Heatherfield, September 12th, 3 a.m.
A young man was lying on his back on the bed of his small apartment. The apartment was small, had a few rooms, including the kitchen and bathroom. Small and messy, the one who lived there only cared about essential things to live. It was in the outskirts of Heatherfield, near the coast.
The guy was frantically tapping the screen of a computer, looking for something. The lights in the apartment were completely off, the only one was that of the contraption, which illuminated his face.
"Come on ..." he mumbled, continuing to touch it.
Suddenly, the figure of a man appeared on the screen. He had long black hair, his face was gaunt, and had deep black eyes. His gaze was serious and inquisitor.
"What's new, Edward?" the man asked, coldly.
The guy cleared his voice. "I met the guardians, Karesh. All of them ".
"That's good," said Karesh, waiting for something more.
"Yes," Edward said, uncertainly "They're seriously influenced. They might think I'm a God on Earth, "said the boy laughing.
Karesh chuckled. "That's good! Maybe, one day, you will find among them the new Queen of Aquardas and your future wife ".
Edward smiled sheepishly. "Maybe ... I will have to find her, anyway".
Karesh grinned and blew out a cigarette in the ashtray next to him. "But of course, my dear ...".
"But" Edward kept on saying "There is one of them who does not convince me. I was able to reach the same aim with the other four. But I couldn't with her ".
Karesh observed him. "What's wrong with her?".
Edward glanced down, thinking. "I don't know. It's as if she wished to understand anything more about me. Extremely sensitive, extremely insightful ... I'm afraid she might get to see who I truly am ".
Karesh appeared worried. "Who is it?".
"From the pictures that you have shown me before my departure, she must be the guardian of water. As well as the youngest".
"Then there will be no problem," said Karesh determined "The guardians of Kandrakar obey their leaders. They don't act doing whatever they want. If you manage to submit the keeper of the Heart, the water guardian won't be a problem. But, however, try to find a way to ... tame her ... ".
Edward looked at him for a moment. "And how can I do?" he asked.
Karesh looked elsewhere, and sighing, replied. "This is not my business. Your mission is to not bring the guardians on Aquardas, and possibly weaken them. For the rest, everything is in your hands ". Then the connection was interrupted, and Edward could no longer see his interlocutor.
"Of course, uncle" answered and, placed his computer on a chair nearby, fell asleep.
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Heatherfield, September 12th, 3 a.m.
Nerissa slept peacefully in her bed; after she thought at that guy who not only had asked to her an information in a very polite and kind manner, but had also defended her best friend from a pervert, she was just dreaming Edward's smile, when she felt a hand shaking her shoulder.
The dream vanished, and she opened her eyes, and was surprised at the vision she had.
"Cass ...Cass?What are you doing here?And most of all ... how you did you get here? " merely shouting at Cassidy, who standing by her bed.
"Shhh!Idiot ... I had to climb the tree just out here and get in through the window which, for my luck, you left open!But how can you have such a heavy sleep?!Get up, the Oracle called us ".
Nerissa yawned, turning to the other side of the bed and put her head under the pillow. "Well, he called you, not me."
Cassidy rolled her eyes, impatiently. "Yeah, he called you too, but you didn't listen, and without you we cannot go to Kandrakar. So keep your ass and take it out of here!"and so saying she took away the blankets. Then got out.
Nerissa remained in bed again for a few seconds, with the pillow over her face.
"Fuuuuuck ..." She sighed and stood up.
They reached the fortress. The sky outside was dark, as if it would forecast a storm, and a cold air blew among the walls of Kandrakar.
The Oracle was there waiting for the guardians.
"Welcome, guardians. Thank you for coming " he thanked.
"No fucking wonder" muttered Nerissa, before receiving a nudge from Cassidy.
"I would like to tell you a story, guardians. You might pay attention? ".
The guardians shut their mouths and looked confused, before getting closer to the Oracle.
He looked at them carefully, one by one. Then, sighing, started with his speech.
"How many worlds do you know, girls?" he asked.
The question turned out to be a bit unexpected. Since they had to wake up in the middle of the night, the girls were expecting maybe something more urgent.
"The issue is more serious than you think," he said, as if he had read the thoughts in each one's mind.
The guardians looked at each other again.
"...Meridian ...? "Halinor tried, shamefully.
"Ok ...what else? ".
Another moment of silence.
"Earth..." Kadma tried to say.
"Ok." replied the Oracle, noting the efforts of concentration on their faces, still numb from sleep.
The girls didn't say anything.
"Well, it's not bad, considering your minimum experience as guardians of Kandrakar" claimed the Oracle. "That's not bad at all".
He then went to a terrace giving on the outside, and looked at the threatening weather, while carefully thought to the words he should have used for his speech.
The guardians were waiting.
"Therefore, I'll introduce you another one. It's called Aquardas. It's one of the most distant worlds that lie under the control of this fortress. So far that very few of its inhabitants know they are part of an infinite universe. Someone talks about it, but it seems that it's an ancient legend. Yet there's someone who believes in this legend, including Karesh, ruler of the world ".
The Oracle turned around, to make sure the girls were paying attention. Then turned back to the infinite.
"As I said, the issue is more serious than you think, and not easy to explain. Sixteen years ago, the previous king of Aquardas died, unknown causes; his brother, Karesh said to his people that the King had died of a heart attack, something unpredictable and unexpected. And, since the heir to the throne was only one year old, Karesh took the place of the dead brother, gained power and began to rule on Aquardas ".
"I don't think there is anything wrong with it" Yan Lin interrupted. Everyone turned to her. The Oracle looked strict at her, making her blush. "I mean, if it's too young, it's better if Karesh rules in its place, isn't it?".
The Oracle gave a half smile, and resumed his speech. '"Yes. It would be perfect. But, when something like this happens, and whoever takes power is not the person designated to the inheritance of the throne, the temporary king must put into writing that he will abdicate when the true heir will be old enough to rule. At first, Karesh didn't want to do that. But people continued to insist in order to ensure that the child would one day reign, and so he wrote that he would have abdicated when the heir would have been eighteen years old".
"Ok, the right king on the right throne, what's the problem?" Nerissa said, since she could not grasp the point of the matter, nor her companions couldn't.
"Let me finish," said the Oracle. He took a deep breath. "A few weeks ago, some rebels in Aquardas stole the corpse of the old King. They brought it to a great wizard and doctor, well-known there in Aquardas, and who shares rebels' vision. And he managed to prove, as the rebels already believed, that the old king was killed".
"But why did they do it now?I mean, the king died sixteen years ago. Not to be disrespectful to the dead one, but ... why didn't they steal him before? " Cassidy asked, thoughtfully.
"Because the boy will turn eighteen in nine months. And, given the premise, the rebels don't believe that Karesh will let him rule so easily. They fear that he could fulfill one of his tricks, in order to continue ruling ".
"Indeed" Kadma thought "Why kill a king in order to rule for only seventeen years?It makes no sense ... I'd wish to rule as much as possible...If I did ".
"In fact," agreed the Oracle. "We sent the white heralds to Aquardas a few days ago, we offered him a chance to abdicate and to respect the agreements. But did not want to listen ".
"And" Cassidy continued "If he doesn't want to listen, we must intervene, right?".
The Oracle looked.
Cassidy nodded "Yeah, right".
"I trust you, girls" the Oracle said "I know you can do a lot, in spite of your inexperience, and I know you'll do the right thing"
"We'll do everything we can, Oracle" Nerissa said, determined.
The Oracle turned to her, worried.
"Girls, please stay here," he said, "Nerissa, come with me".
The girls looked confused, wide-eyed; Nerissa also was surprised by the statement of the Oracle.
He put an arm around her waist, and led her to a room nearby. Nerissa followed him, and, once they got into the room, the Oracle closed the door behind him.
A deep silent fell in the main room, among the guardians.
"Does anyone know what's going on?" Halinor asked, uncertain.
Cassidy sat down on the floor, resting her back against a column. "Well, basically, she's pretty," she said, jokingly.
The other three girls turned to her, looking at her sternly.
"Well, it's true" Cassidy concluded, in a defensive tone.
Meanwhile, the Oracle sat down on the floor, in the middle of the room.
Unprofessional, Nerissa thought. But when it was necessary to talk about girls' problems, formalities ceased to exist for the Oracle, and she knew that.
The Oracle motioned to sit.
She listened to him, and sat down on the floor.
"So. .. How are you?" he asked.
She looked around, and thought. "Well, I guess you already know the answer, do you?".
The Oracle shook his head. "I can see your attitudes, I can see that you have problems with your family, I can see that you have trouble sleeping, I know everything your friends may know, but, unlike them, I also know that this is due to the Heart. But I can't perceive your feelings ".
Nerissa lowered her head. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was the Heart, as she suspected. But why, why, the Heart had chosen her as its bearier, and appointed her as the leader of the guardians of Kandrakar. Why was it now hurting? She could answer in that moment, "I'm fine, any problems", but to what kind of purpose?No one could help her, and if someone could ever do that, was now sittin in front of her, caring, waiting for a response.
Therefore she opened her lips to reply, when she felt his hand on her shoulder.
"I don't want an answer now" said "Just think about it. But I don't want you to start the mission in these conditions. I can replace you, even for just a few months until you'll be better and you will ensure that you've recovered. "
The Oracle was, in that moment, one of the few people who had ever cared about her, and Nerissa knew this. She smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Oracle".
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Heatherfield, September 13th
Cassidy was tyding her locker, and changing the books for the next biology lesson. She wasn't really thinking, though someone might believe, looking at her face. She was only staring, her gaze was empty. She was taking a stack of books, when she heard a shy voice at her side. She hadn't noticed anything, because she wasn't really caring about what was happening around her, and because the locker door separated her from her interlocutor.
Closed the door, she saw Edward next to her.
She looked at the man from top to bottom. "Hello".
Edward damped his lips and bit his lower one, thinking about what he could say. "I-I'm sorry if we didn't meet yesterday" he finally said, stuttering.
Cassidy looked at him, skeptical. "Did we have a date?".
"No!" he hastened to say.
"Then it's not a problem if I don't see a stranger for at least one day. Now, I'm sorry, " Cassidy said, cold, and set out.
Edward was still there, surprised, frowning, and then ran after her. "I-I hope that guy won't bother you again, henceforth".
"I hope so".
"What class do you have now?" he asked.
"Biology".
"Me too!" Edward replied, excited. Cassidy looked at him, skeptical.
"I mean, I have biology, now ...What a coincidence ... "he repeated, more seriously.
"Ok. So let's go, "she said, and Edward began walking beside her.
"So. .. ehr ... how old are you?" he asked, sheepishly, to keep alive the conversation.
"Fifteen. You? "replied Cassidy, as cold as ice.
"Seventeen ... yeah ..." he said, mentioning a smile "and ... do you live here?".
"Yes, with my mother and my twin brother ... maybe you'll meet him here at school," she replied, without ever looking at him in the eyes.
The two entered the room, and they shared the same position in the lab. Cassidy placed the stack of books on the counter, and wore the white coat.
"So. .. your father must be one of those businessmen who go around the world and come back from time to time, right?" he said with a big smile, hoping to hit upon the outline of the situation.
Cassidy caught a glimpse of him, and took in her hands the samples to be analyzed. Then looked down.
"My father died when I was six" she said, inserting the slide under the lens.
Edward immediately changed expression, and frowned. "Sorry, didn't know that".
Cassidy swallowed. "Doesn't matter" she mumbled, frowning she too.
Edward tried to look her in the eyes again, maybe to take a glimpse of pain in her eyes.
And she looked back at him.
It was as if he was unable to breathe, Edward, as if he suddenly were seized by panic. He grabbed his bag and ran away, leaving the girl alone, before the exercise.
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"Rissa, you remember you didn't tell us of your meeting with Oracle, don't you?" Halinor said, while eating in the canteen.
"Actually, I'd like to think about the situation before even telling what's going on" her friend answered.
"You're so awkward..!" Yan Lin said, with some pasta in her mouth. "Ok, do, think whatever you want. When you're done you will tell us. Won't you?".
Nerissa sighed. "I will, I promise".
"Oh my gosh" Kadma said, giving a look behind Nerissa's shoulders. Cassidy was coming, Edward next to her. Nerissa turned to them, giving a huge smile.
Please, don't think what you're currently thinking! Cassidy said telepathically to Nerissa.
Me? No, I absolutely don't think you are coming along with the best hunk ever seen on Earth and that he's probably interested in you, Nerissa answered back smiling. Then she saw Edward's fingers touching Cassidy's. Or maybe yes!
Cassidy looked angry at her.
"Hi" Edward said to the girls.
The girls answered in chorus with dreamy eyes.
Cassidy rolled her eyes and sat next to Halinor.
"Let me pour some water in your glass" Nerissa offered fastly taking the bottle.
"Thanks, but...it's the duty of a gentleman, not of a woman" Edward answered, taking the bottle from her hands and pouring some water in Nerissa's glass, who gave a huge smile. Cassidy lowered her head covering her eyes with a hand.
"So, Edward...are you new?" Kadma asked him.
"Yeah, I moved here from Texas...I live here with my uncle".
Nerissa turned to Cassidy winking "He's a hunk and a cowboy too...you're a lucky woman, Cass!". Cassidy rolled her eyes, suffering.
They ate in the canteen keeping on moving their eyes from Edward to Cassidy.
"C'mon Cass, you saw how he looks at you!This is love at first sight" Yan Lin told her friend while giving her chinese food to eat.
"Maybe this is love at first sight for him, not for me. And I don't think he's in love with me" Cassidy replied.
"You're so awkward. He's hot!".
"He's hot, but I never know what he thinks. I can't read his mind. He's a mistery, he's something I still have to know well. And, my sixth sense speaks for me, I guess he has the same problem with me".
"What do you mean?" Yan Lin asked, confused.
Cassidy looked away. "It's a strange sensation. When he looks at me into the eyes...it's as if he wished to discover everything about me..and I think he currently can't do this..".
"There must be...be something to take control on her mind!" Edward clunched his fists. He sat on the bed. "I can't fail. I can't give away the throne, I do this for my people..!I'm trying to seduce a bunch of teenagers like a fool, for my people, and there's one of them who gives me troubles!If she only had in mind, what I'm doing and my efforts...But now, there's no time for that. I have to destroy the guardians..and if I can't destroy them from inside, I will have to find some way else..".
