I'm such a bad author for keeping you all waiting.

DayDreamer9: Thanks for voting and for the donation. :)

Mew Cinnamon: I appreciate your applause. Thanks for voting. And I like the 'New Chapter Foundation'

I feel so loved, and I bet Hayleigh and Julia do too. So without anymore comments from me, I present to you chapter twelve.

Chapter Twelve-Across the Air-Colored Bridge

Lacey sat up in her bed. She felt dazed and floaty. What was going on?

This wasn't her bed. At least, it didn't look like the one she had always known. This one was a full-size bed instead of her usual twin. Normally, it wouldn't have fit in her room. But it went well with her new, bigger room.

Nevertheless, she could sense that she was home. Or, home for her dream self. For she was sure that this was a dream. Especially when her dad appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Was he forgetting the fights over custody, the arguments that were so common between them? He never let her out when she stayed with him, claiming he wanted to spend time with her. And yet, while she stayed home, missing out on all the fun, he watched TV alone and she did homework. Father daughter time. Right.

"Lacey?" He looked at her with the air of someone who had asked the same question more than once. "I asked you if you wanted pancakes for breakfast."

Lacey snapped back to attention. "Uh… yeah, sure Dad. Thanks."

She stood up and padded after her dad. Wow, her new house was big. Since when did her dad's new family have this much money?

That's when she got the shock of her life. They had reached the kitchen. And the woman standing there was not Judy, her stepmother. It was…

"Mom?" Lacey sputtered in disbelief.

The woman turned away from the stove. "Yes honey?"

An accusing finger pointed from one adult to the other. "You… and dad," Lacey finally managed to get out.

"What?" She looked confused.

"Mom!" Lacey practically shouted. "You and dad have been divorced since I was three! Dad remarried! He has a stepdaughter and a daughter!"

A kindly head shake was all she got. "Oh, you had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Was being a Guardian a nightmare? Well, it definitely had its bad times.

A girl of about four walked into the room.

"Tricia?" What the heck? Tricia was her half-sister. Judy's daughter.

"Why's everyone yelling?" the little girl asked.

Lacey wanted to answer her. But a strange voice came to her mind.

Come…

Her parents' faces grew worried. The girl was fading from this world quickly.

Come now. Time is running out.

"Mom! Dad! Tricia!"

Kelsey sat down, looking up at Matt expectantly. He said he had something to tell her.

"Yeah, Matt?"

The boy ran a hand through his short, spiky dark hair. He was so adorable! But why did he look so… sad?

"Kelsey, I…" He began to pace. The earth guardian began to fear the words that would come next.

"You're a great girl, you know. But…"

Why was she getting a memory from this? It was strong in her mind, like it had happened yesterday.

FLASHBACK

Blondie: hi keith!

Tumbledude: hey wat sup

Blondie: nm, u?

Tumbledude: kels, I have 2 tell u sumthin

Blondie: what is it, keith?

Tumbledude: i don't luv u ne more

Blondie: what?????

Tumbledude: i m braking up w/ u

Blondie has signed off.

END OF FLASHBACK

It was funny how well she remembered that. Her boyfriend hadn't even had the decency to talk to her in person. He had broken up with her online.

Matt seemed to gain the right words. And they sounded painfully familiar.

"I… I just don't love you anymore."

Kelsey had the same reaction as she had the first time. "What?!?" A tear fell from her hazel eyes.

"I think we should break up." He sighed. "Goodbye, Kelsey." He leaned into kiss her cheek.

She hit him surprisingly hard for a girl that looked so skinny. He jumped back, one hand on his cheek. Wiping tears away, Kelsey sprinted away. Suddenly, she dissolved into nothingness.

Mandy, Julia, Lacey, and Kelsey stood in front of her. Their faces were familiar… but they wore expressions she had never witnessed before.

Hayleigh greeted her friends anyway, with a happy smile and a loud, "Hey guys!"

Simultaneously, the turned their cruel sneering faces towards her. What was up with them? She started to feel uneasy.

"Um… guys? You okay?"

"We're fine, Hayleigh," they all snapped. Sheesh, what was with the robotic-ness?

"Oh…" She had no clue what to say. "It's just that you look a little… angry."

Mandy stepped forward, eyes blazing. "We are angry!"

Kelsey glared at Hayleigh. "How could we not be, when you, a little pudgy nobody, get to be our leader?"

Hayleigh was shocked. "B-b-but… I thought we were friends!" Her blue eyes filled with tears.

Julia, one of the nicest people she knew, would certainly take her side. But no. The pretty girl stood next to the other two. "Friends?" She laughed scornfully. The rest joined in. "Why would we be friends with you?"

Out of nowhere, three more laughing figures appeared. They belonged to Callie, Brooke, and Alison. Hayleigh advanced on them angrily.

"I know! This is some sort of evil joke. But you'd better stop… NOW!"

"It's not a joke," Lacey told her. "Those three are our real friends. They don't pretend their better than us because of some stupid powers."

Hayleigh's eyes burned with red fire. Her body and brain were not connected anymore. The real her was watching from the sidelines as she proceeded to destroy her so-called friends. Was that a good thing, or no?

It's time.

The same misty voice that had… wait, where had she heard that voice before?

Candracar.

She was headed to the great temple of Candracar.

So there you have it. A little chance to see the characters more in-depth. Their fears and deepest desires. Enjoy! And whoever didn't put a vote in for their favorite character is welcome to do that.