Hello out there! Welcome back to the Whale Pit and thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter for me. KiiroK you get chocolate mousse for submitting the first review this time. I thank Prince Vince (good cinnamon roll?), Blaze (Irma's my fave too), Irma 1 (Oh no, not the puppy eyes….! I like cherries though.), Mr. Spyder (THE first member of the Whale Pit), Irma Rokz ('sup girl?), Dame AzhureTigress (sal-ute!), and Visigoth (bonus points for seeing Luba's point even through her bitchiness.). And let's all welcome glPiItTtAer! Come on everyone on your feet for our newest member! Welcome to the Whale Pit my friend; I hope you will stay a while. Alright, the donut this time goes to Dame AzhureTigress; she picked up on something extra in the last chapter, so she gets the donut. Well done milady; enjoy!
Chapter 16
It was getting late on a school night; most of Heatherfield's young people had already turned in for the night. But four seemingly-normal teenagers remained awake, their eyes heavy not from sleep, but from tears. These teenagers were the Guardians of the Veil, super-beings tasked with defending the universe from evil. Together, they were an unstoppable force for good; but apart, their powers weakened and the Guardians were vulnerable. One of their number was missing from their midst, suffering unspeakable psychological traumas far away from the comfort of her friends and family. It had been nearly three weeks since Irma Lair had been forcefully abducted by the Knights of Vengeance; three weeks since they had mercilessly tortured the young Water Guardian in an attempt to convince her to betray her friends; three weeks since the Water Guardian had succumbed to her ravaging injuries and died, requiring heroic efforts to restore her life. Now as Irma endured a cure nearly worse than the torture, her friends dwelt solemnly on the reality of death and loss. They were so very young to have to deal with something so cruel; and then to have to deal with it alone. Their parents didn't know about the Guardian bit, and thus would not understand the situation; the girls only had each other. Now as they struggled to come to terms with everything that had occurred, Taranee had been the only one with the courage to give voice to what they all were thinking.
"I don't want to die…"
Those simple words had hit everyone like a thunderbolt. None of them wanted to die, and two months ago the very idea would have seemed ridiculous. Irma would have made a smart remark, and everyone would have laughed it off. But now Irma wasn't here to make a smart remark; she was slowly being "resurrected" by the mystical forces of Candracar.
The simple fact was, one of them had died, after a fashion; and the danger had instantly become much more real, much more viable. The remaining four Guardians had been transformed from ultra-confident young women into terrified young children in just a few short days. And inasmuch as they were concerned for Irma's welfare during her long period of traumatic recovery, the four now turned their attention to their own feelings.
Will placed a gentle hand on Taranee's shoulder. Hopping down from the table, the redhead turned her dark-skinned friend and grabbed her in a hug. The two Guardians held each other tightly and shared raw emotions; pain, terror, despair, guilt, and many others. Will didn't know what to say, so she said nothing; she just held Taranee and tried to project feelings of comfort and support. Problem was, Will was just as terrified as Taranee; as the leader of the group, Will knew she had to be strong…but how do you do that in a situation like this? Will didn't have any of the answers and she was tired of being strong; so she dropped the façade and cried into Taranee's shoulder.
Cornelia and Hay Lin joined their two friends and soon all four were sobbing uncontrollably. No one knew what to say and they all bore conflicting emotions. They felt scared because death was such a foreign concept to such young people, and the idea of expiring at such a tender age was beyond frightening. They felt angry because they had not prevented Irma's abduction and she had suffered for their mistakes. They felt guilty because if they relinquished their duties as Guardians, they would betray the people of the universe. And yet, they also felt hope because if they were no longer Guardians, they could live normal lives………long normal lives. Confusion clouded their minds as they struggled to comprehend the meaning of life, the meaning of death, the meaning of hope, the meaning of despair.
Hay Lin was the first to master her tears. Wiping her eyes with her hand, she forced her best smile. "Hey come on guys, we have to pull it together. We have to figure things out."
Within a few minutes, Hay Lin's friends had managed to stop crying enough to talk coherently.
"I'm sorry guys," Taranee sniffed, "I feel so guilty for even thinking that, much less voicing it aloud."
"Don't apologize Taranee; we all understand," Cornelia said. "I think it's safe to say we've all thought the same thing over the past few days."
"You're not a bad person or a wuss, T," Will said softly. "I think we're all a little freaked by what's happened. In fact, I think we're having perfectly normal reactions."
"I agree." The basement door had opened and Yan Lin was descending the stairs. "You are very young, and death is very complicated. You must not question your feelings at a time like this. The best thing to do is to say exactly what you feel, and do not be ashamed."
Hay Lin nodded and hugged her grandmother. "I feel less sure of myself now, and I wonder if I'll ever get my old confidence back. I thought we could handle anything as long as we were all together. Then we got ambushed and Irma was taken, and……now I just don't know. Could we have done something differently? I feel like we should've been able to prevent it somehow…"
Cornelia spoke up. "Deep down, I've long wondered if the forces of the universe, or whatever, didn't make a mistake when they chose us to be the Guardians. I mean, it's no secret that I never wanted this job, and I would've handed it off to someone else in a heartbeat. But as I came to discover that that wasn't going to happen, I had started trying to adjust my thinking. Recently, I've started to appreciate having my powers, and all the good I can do for people…the good all of us can do. But then we allowed one of our members to be captured and tortured horribly, and for what? We failed Irma, one of our best friends. I think she's more than proven that she would give her life for any one of us, and we let her down when she needed us most. Those old feelings of inadequacy are starting to resurface, and I wonder if any of us were ever truly cut out for this. And part of me even feels angry at Irma for not just doing whatever the old hag wanted right off! Then she wouldn't be hurt, we wouldn't be feeling like this, and we would still be a cohesive unit. I mean, what was she thinking? Doesn't she trust us enough to be able to handle whatever trap Nerissa had in mind? I just……I don't understand why Irma felt she had to put herself, and us, through all of that. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel."
Taranee spoke quietly. "When I'm in my Guardian form, I feel less afraid of everything; I have more self-confidence and I feel like I'm making a difference. Now I feel so vulnerable and uncertain. This time it was Irma; who will it be next time? And what if there comes a time when no amount of medicine or magic will heal our injuries? I don't want to attend your funerals, and I really don't want you guys having to attend mine. I haven't had a good night's sleep for two weeks because I've been worrying about something like this happening to one of us…or to me. Plus I can't bear the thought of Irma having to relive every horrific moment…………it makes me physically ill to think about it. I feel like there should have been something I could have done differently; I should have done more to prevent this. I should have done more to find her sooner; maybe then she would have been okay. Like Cornelia, I feel we let Irma down by leaving her in that situation for so long. We should have found her sooner."
Will stared at the ground then turned her back to her friends. She wrapped her arms around herself and started to speak. "No matter what any of you say, I feel most responsible for what happened to Irma. As leader, it's my ultimate responsibility to see that everyone comes home. I didn't do that, and now Irma is paying for my mistake. Then I made a decision for her that, honestly, I had no right to make. And who's to say I didn't make the wrong choice? None of us can even begin to understand what Irma went through; none of us can claim to understand how she feels. All I know is I have no words to describe how angry I feel; not just at Nerissa and the Knights, but also at myself. I don't deem myself worthy to be your leader."
Hay Lin walked up behind Will and wrapped her thin arms around her leader's waist. Perching her chin on Will's right shoulder, the Air Guardian spoke. "Well we do deem you worthy to be our leader, Will. You're the only one we trust to be in that position. And believe it or not…we all trust you."
Will's voice turned bitter, "Irma trusted me too…now look at her!"
"This is one incident in over a year of service," Cornelia said. "As many times as we've faced unspeakable disaster? Nobody's perfect; you were bound to screw up sometime. It's the law of averages."
"You've always brought us home Will; I can't think of anyone I would rather have as my leader," Hay Lin said gently.
Will sighed and wriggled out of Hay Lin's grasp. Turning to face her friends, she said, "You are all delusional! I'm no leader, I'm no great strategist! I'm just me, Will Vandom…nothing special. I love frogs, I'm failing Math, I can't even-"
"You can't even begin to imagine how much you mean to all of us!" Taranee was near tears again. She strode up to Will and took her roughly by the shoulders. "You are our friend; we love you more than mere word can express, Will. We don't want to lose you. Can't you understand that! We don't want to lose you..." Taranee was shaking Will now, so strong were her emotions.
Cornelia pried Taranee off of Will and held the Fire Guardian close. "It's okay Taranee; we're not going to lose anyone."
"How do you know that?" Taranee wailed. "We nearly lost Irma; any one of us could check out at any time! You can't guarantee we won't!"
"That's true, I can't. But are we going to live our lives waiting for the Grim Reaper to make his grand entrance? Please……I don't want anyone with his fashion sense anywhere near me. I intend to avoid him at all costs."
Hay Lin giggled a little in spite of the heavy atmosphere. "I guess some things never change…"
Will just shook her head, a grin started spreading across her face. "Oh for crying out loud, come here you guys!"
The four friends gathered once more for a group hug. "Promise me we'll always be there for each other," Will begged. "Promise me that no matter what, we'll always be friends."
"We promise."
And with that, more tears flowed; but these tears were different. The oppressive feeling in the air lightened, and some of the fear vanished. They were still scared and still uncertain, but they knew they had each other. There were far from alright, and they still had a lot of work to do; but together, they could overcome anything……even this.
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"Ughn…" Irma grunted as a heavy log threw her off the course…again. She landed hard on her back, the wind knocked out of her. Moaning, she rolled over and placed her hand against her chest. She heard padding footsteps approaching and winced. Incoming, she thought.
Clawed paws hauled Irma roughly to her feet. A snarl curled a feline lip as Luba growled at the Water Guardian. "Where is your concentration Guardian?"
"Sorry, I'm just a little tired; I didn't sleep very well."
"That is not my problem; correct this nonsense immediately."
Irma closed her eyes and silently counted to ten. As much as she hated to admit it, Irma needed to make nice with Luba or she would be stuck in Candracar for a very long time. Until Luba gave her approval, Irma was going nowhere. So instead of snapping back, Irma merely bowed her head and nodded once.
Luba turned and padded away. Irma sighed and walked back to the start of the obstacle course. To say she hadn't slept very well last night was quite the understatement. To say she hadn't slept at all would be closer. She had had a disturbing dream involving Frost and getting the life choked out of her. She had heard Nerissa's voice, but she couldn't remember what the hag had said. She'd woken up sputtering and coughing. She had managed to get back to sleep only to have the same dream with the same results. All night long this had occurred. Finally Irma couldn't stand it anymore, and she had decided to swim some laps to take her mind off the nightmare. During one of those laps, Irma had seen her reflection in the water and had freaked out. There were fresh bruises along the sides of her neck...they looked like finger marks. Right then, Halinor had appeared to escort her to Luba. Irma felt exhausted, and the aches from her previous "exercise" with Luba had not subsided. She felt stiff and had to force her aching body to obey her commands. She had tried to jump over that log, but her knees had refused to help with that. The log had slammed into her ribs and sent her flying twice now. Luba was not amused, and somehow Irma didn't think the overgrown hairball would be interested in any excuses. So Irma climbed the ladder to begin the course again.
She blew out a deep breath and began to run. Things were going well until that damned log. Again her knees refused Irma's order to jump. Realizing her predicament, and not relishing round nine-hundred-and-six with Luba, Irma stepped to the side and grabbed the log as it sailed past. She rode it as it retreated back to its starting position; then she rolled off and continued with the course.
She mastered the cargo net and the Lerdens at the top posed little threat. Irma was starting to feel as though she was actually going to succeed this time. That ought to piss off Fluffy but good, she thought.
As Irma entered the Ring of Fire, she couldn't help flashing back. She felt angry flames lick her back, searing her flesh. She gasped in pain and turned to pop the jerk who had burned her. No one stood behind her…Irma began to panic. She continued to feel her flesh burn and she dropped to the ground. She rolled to put out the flames she knew were burning her flesh. When the burning sensation continued, Irma began to smell burning flesh. She screamed, "STOP! I'll do whatever you want, just stop…please!"
Luba yanked the Guardian to her feet and slapped her across the face. "Get a hold of yourself!"
Irma looked into Luba's cold eyes with confusion. Her back no longer burned, and she could no longer smell burning flesh. She looked around and recognized her surroundings. She wasn't with the Knights of Vengeance, and she wasn't burning alive. She stepped back to the wall and slid down it. Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed tears of frustration. What the hell is wrong with me? What's happening?
Luba rolled her eyes and began muttering under her breath. She approached the damaged Guardian and pulled her to her feet. "Stop this behavior; you must learn to block out your traumatic experiences. If you do not, you shall always be at their mercy. Do not let this defeat you Guardian; do not fail the other Guardians."
Irma wasn't in the mood for this. "What would you know about it! You have no idea what happened, what I went through. Until you do, spare me the pep talk, alright!"
Irma stalked past Luba and started for the exit; she was through with this crap.
"They told me Guardians were tough; that you were built of sterner mettle. I see they exaggerated……you are nothing but a frightened little girl, jumping at shadows and easily manipulated by ghosts!"
Irma felt rage as she'd never felt before. It smothered every ounce of reasoning and logic she had; all she felt was the need for vengeance. She turned quickly and threw her fist at Luba's head. The feline creature caught the Guardian's fist and held it fast. She turned her own paw palm up with her fingers close together and extended. She shot that paw straight at Irma's heart so fast, the Water Guardian never even saw it coming. Luba's fingers connected with Irma's chest, right over her heart. Irma's heart was thrown temporarily into an unnatural rhythm; unable to compensate, her body seized up and Irma went down as if she'd been shot. Luba placed one knee on Irma's chest and extended the claws of her right paw. She whirled the paw above her head for a moment, then with an angry shout, she drove those claws straight at the Guardian's throat. Irma's eyes widened as she saw the razor-sharp "instruments" driving for her neck. Luba halted her claws mere inches from the Guardian's neck. She snarled and held the younger woman's terrified gaze. After a few seconds, Irma closed her eyes and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. That's when it happened.
Luba slashed Irma lightly across the neck with her claws, drawing blood. Irma gasped and tried to grab her neck, but Luba had her thoroughly pinned.
Luba snarled again and growled, "Let these wounds serve as a reminder to you Guardian. Never begin something you cannot finish!"
"That's enough Luba; you made your point, now let her up."
Luba looked up to see Halinor standing in the doorway; the former Guardian looked as unperturbed as always. Luba growled again and stood up. Without saying a word, she stalked out of the room.
Irma lay coughing on the ground and holding her neck. Halinor walked over and knelt beside the young Guardian. She pulled a white handkerchief from her robes.
"Here, try this," she said, prying Irma's hand away from her throat. Halinor held the cloth to Irma's cuts, and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Irma trembled at Halinor's touch.
"I won't hurt you Irma," the former Guardian said, noting the young woman's distress.
Through sheer force of willpower, Irma remained still and let Halinor attend to her injuries. She gasped and grunted when Halinor placed her hand on her ribs. Halinor removed her hand and placed it over Irma's heart. "You must regulate your heartbeat Irma; it's important. Try to calm down and your heart will return to its normal cadence."
"Calm down?! Did you see what that fleabag just did to me? She tried to kill me!"
Halinor smiled gently, "Irma, if Luba wanted you dead, you would be dead. She was just letting out some frustrations, that's all."
"Oh, well then, that makes everything alright."
"Well, you did throw the first punch. What did you expect?"
Irma sighed; she knew Halinor was right. She concentrated on calming down and tried to think of something peaceful. Her mind immediately set upon Hay Lin and Irma smiled a little as a picture of her best friend appeared in her thoughts. She missed Hay Lin and the other Guardians, but she wasn't sure she was ready to see them yet.
Gradually, Irma's heart rate returned to normal and Halinor pulled her into a sitting position. She removed the handkerchief. "The bleeding has stopped, but those scratches are going to be with you for a while I'm afraid."
"I really was out of line wasn't I?"
"Hmmm….yes, but so was Luba. She knows better than to attack a student; even one as prominent as a Guardian."
Halinor stood up and extended her hand to Irma. Pulling Irma to her feet, Halinor made for the exit. Irma followed.
"There is someone here to see you Irma. I will take you to her."
Irma stopped, and Halinor turned to face her. "I'm not ready to see them Halinor. I can't do it."
Halinor nodded. "I understand Irma, but you can't shut your friends out forever. You're going to need them more than you ever have before."
"I know that; I just….I just can't alright?"
"But you have to Irma; I'm sorry, but you don't really have a choice in this matter. Just follow me; I think you'll be glad you did."
Irma sighed in resignation, but resumed following Halinor. They walked in silence for a time, before Irma spoke up.
"Why does she hate me so much? Luba I mean…"
Halinor laughed, "Luba doesn't really like anybody; she's so serious I wonder if she even knows how to laugh. Not even Cassidy could get her to crack a smile."
Irma looked at the ground. "Can I ask you something Halinor?"
"Of course."
"What happened to Cassidy? Did Nerissa really kill her?"
Halinor's soft blue eyes darkened and she sighed heavily. "Yes, Nerissa killed Cassidy……long ago."
"Why?"
"Nerissa was blinded by greed and a dangerous lust for power. Because of this, the Oracle stripped her of the Heart and gave it to Cassidy instead. Nerissa never got over it and when Cassidy refused to relinquish the Heart, Nerissa destroyed her."
"Nerissa said the Heart corrupted her…is that true? Can the Heart really do that?"
Halinor shook her head. "No, I do not believe so. The Heart represents goodness; nothing that powerfully good could possibly cause such an evil corruption."
"Then how did Nerissa get to be so evil?"
"I don't know, but Nerissa always was a bit of a schemer. She always had some kind of plan. Cassidy was a calming influence on her; she was the only one who was ever able to get through to Nerissa when she was on one of her…"kicks.""
"Sounds like they were close."
"As close as Nerissa would let anyone get, I suppose."
"Then how could she just murder Cassidy like that?"
"I do not believe Nerissa meant to harm Cassidy that night."
Halinor stopped outside a set of huge double doors and indicated that Irma should enter. "Your visitor is through here; I will wait out here until you are finished. Then I will escort you back to your Elemental Chamber. You look like you could use some sleep."
Irma nodded. "Thanks."
Irma pulled the heavy doors open and stepped inside the room. As Halinor began to push the doors closed behind Irma, the Water Guardian turned suddenly. "Wait, you think Cassidy's death was an accident?"
"I think Cassidy's death was perpetrated during a fit of uncontrollable rage. I do not believe Nerissa intended to harm Cassidy that night, much less kill her."
Irma thought of her own experiences with Nerissa and how much the hag had enjoyed hurting her. Irma didn't think for one second that someone that obviously evil would accidentally kill her only friend. "How can you believe that?"
Halinor smiled sadly, "Because, if the alternative is true, I do not believe I could ever forgive her."
Irma's eyes widened in surprise as Halinor pushed the doors closed. The Water Guardian swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to address her visitor.
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The four Guardians were finally asleep on the floor of the Silver Dragon's basement. Hay Lin had gathered sleeping bags while Yan Lin had cleared the impromptu sleep-over with the girls' parents. This had become a normal routine in the past year, so none of the parents were surprised. All had given their consent immediately, and the girls had bedded down for the night. None of them had felt like leaving the basement; they somehow felt comforted here in Guardian HQ. They hadn't been sleeping long, when someone shook Hay Lin awake.
"Hay Lin, wake up."
The Air Guardian opened her eyes slowly and looked into the face of her grandmother. Yan Lin put a finger to her lips and motioned for Hay Lin to follow her. Quietly, they crept upstairs to the Silver Dragon's kitchen. As soon as the basement door was closed, Yan Lin turned to her granddaughter.
"You did not say much during the conversation among the Guardians. Yet I sense you still have much on your mind."
Hay Lin grinned, "Still have some of that Air Guardian premonition feeler, huh?"
"No, I have some of that Grandma-knows-when-her-granddaughter-is-troubled mojo."
Hay Lin laughed; her grandma was always trying to use teenage slang. But her grandma was right, Hay Lin was troubled. She had been the only one to actually experience some of the pain Irma was subjected to during her torture. Hay Lin still remembered how it felt, and she had even had nightmares because of it. She hadn't told her friends because they didn't need anymore drama right now. She sighed, "I've been having some trouble dealing with what I felt when Irma was still a prisoner."
Yan Lin's eyes narrowed, "You mean when you joined with her through your dreams?"
Hay Lin nodded. "She was in so much pain grandma; and I only felt maybe half of it, I think. I've never experienced anything like that, and I don't ever want to do it again."
"I should think not."
"In fact, it almost made me chicken out…"
"What do you mean Hay Lin?"
Hay Lin took a deep breath. "The last time I "visited" her, I didn't want to go. I had told her I would come back, but when I felt the wave of sheer……..agony, I wanted to run away. If Irma hadn't called out to me, I might have done just that."
"So why did you return?"
"I heard the fear and the desperation in her "voice" when Irma called out to me. I felt so ashamed of myself for even entertaining the idea of abandoning her."
"But you didn't abandon her Hay Lin; you returned and offered her hope and comfort. You bore some of her pain so she could carry on. Your efforts helped locate her. Without you, the Guardians may not have found her in time."
"But that's just the thing grandma; we didn't find her in time. Irma died, remember? Will had to shock her heart to get it restarted."
"And you breathed for her. Cornelia instructed you and performed compressions on Irma's chest. Taranee managed to get Will to call forth the Heart of Candracar, thereby allowing its magic to heal her of her head injuries in time to help save Irma's life. It was a team effort Hay Lin; that is what makes you all so special…you are willing to do anything for each other."
"I still feel like we let her down. You didn't hear her grandma; she was in so much pain. She was so desperate, so scared………so completely broken. Irma's one of the strongest people I know; to hear her like that..." Hay Lin shuddered.
"Everyone has a breaking point Hay Lin. Nerissa chose Irma for a reason, but she did not count on her friends to be so innovative. I believe your "visits" to Irma saved her life in more ways than you can even begin to understand."
"She was suffering so much and there she was trying to comfort me. Now she's going to be seriously screwed up for the rest of her life and there's nothing I can do. I feel so...helpless! I just want my sister back grandma; I just want her back." Hay Lin's eyes began to well up.
Yan Lin held her granddaughter close. "Irma is very resilient, my dear Hay Lin. Do not be so swift to write her off."
"I know grandma; I just wish this had never happened."
"I know you do, my little Hay Lin."
There was something else bothering Hay Lin, but she knew she would never tell her grandma or anyone else. She had experienced enough of Irma's pain to know she never wanted to go through anything like that. Part of Hay Lin was glad it had been Irma and not her; and she hated herself for thinking it.
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Irma walked to the center of the large room and Yan Lin stood up to greet her. The old woman had traveled to Candracar immediately following her talk with her granddaughter. She thought if she could inquire as to Irma's welfare, she would be able to put the other Guardians' minds at ease. She never dreamed Irma would be up and around already.
"Irma! It is good to see you." Yan Lin reached out to hug the young Guardian, but Irma shrank back, her eyes fearful. Yan Lin dropped her arms to her sides and cocked her head.
Irma sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry Mrs. Lin; I just have this thing about people touching me lately."
Yan Lin nodded and smiled. "I understand. Come, sit with me a while."
Irma sat down on a sofa and Yan Lin sat next to her. The old woman could feel Irma's apprehension, and her heart ached for the girl. "How are you doing Irma?"
Irma shrugged, "Fine, I guess."
"Those scratches on your neck would say otherwise. Ran afoul of Luba didn't you…"
Irma's eyes hardened. "You could say that, yeah."
Yan Lin smiled. "Don't worry about it, Luba will get over it by tomorrow."
Irma nodded but said nothing.
"You look tired; are you sleeping well?"
Irma wasn't in the mood for twenty questions, even from Mrs. Lin. She was tired, cranky, and she hurt all over. Her rib was cracked (again) and her throat hurt, though from her dream or from Luba's attack, Irma couldn't tell.
Irma sighed. "Mrs. Lin, look……I don't mean to be rude-"
"Grandma..."
"What?"
"Grandma; I think I should like it very much if you called me grandma."
Irma was confused for a second, but she recovered quickly. "What? N-no, I couldn't do that. What you and Hay Lin have is special; I would never get in the way of that."
"What you and Hay Lin have is also special Irma. You two are as close as sisters, and you are more like a daughter to me. Trust me when I say that Hay Lin will not mind."
"I'm having a little trouble with trust lately…" Irma muttered.
"I can certainly understand why, but your friends are worried about you."
"Damn," Irma swore. "You weren't meant to hear that."
"Why not?"
"Because it makes me seem ungrateful and that's not what it is. I'm just…" Irma sighed and closed her eyes. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "I have a lot on my mind right now Mrs. Lin. It would be really hard to be all warm and fuzzy right at the moment."
"I see," Yan Lin nodded and was quiet for a minute. "Now what is the real reason you do not want to see your friends?"
Irma was shocked. "Are you saying I'm lying?"
"No, you are telling me the truth…just not all of it."
Yan Lin reached out and took Irma's chin in her hand. Irma cried out and tried to back up, but she was already against the arm of the sofa. In a panic, she grabbed Yan Lin's wrist and tried to pry her hand away. Yan Lin covered Irma's hand with her other hand and spoke gently.
"I will not hurt you Irma, I am your friend. Relax…you are safe now."
But Irma wasn't relaxing; she was becoming more agitated by the minute. Finally she managed to free herself and bolted off the sofa. She stared at Yan Lin as though the old woman had just sprouted fangs and a tail. Yan Lin stood up and held her hand out in front of her in a placating gesture.
"Irma, it's okay; it's me…Grandma Lin."
Irma's face contorted into a mask of revulsion. "Stay back you evil hag! Don't you touch me…EVER!"
"Irma…I am Yan Lin, your friend."
"STOP IT, JUST STOP IT! I don't believe you…I-I won't believe you. Just stop, please…" Irma sank to her knees and grabbed the sides of her head. "Just stop, please stop. Please, stop, please stop, no more, please, no more…" Irma sobbed quietly.
Yan Lin rushed to Irma's side and dropped down beside her. The old woman grabbed the stricken Guardian and held her tightly; she felt Irma stiffen, but Yan Lin didn't let go. She rubbed the young woman's back and whispered words of comfort.
The doors banged open and Halinor entered the room. Evaluating the scene before her, Halinor rushed to the two women and knelt next to Yan Lin. "I heard shouting; what's happened?"
"I believe Irma has mistaken me for Nerissa," Yan Lin replied, rocking the young Guardian back and forth. Irma continued to beg for relief, and Yan Lin continued to try and offer comfort.
Halinor stood up. "We should get her to her Elemental Chamber; she'll feel safer in the water."
Yan Lin nodded. The two older women pulled Irma to her feet. Supporting the stricken Guardian between them, they headed for the Elemental Chamber of Water. Yan Lin could only hope this was not a portent of things to come.
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I think someone is cracking up…or is she? Hmm…..well let me know what y'all think. Please submit a review; it really does help me become a better writer. Fudge brownies for all reviewers!