I'm watching W.I.T.C.H. right now as I post this! Talk about a dedicated fan! I started over a few weeks ago and am now on I is for Illusion. I have to be quick so I can get back to the episode.

9-Hospital

Time seemed to slow down for Cornelia as she rushed back into the beach house. She saw Elyon with her hand clasped over her mouth and tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Cornelia asked her friend, but was quickly distracted by the sight of blood on the floor. Not far from the small puddle lay Will with Matt, Irma, Hay Lin and Taranee at her side. Her head was rested in Matt's lap while Irma had a phone pressed to her ear. "My friend was shot!" She screamed into the phone.

"What happened?" Cornelia asked.

Matt caught her eye and she saw just how worried he was for Will. More than she would have suspected him to be. "One of that ass Cedric's friends pulled a gun after I tackled him."

"Why the hell would you tackle him!" Caleb was suddenly beside Cornelia, kneeling on the ground next to Will.

Matt looked around, as if to make sure no one was listening. There was no hope for him in that department since everyone's eyes were focused on Will. In a hushed voice he replied, "Cedric was trying to get her upstairs, man."

"He what?" Cornelia spun around before she even asked the question and spotted Cedric in the crowd. She instantly started towards him and when she was close enough, she raised her hand and smacked him across the face.

Cedric's head spun from the force. When he turned back to Cornelia she began her rant.

"What the hell Cedric!" She narrowed her eyes at him, "This is your fault!"

"Whatever Cornelia," Cedric was no more sober than he had been earlier, "She's a tease anyways. At least you used to give me a little something'."

"Shut up." Cornelia spat, "Get the hell out of here."

"Fine," Cedric didn't bother putting up a fight. He simply turned around and started towards the door.

"Hold up, man," Caleb's voice came from behind Cornelia.

"What?" Cedric spun around slowly, and just as he faced him, Caleb threw his fist at him. Cedric stumbled backwards and fell onto his back.

"Touch her again and I can give you a matching black eye," Caleb laid out the threat before returning to Will's side.

"The ambulance is coming," Irma informed him before turning her attention to Will, "Hang on, girl."

Under her breath, Taranee said, "I told you guys this party was a bad idea."

... ...

"She's going to be fine," one of the nurses had stepped out of Will's room and was letting them know what exactly was going on. "The shot only hit her in the leg and it's only a minor wound."

"Thank god," Cornelia was even sure who had said that. She sat silently between Caleb and Hay Lin, just as anxious to see Will.

"Can we see her?" Hay Lin asked.

"One at a time please," the nurse replied quickly before turning on her heel and heading down the hall.

Caleb was ready to stand. He knew he would be the first one to see her, but he felt someone's hand pull him back by his shoulder.

"Do you mind?" Cornelia said, "There's something I need to ask her…about Cedric."

"Why are you even here?" Irma said from where she sat across from them.

Cornelia's attention turned to Irma and she narrowed her eyes, "Because out of all of you I think I've had the most experience in situations like this. And besides, I said I have to ask her something." She knew that it wasn't fair she be the first to see Will, considering that the others were closer to her, but she really did feel the need to talk with Will.

"You, Cornelia, are so full of-" Irma started, but Caleb interrupted her by holding up his hand.

"Go," he said to Cornelia. It sounded like an order.

Cornelia silently thanked him and started towards the door again. It creaked when she pushed it open, and for some reason she wanted to apologize to Will for the annoying noise.

"Hey," she started.

"Hi," Will smiled. "I didn't expect you to be the first one in here."

Cornelia smiled and pulled up a chair, "You actually work that hospital gown."

"Thank you," even in her condition Will was ready to grin. "I wish they gave me the pink one."

"Yeah…" Cornelia lost her train of thought for a moment. "Listen…I need to ask you-"

"Why were you so quick to defend me?" Will asked the question so suddenly Cornelia felt like she had been tipped off of her chair. "I mean, you really hit Cedric. And what did he mean about you giving him something?"

She looked towards the door. She could leave right now if she wanted to and not have to explain anything, but then she thought to herself. Maybe this was the reason she wanted to talk to Will so badly. Not to question her but to share her own experience in situations like this to make Will's seem less horrible.

"Okay, first of all, me and Cedric used to date, but that's not the-"

"You did?"

"Yeah. Horrible choice, right?"

Will smirked, "A little."

"Okay…well…" Cornelia searched through her thoughts. Where to begin? She thought. Then, finally, she began to recount to Will the memories that haunted her since the beginning of summer before senior year.

... ...

"Wow," was the first thing Caleb said when he stepped into Will's room. "I didn't think you would go and get shot just to get Matt's attention.

Will narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"How are you holding up?"

"Fine. The hospital offers me seven whole T.V channels." Will replied.

"Glad to see you still have your sense of humor."

Will smiled and shut off the television, then turned her attention to Caleb. "So, how did it go with Cornelia while I was getting hit with a bullet.?"

Caleb shrugged his shoulders, "It…I don't know."

"I think you should talk to her Caleb."

"I've already tried talking to her and we never seem to get anywhere-"

"Not about that!" Will interrupted him, and then she flopped her head back onto her pillow. "Ask her why she doesn't drink."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Caleb furrowed his brow and took in a deep breath. "Fine. But then you need to tell Matt everything the next time he comes in this room."

Will narrowed her eyes at him once more, then realized Caleb wasn't going to do anything unless she promised to talk to Matt. "Fine."

Caleb grinned and slid out his chair. He started towards the door, and when he opened it, he had to step out of the way so that Matt could move past him and talk to Will. Before leaving completely, Caleb caught Will's expression and chuckled at how wide her eyes were.

... ...

Caleb found Cornelia in the hospital's courtyard. He came up behind her slowly and sat on the bench next to her. She didn't say anything even after she looked towards him. She just turned her head straight and stared.

"So why don't you drink?

Cornelia continued staring out into the courtyard, "It's personal."

"So?" Caleb said. "You've already told me pretty much everything about you. Why not tell me this?"

"Because, this is something even Elyon doesn't know."

Caleb sighed and leaned back on the bench. "But something Will does?"

It was true. She had told Caleb pretty much all of her secrets, but this one was so much more humiliating and self-degrading than the rest. Then his words hit her. But something Will does? Will had told him something. Which should have been no surprise. She should have expected it since the two were such good friends. The moment she started talking, she kept her gaze locked on the open courtyard, not once looking in Caleb's direction. "It was at the beginning of the summer. At another party at Elyon's." She couldn't believe it. She was getting all of this that had been bottled up for nearly three months out of her system. "I had just broken up with my boyfriend that I'd had for almost six months. So, to mellow the pain, I got really, really, wasted. I remember…someone telling me that…I should lay down."

Caleb stayed quiet and she wished that he would say something. Something to make it easier for her to replay these memories.

"And then…there was a ripping noise and someone had shoved me into a wall. I don't remember anything after that until I woke up. I was hung-over but I was at least conscious enough of myself to realize what happened."

She felt something well up in her throat and she had to swallow it before continuing. Her eyes were beginning to water too, so she blinked continuously. "I was in a room upstairs…alone. And my clothes were off me thrown across the room. I heard Elyon knocking and calling my name, so I got up and pulled my shirt on. And I told her everything was fine…"

She felt her bottom lip begin to quiver, so she bit down on it. "I didn't even know who did it to me. I still don't, but it sucks. Because whoever they were took the one thing from me that I can never get back." She said, her voice shaking. There was a sudden rush of anger that filled her, and she wanted to know who had done it to her. What sick person would take her virginity and leave her to be discovered by someone else.

Finally, after being silent for a long, long time, Caleb spoke, "I'm sorry, Cornelia. That really sucks."

"Yeah," Cornelia didn't hesitate to agree, "But what can you do? I've wasted my time being torn up by it and I need to get past it."

"That's optimistic."

Cornelia shrugged, "I have to be. With all this shit going on in my life."

"Like what? Your mom?" Caleb said it more like he already knew, "don't listen to her. You haven't gained any weight."

Cornelia offered him a soft smile, "Any bit of weight that shouldn't be there my mom has to comment on. Just because she was fat in high school doesn't mean I'm going to be."

Caleb laughed, "Was she fat?"

"Not at all. But there was this one point where she was bulimic, and I swear those were the happiest moments in her life because she was so skinny. Then she went and got pregnant and I blew her up." Cornelia said, "I think that's why she doesn't like me."

"Haven't we discussed this already? She does like you, you know."

"You still believe that after what you saw last night? I swear, she wants me to be as skinny as she was in high school because she thinks that is perfection. And then she'll like me a bit better."

"Well, if it matters, I think you look fine."

"Thanks." Cornelia felt her face flush. She offered him a smile before catching sight of the clock. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Tell Will to get better, okay?"

"I-"

"See you, Caleb." She said quickly and darted off as fast as she could. She couldn't be around Caleb. He was beginning to scare her. Not in a bad way, but in a way that she wasn't ready to feel again. Caleb was just like her last boyfriend. She felt comfortable telling him anything and he could take her from being a sad, dark place to laughing again. And She loved her boyfriend more than anyone else at the time. That was something she wasn't ready to feel again, and with Caleb, it was already starting to happen.

Tah-dah! Here's your peek at chapter 10:

... ...

"Irma, listen. I can explain."

"No, you listen! Have you not seen the way he looks at you? It's the same way you look at him."

"I-"

"I don't get it Cornelia!" Irma's voice was raising, showing just how frustrated she was. "Do you really have feelings for him, or is it just some game, some plan to steal yet another guy from me!" Her voice cracked upon her last words.

"Wait." Cornelia said softly, something just dawning on her. "D-do you have feelings…for Caleb?"

... ...

Thanks for the reviews last time! I'm really happy to see you guys are liking where this is heading. (: