In the early morning hours, a woman gasped and sat up in her bed. Will could have sworn she heard Taranee screaming, but maybe it was a nightmare from the uneasy sleep. Two days ago, they lost their friend, and it was unknown what their enemy could be doing to her. She hoped Taranee was strong enough to hold on. Will frowned, cupping her head. It felt strange as if something was suddenly squeezing it. Quickly the peculiar feeling passed, and she shook her head, dispelling the remaining heaviness.

Going to the bathroom for a cup of water, Will wondered what to do as sleep eluded her. Yesterday she met with the girls, and they argued and made plans on how to rescue Taranee. However, without knowledge of the place where she was imprisoned, it was quite a futile endeavor. Cedric might have been waiting for them with an army guarding their friend. Maintaining the fake copy of their friend drained their magic. It took its toll, making them tired, but that was the cost of anonymity. They could not make everybody suspicious about another missing girl.

Will could not interact with the copy without feeling guilty. It was her decision that confirmed Taranee's fate. So she constantly avoided the fake girl. Now, sitting in the dark, hugging her knees, Will wondered why her life was so complicated and how many mistakes she could make. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried erasing the images of Phobos from her mind, but it was hard. Was it so wrong to feel something more after everything he did? The Prince was a mystery waiting to be solved. On the other hand, if he was responsible for the ambush, maybe she could muster the familiar feelings of hate for him. Yet, somehow, her heart refused to listen to the reason.

As the sun started coloring her room in reds and yellows, Will rose from the bed, getting ready for another day. Going through the routine motions, she took a shower, dressed, and made the bed. With a small breakfast, Will took a strong cup of coffee. It was the only thing keeping her awake.

The school was slow and just endlessly exhausted her with an overabundance of information. Will knew she needed to maintain her grades, but somehow it felt meaningless in the grand scheme of things. How naive and innocent everybody around her seemed. Or maybe she was just too jaded to care about gossip, fashion, boyfriends, and other things girls around her age wanted. Will did not know how the girls coped with their dual identities. Was she the only one who could not manage to differentiate?
Her head hurt, and the pounding in the skull made concentrating on the lesions almost impossible. There was a constant buzzing in the ears, as if someone had turned on a broken radio. Louder, quieter, louder… Will could not make out the clear sound, but it muffled all the background noise. Silently groaning, she sat straighter listening to the teacher, but every word sounded like gibberish. If only she could sleep. Everything around her blurred. Maybe she was getting sick. Placing the head in her hands and Will closed her eyes, but it merely made the pain worse.
'Miss Vandom! Will Vandom!' the familiar voice called to her 'Are you sleeping in my class?'
She lifted her head, feeling a bit disoriented, and saw a disappointed look on Miss Rudolph's face. There was giggling and laughing at the back of the class.
'Sorry, Miss Rudolph…' Will shrank into herself as the hot blood rushed to her cheeks. It was embarrassing to be caught daydreaming, 'won't happen again…'
'I hope not. Stay after class.' The teacher said and went back to the whiteboard to continue with the lesson. Will winced with a sharp stab in the back of the head. It seemed like with every blink the pain became worse. She should go to the nurse and get some painkillers, but now Miss Rudolph wanted to talk to her.
Minutes felt like hours as the clock ticked, and whatever Miss Rudolph talked about just passed above her understanding as she gritted her teeth and endured a headache. When the bell finally sounded, Will slowly stood up and went to the teacher's desk.
'Will, I am disappointed… Are my lessons that boring that you have to sleep through them?' Miss Rudolph asked, taking off her glasses.
'I am sorry, it was an accident, won't happen again… I'm not feeling good...' she muttered, looking at the grainy wood table, avoiding the teacher's gaze.
'I see… well, your grades have improved, but I cannot ignore your struggle with the material I provide you with.' Teacher Rudolph said, polishing her glasses. She picked up the stick note and quickly scribbled something on the bright pink paper. 'Here, come to this address when you are free. I'll organize some private lessons in my spare time. You are an intelligent girl, and I would hate if your math grade would downgrade your whole semester' she handed her a slip of paper. 'Now, dear, is everything alright? You look quite pale…'
Will accepted the note and secured it inside her notebook. With the sudden movement, her world tilted, and for a second everything blackened out. She tightly gripped the table to maintain her balance.

'I feel weird…' Will muttered. Her mouth suddenly went dry. Miss Rudolph got around the desk and put a hand on her forehead, looking concerned.

'I think you have a slight fever. Come. Let me take you to the nurse' she clasped her elbow, guiding Will through the corridors to the medical office. It was a small room with two beds, many shelves with numerous boxes around the walls. In a corner stood a mini-fridge and a tiny table with some chairs. The room was painted a cheery yellowish color and displayed educational and medical posters. Sitting on the bed covered with a water-resistant sheet, which made crackling sounds when moved, Will felt tired. The nurse checked her blood pressure, temperature, and vision. However, everything was within normal parameters.

'Well, Miss Vandom, you do not have a cold, but I have to ask a few routine questions before prescribing the medicine.' she said, writing on the medical card.

'Are you feeling stressed lately?'

'Maybe…' Will shrugged. She could not reveal to the woman that more than a few times a month, the Guardians were running on pure adrenaline, fighting the monsters in another world. That would send her to the loony bin.

'How are your sleeping patterns?' The nurse continued, noting a few points on a paper.

'I don't know… Normal, but I had a few sleepless nights.' Will lied. She had more than a few nightmares with all these recent events. Her mind churned with thoughts about Phobos and every encounter between them.

'I see. Any loss of appetite or change in eating habits?'

'No, nothing like that…' Eating was never a problem for her, and all the surplus calories she had, were meant for generating magical powers. Running around for your life does wonder for the figure.

'Describe the pain you are now feeling?'

'It's a pounding in the head and sometimes it becomes really sharp, like something is stabbing my brain. Also, I hear a strange buzzing sound in my ears. I had some dark spots when I got up too suddenly…' Will trailed off, concentrating on the pattern on the floor. As long as her eyes remained open, the pain did not grow worse.

'Well, then you have a migraine attack. I will give you painkillers, but you need some peace and quiet. I will write the excuse from the remaining lesions if you go straight home.' The nurse said, acquiring a few tablets from the box and a bottle of water from the fridge. Will swallowed the pills, hoping it would make everything better.

'Should I contact your guardian to take you home?'

'No, thank you. I'll do it myself.' Will said. After a quick farewell, she took her backpack and went to the school lockers. Putting on the jacket and bundling herself in a scarf, she quickly sent a few messages to her mother and the girls, explaining the reason for heading home.

The cold crisp air outside felt good. Will took a deep breath, enjoying the vibrant blue sky with a few white clouds and crisp weather. Whatever the nurse gave her helped to dull the pain. She wondered why she got a headache. After gaining their powers, Guardians never even caught a cold. Physical injuries aside, she had perfect health, as did the other girls. The magic in their blood did not allow them to get ill.

The apartment was empty when she got home. Besides the silent whispering of the electrical appliances, nobody was around. It was not unexpected, as her mother was at work, and she came back before school ended. Feeling tired and drained, Will changed into green and soft cotton pants with a simple white t-shirt. Finding the warmest blanket, she crawled into bed.

Will had no idea long before she was sleeping. Her uneasy dreams were full of pain and fear. Phobos repeatedly stabbed her and watched as she bled out with impassive eyes… Cedric stole her magic away as she struggled to break free… Elyon smirked and laughed with Taranee encased in a crystal bubble… Phobos, Cedric, Elyon… the faces blurred… Taranee is begging, shouting, and crying…

She woke up with her hand tightly clutching her chest. The Heart of Kandrakar burned inside her. The unfamiliar wailing echoed in her ears, and the white-hot pain in her skull made Will scream. Somebody was shaking her, disoriented she trashed on the bed, not comprehending what was happening.

'Will! Wilhelmina! Wake up!'

She opened her eyes, seeing her mother's worried face 'Mommy?'

'Oh, thank god! You are running a fever.' Susan explained in a soothing tone.

There was a cold towel on her head, but the burning did not stop, nor did the voices. Her eyes widened, realizing who she was overhearing. It was Taranee begging for the pain to stop…

'I feel sick…' Will stumbled out of bed, practically falling on her face as the blanket wrapped around her legs. Clutching her belly, she reached for the toilet and vomited the things eaten for lunch. Her stomach convulsed as if it had nothing to give, and the nauseating feeling continued even when she laid her head on the cold bathroom tiles. Concerned, Susan offered her a glass of water. Rinsing the mouth of the nasty aftertaste, Will drank another glass of water, quenching the thirst. Everything hurt. It felt like her body was set ablaze, and the Heart of Kandrakar pulsed in her chest with every heartbeat.

Will leaned on her mom, making a steady walk from the bathroom to her room. After reaching the bed and slumping on it, Will drank the offered medicine. When her mother went back to sleep, she rolled into the small ball covering her ears, hoping it would silence the things from the other side.

How or when the connection happened, Will had no idea. She felt and heard what the enemy was doing to Taranee. Maybe because the other girl was a telepath and sought help in the only way she could, not knowing about the consequences. Will needed help. Magical assistance. Finding her phone and sending messages to the girls, she waited for the morning.

It came slowly, as the continued assault on the mind did not let her rest. Gritting her teeth from the pain and biting back the screams, Will could taste the copper in her mouth. Soon her mother puttered in the kitchen, preparing for work. When she came over, Will feigned sleep. Because she looked like a mess, her mom let her skip school for one day. When Susan left, Will sighed in relief. She did not have to pretend anymore. The dam broke, and the girl messily cried, hugging her knees. Oh god, it hurt… Every move was painful… If it continued, she would probably go mad, or maybe Taranee would break first. An hour passed, maybe two. Finally, there was a knock on the door, but she had no strength to answer it.

'Will! Hey, Will!' Cornelia shouted, with a voice muffled by the door. 'Let me in! I skipped school. I don't want to be seen by your neighbors.'

She groaned and stood up. Leaning against the wall, Will went to answer the door. When the lock clicked, she just slumped on the floor.

'Will? Are you alright?' The crisp smell of cold weather and the sweet scent of Cornelia's perfume invaded her nose.

'Irma and Hay Lin will be over here soon, and you look like shit… Come on, let me help you…' the blonde girl hugged her shoulders, helped to stand, and escorted her to the couch. The world spun around. Will heard doors opening and closing. The shrill whistle of the kettle. Everything else was hard to understand with her muddled brain.

'Here, drink it.' A steaming cup of tea appeared in front of her nose with the concerned blue eyes of a friend.

'Thanks…' she muttered, but her hands shook so she placed it on the table in fear of dropping the hot liquid on herself.

'Anybody in here?' Hay Lin shouted from the corridor. 'The door is unlocked! We are coming in!'

The noises continued. The boots hitting the floor, jackets placed on the rack, girls chattering. Will just wanted to sleep…

'Is everything alright?' A cold hand on her brow felt heavenly. Opening her eyes, she saw a handful of black hair and the peering face of Hay Lin with other girls gathered around the sofa.

'It's Taranee…' her mouth was dry as she uttered those words 'they are torturing her… I can feel it in my head… I need help…' tears gathered in the corner of her eyes as the new wave of pain assaulted her body.

'Oh, God!' The pale faces of the girls stared down at her as they realized the horrifying truth.

'I'm sorry… it's my fault…' Will apologized, hiding her face, ashamed of her actions. She should have helped Taranee, not abandoned her on a foreign planet. They should have been fighting, but she chose to run away.

'We will fix this!' Hay Lin's voice was determined 'Cornelia can heal you? Right?' She eagerly urged her friend.

'I can try… but I don't know anything about this…' the girl uncertainly answered. However, she knelt on the floor, positioning her hands on Will's body. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as her palms started to glow a dark green color. The magic swirled around, seeping into her body, but nothing changed. It only dulled her perception of the surroundings.

'We have to save Taranee. It's the only choice...' there was no respite, so she shook her head in denial and pain.

'How? They will be expecting us, and without Taranee and you out of commission, I don't think it's possible?' Irma bluntly told the harsh truth, 'you are in any position to fight.'

'Maybe we do not have to fight?' Hay Lin tentatively suggested. 'We could infiltrate the palace?'

'Yeah, maybe, but do you know where Taranee is?' Irma asked sarcastically. It felt like every choice they made did not have any success in winning.

'We should go to Caleb. They have healers and know more about magic than us. The best-case scenario, maybe he will even support us in freeing Taranee.' Cornelia said considering the possibilities.

'He will, if you direct those lovely blue eyes in his direction.' Irma snorted.

'Stop it. Now, it's not the time…' Cornelia ignored the dis. 'Will, can you transform and direct us to Meridian?'

'I can try, but I don't have enough strength for my transformation…' she sighed and then silently whispered the words 'Earth, Water, Air! Guardians unite!' She slumped back on the pillows as the light show began. Clutching the Heart of Kandrakar under her shirt, Will mustered the strength and lifted her arm in the air. The girls grasped their hands together. She thought about the rebel base, and the Heart of Kandrakar blinked. Her vision tunneled out and everything went dark…