Hello again and welcome back to What Price Justice. I would like to try something a little new and save the well-deserved acknowledgments for the end of the chapter. That way we can jump right into:
Chapter 2
Hay Lin morosely parked her bike and walked towards the hospital entrance. The day was cool with very little cloud cover in the sky. The sun shone brightly, and Hay Lin wished her heart could revel in the perfection of nature.
But she wasn't joyful or even a little cheerful...she was depressed. Every day for the past week she had visited her friend in the hospital, every day hoping for some change in her condition. And every day she was disappointed. Sometimes it felt like Irma would be in this coma-like state forever.
Hay Lin entered the hospital and walked automatically to the elevator. Arriving at the fourth floor, she moved down the hall as if in a trance. She paid little heed to where she was going because her feet knew the way to Irma's room. It was because of this indifference that she walked right by Tom Lair, who was talking with a nurse.
"Hay Lin," Tom called, excusing himself from his conversation.
The Air Guardian jumped and turned quickly.
"Oh, hi, Mr. Lair," she said in a deadpan voice.
Tom moved quickly to the girl's said and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Can we go somewhere and talk?" he asked.
Hay Lin had been expecting this for some time, but she still didn't feel ready to explain what had happened to his daughter. She felt her failure to protect Irma like a knife in her gut, and having to tell her father that was the last thing Hay Lin wanted. Still, what could she do to get out of it? So Hay Lin gave in.
"Sure, Mr. Lair. What did you have in mind?"
"Have you eaten yet?"
Hay Lin silently shook her head.
"Then how about I buy you some breakfast? We can talk over toast or something."
Hay Lin didn't feel like eating. Her stomach felt queasy and her insides churned at the very thought of food. But what choice did she have?
"Sounds good. Thank you," Hay Lin answered.
She followed the police sergeant back to the elevator and they rode the car down to the first floor. Neither party spoke while they loaded their trays with food from the cafeteria. Hay Lin took only some toast with jam, and a small jug of milk.
As the two sat down at a corner table, Hay Lin felt her insides beginning to churn even more. She dreaded what she was sure was coming, and she felt trapped. She tried to act as if nothing was wrong, as she scraped strawberry jam over her toast. Tom tried to wait politely, but couldn't stand it for very long.
"Hay Lin," he began, "how are you holding up?"
Hay Lin was a little shocked by this question. She had been hoping her depression hadn't shown through, but she supposed the change in her normally-effervescent personality had been like a neon sign.
"I'm okay, I guess," she shrugged, still concentrating on her toast. She wished to avoid eye-contact with the policeman as long as possible.
"Hay Lin, don't lie to a cop," Tom said gently, his crooked grin trying to comfort the teenager.
Hay Lin sighed and put down her toast. She finally looked into Tom's brown eyes as her own began to tear-up.
"I'm a mess," she said softly. "I can't sleep, I don't eat. I'm so worried I can barely function at school. I feel like I'm falling apart. I don't know what to do."
Tom reached across the table and covered the trembling Guardian's hand. "Hay Lin, you're Irma's best friend. It's natural for you to worry about her. But you need to worry more about yourself, now. Irma's going to need you when she wakes up, and if you continue to harm yourself like this, you won't be in any condition to help her."
"I can't help anyone, Mr. Lair. I couldn't help Irma before and I'm afraid I can't help her now."
Tom narrowed his eyes. "What's happened to Irma is not your fault. I don't know what happened, but I refuse to believe you had anything to do with it."
"I failed to protect her," Hay Lin replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I told her I wouldn't let them hurt her, and I lied."
"Who hurt Irma?"
"The Oracle. He took her powers away."
Tom sat back in his chair and blew out a heavy breath. He was starting to understand something, but he needed Hay Lin to confirm it.
"Hay Lin, I need to ask you something, and I want you to be totally honest with me. Can you do that?"
Hay Lin nodded apprehensively.
Tom hesitated only a moment. "Hay Lin, how dependent was Irma on her powers?"
Hay Lin closed her eyes, and spoke slowly. "She...she told me...she told me they had become an addiction. That she didn't feel safe without water around her."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"It means Irma's addicted to her element. And having that addiction suddenly taken away..."
"...Would cause a traumatic reaction in the addict," Tom Lair finished.
Hay Lin nodded.
Tom sighed and scrubbed his hand down his face. He looked at the ceiling, pondering what Hay Lin had just told him. If his daughter truly depended on water that much, then the best thing to do would be to take her home and immerse her in a swimming pool or a bathtub. Of course, the danger of an unconscious person drowning had to play some part in rational thought. Still, Tom thought now that his daughter would recover better at home.
But he still wanted more answers first.
"Hay Lin, you said Irma didn't feel safe without water around her. How long has this been going on?"
Hay Lin shrugged. "I don't really know; a few weeks, I would guess."
"How could she function at school? How could she even get to school without freaking out?"
"I don't know about functioning in school, but you know how we've been having an unusual amount of rain over the past month?"
Tom nodded.
Hay Lin continued. "Well, that was Irma's doing."
The policeman's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "She can do that?"
"She has command over everything water-based, Mr. Lair."
"So she can control the weather."
Hay Lin shook her head. "No, she can control the water, not the weather."
"So she can make it rain whenever she wants."
Hay Lin nodded. "She can not only control water, but she can also command it. Water does whatever she wants it to do."
Tom wasn't sure how he felt about someone having so much power. No wonder it had become so addicting. And to give this power to a mere child...what was this Oracle thinking?
Hay Lin was speaking again. "Of course, when she's in her Guardian Form her powers are much more potent. She could flood this whole city if she wanted to."
"And what made someone think that giving this kind of power to a child was a good idea?" Tom asked with a dangerous glare.
Hay Lin chose her words carefully. "Honestly, Mr. Lair, I don't think of it that way. Our powers are designed to help people, not to destroy the world. None of us wants to flood Heatherfield, or drop a hurricane on Cleveland; we just want to make sure people are safe from the bad guys."
"And who makes sure the good guys don't get hurt when the bad guys get out of hand?"
"We watch each other's backs."
Tom crossed his arms. "Yeah, I can see that."
Hay Lin swallowed and lowered her eyes to her toast, still untouched on her plate.
Tom sighed and let his arms fall into his lap. "Hay Lin, I'm sorry. This isn't your fault. None of this is your fault. You didn't torture my daughter or get her addicted to her powers. I was out of line in what I said. You four girls mean everything to Irma, and I can see how much you care about her. You would never have let any of this happen if it could have been avoided."
"They ambushed her, Mr. Lair. They targeted and abducted her. We didn't realize what was going on until it was too late."
"You found her before they killed her. That's what's important, Hay Lin."
The Air Guardian gulped slightly and decided not to tell Irma's father that that was not entirely the case.
"Tell me more about this Oracle," Tom said, breaking an awkward silence. "Who is he?"
"He's the head of the Council of Kandrakar. He watches over the universe and determines when the Guardians are need to protect it."
"Irma told me about Kandrakar," Tom nodded. "So I guess the Oracle is the man in charge?"
Hay Lin nodded. "You could say that, I guess."
"And he's responsible for taking Irma's powers away?"
Again, Hay Lin merely nodded.
"Well I guess he doesn't know anything about addiction."
"He's not from our world, Mr. Lair; and he had to do something..."
Hay Lin knew immediately she had made a mistake, and wished she could take those words back. Maybe Mr. Lair wouldn't pick up on it...
"Something about what?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes.
Busted.
With a sigh, Hay Lin explained what Irma had done, and how the Council had put her on trial for Nerissa's murder. She explained how the Council had acquitted Irma, but that the Oracle had stripped her of her powers, nonetheless.
"It was awful to watch," Hay Lin said, still staring at her uneaten toast. "It was like someone losing their soul."
Tom was aghast. He had no idea what to say. His daughter had murdered someone? How was that possible? His innocent little girl, a murderer? Tom refused to believe it.
"But it was self-defense, right? I mean she killed that woman to protect herself, didn't she?"
Hay Lin knew it was no use arguing with this man, nor did she want to. All she wanted was to get away and to go see her friend.
"She did it to protect herself and to protect all of you. She knew Nerissa would never stay away, and that she would never stop until you were all dead."
"Then how could they call her a murderer? How could you call her a murderer?"
Damn, he's good. He never misses anything.
"Because Irma, herself, admitted that what she did, she did out of revenge. She admitted to murdering Nerissa."
Tom Lair leaned forward and took Hay Lin's chin in his hand. Gently he raised the small Guardian's head so he could look deep into her brown eyes.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Hay Lin squirmed under that gaze. It seemed to pierce her to her heart, and she knew she would never get away with anything but the complete truth. So she returned the sergeant's gaze and tried to speak with conviction.
"Nerissa had surrendered and Irma killed her anyway, even though Irma said she would let her live."
Tom released Hay Lin's chin and sat back in his chair. He felt drained. His daughter was a murderer, though under extenuating circumstances. It was common for battered women to turn on their abusers and to kill them even when they were helpless. How could these circumstances, though certainly unique in their own right, be any different from those? Still, he knew of many women who had been convicted of lesser charges in these types of killings and had actually served prison time. Was this the Oracle's way of punishing a murderer without throwing the book at her?
"I don't know what to say..."
Hay Lin nodded and looked sympathetically at the big policeman. "Neither did I, at first. But then I realized that our friendship was more important than anything. She's been through so much, you can't judge her on this."
Tom nodded pensively. "She's my daughter, Hay Lin. I love her no matter what. What we have to do now is figure out how to get her through this."
Hay Lin shrugged again. "I don't know how to wake her up."
"Neither do I, but I think getting her discharged from here might help. Maybe if we put her in the bathtub or something, she'll feel safe and snap out of it."
"Isn't that kind of like giving a junkie a hit?"
Tom chuckled in spite of the graveness of the situation. "Maybe a little, but trying to get a junkie to go clean cold turkey doesn't usually work out too well. Besides, I think water is a little less harmful than crack."
With that Tom Lair slid his chair back, his french toast completely untouched. He stood up and Hay Lin followed his lead.
"What say we blow this joint and go check on Irma?"
Hay Lin grinned slightly, though it didn't meet her eyes. She merely nodded and picked up her own untouched plate of toast.
After they had bussed their tables, Tom and Hay Lin walked to the elevator in silence. There was nothing more to say, and Hay Lin felt grateful that Tom hadn't asked why she felt responsible for what had happened to Irma.
As they approached the elevator, they saw Will waiting for the car.
"Will," Hay Lin said.
Will turned her head and smiled at her friend.
"Hay Lin, Mr. Lair," she acknowledged.
"Hello, Will," Tom said. "Here to see Irma?"
"Actually," Will said slowly, "I might have an idea to help her."
The elevator car dropped to the first floor and the doors slid open. The trio stood aside for the people exiting the car, then entered, themselves, and pushed the button for the fourth floor.
"Tell me," Tom said when the doors had closed.
"Not here," Will mumbled. "It shouldn't be discussed in public."
Tom set his jaw, but he thought he understood. He bounced on the balls of his feet as the elevator took its own sweet time ascending. Finally the doors opened and the trio made their way to Irma's room.
Will wasn't surprised to see the other Guardians already there, along with Anna Lair. Irma lay curled in the bed.
"What took you so long, Will?" Cornelia smirked.
"How is she?" Will asked, ignoring her earthy friend.
"There's been no change," Anna said. "The doctors are baffled. They've never seen catatonia be so resistant to treatment."
A vein twitched in Tom's head, but he remained silent. Best not to burden his fragile wife with what he had just learned.
"Well, I think I may have a way to help with that," Will said, approaching Irma's bedside. She placed her hand on Irma's forehead and moved her auburn hair out of her face.
"Well don't keep us in suspense," Cornelia said. "What is it?"
Will shook her head. "We can't discuss it here."
Cornelia sighed and was about to retort when Will held up her hand.
"Mr. Lair, is there any chance you can get Irma discharged?"
"This is a hospital, not a prison. I think I can swing that."
Mr. Lair left the room to go see about getting his daughter released.
Anna looked around at the girls. "Thank you for being so loyal to my daughter. She really adores you girls, you know."
"We adore her, Mrs. Lair," Taranee said. "She's a part of us."
"Yeah, she keeps things...interesting," Cornelia said.
Hay Lin shot the blonde a glare. "What Cornelia means is that Irma keeps things light."
Cornelia returned Hay Lin's glare. "Yeah, that."
After ten minutes, Tom returned with a nurse and Doctor Russ. The nurse began to unhook the machines and to remove the IV.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Dr. Russ was asking. "It really is against my judgment."
"I think she'll recover better at home, now, Dr. Russ," Tom replied.
"Alright," Dr. Russ sighed. "I can't really stop you."
"No, you can't," Tom said, shaking his head.
"The nurse at the front desk will have a few papers for you to sign before you go."
Tom nodded. "I understand. Thank you for all you've done."
"Good luck to you and to Irma," the doctor said as he exited the room.
It didn't take long for the nurse to finish unhooking everything, and soon Taranee was pushing a wheelchair bearing precious cargo. Anna signed the forms at the desk while Tom cleared their belongings from the room. The other Guardians hovered around Irma's wheelchair, protective of their friend.
After a few minutes, Anna returned to the group.
"Well, that's done," she said.
At the same time, Tom joined the group.
"I have everything, Anna. Are we ready to go?"
Anna nodded. "I think so. Let's hurry, Tom."
Soon five Guardians and two adults were crammed into the Lairs' minivan. The girls' bikes resided in the back. Tom pulled away from the parking lot and steered the vehicle towards his home. He glanced at the rear-view mirror and his eyes met Will's.
"Now can we talk?" he asked.
Will supposed no one could hear them in the car. So she nodded and began to speak.
"Taranee's a telepath. I think she can reach Irma mentally and bring her out of this."
"Um, Will? In case you've forgotten, I already tried that, remember?"
"Yeah, but not with the Heart of Kandrakar to enhance your abilities."
"Can you do that?" Anna asked, turning her head around to see Will's face.
"Well it worked once when Irma...when we were trying to find Irma. Hay Lin was able to contact her and help us find her."
"How did she do that?" Tom asked, as he made a left turn.
"It's really too hard to explain right now," Hay Lin said, "but the bottom line is I think the Heart could help Taranee to reach Irma, too."
"Can you do it right now?" Anna asked breathlessly.
"It's really better if we wait until she's in a safer place," Will responded. "It might even help if we could get her into some water."
Anna looked confused, but Tom nodded. "We can do that."
Ten minutes later the minivan pulled into the driveway of the Lair residence. Seven people piled out, Tom carrying his daughter gently.
"Where's Chris?" Cornelia asked.
"We sent him to stay with his grandmother for the week," Anna responded. "It's better that he not know what's happening, and we were trying to hide him in case...in case..."
"In case Irma lost," Hay Lin supplied quietly.
Anna nodded.
The group filed into the house and headed upstairs to Irma's bedroom. Anna held the door so Tom could carry Irma through. With the Guardians following behind, Tom and Anna led the way into the bathroom. While Anna filled the tub with water, Tom turned to Will.
"Is this going to work? Can you really contact my daughter like this?"
"If she's in there, Taranee will find her," Will said determinedly.
"Tom, the bath is ready," Anna said.
The big policeman turned from Will and gently laid his daughter in the watery tub. He was careful to hold her head above the water so she wouldn't drown.
Will nodded to Taranee, and pulled the Heart of Kandrakar from around her neck. Holding it tight in her fist, she silently commanded the glowing jewel to help Taranee contact Irma.
Taranee approached the bathtub and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and began to concentrate.
Irma, can you hear me?
Only silence met the Fire Guardian's thoughts. Taranee tried again.
Irma, please, can you hear me?
Taranee pricked her ears even though she listened with her mind. Her head turned slightly left as she strained to hear what only she could hear.
Irma, are you here?
Taranee listened closely, but was met by only silence. For several minutes she strained her ears and her mind, but was met with disappointment. Finally, she opened her eyes and turned to Will.
"It's no use, Will; I can't-"
Suddenly, Taranee's head snapped back to Irma. She had heard something!
"Taranee, what-"
But the Fire Guardian held up her hand to silence Will's question. She stared deep into Irma's unblinking eyes, searching for any sign of...anything.
Then she heard it again.
Taranee!
Immediately, Taranee placed her hands on either side of Irma's head, careful not to bump Sergeant Lair. She set her jaw and continued to stare into her friend's impossibly blue eyes.
Irma, it's Taranee. I'm here.
The answer came so faintly, that at first, Taranee thought it was just an echo of her own mental voice. But as she concentrated, she discovered it was not her voice, but Irma's.
Taranee...help me.
Irma, I'm here. Where are you?
Please help me.
Irma's voice was so faint, it was like listening to a radio station with bad reception. Taranee could barely make out the words. She had to get closer.
Irma, I'm coming to you. Tell me where you are.
I...don't...lost...can't...help.
Taranee caught only every third word or so. This was getting her nowhere. She needed some direction; a place to start looking. The mind was a huge labyrinth of thoughts and emotions; the last thing Taranee wanted was to sift through every single synapse to find a solitary thought. It would take too much time, and Taranee needed to find Irma now.
Irma, can you follow my voice? Can you come to me?
The response this time was so faint, Taranee couldn't even make out words...just sound. She had to be going the wrong way. She "doubled back" and continued talking.
Irma, you've got to help me find you. Tell me where you are.
Taranee, I'm cold.
I know. I'm trying to help you. Keep talking and I can follow your voice.
It's so cold...and dark here. Where am I?
Taranee stopped. Could it be Irma had no idea what was going on? Was she so far gone that she truly didn't know where she was? This was worse than Taranee had feared.
Irma, I'm in your head. I'm trying to find your consciousness.
Get out of my head! You don't belong here.
Irma I'm trying to help you. I have to be here.
Get out!
Well if you would wake up on your own and stop all this nonsense, I would!
Wake up? What do you mean? What's happened to me?
Irma's mental voice was getting stronger; Taranee knew she was close.
You're gonna be fine, but you need to wake up now. Just follow me and I'll lead you out.
No. It's not safe out there. She'll find me.
Who will find you?
Nerissa.
Nerissa is dead, Irma. She's not coming back.
No; she's here. In here with me. She's looking for me.
Taranee was puzzled. She didn't understand what that meant. Nerissa was dead; how could she still be tormenting anyone? Was the mere memory of the evil hag enough to drive Irma insane?
Irma, what are you talking about? Nerissa is gone. She can't hurt you anymore.
Oh no! She found me! Help me! Taranee!
Irma!
Silence.
Irma!
Right at that second, Irma's body arched its back and began to thrash around the tub. Water was sprayed everywhere as the partially-immersed girl bucked and kicked. Taranee was thrown back by the force of the thrashing, while Tom Lair held his daughter's arms with all his might.
"Irma!" Anna cried out, starting a breakneck approach to the tub.
"No, Anna; stay back!" Tom commanded. He didn't want his wife to be injured by the violence.
Cornelia and Will pulled Taranee to a sitting position. The Fire Guardian was rubbing the back of her head where she had hit it on the bathroom floor. Hay Lin stood nearby, watching the trauma in the tub.
After several minutes, Irma finally stopped thrashing about. Tom relaxed his grip on her arms and looked into her face. It was expressionless as ever, her eyes wide and staring. But she was breathing and that was what mattered at the moment.
Will turned her attention to Taranee.
"Are you alright, T?"
"I'm okay," Taranee replied woozily, still rubbing her head.
"What happened?" Cornelia asked forcefully.
"I'm not really sure," Taranee replied. "One minute we were talking, the next...this."
"So you made contact with her?" Hay Lin asked.
Taranee nodded. "Yeah. We talked a little. I think she's lost in her own head, or something. She said she didn't feel safe."
"Well, duh," Cornelia said. "Her powers have been taken away. If she was addicted to them like she said, then of course she's afraid."
"No, that's not it," Taranee said, shaking her head gently. "She said Nerissa was looking for her. Then just before all of this happened, she said 'she found me.' That's when I lost contact."
"So Irma says 'she's found me,' and then has a seizure?" Will said.
Taranee nodded and looked at her leader's brown eyes. "I don't understand any of this. Nerissa is dead. We all saw her die. She can't be torturing Irma in any way, shape, or form."
"Did you feel anyone else in there with Irma?" Hay Lin asked.
"I wasn't really looking for anyone else."
"So what do we do now?" Cornelia's question was directed at Will.
The redhead turned her gaze to the Lair family. Father and Mother were both holding their daughter in their arms. They didn't seem to care that the bathroom was a mess, or that a sopping-wet Irma was making a mess of their clothes. The empty bathtub seemed a metaphor for Will's heart.
She knew they had to help Irma, but she didn't know how. She had been so certain Taranee would be able to reach Irma with the help of the Heart of Kandrakar. That plan had failed miserably, and now Will was reluctant to try anything new.
On the one hand, it would seem something almost supernatural held Irma in it's grip. Irma obviously believed it was Nerissa, no matter what the case actually was. It was also obvious that Irma was powerless to escape on her own; thus the Guardians would have to help. But how?
On the other hand, their interference had caused Irma to seize violently. The effects of prolonged seizing were unknown to Will, but she didn't think they could be any good. She certainly didn't want a repeat of what had just happened, and she suspected the Lair's would not trust her as readily now. But she had to do something. Everyone looked to her to solve all the Guardians' problems. But what could be done?
"Will?" This time Hay Lin nudged her leader.
Will shook herself and regarded her Airy friend.
"What do we do?" the Asian girl asked.
Will turned her gaze to the slightly shaking girl in Tom Lair's arms.
"I have no idea, Hay Lin. No idea, whatsoever."
–
Thanks, everyone, for reading chapter 2. I hope you'll take a moment and let me know what y'all think. I would like to write the acknowledgments now. You all know that I can't do this stuff without your support, so I thank everyone for reading and especially those that reviewed:
Robert Teague: Interesting thoughts about letting the other families know the secret of the Guardians. It might be something I play with...don't really know yet. Thanks for your thoughts and for reading.
Lost Prince: The man with a huge problem with the Oracle. LOL. I was kind of hoping he would seem a little more sympathetic after his talk with Will, but I can see you just want to hate the guy. That's okay...it's nice to see a strong reaction to a character. The Oracle certainly wasn't created by me, but my interpretation of him is certainly getting some strong reactions. Thanks for laying it all out. P.S. I would love to know what your mom thinks of WFV...if she wants to read it of course. No pressure and don't feel obligated. Give her a hug for me.
Cartoonloverfan101: Hey (winks). Hehe...thanks for reading and for leaving your thoughts. I'm glad you liked the intro and "the talk."
XV-Dragon: Won't it be fun to see how Elyon reacts to this whole thing? And how, indeed, are we going to hide Gargoyle? That's quite the question, and probably one no one but you and I have actually considered. Thanks for your continued support.
Shocklance: I think the Oracle makes sense as well, but the way he went about it seems a bit wrong to me. And I'm glad you liked the idea of ending up in Hollywood. I thought that might be kind of funny. Thanks for your thoughts.
Anonymous: Don't know who you are, my friend, but you were kind enough to leave your thoughts; for that, I thank you. I like your vision of Frost on the beach with a lemonade. Wonder if I can work that in somewhere...hmm.
Nightroad: You always have some interesting insights, especially about the Oracle. He is an immortal and, as such, can certainly seem like a jerk at times. He sometimes seems to play people against each other, but then again, he sees more than we do. I think a time of recovery is good for Irma, but perhaps things could have been done differently?
Dawntodark: Thank you for leaving your thoughts. I shall try to update frequently.
Nemrut: You are not alone is thinking the Oracle did things the wrong way...I am also of that opinion. And I wrote the thing! LOL. Seriously, I dislike the Oracle for the most part. Not because of who he is, but of what he represents. He represents all those who think they are better than everyone else, whether it be because of status, money, college education, etc. I have experience with people looking down on me because they have more money, or education, or something. We all should just look past all that crap and realize everyone is human and needs to be loved. That is the Oracle's mistake...let's see what happens.
Toolazytomakeanaccount: I also think it will be interesting to see what the KOV can do without Nerissa. Only time will tell. Thanks for leaving your thoughts.
Philip Gipson: Will went in looking for a fight, but I like that they were able to just talk. The solution isn't perfect, and they still have a long way to go, but maybe Guardian and Oracle have a new understanding...and maybe not. Thanks for your continued support.
Darev: Thank you so much for sticking with me. I value your reviews because you tell me what's working and what's not. As for why Irma sent the KOV to Earth...great question. You already answered it a little, yourself: she wasn't thinking. Also, being inexperienced at folding, and anything having to do with a Heart in general, it's pretty natural that she would screw up her first attempt. Recall that Will wasn't perfect at folding at first. Thank you for your inquiry and for your continued support.
Wolfgurl211: So you're on the fence about the Oracle. You are not alone. Some folks agree with him, others still dislike him. Thank you for being a support to me.
Darkyse: Your review made me smile. Your kind compliments warm my heart, and make me smile for a long time. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Quiet Wyatt: You're reading Fanfic on a Friday night? Wow...no worries, I do it, too. Thanks for sticking with me.