Alvarez's eyes were shut tight. He wanted to get off of this damned roller coaster now. As soon as his stomach stopped spinning he clutched whatever he could get ahold of, which happened to be wooden panel. He opened his eyes and found that he was gripping the edge of his desk back at the station. How had he gotten back here? He stood abruptly and stormed from his office, nearly running headlong into Detective Lair.

"Is Wilhelmina Vandom here?"

Lair's eyes widened and he said, "That's my daughter's friend. What's going on?"

"What's…" he stopped and looked around. This was wrong. At first, he thought the precinct had been somehow reorganized in his several hour absence. It was impossible but that was the only reasonable explanation. Then he realized that the new faces weren't new at all. There was Polaski, who had been killed during a bank robbery two years ago. Gene Barnes had been reassigned to a new precinct along with Jenna Hannity. If he spoke one word of the truth, he'd never get out of the psychiatric ward.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Vandom called to see if your daughter had come here. I told her I hadn't seen her."

"Oh, Irma hasn't been here all day. I don't know why Will would think she was here."

Alvarez smiled and said, "Right. Well, look. I need to clear my schedule. I've just had big break in an investigation. Give the chief an excuse for me."

"Sure thing. Go get 'em."

Alvarez checked the time and the date. It was 2008! It was five years ago! As for time, Will and her friends should have been out of school for an hour. He knew all of their routes after having investigated Will's disappearance for nearly two months. After checking two of their main routes, he finally saw them run by. All five of them were there, and they were nearly a foot and a half shorter. They looked like miniature versions of themselves.

They each split up and went home. He decided to stick with Will, since she was the one who was kidnapped and this whole thing seemed to center on her. Sooner or later, she left. He followed her and she rejoined her friends at…shell beach; this late? For some reason, Taranee wasn't there. Following them from the car, he kept out of sight. He was good at what he did and he had no intention of being spotted. They were standing on the beach just talking and the sun was going down, then he saw something that made him doubt his own sanity.

The girls each began to glow and in a moment, there was an exact copy of each of them. He pointed a directional microphone at them so he could hear what they were saying.

"Hey, incredible! You're me!" said Irma. Her double said, "Hey, led go ub my nose!" Irma turned to the others and said, "I don't know about you guys, but I can see myself just fine!"

Cornelia said, "Fantastic! It's like looking into a mirror!" Her double said, "Not really. I don't have split ends." Cornelia pitched a fit. "What did you say?!"

Irma said, "Hah, you're a perfect match."

"Not me," said Will. Sure enough her duplicate was having trouble remembering even the most basic information. In moments, they disappeared into a cave, and their duplicates were walking up the beach. He watched these copies leave, clearly meant to placate their families. Hadn't Will told him there was more than one of her?

He went down to the cave and explored as deeply as it went. They were gone. There was no sign of them. So he waited at the cave entrance and he waited. These girls held his answers and now he needed their help. It was nearly a day before they reemerged. He was hungry and tired, but he stood vigil. They saw him, and the panic in their expressions was apparent.

"Who are you?" asked Will, her voice quaking and the look of a cornered animal in her eyes.

"I'm Detective Jorge Alvarez. I work with Irma's father."

"And how long have you been here?" asked Cornelia.

"I've been following you since you left school. I saw everything, except what happened when you went into the cave."

"You've been spying on us all day?" Cornelia looked furious.

"It's not what you think. I'm not a stalker or a blackmailer. I'm working on a kidnapping that just took a very strange turn, and you girls are the only ones that can help me."

Will asked, "Is this about Elyon?"

"No, Will, you're the one who was kidnapped."

"What?"

"Your disappearance was first reported on February six of 2013 and you reappeared on April second of that same year with extensive injuries and no memory of what had happened to you. During the course of my investigation, I was attacked by a witch that you five fought off. Taranee left the strongest impression on me with her pyrotechnics. Two days after this incident, I confront Will with what I witnessed. At that point, you told me you weren't Will and then I woke up earlier today, five years in the past. Then I witness something that certainly explains what Will told me in the future. Please tell me I'm losing my mind."

The girls all looked at each other. They all had uneasy looks about them. He could see that they were deciding what to do and they were unsure how to proceed.

"At least tell me if you believe me."

They all looked at him. That was the one thing they were sure of. "We believe you," said Will.

Irma said, "So, you're not going to tell my father that I'm, like, a superhero?"

"A what?" asked Cornelia.

"Well, that's what we do! We keep the veil between realms closed and protect the universe from evil. Isn't that what a superhero does?"

"Irma, you've been putting your curlers in too tight."

"And you've pickled your brain in that hair gel."

"I most certainly do not wear hair gel, fish lips!"

"Fish lips? I suppose now you'll tell me that bimbo blonde doesn't come in a bottle."

"Enough," said Will. "We've got more important things to worry about."

Cornelia and Irma stuck their tongues out at each other. For the second time in a row, Alvarez observed something very interesting about these girls. They all deferred to Will, even Cornelia, who he would have expected to be leader of the pack.

Will said, "I don't know what you're hoping for, but we've only just learned the truth about our abilities. Time travel is way beyond us."

Hay Lin said, "Hey, someone in Kandrakar might know!"

Irma's eyes narrowed. "Hay Lin, how many times have we been to Kandrakar?"

"Um…we haven't."

"Um-hmm, how many people do you know that have been to Kandrakar?"

"Nobody."

"Right. Do you know where Kandrakar is?"

"No?"

"Okay, do you know anybody who knows where Kandrakar is?"

"Can't say I do."

Irma shouted. "Then how are we supposed to get there?"

Hay Lin smiled sheepishly. "The Heart of Kandrakar?"

"Okay," said Alvarez, "wait a minute. First, what is Kandrakar?"

Cornelia said, "Hay Lin, while we're at it, why don't you tell him all of our secrets."

Hay Lin squeezed her eyes shut. "Sorry."

"Oh, no. We're just supposed to keep this secret from Earth because humans don't know anything about magic, so obviously, the solution is for you and Irma to hold a conversation about the biggest secret of all. Shut up! He doesn't need to know about Kandrakar!"

Will said, "But maybe we can get some answers." She pulled a glowing pendant from her shirt.

"What's that?" asked Alvarez.

Will smiled sheepishly and said, "The Heart of Kandrakar?" She didn't need to ask. The Heart immediately came to life and showed them an image. As it came into focus, they saw Will, several years older, almost college age, in fact. She was with her mother, standing in what appeared to be the abandoned carnival. What disturbed young Will was how frightened her mother seemed to be of the older Will. Of course, observing how she was dressed, it was hard not to find her frightening. The hair was untouched, but she now wore form fitting black pants with a leather corset top. Except for her head, not an inch of skin was showing, and metal studs followed the seams of the shirt. What drew everyone's attention was the wand in her hand, and the wicked jewel glowing like Hell's fury, with mist and tendrils of energy flowing from it.

"Will," said Susan, "there's nothing you have to prove to me."

"My name's not 'Will'. I gave up all of my rights to that name when I created her. I'm the Alchemist."

"Tell me, then. What did you do? Is she really you?"

"She's more me than I am. I should think even you could see that. Then again, mothers tend to be very blind about their children. To be fair, I didn't actually create her. I just made it possible for her to exist. I just turned one into two." She led them into the old funhouse. "Welcome to my home. I left part of the funhouse intact. I like the mirrors, you see."

"You always did."

"I don't mean like a child. I mean as a being that holds the universe in her fingertips. These mirrors are, as of yet, untouched, but they hold the key to how I created the other me. Think about it, Mom. Isn't she a better daughter? You know the truth about the Guardians. She's not keeping things from you, and now I understand that she is leading the Guardians and being the perfect servant to Kandrakar that I always have been. She's turning into the perfect daughter that you used to have. I, on the other hand, am about to pull the world out from under everyone's feet, and I will start with these mirrors, as soon as all of our guests have arrived. Then I imagine that that other me will unite the Guardians and they'll be my enemies."

Susan looked as if she wanted to say something, but didn't, looking completely helpless and forlorn. The Alchemist, simply looked into her mirrors, not vainly, but as one watching television. "Have you ever wondered about the other side of the mirror? Have you ever thought that that person on the other side might be staring back at you? Consider them." The Alchemist pointed right at Alvarez and the Guardians. Susan gasped. "They're only seeing a vision from the Heart of Kandrakar, but who would imagine that we would stare right back at them?"

Susan said, "That's what you did with Alvarez? Where are they?"

"Five years in the past. Don't you recognize me when I was still your perfect daughter?"

Alvarez probably should've stayed quiet, but he couldn't help himself. "Why did you send me here?"

"So that when the time came to tell you what you needed to know, you'd believe me. For now, if five girls still terrified of their own abilities don't think they can trust you, don't expect me to."

Susan nearly screamed. "Will, is that-?"

The vision ended, but the Alchemist remained. "Remember, a secret spoken is a secret lost."

Alvarez was once more on Shell Beach with the Guardians. He looked around and saw that none of them knew what to make of what they had just seen.

"What was that?" asked Alvarez.

Cornelia's eyes narrowed as she found Alvarez. She said, "Looks to me like a certain detective stuck his nose where it didn't belong and it got bit."

"I was trying to find a kidnapper."

"And has it occurred to you that no ordinary kidnapper is even going to be able to touch us? What are you going to do; get a warrant for another planet? A little outside your jurisdiction, don't you think.

Taranee said, "Cornelia's got a point. The whole reason we have our powers is so that we can resist evil on an interplanetary scale. These are powers that humans can't even come close to. More to the point, I doubt the kidnapper is even human. Frankly, officer, this isn't your job. It's ours. You just stepped into it by accident and didn't take the hint that you didn't belong."

Alvarez shook his head and laughed. "Great, I'm getting lectured by a bunch of twelve-year-olds." He straightened up and squared his shoulders. Throwing his hands into the air, he said, "What hints? I had a kidnap victim that refused to answer my questions. She made excuses for things that couldn't be excused. When did I get a hint?"

Irma crossed her arms, "How about when you said we all started doing magic?"

Cornelia crossed her arms and smiled shrewdly, "And what about now? Isn't what you just saw a hint?"

Alvarez looked at his feet and muttered, "Okay, I guess you have a point." He looked back up. "Okay, you win. I'm a little pushy, but that's my job. I'm a cop. It's what I do. There's something she clearly wanted me to do now, and there's something you clearly need."

Hay Lin said, "Yeah, Future Will was really kind of scary."

Taranee said, "She didn't want to be called Will. Why would she want to be called the Alchemist?"

Will said, "My mother knew my secret, the Alchemist had clearly gone totally over to the Dark Side, and they were talking like there was two of me."

Hay Lin said, "Our astral drops, maybe?"

"Astral drops don't have power, and what the Alchemist was describing didn't sound like an astral drop. I get a strange feeling about all of this."

Irma said, "Yeah, I have a feeling, too; in my stomach. It's called hunger. We haven't eaten since yesterday."

Taranee said, "I'm not just hungry. I'm exhausted. Come on, guys, I was stuck for a week."

Alvarez got a notion. "If it's all right, I can give you girls a lift to Golden."

They all fired appraising looks at him. After a moment, Will asked, "You buying?"

The message was clear; if he wanted their trust, he could start by buying them lunch. In fact, he had checked his bank card earlier. It worked—it should; he'd had the same account since he first joined the force. "Anything on the menu."

In Fadden Hills, today…

Cornelia and Will walked down the rows of townhouses. Will's mother had never told her much about her father. Thomas Vandom was a compulsive gambler. No, he didn't play poker or bet on horses. He bet on the stock market. He bet on various business ventures and investments. It was one of those types of careers that can make men wealthy, which, of course, was the allure for Thomas, but as with any type of gambling, if luck isn't with you, or you don't have an intuition for predicting numbers, then you should try something else.

Thomas was one whose luck was variable. Sometimes he was hot. Usually he was cold. It had become such an obsession for him that he dedicated everything he was to it. Even his family had been reduced to assets, tools to be used; not precious people to be loved. That was why Will grew up never knowing him. What upset her the most was the fact that her mother wasn't the one had left. Thomas had left them after having taken everything they had. Once they were no longer useful to them, he had left without a backward glance. He came back when Will was thirteen, only to try to take her away from her mother so that he could blackmail her.

Finding his door, she wasn't surprised to find his Maserati Spyder parked out in front with a steering wheel lock on it. She was surprised to find that he lived in the biggest model townhouse complete with a private swimming pool, according to the leasing office's literature. Her father must have made some good trades. When she knocked on the door, a woman answered, only a little older than Will. She had olive skin and black hair with large brown eyes. She wore an expensive engagement band. She was way too young to be Thomas' fiancée, yet Will suspected that that was exactly who she was.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but may I please speak with Thomas Vandom?"

There was a look in the woman's eyes. There was deep insecurity there. In Will, she perceived a threat. Who was this young woman knocking on Thomas' door? For a moment, Will was surprised at how easily she sized other people up. It was as though she was always preparing to do battle. The woman said, "Can I tell him who is asking?"

"Will Vandom."

Surprised at the name, she looked Will over and then narrowed her eyes. Obviously, she was trying to guess how Will might be related to Thomas.

"I'm his daughter."

The woman blinked several times and gasped. "Oh, I am so sorry. I've completely forgotten my manners. Please, come in. I'll go get him." She showed Will and Cornelia. "I'm Sarina."

Will found she could read every aspect of this woman. She was naïve and unsure of herself, and Will was sure that that was exactly what Thomas valued about Sarina, aside from her obvious physical assets.

Cornelia assertively stepped in front of Sarina and offered her hand. "I'm Cornelia, Will's best friend."

Sarina smiled and took Cornelia's hand, cordially bowed out of the room and when she returned, she said, "He'll be out in a few minutes. He was a bit surprised. Would you like some water, Coke; I have orange juice?"

"Coke," said Cornelia.

"Thank you, Coke," said Will. Sarina went into the kitchen and Will said, "Was he as surprised as you were when you opened the door and found out he had a daughter?"

Sarina sighed and came out with two glasses of ice filled with the dark, effervescent fluid. "He doesn't talk much about his past."

After the life Susan Vandom had had with Thomas, Will felt sorry for Sarina. Her disposition was generally sweet, and by evading the question, she had revealed the fact that she had difficulty lying or being direct. Of course, that could have been an act.

"Why did you come here today?" asked Sarina.

Will said, "An emergency. I might have upset somebody that didn't take it well. She's already gone after my mother and now I'm afraid for my father."

Sarina's eyes widened in alarm. "Was your mother hurt?"

"She was basically just freaked out. I've got friends watching her." Will was still unaware that the Alchemist had managed to take Susan.

Thomas entered the room and stared at his daughter for a moment. What was that expression on his face? There was no way to tell. He could have been overjoyed or thoroughly disgusted. "How did you find me?"

Will shrugged. "We have a mutual friend. Were you trying to hide from me?"

"No, I was agreeing to never be in your life again."

Will looked around at the townhouse, at the perfectly Feng Shui décor, at the decked out home theater, at the modern art, some beautiful, some lewd, all very expensive, and she understood. "You were paid off. Please tell me you were at least hesitant when Kadma asked you to stay away from me."

Cornelia cleared her throat. "Um, Will, that's not what we're here for."

Thomas said, "Wait a minute, just how do you know about Kadma? I didn't even know about her until she approached me when I tried to get custody of you. Susan didn't know. Judge Cook didn't know." Realization dawned on his face. "It was you."

Will said, "I just asked her for help. She chose how to help."

Cornelia said, "Will, we are here to hide him from our new friend, not to start the Family Feud."

"Okay! Dad, I need you take Sarina, and go on vacation somewhere."

"I can't just pack up and go," Thomas said, "I have an important project."

A stabbing pain shot between Will's temples. It was too late. Something magical was nearby. "Dad, your life may depend on it. Go now, quickly, before she gets here." There was a knock at the door. "Don't answer it. Go out the back."

Thomas should have listened to his daughter. He should have heard the urgency in her voice echo off the walls. He should have heard her pleading meant for his welfare. Instead, Thomas said, "Sarina, see who it is."

She opened the door and asked what the caller wanted. Will and Cornelia couldn't see who it was, but they heard a horribly familiar simpering voice. "Aww, look at that. There's a woman between me and the man I'm here for." There was swift motion, a ripping sound, and Sarina doubled over in pain, blood spilling quickly onto the floor. Thomas ran forward, shouting Sarina's name.

Will said, "Cornelia, help Sarina." As Cornelia ran to Sarina's aid, Will pulled her father back. Will could see the wicked dagger in Davira's hand, and felt sick when she realized what the barbed blade must have done to Sarina. Thomas drew a pistol and fired several times at Davira, but the bullets didn't seem to penetrate.

A loud smack was accompanied by a shout of rage from Cornelia. "That's twice I've been shot in a week!" Cornelia, one hand massaging her buttocks, leaned Sarina against the wall in a seated position. The poor girl was covered in blood. She spun around as Davira advanced on Thomas, and flipped both of her wrists. Thomas' gun and Davira's dagger went soaring through the air, colliding with each other, creating a new artistic masterpiece. At least, neither the dagger nor the gun was usable as weapons anymore. "Now play nice, you three."

Davira drew a sword and advanced on Cornelia, only to be grabbed and dragged away by vines from the potted plants in the house. Cornelia turned her attention to Sarina, who was on death's door. Will fired a bolt into the sword, which began to attack Davira of its own accord. Davira shouted in frustration. "I was only supposed to bring the old man to the Alchemist. You two weren't part of the deal."

Will grabbed one of the vines and sent a charge of electricity through it. Davira's eyes rolled up into her head, and she slumped to the floor, unconscious. "Dad, have you got handcuffs?"

Thomas said, "I've got better." He opened a drawer and pulled out a pack of large cable ties. While Will zip-tied Davira's wrists and ankles, Thomas ran over to see to Cornelia and Sarina. Thomas pulled out his cellphone, but Cornelia took it and shook her head.

"See for yourself," she said.

Thomas looked down at his unconscious fiancée, still covered in blood but breathing just fine. There was no wound under the tear in her shirt. "But how?"

Cornelia smiled and said, "I've got the magic touch."

Will said, "Is that real concern I see?"

Thomas didn't turn. "Will, how can you say that?"

"Did you show concern when you left my mother after she sacrificed everything for you?"

"Will…"

"You weren't even sorry for what you did the last time we met. What's she for?"

Cornelia said, "Will, you can't start seeing monsters everywhere."

"I don't. I just know when I find one."

Thomas stood and turned to Will. "I just wanted to start over."

"That's what you told mom." Will took a deep breath. "Cornelia's right. I didn't come here for a family reunion. I came here to protect you from that." Will gestured toward Davira.

Thomas said, "Who is she?"

"My kidnapper."

"Who?" Thomas turned to Will in shock.

Will explained about her two missing months, omitting certain key facts.

"Your mother didn't try to find me?"

"She did. She just couldn't."

Thomas shook his head. "But you could. Will, I can't forget what I just saw. You and your friend just used magic. Your friend used magic to save my fiancée's life. What are you not telling me?"

"What do you think you're entitled to know?"

"But—"

"Sarina's going to be fine, right? You gave up the right to know anything about me a long time ago, and now I'm here to keep your sorry ass safe. I was beginning to wonder why I should bother. Now I know that Sarina was worth saving."

Thomas looked down to the floor. "I'm glad you approve of her."

"Oh, I approve of her. It's you I don't approve of."

Cornelia said, "Jeez, Will, start a bonfire with that bra, why don't you?" Cornelia was looking at Will in awe. "Seriously, Will, in the past few days, you've been really on edge. You have not been pulling any punches."

Will spun towards Cornelia. "And imagine these people were messing with Lillian or your parents. Would you be pulling any punches?"

"Probably not." Cornelia looked at Davira, lying unconscious on the floor. Sarina was just gaining consciousness. She looked a bit like Will's mother, and had a similar disposition. She was a vulnerable person now, and that was probably why Will felt so protective of her, but Sarina was really like Susan, then an unfortunate experience with Thomas in the future would probably make her stronger. Two people; different, but alike. "Will, I have an idea. I'm willing to bet that Davira wouldn't be able to tell the difference between you and the Alchemist."

Will said, "That's worth looking into."

In Heatherfield, today…

Matt hadn't heard from Will in a while, not since she had reappeared from her two month absence. They had talked on and off until the police interview, and then, it seemed Will was too busy to worry about anything except the fate of the universe. Had he gotten used to that? No. He never would. He had, on occasion, helped the Guardians. Now, he sat in his mother's garage with his Gibson SG. It was his favorite guitar, although he preferred to use the Fender Stratocaster when he was on stage. It had a dirtier sound that went with rock and roll much better than the Gibson did.

Now, all he could do was wait for Will to come to him. She hadn't been to the pet shop and she hadn't been to his most recent rehearsal. Still, he was worried. He knew she was in danger, but he couldn't imagine what he could do. So he played the guitar to take his mind off of it. He had tried to play one of the love songs he had written for Will, but that only made him more upset. He couldn't concentrate on any of the band's work. So, he played some old standards by various bands; some Beatles, some Pink Floyd, some Who.

"Matt?" It was Will. There was a distant look in her eyes. "Your mother said I'd find you here."

Matt set his guitar down and stood to meet Will. She put her arms around him, and they held each other as if this was their last day on Earth. Then, to Matt's surprise, she kissed him as passionately as if they would be separated for all time. It was a kiss very unlike Will. There was a deep sorrow and longing in it. When she pulled away, Matt tried to speak, "Will…" but she put a finger to his lips.

"I have something to tell you." Will stared at Matt, through him, around him. Her gaze froze him in time and space. The intensity nearly burned him.

"What is it, Will?"

"My name's not Will."

Matt shook his head. Was this a joke? "What are you talking about?"

"The Will who came back and hugged you and didn't remember the last two months…that's Will. She's the Will you've always known. She's the Will who's memory of you isn't contaminated by two months of torture, betrayal, and misery." The Alchemist explained to Matt that there were two of them, how the other Will was created and who she was now. "I'm here to say goodbye."

"Why? Why not stay? You've escaped and you're safe now."

"No, I'm not safe, none of us are, and I can't stay because this is her place now. That's who I used to be and can never be again. Trust me; you'll want her more than me."

"But you're the Will I fell in love with."

"So is she. That's what I can't get anyone to understand. She's not a copy. She's not someone else. She's Will, and I could stay but that wouldn't be fair to her, because this is the only life she's ever known, and she loves you, Matt. I can imagine how upset she'd be if you chose me over her. I have to give this up. I've got a new purpose and I can leave Heatherfield behind."

"Then tell me why."

"That's what I'm here for. I couldn't tell my mother or Dean. I couldn't tell the girls, and I certainly can't tell the other Will. This is exactly what I'm protecting her from. You're the only I can tell this story to. It begins with the fall of Phobos."