Well sorry if any of you were waiting with bated breath for me to update (HA! That's a laugh) but I have been really busy. Can you say summer school, basketball practice and a job that I hate? Anyways, thanks for all the encouragement. I'm trying really hard to write a story worth reading, so any of you seasoned authors out there, either review or send me a message telling me what/if I can do better. Thanks much! And EM gets a cookie or whatever I promised for getting the HP quote. On with the story (featuring characters which I still do not own [that was my disclaimer in case you're really thick and couldn't figure it out).
One more thing: I know that the timing for making costumes, setting up a party, and getting the gift is way off (all happens in like a day in my story) but please just go with it. If you want, you can pretend it has been a couple days between the events of the last chapter and this one. I don't really every specify, so knock yourself out!
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Irma Lair was exhausted. She had spent the day shopping for that blond princess of an earth guardian's birthday gift. Finally, she found the perfect gift. Ok, fine, Taranee had helped (and they'd had to kidnap Hay Lin from her costumes), but the original idea had been pure Irma. And she was reasonably proud of this accomplishment. She just hoped it would be ready on time. Irma was jarred from her thoughts by an annoyed Hay Lin.
"Can I go back to my costumes now?" the normally bubbly air guardian demanded. "Only I've almost finished (but not quite) and we have to start getting ready in 2 hours!" Hay Lin looked as though she was about to hyperventilate.
"Deep breath, Hay Lin, you've got plenty of ti-" Taranee was interrupted as Will, Elyon, and a sea sick looking Caleb stumbled out of a newly opened portal. "..ime, so just relax," she finished.
"Everything's set at the palace!" Elyon said excitedly. "The decorators are just finishing up."
"Caleb, what's wrong?" Hay Lin asked the former rebel leader, who now only looked tough enough to lead 5 year olds in a rebellion against nap time (something they can rebel against just fine on their own, thanks).
Shaking his head, he pointed at Will and managed three words: "Folding needs practice."
Irma choked on a laugh as Hay Lin shooed the five of them out of her 'workshop'. Deciding to once again divide and conquer all they had to do, the girls organized and delegated. Taranee wrote out five copies of a list and handed one to each person, "So we all know who's doing what," she explained.
Distract Cornelia-Irma and Will
Buy/Bring Make Up and Accessories- Elyon (and Caleb)
Pick up present and Cake- Taranee
(Obviously, Caleb wasn't too pleased with his assignment, but anything for Cornelia, right?) Thus, having their jobs, the girls and Caleb set off to do their duties.
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Cornelia was just finishing taking off her skates when Will and Irma showed up.
"Hey CORNY!" Irma yelled, emphasizing the last word.
"Why do you do that? You know she hates it, Try not to get into a fight with her before the party, please!" Will whispered as Cornelia walked over to them, with a smile and a wave for Will and a deadly glower for Irma. "Wanna get some ice cream Cornelia? Taranee and Hay Lin are stuck at home (family stuff)" Will finished in response to Cornelia's questioning look when she didn't see the two aforementioned missing persons.
"Sure," she said, somewhat indifferently. Afterall, they had forgotten her birthday-she was entitled to be a little cold to them, at least until they remembered. Trying not to make it painfully obvious that they were hiding something, Will and Irma led Cornelia out of the ice skating rink and down the street to her favorite ice cream parlor.
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Caleb was not happy. Just look at the mess his devotion to Cornelia had gotten him into: standing idly by whilst the Queen of Meridian exuberantly picked out various shades of any and every type of make up every created or thought up, like ever. Fuuuuuun. Not. (Well, at least not for Caleb!) He'd rather be fighting Phobos, or Cedric, or Nerissa, or be getting a root canal and having his toes cut off. Thankfully, the only time he was called upon to participate was when the Light of Meridian broke her mutterings of "This will be perfect for Taranee!" and "OMG! This shade matches Irma's eyes to perfection!" to ask his opinion on something. To which he would reply with a noncommittal jerk of the head that Elyon was free to interpret in whichever way was most convenient at the time. (A/N: SO true, huh? I mean, ever asked a guy for his opinion while you were shoping? Or, ever asked a guy for his opinion, ever? Lol, sorry guys. wink)
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Meanwhile, back at the farm, (or, in this case, the mall) Taranee was picking up the present that the four guardians had pitched in for for Cornelia. Taranee had to hand it to Irma, it was a brilliant idea and Taranee was sure Cornelia would love it. After carefully wrapping the gift in tissue paper, the clerk handed it to her and she set off to pick up the cake the girls had ordered. When she was done, she would telepathically contact Will and they would fold to Meridian, drop the stuff off, and return to Earth in time to prepare for the party.
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An hour and a half later, when Irma dragged a protesting Cornelia through Hay Lin's front door, the rest of the girls (minus Elyon) were already waiting.
"Surprise! Cornelia, we feel really bad about forgetting your birthday and to make it up to you, we planned a surprise party," Will stated.
"It's a masquerade and Hay Lin already made all our costumes, so don't worry-you don't need to get better clothes," Irma interjected before Cornelia could flip out about not being properly dressed.
"Ok, since you're the birthday girl and you love princesses, each one of us is a different kind of princess. So, you first, Cornelia!" Hay Lin said excitedly, pulling one of the costumes from her closet. "You change in my room, then come show us!"
Cornelia, happy that her friends did still care about her, went obligingly into Hay Lin's room and put on Hay-Hay's stunning creation. Then, she reentered the room that held her friends.
"You're a fairy princess, Cornelia! You look great! How do you like it?" Hay Lin finished anxiously.
"It's beautiful," Cornelia replied. And it was. The halter dress was short, showing off Cornelia's long toned legs and was the same pure blue as her eyes. Her hair fell in long golden sheets over very light blue (so as to be almost transparent) wings that Hay Lin had cleverly made herself and sewn into the back of the dress. "Your guys's turn!" she said, with a laugh. The four girls took their costumes and reappeared one by one to accept their friends' praises and to tell Hay Lin that she was an artistic genius.
Will came next, as a futuristic princess. She was covered in silver, from her fitted blazer-like jacket to her short pouffy skirt. Her shock of red hair stood out forcibly from the rest of her appearance, drawing the eye to her face.
Next came Irma, a mermaid princess. She was dressed in a deep sea green skirt that reached all the way to her ankles and wore a strapless top, over which Hay Lin had placed a sparkly blue-green shawl.
Taranee entered the room as an Afrcian princess. Her orange wrap around dress fell to just below her knees and was trimmed with the deepest reds. The girls giggled as they noticed that Taranee's outfit seemed to suggest fire.
Finally, Hay Lin emerged as a classic storybook princess, pre-happy ending, that is. She wore a simple brown dress and white apron, Cinderella and Snow White style.
Once the girls had finished instpecting Hay Lin's magnificent costumes, they began to fix each other's hair and make up. Cornelia's straight strands were transformed into glossy golden curls and her make up was replete with soft hues that brought out her eyes. Will received numerous clips and braids woven into her hair and exaggerated, if silver and black, make up. Irma's spunky hair was crimped until it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her make up was done in the same strong greens as her costume. Taranee's hair was decorated with many beads and adornments and her make up was the most muted, browns and reds and oranges that gave her a pretty glow. Hay Lin released her long ponytails and put her hair in a half ponytail, which she then braided. Her make up was soft and almost unnoticeable.
"Well, I'm like your guys's servant today….getting you all dressed for the ball, while I look shabby. I almost didn't have time to make my own costume, this was the best I could do!" she exclaimed nervously. And the other girls immeadiatly (and truthfully) began assuring her that she looked marvelous and she didn't have to worry, everyone would say how great they ALL looked.
Thus, they primped, brushed, curled, braided, and accessorized until Will said, "Time to go. We won't want to keep everyone waiting."
"Just where are we going, anyway?" Cornelia asked, a perfect eyebrow rising in inquiry.
"Caleb, eat your heart out. You are going to drop dead the second you get a load of Cornelia," Irma whispered.
"What?"
"Nothing, let' go."
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In a dark corner of Meridian, Phobos (because of course it was he!) watched the guardians prepare for the party with glee.
"Excellent, they haven't transformed. They will be nearly powerless!" he breathed. Turning, he saw his army of Nargles preparing for battle. They were his own ingenious invention. Formed by water and earth, forged in fire, cooled by air, and brought to life by the magic of quintessence, they would destroy the guardians. After all, the five elements were strongest when united. A lesson the guardians were going to learn the hard way, it seemed.
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It seems I need another disclaimer. I must convinve that neither Phobos nor I invented the nargles. That credit goes to JK Rowling (or maybe to Luna Lovegood's father?) tho she never says what exactly they are, so I made them psyco creatures of doom! Mwah-ha-ha.
BTW, hope you noticed, each girl was a princess that had some relevancy to her life. Corneliafairy, where do fairies live? In the woods
Willfuture, ok this is a stretch, but I figure electronics advance in the future, right?
(hides as people realize how weak of a connection that it)
Irmamermaid, duh, if you don't get this, you have obviously never even heard of w.i.t.c.h before
TaraneeAfrican princess, her heritage? idk and the colors are all firey
Hay Linshe hasn't found her happy ending yet, really, has she? And she did slave away all day making those costumes, etc, so yeah…
Tell me what you think!
Juliette
