It was another winter day in Heatherfield. It was cloudy, cold, and humid. Hardly anyone was out on the streets, save vendors and people who walked quickly as if they had somewhere they needed to go. Among those people were two teenage girls, who bickered back and forth with each other, on their way to the Silver Dragon. Had one looked closer, they might have saw that they were identical in every way possible, but it went undetected thanks to their respective 'outfits'.
The Altemere had insisted that Irma stay hidden, so she was dressed in a hooded gray sweatshirt and baggy black sweats(which definitely wasn't her size, by the way). The other dressed in a simple gray sweater and snug blue jeans, with a gray hat with earflaps. Needless to say, Irma felt ridiculous.
"Remember, when we see Caleb, don't say anything until I say so. Alright?"
"I don't see why I had to be the one to wear this," Irma waned.
"Psh, I'd wouldn't be caught dead wearing that," The Altemere retorted. She ignored Irma's glare and continued.
"Plus, you lack the necessary people skills to even act like me. If people – especially people I know – figured out it wasn't me, then it would be trouble. Not mention if a Guardian would come by, it'd be a load of trouble for you and me both."
"Hmph." Irma smirked. As much as she hated it, the other Irma had a point. She pulled her hood tighter around her face so that all that was visible was her bright blue eyes and a curl of her auburn hair that had slipped from her ponytail. "You're pretty smart for a fake person."
"Thanks." The Altemere smiled. "We're here. Now remember, not one word to anybody, even if they say something to you!"
Irma nodded. The Altemere then turned the corner, momentarily looking into the window to scope out who was in there.
"Come on," She gestured. "Not. One. Word."
The door squeaked open, and inside was oddly familiar to Irma. As a matter of fact, everything about it was! The seats, the menu, the color scheme – deja vu?
"Hey ."
"Why, hello there Irma. You're here rather early, is there something wrong?"
The small old lady smiled.
"No, just came by to study with a friend," She answered nonchalantly, gesturing towards to Irma. "Don't bother saying hi, she doesn't understand English. You know, shes one of those exchange students from Russia and such."
The lady simply nodded through the Altemere's conversation. Irma couldn't help staring at her, she was so familiar... she knew her.
They were in the exact room, except the booths and tables were empty. It was late at night, but the restaurant was fully lit as if it were still open.
"Be careful girls," she had said. "Something about this doesn't settle in my old bones.."
"We will, no worries." The redhead smiled. "After all, we always have the villains running scared."
"Thats probably because of Corny's makeup job," The brunette added, making everyone giggle except for the blond.
"Very funny," She spat.
"All jokes aside," the redhead started again, "We'll be on extra guard today. Nerrisa and her goons are out to retrieve some ancient object, believed to give the holder unlimited power. "
"That's typical of that diabolical granny," The one with glasses added. "We'll be safe, ."
"That is all I ask. Thank you."
A short awkward silence followed, but it was broken when the brunette spoke abruptly."No problem, Mrs. Lin. Now, is there anymore dumplings?
As the memory rushed back to her, the name escaped her lips as a quiet whisper.
"Yan Lin."
At first, Mrs. Lin looked as if she had not heard. She continued to listen to the Altemere's small talk, but then old woman's eyes locked with Irma's – briefly, because Irma looked away to avoid being recognized. Had she heard? She might have blown her whole cover in one statement!
She mentally smacked herself, but continued her staring contest with the floor. She was afraid to look up again, lest recognize her.
"So, we're gonna ask Caleb to help us study." The Altemere finished, with an accomplished smile. She grabbed Irma's hand and tugged her down the stairs, as to avoid anymore conversation.
"Good job." The Altemere said. "Now, don't say anything to Caleb until I say its clear."
The basement of the Silver Dragon looked terrible. She remembered the room of course – but it looked even worse in the daytime. The furniture was ugly and torn, clothes were everywhere, not to mention papers and old food bowls. The TV was blaring, but it didn't seem to bother the body laying on the couch, who continued to flip mercilessly through channels.
"Caleb." The Altemere said loudly, trying to compete with the TV volume. "CALEB!"
The TV turned off. A head slowly emerged from behind the couch, looking rather annoyed.
Irma remembered him as the boy she had followed earlier, she had no idea that he actually lived here. Just the thought of that made her stomach turn.
"What do you want?" He said tiredly.
"Your help," She answered.
"Does it have to be right now?" He yawned, getting up to stretch. Irma couldn't help but note that he was well-built.
"Yes." She said. Then she lowered her voice. "Its about Irma."
At that, his face dropped its frown and a look of uncertainty replaced it. "What about her?" He still was persistent with his rude voice, but Irma noticed it had wavered a bit.
"I think I found her." She answered, pointing to Irma. She nodded, and Irma took off her hood, smiling awkwardly despite the intensity of the situation.
At first, Caleb looked stunned. He opened his mouth, to say something, but closed it. Another moment of silence followed, before someone spoke again.
"Its impossible. Irma's dead. This can't be..." He mummered to himself. "Unless.."
Irma couldn't really register what happened next. There was a sound of sliding metal, a grunt, gasp, and she was against the wall, with a knife to her neck. She was taken by total surprise, but still remembered to keep her cover and not fight back.
"Who are you?!" He sneered. "What do you want?"
"Irma," She sputtered, "I want to know who I am."
"Get off of her, Caleb!" The Altemere shouted.
"You're not Irma!" He continued. "Irma's dead. I saw her die!"
"You saw her die...what do you mean?" She simply asked, no emotion whatsoever. Caleb didn't know how to react, he didn't expect her to ask that question. His grip loosened a bit.
"Theres no way you can be Irma. I saw it... theres no way." He continued, looking downwards. He released her and tussled his hair in frustration. "Who are you, then?"
"I'm Irma." She pressed on, eager for information. She had always been curious about where she was from, and maybe she'll finally get answers. "Please tell me what happened to me. I don't remember."
"She doesn't remember anything about us," The Altemere added. "I think its worth a try. If she was going to bring harm, she would have brought it already."
"I guess thats true." He said slowly, as if he was assessing each word. He tossed the knife onto the table nearby, and therefore letting Irma relax. "But first you must tell me how you got here, if you don't remember anything."
"Uhm.." Irma started. The Altemere and Caleb were now staring daggers at her. I guess I'm going to have to lie a bit. "Five years ago, I awoke in a hospital in Firekan, Meridian .A peasant lady and man took me home – they claimed me to be their daughter. They hid me away from the other villagers, for reasons I am not clear. They knew who I was, but thought not to tell me... in order to keep me safe, I suppose. Then the war started, and their village was destroyed. I was sent here, with only the memory of where I lived."
"Thats why you showed up in my room!" The fake Irma squealed. "See, Caleb? It all makes sense."
Irma smiled. That was easy. "Now tell me. What happened to me five years ago?"
It was Caleb's turn to feel uncomfortable. He shifted around awkwardly. "Well.." He started shakily. "It was supposed to be a normal fight."
The KOV had infiltrated an old ruined castle, in attempt to find the an ancient relic. The Guardians had arrived shortly thereafter, after receiving a tip from Blunk that they were there. A fight ensued, in which the Guardians dominated slightly, since Sandpit was missing from Nerrisa's group of villains. However, it didn't mean that they were easy to beat.
"Give it up already, Frost!" Cornelia huffed. "I have a hair appointment at 7, I can't keep doing this all day."
Frost sneered. The Earth guardian had snared him with her vines, and there were too many to fight off with brute force. "I don't care what you want," He growled. "I just want you dead!"
"Ahhh!" Will's distressed cry broke through their "conversation". Cornelia turned sharply to the source, only find that Tracker had captured Will and was about to lay down the hurt.
"Hold on, Will!" Cornelia shouted, focusing her concentration on shaking the earth under Tracker.
Sensing his chance, he unsheathed his dagger and quickly cut away the vines that constricted him. Cornelia wasn't paying attention, and had her back turned to him. He rushed at her, dagger forward... only to be blown away by a torrent of rushing water.
"And what do you think you're doing, blockhead?" The water guardian smirked.
Frost only glared angrily, before rushing at her. She easily blew him away, sending him even farther, growling the whole way.
"Really...What are you doing?" She asked again, cocking her head. It wasn't like him to be so determined, but he just might have been that angry. Of course, it didn't matter, he was no match for the water witch, who now let loose a steady stream that had him cowering for cover.
Taranee landed nearby, patting Irma on the back. "Well if you got muscles here, I'm gonna help Haylin and Caleb with Nerrisa. The old hag is really putting up a fight."
"Sure thing, T." Irma assured, giving a mock salute to her smart friend.
Caleb threw punch after punch at Nerrisa, but she simply deflected each with minimal effort. Even with Haylin blowing her off her feet half of the time, she was still untouchable!
"Cornelia! We need some help here!" Haylin called, after seeing Nerrisa use her powers to violently knock Caleb away once more.
Seeing the Earth Guardian fly over, Nerrisa couldn't help but smile to herself. It was all falling into place. She dodged another punch, but this time used her power to blast Caleb away with deadly force.
He crashed into the wall and laid still.
"Oh no you didn't," Cornelia hissed with venom. She punched the ground, sending a shock-wave that knocked Nerrisa into the opposite wall.
Taranee and Hay Lin quickly flew to Caleb.
"Caleb, are you alright?"
He only grunted softly in response.
"He's alright, but he might have fractured a few things..." Taranee said, after inspecting his body. "He'll have to stay here."
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Hay Lin went flying backwards.
"Hay Lin!"
Taranee shot a few fireballs back at Nerrisa. Somehow, the hag had managed to subdue Cornelia and now attacked them!
"Stay here Caleb!" She huffed as she and Hay Lin flew off to join the fray.
"It all went to hell from there.."
As soon as Hay Lin and Taranee flew over, Nerrisa threw a bolt of energy that knocked them back. Hay Lin landed on her back again with a sickening thud. The pain paralyzed her and made her disoriented for the moment, but when it cleared she was startled to find Nerrisa towering over her. The old witch extended her wrinkled hand, and to Hay Lin's dismay, started to power up.
Gathering his strength, Caleb finally was able to lift himself up, using the wall for support. He heard Nerrisa's murderous cackle and looked to see her getting ready to fire deadly bolt straight into Hay Lin! There was nothing he could do, for he was too far and he wouldn't make it in time. Cornelia was incapacitated as well, Tracker had bested her and pinned her to the ground. Will was too far away and unaware, and fighting a losing battle against both Raythor and Tracker's pet. Taranee was grounded just like Hay Lin, and he could tell she wasn't getting up anytime soon.
However, nearby, Irma was fighting with Frost with little effort.
"Irma!" He called, hoping the Water Guardian heard. The brunette turned swiftly, blue eyes piercing Caleb's brown ones. Although he hadn't said anything, her face changed from lax to intensely concerned when she saw her best friend at Nerrisa's mercy.
Hay Lin held her arms in front of her protectively, hoping that it would save her the pain Nerrisa prepared to bestow, if not death.
Nerrisa laughed. "Consider yourself lucky. It will only hurt for a second! Quintess-"
The command never came. Hay Lin opened her eyes to see the old hag blasted away by a huge stream of water, screaming in anger the whole way.
Irma sighed a breath of relief. She then noticed that Cornelia was practically being smothered to death by Tracker, and prepared to shoot a stream that would knock the big bully on his ass. It never came.
At first, Frost was confused when the Guardian stopped her barrage of ice cold water. Then he saw her back turned to him, and further saw that his boss had the Air Guardian at her complete mercy. Thinking quickly, he jumped to his feet, searching the ground for his sword. He found it quickly. He glanced once at Nerrisa, and was surprised when her eyes met with his. She nodded once, and Frost grinned. He knew what had to be done.
Caleb let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. Hay Lin was safe! He turned to Irma, and his heart froze.
"Irma!" He called again, this time more frantically. "Irma look out!"
Irma looked briefly at him, confusion plastered all over her face. The next scene happened in slow motion for Caleb. He felt his heart squeeze as she turned to face Frost. Her smile fell off her face immediately.. She had no time to attack, or even scream. Frost shoved his blade into her midriff, causing her to gasp sharply. Frost only smiled.
"I'm sure you have a smart response for this." He said, pushing her onto the palace wall. She cried out, but he paid no heed."Well?"
Caleb strained to hear if she had said anything, and barely picked up her whispered reply.
"Screw … you... you big dumb brute.." She replied shakily, drawing on the little air she had in her lungs.
Frost growled. He pushed it in deeper, pinning Irma between the sword and the wall. "What do you say now?"
Irma opened her mouth to say something then, but only coughed up blood.
"That's what I thought." Frost smiled, wiping the blood of his torso.
"Irma!" Caleb heard Hay Lin's distressed cry. He pounded the floor with his fists as the anger welled up inside of him, why couldn't he stop it? Frost turned away from Irma and glared at Caleb with slight grin. "It's done." He said simply.
"Very well," Nerrisa hissed. "Sandpit, now!" She snapped her fingers, and a sandy gust conjured up.
Hay Lin fought the urge to throw up as she saw her best friend get impaled into the wall. Her legs gave out on her, bringing her to her knees. She and Irma locked eyes briefly, as a trail of blood left the Water guardians lips. Sorry. She mouthed. Her bright blues were no longer evident, instead replaced by dim gray orbs that stared lifelessly.
"Hay Lin! Cornelia! Taranee!" Wills familiar voice echoed in the back. "We need to retreat!"
Sandpit's sand collided against Hay Lin's face and skin, but it didn't stop the loud sobs that wracked her body. Her best friend was dead, murdered by Frost. Sand now entered her lungs and burned her eyes, but she barely registered it. She felt herself being lifted up by strong hands, and fought them. She had to stay. She had to help Irma.
"Hay Lin, we need to go, stop fighting!" Caleb's voice shouted. The winds were now immensely violent, and the portal was barley visible.
"But Irma.."
"Quintessence!" A lightening bolt flew by them, narrowly missing Caleb's head.
"Shes gone!" He shouted, although she could tell he had difficulty saying it.
Finally she gave in, letting herself be pulled out of the cold dark world and forever leaving Irma behind.
"Thats the last I saw of you. We never went back." He finished. The Altemere sat with her mouth agape. She had never knew what happened to her human counterpart, but she hadn't expected that. The real Irma just stared in mild disbelief. A million thoughts zoomed through her head. Is this true? Had she died? Was she really...a Guardian? Her hand flew subconsciously to her stomach. Then she remembered.
"Its true." She whispered, more to her self then to anyone else. Caleb looked at her once before looking away.
"Right." He replied skeptically. "Now that you know, why don't you tell us who you really are?"
She didn't reply, instead stood up and proceeded to lift up her shirt. "Its true. It explains how I got this." She pointed towards her abdomen. Caleb turned his head reluctantly, not really caring or wanting to see he was about to see. He was almost entranced by her seemingly perfect body, but reminded himself quickly to follow the finger. It lead to the only imperfection on her fair skin, a scar that printed itself on her stomach.
"It goes all the way through." She added, turning to show the identical scar on her back. "I told you the truth."
"But you don't remember anything?" He asked, the edge was taken out of his voice now.
"Not a thing. Every now and then, something is familiar, but nothing more then that."
"Do you remember your powers?" The Altemere questioned.
"Powers?"
"Oh man..." Caleb ran his hand through his brown locks. "Okay. First thing we do tomorrow, is try to get you back with your powers. Maybe its the key to your memory. We won't need the Heart. And..." He looked at the clock, which was withered and battered as the rest of the room.
"Its late. Irma – the Altemere, I mean. Go back with the rest of the Guardians, they shouldn't know about this...yet."
The Altemere nodded. "Good luck," She said to Irma. Irma smiled briefly, but returned to her stoic expression once the Altemere left the room.
"I guess you'll be sleeping here. There's a lot we have to catch up on, we just don't have time tonight." Caleb said, hopping back on the couch.
Irma's eye twitched. Sleep here?!
She sighed and moved towards the farthest corner from him. This mission might be over faster then she thought, if she can earn the Guardian's trust as easily as... as.. whatever his name was.
"Hey," She said, "Whats your name?"
"Caleb," He answered sleepily. She didn't say anything after that, but he soon heard her breathing slow and the rustling stop. A smile sneaked across his face. It was really Irma. She may not remember everything, but it was her, in the flesh.
Maybe, just maybe, everything will soon return to normal again.
Sorry for the late update :[ I officially decided to continue this story, thanks everyone who reviewed and still remembered it (lol) your reviews mean a lot to me, thanks a lot, honestly! RNR 8D