La Dolce Vita
By Seniya
E is for Empathy
The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.
Meryl Streep
Humans can never really be truly lonely. The human mind isn't meant to be an individual. That is why, upon the first touch of isolation, the mind crumbles. Suicide, or its decent into madness is often quick, usually painless.
Those who fight the madness, find other ways to cope.
The end of September came remarkably fast, although with practices, planning sessions and group meetings, maybe it wasn't that remarkable.
Summer was over, and all the dramatics that had come with it were slowly fading as well. There had been memorial services for all of the deceased girls, a few special broadcasts on the local TV stations and then, that too passed.
Fall was in the air. It was in the yellows and reds on the edges of the trees and in the smell of pumpkin pie as one walked past the town bakery.
There was the touch of cold in the evening winds, and gradually night came home earlier.
Much like the seasons and the heavens, Heatherfield was moving on.
Taranee Cook was not one to move on. She had a horrible habit of holding things in her heart. It annoyed her beyond comprehension to see that the town had forgotten about the girls.
In fact, it damn well pissed her off.
Actually, before I go on, there is something you should know. Most things pissed Taranee off. Although, not things that could be easily fixed. Things like global warming, racism and the state of the economy.
Another problem she had was that she really couldn't understand why the world couldn't be fixed.
So she had decided, quite a while ago, that fix it she would.
Fix it through placards and chants and witty speeches made on the steps outside of the Town Hall.
Although (to her eternal dismay) she had been born a few decades after the magnificent protests for civil rights and female equality that had shaped this great nation – Taranee had taken the lessons in her history books to heart.
And she put them to good use.
"We are calling on the Heatherfield Police Department to give us answers!" Taranee Cook was the daughter of two lawyers (one who had recently been voted mayor in the last election) and younger sister of one brother who now was studying law at Howard University.
She had plans to study law as well, in a few years.
It was, after all, part of her grand master plan (decided since she'd been five), to become a powerful environmental attorney and take down a multi-national corporation.
"Do they know what the truth is?" Dressed in a t-shirt she'd gotten at last year's Young Leaders World Conference, linen pants and leather shoes – Taranee was something of a paradox. "Let them know that we know! Stand up for your rights! We have a right to transparency!"
Everyday her mother dropped her off at school in a BMW, Taranee would then reach into her two hundred dollar backpack and retrieve flyers, dozens (printed on recycled paper) of whatever was today's cause.
She'd angrily shove those papers into the unsuspecting arms of her peers, and if they dared to seem less than enthralled by whatever the topic was – she'd launch into another argument.
"Why was Lydia's body never recovered? Where's the police report? Is there a serial killer out there? Are we safe in our own beds ... in our own schools?"
Irma was not in the mood to deal with Taranee today. When she hadn't seen the belligerent girl over the summer or since school had started back, she'd happily assumed she had run off to Europe to be with her kind.
Unfortunately...
"Irma Lair!" Irma rolled her eyes and tried to push past the crowd congregated at the school gate. Taranee was a fast one however (she sometimes did track for extra credit), and had soon caught up.
"What does it feel like to live under the same roof as a liar and deceiver of justice?" She spoke in a loud, clear voice.
"Dunno Taranee, what does it feel like to know your Dad is a closeted homosexual." Louder and clearer still, Irma's bright blue eyes glistened with challenge.
"That's slander if I've ever heard it."
"You need a man or a life. Better both."
Taranee pushed away into the crowd and started another argument with a tall blonde boy from 12th grade – and Irma moved forward, stopping only briefly to pass through the line of security guards and metal detectors stationed out front.
Her muscles were more than a little sore from a weekend of practice and an early morning jog – that she'd tried to skip (but had ended up being dragged from her bedroom window by an over-eager Yan Lin).
Beneath the harsh fluorescent hall lights she spotted a flash of red hair standing in front of a locker, and she rushed over. "I see you've survived Holocaust 101."
Will's dark brown eyes looked up without a sparkle of recognition. She looked bored, as usual, but hidden beneath the nonchalance and deep auburn lashes were dark circles, vivid against her porcelain skin.
Will frowned, "My Dad's Jewish and we don't take well to Holocaust analogies."
Irma shrugged, "Tough crowd. God, my back is killing me and I've got Satan first period and I have yet to conjugate a single French verb. I can hear her tormenting me already, vous, vous vous ..."
Will didn't respond, it's unlikely that she would have, but Irma thought it would be polite to wait anyways – that was until a loud noise from the entrance of the school grabbed her attention.
"Fire!"
A single shout caused a thousand reactions, from screams to a rush of bodies with the single intention of moving towards the back exit of the school.
It wasn't a hoax, there it was, as clear as day – bright orange flames engulfing the space beyond the school's double doors. The heat came in the next instant – that translucent wave that distorted colours and made you feel as though your skin were peeling off.
Irma spared no thought to moving along with the exodus – but a firm arm around her wrist pulled her back against the lockers.
"Irma, use your water powers to put out the fire." Will had to shout to be heard over the crowd – the brunette, through her panic, thought about how strange it would be if someone overheard.
"Are you crazy Will!" Irma flinched as someone trampled over her toes, "What if people see?"
"It doesn't matter! Do you want the school to burn down?"
"Um, kinda ... yeah."
"Stop it! This is serious, people could get hurt." Someone jabbed Will in her side and the petite girl didn't waste a second before shoving them back. "Look, I'll kill the lights ok ... so no one will see you."
Irma looked skittish, but Will had already closed her eyes, and the look of pure concentration had come over her face.
"I can't believe this ..." Behind her, the metal lockers began to rattle ever so subtly. Irma took a moment to ensure that all three hundred students and teachers were still trying to squeeze through the single door in the back before pushing through the crowd and heading in the opposite direction, to the entrance.
"Oh my God!" More screams as some locker doors leapt open on their own accord and two of the ceiling lights shattered, causing glass to rain down on the already frazzled crowd.
"Two lights Will?" Irma pushed forward still, knowing full well that anyone who cared to could and would see her.
There was no one closer to the entrance, even the security guards had long disappeared – leaving the metal detectors, two lone brave sentinels guarding the fortress.
Although not for long.
The heat from the fire had already begun to affect them; the one on the right was already starting to bend in the centre, forming a strange V shaped arc.
The flames rose like nothing Irma had even seen before. They were a single column, about 10 feet wide and 30 feet tall. They didn't move, didn't spread, didn't smoke, just stayed in that single spot, causing the concrete beneath it to crackle and pop.
"How the hell am I supposed to get rid of ..." Irma looked behind her for Will – for some advice – a mage or some Yoda like creature bearing wisdom. However, the only thing behind her was the screaming crowd and before her stood the metaphorical ogre.
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a fire extinguisher – well, why not?
The mechanics of this rescue plot were just about to align themselves in her mind when the fire vanished.
Just like that – just as quickly as it had come.
If it hadn't been for the charred black spots on the walkway, Irma would have sworn she'd been dreaming.
That – and the fact that there was a very bewildered looking Taranee Cook staring right back at her.
"I swear ... it had to be her!" Sitting in the basement of Yan Lin's restaurant, eating a microwaved version of yesterday's Won Ton Soup, Irma felt excited.
She'd found the final guardian of course, and even though there wasn't who she wanted it to be less – the fact she'd done this feat, was making up for it.
Irma and Will had come here after the medical personnel had checked each and every student and staff member to ensure that they were all "good to go". School had been dismissed early of course, and the pair had decided to come to the Silver Dragon rather than return to their respective homes.
Will, was being Will. "I dunno ... are you sure you didn't just make the fire go away by yourself?"
"How would I?"
"It's just weird that's all. She wasn't even transformed. How could she have so much power? When I'm not in my Guardian state ... I can't even get the lights to turn off ..."
"Speaking of which," Irma paused with her chopsticks in mid-air to make a point, "real let-down Will, your master-plan to kill the lights. Stevie Wonder could have spotted me."
"I ..." Will stared into her soup ... a thin layer of grease floated on top of the clear orange liquid, dotted with little dough balls. "Whatever ..."
"Hi guys!" Hay Lin, wearing a bright floral dress that would have been better on the beaches of Barbados, rather than in the near-autumn chill of September, sauntered into the basement. "Did school finish early?"
"There was a fire." Irma chomped.
"Really?" The Asian girl yawned (a pitiful reaction really), "I was upstairs doing some calculus ... but I didn't hear any sirens or anything."
"That's because it was some weirdo-psycho-zombie fire. Oh, I found the other guardian!"
"Stop saying that, you don't know for sure ..."
"Will's such a downer. Drink your soup Will."
"So what's she like?" Hay Lin caught onto the excitement, she placed her chin into her palms and looked from Will to Irma for answers.
"She's a pain. If your shoes are made in Vietnam or something, she'll try to saw your toes off on behalf of the orphans who can't ..."
"Wow." Hay Lin seemed to be in awe. Really, this was a new experience for her; she'd never had so many friends. "I'll tell Nana, but it's the lunch time rush now, and she says that she's about to go off on a mother ... well I can't say that word."
"All right, what's this about an emergency?" Cornelia, smelling strongly of Chanel No.5 and dressed to the nines in skinny jeans, wedges and an expensive looking top, walked in.
"God Corny, if you showered you wouldn't have to bathe in cologne."
"If a smell is bothering you Irmee, it's probably your upper lip."
"All right," Will got to her feet, "I called everybody here because ..."
"Hold up Will ..." Irma faced Cornelia, "why weren't you at practice this morning?"
Cornelia rolled her eyes and stepped closer to one of the gigantic bookcases. "Um ... because, like I explained to Yan Lin, I have voice lessons at 7 and I just can't be expected ..."
"Will, tell Cornelia that no special rules apply for her." Irma snapped.
"Will is not the boss of me. Besides, I don't need to practice as much as the rest of you! I'm already ..."
"You guys ... I really wish you'd stop fighting sometimes ... because all the yelling ..." Hay Lin tried to make peace, but the war was already lost.
"Are you kidding me? My powers are way better than yours. At least I can actually do something! What are you gonna do sprout leaves and go Tarzan ..."
"I called you here because I think we should move practices to Meridian! The time works faster over there and we can get more in ..." but the rambling continued, and Will, never one to persist for very long, thought about going home and crawling into bed.
"What's all the noise about?" However, when Caleb walked in, it was to silence.
"Caleb," Cornelia straightened her hair, her bracelets and then her top. "H-How are you ..."
Irma snickered.
"I am well Cornelia. I could almost hear you from Meridian –"
Hay Lin laughed suddenly, "No you couldn't ... oh that's a joke ... I get it."
"No you didn't Hay Lin. It was a stupid joke." Will replied.
"This noise ... you were having a disagreement?" Ever since Cornelia and Irma had joined the team, Caleb had seen a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, he had met hope, and now he was almost cheerful, he made jokes and even sometimes laughed.
Some might even say that he was downright chipper.
Caleb sat down at the table across from Will, who scowled. Cornelia, oblivious, pulled a stool closer to Caleb's side and also sat while watching his profile with rapt attention.
"I wanted to speak with you ... all of you. I have been thinking that we should move training sessions to Meridian. It's safer now than before ... and it doesn't even matter because we can defeat almost anything Phobos sends our way." He was practically beaming. "If we go to Meridian, we can save more time and the people can see and meet all of you ... and then that will give them hope."
"I completely agree." Cornelia said without a moment's hesitation.
"Of course you do." Irma cooed.
"Well I think it's great." Hay Lin chirped, and then added, "Do you think I could do my homework over there too? Then I could do twice as much."
"Will?" Caleb fixed his powerful green eyes on the redhead, who was still scowling.
"Yeah ... whatever."
"Whatever is Will speak for hell yeah," Irma snorted and Hay Lin giggled.
"Caleb, we've found another guardian ..." Hay Lin began.
"Not we ... I found her. What are we gonna do kidnap her like what you did to us? You know ... we should totally haze her before she can join ..."
"Are you certain?" Caleb asked.
"Pretty sure. Well I mean giant columns of fire don't just pop up." Irma shrugged.
"They might ... on this chat room, this lady said some aliens from Xanazazu communicate with Devil people through fire columns ... mostly from her back yard though." Hay Lin looked thoughtful.
She was ignored.
"You should keep this to yourselves until you are certain. I shall tell Lucia when I return home."
Caleb moved to stand and Cornelia mirrored his actions. "Are you going already?"
"Yes ... I have promised to meet with some soldiers from the Northern cities. They've travelled from very far and I cannot be late."
"You heard the man Corny. Now wipe off that saliva and pull your self-respect from off the floor." Irma grinned.
There was a comeback on the tip of Cornelia's tongue but she swallowed it and smiled. She would do anything to remain calm and mature in this situation.
"Bye Caleb," sang Hay Lin, before reaching for Will's untouched soup carton.
"Will," There was a heavy hand on her shoulder. "I would like a word with you." He wished his words didn't sound so loud and rough in the tiny room. A stupid thing to think or feel really – and an all together unfamiliar sensation.
Will felt the warmth from his hand, felt it through the fleece of her sweatshirt. It tingled, she spoke, "I would, but I can't really guarantee one word now can I ... so ..."
Caleb, who had no knack for subtlety or twenty-first century tact, was as a result, needlessly blunt. "It was not a request."
"Maybe it should be."
Silence.
"In the name of the Gods ..." He grabbed her by the hood of her sweatshirt and pulled her roughly off of her seat.
She complained every step of the way and the other three guardians watched, with terribly concealed interest, until Caleb shut the basement door behind them.
"W-What ..." It was Cornelia who broke the silence. She hadn't liked what she'd just seen, "what time did you say practice was again."
"Lucia is missing." In a dimly lit corner of the narrow corridor that led to the basement, Caleb blurted out what he'd come to Earth to explain to Will.
Will, who'd been sulking and looking for a way to avoid both Caleb's eyes and his arms (pressed on the wall and touching her shoulders), looked up. "What? When?"
"I recieved word of it this morning. She lives on her own in a village far to the East, so it's difficult to say when she would have gone ..."
"Did she just leave? You can't be sure that she's missing."
Caleb watched Will in silence for a few moments, their eyes met, and she quickly looked away. "Lucia ... she would tell me if she had left."
The heavy scent of dust, age and soy sauce lingered about them, gradually, the air grew warm, later still it grew stagnant. "Why?"
"It is not your place to ask."
It was clear what the reason was – at least in Will's mind, and the knowledge caused a heavy knot of emotion to clog up her lungs. "I understand."
Caleb sighed, he could tell what she thought – despite the frequent language barrier, he always seemed to know what she was thinking, "I've known her since I was a boy. She took care of me in a way ... after my father passed."
"Oh ..." The tension in her chest eased – for whatever reason. "How did your father die?"
"A sickness of the blood. My four older brothers also succumb."
"But not you."
"Not me."
This time when he sought her gaze, she held it – gazing into the myriad of greens in his eyes – mosses and leaves and jewels.
"Someone has taken her. You must know who I think it is."
"Yeah." Will mumbled. "I know."
Author: It's me! God, I had this story in my Fanfiction folder for months! Been swamped and stressed with work and other adventures. The thing is I'm a professional news (yawn I mean journalist) writer. And after a long day of typing away, the last thing I need to see at home is Microsoft Word.
Well guys, I'm much grateful for the support and comments. I've listened and no Matt, maybe he'll make a cameo but no love interests.
I had some more planned for this chapter, but that'll come later. This chapter is also important, I think. I wanted to show the interaction between the girls. The fact that no one listens to Will, but Caleb does see her as the leader. Also wanted to highlight the fact that Will still has problems with her powers and I want you to note how Caleb's Dad died.
Think that's all. I will begin writing part 2 of this sometime this week.
Again, please review!