Caleb sighed inwardly. Usually, sitting on the beach cheered him up, or at least installed some feeling of relaxation. But alas, there was too much stress from both Meridian and Earth for any of that. Slowly, Caleb gathered his things, and brushing the wet sand of of them, set off for the Silver Dragon.
Things had changed drastically in the last five years. Meridian thrived, and the Guardians were seldom needed, letting the girls focus on their actual lives. Most of them were old enough to be on their own, but of course, that was only by Meridian's standards. Here, on Earth, they were still in high school, going through what they called "the senior year". Cornelia and Taranee had gained the ability to drive - much to Caleb's dismay – although, Hay Lin rides a bike, and Will walks. And Irma...
A frown caressed Caleb's features.
He truthfully had no idea how Irma.. or her Altemere anyway, got around. He had never shown much care to her, hell, even talked to her – it. It was nothing like the Irma he knew, nor had it any of her personality.
Caleb turned the corner abruptly, he was so deep into his thoughts that he almost crossed the wrong street. Luckily, the Silver Dragon was close.
He couldn't understand it, why people continued to talk and socialize with Irma. Of course, the guardians only do it for important reasons and keeping face, but Caleb couldn't help but wonder if they knew that Irma wasn't...Irma. He'd talked to trees that sounded more like Irma then that Altemere! It didn't make jokes, it didn't smile, it didn't rebel, it didn't even listen to the same music.
Of all the girls, Hay Lin had taken her friends death the worst. Of course, it wasn't surprising. After that night, she was silent, negative and cold. She lashed out at Will, snapped at Cornelia, and ignored Taranee all together. It wasn't until a few months later that she finally caved in, crying her eyes out and letting loose on Will one night.
Flashback
"Shut up Will! Just shut up!" Hay lin cried. "It wasn't her fault. She saved me, Will! She was doing her job, looking after her friends. Why didn't you go back! You should have went back!"
Cornelia held on to Hay Lin with all her strength, keeping those hands that threatened Will's throat away from her leader. They were all having a civil conversation, and then Will mentioned Irma...agian.
"You could have went back..." She croaked, one tear falling down her cheek.
"Hay-Lin..." Will whispered. She approached her, bravely and silently, hands out. "Oh, Hay-Lin." She pulled the small Chinese girl into a strong hug.
"It's gonna be alright."
Caleb scuffed. After that, Hay Lin opened up, and soon was back to her normal bubbly self. However, he notices the small pang of resentment in her features whenever Irma's Altemere comes around. If its for Irma, or Will, he'll never know.
Will had matured the most, cleaning up her grades and taking to heart her leadership role. Her powers grew indefinitely stronger, despite the missing member. She and the heart practically became one, almost anything was possible through that little charm of hers. She and Matt are still together, still going strong despite everything. A model couple, Caleb thought.
He smirked. Much more then he and Cornelia came out to be.
Cornelia, had grown more beautiful, even more flawless in Caleb's eyes. Even so, he found himself falling out of love with her, but his reasons for it weren't clear to him. Cornelia didn't take that excuse well, accusing him of cheating and calling him a jerk. She ignored him for a good few months, but thanks to Will and Taranee, finally accepted a low tolerance of him. Her powers had matured also, she was a powerful telekinetic, and the earth might as well been her twin.
Taranee had grown wonderfully too, losing her glasses and finally getting enough courage to navigate high school. Still smart as ever, she was a great help to the guardians, and mostly made up for the water guardian.
He must admit, he himself had improved. He had trained constantly, keeping his build so that whenever Meridian called, he would be there fighting like he'd never left. Before the war, Caleb had spent most of his days training, working for Yan Lin, and resting. He no longer went to school, he found it taxing and worthless.
He took the back door in, as so not to alert Yan Lin of his arrival. He quickly descended the basement stairs, where he hopped on the couch, no caring for a shower.
Tomorrow would be the anniversary. He didn't know if they remembered it, or if they keep track of it like he had. Maybe, for them, it would be a normal day, void of any remorse or memories. Maybe he'd be that lucky too..
Irma kept a steady pace from him, first walking on the street behind him and then following from the rooftops. She recognized his face, but from what? From where? Luckily, the boy seemed to be deep in thought, and traveled the streets like a zombie. It made her job much easier, even though she wasn't clear what it was. Sure, Kleos had given her the overall objective – but where does she start?
The boy entered a building, which she noticed was called the Silver Dragon.
Flashback
"I don't think I can make it, guys." The brunette heaved.
"Oh, come on. Its not that far away," an Asian girl teased. "Besides – we've walked farther before." She stopped, and looked up the steep hill, which went on for quite awhile. "Or at least I think so."
"That was in Meridian, Hay-Hay!" The brunette retorted. "If you don't recall, I flew up that hill."
The other girl just giggled softly, and continued to skip merrily up the almost vertical hill.
"This is the last time I walk from Corny's house to the Silver Dragon, EVER." The blue eyed girl breathed, trudging after the energetic girl.
The memory faded. Though Irma did not recognize that girl, she knew the memory was hers and that whoever she was, Irma had been close to her. She also stored the information that, whoever "Corny" was, she lived downhill from the Silver Dragon.
Hours passed by, in which the young assassin spent sitting on the nearby rooftop, watching people leave and enter the building. From what she'd observed, she guess that it was some type of restaurant. Soon, however, the flow of people lessened and lessened, and eventually crawled to a stop. She waited another hour, then decided it was clear to enter.
The alley was quiet and deserted, save for some stray cats that meowed in fright when Irma passed. She remembered the boy opening the door easily, so there must not be a lock. She pushed the door slightly, a tiny squeak answered her. Smiling, she opened it further and slipped in, closing the door behind her. It was pitch dark, but that did not deter her. She waited until her eyes adjusted, then continued. She passed by what she guessed was the kitchen. She could shallow breathing not to far away, probably belonging to that brown-haired boy. Becoming slightly unnerved, she continued navigating until she found stairs. At the bottom, she spied the boy – sleeping (luckily), on a torn up couch.
"This room...putrid." She muttered aloud to herself. On the table, she spied what she had been trying to find. Something interesting, maybe even useful! Five letters lay spread out, each with a different name.(1) One was labeled "Irma Lair".
"Mine," She whispered to herself.
"Mhrmm..."
That boy was going to wake up!
Quickly, she stashed the letter into one of her pockets and got the lead out of there. Once safely in the alley, Irma inspected the letter. It had her address, and it was from Sheffield High School. Inside, there were papers that said words and letters, such as Math: D, or Chemistry : C-. It made no sense to her, so she simply threw them away as she walked. The letter was useless! At least, she had an address. And that's where she'd be headed next.....
Long time no update, huh? Sorry about that :[ been writing my Teen Titans fic, and totally forgot about this one. Sorry .
If it wasn't clear, they were report cards. (They were so totally hiding them from their parents! With the exception of Taranee, who got straight A's, but she had to support her friends .) RNR!! (or just read it. I like reviews though 8D)