Note: I've just now noticed I made a mistake on Darcius's appearance. His hair is black, not blond. And his eyes are always changing color, depending on his mood. Red means malice/anger/hate; green means jealous/lustful/envious/greedy; hazel means flirty/lovestruck/romantic; lavender means stoic/aloof/mysterious; blue means funny/happy/cheerful; yellow means embarrassed/ashamed/frightened, etc . . . Yeah.

Chapter 18: Cat's out of the bag

"Uh—" Tomo began.

"—Oh," David finished, looking down at his fish-scale covered body.

They were busted.

Will stared wide-eyed at Cole. "Cole, what is going on?"

Cole bit his lower lip. He didn't think something like this would happen, but, apparently, something had happened, and now . . . Sighing, he responded, "Will, we are not, as you would call, normal. We are people sent from the Oracle to—"

"The Oracle? The Oracle sent you?" Will crossed her arms, arching her eyebrow. "Okay, now I'm curious. Five guys mysteriously show up, touch our heart of hearts, if you will, and get us back on our feet. Then some guy attacks us, and we find out these guys are magical? Why did I not see that coming?"

"Girls, we can explain," Jose said, holding out a hand. Cornelia glared at it as if it had some terrible disease. "I thought having a green thumb was a figure of speech, but I see differently now," she said, turning away from him.

"We trusted you guys," Hay Lin said tearfully. "Why did you tell us?"

"It was an order—" Tomo began, but Hay Lin had turned her back to him tearfully. Cole took a look around the room, then his wings appeared again. "Come on, men. Our jobs is done. We are no longer needed." With that, he jumped out of the window and soared into the sky. The others more reluctantly followed, with Tomo carrying David, allowing the man to lean against him. The two took one last look before jumping out of the window.

There was only silence in the room as the girls fell the trickle of loneliness again. Only this time, they had each other.

Cole went up to the door, held his fist up parallel to it, then knocked twice with his knuckles. A minute later the bolt lifted and a pale face stuck out of the opening, his golden blue eyes glittering like diamonds. "Yes?"

"Edward, we're leaving," Cole said. "I'd expect you to pack up and make your appropriate farewells."

Edward opened the door completely and leaned against the door frame. In his glamoured state, he looked like an ordinary college student but beneath that guise was a prince heir to a large and prosperous kingdom. "The thing is, Cole, your mission was to reunite the Guardians. Mine was to protect the former Guardian. My mission is still abroad."

"Nickolas has made his target known. He is after W.i.t.c.h. Not Cassidy."

"And you leave them to fend for themselves? How dare you call yourself a protector!" Edward straightened to Cole's line of sight, even though he was a good three inches shorter than the Ethereal. "I'm staying, and I'll do all of your jobs if I have to. A man must never leave a woman to fend for herself and her family. It's disgraceful."

Cole merely grimaced, flinching slightly at the word disgraceful.

"I agree," David said. "Maybe we'll try again, but we'll tell them the truth."

"A little late for that thought," Tomo stated. "They already know the truth. The cat's out of the bag."

Cole, while having remained silent until this point, spoke up. "Then we must return to our posts. No holding back this time."

Edward ran his hand through his black hair, staring embarrassedly at Cassidy. She had been silent through the entire explanation, but now it was getting uncomfortable. Finally, breaking the silence, she spoke, "So this Nickolas might be after me or W.i.t.c.h.?"

"His intentions are unknown to us," Edward admitted. "First it was some royal families on other worlds, then you, now W.i.t.c.h. We're never certain who he's after."

"But who is he, exactly?" Cassidy questioned.

Edward sighed. "I'm afraid that is another question I am unable to answer. Nickolas cloaks himself in so much darkness that we are unable to identify him. He has left clues, but, like before, we can't be for sure. He has always changed things to keep us guessing."

"But why would he be after me, if he was?"

"By the small amounts of clues we gathered, he was somehow affected by your generation of Guardians and is seeking revenge. But now, we're not sure."

Cassidy rubbed her chin thoughtfully, thinking carefully about what Edward said. "So he keeps your guys on their toes?"

Edward nodded. "Pretty much. He's toying with us, I think. Playing mind games to see how low we'll go to defend our own."

Cassidy shivered. "Pretty sick, if you asked me."

Edward frowned. "If only that was the case. The thing that makes Nickolas such a menace, however, isn't what he does. It's what he thinks that gives me the shivers."

Standing on Shell Cove, Darcius waited with his PDA in hand, looking up at the sun. "Ah, what a glorious day, hmm? Not only did I expose the protectors, I also created turmoid."

The PDA beeped, and a dark silhouette appeared with glowing purple eyes. "Well?" the figure demanded in a monotone voice. "How was your mission, Darcius?"

"Successful, as always, my good man. The protectors have been exposed, and turmoil keeps them apart."

"Excellent." The eyes narrowed. "And what of her?"

Darcius chuckled. "Aah, patience, my man. All good things come in time. She will be taken care of in due time. Everyone suspects you are after the former Guardian for revenge of some past wrong. And now they're wondering if you're now after the present Guardians. Little do they suspect . . . the real target."

"Yes. So often our pursuers think too highly of me. The false clues will lead them right where I want them." The figure laughed darkly.

Darcius laughed too, only less quieter. "Ha ha, yes. Your games never cease to amaze me, Nickolas. But now that the Guardians are weakened, what shall we do with them?"

"To quote you, patience, my friend. All good things come in time. My plan is coming into affect. All I need now is for my final piece to fall into place."

Darcius smiled darkly. "Ah, yes. Soon the Heart will be yours, Nickolas."

Nickolas chuckled again. "Yes, very soon. Actually. The foolish Cole thinks he knows every one of my moves. But really, the real game is about to bring." The eyes closed, and there was a pause before Nickolas continued, "The rest of my plan is coming together. If no setbacks occur, this will all end in three months."