Welcome one and all to the Whale Pit. I'm happy you've dropped by, because I have an insanely long chapter for you all. May I please present:
Chapter 3
Raythor, Frost, and Miranda sped towards Heatherfield in a hijacked Winnebago. The terrified driver maintained a steady course while Frost kept a watchful eye in the passenger seat. The driver had no idea what was happening, and his wildest nightmares couldn't have prepared him for being hijacked by three aliens. For he knew the strange trio couldn't be from his world...they were too freaky. Only the young girl looked normal, perhaps no more than twelve or thirteen years old; but there was enough malice in her cold, green eyes to send a shiver down his spine.
It had been this little girl that had caused Doug Marten to stop in the first place. She had been lying in the middle of the road as though injured. Doug had barely slammed on his brakes in time to avoid running her over. He realized too late that he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book when the other two weird...things...had ambushed him. At first, Doug had thought the little girl might be a victim like him, but he soon came to realize she was just as cold as the other two.
So far, Doug had not been hurt, just terrified. The alien with the sword had instructed him to drive to a place called Heatherfield and not to ask questions. Doug had seen the danger in the alien's expression and had complied with no hesitation. He thought about Mary, his girlfriend, and Justine, her daughter from a previous marriage. Doug loved the girl like his own, and the thought of never seeing her or her mother again was too horrible to imagine. So he drove on, hoping that Mary had called the police when he had failed to show up for their long-planned weekend getaway. Surely a large motor-home would be easy for the cops to spot and his ordeal would soon be over. These thoughts kept him company with his fears.
Doug wondered what business these three had in Heatherfield and only hoped they weren't looking for more trouble. He knew these hopes were in vain, but he had them, nonetheless. He also hoped the aliens would release him when they arrived at their destination. If he cooperated, perhaps this would help his case. He wasn't going to tell anyone...after all, who would believe him? For while this was certainly an alien abduction, who would believe they came to "borrow" a Winnebago to get to a city all the way across the country? Why couldn't they just teleport there from their spaceship?
Doug sighed inwardly and kept driving. Whatever business these things had in Heatherfield, he could only hope his death wasn't to be a part of it.
–
Irma floated in a sea of darkness.
She shivered against a cold so impossible, it shouldn't have existed. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms against the frigid chill. She was alone and terrified.
She was lost. Why had her friends abandoned her? She had heard Taranee's voice, but had been unable to respond. It was like a dream. Irma could hear everything, but was powerless to interact. A dream...
No...a nightmare.
Nerissa was here, tormenting the girl with every breath. Irma could hear her evil laughter, her scorching taunts, her dripping threats. She knew it was just a matter of time before Nerissa found her again, and she was out of ideas, out of hiding spots, out of strength.
And out of time.
Irma heard the laughter again, peeling through her mind like an ill-tuned bell. She cried out and covered her ears, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. She was scared, and she could no longer fight the terror that gripped her entire being.
Irma curled into a ball and shook violently. The laughter was coming closer, and she knew Nerissa would have her very soon. She would never be free of the evil woman...never.
"Taranee," the teenager called aloud, "where are you?"
–
The Silver Dragon was unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon. It was only 4:30, and Hay Lin and her friends were the only ones in the restaurant. Everyone seemed morose and melancholy, and none of them had touched their food. Hay Lin was pretty sure she knew why. Still, the silence and pall was killing her.
"Guys, come on," she said. "We have to talk about this. What are we going to do to help Irma?"
Only Taranee looked up and met Hay Lin's gaze. She didn't need to be a telepath to know that Irma's condition was hurting Hay Lin the most. Aside from Irma's immediate family, Hay Lin meant the most to her, and Taranee knew their inability to reach the Water girl had deeply affected the smallest Guardian. Usually happy and go-lucky, Hay Lin had been reserved and depressed for a week, and her strain was starting to take a toll on the other girls. They fed off Hay Lin's infectious optimism as much as they fed off Irma's biting humor.
"I tried, Hay Lin," Taranee finally said. "But after that seizure, I just couldn't reach her anymore."
"Frankly, I'm surprised the Lair's allowed us to try again," Cornelia said, still gazing at her soup.
"They want Irma back as much as we do," Taranee responded. "They know what happened wasn't our fault."
"But what did happen?" Hay Lin asked. ""What was that?"
Taranee shook her head. "Like I said before, Irma said Nerissa was in there with her and that she was hiding from her. At the end, she seemed to think Nerissa had found her and she went deep into her mind. Not even I can reach that far into Irma's head. She's not coming out unless she wants to."
"What are the chances part of Nerissa survived and imbedded herself in Irma's brain?" Cornelia asked. "I mean, come on, is that even possible?"
"She invaded our dreams, so who knows what she can really do?" Hay Lin responded.
"We're not talking about a dream, Hay Lin," Cornelia said, looking up. "We're talking about full-on mind invasion. Can Nerissa do that? I mean, I've never known a Guardian that could really do that, except maybe Taranee. Last I checked, Uber-Bitch wasn't a Fire Guardian; she was a Keeper, and Will can't do these mind things. Where is she getting this power?"
"The Mage could do lots of stuff, Cornelia," Taranee said. "Lots of stuff none of us could do. We know Nerissa impersonated her, so she could have gotten power from anywhere; but that's not really important. What is important is finding a way to help Irma."
"And how do we do that?" Cornelia said, crossing her arms. "You said you can't even reach her. What's our next move? Superimpose ourselves into Irma's head and fight mega-evil in that warped mind of hers?"
"Cornelia!"
"Hay Lin, I'm just saying what everyone is thinking. Even if we could go in there, who knows what we would find? Nerissa's dream world was freaky enough, and I really don't want to repeat an experience like that."
"And what if that's the only way to help Irma? Would you be too freaked out to help your friend?"
"Hay Lin, that's not what I meant. You know I would never...of course I would help."
"Guys, we can't start fighting amongst ourselves," Taranee said before tempers flared. "We have to focus, now."
Hay Lin continued to glare at Cornelia, but agreed Taranee was right. "So what do we do?"
Taranee let out a breath and sat back in her chair. "I don't know. I'm certain if I could just reach her, I could convince her that everything is alright."
"Did you feel any other presence in her mind?" Cornelia asked.
"That's just it...I didn't. There was no one in there; just Irma."
"Could someone be buried really deep in her mind? So deep you wouldn't be able to feel them?" Cornelia asked.
"I doubt it. Irma may be screwed up, but there are no other presences in there."
Hay Lin growled under her breath.
"That's not what I meant, Hay Lin," Taranee said, holding up a placating hand. "Irma has a lot of head issues right now; even you can't deny that. It makes her a mind a jumbled mess. It's hard to navigate through so much...pain."
Hay Lin swallowed and looked at her Chow Mein.
"Nice one, there, Taranee," Cornelia mumbled.
"I'm just telling it how it is. Trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes at this point is just perpetuating a lie. Irma has a lot of pain and fear in her head. We need to get through all of that if we're going to help her."
"But how do we do that?" Hay Lin asked desperately.
"I don't know, but there has to be-"
"Elyon."
The name came so softly, that Taranee wasn't sure she had heard it. She stopped in mid-sentence and joined her friends in looking at Will.
"What did you say, Will?"
"Elyon," the redhead repeated quietly. "We need Elyon."
Three friends became very quiet and stared at their leader.
"Go on," Taranee finally prompted.
"If one Heart isn't enough, then maybe we need two. Maybe Elyon even knows a way to get us into Irma's head. I don't know, but I think we need her."
Cornelia, Taranee, and Hay Lin looked at each other, all eyes asking the same question. Could it really be that simple?
"Look," Will continued, "we know the heart of Meridian has just as much power, if not more, than the Heart of Kandrakar. It was Elyon who really defeated Phobos in the end, wasn't it? I really think she could help, and I know she would want to."
"Well then, let's go get her," Cornelia said.
Will shook her head. "Taranee, can't you just contact her telepathically? I want her here as soon as possible."
Taranee looked thoughtful. "I think it works with Elyon. Let me try."
The mocha-skinned girl closed her eyes and reached out with her mind.
Elyon, can you hear me?
A few seconds passed as Taranee waited for a response.
Taranee, is that you?
Yeah, Elyon, it's me. We need you. Can you come to the Silver Dragon?
Now?
The sooner the better.
I'm on my way. What's going on?
We'll fill you in when you get here, but the short version is we need your help to wake up Irma.
Wake her up?
Yeah. She's been in a coma since her powers were taken away.
Oh, I could kill me one Oracle right now. How about I stop off and bring his head with me?
Pretty sure Kandrakar would frown on that, but if it floats your boat...
I'll be there in fifteen minutes, Taranee.
Thanks, Elyon.
Taranee cut the mental link and looked at Will.
"She's coming. She'll be here in fifteen."
Will nodded and returned to looking at her food.
What is it, Will?
Will was accustomed to Taranee breaking into her thoughts, and she wasn't surprised her fiery friend had chosen now to do so.
I just feel like such a failure, T. I was so certain we could reach Irma, and now I wonder if we'll ever be able to bring her back.
Go on.
You know she's never going to be the same, don't you? It's too much for someone to handle. Even if we get her back, we'll never get her back.
Will, don't say that.
We have to face the truth, T. Irma's never coming back; not the way we know her, anyway. And because of that, Hay Lin may never recover, either.
Hay Lin is resilient; she'll bounce back.
What if she doesn't? What if none of us do? This whole thing has changed all of us. The entire dynamic of this team has been thrown off, now. We don't have a Water Guardian, and the Air Guardian is so depressed we may as well not have her, either. If Irma doesn't come back from this, I doubt Hay Lin will ever be the same.
Will, you can't think like that. You're the leader of the Guardians; you have to put on a confident face. We're all hurting, we're all worried, but you have to show strength.
I know, T; but I don't feel very strong right now. What if this doesn't work? What if it does? Either way, I think we're looking at something really frightening.
Have faith in Elyon and in Irma. Elyon can help us get to Irma, and we can drag her out of this, kicking and screaming if needs be.
It's the screaming part I'm worried about, Taranee.
If we can get Irma out of herself, she'll see there's nothing to be afraid of. Nerissa is gone. There's no way she could have left some of herself behind in Irma's head. No way.
You don't know that, T.
I do know that, Will. I did not feel any other presence in Irma's head; and a presence as strong and familiar as Nerissa would have shown like a beacon.
So, what, she's hallucinating?
I don't know, Will, but whatever's going on it has her frightened. Just another reason we need to get in there and help her.
Then this had better work, because I'm out of ideas.
It will work. I have confidence in Elyon...and in you.
At that moment, the door of the Silver Dragon opened and Elyon walked in. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and looked every bit a normal teenage girl. She walked quickly to the table and sat down next to Cornelia.
"Tell me everything," Elyon said, not stopping for pleasantries. "What's happened?"
Cornelia took the opportunity to fill Elyon in on the past week, culminating with Taranee's attempts to contact Irma telepathically.
"After the seizure, Will and Taranee tried again, but weren't able to reach Irma. That's when we called it quits for the day and came here."
Elyon looked angry and horrified. "The Oracle has to give Irma her powers back; that's the solution. We need to gang up on him and force him into it, if needs be."
Will shook her head. "That's not going to work. I already tried that, and he...explained...some things to me."
Will then launched into an explanation of her conversation with the Oracle that morning. She left out only the part where he had said that Irma could receive her powers back when she could learn to forgive.
After a time, Will finished relating the conversation and fell silent. Guardians and Queen sat with mouths agape, until finally...
"What a load of crap!" The explosion came from Cornelia. "He expects us to accept that Irma was dangerous, so taking her powers was a good idea?"
"That's what he said," Will answered.
"Oh, he's in for it now," Cornelia said, clenching her fists. "Just let me get my hands on him and I'll show him dangerous."
"Cornelia, calm down."
"I will not calm down, Elyon. This guy has gotten on my last nerve."
"Maybe...but he has a point," Elyon said, placing her hand on Cornelia's shoulder. "Hay Lin, is Irma a danger to herself?"
Hay Lin swallowed. She didn't want to reveal her innermost fears for Irma, but she wasn't about to lie, either.
"Yes," she responded.
"Then having such awesome powers would make her even more dangerous. I can see the Oracle's point, but I still don't like it."
"You won't convince me he's the good guy, El."
"I'm not trying to, Cornelia. I'm just trying to see both sides. But that's neither here nor there at the moment. We have to find a way to help Irma, and arguing about the Oracle won't do that."
Cornelia harrumphed but decided Elyon was right. "So what do we do?"
"We combine the powers of both Hearts and see if Taranee can reach Irma again," Will said.
"Will, the last time we did that Irma nearly drowned while having a seizure," Cornelia said.
"I know, but we have to try. I really think Taranee is the key to this."
"Taranee or Hay Lin," Elyon said.
"Hay Lin?" Taranee echoed.
"Think about it," Elyon said. "She was able to enter Irma's mind while she was...while she was with Nerissa. Can we duplicate that?"
Will was thoughtful. "I'm not even sure how we did it the first time. I think Irma was using Nerissa's mind powers to help, though none of us really know how she did it. Nevertheless, entering Irma's head would be ideal."
"How do you wanna play it?" Elyon asked, deferring to Will.
"I think we should try to get Taranee to contact Irma first. That's the least invasive thing we could do, and we already know how to do it."
Elyon nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?"
–
Fifteen minutes later, four Guardians and the Queen of Meridian stood outside the Lair house. Hay Lin knocked on the door then stood back and waited for a response.
Anna opened the door after a few seconds, and was a little taken aback by the small army on her doorstep. She waited for one of the girls to speak.
"Hi, Mrs. Lair," Hay Lin said quietly. "We're here to see Irma...again. Can we come in?"
Anna hesitated. The last time Irma's friends had come around, they had caused her daughter to seize uncontrollably. No, that wasn't fair. Irma's friends had not caused the seizure; at least, not intentionally.
"Come in," Anna said finally, standing away from the door.
The teenagers trooped inside and waited politely in the living room. Anna closed the door and turned to face them.
"Irma's upstairs in her room."
Will nodded and thanked Anna. The girls trooped upstairs followed by Mrs. Lair. When they entered Irma's room, they saw Tom Lair sitting next to her bedside, holding her hand, his head bowed.
"Tom," Anna said, "Irma's friends are back."
The big Sergeant turned to face the group. They could see his eyes were red and slightly puffy.
"Come to try again, have you?" he said gruffly.
Will stepped forward. "If it's okay, we'd like to try again, yes."
"And what makes you think this time will be any different?"
"We've brought reinforcements," Will responded.
Tom looked closer at the group and narrowed his eyes. "Elyon Brown?"
Will nodded. "She's the Queen of Meridian. It's on a different planet. She has the Heart of Meridian. It's just as powerful as the Heart of Kandrakar, if not more so. We think we can reach Irma with the combined power of the two Hearts."
Tom wasn't surprised by anything anymore. So when he heard the words "different planet," he wasn't even fazed. Elyon, on the other hand, dropped her jaw.
"They know?"
Will nodded. "Irma told them just before the duel with Nerissa."
Elyon swallowed, but nodded. "Okay, that makes things interesting."
"Please, Mr. Lair, will you allow us to try again?" Cornelia asked.
Tom fixed the Earth Guardian with a stern gaze. His daughter lay on the bed, trembling slightly, but otherwise just as still as she had been for the last week. He wasn't sure what frightened him more; the rigidity of the catatonia, or the violence of the seizures. One thing he did know, however, was that conventional medicine wasn't going to help his daughter. The five girls in the room had a greater knowledge of the situation, and he would be a fool not to use that knowledge to help Irma.
But Tom Lair was also a cautious man.
"What guarantee can you give me that she won't have another seizure?"
Will stepped forward. "We can't, Mr. Lair, but we have to try to reach her."
Tom shook his head. "I don't understand any of this. What's happened to my daughter?"
Taranee looked sadly at the big policeman. "She took a pretty big hit from Nerissa, Mr Lair. She's not going to recover from that by herself. We think this condition may be a residual effect of Post Traumatic Stress. She believes Nerissa is in her mind, trying to find her and hurt her again. If we can convince her she's safe, then she'll wake up."
Tom turned his steely gaze to the Fire Guardian. "I've seen a lot of PTSD, young lady, and I know my Irma exhibits all the signs. She's going to require professional help. Would like to tell me how, exactly, I'm going to explain to a shrink that my daughter was tortured by a sorceress from another planet and now suffers from a crippling mental condition?"
Taranee knew she was seeing weeks of frustration on the Sergeant's face. As a father and a policeman, he was programmed to protect, and Taranee knew his failure to protect his daughter was weighing heavily on him. She wanted nothing more than to take his hand and assure him everything would be okay, but the truth was, Taranee didn't truly believe that, herself. Secretly, she agreed with Will's earlier assessment that they would never get Irma back. Not that she would ever share those thoughts...
Mr. Lair was still staring at her as though he expected wisdom from a fourteen year-old girl, but the truth was she had none to give. Taranee had always known the answers to hard questions; indeed, problem-solving was her specialty. But for the first time in her life, she had no answers and no comfort to give. She felt helpless and useless. But she had to say something, so she swallowed and began to speak.
"Mr. Lair, I don't know how to answer that question. But I do know if we don't bring Irma out of this coma, then those answers aren't going to matter, anyway."
Tom continued to stare at the young Guardian for a moment. She had a point, and taking his frustrations out on a child was the wrong thing to do. So he stood up and backed away from the bed to allow the girls more room and access to his daughter.
Taranee smiled and mouthed a silent "thank you," before motioning her friends forward. The girls moved to stand beside Irma, and Hay Lin gently took the rigid girl's hand.
"Okay, here goes nothing," Will said as she pulled the Heart of Kandrakar from around her neck. Nodding to Elyon, Will held the Heart tightly in her fist. Elyon placed her hands over the jewel around her own neck and held it tightly. Together, Keeper and Queen directed the powers of the Hearts at Taranee, hoping to boost her telepathic powers enough to reach Irma.
Taranee gasped as raw power flowed through her being. Without hesitation, she took Irma's face in her hands and stared deeply into her blue eyes. Those eyes seemed to widen as Taranee's gaze penetrated Irma's mind and began to search for a terrified, lost, girl.
–
Irma shook violently as the laughter rang out closer and closer. She cried out and curled tighter, a vain attempt to protect herself from her nemesis.
"Hay Lin," Irma whimpered, "please help me."
She screamed as a flash of lighting pierced the darkness. This was it, Nerissa was here. She was ready to torture her anew, never granting her the release of death.
"Will, where are you?" Irma screamed aloud. When no answer came, the frightened girl began to run. Run through her own mind. The irony of this was lost in the girl's terror, and she delved deeper into her own insanity.
–
On the bed, Irma began to squirm and moan. Her heart raced and her breathing became labored. Hay Lin turned frightened eyes to Will, who was still concentrating on pouring the Heart's power into Taranee. Elyon was equally oblivious.
Cornelia, however, seeing Hay Lin's distress, stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. She squeezed it gently and winked at her friend. Hay Lin derived a small amount of comfort from the blonde Guardian's presence.
–
Taranee moved through Irma's pain-riddled mind. It was so thick with terror that the mocha-skinned girl had difficulty navigating. But she had to find Irma. She could feel the girl's distress as palpable as anything she had ever felt.
The Fire Guardian clawed her way through the jumbled mind, not bothering to be gentle or careful. She thought she might be causing Irma some undue stress, but finding the terrified girl was paramount at the moment. Taranee was aware of the extra stress in Irma's mind as she pawed through memories and private moments. Thoughts came in a jumbled mess, most of them centered on her family, friends, and...
Nerissa.
The majority of the memories Taranee encountered were centered on Nerissa. Taranee saw the terrible tortures inflicted by the evil woman and her henchmen. She experienced Irma's pain as the lash tore skin from bone, as the knife cleaved bloody trails, and the lightning seared tender flesh. Taranee gritted her teeth against the raw agony, and nearly tore her mind away...anything to avoid the pain she was sharing.
But concern for her friend won out, and the young Guardian persevered.
If Irma truly dwelt this much on her pain and terrible memories, Taranee wondered how she had continued to function as well as she had. Some people would argue that Irma didn't really function at all, but Taranee knew better. She knew her friend was strong, and had endured everything asked of her, and more. Somehow, they would get Irma through this...they had to.
Taranee pressed on through her own growing pain. White-hot knives stabbed through the Guardian's mind as she fought her way through Irma's own conflicted head. She had delved deeper than she ever had before, and she knew she was hurting her friend by not bothering to move carefully. But Taranee thought they might be losing Irma, so being careful was far from the young Guardian's mind.
"Irma," Taranee called aloud, "can you hear me?"
–
In the waking world, Irma had begun to squirm violently, and to moan even louder. Tom was afraid and encouraged at the same time. On the one hand, he sensed and saw his daughter's discomfort, and this did not sit well with him at all. On the other hand, Irma was moving without seizing and making sounds for the first time in a week. This encouraged the big policeman, and he wasn't sure whether to hope or worry.
As Irma's moans grew more distressed, and her movements more jerky, Tom's worry superseded his encouragement. He moved quickly to Irma's bedside and placed strong hands on his daughter's arms. He hoped to hold her down and to prevent her from rolling off the bed or otherwise hurting herself.
His gaze turned to his wife. Anna stood by the door, her hand covering her mouth, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes locked with Tom's and both of them knew they were thinking the same thing.
What have we done?
–
Taranee had reached a calm in the vortex of pain. Here, there was no light, and no sound. She must have reached the only calm spot left in Irma's mind. Taranee stopped and looked around, but could see nothing.
"Irma!" Taranee called, but no sound came out. Taranee was taken aback by this. Never before had she encountered a totally silent part of the mind. She only hoped it was not indicative of some kind of brain damage.
Taranee reached out with her mind even further. She delved deeper and deeper frantically searching for her friend.
Then she felt it.
"Irma!"
She had felt her friend's consciousness and immediately dove in that direction.
"Irma!" Taranee called. "Irma, answer me!"
–
Irma's back arched painfully and she cried out loudly. Anna screamed and raced for the bed. Cornelia grabbed the woman, impeding her progress.
"No," she said, "don't break it up now. It's progress. Taranee is reaching her."
"No, she's killing her!" Anna screamed, fighting to free herself.
"She's not killing her, Mrs. Lair. Trust us...trust Taranee."
"Anna, it's okay. Let them do what needs to be done," Tom called.
Anna sank to the ground next to her daughter's bed and took her other hand.
"My baby," she whimpered. "My baby."
–
Irma was struck by the lightning. She screamed as she heard the cruel laughter behind the bolts. It was over; Irma knew she was trapped by Nerissa again. She also knew her friends would not be coming for her this time. No matter how loudly she called, they would not come.
Then she heard it...she heard her name being called.
It was faint, as though heard through a tunnel, but it was there...Irma was sure of it. She dared to hope, and screamed back.
"I'm here!"
"Irma, I'm coming. Hang on!"
But Irma couldn't hang on. The vicious lightning struck again, and drove the girl to her knees. She screamed in pain. Then, suddenly, Frost was there. He swung a huge hammer, and pulverized both of Irma's knees. The young girl screamed again.
Taranee heard the screams and moved faster. She had to get to Irma.
When she finally arrived, she saw her friend writhing on the ground from something only she could see. As shocked as Taranee was to see the personification of Irma in her own head, she was even more shocked to see her behavior. Taranee had seen this sort of writhing from her friend before...it had happened when Will had accidentally struck her with lightning.
Taranee hurried forward and struggled to assist the distressed girl.
"Irma, I'm here. It's Taranee."
"Taranee," Irma moaned. "I can't see you. Where are you?"
"I'm right next to you. I've come to lead you out of this...pit."
Irma looked around for her friend, but saw nothing.
"It's another cruel trick, Nerissa," Irma said quietly. "But how can you be here? I killed you."
Then Taranee realized she wasn't projecting herself to Irma the way Irma was projecting herself to Taranee. How could she remedy this? She had to convince Irma that Nerissa wasn't there.
Then it struck her. This was Irma's mind. Perhaps Taranee could manipulate it to show Irma anything she wanted. It would be a violation of everything Taranee had promised she would never do, but would it be worth it?
Taranee thought quickly as she sensed despair in her friend. Finally she made a decision she hoped she wouldn't regret.
Concentrating as hard as she had ever concentrated, Taranee forced her mind into overload. She thought about projecting an image of herself into Irma's mind, and finally succeeded in doing so. She knew this, because Irma finally acknowledged her presence.
"Taranee!"
"I'm here, Irma."
"I can see you. I can see you."
"Then follow me and let's go home."
"I can't move, Taranee. My knees are broken."
"How did that happen?"
"It was Frost...he was here. He broke them with a hammer."
Taranee was confused. How was that even possible? It had to be a phantom of some sort.
"Irma, you're hallucinating. No one is here but us. I would know...I'm a telepath, remember?"
Irma got very quiet then. Could this whole encounter have been a massive hallucination? If so, then how had it happened?
She tested her right knee, then her left. They seemed to be working fine. What was happening?
"Taranee, what's happening to me?"
Taranee reached out and pulled her friend to her feet. She grabbed her in a hug.
"I don't know, Irma, but we'll fight it together."
Irma broke down, then, and began to cry. What was happening to her mind if she could create such a wicked illusion? She knew...knew...Nerissa was there, and so was Frost. Taranee had driven them off somehow. Or had she? Was this just another of Nerissa's tricks?
Irma suddenly moved back from Taranee.
"Stay away from me, you evil hag. You won't draw me in now."
"Irma, what are you doing?"
"I killed you once, bitch, and I'll do it again!"
With that, Irma launched herself at Taranee. She grabbed the Fire Guardian around the throat and knocked her to the ground. She began to squeeze.
"Irma," Taranee gasped. "Irma, stop."
"Tell me something only Taranee would know, you bitch! Tell me now or I'll kill you right here!"
Taranee wracked her brain for something, but she was starting to black out. She knew she should disconnect herself from Irma's mind, but if she truly believed she was under attack, she could die before Taranee could reach her again.
As darkness began to descend, Taranee knew she was about to die. She tried desperately to throw Irma off, but this was Irma's head...she could do whatever she wanted. The only thing that would save her now would be to answer Irma's demand. But what did Taranee know that Nerissa wouldn't?
Then it hit her.
"Your...your...childhood nickname...is...Droopy Pants."
Immediately the rage that had taken hold of Irma turned to wonder. How could Nerissa possibly know that? The only ones that knew that were her closest friends.
Including Taranee.
Irma stopped the assault and looked in horror at the sputtering girl beneath her.
"Taranee...is it really you?"
Taranee couldn't answer due to the coughing fit that had taken hold, but she nodded vigorously.
"Oh, what have I done?" Irma wailed.
Taranee shook her head and struggled to recover her voice.
"It's no big," she gasped, still coughing. "It's okay."
Irma sat down and covered her face with her hands.
"I thought you were Nerissa," she said quietly. "I thought you were going to hurt me again."
"I know," Taranee whispered. The Fire Guardian rose to her knees and reached out tentative hands. She pulled Irma's hands away from her face and looked deeply into her eyes.
"Come with me," she said as Irma looked fearfully back. "I'll take you home."
Irma screwed up her face and fought back tears. "Taranee, I'm afraid."
"I'm right here, Irma. There's nothing to be afraid of. Nerissa is dead, and you banished the KOV, so Frost is gone, too. No one's ever going to hurt you again."
Irma looked back into Taranee's brown eyes and saw determination and compassion. She wanted so badly to believe this was Taranee and that her friend was telling the truth.
"Do you promise?"
Taranee cupped Irma's cheek. "I promise."
–
Cornelia watched Irma's form slowly relax. The thrashing and the screaming of the last few minutes had ceased. Irma looked downright peaceful. Her eyes were closed and her breathing had returned to normal.
Taranee, on the other hand, looked distressed and tired. She held Irma's face in a vice-like grip, hard enough to leave what Cornelia felt would be finger bruises. She had seen similar bruises suddenly appear on Taranee's neck and throat, and she worried for both girls even more.
For a while, things had turned rather violent, as both girls had suddenly cried out, and Taranee had begun to gasp and sputter. Cornelia had been moving to break Taranee's grip on Irma, but thought better of it. There was obviously a battle being fought for Irma, and Cornelia trusted Taranee to win it. Her own interference might spell disaster for one or both of them.
Cornelia was relieved by Irma's changes, but distressed by Taranee's. She worried both girls might be trapped in Irma's mind forever, and she wanted to do something. But what could she do?
In the end, she decided to do nothing. She had to trust in Taranee.
Then, as suddenly as she had lapsed in catatonia, Irma awoke. Her eyes fluttered open and she began to look around. At the same moment, Taranee broke her grip on Irma's head and collapsed, moaning, to the floor. The power of the Hearts died, and Will and Elyon looked around.
"Taranee!" Will spotted her friend first and knelt beside her.
"Taranee, speak to me. Tell me you're alright," Will pleaded.
Taranee's eyes fluttered open and she flashed a weak thumbs-up.
Elyon, seeing that Taranee was okay, turned her attention to Irma. She was holding her head and moaning softly, but she was awake. Her father and mother had shouldered Hay Lin out of the way to hold their daughter.
"Irma, baby," Anna said carefully, "are you alright?"
"Wicked...headache..." Irma whispered.
Anna and Tom laughed in relief and held their daughter tighter.
Hay Lin and Cornelia gathered around Taranee, anxious to see if their friend was okay.
"I'm...alright," Taranee gasped. "A little...tired."
Will suddenly noticed the finger bruises on her friend's neck.
"What happened in there?"
"Irma...attacked...me. Thought...thought I was...Nerissa."
"Nerissa is dead," Cornelia observed unnecessarily.
"Hallucination," Taranee moaned. "Irma thought...Nerissa and Frost..."
With that, Taranee lost consciousness. Will looked worriedly at her friends.
"She's okay, Will," Elyon said. "I think she's just exhausted."
"We can't return her home like this," Will said.
"I'll call and tell her parents we're sleeping over with Irma," Hay Lin said quickly. "She can recover here."
Will nodded gratefully. "How is Irma?"
"She has a bad headache, but she's awake," Hay Lin said, glancing wistfully in the direction of the relieved family.
Cornelia, seeing this glance, decided to interrupt the reunion. She moved quickly to Irma's bedside.
"How is she?"
"She has a migraine, but she seems none the worse for wear," Anna replied.
"Oh, my mother gets those every now and then," Cornelia said. "We should give her lots of silence. Which, come to think of it, is not something Irma is good at."
"Corny," Irma moaned, "you...suck."
Cornelia smiled and ruffled her friend's hair. "So do you, squirt. And don't call me Corny."
Tom let go of his daughter and turned to survey the group of girls who had saved her life.
"I don't know how to ever thank you girls," he said. "You've saved my daughter, and I can never-"
He stopped short when he saw Taranee's unconscious form.
"We need to get her to the hospital!" Tom said, moving quickly to scoop up Taranee.
Will stood up immediately. "No. They'll ask too many questions."
"But she needs help," Tom protested.
"She'll be fine; she's just exhausted," Will explained. "It may take her a few days to recover, but I promise you, she'll be fine."
"Then I'll take her home," Tom said, helpfully.
"No can do on that, either," Will said. "Her parents won't understand. She'll need to stay here, if that's okay."
"After what she did for Irma, of course it's okay. She can rest in the guest bedroom."
Tom left the room, then, to carry Taranee to the guest room. The girls gathered around Irma's bed and gazed at their friend.
"How you doin', Irma?" Elyon asked.
"I feel...like a truck...hit me."
"It's good to see you awake, Irma," Will said. "You've had us pretty worried."
"Sorry...about...that."
Irma tried to sit up, but was blocked by her mother.
"Just stay down for a while, sweetheart. You've been through a lot."
"Taranee," Irma whispered. "How's...Taranee?"
"She's resting," Hay Lin said. "She'll be fine."
"I...I attacked...her."
The friends looked at each other. Finally, Cornelia voiced what they were all thinking.
"Why did you do that?"
"Thought she was...Nerissa."
"Nerissa is dead, shrimp."
Hay Lin shot Cornelia a glare, but said nothing.
Irma nodded slowly. "I know. Taranee...said...same thing. Thought...thought..."
Then Irma passed out. Hay Lin's face was a make of distress, and Anna thought it best to comfort the girl.
"Hay Lin, would you like to stay here tonight?"
Hay Lin looked gratefully at Mrs. Lair. "I would, yes, very much. May I please?"
"Of course," Anna answered. "Run home and pack your things."
Hay Lin didn't need to be told twice. She bolted out of the room, and soon her feet could be heard pounding the sidewalk outside.
"I should get home," Cornelia said. "It's almost 9:00 and my parents will have a canary if I break curfew."
"Since when has that ever mattered to you, Cornelia Hale?" Elyon grinned.
"Just because you're the Queen of Meridian doesn't mean you can harsh my mellow," Cornelia sniffed.
Elyon grinned and turned to Will. "Your mom is probably having a fit right now. You'd better go. I'll stay here until Hay Lin gets back."
Will nodded. "Yeah, I'm probably in for it at home."
Will and Cornelia departed, while Elyon stayed behind.
Hay Lin returned twenty minutes later and set up camp in Irma's bedroom. After saying goodbye to Elyon, Hay Lin settled into her sleeping bag. She gazed at the sleeping girl in the bed, and for the first time in a week she had hope for her friend. Hay Lin knew her dreams would finally be pleasant tonight.
Across the street, hidden in the bushes, Miranda grinned.
–
Phew, what a long chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think. And now, for the acknowledgments.
XV-Dragon: Dude, you always get the first review. Nice. Bringing in Halinor is something I thought of, but I decided to go in a different direction. Thanks for thinking, though.
Laserleg: I am a fan of Harry Potter, too. Probably my favorite book series. I didn't want to cheapen it by doing the whole soul thing, but you are a thinking woman. I love it.
Wolfgurl211: Thank you for loving my story. It makes me feel good to know someone loves it...and hopefully loves me. Hehe...thanks for reading.
Lost Prince: Or shall I say DOCTOR Lost Prince? Congrats on becoming a full-fledged MD. And yes, I know I'm evil. You're not the first person to tell me so...hmm, I wonder what that says about me. Oh well, can't win 'em all. And yes, you are correct, Irma was put under a diabolical spell in WPV. The question is, does it still linger even after Nerissa's death? Guess we'll have to find out. And thank you for hating the Oracle. LOL. He does ask for it, doesn't he? Give your mom a hug for me...sneak up on her again. That's funny.
Toolazytomakeanaccount: Thank you for reading my crap, er, stories. I also thank you for taking the time to review and telling what you think. Thank you for your support.
Philip Gipson: You are not imagining things. Irma is part of the problem. She's a little messed up, see. But now she's all better, right? Why are you looking at me like that?
Cartoonloverfan101: Wow, thank you for calling me sexy. LOL. You're not so bad, yourself. And thank you for continuing to support me and my stories.
DayDreamer9: THANK YOU for calling me cool! And thank you for sticking with the story. Chris...Hmm, he's kinda the forgotten person in this story. Not sure yet what I'll do with him. And we'll see about the good ol' KOV soon...I promise.
Darkyse: Irma is awake. YAY!! Thank you for your kind words, Darkyse. I have appreciated them very much. Thanks for reading, my friend.
Nightroad: The Oracle is a little hypocritical and he does like to justify. Again, you make some good, sound arguments. You have quite the moral compass, and I like that. It should make us all think a little. Thank you for your words and your time.
Nemrut: Give Tom time. He may want to meet the Oracle in the future...and maybe not. He seems like a logical, sound-minded individual to me. Thanks for reading and letting me know what you think.
Darev: I saw "The Cell;" it was one weird show. It would be an invasion of privacy at the highest level, you're right. I'm interested to know what you think of Taranee's choice in this chapter.
Quiet Wyatt: Hello again. Thanks for reading and leaving a review. Nerissa is gone...or is she? You are not alone in thinking that witch left something behind in Irma. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Nerd4eva: Awesome review. Hehe...I agree, some words are just perfect for whatever you need to say. Why stop using them? Anyway, thanks for sticking with the story and for taking time to leave your kind thoughts.
XheartkreuzX: Welcome to the Whale Pit, my friend. I'm glad to see a new face. I appreciate you taking the time to read all three parts of the saga, and for letting me know how you feel.
Starwin: My friend, I love to see your reviews. They tell me what's not working and what is. Thank you for always commenting on the grammar...it bugs me, too, when a story is impossible to read due to bad grammar. And let's hope Mr. Lair doesn't become the Water Guardian...that man in tights and wings is just too much. Keep the reviews coming...they're making me a better writer. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.