Cook residence
Sunday 10:00 AM

The first thing that Hay Lin thought when she opened her eyes was that someone was stabbing her shoulder with a red-hot iron bar. The Air Guardian could do nothing except press her hand to her wounded and burned joint and apply pressure, which somehow lessened the pain. She stayed in this position for several seconds; finally released her shoulder, gasped as the pain rushed back, and slowly pulled her covers back.

She sat up and slid her legs over the edge of the bed; she got to her feet and began to shakily make her way to the bathroom. Once there, she turned on the cold water and slashed her face, the boreal liquid clearing the last bit of sleep from her mind. She also wet a washcloth and pressed it gently to her smarting shoulder; she yet out a sigh of relief as an algid feeling of relief spread through her joint. After a few moments, Hay Lin, regrettably, pulled the wash cloth from her shoulder and left the bathroom; as she leisurely began to descend the stairs, she could hear her friends, already arguing, in the kitchen.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, Hay Lin saw Peter leaning against the stove watching Cornelia and his sister fight. He had a plate in his hand and was obliviously stuffing the remains of his breakfast (french toast) into his mouth. Hay Lin walked over to him, taking special care not to distract her friends from their squabble. Peter nodded as she approached; he eyed her bandaged shoulder for a bit longer then Hay Lin was comfortable with and then smiled.

"Morning, sunshine; sleep ok?"

"Go' morning yourself, rasta-head. I slept alright."

"Are you hungry?"

Hay Lin nodded; a split second later her stomach sounded its own good morning to the world. Peter chuckled before reaching over and snagging a plate that was sitting on the counter. He brought it across his body and offered it to Hay Lin; the slender Asian girl took the plate from Peter and set it down on the counter beside her. She realized that she was missing a fork and looked up in time to catch the utensil that Peter casually tossed her way.

"I took the liberty of cutting your french toast for you, because Taranee said that you dislocated your shoulder playing tennis yesterday."

Hay Lin took a second look at her breakfast; it was indeed cut up into bite sized pieces. She treated Peter to a sweet smile, which he returned, and speared two morsels and shoved them in her mouth. She gave a small squeak and spat them back out; beside her, Peter let out a burst of laughter.

"It's hot; don't burn yourself."

At the world burn, Hay Lin dropped her fork, which struck the floor after what seemed an eternity; Peter bent down and retrieved it. He straightened up and extended his hand towards Hay Lin; when she didn't take the fork from him, he glanced over at her. The Air Guardian was trembling, her eyes shut tight and her hand pressed to her shoulder; Peter reached out and poked her. Hay Lin let her breath rush out in a soft whoosh; she shook her head and opened her eyes, flashing Peter another small smile. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Hay Lin quickly came up with a story.

"Sorry if I freaked you out Peter; I had a dream last night about my shoulder being on fire."

"Sounds intense."

'You have no idea' thought Hay Lin. She nodded towards her two friends, who had somehow managed not to notice her momentary distress.

"So what's their deal?"

"Well, Cornelia made breakfast for everyone, but she somehow got the idea that Taranee should do the dishes because this is her house."

"And whose side are you on?"

"Me? I'm going to wash my plate and let them figure out the rest. I need to meet Joel in half an hour."

"Sledhead Joel?"

"That's the one; we're hitting the beach while this good weather lasts."

Hay Lin poked her head out of the kitchen and glanced at the large window behind Taranee's dining room table. Sure enough, she could see that the sun was shining and that the heavy rain had stopped overnight. Hay Lin pulled her head back into the kitchen in time to see Peter pushed his way past his sister and Cornelia and begin to scrub his plate. After about a minute, he turned off the faucet, opened the dishwasher, deposited his plate, and kicked it closed.

Sticking his hands in his pockets and whistling "Livin' la Vida Loca", Peter shouldered his way back through his sister and the Earth Guardian and out of the kitchen. The three girls heard the front door open and close, followed by the sound of Peter's car starting. Hay Lin tentatively forked another piece of french toast and stuffed it in her mouth; after discovering that it was significantly cooled off, she began to wolf it down at top speed.

When she had finished, Hay Lin turned to her friends; it looked as if Taranee had finally won the argument, because Cornelia was hunched over the sink, muttering mutinous things under her breath. Taranee turned to the Air Guardian and winked; Hay Lin responded with a thumbs up.

"How's the shoulder, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Burns like a son of a bitch."

Taranee chuckled. "Yeah; I imagine it'll be like that for a while."

"Can you hand me your plate, Hay Hay?" asked the enslaved Earth Guardian. Hay Lin picked her empty plate off of the counter and handed it to Taranee, who then handed it to Cornelia; the blonde practically threw it in the sink and began to scrub it.

"Hey! Easy, Corny; those are plates…not rocks."

Cornelia spun to face Taranee, the front of her body soaking wet and a grimace on her face.

"Listen, Sparky: I haven't done my own dishes in at least a few years, so if you could lay off the criticism, that'd be great."

"I'm not criticizing you; I'm just saying you don't need to break my plates."

Cornelia turned back towards the sink and began to rinse off Hay Lin's plate; she gave it a few scrubs with a sponge and then laid it in the open dishwasher. She turned and walked over to the stove, where she picked up the dirty frying pan and plopped it in the sink.

"Just fill the sink up with some soap and water and let that soak, Corny."

"Whatever you say, boss."

Cornelia turned on the tap; as the water filled the sink, she grabbed a bottle of apple scented dish soap and squirted some into the sink. She gave the tap a quick turn in the opposite direction and halted the flow of water and then spun to face her two friends.

"So what's the plan for today?"

"Well…" started Taranee "…I was thinking maybe we could visit Irma; I mean, we haven't heard from her in ever and I'm worried."

"Wouldn't it be more practical to invite her over here, seeing as how your parents are gone and we can talk about whatever we want?"

"Well, they'll be back at noon, so that might not be the best idea."

"I've got it!"

Both girls turned to look at Hay Lin; the smallest Guardian was sheepishly holding up her hand as if she was in class and had a genuine smile on her face.

"What if we cooked what's left of those pizzas and had a picnic in the park, seeing as how it's such a nice day."

"You know, that's not a bad idea…" Taranee walked over to the freezer and opened it. "Looks like we still have three pizzas left…" she closed the freezer and opened the fridge. "…and ten cans of root beer, since no one drank any last night except for Peter." She closed the fridge and turned to Cornelia.

"I guess it's a go; give Irma a call."

As Cornelia got out her cell phone, Taranee pulled out one of the frozen pizzas and read the instructions on the back; she crossed to the oven and turned it to 425o. She pressed start and the oven began to heat up; she walked over to another cabinet and pulled out a small cooler, which she handed to Hay Lin.

"You're in charge of the drinks, Hay Hay; don't worry about them now because we still have to cook the pizzas, but keep that cooler somewhere you'll remember it."

Cornelia strolled out of the kitchen as her phone rang; on the 3rd ring, who should answer but Irma herself.


Lair residence
Sunday 10:20 AM

"Hello?"

"Hello yourself, Bubblebrain."

"Oh jeeze, I can feel the love, Corny."

Irma could hear Cornelia laughing into the phone. "You know, I actually missed hearing you call me that."

"Yeah, well, I haven't exactly been in the joking mood, you know?"

"Yeah; yeah I do."

"So what's up? Did you just call to hear my voice?"

"As if! Actually, we were wondering if you wanted to hang out."

"We?"

"Me, Tara and Hay Hay; we were thinking of having a picnic in the park. Are you in?"

"Well that depends; what kind of food are you bringing?"

"Same old Irma; we have three pizzas and some soda."

"Then you can count me in; but do we really have to do it in the park?"

"I'm sorry, Irma; I forgot what happened-"

"Yeah? Well lucky you."

"Listen, I really don't want to fight with you, Irma."

Irma sighed. "Neither do I, Cornelia. I'm just not too big on the park idea."

"Hey, I understand, but we wanted to go somewhere we can talk about anything."

Irma caught the emphasis that Cornelia placed on the word 'anything'; she reluctantly got up from the coach and walked out of the room, leaving her mother and Chris plunkered down in front of the TV. She waiting until she was in the kitchen before speaking again, her voice low.

"Alright, Corny, spill; what happened?"

"Well, a bunch of things actually, but the most important is what happened to Hay Lin…" Cornelia's voice trailed off.

Irma dropped the phone in shock; she had to scramble to grab it before it hit the floor. She pressed it to her ear and began speaking a bit too fast.

"Whathappened to her? Isshe ok?"

"Whoa; slow down, Irma."

"Is she ok, Corny? What happened?"

"She's fine, Irma; she's fine. Do you remember that creep from Metamoor?"

Irma eyed her arm, which was still in its fiberglass and polyurethane cast. She could still move it up and down, but that was about the limit; she could bend her wrists only about halfway, and she could barely write with her right, and dominant, hand.

"Oh, I remember him all right; did he do something to my Hay Hay?"

What followed were some of the tensest seconds that Irma had ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Finally, Cornelia took a deep breath and began her story.

"Well, yesterday Hay Lin and I were walking to the Silver Dragon for dinner; I guess that...guy from Metamoor was sneaking around, because one second Hay Lin is walking beside me, and the next she's bleeding all over the place."

"What? Bleeding?"

"Irma…that…that man cut her shoulder down to the bone…there was so much blood…"

This time, Irma did not catch the phone as it fell to the ground. She was still absorbing what Cornelia had told her; she closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths, which she exhaled slowly. She bent over and picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear.

" – you there? Irma?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Are you ok? I know Hay Lin's your best friend; should we wait until we see you to finish the story?"

Irma shook her head, even though Cornelia was on the other side of town. "Well, there's a chance that my mom won't let me go out, considering what happened…what happened to me."

As Irma said this, her mind began to bring up unwanted memories; she could see herself walking home that night. She watched in her mind's eye as that…that man suddenly jumped out from behind a tree and caused her to squeak in surprise. She watched as the normally unreserved Irma breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at the man, who smiled in return. And then, as she turned around, he asked that question that she shouldn't have answered.

Her mind's eye forced her to watch as the man grabbed her; she could only observe as he explored her body with his hands. She was a silent spectator to her own sexual assault; compelled to witness her own terrified screams for help which had never came. And, suddenly, the man was gone and Irma was running; she was running as hard and fast as she could and at last she had made it home.

Suddenly, Irma felt as if her lungs where being constricted. She gasped for breath, letting out puffs and wheezes that would have made a chain smoker jealous. She could feel sharp lances of pain in her chest and slapped a hand over her heart; her vision swam and she unanticipated felt the urge to vomit. Sweat began to break out on her back and forehead and she started to tremble, slowly at first and then faster and more violently.

Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and Irma screamed; she began to fight like a person possessed, but whoever was gripping her shoulders held on with an iron grasp. Irma felt the phone yanked from her hand and distantly heard the beep as the connection with Cornelia was cut off. And then she was forcibly turned around and she got a firsthand look at her attacker…

Irma stopped fighting as quickly as she started and concentrated on slowing her breathing, taking deep breaths and holding them in for several seconds before releasing them. Her father stood over her and offered words of encouragement as she slowly calmed down.

"You're doing fine, honey; just keep breathing."

Irma launched herself into her father's arms and began to sob; salty tears formed twin waterfalls that cascaded down her mocha skin. Her father began to rub her back reassuringly as he spoke softly to her.

"Listen to me, Irma; you're having a panic attack. They're pretty common for women who've been through something traumatic like you have."

Irma nodded, still too out of breath to speak; tears continued to pour out of her eyes as she started to blabber, her hysterical breakdown drawing unwanted attention in the form of her stepmother and brother.

"Why did he choose me, dad? It could've been any girl in the city, so why was it me?"

Tom Lair was silent as he held his crying daughter; in truth, he didn't know what to tell her.

"I…I don't know, Irma." He said at last.

Irma pushed herself out of his grasp; she sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"Dad; would you call Cornelia back and tell them to go to the park without me? I don't want them to have to cancel their plans just because I can't deal with my problems."

To her shock, her father kneeled down and grabbed her by the shoulders, none to gently.

"Now you listen to me, Irma Lair; there is no one in the world who could deal with something like this. What you're going through is something that no woman, let alone girl, should ever have to go through. Don't you think for a second that you are weak or cowardly just because you can't deal with it; do you understand me?"

Irma nodded, the last remains of her tears shining on her face.

"Please, daddy, can you tell the other girls that you won't let me go with them? I don't want them to see me acting like this."

"Irma, the best way for you to cope with this is to be with people who love and care about you, and I believe those friends of yours are the real deal. I'll lie for you this one time, but I really think that they would understand and support you right now in your time of need."

Irma nodded again; Tom smiled down at her.

"Plus, I think you'll be sorry if you miss this picnic."


Heatherfield Memorial Park
Sunday 1:00 PM

Taranee screamed as A'k'sl's foot stamped down on her already tender ribs; she felt an agonizing lance of pain as two more of her thoracic supports snapped like brittle twigs. She barely had time to let out two hacking coughs, with produced blood, before A'k'sl reached down and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, lifting the Guardian as easily as Taranee herself might lift a young child. The Cranal slammed his prize into a tree, which caused Taranee to give another choking sound as his bulky metacarpus slammed into the top of her trachea.

"Let go of her, you brute!"

A'k'sl barely acknowledged the blonde who was slamming her fists against the tight muscles of his lower back or the small Asian girl who was moving her hands around in various directions, obviously trying in vain to call upon her element, but in reality causing nothing more significant than a slight breeze to batter the Cranal.

"Where is your leader, little girl?" A'k'sl roared at the struggling Fire Guardian. She opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a strangled gurgling sound. A'k'sl sighed and released his grip; the girl fell to the ground in a heap at his feet. She barely had time to turn over before his foot was back on her chest, pressing down and causing her remaining ribs to creak in protest.

"I can't believe that you're the famous Guardians everyone's been talking about. If I had know from the very beginning how easy it was to take you by surprise, I wouldn't have played any of those mind games with any of you or your pathetic families."

He increased the pressure on Taranee's chest and let out a sadistic chuckle as he heard another rib snap. He leaned down so that he was eye to wide eye with the terrified Guardian.

"Call for your leader, girl! Call before I kill you and hunt her down myself."

Out loud Taranee screamed, longer and louder than before, as a forth rib popped and the broken shards of the other five dug into the soft tissues of her thoracic cavity. And in her mind, she screamed for Will.

'Will please…I need you…'

A/N – Alright, so here is chapter 11. Again, sorry if any of you are cross because I made you wait for it, but I've been busy with school and tests and rugby. And here are the review responses.

XV-Dragon – Thank you for your kind words, sir. You know, I actually looked at your profile for the first time tonight. I know, I'm slow. To think that Kayden Mcleod is giving MY story praise. That means a lot to me. I actually googled "Quiet Wyatt" and it turns out my profile is the second thing that comes up on the second page of the search, which means that I am moving up in the world.

Sportsman – Again, thank you for calling me on having the paragraphs all morphed into one big cluster fuck. Honestly, fucking fan fiction did that on its own for some reason, but I did correct it, so everyone give kudos to Sportsman because will out him chapter 10 might still be a bitch to read.

NIkly – Thank you for the review. Thank you for saying that my Taranee is always in character; it means so much to me. And I believe I have answered one of your questions in this chapter. I'll answer the others in future chapters.

MaJorReader619 – I misspoke…mistyped. I meant to say that I am taking my first big test. I don't have midterms per say, but two big tests and a final exam, so this is kinda like a midterm…are you following me?

DayDreamer9 – I agreed with you. We did hear from Irma in this chapter, and I really hope her breakdown is believable, because I do not want to write it again.

lost prince – glad to know you liked it, my man. As always, I am writing this for the fans as much as I am to…I dunno…express myself? Anyway glad to know that you are still enjoying it, and I hope that you continue to do so.

babywhale512 – and that brings us to you, Liz. Before I start, I just want to say that everyone who reads this should, if they haven't already, read Liz's "What Price…" trilogy, which begins with "What Price Loyalty". Those stories are the main driving force behind this one. Remember to leave long reviews for her, because then she'll be inspired and update faster ;) JK. Please take your time and make it perfect for us, Liz. Hope you like the chapter, and feel free to tell me anything you had a problem with. Ahem…that goes for everyone who reads this story. Part of writing fan fiction is to get writing experience that we can use in the real world, right?

And to everyone who wished me luck with my geology test, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I actually won't get the test back until Wednesday. Today is Monday where I live…actually, it just turned Tuesday. But thank you for the good luck wishes.