"Cornelia, Cornelia, now why would you want to hide that pretty face?" Cornelia shrugged away her mothers arm, feeling as though she'd like to hide forever. It had occured to her long ago that things were changing, but Cornelia saw now that Elyon might never feel the same about her once the secret was out. Maybe that was what Will was doing, and Cornelia saw now why she might have done the same in Will's shoes. Trying to hold onto normalcy until the very last second. Will hadn't just been giving herself more time to think things through. She'd been giving Cornelia more time. With Elyon.

"Mother!" Cornelia bat away her mother's hand again, but then something caught her eye, out in the storm. Elyon. Running. Will wouldn't have told her without Cornelia would she? No, something else must be wrong. Cornelia had a chance to restore her friendship again.

...

"You told your parents I'm your what?" Tom Lair smiled down at his seething daughter as a slightly awkward boy grinned gawkily at her, confidence radiating where it shouldn't have been. The poor boy had moments ago introduced his Irma as 'girlfriend' to his parents and Irma was now ready to explode into a whirlwind of rage.

"Oh, right. Girlfriend isn't politically correct these days: it's significant other or.." The boy snorted almost piggishly and Tom himself couldn't help thinking the boy was less than.. Charming.. "Main squeeze! Haha!"

And then Tom felt a sharp peirce in his stomach and he went to glare at Anna for elbowing him, but was faced suddenly by the flustered face of Will Vandom.. The fire girl. He'd fixed the house and the garden, but it was far more compelling that she was here and smiling. "Hi! I need your daughter! Urgent.. Um.. Parent's night business!"

"Sure, Will, it's good to-" Will grinned and yanked Irma away, but as Tom turned to move on he found a hand thrust out in front of him.

"Martin Tubbs. Boyfriend." It was hard not to laugh at the impression of a 'slick' voice Martin did, but Tom knew fine that Irma 'despised Martin with the souls and hearts of all beings living'. He doubted the young man was telling the truth, but was glad the kid seemed so upbeat about it..

...

Irma hadn't thought of W.I.T.C.H. she'd actually thought Will was serious about Parents evening duties or whatever, and Irma had mad a show out of not wanting to do it. This, Taranee knew, as she was watching while the brunette did it: dragging her feet and pretending Will was kidnapping her. "Wow."

"Yep, she's older than you." Taranee grinned as Cornelia said the words with complete sincerity. Will stopped in front of them and Irma quietened down as Caleb came towards them, Hay Lin's hand in his as she complained about all the things she hadn't showed her parents. If it weren't for his skin, Caleb really would look like he was her brother as he pulled her along, mimicking the whining noise until she realized how annoying it was.

...

"No.. It can't.." Elyon let the rain scatter over her numb skin as she let a hollow feeling fill her. It didn't make sense at all, but at the same time everything made sense..

"Don't you see how it all fits?" Cedric was the warmth to her frozen nightmare. His body wrapped itself around her in comfort as she let tears fall and loud sobs follow. "You were born in the Metaworld. Meridian, Elyon. It's your kingdom."

Elyon shook her head, shivering heavily as the rain's cold penetrated through her core. Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear her mother's voice.. "You'll catch a cold in the rain.."

It had been winter, not spring, and Elyon was eleven.. The snow was melting in the rain, but she hadn't finished the snowman. Just a bit more.. That's what she'd been thinking. There was just a bit more to do.. It hadn't occured that it was falling appart faster than she could build, but she did it anyway and her mother'd taken a picture of the pathetic drowning snowman. Drowning in water - it ran like it's own blood. That's how she'd felt. Like she was drowning in herself. Her family. But it wasn't her blood at all. It wasn't her family. She wasn't drowning in her own rain; she was being pushed into foreign waters. And she was being handed a liferaft. "ELYON!"

It was Will. Will. WILL. She wanted to shout. She wanted to yell. She wanted to scream. That girl couldn't keep her nose out of Elyon's business and by the five figures behind her, Will was dragging her friends in too. Not Will's friends. Elyon's friends. Elyon's eyes shifted to the darkest of them as Taranee gasped. "It's the bookseller!"

"He's the beast?" Her eyes began to sting again when they flickered to her best friend. Ex-best friend. "He was so cute!"

"Elyon!" The sting washed away with the rain as Elyon's grim gaze landed again to Will. Will, the little redhead who looked halfway like a boy, and was raising an outstetched hand in warning. Or attack. "Don't listen to anything he says!"

Rage seethed through her as Will's accusation hit Elyon. As if Cedric would lie. Sweet, helpful, understanding Cedric, who pressed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Your 'friends' have known about this all along."

"You knew?" Elyon had wanted to correct him. She'd wanted to say that Will wasn't her friend. But her eyes were on Cornelia. "All this time, you knew, but you never told me?"

"I wanted to!" The voice sounded genuine, but Elyon didn't know what was real anymore. Then Cornelia glowered to Cedric and Elyon felt a stab of protectivity for the poor man. He was caught up in the middle. "Believe me Elle! Cedric is not your friend!"

"Why shouldn't I go to this 'Meridian'?"

"You don't know what you're saying!" Cornelia pushed past Will, who clumsily stepped back. Cornelia was such a backstabber. At least if she was going to dedicate herself to someone else, she could treat them with respect. Even if it was Elyon's enemy. Because that's what Will was.. An enemy.

"Oh that's right!" Elyon scoffed; the rain was pounding against her skin so hard she was sure it'd leave a bruise. The noise coming, just from the water pelting of the ground almost hid her own voice with it's roar. "I never know anything! It's Cornelia who has the special secrets! Cornelia I bow down to!"