Welcome back to the Pit, ladies and gentlemen. As always, please allow me to acknowledge my faithful reviewers: XV-Dragon (Congrats for being the first one out of the gate.); ZestyChicken2 (The Raythor-Nerissa thing was all me. As far as I know it's not in the cartoon.); cartoonloverfan101 (Thank you for being a stalwart fan.); Nemrut (No worries, my friend; I'm not offended. I thank you for your honesty...and I'm with Cornelia too.); Nightroad (Very deep review...I loved it.); Robert Teague (Thank you so much for your kind words...I shall try not to disappoint.); Lost Prince (Hello again. Would love to hear your thoughts about a trial. PM me.); Dragojiin (Welcome to the Pit! Thank you for reviewing. LOVED the Shutup Hippie line!); Darev (Yet another insightful review. Revenge breeds revenge and all too often, justice is forgotten in the cycle. And yet...); Lily312 (Hello again Lily...of course I remember you! I have missed you. Glad to see you back!); Daydreamer9 (Karma...I agree 100%); Nerd4eva (Hehe...thank you for all the AWESOME compliments); Philip Gipson (True about the girls' friendship. Good job remembering that.); Laserleg (Good insights. Thank you.); Shocklance (Thanks for your compliments on characterization.); Wolfgurl211 (Thank you for your continued support.) ; AJ (As always, your review made me laugh. Liked the Bad Guardian, no keyboard line.); Toolazytomakeanaccount (Thank you for your compliments...I appreciate your support. And awesomesauce was funny); szasha (Welcome to the Pit! Thanks for leaving a review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.)
A lot of you had some trouble with Hay Lin last chapter. She got blasted a lot in the reviews. On the other hand, everyone liked Cornelia. I think this may be a first in the W.I.T.C.H. Universe. LOL. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. Let's get on with the story, shall we?
May I thus present:
Chapter 18
"Elyon! Elyon!" Cornelia shook her friend's shoulders violently, as if she could awaken the girl by brute force.
But the Queen remained motionless.
"Will, do something!"
The Guardian Leader watched the scene as if in slow motion. She felt powerless to move, much less help. Yet here was Cornelia begging her, Will Vandom, to do just that. Will knew she had to snap out of it, to think; but her mind refused to cooperate. With a small grunt, the redhead slapped her forehead in an attempt to clear her thoughts. She had to do something, and she had to do it now.
Will had never been the most logical person, and was certainly not know for deep-thinking. But for some reason, the Heart of Candracar had chosen her to be the leader of the defenders of the universe. Obviously, the little jewel saw something in her she did not see herself. Although self-deprecation was not an unusual thought process for Will, it was, at the moment, counterproductive. She needed to think clearly now...for Elyon.
The young Keeper gazed at the pink jewel in her right hand, willing it to reveal some hidden secret that would save Elyon's life. She concentrated on her own image reflected in the glowing ball and blocked out everything else. It was as if she was the only person in the room, and the world had simply ceased to function. For a few seconds, Will experienced the most beautiful sense of serenity and calm...and she knew, in that instant, exactly what to do.
"Cornelia, move aside," Will commanded, striding to Elyon's bedside.
Cornelia, still pleading with her friend to awaken, barely heard her leader's request. But hear it she did, and she reluctantly surrendered her position on the edge of the bed.
Will immediately grasped Elyon's right hand and shoved the Heart of Meridian into the dying girl's palm. Then she quickly positioned that hand directly over the girl's heart. Rising to her feet, the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar raised her fist into the air. The jewel in her clenched fist glowed brightly and soon filled the room with a luminous, rosy glow.
Amber light soon joined pink as the Heart of Meridian sprang to life. The lights filled the room with such brightness, that Cornelia and Taranee were forced to shield their eyes. Will closed her own eyes and poured her energy into the Heart of Candracar. She gritted her teeth as her own life essence began to be absorbed by the Heart. She moaned softly as she felt her strength waning.
As the seconds passed, Will threw her head back and struggled to remain upright. She cried out silently, the stress from being drained nearly forcing her to her knees. When she could take the strain no longer, the young Keeper sank to her knees and bowed her head, exhausted.
The rosy light waned and the amber glow ebbed. Soon, the room returned to its normal, dimly-lit hue. Taranee and Cornelia blinked several times and rubbed their eyes. Seeing Will kneeling on the floor, Taranee moved to her side and placed a concerned, comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.
Cornelia walked stiffly to Elyon's bed.
"Did...did it work?" she asked, almost fearful of the answer.
Will turned exhausted eyes to the slumbering queen and strained her gaze for any sign of life. As she watched, Elyon's chest began to rise in fall in rhythmic motion. Her eyes began to flutter, and a low moan escaped her lips.
"Elyon?" Cornelia whispered, clasping her hands under her chin.
"Cor-nel-ia," Elyon muttered slowly.
"Elyon!" Cornelia threw her slender arms around her friend's neck and hugged her tightly.
"I can't believe it...you're okay!"
"I guess...that depends...on who...you ask," Elyon whispered. It sounded like she had cotton in her mouth, but a small smile played at her lips, nonetheless.
Cornelia just couldn't stop squeezing her friend, and it was only after Taranee intervened that the tallest Guardian released the young queen. Suddenly, Cornelia remembered Will and turned her attention to her leader.
"Will, what happened? Are you okay?"
The redhead was sitting in the corner of the room, her back against the cool wall. She was breathing hard and holding her chest, but otherwise looked unharmed.
"I transferred some of my own life energy to Elyon," Will replied weakly. "I guess I wasn't expecting quite so much of a strain."
Cornelia gazed at Will with a new-found respect...and with gratitude. She moved towards her friend and knelt in front of her. She took Will's hands and looked deeply into her brown eyes.
"You saved my best friend's life at nearly the cost of your own. I can never repay you for that. Thank you."
Will grinned and felt her face go red. "It's not all that dramatic, Corny. I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit."
Cornelia smiled. "I may forever be in your debt, but that does not give you license to call me Corny." The blond Guardian mussed Will's hair and suddenly realized how truly vulnerable the girl seemed. Her face, though youthful, looked somehow lined and gray. Her eyes seemed tired and frightened of something Cornelia couldn't see. She wondered what haunted those brown pools so.
"What's been...happening?" Elyon asked suddenly. "I feel so...so weak."
"You were poisoned," Taranee replied turning to face Elyon. "You almost died."
Elyon coughed and closed her eyes. "I remember being sick, and I remember Trill trying to nurse me back to health. She said...she said I had been sick for two weeks."
Elyon continued. "Who would have poisoned me? Who could have done such a terrible thing?"
The Guardians looked at each other. Finally Taranee spoke up.
"It was Nerissa."
Elyon's eyes flew open and her mouth dropped. "Nerissa? But how? She's dead."
Taranee shook her head. "We thought so, too. But she came back and tried to kill you. If not for Will and the Hearts of Meridian and Candracar, she probably would have succeeded."
"Elyon seemed to shrink back into the pillows, and her eyes took on a horrified look none of the Guardians had ever seen. "Where is she now?"
Taranee swallowed and looked at Will. At a nod from her leader, Cornelia pulled Will off the floor and helped her to Elyon's bedside. The redhead sat on the edge of the bed and looked directly at the young queen.
"She's dead. She can't hurt you anymore."
"For real this time?" Elyon asked breathlessly.
Will nodded.
Elyon breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. Tears began to leak out of the corners of her eyes. Will took the young royal's hand.
"It'll be okay. She's gone now."
Elyon pulled herself up to a sitting position and threw her arms around Will's neck. She sobbed into the redhead's shoulder. Will patted her friend's back and let her cry.
Taranee, what's going on?
Unless I miss my guess, Will, she's confronting her own mortality.
Pardon?
She was nearly killed by a madwoman. That's a hard thing for a teenager to take. Being targeted for murder isn't one of the normal problems kids have to face.
"How close did I come? To dying I mean," Elyon asked, snapping Will back to spoken conversation.
"Really close, El, really close," Cornelia answered. "If not for Will, we would have lost you."
"What did you do, Will?" Elyon asked, still sniffling.
"I just gave you some of my life energy. Honestly, it was the Heart of Meridian that did all the work."
Elyon pulled away from Will's shoulder and looked her in the face. "You saved my life. How can I ever say thank you for that?"
"Stop it, all of you," Will insisted. "Elyon, you're my friend. It wasn't a hard choice."
"But, Will-"
"No, enough now. I'm fine and Elyon's gonna be okay. That's what matters here. Thank you all for your admiration, but it's really misplaced. I made a lot of mistakes during our trials with Nerissa, and they nearly got us all killed. The very least I could do was help save Elyon's life."
"How can you say that, Will?" Taranee asked. "Without all of us working together, Nerissa would never have been defeated. It took everyone, including you, to take her down. That's something to be considered."
"You're selling yourself short, Red," Cornelia spoke up. "We all underestimated Nerissa. But we're still standing and she isn't. Give yourself a break."
Will swallowed and nodded. "Thank you...all of you."
"tell me everything that's happened," Elyon said, her voice sounding stronger. "Don't leave out any juicy details."
The Guardians took turns recounting the events of the past few days. Elyon listened in shock at the trauma and horror Nerissa had caused. She listened closely as Taranee described the duel between Irma and the evil hag. And she covered her mouth in shock when Cornelia described Nerissa's death.
"Irma killed her? She really killed her?"
Will nodded. "Yeah, she really did. We all saw it."
"But how could she...where is Irma now?" Elyon asked.
"She's in her Chamber, resting," Will replied.
"And how is she doing?"
"She took a pretty serious beating, but she'll be fine," Cornelia answered.
Elyon held up her hand. "No, I mean how is she doing?"
Taranee thought she understood Elyon's question. "We're not really sure at the moment. She hasn't really had a chance to let it all sink in. Cornelia wasn't exaggerating when she said Irma took a beating. I think she was probably a little distracted by her pain to really think about what she did."
Elyon looked thoughtful. "I hope she's okay. What she did was really brave...and really stupid. What was she thinking, challenging Nerissa to a duel?"
"I don't know, but she won, didn't she?" Cornelia replied. "That's all that matters in the end."
"I hope you're right," Elyon said softly, though she didn't sound convinced. "I guess Hay Lin is with Irma now?"
"We're not actually sure," Taranee replied slowly. "She seemed pretty upset by the whole thing."
"Yeah, she walked out of the Chamber of the Aurameres as soon as we had our powers back," Cornelia said. "She didn't even seem concerned that Irma had collapsed, or that she was in serious pain."
"You know," Taranee spoke up," I think this may actually damage their friendship."
Elyon looked from one Guardian to the other. "No way. Those two can get through anything together. They've been joined at the hip for as long as I've known them. Hay Lin would never abandon Irma."
"I hope you're right," said Will, "but Hay Lin was pretty upset. Come to think of it, she seemed to know what Irma was going to do before she did it. How did she know that?"
The Guardians shrugged. "No idea, but who cares?" Cornelia answered. "The bitch is dead and we don't have to worry about her anymore."
"So you support this?" Elyon asked.
"Of course I do. We all know Nerissa would never have stayed banished. She'd have found a way to come after us and finish the job. Irma would never have been able to sleep at night knowing that bitch was out there, somewhere. She did the only thing she could do to ensure the safety of her friends and family. I, for one, think it's about time."
Elyon nodded. "I see your point, and I can't say I'm sorry to see her go. She tried to kill me, after all. What would stop her from trying again? I thought I was invincible, but now I see I'm not. Nerissa must have been impersonating Trill all along. It makes me wonder if there ever was a Trill, or if it was always Nerissa."
"But you're safe now, El," Cornelia said. "Nerissa is gone and she's never going to hurt anyone again."
"And I have you guys to thank for it."
Elyon puffed out her chest and lowered her voice to sound as queenly as possible. "You have the gratitude of an entire kingdom."
The Guardians laughed, happy that their friend was alive and well at last.
–
Irma awoke, wrapped in a transparent sphere at the bottom of a pool of impossibly blue water. She knew she was in her Chamber and she knew why. She had sustained severe injuries to her ribs, back, and face during her duel with Nerissa...but she had won that duel and Nerissa was now dead.
It all seemed surreal somehow. The Queen of Evil was actually dead, and Irma was still alive. She had actually prevailed in a fight no one, not even Irma, herself, had thought she could win. Of course without the help of her friends, she never would have won. Irma felt grateful to them, and knew they had saved her life.
So why did she feel so empty inside?
Deep down, Irma knew the answer to that question; she just didn't want to face the possibilities. She had seen the way Hay Lin had looked at her following Nerissa's death, and she knew Hay Lin had walked away when she had collapsed in the Chamber of the Aurameres. Irma wasn't the brightest star in the sky, but she wasn't stupid, either. She knew what those signs meant.
They meant she had lost a friend.
But not just any friend...her best friend. Irma knew she would do anything for Hay Lin; she would die for Hay Lin. That seemed to be an okay thing, but killing for her seemed to be some kind of taboo. Of everything Nerissa had done to her, all the tortures she had inflicted, Irma was most angry by what the hag had done to Hay Lin. Carving up her stomach the way she had was unforgivable. The scars would forever be a physical reminder of what the Guardians had endured...of how close they had all come to losing everything.
The more Irma thought about it, the more convinced she became that she had killed Nerissa to protect everyone she held dear. Her family and friends meant the world to her, but the one face that always swam into view when she thought of these things was Hay Lin's.
In many ways, Irma was closer to the Asian girl than to anyone else in the world. She held a love for Hay Lin that was deeper than mere friendship...they were sisters in every way that mattered. She thought Hay Lin would do anything for her, and that thought had been reinforced when the Air Guardian had come to Irma and taken half her burden of agony. When the torture had been at its worst, Hay Lin had come and helped Irma through it. Without that help, Irma knew she would have broken.
It had been thoughts of Hay Lin that had made Irma stay strong throughout her ordeal, and it was thoughts of Hay Lin that had drug the young Water Witch out of the abyss of Hell. Though her demons had conspired to destroy her, Hay Lin had refused to surrender and had forced Irma to face those demons. Ultimately, because of Hay Lin's strength, Irma had won the battle and brought her mind back under control.
It had been for Hay Lin that Irma had killed Nerissa. Sure her family was motivation, and her other friends needed protecting, as well. But, in the end, Hay Lin had been the reason for Irma's decision to take another life. It was to protect Hay Lin form the horror Irma had experienced that she had ended Nerissa's life.
That was why Hay Lin's betrayal had hurt so much.
A wisp of water caressed the Guardian's cheek as she suffered in spirit. Her physical injuries had healed, but Irma felt her soul may never be the same. It felt torn somehow, like something was missing. Irma thought she knew what it was, but she didn't want to face those thoughts.
What if she had been wrong to kill Nerissa? Was it ever completely right to off another human being, no matter what their crimes? Irma could tell herself forever that she had done it in self-defense, but then she remembered one thing...Nerissa had surrendered before Irma had killed her.
A crushing thought slammed into the Water Guardian's chest. Her enemy had given up and Irma had refused to accept that surrender. Her memory was foggy about the events following the transfer of the four Guardians' powers, but she knew Nerissa had begged for her life. She had begged to live the way Irma had begged to die. Neither party showed any mercy to their foe, and now one of them was dead.
Irma's breathing began to accelerate and she felt her chest constricting. She felt sick all over, as two words echoed in her mind.
"I lied."
I'm a murderer, Irma thought to herself. I'm a cold-blooded murderer.
All her thoughts of a valiant battle climaxing with the death of her foe flew out the window. Irma realized she was only trying to convince herself by thinking she had killed Nerissa in self-defense. Who was she kidding? She had killed Nerissa out of vengeance.
Cold, steely, vengeance.
Vengeance for what Nerissa had done to her, to her friends, to Elyon, and especially to Hay Lin.
Irma vomited then, utterly sick at this realization. She vomited violently, causing some strain to her newly-healed ribs. But Irma didn't care...she deserved pain for what she had done.
She deserved to die.
Now she understood why Hay Lin had been so hurt. Of all her friends, the Air Guardian respected and loved life the most. She was always happy and go-lucky. She saw the best in everything and everyone. She could always make a cloudy day bright, or a rainy day sunny. Everything she did, everything she was, possessed an innocence no one could match.
Now that innocence was gone and it was Irma's fault. She had subjected her best friend tot he worst possible of crimes. She had murdered someone...and laughed about it.
Irma's memory was starting to clear, and she remembered cutting down the Knights of Vengeance with mirth and glee. Had it not been for Hay Lin, she would have murdered them, too. In fact, she had been ready to kill Hay Lin before the other Guardians had intervened. Once again, her sister had saved lives, only to be rewarded with violence from Irma.
Irma continued to vomit as these thoughts flashed through her mind. She fought to release herself from the water sphere. She wanted to drown herself. But her Chamber seemed to know her thoughts and refused to let her go.
Irma felt a warmth coursing through her, and knew it was her Chamber's way of wrapping her in love.
But the last thing Irma wanted to feel was loved.
She loathed herself and knew Hay Lin felt the same. Hurt, betrayal, pain, fear, disgust; all of these emotions had shown in the porcelain features of the Air Guardian the last time their eyes had met. Now Irma understood why, and she felt the same way about herself.
She screamed as she fought her Chamber. She was going to find a way to kill herself; even if she had to fight all of Candracar to do it. She would save the Council the burden of having to do it, themselves. But mostly, she would save Hay Lin from having to look at a betrayer for the rest of her life.
Suddenly, Irma felt her arms pinned to her sides. A pair of arms had wrapped themselves around her middle and bound her arms. She struggled and fought, she screamed and kicked, but still she remained pinned. She thrashed violently, trying to throw off the offending impediment, but her captor was too strong. Though her injuries had healed, Irma was still weak.
"Let me go!" she screamed.
"Not until you stop fighting," a voice answered. It was a familiar voice, but Irma couldn't quite place it in her manic state.
The Water Witch screamed again and kept fighting. It may be a losing battle, but it was one that was going to be fought, nonetheless.
"Irma, stop fighting. You're going to hurt yourself."
"I don't care," Irma responded with a growl.
"Well I do," the voice said again.
"What do you care?" Irma growled again, as she continued to buck and thrash.
"Because you're my best friend and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Irma gasped and stopped fighting. She hung limply, her head hanging down on her chest.
"Please, Hay Lin, just let me go."
"You promise you won't try another stunt like that?"
Irma nodded and felt her arms being released. She turned to face the Air Witch and found the water sphere had expanded to allow the young Guardian inside. Irma couldn't look at her friend, so she kept her head bowed.
"What were you doing in here?" Hay Lin asked. "You looked like you were going berserk."
Irma just shook her head sadly.
Hay Lin folded her arms. "That's not going to do it, young lady. You answer me."
"Go away, Hay Lin," Irma muttered. "You don't want to be here right now."
"The explain to me why I'm here, under twenty-five feet of water, talking to you."
"Because you had some sort of misplaced obligation to see me.," Irma said bitterly. "Because you want to save me from myself, I'd wager."
"Misplaced obligation to see you," Hay Lin repeated. "Wow, Irma, those are some really big words."
The Air Guardian was smiling, hoping to bring her friend out of her funk, but Irma only turned away. Hay Lin's smile disappeared quickly.
"Irma-"
"Don't, Hay Lin, just don't. Spare me the speech, alright? I know what you think and I know why you think it. You don't need to explain, I get it."
"Irma, you don't understand. If you would just listen to-"
"I don't want to listen, Hay Lin. I just want to be alone."
"So you can hurt yourself by fighting your own Chamber?"
"The Chamber won't hurt me."
"No, but it can't stop you from hurting yourself. Not forever, anyway."
"What do you know about it?" Irma growled, turning on her friend. "You have no idea how I'm feeling, so just back off!"
"Oh I think I do know how you feel, Irma Lair. And if I'm right, you're thinking of doing more than just hurting yourself. You think I want that?"
"I don't think you get a vote."
"This isn't a democracy, Irma, it's a dictatorship. I'm the fascist and you're the subject, so get over it. What I say goes, and what I say right now is I'm not leaving you. You can't force me to abandon you, and no amount of screaming at me will change that."
Irma turned away again and hugged herself. She wasn't sure how she felt about this. On the one hand, she was thrilled that Hay Lin still seemed to like her even after what she had done. On the other hand, she wanted so desperately to curl up and die, that she didn't want any interference...especially from Hay Lin.
"Why are you here, Hay Lin?" Irma asked softly.
"I came to see how you were doing."
"Did you now? And who talked you into that? Taranee?"
Hay Lin felt guilty that Irma had seen right through her, but she wasn't about to lie.
"No," she said. "It was actually my grandmother."
"So you're here at Grandma Lin's behest, and not of your own volition," Irma said.
Hay Lin recognized it was a statement and not a question.
"Yes...and no."
Irma just hung her head and closed her eyes. "Just leave me alone, Hay Lin. Go tell your grandmother I'm fine. Tell her you saw me and I'm fine."
"You want me to lie to her? I don't think so. You are clearly not fine. What's going on in that head of yours?"
"You seem to have all the answers...you tell me."
Hay Lin was stung for a moment. She wasn't expecting a cheerful reunion, but this was a bit much.
"I'm not Taranee, but I think you're upset with yourself for killing Nerissa."
Irma snorted. "Upset with myself? Upset with myself? You think this is upset with myself? It goes a little beyond being upset, Hay Lin."
"Then tell me. Help me understand."
"Why? So you can look at me like I just killed your puppy again?"
"Irma, I-"
"I don't want to hear your excuses, Hay Lin. I don't need to. I know how you feel...because I feel the same way."
Hay Lin definitely wasn't expecting that. She expected Irma to try and defend what she had done.
Irma, her back still to Hay Lin, hugged herself tighter. "I'm a murderer, Hay Lin. I took Nerissa's life because I wanted to. I killed her because I wanted her to suffer the way she made me suffer. I wanted her to feel the same fear I've felt every moment of every day for the last several weeks. I wanted her to pay for hurting me and for hurting you."
"I hate her, Hay Lin. I've never felt hatred for anyone until this whole incident happened. Nothing could have convinced me to spare her life at that moment...not even you. And for that, I hate myself."
Hay Lin swallowed hard, but let her friend continue.
"I'm a murderer, and I don't deserve to live. Just let me go."
Hay Lin didn't know what to say. She hated to see such self-loathing, but at the same time, she was gratified to see her friend had done some soul-searching. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what it should be. Should she try to comfort her friend? Should she agree with her and see what happened? In the end, Hay Lin decided to try the soft approach.
"Irma, you did a terrible thing, yes, but that doesn't make you a terrible person. I understand why you did what you did, and I still love you. I don't agree with it, but I understand."
"How can you say you understand? How can you say you love me?"
"Because, Irma, it's the truth. Grandma and I talked a little and I understand what happened. I won't lie to you. Three hours ago I hated you, and I thought we could never be friends again. I didn't even want to look at you, I was so disgusted by what you had done. But after grandma and I talked, I realized something. That if I abandon you now, Nerissa will have won. Driving a wedge between us would be the ultimate torture and the ultimate victory. I'm not about to let that happen."
Irma was quiet as she digested what Hay Lin had said. The ultimate victory...truth rang in those words. She didn't want Nerissa to win, either, but how could she turn to someone for help when she wasn't sure she wanted help?
"I just want to die, Hay Lin. I'm so disgusted by what I've done. I wanted to kill that bitch and so I did. I wanted her to suffer and so she did. You didn't hear what I said to her just before I killed her."
"Yes I did, actually. You said 'I lied.'"
"How do you know that?"
"I heard you say it. I was closest to you and I was already starting forward to...um...celebrate. I heard what you said."
"Then how can you still-"
"Do we really have to rehash that, Irma? I've already told you why I still care about you. Why can't you just accept that?"
"And why can't you accept that I don't want to be loved? I just want to die, to leave all this behind. It's what I deserve."
Hay Lin placed her hands on Irma's shoulders and turned her around.
"Now you listen to me, Irma Lair, and you listen good. It's not what you deserve and I'm not going to stand by and let you kill yourself. I'm not leaving until you get those thoughts right out of your head."
Irma didn't respond, only looked away from those piercing, brown eyes. Hay Lin grabbed Irma's chin and gently forced her head back to where it was.
"You're still Irma Lair, Tom and Anna's daughter. Your brother is Chris, and your best friend is...is me. It always has been and always will be. I won't leave you, Irma. I won't."
"Why are you doing this?" Irma said, her eyes beginning to leak. Can't you see I don't deserve this kind of devotion?"
"Irma, you're my friend and friends don't just take off because one of them does something weird. You killed someone, yes, but I know why you did it."
"Out of vengeance," Irma said dejectedly.
"Maybe," Hay Lin replied. "But you also did it to protect everyone you love. A simple banishment wouldn't have kept Nerissa away. She would have found a way to torment you. You would never have been free of her, and I know that. I think that justifies what you did."
Irma swallowed. "Do you really? Or are you just saying that to try to make me feel better?"
"Do you really think I'm that transparent, Irma? That I say things I don't mean? You should know me better by now."
"So Mrs. Lin convinced you this is how you feel?"
"Mrs. Lin...I mean Grandma did have to do some convincing, yes. At first, like I said, I didn't even want to look at you. Then she had to play the Nerissa-will-have-won-if-you-two-don't-support-each-other card. And that I agree with wholeheartedly."
Irma wanted so badly to agree with what Hay Lin was saying. She realized she did want forgiveness, after all. She did want to live as long as Hay Lin wanted her to live. As long as Hay Lin was her friend, there would be something worth living for.
"Can you ever forgive me, Hay Lin? Can you ever accept what I've done? Can things be the same between us?"
Hay Lin's eyes took on a gentle, yet sad look to them. "I won't lie to you Irma. Yes I can forgive you, and yes I can accept what you did. But can things be the same between us? I just don't know the answer to that question yet."
Irma was hoping the answer would be different, but somehow knew how it would turn out. She had finally done it; managed to damage their friendship beyond repair.
"Everything's going to change isn't it? You and me, the Guardians, my family. It's all going to change."
Hay Lin nodded. "Yes, it is."
Irma looked up in the air and tried to fight the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "I don't want them to change, Hay Lin. I don't want my parents to look at me like I'm some kind of freak, but I know they will. I don't want them to worry when I'm alone with Chris, but I know they will. I don't want Will, Corny, and Taranee to treat me differently, but I know they will. And I don't want you to look at me sideways...but I know you will."
Hay Lin reached out and hugged Irma. "You've got to give things time to settle down. Your parents will understand and the other Guardians will be fine. Honestly, I think I'm the only one having trouble with this. And if you give me some time...who knows? Maybe...maybe we'll be stronger than ever."
"You don't believe that, Hay Lin."
Hay Lin grinned slightly. "Maybe someday I will."
"Don't let me hurt myself, Hay-Hay. I feel like I'm on the edge. I can still feel Nerissa inside my head, and I know she would want me to hurt myself. I almost gave in to those wishes."
"I won't leave you, Irma. You'll heal in time, I know you will. You've just got to hang on."
"I don't think I will, Hay Lin. I can feel her all the time. I'll never be free of her, even though she's dead. I feel naked to the world, and I just don't think I can handle this."
Hay Lin hugged her friend tighter. "I'll help you in any way I can. Let me be here for you."
Irma shook her head. "No, Hay Lin, I don't want this darkness to take you, too. You said yourself you can still it."
"So let your friends and family be the light that drives it away."
Irma giggled then. "That was really corny."
Hay Lin giggled with her friend. "Yeah it was, but it's true. Your parents know about the Guardians now, and they know what really happened. They won't accuse you of being on drugs anymore. They know it's Post-Traumatic Stress, and they can take steps to help you."
Irma was silent for a moment, content to feel the strength of her best friend. She needed to rely on that strength now more than ever. Her tormenter may be dead, but the torment hadn't ceased. Irma wasn't sure it ever truly would, but perhaps she could learn to quiet it somewhat. As long as she had Hay Lin, she felt she had a chance.
But there was something else bothering her.
"Hay Lin...I'm scared. What's going to happen to me now?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Council. They won't just let this go. What are they going to do to me?"
"I don't know Irma, I don't know. But I'm not going to let them railroad you."
At this moment, Irma realized things had turned around. All her life, Irma had played the part of protector. When people had picked on Hay Lin in school, Irma had been there to shove them away. When Hay Lin had been scared of the dark as a child, Irma had been there to fight the demons. When Hay Lin had argued with her parents, Irma had been there to wipe away the tears. Now things had changed and Hay Lin was trying to protect Irma from her own demons. Irma had never felt she needed protection from anything...until now. She realized after always being there for Hay Lin, that she needed to let Hay Lin be there for her now.
"You won't let them send me away will you?" Irma asked, shaking slightly. "I don't want to be locked up for the rest of my life."
"Shh. I won't let them hurt you," Hay Lin whispered. "It will be alright. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. I promise."
"Thank you, Hay-Hay, thank you. I can't get through this without you."
"That's why I'm right here. It's what friends are for."
"Where are the others?" Irma asked.
"Oh who knows? I told them I wanted to talk to you alone, so they left. But they told me that Elyon's awake and she's going to be okay."
"Elyon's alright?" Irma enthused. "That is good news."
Hay Lin nodded with a smile. "What say we blow this joint and go see her?"
"I think I would like that," Irma replied.
With that, both Guardians shot to the surface of the pool. They were just climbing out when Luba entered the Chamber. She looked grim.
"Luba?" Hay Lin was surprised to see the big cat. "What's up?"
"The Council is ready for the Water Guardian. You both must come with me now."
–
And there's Chapter 18. I hope everyone liked it, but if not, that's okay too. Let me know what you think, good, bad, or ugly. Thanks for reading.