W.I.T.C.H. and Matt were sitting at a table, filled with food. Yan-Lin brought them a new dish.
"Enjoy, kiddos!"
"Thanks, Grandma!" said Hay-Lin.
Yan-Lin walked away as they started eating. Huggles escaped from Matt's backpack and took the food Matt was about to eat.
"Come on guys, get him out of here! My grandma'll freak!" said Hay-Lin with great distress.
Hay-Lin tried grabbing Huggles, but he jumped on Cornelia's head and then back to the table.
"My hair!" exclaimed Cornelia.
Huggles hit a flask and it began to spin round, and it shot tomato ketchup everywhere. Will duck away. At that time, she noticed a picture of a snake on the sheet, which was laying on the table. She thought she heard a hissing sound. Suddenly, the snake started glowing. Will fell off of her chair and quickly got up again. The drawn snake was becoming a real one. As Will was watching, the snake ate Huggles and then became larger and larger. The snake stared at Will, who was crawling away, until she hit a cupboard. The snake changed form, and Will recognized him.
"Cedric!" Will exclaimed as she gasped.
She noticed Jin, encased in some sort of glass box. Jin was punching the walls and screaming. Will could hear the cries.
"Jin!" Will yelled, but Jin didn't seem to hear it.
A weird tune started to play, and both Will and Cedric looked at Matt, who was playing a guitar. The tune, however, did not originate from the guitar, but seemed to come from everywhere. Cedric took Matt with his tail and brought him to his mouth. Matt didn't seem to struggle, instead looking serene. Will took out the Heart and tried to transform. The Heart turned pitch black.
"Impossible." She said in disbelief.
She saw how Cedric brought Matt closer to his mouth.
"No, no!"
She looked at the other girls, who were still sitting at the table and seemed to not notice anything. Cedric laughed.
Will rushed towards Cedric and jumped towards him, but Cedric took Matt in his left hand and shot Will away with his tail. Will hit the window with her shoulder and then fell down, hitting it with her shoulder again.
"Ah, my shoulder." She said, clearly experiencing pain, while rubbing her shoulder.
She looked up and saw how Cedric ate Matt, and then started licking his fingers. Will screamed.
…
Will woke up. She was in the middle of class. She looked around, noticing everybody was looking at her. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Jin, terrified. Everybody started laughing at Will.
"Rise and shine."
Mister Collins came towards her.
"Will?"
"Wow, mister Collins," Will said, "those Mongol perch are terrifying, brrrrrrr."
"We were discussing Huns." Mister Collins said, looking angrily at her.
"The Huns, also terrifying." Will said, as she became red.
She blew in her hair, releasing some lightning sparks. She rubbed her shoulder. She was sure she heard some maniacal laughter, but nobody seemed to be laughing. Was she all imagining it? She looked at Jin and noticed she felt uncomfortable too. Was she also hearing that laughter?
Will was send to the principals office, again. There, she found her mother.
"Sleeping in class. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"That it would be easier with all that teaching going on." Will said, looking dark.
Principal Knickerbocker and mister Collins looked surprised.
"Will, this is unacceptable!" Susan whispered, "your behaviour lately has been out of control!"
"Overreact, much?" Will said, obviously irritated, "I dozed off for like, a minute. It wasn't even a doze, more like, an elate intermission."
Will sighed. "I'm just tired, okay? I have been having bad dreams."
"Look. Heatherfield isn't working out for us, Will. But it's not your fault. I moved us here. So, I'm moving us back to Fadden Hills at the end of the term."
Principal Knickerbocker and mister Collins looked surprised, while Will looked at her mother in disbelief and confusion.
"Let's not overreact here!" Mister Collins said. "Susan…"
"I know what's best for my daughter, professor." Susan replied.
*That afternoon, at a riverside*
"You know what? I am so over you. Half of the time I don't even remember your name. Ehm, kebab?" Cornelia said to Caleb.
"I'm sorry, have we met?" Caleb replied.
Cornelia made a big O-face and created a vine to throw Caleb in the water. Cornelia laughed at him as Caleb spout water out of his mouth.
Suddenly, Gargoyle appeared from the riverbed. Cornelia and Caleb looked surprised, yet terrified. Caleb tried to get back ashore, but was grabbed by Gargoyle.
"Cornelia, heeeeeelp! Cornelia!"
"Caleb! No!" Cornelia yelled as she ran in the water.
Gargoyle walked away and disappeared into a jet of water that appeared from the river. On top of it was Raythor, playing a flute and creating a weird tone. The jet of water dashed for Cornelia. Cornelia was hit and blown back.
Cornelia gasped as she got up in bed. It had been a dream.
"Just a dream, huh…"
She went to sit on her bed, when she noticed water falling down her hair and cheeks, onto the ground. She turned on the light. She noticed she was drenched.
"Hey! My gown is Chelan, dry clean only!"
*The next day, at school*
Cornelia yawned.
"Hey," Irma said, followed by something that was hard to understand by a yawn. "I can barely keep my eyes open as it is!"
"Sorry," replied Cornelia, "I've been having these nightmares."
Everybody stopped walking, except Cornelia and Jin. Cornelia noticed and Jin crashed into her.
"Sorry, can't see where I'm going." Said Jin, apologizing quickly. "But, you've been having nightmares too?"
"I have." Cornelia replied. She saw how the rest of the Guardians looked at each other.
"What, you too? All of you?"
They all nodded.
"Could it be a coincidence?" Taranee asked, not sounding convincing.
"Who cares about some stupid dreams!" Will exclaimed, "Guys, my mom is moving us back to Fadden Hills!"
Everybody gasped.
"What's Fadden Hills?" Jin asked.
"Fadden Hills is the place where Will originally came from, before she moved to Heatherfield. Before she moved to us." Irma explained.
"But Will, what'll happen to W.I.T.C.H.?" Hay-Lin asked.
"Nothing." Cornelia said, "We won't let it happen."
"Mom already submitted her transfer request." Will said, sounding sad.
"Then I say we hijack it!" Irma exclaimed, "We liberated a princess, a piece of paper's gotta be easier than that."
*Later that day, at Simultech Company*
"Guys, this is mom's executive assistant, Amanda Boland." Will said, introducing everyone to her.
"Oh, a pleasure. But Will, your mom's gone for the rest of the day." Amanda said.
"Really? I am sure she wanted us to meet her here…" Will said.
*She's coming back, she's coming back, she's coming back!* Irma influenced her magically.
"Well I suppose she might be coming back." Amanda said.
She noticed something in the distance. "What's that girl doing over there?"
They turned around and noticed Jin, talking to a coffee machine. A man with coffee in his hands was looking at her, clearly thinking she was weird.
"If you excuse us, I'll be coming to your room soon." Will said, as Amanda and the rest walked to Susan's office, where Amanda worked.
"Jin, what are you doing?" Will asked.
"This man asked me a question, so I answered him." Jin said.
"Ah, what did he ask?" Will said, looking at the coffee machine.
Jin thought. "Black or with milk? So I said black. But he doesn't really seem to get it. He keeps asking."
"Because you have to press a button, sweetie!" The coffee machine said, annoyed.
Will pressed the button black, and black coffee was poured in a cup.
"I think I'll keep this until we're with Amanda." Will said, smiling at the man, who was looking at her in a dumb way.
"Who?" Jin asked.
"I'll explain along the way."
Will and Jin walked towards Susan's office, Will explaining who Amanda was.
"By the way, I thought you knew about electronic devices by now." Will said.
"Yes, but…wait, that was an electronic device? I should really learn the electronic devices outside of your house as well." Jin said with a sigh.
Will laughed. "Don't worry, when we figure out how to teach you, you won't have that problem anymore."
Jin smiled. "That's one of two hard parts."
"One of two?" Will asked.
"The first one is to find out how. The second one is to teach me." Jin replied.
Will opened the door to Susan's office. Amanda was sitting behind her desk.
"Oh, I love working for Will's mother. We'd be lost here without her."
"Well, lucky she's not going anywhere then!" Will said, as she entered the room.
"Ah, there you are." Amanda said with a smile.
*Okay everyone, we need to split up and find hiding places* Taranee said telepathically.
*Right*
"Ehm, excuse me, hi. Where's the ladies room?" Cornelia asked.
"Ehm, it's down the hall, but…" Amanda started.
"Thanks!" Cornelia said, as she took Irma along with her.
"Oh, right, I have to go too." Irma said, "Thanks for reminding me…"
"Well I don't know if you should be wandering alone…" Amanda started again.
"Um, Amanda I'm doing a report on powerful women in the workplace. Could I interview you?" Taranee asked.
"Really, me? Powerful?" Amanda asked, flattered, yet surprised.
"Oh, absolutely. You emit it." Taranee said.
*Meanwhile, with Irma and Cornelia*
They walked through the corridor and opened a door. They found a small room, filled with cleaning supplies.
"No way," Cornelia said, disgusted, "It's disgusting in there! Besides, there's not enough room."
"Then we'll make room." Irma said, pushing out a cleaning kart.
She pushed Cornelia in.
"Hey, watch the outfit!"
Irma ditched the cleaning kart in another empty room, filled with supplies for printers, and quickly went back to Cornelia. As she opened the door, Cornelia was levitating a bag and sent it out of the room.
"What are you doing?" Irma asked.
"I am not sharing space with a filthy vacuum cleaner bag! Who keeps these things anyway?" Cornelia said disgusted and annoyed by Irma.
"Well, stop telekinetici, you can get us both caught!" Irma said, as she shut the door.
"Alright." Cornelia said.
The bag fell down, right on top of someone who was just passing by.
"What was that?" he exclaimed, coughing.
He then accidently walked into the ladies room.
*At Susan's room*
"Mister McGruther says it's a question of direction and judgement, but I think the key is telephone skills! Telephone skills and photocopying agility. Oh, and personal flair. Telephone skills, photocopying agility and personal flair." Amanda explained, much to the annoyance of the rest.
*I can't take much more of this.* Taranee thought, *Wake up and smell the fire!*
With that thought, Amanda's coffee began boiling and foam erupted from it.
"Oh…but…how in the world did… I'll get a sponge!" Amanda yelled as she walked out of the room.
"Okay, hide and stay hidden!" Will said. "Stay there until everyone's left for the day."
So, Taranee took Jin with her, while Will took Hay-Lin.
Taranee and Jin went to the ladies room, but when she opened the door, she yelled as she noticed a man washing his face. It was Mister McGruther.
"Young lady, what are you doing in the men's room!" he exclaimed.
"This I the ladies room!" Taranee retorted, pointing at the female logo on the door.
"This is not the…" Mister McGruther said, as he put on his glasses. With his glasses on, he could now clearly see it was the female logo, not the male.
"Oh, gosh. I'm, eh, I'm…eh…excuse me." He apologized.
He then ran out of the room, Taranee quickly pulling Jin out of the way. Mister McGruther's jacket got stuck behind the doorknob and he fell, ripping his jacket in the process. He then pouted and walked away, clearly embarrassed. Taranee closed the door and took Jin to a vacant toilet.
"We'll stay here." Taranee said, getting a nod from Jin.
*Meanwhile*
Hay-Lin had found the room where Irma had dumped the cleaning kart earlier on and decided to stay there. Hay-Lin tried to push the kart out of the way while making a small hideout consisting out of boxes, but as she did so, a bottle fell of the kart and started making a watery trail. Hay-Lin didn't notice as the trail went to the door. At that moment, Mister McGruther walked through the hallway with said room and suddenly slipped over the watery trail, coming from said room. He angrily got up and noticed the trail. He smiled as he would figure out who had pulled this 'prank' with him. He opened the door.
"Aha!" he exclaimed.
However, he couldn't see anyone.
"Clumsy cleaners!" he said.
He rambled on about how clumsy the cleaners were, how they should be fired and sued for this, but he then realized he had to sue himself. He left again.
Hay-Lin became visible and sighed.
"Close one."
*In Susan's office*
Amanda came back with a sponge, but she noticed only Will was there.
"Uh, hello," Will said, a bit awkward, "You know, I think I did mix up the days. I'll just head home!"
"But your friends…?" Amanda asked.
"Already gone! See ya!" Will said, waving with a smile, as Amanda sighed.
"Hey! My interview…" Amanda said, sounding a bit disappointed.
Will nearly slipped over the watery trail as she entered the room Hay-Lin was in.
"Problems?" She asked.
"Small industrial accident." Hay-Lin said, laughing a bit.
Hay-Lin led Will tot the small hideout. They tried to make it comfortable, as far as that was possible.
*With Irma and Cornelia*
"Move over!" Cornelia yelled, though hushed.
"You're so telekinetic, why don't you move me over?" Irma retorted, still hushed.
Evening fell in Heatherfield, and most of the people had left the building.
Cornelia and Irma were asleep. A laugh was heard, although it didn't appear to come from that room. It seemed to be from a distant place, perhaps not even from this world…
Irma found herself in a weird dress, on a stage. She looked around, confused, when she noticed Martin.
"And next is my unbiased choice for the cucumber crown! The sweetest pickle in the jar, Miss Irma Lair!" Martin exclaimed to the crowd, which was going wild.
As Martin waved for Irma to get on stage, she started sputtering.
"Oh, no no no no no no no! No way. I'm not going on stage in this stupid girly dress! This doesn't look anything like me!"
"At least you're clean! I mean, look at me!" said Cornelia who came walking towards her, wearing a dirty looking outfit. "Then, again, don't."
"Miss, Irma Lair?" Martin asked.
"Oh, no way." She said, waggling her finger.
However, Cornelia pushed her onto the stage.
"Don't be such a baby. Go up there and take it like a…cucumber, I guess?"
*Meanwhile*
Will and Hay-Lin had also fallen asleep. The same laughter was heard.
Hay-Lin was cleaning the tables in the Silver Dragon. She sighed as she finished one. Her grandma came towards her, on roller skates. For as far as Hay-Lin knew, her grandma couldn't skate.
"One down, hundred million to go!" Yan-Lin said in a cheery tone.
Hay-Lin rose an eyebrow and took a good look around. Dirty tables, everywhere she looked. Will was standing between a few of them. She looked around, clearly confused. Hay-Lin rushed to her.
"Is this a nightmare, or what?"
"Maybe…but it's not my nightmare!" Will stated, looking around.
Suddenly, two sponges were thrown at their faces.
"Get to work!" Yan-Lin said.
So, the two of them started cleaning.
*At the ladies room*
Taranee was sleeping as well, next to Jin, who had curled herself up like a ball. Taranee heard the laugh. She was aware of it. She felt as if something was infiltrating her dream. She would soon find out what.
"Taranee Cook! Wake up!" Mister Collins yelled.
Taranee shot up, awake. She noticed everyone was looking at her, and Mister Collins was looking angrily at her.
"To the board. Right now!" Mister Collins demanded.
Taranee got up, and the entire classroom seemed to move past her, even though she hadn't yet moved. She looked at the classroom and saw Jin in a box, made of glass. She was pounding on it, screaming, yet her screams didn't reach Taranee's ears.
"Jin!" Taranee yelled, as Mister Collins smiled.
Jin didn't respond. The glass box kept her isolated from the rest of the world, and since she couldn't see, she didn't know if anyone could help her. She was trapped, with nobody being able to help her.
"Cook!" Mister Collins said, angrily.
He ticked on the board with his finger. On the board was an equation. A difficult one, one even she would have trouble with to solve.
"Wait…You teach history!" Taranee exclaimed.
"Solve the equation!" Mister Collins demanded, as he ticked on the board again.
He handed her some chalk, which she accepted. As she brought the chalk to the board, the equation started to move away, making it unable for Taranee to solve it.
"I can't. The numbers…!"
The equation suddenly left the board and surrounded Taranee, attacking her. Taranee backed off and bumped into Mister Collins.
"This is a dark day for your grade point average, miss Cook. And your look."
He laughed, as he placed a pointy hat on her head, having the word "donkey" on it. Taranee frowned. She looked through the class. She noticed Jin, still screaming, but standing next of her was an old lady. She was laughing and had her hand on the box, petting it. Taranee looked at her, angrily, when the equation started attacking her again. They pushed her back to the board. The board suddenly got a hole in it, and the equation fell in, along with her "donkey"-hat. The board then started to suck her in. She held on to the edge of the board and looked into the classroom. She duck as the tables of her classmates got sucked in as well. She saw the old lady disappear, as Jin's box started moving, slowly. Jin noticed and started banging on the glass-walls even harder, but to no avail.
"Mister Collins, please, help me. Help us!" Taranee begged.
Mister Collins' appearance suddenly changed, turning him into Frost. Taranee's eyes got bigger.
"You just need…to apply yourself." He said, laughing, as he pulled a lever on a slot machine which had just appeared.
It hit three marks of death. The classroom got turned sideways and Taranee started sliding into the board, as Jin's box slide into it as well. The box just narrowly went past Taranee. Taranee was sucked in, but held on to the edge.
"This is all a dream. Just a dream. Only a dream!"
"Can't you solve the equation?" Frost side briskly, with a smile on his face, clearly enjoying the view of Taranee near death, even if it was just in a dream. Or was it?
"If a Guardian ceases to exist in this dream…She never wakes up!"
Taranee's face was in shock. There was no escape for her, besides waking up now. But she didn't know how to. She had to manipulate her dream. If she would survive and end her dream, Jin would wake up as well. Or had she already ceased to exist in this dream. Would that mean she would never wake up again? She had to save her. She had to end this dream right now.
Frost hit Taranee, loosening her grip. She fell into the dark abyss, thinking there was no hope left for her, as well as the others. Then, she noticed the chalk. She grabbed the chalk. If this was a dream, this might be her saviour!
*In Irma's and Cornelia's dream*
Blunk was the director of the orchestra. He ticked on the stand and he let an orchestra, consisting of Blunk's play a strange tune.
"So, Miss Lair, tell us your goals, hopes, dreams and whether they involve snuggling with yours truly." Martin said, sounding really happy.
"Martin, hopes, dreams and you don't belong in the same sent…huh?"
A blue aura went from Irma's mouth to the microphone, taking away her voice mid sentence.
"What's going on here?" She said, sounding very throaty.
Martin let the microphone fall on the ground, releasing a load of dust. Blunk's orchestra of Blunk's started to play dramatic music. Something was about to happen, and it sure wouldn't be good. The Tracker appeared from the dust.
"My goal," he said, with Irma's voice, "is to create a better world. Completely Guardian free!"
He then proceeded to laugh. She noticed Cornelia looking at her, not yet having noticed the Tracker since he was blocked from her sight by a curtain.
"Wow," Cornelia said, raising an eyebrow, as Irma kept pointing towards the Tracker. "Never thought I'd miss the sound of your voice."
She turned around and noticed the Tracker. His dog jumped towards Cornelia and just barely missed her, instead biting her dress. He tried taking Cornelia with him. Irma quickly pulled Cornelia back, and Cornelia's dress ripped into several pieces.
"Okay! You can have the dress. Just not while I'm in it!"
They quickly ran away, as the dog let the piece of dress fall out of his mouth. He then continued chasing. Water started to engulf the scene, leaving only a small square of land for them to strand on. They were now trapped between the Tracker and the dog. Martin and the cucumber mascot were on the small square as well, their eyes glowing a dangerous dark red, as they now seemed possessed by an evil spirit, not acting as usual, but more feral.
"There's nowhere to hide in dreams." The Tracker said with Irma's voice, "No place we can't find you."
"I knew I didn't miss that voice!" Corrnelia said, sounding slightly scared, receiving a pout from Irma.
Lightning flashed all around them as the small square started to become even smaller, letting the Tracker, the dog, Martin and the cucumber mascot get closer. They had to end this dream, otherwise they were done for.
*Will and Hay-Lin's dream*
Will and Hay-Lin were cleaning the tables. Yan-Lin had been playing a weird tune for the entire duration of their cleaning session.
"I wonder if that strange music means anything…" Hay-Lin asked, more to herself than anyone else.
"What does a little girl have to do to get a little service around here!"
Hay-Lin and Will looked around. Who had said that. They noticed that Miranda had taken a seat at one of the cleaned tables. Will looked outside. The Silver Dragon seemed to be hovering in space, with spaceships floating all around them, waiting for service in some sort of McDonalds' drive-by. Yan-Lin suddenly shot past her, letting her fall. As she got up, she noticed Yan-Lin had switched uniforms and was now dressed like a worker, while on roller skates powered by rockets.
"Tonight, all you can eat. And everything's on the menu!"
"Yummie yummie yummie!" was Miranda's response, as she lifted Yan-Lin from the ground.
Hay-Lin and Will quickly ran to Yan-Lin, trying to save her. Suddenly, an old woman appeared, laughing as she let them trip. They then started floating by Yan-Lin's powers over air, as she had gotten up, standing on the table, Miranda behind her. They noticed they were floating high enough to fall to their death. And with Yan-Lin controlling the air, Hay-Lin couldn't intervene. They would die right here, if they didn't wake up.
*Taranee*
Taranee created a door with the chalk, which became real.
"If I go through this door, I wake up. I'm waking up now."
She opened the door and went through it.
"Right now!"
A flash of white light appeared, ending the dream's existence.
Taranee shot up, noticing a pain in her arm. She had been pushed to the ground when the classroom had tilted, causing it. She noticed Jin, sobbing, and she grabbed her hand. Jin noticed and quickly got close to her.
"Will, Cornelia, can anyone hear me?" She asked telepathically, however, there was no response. "WAKE UP!"
The rest of the group woke up, looking around, confused. They all sighed and were relieved when they noticed their dream had ended, and were no longer in danger.
Cornelia noticed Irma was laying on top of her.
"Move over!"
"You move me over!" Irma retorted, sounding throaty.
Cornelia pushed Irma away and got up, showing that her dress was totally ruined. As if a dog had chewed on it and ripped it to pieces.
Taranee summoned them all to the ladies room. Jin was still sobbing.
"These are not normal dreams." Irma said, captain obvious style.
"You think?" Will said sarcastically.
"Listen, Amanda said transfer requests go straight to the big boss, mister McGruther. So you four, go after it." Taranee commanded.
"You got something better to do?" Cornelia asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Yes. Research." Taranee said, as she walked away.
"That girl is obsessed with homework." Irma said, sighing.
"Hey," Hay-Lin said to Jin, "are you alright? What's wrong? Was your nightmare that terrifying?"
Jin nodded.
"I'm always alone. Cut of from everything. Nobody sees or hears me. I can't see or hear anybody. I'm in a box, made of glass, with no signs of anyone else. I'm always alone…"
"Well, you're not alone now, Jin. You're with us. It's alright." Hay-Lin responded, trying to comfort her.
They all hugged Jin, letting her know they were all there for her.
"Thanks, guys."
They then headed for McGruther's office, but when they arrived they noticed he was still there.
"You won't believe the day I had," he said through the phone, "accidents, bills, bathroom misunderstandings, it's hard being the boss, mommy. Oh no no no no, I still have a lot of paperwork to sign. Thanks mommy. Love you, bye."
"Okay, we have to get him out of there." Will said, hushed.
So it was said, so it was done. They let something fall to the ground.
"Ugh, what now?" McGruther said, annoyed and tired.
He got up and went to check what had happened this time. Meanwhile, Hay-Lin went through his stuff, trying to find Susan's transfer request.
Cornelia, Will, Irma and Jin had hidden themselves. Cornelia let something fall from a stand, right in the room next of where McGruther was walking. He quickly opened the door, thinking he finally had the troublemaker that had been haunting him all day.
"Alright, this time I know someone's in here!"
Irma let a water bottle move over McGruther, using the water within it. He coughed and shivered as the cold water fell on top of him. He started searching through the entire room. He saw that the printer had an open drawer, so he took a peek. Ink was shot at his face. He was too tired to bother himself with these nuisances. He hoped that it would be gone by tomorrow morning. He left the room, clearly not happy.
"Thanks Max." said Will, coming from her hiding place.
"My pleasure, doll," said Max the printer, "that tyrant McGruther is always skimping on my repair budget, now, he has to pay! For some more toner at least, hahahaha!"
"I got it, guys." Hay-Lin said telepathically.
"Good, let's go." Will replied.
They got out of the building. They found Taranee coming back to the building.
"Mission accomplished?"
"This message will selfdestruct in one, two…" Will said cheerily, as Hay-Lin ripped the paper to pieces. "Goodbye Fadden Hills."
With their mission accomplished, they went home.
"So, what's with the research?" Cornelia asked to Taranee.
"Someone is invading our dreams, psychically. Using our deepest fears to conjure up dream images of our worst enemies." Taranee replied.
"But this invader isn't actually in our dream?" Will asked, genuinely interested.
"I don't think so. Maybe it's my own psychic powers, but somehow I sense the intruders calling us from a long distance." Taranee replied.
"Remind me to turn of my cellphone." Irma said, still throaty.
"That way, he, she or it is not in any danger." Taranee said, a grave undertone of danger in her voice.
"But, we are?" Hay-Lin asked, insecured.
"Oh yeah, our minds are being turned against us, using our new psychic strengths to manifest the strength of the dream."
"So that's why my throat still hurts?" Irma said, shocked.
"Or my knees." Hay-Lin said, as she stopped walking, "Boy, this is one power I could live without."
"Or why I feel so sad…" Jin said.
"Wait. Are you saying…?" Cornelia started.
"That if the bad guys win in these dreams, they win for real. We won't wake up. Ever!" Taranee finished her sentence.
"There has to be a way to fight this." Will said, thinking.
"See, that's what I was researching. Lucid dreaming." Taranee said.
"Oh, I know about that!" Jin said, "If you know you're asleep, you can control your dream, meaning we can help each other! Right?"
"Right. We will be able to fight our invader, together!" Taranee said.
"Color me dubious." Cornelia said, not convinced at all.
"Cornelia, you and Irma fell asleep in the same room and had the same dream. Will and Hay-Lin and me and Jin too."
"So, if we all go to sleep in the same place we can fight our psychic enemy!" Will said, enthusiastic. "We can beat him, her or it."
"You do know what you're suggesting, don't you?" Irma said, sounding a bit insecure.
"A slumber party?" Susan yelled, enraged.
They were in Will's room.
"What tipped you off?" Jin asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"This is just the kind of behaviour I've been talking about, Will. You didn't ask permission and you don't even seem sorry!" Susan went on.
"No, I am sorry. I just…Everyone was so bummed about us moving that they wanted to stay over and we're already in our pj's." Will said, slightly cheery at the end.
Susan sighed.
"Your parents know?" She asked, getting nods from everybody. "Then lights out. We'll discuss consequences in the morning."
With that she left the room.
"Ready?" Taranee asked, getting nods. "Jin, remember, this time we're there. It's a dream, so you can control it."
Jin nodded. "Got it."
They all lay down.
"Just let yourselves go." Taranee said, trying to calm everybody down.
After a short while, the same weird tune was heard, played by a violin.
"Hey, it's that tune again." Hay-Lin remarked.
They suddenly had the feeling sand was falling all over them.
"Sounds like Sandpit to me." Will said.
She shot up. She was in some sort of desert. The rest shot up as well.
"Where did sandpit go?" Irma asked.
"I don't think we want to know." Will said, slightly distressed when she saw a sandstorm coming closer to them.
The sandstorm hit them, and they had a hard time breathing. They coughed and covered their mouths with their hands.
"Will, use the Heart now, before it's too late." Taranee yelled.
Will got out the Heart. "Guardians…"
The Heart turned black and seemed powerless, leaving Will in distress.
"Remember," Taranee said, trying to give Will back hope, "This is our dream, take control!"
With that, all five of them closed their eyes and focused on their powers.
"Unite!"
The girls immediately transformed. Hay-Lin summoned a tornado, while Irma made it rain. This combination caused the ground to harden. Cornelia then cracked the earth and Taranee used her power to turn the ground into glass. Will then shot a beam of lightning at it, breaking the glass into pieces, revealing clouds.
"Yeah, the elements combined." Taranee said.
"Water, fire, earth, air and…uh…lightning!" Will exclaimed, sounding rather confused when she said the last one.
Taranee shrugged. She noticed Jin's box. They flew towards her.
"Jin, can you hear us? Jin?" Hay-Lin asked, but Jin didn't seem to respond.
"She can hear us. Telepathically." Irma said, convincing the rest of it, which would make the idea reality.
"Jin, can you hear us?" Hay-Lin asked again, this time telepathically.
"Guys?" Jin responded.
"Take control, Jin! Break free!" Taranee said.
At that moment, the Knights of Vengeance emerged from the ground and started coming towards them. Irma blasted them with water to keep them back.
"Sweet dreams!"
The Knights re-emerged, however, to their left.
"They would be sweater if these guys just stayed down." Cornelia responded, pointing towards them.
Gargoyle reached out for them with his metal hand and suddenly created a cage with it, that enclosed the Guardians. He tried to pull them under the clouds. They all knew that being submerged meant they wouldn't wake up.
"We've got to get out of here!" Hay-Lin yelled, slightly scared.
"No. We're still thinking like Guardians!" Taranee said.
"And that's bad because…?" Irma asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because we're just a dream!" Taranee explained. "Why be limited by our waking powers while we're only a figment of our own imagination?"
With that, she turned into fire herself. She became fire.
"Now this I like." Hay-Lin said, turning into a being of air.
The other's did this as well, except Cornelia. Jin was still stuck in her box and nearly submerged, though she had taken a meditational pose and seemed in deep thought.
"Cornelia, what are you waiting for?" Will yelled, afraid she might get stuck in this world.
"Applause."
Cornelia's hair started to grow and knocked away the cage, submerging Jin, who didn't seem disturbed at all. Cornelia's hair grabbed the Knights and evaporated the Knights.
The Guardians clapped and Cornelia bowed.
"I guess that's that." Taranee said. "The Knights must've been our psychic invaders."
"I don't think so." Hay-Lin responded, "That melody from my dream, it's still playing."
"Sure it is." Cornelia said.
"We don't hear anything, Hay-Lin." Will responded.
"Well, maybe I can make you see it." Hay-Lin replied, closing her eyes.
Just a moment after, notes flew in front of them, creating a curtain, with a shadowy figure behind it.
"Uhm, pay no attention to the psychic invader from behind the curtain?" Taranee said, slightly sarcastic.
They prepared to attack, when Irma noticed something.
"Wait, where's Jin?"
The Guardians looked around, but Jin was nowhere to be seen.
"What? She wasn't submerged, right? Tell me, Cornelia, did you take her out of that cage with you?" Taranee said, slightly concerned.
"No, I didn't. I thought she had broken free already." Cornelia replied, a bit insecure.
"Then, that means…" Hay-Lin said sadly, looking at the clouds beneath them.
Suddenly, a crackling sound was heard and the girls fell down, landing on the clouds. Will seemed to slightly be crackling with lightning.
"What was that?" Will asked, slightly dazzled.
"Your downfall, Guardians. Quite literally." She heard Raythor say.
The girls turned around, noticing the Knights standing over them. "Goodbye."
Gargoyle brought down his iron hand. There was nothing the girls could do, they would be crushed. They couldn't react fast enough to this.
…
Jin felt how the darkness fell over her as she submerged, yet she had to hold on. She was stronger than this. She had started meditating, trying to find her deepest self. Because somewhere deep down, a power like no other was buried. She breathed slowly, and she noticed how, with every passing second, it became harder to breath. She felt how some sort of energy started to run through her veins, wanting to break free. Yet, it was contained by this stupid box, created by her own worries and fears. She had to counter them first, would she want to get out of here. She tossed all of her fears aside, clearing her mind of any thought.
She opened her eyes. She could see perfectly. She could look down on the Earth below. Yet she wasn't in heaven. She was in between the mystical world and the living world. She saw a long road and decided to follow it, since her meditation had brought her here. She noticed how beautiful the Earth actually was, but also how the humans had made it suffer. Where she would have expected green landscapes, cities were built. She had heard from Will that animals had died out or were close to dying out due to their stupid lust for money. Both Will and Jin knew that, in the end, money wouldn't make you happy. It wouldn't wait for you after a long day of work, nor calm you down or give you a shoulder to cry on when you needed it.
She kept walking and noticed the path ended abruptly. She looked up and saw something descending. Whatever it was, was carrying a giant ball of mystical energy. When it came a little bit closer, she noticed it was a giant embodiment of herself, though created from energy. The ball closed in and engulfed her, yet at the same time she felt the darkness penetrate her body, somewhere far away. She heeded no call to it and focused on the mystical energy. She closed her eyes once more and breathed in the power the mystical energy gave her, letting it freely course through her veins. It wanted to be released, yet be controlled by Jin. So, she gladly obliged…
…
All hope seemed lost for the Guardians. Gargoyle's iron fist was hanging but centimetres above their heads and their eyes widened. They would be punched into the clouds and be engulfed by them, never letting them wake up again. It was at that point, that all hope seemed lost, that a shockwave went through them, blasting away the Knights.
"What sorcery is this?" Will questioned, whispering in awe.
The clouds below them were pushed away and Jin was visible in her box. The box shattered and Jin seemed to float. She opened her eyes, showing a blue aura. She floated upwards and appeared in front of the Guardians.
"Goodbye." She said mockingly, as to Raythor's last said word, although her voice didn't seem like hers. It seemed as if thousands of voices spoke through one person.
She raised her hand and brought it down in the direction of Raythor, blowing him away with a powerful gust of wind. He landed on some clouds farther away and vanished. She called the clouds back under her through the same power over air and then crashed into it, cracking them and sending the crack towards Gargoyle, who fell through the clouds and vanished. She created a wall of fire and shot it towards Miranda and the Tracker, burning them alive until they, too, vanished. Then, she liquidated the clouds, turning them into water and shooting it as a high pressure jet at Frost, crashing him into the curtain of notes until he vanished.
Jin's eyes lost the blue aura and the water evaporated again, becoming clouds once more. Jin seemed a little weak, yet she managed to stand up. Taranee and Irma picked her up.
"Thanks, Jin." Irma said, only receiving a smile from Jin.
"Now, as for the lady behind the curtain…" Will said.
The Guardians focused their powers and shot it at the curtain, making it disappear, revealing an old woman, who laughed.
"That weird laugh again. Who is she?" Irma asked, clearly angered.
"Our invader," Taranee explained, "but I've never seen her before."
"Look," Will said, pointing at the clouds. The Knights had once again reappeared, yet this time with strings attached to them which went to the old woman's hands. "She was in the shadows, letting us dance to her tune like marionettes. I don't know about you guys, but puppet shows have always freaked me out!"
They hovered over the marionette-Knights and focused their powers once more, sending it to the marionette-Knights and through the strings to the old woman. The woman yelled in pain as she got electrocuted by their powers and disappeared.
With that, the Guardians immediately woke up.
"We did it, she's beaten!" Cornelia yelled in excitement.
"Whoever she was! And who was she?" Irma asked.
"The one pulling the strings, I bet she's the one behind all the trouble in Meridian lately." Will explained, "Including the Knights of Vengeance."
"But after that blast of psychic feedback, she'll think twice before getting in our heads again." Taranee said, enthusiastic.
The door opened, and Susan appeared in her pyjamas.
"Girls, you're supposed to be asleep, not keeping me awake!"
"I'm sorry mom." Will apologized.
"Uhm, miss Vandom?" Taranee asked, "Can we talk to you about something? About you tacking Will back to Fadden Hills."
With this, all of W.I.T.C.H. and Jin got up.
"Taranee, it's a family matter." Susan said, trying to close the issue.
"But, we're Will's family too." Hay-Lin said, getting nods from the rest.
"From all of us." Cornelia emphasized, giving Will a smile on her face.
"It's true mom," Will said, facing her mother, "I feel like a part of something here, something bigger than…just me."
All of the girls hugged Will, even Jin, after she had finally found Will.
"What if we all promise to help Will?" Hay-Lin asked.
"I'll tutor her after school!" Taranee exclaimed.
"And I'll make sure she gets her beauty sleep!" Cornelia said, getting her annoyed looks from everybody.
"If we all work together, can you please give Heatherfield another chance?" Irma asked.
"Mom, running away to Fadden Hills isn't the answer. I mean, it's not the place that matters. It's the people. And the people are right here." Will said, slightly pleading.
"It's true, you know." Jin said, "I haven't been here for that long, but I feel as part of a family around here. And if I can feel that in such a small time, imagine what Will feels here…"
Susan smiled.
"Will, when did you become so eloquent?" Susan asked, though she was proud.
"Does that mean we can stay?" Will asked, slightly insecure.
Susan's smile became bigger and Will hugged her.
"Thank you so much."
"Of course I did put in that transfer request already…" Susan said, pondering.
Susan didn't notice how the rest of them looked at each other.
"Maybe…that won't be a problem." Will said.
"It won't. I'll just call McGruther on Monday and tell him to ignore it." Susan said.
She kissed Will and left, after saying: "Okay girls, back to bed. Goodnight."
As soon as the door had closed, Irma said: "So, we W.I.T.C.H.-ed that transfer for nothing?"
"I guess the result is what counts…" Taranee said, trying to be optimistic.
"Yeah." Will replied, "And thanks guys, awake or asleep, you are the absolute best."
*On Meridian*
Nerissa once again recalled how that one girl, what was her name, Jin?, used all four of the elements and blasted the Knights into oblivion without even breaking a sweat. It was as if she contained the power of 10 Hearts…or even the universe itself.
"It seems…" she said, pondering, "as though she might be a threat after all…"