Recap of Chapter Eleven
As Misao opened her eyes, she found Yan Lin, Hay Lin and Susan standing over her. "What did you find out, Mrs Mikachi?" asked Hay Lin.
Misao sighed and looked over at Susan. "I was able to find out who hurt your daughter, Mrs Vandom."
"Who was it, and where can I find them?" asked Susan.
Before saying anything, Misao gently lifted Will's head up out of her lap, and made her way off of the sofa onto her knees beside it. She then gently placed Will's head down on the sofa, and got to her feet. "Like I said Mrs Vandom, I know who it is that hurt your daughter." said Misao with a sigh. "However, the person I know and the one your daughter knows, is two different people."
"What are you saying, Misao?" asked Susan.
Misao sighed again, and pointed at Susan. "The person your daughter saw hurt her, Susan, was you."
Chapter Twelve
Susan looked at Misao with a look of shock, that quickly changed to anger. "How dare you say that?! I would never hurt my daughter!"
"And I don't doubt you at all, Susan." said Misao. "As I told you, I know the person who hurt your daughter and it isn't you. However, to Will she saw only you. So to her, you are the one who slapped her twice, and told her that you never wanted to see her again, as well as telling her that she was no longer your daughter." Misao then turned to Yan Lin. "Mrs. Lin, I am unable to fix this problem on my own. So, I need to know if you can accompany me to Kandrakar, and see the Oracle?" Yan Lin nodded, and told her that she would come.
"I'm going too!" shouted Hay Lin. "Will is my friend, and I want to help her anyway I can." Misao didn't think this was a good idea, and looked over at Yan Lin for her opinion. Yan Lin told her that once Hay Lin had made it up her mind, it was very hard to change it.
Misao sighed, then looked towards Susan. "What about you, Susan?"
"I don't know what this Kandrakar is, but if it can help my daughter then I am going." said Susan looking over at her still sleeping daughter.
"Very well." said Misao. "I just hope the Oracle isn't to angry with me for doing this." She then made her way back over to Will. Kneeling down, she proceeded to pick WIll up into her arms. With Will in her arms, Misao stood back up. "Everyone gather around me." Everyone did as she asked, and made their way over to stand around her. She then held up the Heart of Kandrakar. "Heart of Kandrakar, take us to the Oracle." There was a flash of light, and when it dissipated the basement was empty.
-
Inside a room at the Temple of Kandrakar, a cat like woman stood in front of a pedestal watching five balls of light moving in a circle. A sudden flash of pink light off to her right, caused her to look in that direction. She found four people standing there, with one of them carrying another person. Luba's eyes narrowed at the black haired woman. "What are you doing here?!" she shouted.
Misao hearing the voice, looked in Luba's direction. "Trust me Luba, I wasn't trying to come to you." spat Misao. "Where is the Oracle?"
"And why should I tell you that?" asked Luba with a sneer.
Misao narrowed her eyes at Luba, then turned to Susan. "Susan, take your daughter for a moment." Susan who was looking around the room in wonder, turned to face Misao. She then realized that Misao had told her to take Will, and held out her arms to do so. Misao placed Will into her mother's arms, then strode across the room towards Luba. A few moments later, Misao stood in front of Luba. "Listen here, you fur-faced old bat! The Oracle gave me a job to do in protecting the guardians. Now I don't care if you ever like me or not, but you are preventing me from doing that job by refusing to tell me where the Oracle is." She then pointed back towards Will and Susan. "Nerissa has already gotten to the keeper of the heart, and I am not able to repair the damage that was done to her. If you care at all about stopping Nerissa, then help me help her."
Luba looked over at Will, and sighed. "Very well, I will let the Oracle know you are here. Wait here." With this said, Luba turned away from Misao and walked off soon leaving the room.
A few minutes after Luba had left the room, she returned followed by the Oracle and Tibor. Soon as Misao saw him, she bowed to the Oracle. "Oracle, I apologize for coming here but I didn't have any other choice."
The Oracle having made his way over to stand in front of Misao, asked her to stand up straight. Misao did as he asked, and looked into his eyes. "Luba told me some of why you are here, Misao." said The Oracle. He then looked over towards Will and her mother. "Luba told me that the young keeper has been influenced by Nerissa."
"That is only partially correct Oracle." said Misao. The Oracle turned back to face her, and asked her to tell him everything that had happened. Misao nodded, and began to tell him everything that she had saw when she had seen Will's memories.
When Misao had finished, The Oracle nodded to her and looked back over at Will and Susan. "Is the black haired woman, the young keeper's mother?"
"Yes Oracle. Her name is Susan."
The Oracle nodded, then turning away from Misao headed over to where Susan was standing with Will in her arms. "Mrs. Vandom, I can tell by the look upon your face that you have a lot of questions." Susan looked towards the young man in front of her and nodded. She started to speak, but the Oracle held up his hand to stop her. "I will answer any questions you have, but before that I need to help your daughter."
"What are you going to do to, Will?" asked Susan not sure if she should trust the young man or not.
"I am only going to wake her up, then show her what really happened." said the Oracle. Misao hearing this, shouted at him that he couldn't do that. The Oracle turned to face her. "Misao, everything is going to be fine, I promise." Misao still didn't like what he was going to do, but she nodded. "Mrs Vandom, if you will please follow me. Misao, I want you to come as well, while the others remain here."
Hay Lin started to protest, but she was stopped by Yan Lin placing her hand on top of her shoulder. "Everything will be okay, Hay Lin." Hay Lin sadly nodded, and watched as Susan followed the Oracle and Misao out of the room.
-
A few moments later, Susan was lead into a room that had a small bed over in the corner of the room. The Oracle motioned towards the bed, and asked Susan to place Will down on the bed. Making her way across the room, Susan soon reached the bed and did as the Oracle had asked by lying Will down on the bed. After she had done this, she used her right hand to brush a few strands of Will's hair out of her eyes. "Don't worry sweetheart, I won't ever let anything like this happen to you again."
Feeling a hand on her arm, Susan turned and found the Oracle standing next to her. "Mrs. Vandom, I promise you that your daughter will not be harmed." Susan didn't say anything. "Mrs. Vandom, if you could go stand over near the door I will wake up your daughter." As he let go of Susan's arm, she nodded and moved away from the bed heading towards the rooms door.
"Is there anything that I can do, Oracle?" asked Misao. The Oracle told her no, and added that she had done enough by preventing Nerissa from taking Will. Misao sighed at this. "Very well, Oracle."
The Oracle then placed his hand on top of Will's forehead. There was a bright flash of light, and a few moments later a small groan came from Will. Susan hearing the groan started to make her way towards the bed, so she could check on Will. However, Misao having joined her near the door, caught her by the arm and whispered "Wait." Susan gave Misao a pained look, but decided that the young woman before her was right.
As Will's eyes fluttered open a few moments later, she found the Oracle standing over her. "Oracle?" she asked in questioning tone. She then asked him, how she had gotten to Kandrakar. The Oracle told her that Misao had brought her here, after saving her from Nerissa. Will looked at him in a confused sort of way, then sadly sighed. "I guess it wasn't a dream after all." She then raised her hand up to her left cheek. "Mom really did slap me, and tell me that she didn't ever want to see me again."
Susan couldn't bare to hear the sadness in her daughters voice, and once again started to move towards the bed. Misao however, still had a grip on her arm. "Susan, I know you want to go to Will and help her, but if you do so now it will only makes things worse. Please let the Oracle handle this." Susan ignored Misao's words, and continued to try and headed towards Will. With a sigh, Misao forcibly pulled Susan back, and got in between to older woman and the path to the bed. "Susan, I am going to tell you the same thing I told Luba. I was given the task of protecting the guardians from danger, and I intend to do that, even if it is from you." Susan's eyes widened at this. "Now please listen to me, and let The Oracle help Will. I don't want to have to remove you from the room, but I will if I have too." Susan gave her a sad look, but nodded. Misao then stepped back from Susan and looked over her shoulder to find the Oracle looking at her with a look of deep regret. Misao knew that he didn't like what she had just done, but he didn't say anything to her about it as he turned back to Will.
"I need you to listen to me, very closely young guardian." said The Oracle. When Will looked up and him and nodded, he continued. "What happened at the lake only happened, because it was influenced by Nerissa."
Will's eyes widened at this news. "Nerissa pretended to be my mom, and did this to me?" she asked. "Why?"
"She knows that one of the people that you care the most for, is your mother, young guardian." said the Oracle. "She used this knowledge to her advantage, and almost convinced you to join her as a means of taking away the pain you felt by what you saw your mother do. If it hadn't been for Misao and the air guardian arriving when they did, you would be with Nerissa right now."
"So everything that happened today, was all a lie?" asked Will. The Oracle nodded to this. Will then sadly looked towards the Oracle. "How am I going to explain all of this to my Mom?"
"You're mother already knows, young guardian." said the Oracle stepping to the side. He then motioned towards the door, where Susan was standing.
Will looking in that direction, saw her mother standing there with Misao. "Mom, I can explain."
Susan was quickly across the room, and embracing her daughter in a hug. "It is alright, Will" said Susan.
The Oracle left the side of the bed and made his way over to stand in front of Misao. "Let's leave them alone, to talk this over." Misao nodded to him, and turned to the door. Pushing it open it, she stepped aside so The Oracle could leave first. A few moments both Misao and the Oracle had left Susan and Will alone, and was walking down the hallway. After walking a short distance, The Oracle came to a stop and turned so he was facing Misao. "Misao, I am very disappointed in your actions."
Misao looked down at the floor. "I know, Oracle. But I only did it because it was due to the task you gave me. If Mrs Vandom had let Will see her before you had told her what had happened, she would have taken it very badly."
"That may be true, Misao, but sometime a mother's love can overcome many issues." said The Oracle.
"I don't know anything about a mother's love, Oracle." said Misao a bit testily. "Mine kept me hidden away until I was eight, then tried to kill me along with aunt Cassidy."
The Oracle sighed sadly at her words. "I am really sorry that had to happen to you Misao. And if I could go back and change any of it, I would." Misao simply nodded to this. The Oracle then turned away from her, and headed off down the hallway. "Come Misao. We need to let the others know, that the young guardian is safe."
Misao didn't follow him right away, and looked back towards the door of the room Susan and Will were in. 'As long as my mother is free, Will will never be safe.' Hearing her name called, Misao looked back in the direction she had been heading, and found the Oracle waiting for her. As Misao reached his side, The Oracle asked her if something was wrong? "No, Oracle, nothing is wrong. I was just wondering what was being said by Will and her mother." The Oracle sighed to himself, concerning Misao's obvious lie. He then nodded, and told her not to dwell on things that she couldn't control. Misao wasn't sure what he meant by that, but before she could ask him, The Oracle had turned away from her and once again headed off down the hallway. Misao soon followed him.
-
Back in the room that Will and Susan were in, Susan having released her daughter was now sitting on the edge of the bed. "Will, I kinda doubt you want to relive what happened to you today, but I would like to know what all did happen." said Susan. "That young man that was here earlier told me that he would explain everything to me, but so far all I have been told, is on how you got hurt. Was it really me, that you saw do this to you?"
Will nodded. "Yes Mom, it was. But The Oracle told me the truth, and that it was a person named Nerissa that did everything that happened today."
"Just who is this Nerissa?" asked Susan. "And why would she hurt you like this?" Will sighed at this, and told her mother that it was a very long story. "I am sure we have plenty of time, Will, since to me it feels like time is either going very slow here, or has stopped."
"That is probably true, Mom." said Will. "Are you sure you want me to tell you everything that has happened?"
"How much exactly are you talking about, Will?" asked Susan.
Will told her that it depended on how much she wanted to know. "If it is just what happened today, it shouldn't take very long. However, if you want to know the full details on who Nerissa is, as well as everything else that I am involved in, it could take possibly several hours."
Susan's eyes widened when she heard that it could take several hours, for Will to tell her everything. She then sighed. "Will, I want to know everything." she said. "However, you can tell me only if you are feeling up to it. I am not going to force you to do this." Will nodded to this, and then with a sigh she began to tell her mother everything.
End of Chapter Twelve