Well hello there. Thanks for sticking with the story in spite of a terribly long delay in updates. You know how real life gets in the way? Well that's what happened to me. But hopefully things are better now, and I promise I am still alive. But enough about me. Let's get on with it, shall we? May I present:
Chapter 4
Hay Lin awoke early the next morning and her gaze turned immediately to her best friend. It seemed Irma hadn't even moved during the night, as she slept peacefully on. This wouldn't have worried Hay Lin a bit except that her friend had made a habit out of not moving for the past week. Though she knew she ought to let Irma sleep, the smallest Guardian couldn't help herself.
"Irma?" Hay Lin asked tentatively, rising from the sleeping bag next to her friend's bed. "Irma, you awake?"
Irma breathed steadily, but did not respond.
Hay Lin swallowed and approached the bed. She reached out slowly and touched the slumbering girl's shoulder with a shaking hand.
"Irma?"
The Water Guardian awoke with a start. Wild eyes pinned Hay Lin, and Irma's mouth opened to scream.
But once she saw it was only her dear friend, Irma relaxed immediately. She did not scream.
"Hay Hay, don't do that," she breathed. "You scared the crap out of me."
"Sorry. I just wanted to be sure you hadn't, you know, relapsed or something."
Irma nodded in understanding. "I get it. You were just checking up on me. It's what any good friend would do."
Hay Lin smiled and gently hugged her groggy friend.
"How are you feeling?"
Irma grimaced. "I still have a hugely wicked headache, but I think I'll live. Just try to keep the noise down, okay?"
The Air girl nodded and shifted her voice to a whisper. "It's really good to see you actually awake."
Irma closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm a mess, Hay Lin. A real big, ugly mess. My head just won't shutup."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I can still hear her, inside my head. I can still feel her disgusting little fingers clawing through my brain. It makes me feel...dirty." Irma shuddered then, and drew in a quick breath.
Hay Lin's eyes turned sad, and her concern for her friend grew even more. She didn't need to ask whom Irma meant.
"I see her everywhere," Irma continued. "In my mind's eye, she's always there. She laughs at me. She taunts me. She threatens me...she threatens you, Hay Hay."
Hay Lin swallowed but remained silent.
"What did I ever do to deserve this, Hay Lin? What did I do to earn Nerissa's wrath?"
Hay Lin gazed at her friend with sympathy.
"Why did this happen to me?"
Hay Lin had been waiting for this. In all her pain, in all her misery, Irma had never once asked, "why me." Now here it was, and Hay Lin had no answers.
"Oh Irma, I don't know why this happened, and I know it's not fair. But you can't give up; you have to go on. You have to keep living."
"I don't want to keep living, Hay Lin. If this is what my life is going to be like, then I want o check out."
"Will should have let me die."
Hay Lin gasped, though she hadn't meant to; but she couldn't help it. She knew her friend was suicidal, but this level of despair and defeat was knew. It was the tone of Irma's voice...defeated and monotone; as if the decision had already been made.
This scared the young Guardian, and she reacted hastily.
"How can you say that?" Hay Lin said, a little too loudly. "What would I do without you?"
"You would get over it and live your life without a wet blanket constantly bringing you down," Irma responded, matter-of-factly.
Hay Lin couldn't help herself. She bared her teeth and struck out at her friend. She balled up her fists and began hitting the Water Guardian. The shoulders, arms, stomach, whatever she could reach.
"Irma Lair, I would not get over it! How can you think you matter so little?"
Irma didn't resist or try to defend herself. She just let the blows fall.
Eventually, the Air Guardian noticed she was beating her best friend, and stopped. She looked at her hands in horror.
"Irma, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have hit you."
The teenager shrugged. "Doesn't matter, Hay Hay. You can't hurt me anymore than Nerissa and her goons already have. A few more bruises won't matter, now."
Hay Lin had to fight not to add a few more bruises.
"Why are you giving up?" Hay Lin growled angrily. "That's not the Irma I know."
"The Irma you know is gone! She's not coming back, and you need to get that through your head."
"Fine. Let's make a deal, you and me," Hay Lin said, the edge to her voice unmistakable. "I'll get over this new, depressing Irma, if you'll get over the fact that I refuse to get over it. I won't let you give up, and I'm not going to entertain your self-destructive behavior. What Nerissa did to you was awful, unfathomably awful; I can't even imagine or begin to understand what that must be like to live with. But living is what you have to do. You don't get a choice in the matter."
Irma was silent, as she allowed her friend to vent.
"If I have to sit on you and beat this into your thick skull, then I will. I will do whatever it takes to make you see your own self-worth. I will not let Nerissa take away the best thing in my life. Because if that happens...then she will have killed me, too."
Irma swallowed hard. She had been so wrapped up in her pain that she had failed to see what it was doing to her sister. How could she have been so selfish? Yes, Nerissa was awful. Yes, Nerissa had destroyed her spirit. Yes, Nerissa had ruined her life. But Irma could not allow the hag to decimate her best friend. Hay Lin was off limits.
"Hay Lin, I'm sorry. I've been so wrapped up in myself that I didn't see what this was doing to you. I won't mention it again."
Hay Lin sighed and sat down on the floor, her back to the bed. "Irma...you're an idiot."
"Excuse me?"
"I said you're an idiot."
"I heard what you said. I'm just failing to grasp the meaning, here."
"Why would you think I don't want to help you? Because that's what you're implying when you say 'I won't mention it again.' You're trying to shut me out, and it hurts me when you do that. Why won't you let me help help you? Stop with the tough-guy act. Stop with the I-don't-need-anybody's-help routine. You're full of crap if you believe that, and you know it. You need help; and that's why I'm here. So stop trying to shield me; I'm not a child."
"Hay Lin, I never said-"
"Yes, you did. By not letting me in on the darkest moments of your life, you are trying to shield me. I shared in your pain, remember? I felt some of what that hag did to you, and it was so bad, I almost turned away rather than face it. But you didn't have a choice; you had to face it. So I dove in and tried to help in the only way I could; the only way you would let me. And even then, when it got really bad, you threw me away. I don't know how you did it, but you hurled me right back to my own head. You wouldn't let me help you, even then. Well I'm here now, and you can't make me go away."
"Have you forgotten, Hay Lin, that you just beat me with your fists when I mentioned how I don't want to live anymore? Those are the darkest thoughts I have, and you couldn't handle them. Why, in all the nine hells, would I put you through anymore?"
"What I can't handle, Irma, is the fact that you would rather be dead than stand up to that hag who made you this way. The Irma I know is still alive somewhere inside you, and I want her back. I want you back."
Irma opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. She didn't want to argue with Hay Lin; in fact, she didn't want to argue at all. She had hurt her friend, and she knew it.
"I'm sorry, Hay Lin. I just don't want you in the middle of this. I can see how much it's hurting you, and I don't want you hurt. Nerissa got one of us...but I can see we shouldn't let her get both of us. I do see your point about letting her win, I really do. But you need to understand that this isn't easy for me. It's so hard, in fact, that sometimes I do think dying would be easier."
"Easier, maybe," Hay Lin said. "But not better. Not better for anybody. What would that do to your parents? To Chris? Look at all the people who love you. Why do you want to leave them with nothing but terrible memories of how Nerissa beat you?"
Irma was quiet for a moment. "Because, Hay Lin, it's so hard to handle it all. You don't know what it's like. You can't know what it's like. I can still feel her inside my head; it feels so dirty and strange. And yet at the same time, familiar. It's like she'll always be with me, and no matter what I do, I will never be free of her...not completely. Hay Lin, I was mind-raped by that woman. I don't know how to deal with that. I keep reliving it all over, and over, and over. I can't get my own screams out of my head. I can smell my flesh burning, and it's overpoweringly nauseating. What am I supposed to do? Tell me, please, and I'll do it."
Hay Lin rotated her body so she was facing the bed. Irma had propped herself on one elbow and was looking down at her friend, her blue eyes pleading and desperate. The pain behind those aquamarine pools was so tangible, Hay Lin could feel it. The pall that filled the room was overpowering, and Hay Lin wanted to run away from it. She realized, then, that Irma was allowing her to see the darkest reaches of her heart...and she understood why her friend tried to keep her from it.
But Hay Lin was not about to let her sister down.
"I don't have those kinds of answers, Irma. All I know is you have to find a way to make life worth living. Try to think of happier times when you're alone. Sing to yourself, I don't know. Music always makes me feel better, so maybe you should try it. And I mean nice songs; not that death metal you've been listening to of late."
Irma continued to gaze at her friend, but remained silent.
"You have to find something worth living for...and it can't be me," Hay Lin said quietly, staring at the floor. She couldn't hold the gaze of someone in so much pain...not yet, anyway. "You have to want to live for yourself. There must be some part of Irma Lair that survived Nerissa. I know there is because you fought back against Taranee when you thought she was Nerissa. You weren't willing to go down to her again. I know because you nearly killed Taranee yesterday."
"Look at me, Hay Lin."
Hay Lin swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She knew she couldn't meet that gaze and hold it for an length of time.
"Look at me!"
Hay Lin jumped and immediately met her friend's eyes. Fire flashed behind her blue orbs, the depth of her pain more apparent than had ever been shown. Hay Lin fought against her every instinct to run away right then. She fought her irrational desire to tear her eyes away. She had to be strong; she had to prove she could handle it. But would she be strong enough?
"You can't even look me in the eyes, Hay Lin," Irma said softly, her eyes still smoldering. "You want to run away right now. Every fiber of your being is screaming at you to run...and yet here you sit, fighting the desire to get away. Why?"
Hay Lin cocked her head. What kind of a question was that?
"Because you're my friend and you need me."
Irma nodded. "Yes, Hay Hay, I do need you. But I won't subject you to this again. You're afraid of me." Irma hid her pain, then, to spare her sister the fear and dread.
"I'm not afraid of you, you moron. I'm afraid for you," Hay Lin said angrily. She grabbed Irma's head between her hands and stared deeply into her eyes. "Stop trying to hide from me. I can handle whatever you have to throw at me...including the worst pain you feel."
Irma's eyes flooded, then, and she threw herself on Hay Lin's neck, sobbing.
"I just want it to stop, Hay Hay. I just want it all to stop."
Hay Lin hugged her friend tightly and rubbed her back. "I know, Irma, I know. I would do anything to take it from you. I would give everything to see you happy again."
"She mind-raped me, Hay Lin. Why did she have to do that? The physical stuff I can handle; it's the mental pounding I can't take."
Hay Lin closed her eyes. She couldn't take away Irma's pain, and she couldn't make her forget what had happened. She wracked her brain for something she could do...and came up with little of consequence.
"She can't hurt you anymore...you saw to that. You got the last laugh, Irma. You survived...she didn't. Whenever you can't handle things, just think of that. You survived! She has no more power over you; don't let her keep hurting you like this. You have to fight her."
"I don't know how. I can't fight my own head."
"You are the master of yourself, Irma. You tell your head what to think. You tell your brain how to feel. Learn to control your thoughts. Center yourself."
Irma let out a small laugh. "You sound like your grandma."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Hay Lin grinned. "But seriously, Irma, you have to find a way to control what you're letting your brain think. You've got to learn how to distract yourself when those ugly thoughts come in."
"Distract myself...easier said than done, I'm afraid," Irma replied quietly, breaking the embrace. "My head goes a mile a minute these days. It's hard to keep up with it, but I'll try. It's easier to think clearly when you're around."
"Then I guess I'll have to stay around for a while," Hay Lin grinned.
"Thank you for not giving up on me, Hay Hay. Honestly, I think a lot of people would have run away."
"Are you kidding? You're the life of the party, and I'm always on the prowl for a good party. Together, we can handle anything...including Nerissa. We Guardians have to stick together."
"Speaking of Guardians, how's Taranee?"
Hay Lin grimaced. "She's sleeping it off in your guest room. She'll probably be out for a while"
Irma slumped onto her back on the bed. "She saved my life, Hay Lin. If she hadn't shown up, I would have convinced myself the phantoms were real. I would have let me kill me."
"What did you see?"
"Nerissa, of course. And Frost. He took a sledgehammer to my knees. I felt the pain, Hay Hay. I felt it. I knew they were real. And yet...they weren't. How could that be?"
Hay Lin shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should check with Taranee. She's the expert on all things mental."
"We should at least check on her, I guess," Irma replied, swinging herself off the bed.
Hay Lin stood up and gazed at her best friend. She reached up and brushed a lock of auburn hair away from her beautiful face.
"You okay?" Hay Lin asked softly.
Irma tried to grin convincingly. "For the first time in what seems like forever...I think I will be."
–
Miranda listened below Irma's bedroom window. So, the brat was still suffering...good! She deserved every bit of pain that could be inflicted on her. Nerissa's murder was still fresh in the spider's mind, and she wanted nothing more than to kill the Water Guardian.
But death was not Raythor's plan. No, he had a more sinister idea in mind for the young Guardian.
And Miranda couldn't wait to help accomplish the diabolical plot.
The beauty of it was that it would only require a few minutes to implement; but it would likely serve to destroy the brat forever. Irreparable harm would be inflicted, and she would never recover.
The plan was practically foolproof. They knew from conversations among the other Guardians that the Water brat had lost her powers, so she would be helpless against the Knights. Frost's strength, Raythor's blade, and Miranda's speed would be unconquerable for a mere human.
The only thing that could possibly ruin everything...was another Guardian. The presence of the Air Witch was an unexpected wrench in the plan. But Miranda was confident Raythor would find a contingency to deal with this new threat.
But right now, he needed intelligence, so Miranda headed back to the campsite.
Ten minutes later, she arrived at the Knights' hiding place. Frost and Raythor were deep in conversation, and so did not immediately notice her approach. She whistled softly to gain their attention, as she strolled towards them.
"What news, Miranda?" Raythor asked as she approached them.
"Good and bad, I'm afraid."
"What's the good news?"
"The Fire Guardian is laid up, and likely will be for a little while. She should be a non-factor."
"And the bad news?" Raythor grinned.
"The Air Witch stays close by. It is doubtful she will leave the Water Guardian's side before the Fire brat recovers."
Raythor nodded. "That does complicate things a little. The presence of another Guardian was always the biggest problem. But the Fire Witch is out of the way, so that makes things a lot easier, in some ways."
Miranda nodded. "The Guardian won't be able to call for help."
"True," Raythor responded, "but neither will her friend let us take her without a fight."
"Then we should bring her along," Frost spoke up. He ground his fist into his hand. "We'll give her the same treatment. Two birds with one stone."
"We're ill-equipped to handle a Guardian, Frost," Raythor said. "A human, yes, but a Guardian?"
"She probably won't be in Guardian form," Frost responded, the glee in his eyes still apparent. "Unless the Keeper gets involved, I don't see how this changes things that much."
Raythor regarded the demented Knight with care. Frost had taken Nerissa's death hard, but no one had taken it as hard as Raythor, himself. Nerissa had been his lover, after all. Nevertheless, Frost had been angry at the witch's death. Raythor couldn't see depriving him of his fun with Nerissa's murderer, and he would be damned if he was going to let the Air Guardian stop him. Frost had a point, after all.
"The Guardians believe we were banished," Frost continued. "They would have no reason to fear retaliation."
"Yes, the Water Guardian's inexperience with folding will cost her dearly," Raythor sneered. "She should have let Kandrakar banish us. They wouldn't have made the mistake of sending us to this ugly little planet."
Raythor continued. "We have a unique opportunity to punish Nerissa's murderer; and we're not going to give it up just because another Guardian is present. It goes down tonight...and we'll destroy two Guardians."
–
Taranee was sleeping when Irma and Hay Lin entered the guest room. It was still early in the morning, and Irma's parents were not yet awake. Hay Lin wasn't surprised; they had had a long night.
Irma approached the bed and tentatively touched Taranee's shoulder.
"Taranee, you awake?"
The Fire girl did not respond; only continued steadily breathing in slumber.
Irma shrugged at Hay Lin. "Maybe we should just let her sleep. We can check in with her later."
Hay Lin nodded and the two girls crept out of the room, closing the door softly behind them.
The girls moved silently back to Irma's room, where they brushed their teeth and dressed for the day. They spent much of the morning cleaning Irma's room, as she had definitely neglected to take care of it.
Irma's parents checked on them around 9:30 that morning, and were relieved to see their daughter smiling...and happy. Though Tom was still worried, he accepted Irma's relaxed exterior and marveled at how quickly she had recovered from her "coma."
For her part, Irma was determined to let Hay Lin's presence, and her parents' relief, serve as the distraction she needed to keep her demons at bay. They still pounded on the door, but she simply refused to answer it.
Lunch consisted of sandwiches, potato salad, and fresh lemonade. Then Irma set to work on all the schoolwork she had missed. There was so much, she almost wished her friends hadn't been kind enough to collect it over the past week. And though Hay Lin wasn't much of a tutor, she at least made it fun and entertaining. Anna was surprising good at math, and who knew Tom was a closet history buff?
They were about halfway through when Will and Cornelia showed up...with yet more homework.
"You really shouldn't have," Irma grimaced, as Cornelia passed her a folder with various assignments.
"Just looking out for you, squirt," Cornelia said. "Heaven knows you can't afford to fall behind. Your grades already pretty much suck."
Irma stuck out her tongue and placed the folder on the table. Truth was, she was so glad to see her friends that not even Cornelia's barbs could upset her. Distractions...everything was a distraction; and that's what Irma needed.
"How are you, Irma?" Will asked, turning serious.
Irma shrugged. "I still have a headache, and my science homework isn't helping with that. But I'm sure that will pass, eventually."
"Is it any better than last night?" Cornelia asked.
"A little, I guess. At least now I don't have these little white spots in my vision."
Will regarded the finger-bruises on the sides of Irma's face. She wondered how they would explain those at school...if Irma ever went back. There were only a few weeks left in the year, but finals would upon them soon. As far as Will knew, you couldn't make up a final. Summer School would be the only option.
"What are you looking at, Red?"
Irma's question brought Will out of her reverie.
"Just your face," she answered without thinking.
"Well don't look too hard," Irma quipped. "You'll give yourself a nosebleed."
Will shook her head and grinned. "No, it's not that. The finger-bruises. The look so...painful, I guess."
Irma shrugged again. "I think they give me character. I can tell everyone Martin got a little rough last night."
"Wow...just wow," Cornelia said, as Hay Lin and Will laughed.
It felt good to see her friends laughing...and even better to be the cause of it. Irma hadn't thought she would ever be so easy-going again. Hay Lin's suggestion of distractions was working beautifully.
"We brought Taranee's work for her, too," Will said. "How is she doing?"
"She's still asleep," Anna said, entering the living room. "I just checked on her."
"Wow, she hasn't slept like this since that scorpion-thing stung her last year," Cornelia said.
"She'll be okay, won't she, mom?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine, sweetie," Anna replied, ruffling her daughter's hair. "She just needs some time."
"Well I'm sure she'll want her schoolwork, too," Will said, producing yet another folder.
"I'll see that she gets it," Anna said, taking the folder. "Would you girls like some lemonade?"
"Yes, please," the girls said together.
Anna laughed and headed for the kitchen.
Will stepped forward, then, and hugged her auburn-haired friend.
"We've been so worried, Irma. You can't imagine how good it is to see you awake and laughing."
"I'm trying, Will, I'm trying."
"Okay if we hang out with you today?" Will asked.
"I insist," Irma answered brightly.
So the girls sat down and shared some laughs over homework and lemonade. Irma couldn't believe how easy it was to laugh with her friends. After everything Nerissa had done to her, a part of the real Irma Lair had survived, after all. Hay Lin had been right...Irma was still Irma.
Finally, just before dinner, Irma announced her brain was fried, and that science would have to wait until Taranee woke up...which didn't appear to be any time soon, the way she was slumbering.
Dinner was shared by all, then Will and Cornelia departed for their homes. Hay Lin called her parents and, to her surprise, received permission to once again stay with Irma. It helped that the Lin's knew Irma had been ill, and they were only too proud that their daughter was assisting in the girl's recovery.
Irma was relieved that Hay Lin would be staying the night with her. Daytime was one thing, but the night was what worried her the most. She would be alone with her thoughts, no distractions. Perhaps she would fall asleep before Hay Lin, and her dreams would not be plagued by evil hags and brutish thugs.
After brushing their teeth, Hay Lin and Irma retired to Irma's room. Hay Lin crawled into her sleeping bag, while Irma climbed into bed.
"Thanks for staying with me tonight, Hay Hay. I don't know if I would be able to sleep tonight without you here."
"It's what friends are for," Hay Lin answered brightly. "Besides, you know how much I enjoy a sleep-over."
Hay Lin turned serious, then. "You did really well today, Irma. I think I caught glimpses of my old friend."
Irma nodded. "You did. It felt so good to laugh again. This morning, I wouldn't have thought it possible. It was your suggestion about distractions that did the trick. I simply refused to think about all the ugly stuff. I just let myself enjoy your company, and feel what it was like to be alive. And the more I did, the more I realized...I want to live, Hay Hay. I want to live."
Hay Lin could have cried. Had Irma truly turned a corner? Or was she just saying what Hay Lin wanted to hear?
"You can't imagine how wonderful that is, Irma. I'm so happy right now I could cry."
"As long as you don't snot all over my room...go ahead."
"Eww..."
The girls shared a laugh. Hay Lin was surprised, and delighted, and how easily it seemed to come to Irma. It was almost surreal, and yet, she didn't want to ruin it by voicing her fears aloud. Hay Lin wished Taranee were awake to read Irma's mind.
The girls stayed awake unit the wee hours of the morning talking and giggling quietly. Presently, they became sleepy and started to drift off.
"Hey Irma," Hay Lin mumbled. "Can we open the window tonight? It would be nice to have some air in here."
"Too late...I'm asleep," Irma answered.
Hay Lin giggled groggily, then pulled herself out of her sleeping bag. She crossed the room to the window and pushed it up as quietly as she could. Had she taken a moment to look out, she might have seen Miranda, Raythor, and Frost hiding below the sill. As it was, the Air Guardian was too sleepy to look for anything except her sleeping bag. After all, what threat could possibly hurt them now that their enemies were gone?
Hay Lin collapsed into her sleeping bag. "Good night, Irma."
Irma didn't respond, and all Hay Lin heard was her friend's steady, rhythmic breathing. She only hoped her dreams wouldn't be nightmares.
–
"I hear nothing," Miranda said. "They must be asleep."
"Finally," Frost grumbled.
"Patience is the key," Raythor said. "We only get one shot at this."
"Can you believe the Guardian was stupid enough to invite us in with an open window?" Miranda purred.
"Their false sense of security will be their undoing," Raythor said smugly. "This will make things easier."
With that, he nodded to Frost and the two men stood up. Ever so quietly, they climbed through the open window and dropped silently to the bedroom floor. Frost crept to Irma's bedside, while Raythor padded to Hay Lin. He dropped to one knee and hovered a big hand over her throat. Frost, meanwhile hovered his huge paw over Irma's throat.
At a hiss from Miranda, those hands dropped and closed heavily over their targets. Both girls came immediately awake, shock and terror in the eyes.
"It's judgment day, Guardian," Raythor sneered.
With that, two fists met two faces...and both Guardians descended into blackness.
–
And there we go. Again, I apologize for the delay in updates. Hopefully, it won't be as long next time. Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think. Now, on to the acknowledgments.
XV-Dragon: You are consistently the first reviewer out of the box. I appreciate the attention to my stories. The KOV are up to no good, you know that. Wonder what they have in mind...
Wolfgurl211: Yes, Irma is awake. And go ahead and wake people up...it's generally pretty funny. Thanks for your PM the other day; I always enjoy hearing from my friends.
Cartoonloverfan101: What up? Thanks for another review and for reading. And I promise to stay sex-ay as long as you promise the same thing.
Quiet Wyatt: I actually have never read the comics, though I have perused a couple of the graphic novels. So yes, I am basing my stories on the TV Show. Still mad they canceled it. And by the way...what's up with "Little Cuts?" I haven't forgotten it and I hope you haven't, either. But RL being what it is, I get it, so no rush. Anyway, thanks for reading.
Nemrut: Hello, my friend. Hope you are well. There's something in your review I think I should address. Perhaps I didn't make it clear enough, so I shall clear it up now. It wasn't the Oracle that sent the KOV to Earth...it was Irma. In fact you may recall in this chapter I actually addressed it...just for you. Irma's inexperience with folding sent the KOV to earth, though she didn't know that. She should have asked for help by someone more experienced, but since when has Irma ever done anything like that? Anyway, glad you brought it up. Stay cool.
Darkyse: A Winnebago...yeah I couldn't resist. Can you just see Frost at the wheel? "How do you drive this thing?" giggles Thank you for your kind compliments and for reading.
Darev: Another fine review. Yes, Irma is allowing the demons to exist on their own. Wouldn't it be neat if she could actually figure that out? Maybe when Taranee wakes up...guess we'll see. And the KOV? I agree, they have to go.
DayDreamer9: Thanks for another review. Yes, Irma's awake...but for how long? Duhn, duhn, duhn! Ahem, that was, um, my attempt at humor, and you're not laughing. Okay, I'll just shutup now. Anyway, thanks for your review...and for reading.
Xheartkreuzx: Thank you for reading and taking the time to put down your thoughts. I know it takes a little extra time, and I appreciate it.
The Pink1: Another review that made me giggle. I'm glad all the A.D.'s are liking the story. Too bad Irma doesn't feel the same way...Oh well, can't please everyone I guess. I do tend to Irma-bash, don't I? Might have to do something about that...NOT! Anyway, thanks for reading and for making me smile.
Starwin: Yet another wonderful review. Thank you for your observations and for helping me to be a better writer. I appreciate the way you tell me what's working and what's disappointing, or not so good, or whatever. And bonus points for use of the word "crescendo."
Philip Gipson: Glad you enjoyed your acknowledgment. I try to make things a little personal for everyone. And yes, I do remember the "Real Gostbusters"...I watched it a little when I was a kid. Thanks for the heads-up about the stories. I'll have to check them out. And thank you for reading.
Nightroad: Thanks for another great review. In answer to your question about the driver of the Winnebago (Doug Marten), I shall leave that to your own imagination. As for Irma's coma, that will be explored in other chapters, yes. Thanks for your PM the other day. I promise I am alive. :)
Fireflare14: Welcome, my friend. Good to see a new face. Thanks for reading my stories, and for leaving a review. I also thank you for your compliments about being talented...you are too kind, and I truly appreciate your words. Thanks again for your thoughts.