Hiya kids, welcome back to the Pit. Thanks to all who reviewed chapter 29: ZestyChicken2; Jade Tipster; Guardian's Light; Knight of Faerun, Lilly Tiger; Shocklance; Ice Silver Crystal; XV-Dragon; Kirric; Lily312; DayDreamer9; Visigoth; Irma 1; Krystal of Nol; Athena of Ravenclaw; xheartkreuzx; GlitterP; Laserleg. Thanks to all of you for your support, your questions, your comments, etc. I appreciate each and every one of you.
Donut Club: Guardian's Light; Athena of Ravenclaw; GlitterP. All of these folks hit on some points for future chappies in the story. Well done folks; enjoy the donuts.
Again, a big thank-you to Visigoth for editing and allowing me to bounce ideas off you. You are so important to me, and I really love having you around.
Now without further ado, may I present:
Chapter 30
Five young girls arrived on Earth after having spent much time on Candracar. Four of them had spent the better part of two weeks in the fortress; the fifth, a little more than a month. It was good to see their home again, and for Irma it was especially comforting. She had endured a week of horrific tortures in which her body and mind had been brutally attacked. She had "died" twice in the last month and been brought back to life by the miracles of her Elemental Chamber. She had witnessed her friends being mauled mercilessly by the greatest evil the universe had ever seen. Irma was ready for a little rest. But first...
"We have to find our Astral Drops and reabsorb them quickly. We can't have someone seeing us do it, either. That would raise way too many questions."
Irma only half listened as Will outlined the plan. She was lost in her own world of uncertainty. There was no doubt she was a changed young woman. No one could endure what she had endured and remain untouched by its cruelty. Things just didn't seem to matter to her the way they used to. Things like school, boys, family-life...what was the point when it could all be gone in a heartbeat?
"You with us Irma?"
Irma jumped as she heard her name. "Uh...yeah, Will. I gotcha." She gave a thumbs-up sign and hoped she hadn't missed anything really important.
"Right, okay then," Will continued, "let's see what we can find out."
She held her hands to her chest and summoned the Heart of Candracar. The beautiful pink jewel responded immediately and floated obediently into Will's outstretched hand. The Guardian Leader grasped it gently and held it in her fist. Concentrating, she willed the Heart to show her the location of the Astral Drops.
After a while, she opened her eyes. "They're at the cave."
"Wow, how lucky is that?" Hay Lin enthused, playfully slapping Irma on the back. "I thought we were gonna have to get them out of school or something. Boy that would have been a trick."
Irma coughed once and tried gamely to return Hay Lin's good-natured grin. She looked away quickly, as she knew her smile would not reach her eyes.
"Wait a second," Cornelia said, slightly confused. "How come you were able to find the Astral Drops now and you couldn't find your Drop when it escaped the laundromat a few months ago?"
Will shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe because that was an Altarmere and not an Astral Drop?"
"I suppose," Cornelia said.
"Look who cares? The main thing is we know where they are now. And since they're at the cave, we can absorb them easily and quietly," Will said.
"Yeah, maybe we can even get some practice in afterwards," Taranee suggested.
"Woo-hoo; great idea Taranee," Hay Lin whooped. "We'll be ready for those meanies the next time we rumble." The smallest Guardian pounded a fist into her palm.
Irma shuddered but said nothing.
Will laughed. "Okay Hay Lin, tone it down a little. I agree it's a good idea, though."
"As long as it doesn't damage my manicure, I'll go along with it."
"Cornelia, you don't have a manicure anymore. In fact it looks like you could really use one right now."
"Taranee!"
"I'm just sayin'..."
"Okay, okay, enough you two." Will inserted herself between Taranee and Cornelia before the Earth Guardian could become nasty. "Cornelia, your nails look great. Taranee, good idea. Now let's go before someone sees us."
The five girls set off together, Cornelia shooting nasty glares at the Fire wielder. Hay Lin, feeling playful, jumped onto Irma's back, tousling her auburn hair before leaping away. Normally this would have started a cheerful game of chase, but Irma was too distracted to return her best friend's whimsy. Irma's mind still held fresh images of seeing her friends impaled, crushed, drained, and carved; yet here they were talking about the next time they tangled with Nerissa and the Knights of Vengeance. Who were they kidding? Nerissa had taken the Guardians apart all by herself. What could they possibly hope to accomplish by facing all of them together?
"Oh gosh, you're right...I do need a manicure!" Cornelia wailed.
"Corny, shh...you'll get us seen," Will warned.
"Don't call me Corny," the blonde girl hissed.
"Sorry, but you need to be quiet...and I already said your nails look fine."
"Well of course they do to you; but you're gutter-trash," Cornelia said matter-of-factly. "What would my mother say?"
Irma opened her mouth to retort, but Taranee beat her to it. "Look, Cornelia, this isn't the time to worry about your nails. Your vanity can wait, okay?"
Cornelia sighed. "Okay, but this is truly tragic, you know."
Irma shook her head and moved past the Earth wielder. The group resumed their trek towards the cave, and tried to ignore Cornelia's occasional whimpers.
Ten minutes later, they stood at the mouth of the cave. Sure enough, there were the Astral Drops sitting around a cheery fire and talking quietly. The Guardians moved forward to join their otherworldly counterparts.
The Drops heard the disturbance of shoes on rock and stood nervously. They seemed to relax when they recognized their owners. As one, the Guardians muttered, "Astral Drop," and the cave filled with glowing, rose light. Within seconds, the five personages were absorbed back into the beautiful Heart, and their memories back into the five Guardians. Everyone took a moment to absorb the experience.
"Oh sure, she gets a manicure..." Cornelia muttered.
Before another argument could ensue, Will took matters into her own hands. "Guardians unite!" she shouted.
The rosy glow filled the cave again and transformed the five girls into five powerful young women. In seconds, they had all resumed their Guardian forms. Irma felt at once safer...and yet more fearful.
"Okay, let's take turns defending. Be creative and see if we can all ward off each other's attacks. But be careful people; we don't want anyone hurt. Irma, you're up first."
Before the Water Guardian could protest, Cornelia drove her fist into the ground, opening up a huge fissure beneath her teammate. Irma squawked and flew into the air. With a giggle, Hay Lin sent a blast of arctic air towards her best friend. Irma barely managed to dodge it. Next, Taranee shot a huge fireball at the spot Irma now occupied. It hit her squarely in the chest and sent her plummeting towards the earth. Irma hit the ground hard, the breath leaving her body. She pushed herself to her hands and knees, shaking her head woozily.
Will fired a lightning bolt towards her friend. Irma seemed to see it in slow motion, yet she was powerless to evade. Frozen with terror, she braced herself for the impact. And impact it did.
Irma's insides exploded with fire and she writhed pitifully on the broken ground. She screamed as lightning coursed through her body. Alarmed, Will rushed to her teammate's side.
"Irma! Irma!" she wailed, falling to Irma's side. Will lifted her friend's shoulders into her lap and shook her gently.
Irma shook violently, her fists and teeth clenching painfully.
"What the hell did you do?" Cornelia demanded, arriving near the two young women.
"Nothing...I swear I didn't hit her that hard."
"Well apparently you're wrong, because she's a total wreck right now," Cornelia scolded.
"Look, Irma should have laughed at that. That was barely enough to cause static electricity. At most it should have buzzed her, but notthis."
Hay Lin had said nothing. She was on her knees near Irma's head and was whispering softly into her sister's ear. At length, Irma calmed and the shaking subsided.
"Irma, I'm sorry," Will said softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Irma nodded, not trusting her voice. Sweat covered her face, and her hands still trembled.
"Okay, I think maybe you should rest for a while. The rest of us will practice," Taranee suggested.
Again Irma nodded and allowed herself to be pulled off the ground. Hay Lin held her sister's shoulders firmly as she helped the stricken Guardian to a nearby rock.
The rest of the evening was spent with four Guardians practicing various defensive and offensive tactics. Irma declined all offers to participate. Truth was she was terrified. She hadn't realized how fresh the memories of her torture were, and she feared they would rule her mind the rest of her life.
Presently, Will called a halt to the sparring and the Guardians resumed their normal forms.
"Great job people. Let's do it again tomorrow and this Saturday," Will suggested.
Three of the girls nodded enthusiastically. Only Irma sighed and slowly shook her head.
"No can do, chief," she said.
"Why not?" Will asked.
"I have detention all day Saturday."
"Why?" Hay Lin asked.
"Because apparently I called the gym teacher an ass-hat."
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Saturday was filled with more practice time and the girls had fun trying to outwit each other. Their reflexes benefited greatly from this, and their ingenuity became more automatic. It forced them all to think of more creative ways to defend, to attack, and to work together. They learned better ways to combine their powers for even greater effects.
Presently Cornelia called a time-out.
"Guys we need to talk," she said.
"About what?" Will asked.
"Irma...I'm worried."
Hay Lin resisted the urge to make the smart remark she knew Irma would have made. She could hear the concern in Cornelia's voice.
"What are you worried about?"
"I'm worried about the team and her status on it," Cornelia answered.
Taranee's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Cornelia sighed and sat down on the ground. The others followed suit.
"I'm actually kind of glad Irma is still serving her detention right now. It gives us a chance to talk frankly. What if she hasn't really recovered from what happened? You saw how she freaked out a couple of days ago, and she wouldn't participate at all yesterday. I'm concerned we may have lost our Water Guardian."
"Corny!" Hay Lin shouted, standing quickly.
"Easy Hay Lin...let her talk for now," Taranee said, pulling the smallest Guardian back down to a sitting position.
"Listen, we need all of us working together if we're going to kick Nerissa's ass. If she can't even practice in a safe environment..."
"She was tortured for a week and then her mind was turned into egg foo yong. How did you expect she would react?" Hay Lin said. She was starting to dislike Cornelia.
"I think she needs to get over it if she wants to continue as a member of this team. We need a Water Guardian."
"Get over it? Get over it?! We have no idea what was done to her, and all you can say is get over it?!"
"Hay Lin, listen-"
"No, Corny, you listen. You weren't there for any part of it. I was and what I felt..." She shuddered then, unable to finish.
"Hay Lin, I know that," Cornelia said gently. "I can't begin to imagine being tortured and abused like that; none of us can. All I'm saying is we need her as a member of this team, and if she can't perform her duties, well then maybe..." She shrugged and fell silent.
"You want to kick her off the team..."
"Hay Lin, no one is saying-"
"Yes you are; you want to kick her off the team just because she's having a little trouble adjusting."
"A little trouble adjusting? Come on Hay Lin, pull your head out of the sand. You saw what happened two days ago when Will gave her a little spark. She came completely unglued. We can't have her do something like that the next time we face Nerissa. She's got to learn to deal with this and move on; otherwise she puts all of us in jeopardy."
"She just needs time-"
"She's had time, we've all had time. We all got kicked around pretty hard, but Irma's the only one that continues to dwell on what happened. I almost died for pity's sake, but you don't see me walking around all doom-and-gloom waiting for it to happen again."
"Alright, alright," Taranee interjected quickly. "I think we all just need to take a step back for a moment and look at this from both sides. On the one hand Cornelia's right that we need a good Water Guardian. In her current state, Irma is not terribly functional in that regard. On the other hand Hay Lin is right that Irma is our friend. We can't simply abandon her now and expect her to deal with all of this on her own."
"No one said anything about abandoning Irma," Will said. "But I certainly don't know how to help her. She won't let anyone in...not even Hay Lin."
"I think maybe she still doesn't trust us completely," Taranee mused. "We helped Nerissa with that spell back in Candracar, after all."
"We didn't do it intentionally."
"I know, Hay Lin, I know," Taranee placated. "But we did it, nonetheless. I guess we should have listened to Irma instead of the Mage."
Cornelia sighed. "Yes, but what can we do about that now? It's not like we can go back in time and do things differently."
Will shook her head sadly. "No we can't; we'll just have to find a way to regain Irma's trust."
"How can we do that if she won't talk to any of us?" Cornelia asked, exasperatedly.
Will shook her head. "I don't know, Cornelia; I just know we have to find a way. Hay Lin, any ideas?"
"We can start by not having secret meetings behind her back and talking about booting her off the team."
"Hay Lin..."
"No, Will, don't 'Hay Lin' me. It's ridiculous that we;re even considering this, much less talking about it in the open. Irma is our friend, and what she took for us...When Nerissa's goons were mercilessly beating her, she refused to call to us for help so we wouldn't be lured into a trap. Had she broken, I think we would all be getting to know Frost a little better right now. I, for one, am grateful for what she did, and I'm appalled and ashamed at all of you for entertaining the notion of kicking Irma off this team."
Silence ensued as Hay Lin's words rang through the cave. Three heads hung in shame as those words pierced their hearts.
"What are we talking about here?" Taranee finally asked quietly. "Are we talking about Irma, or are we talking about us?"
When no one answered, the fire witch continued. "I mean, are we really worried about Irma not being there when we need her, or are we more concerned about lettingher down when sheneeds us?"
"No more talk about reorganizing this team," Will said. "Irma is a part of us, and that's where she's going to stay."
Cornelia nodded firmly. "Okay. That's it then. I guess the next question is how do we help Irma get through this?"
Taranee closed her eyes and thought very hard. She had felt another something in Irma's mind, but she didn't know what it was. Most likely it was residual damage from whatever Nerissa had done to her earlier on Candracar. But what if it was something else? Something more sinister and wild? Should she tell the other Guardians? Did she even have the right to reveal Irma's private thoughts? In the end, Taranee decided Irma's closely-guarded mind should remain closed to the others.
"I think we should just be her friend," Taranee said. "If we don't push her, I think eventually she'll come to us on her own."
"We may not have time to let her do that, T," Will said quietly. "Cornelia is right that we need her here when we take on Nerissa. That bitch has been hurt, but I don't think she's going to lick her wounds forever. We need to hit her quick while she's still down."
"I-I..."
All eyes turned to Hay Lin. The Air Guardian covered her face with her hands.
"I don't want to fight her again," she sniffled. "She almost killed us last time. What are we gonna do to prevent that from happening again next time? She's too strong, Will...we can't beat her."
Will hugged her slender friend, holding the young girl close. "We didn't have a plan last time, and we didn't know what to expect. We have greater knowledge now; we've seen what she can do. If we work together, and don't get overconfident, then we can beat her. I know we can!"
"She's left us all emotionally scarred, Will...and some of us physically. I don't think I can face that...not again."
"Shh, Hay Lin; it'll be alright. If we don't face her, then who will?"
"But my dream; what about my dream?"
Will held her friend at arm's length. "What dream?"
Sighing, Hay Lin revealed her horrible nightmare to Cornelia and Will. Taranee already knew, so she merely remained quiet and tried not to see the terrible vision in her mind's eye.
"Irma was bleeding in the snow, and she was pleading, begging for Nerissa to stop. That has to mean something; and I don't like it one bit."
"It could have just been a nightmare, Hay Lin," Cornelia said. "Not every dream is going to be a vision or some harbinger of death and destruction."
"Have you told this to Irma?" Will asked.
Hay Lin nodded tearfully.
"And what did she say?"
"About the same thing as Cornelia. She doesn't seem to be too freaked out about it."
"Well that's good isn't it?" Cornelia said.
Will nodded. "Yes, that's good. Hay Lin, I respect your abilities to have visions from time-to-time, but we don't yet know if this is something that will happen or just some really ugly nightmare. Until we can confirm it either way, we can't refuse to face Nerissa because of something that may or may not happen. It's our job to kick evil's butt, and Nerissa is as evil as they come. We have to fight her again. Do you understand?"
Hay Lin nodded and tried to grin. "I know; and I'll be there no matter what."
Will cuffed Hay Lin playfully on the cheek. "That's the spirit."
Hay Lin giggled a little. "So, more practice then?"
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The next two weeks were spent getting back to a semblance of normal life. The girls attended classes and did their homework as always. In the evenings and on weekends they practiced whenever they could. Irma had begun to take part in the practice sessions, even cracking jokes like her old self. This encouraged the other Guardians, and they began to feel the cohesiveness return.
Irma had to admit to herself that things were getting easier to deal with. She had managed to sleep through the night last night; not one nightmare had plagued her dreams. She no longer expected Frost or Miranda to jump out around every corner, and she hadn't heard any voices in her head for some time. She was starting to feel almost human again, and for the first time since her ordeal had begun, she began to feel as if she would finally beat it.
You don't own me anymore, Nerissa, she thought one morning as she switched off her alarm. You failed in whatever it was you were trying to do. I'm still here and I'm still Irma Lair. So eat that you bitch!
Irma hopped out of bed and laughed with joy and relief. Nerissa's hold was finally broken and Irma knew she was going to be okay.
She hummed to herself while she got ready for school. Hurrying through breakfast, she kissed her parents goodbye and leaped out the door. She couldn't wait to tell Hay Lin that she was alright and things were finally going to be normal again.
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The next week was the best Irma could remember in a long time. Things just seemed to be going her way. She had had a nightmare last night, but it had been brief. Not even that coupled with a Monday morning could spoil her good mood as she hopped out of bed.
And winced in pain.
Her back hurt, and she wasn't sure why. Must have slept on it wrong, she concluded as she stretched carefully. Still the pain did not ease, and seemed to be getting worse. She moved towards her bathroom mirror and tried to see her back.
She gasped at her reflection.
Where did I get a sunburn? And what are these bruises?
It had been warm and sunny yesterday during practice, but Irma would have thought the cave would have protected her from the a sunburn. And though Cornelia had pelted her with a few stones (over which she had gloated for an hour), Irma hadn't thought it was enough to leave bruises.
Nevertheless, the girl shrugged and attributed her injuries to the hazards of being a Guardian. She wasn't going to let a few aches and pains spoil her good mood.
And that might have worked had not more injuries appeared the next day. Paper-thin cuts all over Irma's torso caused the girl to break out the peroxide and hiss in discomfort. Nonetheless, Irma continued to whistle happily as she went to school.
The sunburn worsened the following day, and more bruises appeared on her ribs and stomach. The pain this time was much worse, and Irma wasn't able to simply ignore it. She tried not to think what she was fearing in the back of her mind.
By Friday, she was no longer able to keep those fears at bay. He back had blistered badly and the cuts had deepened, some bleeding so much they required several tissues to staunch the flow. She was stiff from all the bruising, and she thought one of her ribs may have cracked in the night.
Worse, the nightmares had returned with a vengeance and she was dreaming nightly about Frost and Miranda torturing her anew. Their laughter and sneers were so real, and Irma had awoken screaming just last night. She had had to plant a suggestion in her parents' minds to stop the questions and the concern.
She knew she needed help for her rib, but what could she tell her parents? She supposed she could tell them anything and with her powers of suggestion they would believe it. But then her friends would start to worry when she wasn't at school that day...and she most definitely could notfool Taranee.
So Irma sighed and tried to move carefully as she headed off to school.
You need to tell them
Yeah, they deserve to know.
They're your friends, they'll understand.
Are you kidding? They'll laugh at you...don't say a word.
Irma squeezed her eyes closed and tried to shut out the voices.
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The nightmares and the injuries continued throughout the weekend, but Irma gamely tried to fight through it. She begged off practice, saying she had tons of homework. In reality, she didn't want to have to explain the burn and bruises her friends were bound to notice.
And the injuries were starting to take a toll.
Irma wasn't humming or laughing anymore. She spent all her time locked in her bedroom, struggling to deal with the pain. Alone, she cried because of the agony, and because she knew what was happening. It had happened before on Candracar...the nightmares and the voices. The nightmares that caused physical injury; the voices that caused mental anguish. Her head was never quiet anymore. Always she could hear them arguing. Always she could hear them buzzing.
Always she felt pain.
Wave after wave of merciless agony.
She knew she couldn't hide it, but she didn't want them to know. It was her private pain, and she desperately wanted to show she could handle it on her own...but what if she couldn't? What if they thought her so weak they didn't want her around anymore? What if Hay Lin didn't want her around anymore? Irma couldn't bear the thought...
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Monday dawned all too soon. Irma could barely move due to the crippling pain, and the nightmares had kept her awake all night. Through sheer force of will, the Guardian dragged herself out of bed and forced her legs to carry her to the bathroom to get ready for school. She leaned heavily on the sink and peered at her devastated reflection. The bruising on her cheeks could be covered with enough makeup. The blood could be cleaned with peroxide. The haunted expression in her eyes would be harder to hide.
Later that morning, Irma slid into her seat in Mr. Collins' history class. Hay Lin slid into her seat just behind Irma. The smallest Guardian was talking but Irma couldn't hear her over the noise in her head. A roaring filled the water witch's ears, and caused her head to throb even more than usual. She felt the room begin to close in around her, and the space seemed suddenly very small. Her breathing more ragged than ever, Irma began to panic. Squeezing her eyes shut, she clamped her hands over her ears and began to moan softly.
"Irma? Hey Irma...what's wrong?" Hay Lin asked worriedly.
But Irma did not respond, only clenched her teeth and tried to shut out all the noise.
Hay Lin reached a hand and touched Irma's shoulder. In a blind panic, Irma screamed and stood up. She looked around like a caged animal, her eyes wild. She had to get out. He was coming...
She had to escape now.
She raced for the door, bowling over a concerned Mr. Collins in her bid for freedom. Yanking the door open, she fled into the hallway.
Just a little more, girl, just a little more.
The door is so close...just a little more.
You can make it. Hurry.
No, don't go out there. He's waiting for you. Turn around now.
Go back.
No, he'll find you if you go back.
Irma screamed again as the voices became louder and more insistent. She bolted out the front door and stood panting in the courtyard. Shaking all over, she tried to get her bearings.
A hand on her shoulder sent her over the edge.
With a strangled cry, she turned and lashed out at Frost, her fist connecting with his ugly nose. As the beast staggered back, she put a knee into his crotch once, twice. As he fell to his knees, Irma punched him in the throat, knocking him onto his back. She dove on him then, beating his shoulders with her fists, pummeling his pulverized nose, anything she could hit was hers.
Presently, Irma felt herself being dragged from the mighty blue warrior. She kicked and screamed, but she was no match; the newcomer had the leverage.
"Irma stop, it's Martin...it's Martin."
The pain in her ribs finally made Irma stop fighting, and she sagged to her knees, sobbing.
A hand placed itself under the desperate girl's chin and blue eyes were raised to meet brown. The almond shape was easily recognizable to Irma, and she threw her arms around Hay Lin's neck.
"Hay Lin...help me, please."
"Irma, what have you done to Martin?"
Irma was confused. How did Martin play into this?
"You have to tell him something, quick. We can't have him knowing you just the beat the holy hash out of him."
Knowledge dawned pure and unforgiving. It hadn't been Frost, but Martin. Irma groaned and crawled over to Martin. His face was bloody and he was curled into a fetal position, sobbing slightly.
"Oh no," Irma whispered, reaching a hand towards her victim. "Martin, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."
But now was not the time to try and explain what she had been thinking. Hay Lin was right; she needed to have him thinking something else right now.
Concentrating hard, Irma stared at Martin.
You fell off your bike, you fell off your bike, you fell off your bike!
Through Martin's quiet sobs, Irma heard him mutter, "Darn bike."
With a heavy sigh, Irma allowed Hay Lin to help her up and lead her around the corner.
"Stay here, don't move," Hay Lin ordered. With that, she went invisible and hurried back towards the school. Unseen, she banged hard on the school doors with her fist then backed away and waited patiently. Presently, Mrs. Knickerbocker's annoyed face appeared in the doorway.
"What is the meaning of...Oh!"
She rushed to Martin's side and began to render assistance. Satisfied, Hay Lin returned to where she had left Irma.
"Okay we've gotten Martin some help, and he thinks he fell off his bike," Hay Lin said, becoming visible again. "Now you wanna tell me what that was all about?"
Irma placed her back against the wall and slid down to a sitting position. She placed a hand on her throbbing ribs and began to cry softly.
"I can't do it anymore Hay-Hay. I've tried to be strong, but I can't do it anymore."
"Do what?" Hay Lin asked, kneeling in front of her stricken sister.
Irma closed her eyes and made a decision. "Hay Lin, I'm in trouble. I need help."
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And there it is, Chapter 30. Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what y'all think. :)