The morning was a tense affair. Her mother was resolute in her decision, and the silence was uncomfortable and full of unspoken things. Will hid her face in a cup of coffee, trying to cover the consequences of another sleepless night. Half of it was spent restlessly turning over in bed, trying to come up with an explanation for her actions, but coming up with nothing believable except telling the truth. Yet, what mother would like to hear her child risked her life on an everyday basis? She never asked to be the Guardian. The responsibility was entrusted to her, and now, knowing the whole other world was on her shoulders, she could not refuse. It would be selfish and irresponsible, but so much easier. Discretely looking at the pendant in her palm, Will wondered. Can she even refuse the magic? It seeped right down to her bones, and even if she could, it was a ridiculous idea. Not after everything. The blood and tears she spent on missions and the bonds she forged after coming to Heatherfield. Not to mention the tangled mess of her connection with Phobos and the never-ending discrepancies of uncovered secrets. She knew almost nothing about him, but the unexplainable connection they shared burned in her blood. Every time they met, it ignited everything around them, stealing her conscious thoughts, and making her prone to risky decisions. He led her to things she did not know how to grasp with only the touch of his fingers. Nothing made sense anymore. Her perfectly normal life crumbled into shambles in just a few months. How the things get so complicated? Will did not know. It started only after their faithful meeting in the garden. After some time, everything just slipped through her fingers. The school, the job, her relationships with friends, the Guardian problems. It was unfair. It hurt. Even now, she has to be strong because lives depend on it. The constant mental strain was exhausting. Will sighed, looking at the dark liquid inside her cup. It was bitter, just like her life.
Susan observed her daughter between the salad bites. The girl nursed the coffee cup as if her life depended on it. Not the healthiest choice for breakfast, but she clamped her lips, not wanting another argument after yesterday. Maybe she was overly strict, but Will never caused so many problems before. Susan did not know what to do. It left an unpleasant taste in her mouth, trying to grasp what had gone wrong. Suddenly, her daughter was replaced with this graceful creature, not an ugly duckling like before. Susan could blame puberty, but it was not that either. It was like Will weighed the world on her shoulders, yet she has been so resolute to continue despite everyone saying otherwise. She had to interfere, to help somehow. Yet it has ended up in disaster. She did not like dropping the accusations, but the sudden scare of the drugging and ending up in hospital on Halloween, then not finding Will at home, was the last stop. Maybe it was a guy problem, but the only male Susan knew about was Matt Olsen, and Will stopped discussing him. If only she could figure out what the problem was. Susan silently sighed, seeing no way out.
'We will have some new rules from today…' she began seeing Will wincing in her coffee. 'After school, you will go straight home unless agreeing otherwise with your part-time work. No more swimming and meetings with the girls.'
'But mom a championship is coming soon…' Will trailed, but not continued, avoiding starting another row.
'When you get your grades up, we will attend to that. I will request our doorman to confirm your return time, so don't expect you can get out of this.'
'Fine… but sometimes I have remedial math lesions with Miss Rudolph…' she replied glumly.
'Good, write me your timetable after receiving it. Will, I do this not because I want to deliver punishment. You have to be accountable for your actions. If your grades continue to drop, your graduation could be delayed. Is this what you want?' Susan asked her daughter.
Seeing her slumped shoulders made her resolve falter 'Will, I know you are trying, but what happened? Why are you skipping school? Is it a boy's problem? Are you in some kind of trouble?' She tried prying into her daughter's life.
Will nibbled her lip. Now was the moment. The truth should have come out, but she couldn't do it. Feeling like a fraud and an awful human being, she swallowed the lump in her throat and lied.
'No, mom. I'm not in trouble. I'll try harder, I promise. Have to go to school. We meet in the evening.' Will ran away with a reason to avoid more questions.
She grabbed her backpack, put on the jacket, and got out into the cold air. The winter was coming. People walked huddled in warm clothes, and the promise of snow was in the air. The barely lit trees stood in the dark sky while she waited for the bus. It was too cold to go on the bicycle. She was exhausted and lacking sleep. Still trying to come to terms with the latest death experience. Once again, Phobos saved her. How many times he did that she lost count. She succumbed to his persuasion. Will could not deny this any longer, no matter how much she wished her feelings were untrue. It was a fatal attraction. Her heart betrayed her. He was getting under her skin, into her mind, chipping away at any defenses she had put on. The only issue was trust… no matter how many times he saved her, Will still was unsure, if it was not for his benefit.
She climbed onto the full bus, hiding from the cold, squished between the bodies of the morning rush. Would it be so bad to allow herself to fall just a little? To let someone else carry the burden… Phobos remained an enemy, and she should remember that, but the doubts plagued her mind. Their magic melded together like kindred spirits, so why? Why her? Why now? She required answers. No more hiding, no more distractions. Will was determined to finally get the explanation, then she decides how to continue. With the resolution made, she felt happier, but her mood plummeted again after reaching school.
Students milled around the corridors waiting for the lesions to start. She placed her outwear into the locker and got the necessary books for history class.
Everything else happened very suddenly. She saw Taranee purposely striding towards her and the girls following behind and then her cheek hurt.
'How could you!?' Taranee's eyes blazed with angry fire. 'Do you know what you did?' She hissed. 'Nigel is not speaking to me because I ignored him for three days! And you know why? Because only you knew about us, but somehow my copy forgot that simple detail. If your relationship with Matt got down the drain, it should not mean we should suffer with you! Also, how can you be so selfish and leave me to suffer for so long on Meridian?' Her angry rant continued.
'What?' Will clutched her cheek, looking confused. Taranee slapped her… She had no understanding of what was being said. Her mind was blank.
'Taranee stop! Think what you are saying!' Hay Lin steered the angry girl away as her shouting was starting to attract other people.
'Sorry, Will, I don't know what's happened to her…' Irma apologized and both of them dragged Taranee away, frantically, trying to soothe her down. Cornelia traced them with her eyes and adjusted her already perfect hair.
'There is some truth in what Taranee said' she started lifting an eyebrow 'you are quite selfish. We almost died because you decided to leave that day. Also, The Heart of Kandrakar did not let the girls touch it when we needed you the most? I don't think you realize how much power that thing has over us? You could let us in on your decision-making… maybe then so much trouble would not have happened' Cornelia trailed, eyeing the medallion hidden by her sweater.
'Why are you blaming me? I was unconscious most of the time when you rescued Taranee. I would have helped otherwise. It was due to her that I was out of commission. Do I blame her? No! So, I don't understand what the problem is?' Will was trying to comprehend why suddenly her best friend was so angry. She did not purposely forget about Nigel. She barely knew how the copy worked in the beginning. They merely had to cover up her disappearance.
She was so done this day. Feeling the beginning of a headache, she strode to history class.
'We should have a meeting about this?' Cornelia offered, following her through the students.
'I'm grounded. After our excursion, my mom discovered me missing, so no more free time.' Will tiredly sighed.
'Really Will? How can you be so irresponsible? What about our Guardian duty?' Cornelia hounded her in clear annoyance. 'Some leader you are! I can't believe this…' she huffed and stomped away.
The bell rang. Will was numb. How did this happen? It felt like suddenly everyone was against her. She sat in class, listening to the teacher through the fog of confusion and hurt. The Heart on Kandrakar heated against her skin and she clutched it through the cloth, squeezing it like a lifeline. She was not selfish… Will gave and gave pieces of herself until nothing was left… How can they accuse her of this? Just for once, she wanted to be free of the responsibility of deciding their battle actions. It would be effortless to abandon obligations and let the girls choose what to do. Maybe then they would understand how much of a burden the position of leadership was.
'Phobos would understand…' entered a sullen thought into her mind. He was responsible for the whole kingdom. Was it as much of a burden to him as it was to her? Will wanted to know. The sudden need to see him was new. She was sinking deeper and deeper into their secret connection. 'Fine. For a change, I will be greedy… I will see him and ask for answers...' she thought, suddenly feeling angry at the world and trying to smother the guilt about her decision.
Deep in the calm palace of Kandrakar, the endless swirling of the Aurameres shook and stopped for a second. The colorful balls flared and continued their perpetuated cycle, a bit more faded than before. An invisible disease was spreading from within. Endarno smiled, feeling a disturbance in the otherwise calm magic. Everything was going according to his plan. At present, he needed to wait and deal with Oracle. Silently chucking, he thought about tormenting a certain prince with revenge long overdue. It will be so sweet to rub salt into his wounds, to enjoy his suffering, his struggle to endure. He knew every plan the prince concocted was a futile endeavor. In the near future, he will have everything, and nobody will stand in his way. Not the Guardians and certainly not some little spoiled prince. The figures were moving in his favor, and he was the puppet master, waiting for them to fall.
Sorry for the long wait... I am struggling with this story. I want to complete it so badly, but my writing lefts much to be desired, and I am so bad at finishing my stories :D I especially have a hard time writing filler chapters like this. Nothing is happening... I'm searching for a beta to edit the current story and maybe for help with further writing. I hope you enjoy reading, reviews are appreciated :)