed locked within this sleeping volcano."

"Yes, My Lord." Rhea bowed, vanishing then reappearing directly in front of the dome of the volcano. The dome was round and appeared smooth where she stood, but was also very unstable. She looked up and saw that the dome towered over her, and judging by the red glow in some places, magma still reigned supreme within.

Six needles appeared in her fingers, three in each hand, before she threw them right at the rock. With several loud crunches of metal on rock, the needles were inserted. Then they sank in. Rhea put her hands on the hot rock with flat palms, before closing her eyes.

There were several moments of silence as she could see in her mind's eye the six needles spreading out within the rock and magma, searching for the spirit signature of the guardian that Phobos was seeking. Then...

"Yes. There is a spirit within the volcano. Female, by what I can sense." She said.

"Good... very good." Nodded Phobos, landing beside Rhea.

"Her name is Helena, from the spirit signature's information. It makes sense... The name is so close to that of this volcano... St. Helens." Rhea continued.

"Stand back." Phobos instructed after he heard enough, and she obeyed, rejoining Cedric and Cybelle. He raised his staff, which glowed a bright white light before what appeared to be white lightning shot at the dome.

Tress was in Geology class, studying about the formations in the Pacific Northwest. The group had to separate for this period, so she was only with Cerella, who had a mild interest in Geology, if nothing else because of her powers. Tress had the Crystal of Cepheus around her neck, right now it looked like an ordinary white jewel hanging there, but she could feel a sense of power that was anxious, almost like that power was reaching out to something else other than herself.

Halfway through the class, she felt it. Like a shock wave through her body. Even Cerella looked up with a jolt. Something had disturbed the natural cycle of earth and fire, they knew it. They just couldn't tell what it was at this moment, but judging by the look on each other's faces, the two of them understood that this didn't bode well for them. Whatever was going on. Hopefully they would hear about it soon.

After class was over, the two of them gathered outside in the hallway.

"You felt it too?" Asked Cerella.

"Yeah, like a shock wave. Something disturbed nature's element of fire." Tress nodded.

"To me it was more like a trembling of the earth itself. Something's happening." Cerella sighed, looking worried. She wasn't so sure about the power she had now, after all that had happened. But so far, at least, things were calm for now. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle what Wanda had been put through.

"Hey you two." Ingrid made Cerella jump by coming up behind. "Why so jumpy?" She smirked.

"We just felt something happen to the planet. We don't know where either." Replied Cerella at once.

Wanda joined the group with Derek behind her, and HuiLing at her side. "What did you just say?" Asked Wanda.

After making sure there weren't any eavesdroppers nearby, the girls broke in to explanation as to what they felt.

"I'm going to Kandrikar." Said Derek once the two were done. Wanda looked up at him. "We'll go." He corrected at the look on her face. "Right after school, so no one will suspect anything. I think that Eva chick is suspicious of us."

"She's just a sore looser that she didn't become your girlfriend and is trying to find an excuse to smear my name." Shrugged Wanda. She looked away, and didn't see the small smile on Derek's face at her comment.

Indeed, hidden behind a row of lockers in that hallway, Eva frowned. Kandrikar? What the hell was that? She had the feeling that she was getting in over her head, but at the same time the desire to find something to get Wanda in trouble with was much stronger than her conscience. She listened even closer to what they were saying. So those girls had a connection with the planet? Were they super powered freaks?

"Well, let's get going. It's lunch and I'm starving." Said Tress.

"I know, and today's my favorite day... Pizza Day in the cafeteria!" Wanda exclaimed.

At the table, the group sat with Wanda, Derek and HuiLing on the right side, and Ingrid Tress and Cerella on the left. Wanda had two pieces of square cheese pizza on her tray, with salad and thousand island dressing on the other half. She took one of the pieces, then dipped the tip right in to the dressing.

"Ugh... I can't stand it when you eat like that." Cerella said in disgust as she ate her salad first. "It's just cheese and grease piled on to bread, you know."

"Technically, it's moldy milk that's been cooked over until it forms curds and is then shaped in to blocks, but still." Wanda shrugged, causing HuiLing and Tress to exchange slightly disgusted expressions with each other across the table. "What?" Blinked Wanda, not having realized she may have offended anyone. "I like cheese and I like knowing how it's made." She took a rather big bite of pizza to emphasize her point.

"Now I don't even want my pizza." Grumbled Cerella, looking thoroughly disgusted now.

"Can I have it then?" Asked Wanda shamelessly.

"Take it." Cerella held up her tray across the table so Wanda could grab her two slices that had been put on it by the cafeteria servers.

Derek burst out laughing as Wanda piled the two new slices.

"Ok, Derek, why is that funny?" Asked Ingrid as she ate her Pizza.

"Because I didn't think that would actually work on my sister. Wanda was only doing that so she could get more pizza." He shook his head as he took a bite of his own.

"Wanda's a genius when it comes to getting the food she wants... who'd have thought?" Blinked Ingrid.

Across the cafeteria, Eva sat with her group of friends going over the latest in fashion, when she glanced over at Derek's table to see him laughing at something that was going on.

"What's up, Eva?" Asked a dark haired girl sitting next to her.

"Hold on, Janet. I'm gonna see what's so hilarious that the brat's got him laughing." And she strode over to the table Derek sat at.

"Don't look now, but I think a gorilla just lumbered over." Ingrid pointed at Eva.

"Ha ha." Eva snapped. She had another reason for needing to come over here than the one she'd given her friends. "Listen, you little freaks..." She slammed both hands on the table and leaned forward. "I know you guys have some kind of secret, and I'm going to find out what it is and expose it to everyone."

"What? You mean like the fact that Wanda's dad is a musical superstar? Or Cerella's Mom is a well known fashion designer?" Asked HuiLing in a matter-of-fact way that got Eva even more upset.

"No. You guys are hiding something else. And I'm going to find out what-" She stopped, for another shadow had loomed over the table.

"Is there a problem?" Asked Principal Knickerbocker.

"We were just having a friendly chat is all." Eva stood up and away from the table.

"Good, I won't be having any disturbances in the lunch hall. Back to your friends, Miss Eva." The Principal shooed her away.

"Wow... Saved by the Principal instead of saved by the bell..." Blinked Ingrid. "I'm going to have to remember to be nicer to her in the future."

"Hey, Wanda, you want to see a movie after school?" Derek asked her once Eva was gone.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm working on something important with Dad." She looked genuinely apologetic to him.

"Then after that?" He asked hopefully.

"Depends on what time we finish." She shrugged. "Dad and Mom don't like me out too late. Especially after... well, what happened and all that." She knew she couldn't go in to details in the cafeteria, but judging by the look on his face he knew what she was talking about.

He was not happy about this, but it was better that she was with someone trusted in her company than with some stranger. He had an arm around her as they ate.

After lunch, he saw her to her next class before going to his locker. He had a free period, which he was going to use for homework.

"Don't worry." Cerella saw the look on his face before heading in to the class. "I'm sure it's all fine."

"Then you know what's going on?" He looked at his little sister.

"No." She shook her head. "But I doubt it's anything to worry about. She can't hang out with us either, we tried getting her to go to the park earlier, but she said no to us too. So it's not just you."

Derek appreciated his sisters' reassurances and gave her a smile as she turned to head in to the classroom when Ingrid hollered at her.

Finally the process was finished. It had taken a whole day and night, but he had succeeded. A woman stood before him with dark brown skin, and sepia hair. Her hair was waist length and wavy, and held up in a pink pony tail bow. Her eyes were bright green as the green on her tights. She wore a pink sleeveless shirt with an elegant green brooch right in the center of the u-neck line. The shirt cut off at least three inches below her breasts, and in the front were two upside down pink crescents. Her mini skirt had two layers, the bottom being pink and the top ultramarine blue, and it slanted to the right. Her boots were ultramarine as well, and knee length. Her arms were left bare, with no gloves or wrist bands, which revealed her dark brown skin rather well. Her guardian wings were the small set that Wanda's group first used.

"From this point forth, you are my Guardian of Fire..." Phobos raised his staff to the point where the violet stone was at eye height with her. "Helena Abital... Quintessence." He muttered, and she was engulfed in white lightning for several seconds. When she opened her eyes again, they were still green, but blank and lifeless as they looked at their new master.

"Now, to the next place of interest... You will show me where Tuula Feng is resting."

Helena bowed.

"As you wish, my Master." She replied.

A portal opened in front of them, and they vanished inside it. When they reemerged, Phobos saw they were on the Western Coast of Oregon state, more particularly hidden in a small outcropping of rock that reached out from the heavily forested coast.

"Here." She pointed at the stones that surrounded them. "Is where she was laid to rest."

"Excellent." Muttered Phobos, raising his staff above his head. Lightning shot from the stone on the staff, while Rhea sent several of her needles in to the rocks for her search to begin all over again.

What appeared to be a black haired head seemed to float from the center of these rocks several feet above them. Her hair was kept back in an ornate pink and apple green pony tail, with her black hair still hanging down to her waist. Her shirt was sleeveless as well, but she still had two shoulder straps. The main part of her shirt was ultramarine blue, with a v-neck. The bottom straps of the shirt were also ultramarine, while the top straps were pink. At the bottom of the shirt, three inches above the belly button were two ultramarine crescents. Dangling from her ears were a pair of delicate emerald earrings that gleamed when the sun hit them. Her arms were bare just like Helena's, which showed how pale her peach skin really was. Her skirt went down to her knees and was pink with a slit up to her hips on the right side lined with ultramarine blue lace. The top of the skirt had two straps, the bottom being ultramarine and the top pink in a v-line like her neck, while in the front center was an emerald stone similar to that of her earrings. Her tights were apple green and dark green like Helena's, and her shoes were pink with high heels and a single ribbon wrapping around her ankle. Her wings were the same small Guardian wings as Helena's as well.

"Quintessence!" Phobos called out at once before Tuula had a moment to comprehend what was going on.

HuiLing was in her art class right after lunch when she felt something that she would have trouble explaining later on.

"Something wrong, Ms. Lyndon?" The Art teacher Mr. Brown had come over to her table when he saw she was distracted.

Mr. Brown was five feet nine inches tall, wore an old, paint stained white t-shirt, a pair of worn out blue jeans, and tennis shoes. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skin.

"Ah... Sorry, Mr. Brown." She said, getting back to work on her painting of Meridian that she had been working on, even though she had told him that it was part of the Fantasy Landscapes project she'd figured out weeks ago.

Tress, who sat next to her, saw the look on HuiLing's face and knew what she must have sensed. The same thing she and Cerella had felt earlier that day. Instead of painting, Tress was working with clay and molding it in to a figure- her mother as a Guardian for the Fantasy project. She was working from all the descriptions that her mother had given her before she started working on this sculpture, and so far she just had the main body and pose figured out. Her hands were covered in clay and sculpting materials that she'd been working on for the last half an hour, but she was most at home in the art classroom working with clay rather than paint, as HuiLing was. Around her neck hung the Crystal of Cepheus, gleaming white in the current lighting.

Today Tress wore a pair of blue jean coveralls, and an orange t-shirt with a u-neck. Her black hair was kept back in a pony tail, and she wore white and blue striped tennis shoes. She did not wear her watch that she normally wore, it was tucked away in her pocket due to the nature of her art project.

HuiLing wore her usual teal blue Chinese style t-shirt shirt lined with yellow gold, and black shorts. Her shoes were blue tennis shoes, and her waist length black hair was kept back in its standard braids. Her black eyes were observing the canvas as she tried to figure out what colors to use on the flowers that surrounded Elyon's castle.

"You sensed something?" Whispered Tress once Mr. Brown was out of earshot.

"Yes." Nodded HuiLing. "It was like a rippling through the air itself. Something unpleasant is going on."

"I felt it yesterday. I don't know what Phobos is up to, but we've gotta keep out eyes out." Replied Tress with narrowed eyes.

"Enough chatter over there, ladies." Mr. Brown's voice startled them, and they went back to work.

Phobos now stood in front of the lily pond in Hawaii. It was in broad daylight, so this time, no one saw the flowers, only the buds and leaves as regular lily pads. Galena was not present, as no one had come to her pond since the Guardians had to get their friend back.

"Cybelle... This one is for you." Phobos looked at the girl, who smiled.

She walked forward, then stepped right on to the water.

There was a loud roaring, like a rushing of water through a large pipe, and a pillar of water formed in the center of the lake.

"You intruders who dare disturb my rest..." Came Galena's infuriated voice. She looked up at Cybelle.

"Shove it." Cybelle snapped before Galena could finish her sentence.

Galena's eyes narrowed, then she raised her right hand, sending a wave of water needles at the girl, who jumped up high in to the air to reveal Phobos standing with Helena and Tuula on either side of him, just behind.

He raised his staff and sent a blast of lightning at the water needles, which exploded upon impact.

Cybelle landed on the water once more, looking up at Galena. The trick will be getting the woman off the pond. She did not have super powers like Galena, or her master, but she did have the strength, once the woman got close enough.

"Helena, Tuula!" Galena saw her two fellow guardians with a pang in her heart, but the two women did not recognize her, let alone give any sign of a response. "What have you done to them? Why have you disturbed their sleep?" She knew the look on her friends' faces as the very look that Wanda had on her face when she saw her fighting HuiLing.

"Because there is a task that I need completed, and you are the only ones who can do this." He replied as Cybelle worked her way towards her.

"Well you can forget it. I know who you are and what you've done to the current Guardians." Galena directed the palm of both her hands at Cybelle and Phobos. The water from the pond seemed to rise all at once, surrounding her and Cybelle, blocking them from view of Phobos and the others.

Ingrid was sitting in history class that afternoon, her head on the palm of her hand as she sat there looking completely bored out of her wits. Today she wore a blue striped long sleeved sweater since it was slightly colder today, with a u-neck line, dark blue flared jeans, black and blue striped tennis shoes. Her hair was kept back in low pig tails that day to keep it out of her face since it was rather windy that morning. She blinked when she felt something light bounce from the side of her head, and landed on her desk.

It was a rolled up piece of paper flicked at her by Cerella. Cerella's hand writing was elegant and loopy, in black ink since that was the only kind of ink Dean allowed in his classroom.

She unrolled the note after making sure Dean was busy writing notes on the blackboard, and read what Cerella had written:

Meet at the Auditorium after school for a surprise.

Ingrid blinked at the strange note, but gave a thumbs up to show she was go for that plan.

Phobos watched the wall of water with narrowed eyes. It had been nearly an hour, when suddenly Galena's back came flying out, Cybelle's hands wrapped around her neck as she pushed her through the wall of water while Galena was trying to push her off with little success. Galena landed on her back at Phobos' feet as Cybelle rolled away, and that was the moment that Phobos raised his staff.

Lightning shot from the staff as Galena started to stand up, and Galena let out a yell of rage and refusal to cooperate as the lightning engulfed her body.

Cybelle stood up from the spot she had rolled to as she dusted herself off.

It was now three o'clock, and Cerella, Ingrid, HuiLing and Tress were all outside the auditorium of the school.

"Hey, where's Derek?" Cerella blinked, looking around.

"I guess he didn't get an invite." HuiLing also looked around the hallway.

The door to the auditorium opened up, and they saw Wanda at the other end with her father.

"Hey guys! Glad you could make it!" She said.

"What's going on?" HuiLing, leaned over to see Matt's band setting up.

"Rehearsing. The Auditorium won't be open after school until the dance." Matt explained, "Due to the fact that we're going to be busy in here."

"That's right! You were set to perform, weren't you? But... what are you doing here?" Tress asked Wanda.

"I'm part of the show, but I don't want Derek to know." Wanda winked at the girls. "I just wanted you guys to be in on it so you won't feel abandoned or anything."

"So sweet..." Cerella grinned. "So, can we get in on the preparations and all that?" She asked.

"Sure, we need someone to help decorate." Nigel came over to the group.

"Hi Dad!" Tress went over and hugged him.

"Well, someone smells like they've spent the afternoon in a kindle." He commented, noting the clay stains on his daughter's shirt and overalls and Tress gave an embarrassed smile. "Where'd you get this?" He noticed the white crystal necklace that hung around her neck.

"Oh, I found that when Mom and I were looking for a possible location for a second branch of the Pet Shop, and thought of her when I saw it." Wanda said quickly when Tress looked like she wasn't quite sure how to explain this one to her father.

"And she got me a bunch of new Oil Paints." HuiLing spoke up to make sure the lie was buyable by Tress' father.

"Nice." Nigel nodded his approval. "So, Wanda, given anymore thought to the lyrics for the song we've been working on?"

At this Wanda looked rather embarrassed. Matt seemed to know that expression right away.

"In other words, not really." Matt sighed. "Well, there's still time. Wanda, why don't you head over there to work on lyrics, and Cerella, you, HuiLing, Tress and Ingrid can figure out what kind of decorating needs to be done for the dance over there so she can concentrate."

"Why doesn't Wanda want Derek to know about this? I think this is sweet." HuiLing looked at Matt as the other three went over to one of the tables away from Wanda.

"She wants it to be a surprise, since one of the three songs she's writing is for him." Matt was smiling as he said this.

HuiLing blinked as she leaned over to look at Wanda who was already pulling out her iPod Touch, and acting like she was wanting to yell at it.

"Her and technology don't really get along, do they?" She grinned.

"Nope, not at all." Chuckled Matt, shooing HuiLing over to her other friends.

Wanda was glaring at her iPod as it told her off for not being used for so long.

"Listen Judy, I just need your help. Can't you just please play that music I put on your playlists before I left?" She asked it.

"Sure, now that you've asked nicely." The woman's haughty voice came from the iPod.

"Thank you." Sighed Wanda with relief, putting on the headphones.

"Might I also suggest E.S. Posthumus' newest CD to add to your collection of inspirational music?" Judy suggested.

"I'll think about that one. It might be a bit too much for me right now... now... where's that notebook..." Wanda dug around in her back pack until she found the purple notebook with pink flowers and green leaves all over it.

She saw her cell phone, then thought of something.

"Hey Ron, if Derek calls, just tell him that I can't hang out with him today, please? I'd appreciate it." She picked up her cell phone, which was a Droid Phone with a purple protective cover.

"Sure thing, hon. But can you please put me in the front pocket this time? It smells like sweaty feet and old notebook paper in the main section of that backpack, and I don't want to get broken because of those brick heavy text books." The Phone answered.

"Hey! What about me? I'm always falling to the bottom of this dang backpack!" The Calculator said.

"Fine... From now on, all of my technology will be in the front pocket. Are you guys happy?" Sighed Wanda.

"I'm not being stuck next to that primitive beast!" Judy's voice overtook the music, referring to the calculator. "I'm either going in your coat pocket, or being left at home!"

"Man this is getting old..." Sighed Wanda, wondering how her mother ever dealt with this kind of power.