Where did it go wrong?

by Aria Morid

Going Zenith left its marks. It influences their lives and their missions. Their perception of what's right and wrong are skewed, but is it because of who they are or because of who they work for? The Guardians learn not every evil is wrong, or every good is right.

12. Chapter 12 Interlude - Water Shadows

[A/N] Hello folks! It's been a while. Today I present you the next chapter! For the comic readers, you may recognize it as very similar to the comic with the similar name. However, I do urge you to read the chapter as there are plenty of changes. And of course, I'd love to hear your thoughts at the end of the chapter!

Chapter 12 Interlude – Water shadows

It was only a few days ago when I had to watch Hay Lin depart with the others. I shouldn't be sad about it. The moment they announced the Redstone exchange, I knew I wouldn't be going. Making that test had been nothing but a bad joke. I sighed as I pushed my hands deeper into my pockets. There was no Cornelia I could annoy, no Hay Lin I could set up for pranks and no Taranee I could complain to about the homework. But, I guess, I shouldn't complain too much. I still had Will. Now she may be one year older and thus one year higher up, but she and I could definitely relate as to how unfair the school was when homework was concerned. Truth be told, she was my 'avoid doing homework' buddy. She could handle Taranee's judging looks, I could handle Cornelia's off-hand remarks and Hay Lin would only look longingly out of her window whenever we walked by with ice cream. So that's why I hoped she could relieve me of some of the boredom I felt today. Sure, I still had some unfinished French and math homework to do, not to mention the report I had to hand in on the Middle Ages for Collins. But being bored didn't mean being willing to do homework. I could do that another time. For now I just wanted something fun to do.

Will's large apartment building doomed up. Underneath the grey skies, it looked like a gloomy place. I pursed my lips. Will was probably home alone, like always. I wondered how she didn't feel lonely during those times. Or maybe she did, but didn't share it with us. I know that I would've gone mental being home alone day in, day out. I approached the gates, which were there more for show than anything else. There was no lock on them and the electric mechanisms that usually controlled the gate had never worked. It was nothing but a boastful piece of scrap metal. I pushed the cold metal gate, making it creak ever so slightly. Walking through it I arrived at the front door. My eyes roamed over the many doorbells I could ring, trying to remember what the number was. I really sucked at remembering the number. I knew how many stairs I had to climb and what door I had to knock on. But the number never interested me. So as I looked for the name 'Vandom' an elderly woman opened up.

"Visiting, dear?" she said.

I blinked surprised, before flashing the woman a grin. I nodded politely to her question. This was probably one of those old people who knew exactly who lived in their building and who didn't. What old people had to do to relieve the dullness of their everyday life.

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"Very well, come in. No need to stay outside in this cold," she said.

She ushered me in. I thanked her and kept the door open for her to leave. I waved after her and turned to the great amount of stairs I had to walk. No wonder Will stayed in shape. She had to scale these stairs every day. I was not envying her. I just wished they repaired that damned lift. According to Will, it broke a few days after they'd moved in. I had tried to convince her that she or Cornelia could probably fix it, but despite her loosening up on the whole 'no-magic' thing, she still refused. Said too many people would notice. Thus here I was, taking a deep breath and started to scale the stairs.

Finally reaching the fourth floor, I was truly surprised. I remember panting slightly as I reached this floor. This time I felt fine. Yes, I still breathed a little heavier than usual, but I wasn't as winded as normal. I made a mental note not to mention it to anyone. I rather did not want anyone telling me this was proof that our training actually helped. With a shake of my head I walked off towards the left hallway and continued until I found the familiar door of the Vandoms. Now I could ring the bell and have Will open up, but why spoil the surprise?

I flexed my hands and wiggled my fingers. I looked left and right of me, but the hallway was deserted. So I summoned a little water to my fingers and directed it to the keyhole. I put my ear against the door and started manipulating the water. I'd practiced this at home, though it had been to lock up Chris, rather than unlock. But the same mechanics applied. It took me a little longer than expected but finally the lock clicked and the door swung open inward. I grinned as I made the water evaporate. This was definitely one of my better tricks.

The door opened up to give me a view of an empty kitchen. A few steps in gave me access to the living room. Whatever light came from outside filtered through the windows, giving the living room a dark impression. Either Will didn't bother to turn on some lights, or she never left her room. That, or she wasn't at home. Which would mean that I was breaking and entering. I decided to close the door. If no one was at home, I'd rather not have anyone walk by and see that I was here. The door clicked close behind me and I decided to explore more. Hopefully she was in her room, or I would have to think of something else to pass my time with. Maybe contact her telepathically or something like that.

Her door was slightly ajar. I grinned. I was going to give her a good scare. That, or scream into an empty room. At least no one would be around to know I did. I took a deep breath.

"You do know normal people knock, or ring the bell, right?"

A very high shriek left my lips as Will walked through the door. And when I say through the door, I meant through the wood. The door didn't move an inch as she moved right through it, smiling at me with a very cocky grin. My shriek went up a few octaves when she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hysterical laughter followed as the door finally opened fully. By now I sat on the ground. My hand covered my chest, trying to calm my heart. I stared at the door opening, seeing Will wheeze in laughter, using the door post to steady herself. Tears were in her eyes and her grin was kind of infuriating. I felt a blush coming up and glared her down.

"Don't you have any decency? And how did you even do that?" I said.

Will waved at me, as she tried to control her laughter. I huffed as I got up. I dusted myself off, glaring at her as she finally found some composure. Wiping her tears away, she smiled. Oh God, how I hated that grin.

"At least I have the decency to knock when I enter someone else's house."

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Will to lecture me about some thing or another. I waved my hand and nodded along.

"Yeah, yeah. My dad says the same. But how did you do that image thing? Or was it an illusion? You gotta have to tell me."

Will looked at me, now leaning against her door post. With her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised, she looked me over as if she was actually debating whether or not to tell me. She better, or she wouldn't enjoy the upcoming weeks with just me. She seemed to reach the same conclusion as she let out a deep sigh and jerked her head towards her room. With that, she turned around and re-entered her room. Curious, I followed.

"I…Have been practicing," she said, waving at the open book on her desk.

I frowned. Will knew full well she wasn't allowed to practice magic or anything physical until she no longer had to glamour her lips. And seeing the faint green hue on her lips, I could only frown at her in disapproval. I was usually all up for breaking the rules, but Will nearly died once due to that poison. I rather not have it worsen now.

"You know you shouldn-" I began to say.

A heavy sigh interrupted my scolding. Will crossed her arms stubbornly and refused to look at me.

"Do you have any idea how bored I am?"

I snorted. If anything, Will was required to act like the normal teenager, one without a healthy sport habit. A regular teen. I almost felt sorry for her, if I didn't think she was pretty much sharing my lifestyle at the moment. Though, admittedly, I did use my magic whenever I could. I had difficulty imagining how it must feel like to not use it.

"And what I'm doing isn't that exhaustive. The moment I start breathing heavily, I stop. I promise Irma, I'm being careful. I just need something to do."

"What about homework?"

A look of betrayal crossed Will's features before she started to pout. Her shoulders rose to her ears as several mutterings followed. I chuckled. I shouldn't be lecturing her about that either, seeing as I was using this visit to avoid doing the same.

"….You came here to avoid your own homework, didn't you?"

A suspicious expression had taken the place of betrayal. She frowned at me with a look she probably learned from her mother. It was slightly terrifying to look at. So, instead of owning up to my reasons, I exclaimed a loud gasp. My hand went overly dramatic to my chest as my other went to my forehead.

"How dare you imply that I would be capable of such an act?"

I could see her roll her eyes. Good. She wouldn't do it if she were serious. I flashed her a big grin.

"Well, you know me. I know you. I figured you were doing something other than homework. The times I caught you doing homework when I came by is a total of seven. And that's in the two years we know each other," I said with a wink.

Will's cheeks lit up. Her eyes squinted while her cheeks started to puff up in a new pout.

"I have you know I do my homework more often than that."

"I bet, just not when I'm here. About that. How did you know I was here? I didn't hear your appliances rat me out."

Will's eyebrows knit together. She placed her hand underneath her chin and looked at me in surprise. I frowned. This wasn't a difficult question, was it?

"I. I think I just sensed it?" she finally said.

My eyes widened. "You can do that?"

A careless shrug followed my question. She rubbed the back of her neck while she looked at me. It was as if she tried to read more out of my reaction. Maybe she was concerned I would be angry she never told us? I mean, I never told the others I could pick locks with water. We don't have to tell each other everything.

"I can do it for some time. Though, honestly, the people I sense the best are you or the other girls. And Matt, Huggles, Napoleon, Lilian and Elyon. I can only sense my mom or Dean when no one else is around."

"That's amazing!" I said. "No wonder you always know where we are in battle."

She flashed me a smile, glad I wasn't being difficult I guess. I wasn't Cornelia or Taranee. Those two could have scolded her for not telling them. I figured it didn't matter anyway. It wasn't something we had to account for. And it perhaps explained her behaviour and Cornelia's theory of Will sensing us when she was in a coma. I was impressed. Will was still grinning embarrassed, but I could see her eyes go to the book on the table every once in a while.

"So, found some spells you want us to learn?"

She lit up. Will rarely jumped at the sight of a book, so it was hilarious to see her rush at it. However, as she fired into a long explanation about the number of basic spells in the book she was dying to try and was practicing in secret, I could see why. Will was by no means someone who enjoyed theoretical learning. I knew, because I was the same. Looking at words that were talking about some theorem of something or another, which we wouldn't use, was boring. That's why I preferred the more practical subjects like physics (only when we were allowed to experiment), crafting or drawing. I wasn't really good at it, but enjoyed working with my hands. And this book explained how to use magic by making the reader practice it.

I watched how Will read the instructions of the summoning spell. Instead of saying some wacky words and waving a branch of wood, she had to weave her hands through the air and focus. Sure enough, one of the way too many frogs in her room moved to her and hovered next to her until she grabbed it out of the air.

"This was the basic summoning. The real one should have made it disappear and reappear in my hands or in front of me. But I guess this wasn't bad," she said. A cocky smile followed.

"Don't be a show-off," I said as I threw another frog at her face.

This of course caused a full blown frog and pillow fight, up to the point where Will had to take a breather. I still had a pillow in hand, ready to hit her, when I heard her gasp for air. I dropped the pillow in a panic. Hadn't I scolded her just a few minutes ago about her using her powers while she should be resting? Here I was knocking the air out of her. If the others knew, they would kill me. I quickly helped her lay down as guilt bubbled up within me. Her breathing became steady within a minute. Slowly she sat up. As she did she seemed to be in a worse mood than before. She stared at her hands, which clenched and unclenched, seemingly in thoughts.

"What's wrong?" I said.

She snapped out of whatever train of thought she was riding and looked at me. Again I could see her thinking. I sometimes wondered what went on in that mind of her. By the look she gave me, I was almost certain that her thoughts went on like a storm.

"I'm sorry," she said.

I was taken by surprise. Out of all the things I'd expected her to say, an apology wasn't one of them. I blinked owlishly, my mind racing to find a possible explanation for her apology.

"Apology accepted," I said. "For what?"

I had hoped to get a small smile out of my reaction, but no such luck. Her eyes, big, round and brown, still looked at me with the guilt I'd felt earlier.

"I am sorry for being weak."

If anything, I was more surprised than ever before. I never expected Will to utter these words. I knew she cursed her powerlessness back when it was us against Phobos, but I never thought she would still think like that now. She could throw lightning! She could definitely kick my ass if she wanted. I could not understand why she would say something like that.

"What are you talking about?"

She looked at me as if she were annoyed and hurt that I didn't understand her. I pursed my lips slightly and waited for an explanation. It was obvious she didn't want to give it.

"If I hadn't taken that long with Orube, I could have joined you and we could have taken on the Banshee together. It's because of my frailty that you guys were injured as well. I…"

I held my hands up, effectively stopping her from continuing. I didn't know if it came with being a leader, but Will was being concerned about more things than she should be. I placed my hands on my hips and looked at her.

"Listen here. You are not weak. Heck, I think you could do a lot of damage if we would be fighting students of our school. Will, you can throw lightning! You can create golems by the sheer force of will you possess. And not to forget that you nearly punched a hole in Caleb without transforming. You're not omniscient. You didn't know about Orube and thus you didn't count that in your plan. For fuck's sake, you're still human. And we know that. We didn't blame you about the cuts and bruises we had. Those healed within a day anyway. We were angry with you for taking such a ridiculous risk and not warning us about it beforehand."

Giving a lecture was not my thing, but I felt Will was needing one. As I spoke, she hung her head and her shoulders raised slowly. It was an old tell of hers, showing her uneasiness. I sighed deeply, wondering if any of my words came through to her. Yet as I did, she looked up at me. The determination that shone from her eyes was similar to the one she had when she came up with a crazy plan. Her fists were balled. She got up, making me look up ever so slightly. Had she grown in the past days?

"That's the point. With or without your knowledge, my crazy plans shouldn't have given you this much anguish. I know, Irma. I can feel it whenever one of you mention Arkhanta or look at my lips. The guilt and fear that rushes through you. That's my fault. My mistake."

Was she apologizing for that? I frowned annoyed. This was not the time to start an emo period and I wasn't going to stand by as Will threw herself into one.

"Really? You're going to take the blame for it? We all sucked there. You've told us about your deal and even then none of us thought about that glaring hole in that. Maybe we didn't even want to notice it. And we got a reality check for that. We know we're not invincible and who better to prove that than you? Though, try to do that less life-threatening next time."

A faint smile formed on her lips.

"Fine," she said.

I wasn't fully convinced, but I knew when Will was closing down a subject. I wouldn't get any further by trying to convince her. I just hoped she would let it go.

"But I hope you understand why I didn't want to interrupt training?"

I huffed. With my arms now crossed, I looked away. My eyes fell on the stupid book. I remained silent.

"I don't like the whole pause now, but we have no other option due to the time-zones. But Orube showed me that there are people out there who are more powerful than we are. I know that we are keepers of balance, but what if that balance gets disrupted by enemies who are more powerful than we are? We were lucky with Cedric and our Zenith forms, but I don't know how many times that will have a happy ending."

I shivered a bit as she mentioned the Zenith affair. If there was anything I didn't want to try again, it would be that. To let yourself fall into nothingness was a terrifying experience. To wander through that nothingness, with not even a single memory of who you are, was ghastly. And finally, when we did recover our memories after our chance meeting in said nothingness, the realization that you had no idea how to return was straight out horrifying. So I couldn't do anything but begrudgingly agree with Will's reasoning. I nodded.

"Yes…No…I mean, I wouldn't want to end up in that situation either," I said.

Will flashed me an empathic grin.
"Good. So, even in this down time you might consider practicing."

With a unsubtle push did she move the book towards me. I sighed deeply and rolled my eyes.

"I didn't come here to get more homework, you know?"

Will lifted an eyebrow.
"No, you came here to probably convince me to watch a movie or something like that."

I nodded unashamed. Will sighed deeply as she took the book away from me.

"True, but I was also wondering what you're doing this weekend. I might need to escape the house again," I said.

Will had already turned around and was busy putting the book away. I heard her mumble some things but couldn't make out what she was saying. Before I could even ask her what she said, she turned back to face me again.

"You'll have to entertain yourself tomorrow. Mom wants to have a mother daughter day, so I will be on a mandatory shopping trip or something like that."

I quirked my eyebrow. I knew Mrs. Vandom would try to reach out to her daughter every once in a while, but I felt it was a bit soon so close after Will's birthday. Will seemed to read my thoughts and rolled her eyes annoyed.

"That's because I go to my dad's on Sunday. The deal was that I'd go on Monday, but Serena wants to take me shopping Sunday as my present for my birthday. To bond."

She said the last word as if it was something disgusting. But I got the gist. Mrs. Vandom was probably jealous of Will spending time with her soon-to-be stepmom and wanted to remind her daughter who actually raised her. I raised an eyebrow. She should've tried that by doing something her daughter would actually like. Oh well.

"So that means if I have to avoid homework next week, I'll go to your dad's place?" I said.

Will shrugged, as if not interested. She was already getting up and motioning me to the living room.

"I guess," she said.

"Well, aren't you a burst of enthusiasm," I said, following after her.

Will let herself fall into the couch in the living room. The lights turned on by themselves the moment she entered and I frowned a bit at the ignorant ease she used her powers. And she dared to tell me I wasn't careful.

"It's not that I am ungrateful. But… I don't know. I haven't seen my dad in years. He left us, Irma."

I looked at her. She stared at me with her large brown eyes. A crease had formed on her forehead, her fiery red eyebrows knit together. There was genuine hurt in her eyes.

"I thought you were happy with your dad being back in your life?" I said.

Another annoyed sigh left her lips. She sat up straight and glared shortly at the television, which turned on and started zapping on its own. She then looked back at me. Her shoulders were hunched up again.

"Yes! I was! Until he sprang his fiancée on me. I mean, Serena is nice enough, but a fiancée? Way to crush my childish hopes of ever having a normal family."

There it was. I'd already thought it to be strange that Will so easily accepted Serena in her life. Especially after she so fiercely hoped that Serena had been Nerissa in disguise. When she first mentioned it, I'd shuddered at the thought. Normal people would try to deny the possibility of their enemy – and old hag – impersonating a love interest for their father. Then again, Will was also the first one to believe that Collins was Cedric in disguise, only because her mother showed interest in him. I only realised now how desperately Will wanted to get her family back together. And neither Serena nor Collins were making that happen. I sighed deeply as I placed a hand on her arm.

"See it like this. You got a load of presents for your birthday this year. You get twice the presents and twice the food," I said. "And both Serena and Collins seem to like you enough to either dine or shop with you. If anything, your family got bigger."

It wasn't the conciliation Will was hoping for. She gave me a sad smile. I felt like I could punch myself. She didn't want to hear she got a bigger family. She just wanted her old one. I rubbed my arm a bit. I wasn't suited for these kind of conversations.

"Your phone."

I looked up surprised. Will had apparently decided to close this subject as well. Instead she pointed at my pocket just before my phone started to buzz. I gave her a short glance, amazed she knew it would go off. She gave me a shy shrug and turned her attention to the television. I picked up.

"Irma here."

"Irma, dear. Where are you?"

A small blush formed on my cheeks. My mom. She wouldn't be happy that I was hanging with Will.

"Uhm…I'm at Will's. She's helping me with some French," I said.

Will snickered and in her worst French accent she listed off some words. I only recognized the words 'swimming pool', 'garden' and 'yellow'. I gave her a dark look, which effectively stopped her attempt at French. Instead she snickered a bit more.

"Mhm. Well, your father called. He needs some papers to be delivered to him. But I can't leave the house. I need to clean, cook dinner and pick up Chris. Could you help out and deliver those papers to him? I swear, your father is such a scatterbrain."

I grinned. Of all dad's quirks, this one was what got my mother annoyed the most. I sighed loud enough to stop her rant about my dad's forgetfulness.

"Okay, I'll come by to pick them up."

"Thank you! See you soon. Love."

"Yeah, bye," I said, hanging up.

Will hadn't reacted to the conversation. Instead her attention seemed to be captivated by whatever show was on the television. I tuned in for the last few sentences of the news.

"If you've seen any of these missing persons, please contact the police."

Will zapped again and looked at me.

"Your dad forgot something?" she asked.

I nodded.

"So I'm afraid I can't pester you more than I've already done."

A tired smile formed on Will's lips. She gave me a sideway glance.

"As if that would stop you."

I flashed a grin in return. I got up and closed my coat. I hadn't been here long enough to take it off. Way to change my day plans.

"Well, be nice and don't do things I wouldn't do."

Will snorted.

"And no practice!" I added for good measure.

For just a short moment Will grimaced at me. I winked in return and waved at her.

"See you Monday!" I said as I took my leave.

The downside of not using magic was that I had to cycle back. I shouldn't say it, but I really was too lazy for this stuff. And I took into account that I'd only just arrived. Normally a twenty minute bike ride would be rewarded with some cookies, a movie and enough time relaxing. Now I had spent one pillow fight's worth of time, which was not long enough to be counted as 'relaxing'. I sighed deeply, wrapped by scarf around my face and started my way home. On my way the wind had swept up making me cycle against it. When I finally reached my house, I decided I would walk to the police station. Not only would I not be fighting the wind, but I also could score a ride back home.

I rushed in and out, only briefly saying hi to my mom. I faintly heard her say something about doing homework, to which I replied my usual 'yes mom' to. We both knew I would do it the last second, so reminding me was unnecessary.

So I continued my walk to the police station, noticing more than once how peaceful and boring Heatherfield was. I almost felt myself wishing for another crisis to solve. Despite the things that happened during our mission on Arkhanta, I had enjoyed it. The action and unforeseen events that followed. It gave food for thought. Peace was blunt. You didn't need to better yourself. Things would happen anyway. It actually sucked the motivation out of me. How the others could even do their homework or practice was a riddle I could never crack. Why put effort in something you don't know you'll need? As a side note I realized it was a good thing I never became leader of the Guardians. We wouldn't have survived Phobos if I'd been leader at that time.

Those thoughts occupied my brain while entering the police station. At first sight, no one was there. Then I noticed the spectacled face of Rosetta. I hid a frown and repressed a sigh. Rosetta was another example of how peaceful this city was. She was shy, easily frightened and had a stutter not many had the patience to deal with. Yet she was a licensed police officer. They probably were shorthanded. I braced myself and put on a smile. My mother's advice rang through my head, be nice and people will be nice to you.

"Hi Rosetta! Is my father here?"

Rosetta looked up. Her brown hair was done in an easy braid today and swung almost enthusiastically as her grey eyes widened behind her glasses. She got up, smiling brightly while pushing her glasses back on her nose.

"Hello Irma!" she said, without stuttering. "Y…Yes, he's here, b…but he's quite b…busy!"

She had probably practiced the greeting enough to do it without stuttering. I felt sorry for her. She had every chance to try a different job and she chose the one that required at least the makings of a spine.

"B…but do you notice something s…special about m…me?"

I had to repress the urge to tell her I noticed she can say at least three words without stammering. I decided to mask my smugness with a shrug. I wasn't that invested or interested in the lives of my dad's colleagues.

"Hmm, not that I know of," I said, hoping to shut down the conversation. "But can you give these papers to my father? He asked me to deliver them."

Rosetta got up from behind her desk and was already gesturing me to follow her before she spoke.

"F…follow me then! It's a b…bit chaotic over here b…because of the raid near the docks th…this morning!"

Raid? I didn't hear about a raid. If I'd known about a raid, I would have gone and checked. Maybe that was why dad didn't mention it. But damn, I really wanted to see that. At least something happened for a change and I had to miss it.

"I d…decided not to be shy any longer, you k…know?"

I'd barely missed it. I blinked a couple of times before realising she expected me to react. I was glad for her she was trying. At least she had some motivation to keep her busy on the boring days. But that raid was more interesting.

"Oh, that's good! Were you talking about a raid?"

If Hay Lin had been here, or Taranee, they would have probably reprimanded me. Lucky me they weren't here. Even better, Rosetta didn't seem to be insulted by my reaction.

"Mark Zibosky and his f…friends!" she said proudly, as if she'd been there. "T…twelve arrests! An illegal gambling house," she explained.

I looked at her in surprise. An illegal gambling house in the city? Why didn't more people know about this? Was this a normal thing here? I never even heard about that Zibsky guy. I never really thought of Heatherfield as a city with big criminals. Maybe I was wrong?

"I b…bought a b…book about s…self-confidence. It really w…works!"

I frowned a bit as she looked away to walk the stairs. I really didn't care what she was doing about her shyness. Perhaps a good first step would have been a therapist to get rid of the stutter.

We rounded the corner when we heard some ruckus along the hall. One of the interrogation room doors swung open and a bald man with glasses came rushing out. He was quite big and could easily ram the two of us aside. I started to wonder if I perhaps had to use a bit of magic to stop him. I couldn't count on my training with Caleb, no way that I could stop that gorilla.

"Look out! He wants to escape!" the policeman yelled as he tried to grab the bald one.

"Get aside!" The bald man roared, pushing the policeman aside.

He rushed at us and I could read on his face that he didn't think that we would be a problem. Good girls would dive out of his way. Boy, was he about to be surprised. Water trickled around my fingers, ready to lash at his leg when Rosetta suddenly stepped forward. The next few seconds had me second guessing everything I knew about Rosetta, this police station and my life.

"Hey brute!" Rosetta said, losing all of her shyness as she stepped towards the man.

She grabbed his arm and lifted it. The man was as surprised by the action as I was. The water that had gathered around my fingers had long since dropped out of the sheer surprise. I watched how Rosetta pulled the arm of the man behind his back, locking it in place before kneeing him hard in the stomach.

"Don't you see there are ladies here?" she quipped without any problem.

She pressed the man to the ground, holding him in place by simply pressing his arm into his back and using her knee to secure it. I hadn't realised it yet, but I had taken several steps back and was now looking at Rosetta in a new light. I definitely got why she was a police officer. She was a damned good one if she wasn't that shy. In fact, she was even intimidating. I looked at her with big eyes as she calmly cuffed the man, all the while he began to plead to get her off of him because she was breaking his arm.

The policeman came up to us and took the man from Rosetta. He first ensured he had him secure before turning to Rosetta, who slowly got up.

"Wow! Thank you Rosetta!" he said before leading the felon back to the interrogation room.

"Y…You're welcome, Phil," Rosetta replied.

And suddenly the confident, strong Rosetta melted away for the grey mouse I'd always known. She even blushed a bit as Phil walked away before turning proudly to me.

"D…did you see that? Phil thanked me and I answered him!"

Of all the things to be proud of, I thought, was that the least impressive thing. But she seemed so proud, it was awkward to tell her differently. I also noticed that the stammer had almost disappeared in that sentence.

"It w…works, I told you! That book w…works!" she whispered to me.

And the stutter was back again. Maybe it was due to some leftover adrenaline that she didn't stutter as much. I decided that an awkward smile was a better answer than none at all, so I give her my best.

Things calmed down and I followed Rosetta to the offices, where my dad was already waiting for me. Either he heard Rosetta take down the guy who was at least a foot taller than her, or mom called him. But he was there, smiling as we approached.

"Hello, sweetheart!" he said. A small blush worked itself to my cheeks as a few men looked around, before smiling at me as well. "Did you bring the papers I asked your mother for?"

I fought back the slight embarrassment and held up the papers.

"Yes dad! I…."

"TOM! WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE WHO PLAYS IT HARD!"

I blinked surprised. My sentence was drowned out by the yell and all I could do was wonder if he thought my father was in Mexico because he was yelling way too loud. My dad sighed deeply and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes! I'm coming!" he said. He turned to us with an apologetic smile. "What a day, Rosetta, would you give Irma some company?"

He was already on the move as Rosetta timidly replied.

"Of c…course! B…but don't you need any help?"

I could see her sigh deeply, already resigning to her fate to babysit me. If I hadn't seen her in action, I would have believed this to be the best course of action. Instead I grinned at her and nudged at the door that my father had entered.

"You can go. I believe they will need you for sure," I said as I placed a hand on her shoulder.

Rosetta looked at me for a short moment, surprise but also gratitude shining in her eyes. She nodded and smiled.

"Th…thank you, d…darling. Sit down, I'm r…right b…back."

With that she went after my father. Every step she took seemed to be fuelled with a bit more confidence than the previous one. I smiled as I sat down. Maybe peace wasn't all that bad. People still found ways to improve themselves in ways they couldn't if they had to work all the time, I guess. I grinned, replaying the scene of Rosetta throwing a man taller than her to the ground with little effort. How quaint it was that it impressed me that much, while I've seen Will or Hay Lin do the same – granted, Hay Lin used magic, but the effect was the same. Maybe because Rosetta was but a normal person and could still do that much damage. Maybe I should pay more attention to Caleb's lessons.

For the time I'd been musing, I noticed some strange sensation. I couldn't really place it and looked aside, hoping it would explain this feeling. I was surprised I'd sat down next to an old man. By the looks of it, he was either a beggar or a poor fisherman. By the faint scent of sea, I was thinking the latter. His brown face was wrinkled while his long grey hair hang loosely around his face. He wore a beanie and a set of old clothes. He smiled friendly at me. A few wrinkles appeared around his eyes. He was clutching a red book and as I looked a little closer, I noticed he was in cuffs as well. I looked at him again, certain there must have been a mistake. This man had done nothing wrong. I felt like I needed to do something. Something to alleviate the uneasiness in both him and well as myself. I got up and took a few steps to the water tap. I filled a cup and turned back to, giving him my most sincere smile.

"Er…Are you thirsty?" I said, holding the cup out for him to take it.

A smile formed on his lips and a snicker followed. His eyes opened now more and I could see the colour of the ocean in those eyes. Almost as if I were looking at the ocean itself.

"A beaker of water!" the man exclaimed, obviously humoured. "Only you can give me that in this situation! A cup of water from the Queen of Water."

I startled. Some water dripped past the rim of the cup over my hand as I clenched it a bit too hard. I stared at the man. He couldn't have seen me when Rosetta floored the man. We weren't in this part of the building when that happened. And even if he'd seen that, he wouldn't have reached this conclusion. If anything, his title of me was way too overblown. Though I liked it, I didn't show it. I tried to put up an innocent and confused face, hoping my initial reaction wasn't too readable.

"What do you say? I don't understand what you mean…."

The man smiled at me in a serene way.

"Of course you do!" he said. "If you really want to do it, you can release me."

I shook my head. If I released a prisoner, my dad would freak. He could get fired or demoted and I would see nothing but the inside of my room for years.

"I'm sorry," I said, hoping he understood. "I really can't do that."

He shook his head at me and pointed at the cup.

"Yes, you can. You have the power to do it, without any doubt."

He then lowered his hand and head and for a moment he looked sad. Maybe he realized he was talking crazy.

"and I'm not talking about these handcuffs…"

My heart was racing. I didn't understand what this man wanted from me, but I knew he knew what I was. I was frightened and yet. When I looked at him, I felt nothing but sadness. A fulfilling sadness. He seemed so forlorn and sombre. My heart went out for him. I really wanted to help him.

An officer approached us.

"Come on, friend. Let's fill in some paperwork!"

The man got up and followed without a complaint. But the grief remained and with it, I felt my heart ache. I hoped that man would be let go. I hoped he would be free again.

The rest of my stay at the police station was unfortunately not as exciting as the first ten minutes had been. I heard some shouts, but not even the desk officers took notice of it. So I filled my time with answering the random questions they would ask me. Yes, I tried my best at school. No, my brother was only eight. Yes, my father gained some weight.
All in all, a normal day at the station I think. At the end of it all, my dad came to collect me. As he guided me out, I looked back one more time. I hadn't seen the strange man from before anymore. Rosetta had passed me some time ago, looking prouder than I'd ever seen her. But the odd fisherman didn't resurface. It gave me an uneasy feeling, thinking about him in a jail cell. Maybe I could ask my father more about him in the car.

We arrived at the parking lot, just when two officers were guiding a man in a suit to one of the cars headed for jail. The man stopped the moment he saw my father and a dark glare formed on his browned visage. His green eyes seemed to be spitting fire as he growled at my father.

"SEE you later, Mr. Policeman."

While it was by far the saddest threat I've ever heard, it still worried me. My father had no magic. He had a gun, yes, but I didn't know how fast he was in drawing it. I grabbed my father's arm and squeezed it slightly, hoping to lose some of my uneasiness.

"Dad? Did that man threaten you or not?" I asked softly.

My father let out a boastful laugh. It was slightly terrifying to realize I did the same. There are some times when you don't want to see similarities between your parents and yourself. This was one of them.

"Mark Zibosky barks but never bites!" my father said just loud enough for the man to hear. He then placed a hand on my shoulder and turned me away.

"Now, let's talk about something different," he said.

I felt he was trying to lessen my concerns. It didn't help. Easing the tension was never one of his tricks. However, I decided to play along. I didn't want him to think I was scared for his life. I usually never was, but only because Heatherfield was the dullest place to live. Only in times like these do I realize that the city is bigger than I realize, with more crime and thus more danger for my father. I took a deep breath and tried to hide my fear. The result was a question that was filled with confusion.

"Okay…Why are we still standing here?"

My father smiled at my question and then at something behind me.
"We're waiting for company. Look, there he is!"

I turned around to see Rosetta and the old man from before. Rosetta noticed us looking and waved at us with a smile.

"H…he's yours, T….Tom! And c…can I get a ride?"

I cringed. I had hoped on a quick drive home. Not to play cab driver for two people. A chill ran down my spine as my dad answered.

"Of course, Rosetta!" he said before turning to me. "Irma, you don't mind to sit in the back next to mister Jewell?"

It was not like I had a choice in the matter. Still I hoped to get my dad to change his mind by faking my fear. It was not like I did not like the old man, but he gave me the creeps. He knew way too much and I didn't like it one bit. What if he exposed me right there in the car?

"Er…is that the old man with the handcuffs?" I asked.

My father laughed a bit sadly. He was already busy unlocking the car and didn't spare me a second glance.

"Don't worry. There was some confusion during the raid, but obviously Mr. Jewell was a victim of Zibosky and no accomplice."

"Poor man. The crooks locked him up in a cold, dark basement!"

I peered over the roof of the car to see that Rosetta and Jewell had already made their way to our car. There was no chance in leaving him behind now. I should've used my mental suggestion earlier. Now it would only be awkward. I inwardly cursed when I heard my dad speak up again.

"Indeed!" he said in acknowledgment. "And all because they thought he was some kind of fortune teller!"

My dad barked a laugh, with Rosetta's awkward giggle intermingling with it. His amusement didn't get my funny bone to work. He probably noticed my uneasiness and patted my shoulder before gallantly opening the door for me. Jewell was already in the car, waiting.

"He doesn't say much, but he looks like a nice man to me. I think he's homeless, so we'll bring him to the reception centre. That's on our way home anyway."

Lucky, I thought sarcastically. However, I tried to not show it. Instead I gave Jewell an awkward wave and smile.

"Hello? Here I am again," I tried.

He didn't reply, but gave me a small, friendly smile in return. I sat next to him, buckling up and trying to drown out the conversation between Rosetta and my dad. Yes, she had a book on self-confidence and apparently the same Phil as earlier seemed to have taken notice of it. Then again, who wouldn't notice a woman hardly taller than me throwing a man as large as a house across a room?

As the conversation continued, I tried to find a point of focus. I couldn't really concentrate and tried to keep myself from looking at Jewell. Something about him made me feel nervous. And not just because he might just know about my identity. It was something else entirely. Even so, I got the feeling I knew him from somewhere. There was something familiar about him. He looks strange, but his gaze is so deep.

"Like the sea."

I was startled out of my thoughts. Jewell had turned to me with a smile, happy as if I'd recognized something. I sputtered out some words of confusion, but he didn't seem to mind. I minded that he was finishing my thoughts. Who the hell was he?

"Can you borrow me that red pen in your inside pocket for a moment?"

His question grounded me a bit and I nodded. Halfway his sentence I was already reacting, looking for the pen he asked for.

"Of course! I've got one in my….inside pocket…" My voice trailed off as the full question finally dawned on me. I stared at the red pen in my hand. The one I just took from my inside pocket. If I hadn't encountered strange things before, this would have freaked me out. Now I was just confused and surprised. How could he have known that I had this pen?

I handed him the pen. He opened the book he'd been clutching earlier and started to browse through it. I watched him as he meticulously worked through the book. I wondered if he really was a fortune teller. I wouldn't put it past him now. I'd seen stranger things. A sudden idea popped up. I could test him. It was easy to do. Just some silly question that only someone with future sight could answer. Maybe something about love? No, I rather not know too much about that now. But something as vague as 'what does the future have in store for me?' would be…

"I can't look that far into the future, I only do short-term predictions. For now, I'd say you'd have to reveal your secret to a few who are trustworthy and you will face a hard battle against your friend."

I had to do a double take. I looked at him as if he'd slapped me. For a short moment, I had nothing to say. Then a flood of questions raced through my mind, with only a few being uttered.

"I…I said nothing," I said in panic, hoping my dad wouldn't notice.

He gave me a friendly smile, albeit tinged with sadness. He closed the book again and bent over so he would be closer to me.

"Your fate is closely connected to your friends, closer than mortals would achieve. To be honest with you, I don't know if that's a good thing."

Whether this was a warning or not, I didn't know. The way he said it, didn't sound like the words of a madman, despite his use of the term 'mortal'. But what gave me the worst feeling was that he kept answering my questions without me saying them out loud.

"But how…How can you?"

"I can do a lot. And to my gratitude for rekindling my hope in my fate, I wish to bestow a few predictions to you and your friends."

I looked at him. I didn't know how to react. I didn't know why I was giving him hope, or why he'd been losing it. He closed the book and handed me my pen back, before looking at me. His blue green eyes seemed like a reflection of the ocean and I felt myself staring at them.

"Your charged friend will learn unexpected secrets from a disgraced prince and it might cause friction with her angel."

Yikes, immediately a prediction for Will. And what he said would probably convince her to talk to Phobos. But how could that lead to friction with Matt? Did they have trouble that she didn't share with us? Matt had been a bit insufferable at times, believing himself to be more important than he really was. Maybe he wouldn't like it if Will went alone to speak with Phobos? In that case I would accompany her if she wanted to go. We had to gather evidence anyway.

"Your friend of the earth will meet a child of mother earth herself. And she has to choose whether to trust her friends in the matter or not."

And a trust issue for Cornelia in the future. This sounds great. It wasn't that I didn't trust Corny, but Corny sometimes had a hard time trusting us. Especially when it came to matters concerning herself or her powers. I would have to discuss this with Will whether or not it would be a good idea to text her this.

"Your airheaded friend will confide in someone and will not be disappointed."

At least some good news for someone. Hay Lin would probably tell Eric. And Eric will probably not take it as badly as she would have expected. I really hoped that this all turned out to be true. If it didn't, I would possibly be the reason behind their break-up and Hay Lin would never talk to me again. I really had to test this.

"Your fiery friend will confide as well, have her heart broken and mended by the same person."

Now I was doubting whether or not to tell this at all. Taranee would be heartbroken if Nigel dumped her for her powers. But Jewell said he would mend it as well. I hoped it was because he saw the error of his ways and reconciled. I really hoped that.

"And as for you, you will save crane before setting me free."

I looked at him. He was free to go. What did he mean with setting him free? I could hardly throw him out of the car.

"Mr. Jewell, your stop. Ms. Abcott will escort you further along the way."

I watched as Jewell gave me a sad smile, before exiting the car with Rosetta. I gave him a last minute wave of my hand before we drove off. I watched them enter the reception centre just before we took a turn. I still stared out of the back window, wondering if what he'd said was true. I did have the feeling I could trust him. That what he had said was not some mad ravings of an old homeless man. What unnerved me for a bit was that he'd given me more than just one prediction like he'd done with the others. And the one that caused me turmoil was the one where I would fight a friend. I wondered how that would happen and why. I certainly hoped I didn't say the wrong things. Or that it would destroy our friendship. With whomever this fight was. Why were his predictions of my life way more cryptic than those of the others? I want a manual for mine.

We arrived at the house well before dinner. My dad kissed my mom and took the morning paper. He never had a chance to read it in the morning, so he usually tried to catch up with the news after his shift. Chris was drawing in the living room, probably another artistic picture. Or he was doing his homework. I envied him, having to make a drawing for homework. I would definitely switch my French and biology homework for his drawing. He stuck out his tongue at me by way of a greeting and I replied in kind. He then returned to his art, wearing a mischievous smile. I decided to ignore his juvenile humour. Instead I plunged next to my dad on the couch, making him grunt a bit.

"Do you believe in fate, dad?"

There was no deep sigh. Instead he looked puzzled at me, half-forgetting the paper in his hands. He then tried a grin and winked at me.

"At my work? We can't afford that luxury."

I rolled my eyes. I didn't ask if he could afford it.
"But what if you discovered that it exists? That your future has already been written?" I pressed on.

The suggestion made me a bit uneasy. The idea of having my future set in stone was terrifying and my dad seemed to agree with that.

"I would try to find out if it could be changed or rewritten."

I grinned at him.

"Good idea," I said. "But what if it's written in invisible ink? Or maybe written in water?"

I had to hide a smirk at the end of my sentence. If the future was written in water than I could change it however I wanted. But my dad didn't know. And he didn't need to know it either. My dad sighed deeply.

"What a philosophical discussion. I supposed that 'predictor' made you believe that?"

The way he said it was condescending. As if I were a little child who believed anything she saw on TV. I was sixteen and I could very well discern what was bullshit and what wasn't.

"I heard you having quite a discussion in the car," he said, continuing as if he didn't see my annoyance.

I gulped a bit. I hoped he didn't hear what we were talking about exactly. By the way he was acting, I wouldn't think so. If he'd understood a thing about it, he would have been interrogating me rather than reading his paper. So I sat back and scratched the back of my neck, smiling innocently.

"Ah. Well, you could say he made me think about a lot of things. Have you heard anything about him?"

My dad's face darkened, as if I'd said the wrong thing. He frowned and shook his head, placing the paper on the table. The doorbell rang, with my mother calling out to us that she would get it. I wasn't going to stop her.

"No. Rosetta called me shortly before we arrived, remember?"

I nodded. He'd first laughed during that call before becoming grumpy. I couldn't make out what he'd been talking about, but he hadn't seemed happy.

"She told me that Jewell disappeared just after she'd entered the reception centre. And she gave me the news that Zibosky was freed because someone bailed him out. Talk about some concerning news at the end of your work day. Worst thing is, with Jewell gone, we might miss one witness during the trial against Zibosky."

My stomach turned.

"You mean that Jewell is in danger?"

"What a coincidence. A man named Jewell was just at the door and…"

Dad and I didn't wait for mom to finish her sentence. We both rushed to the door, finding that no one was there. Dad wasn't going to shrug it off and went in the direction my mom pointed that Jewell had gone to. She looked puzzled at his retreating back before looking at me. I was miffed she'd let him go, and hoped dad would find him. That Zibos guy should not get his hands on Jewell.

"Well? Who was that man?"

I swallowed. I could take out my frustration on mom, but it wouldn't bring Jewell back or protect him. I took a deep breath and then just shrugged.

"He's a key witness to put a criminal behind bars, according to dad," I said.

My mom frowned and shook her head. A sigh left her lips.

"If I'd known I would have invited him in. Then again, he didn't want something from your father. He had something for you, but didn't want to disturb you."

As she said it, I realized she was holding a book. The same book Jewell had been holding on to the whole car ride. I wondered why he didn't just give it to me in the car. Maybe he wanted to give my dad a workout or something. He was a strange man.

Mom gave me the book and I rushed to my room, barely saying thank you as I left. I slammed the door shut and launched myself on my bed. I opened the book quickly, browsing through it until I found the pages marked by Jewell. I absently noted that my pen was running out of ink before my eyes raced over the pages. I only wondered what he meant with them. The pages marked were about undine, creatures made out of water. The book told about sailor's tales and this was the one legend or myth he encircled. And I didn't get what he was trying to say. I read the page a number of times, hoping to understand it. But it always remained the same old fisherman's tale. About a spirit in the water that would save those who were good for the sea. This tale spoke of how one fell in love with a maiden on the shore, which in my perspective was very similar to the story of the little mermaid, but with switched gender roles. A fun story, but one without a secret message. He didn't encircle certain words. Just the title of the creatures discussed.

I sighed. I knew Will wasn't available, but I was certain I needed her help. I texted her just as my mom called my for dinner. I added that I would contact her after dinner. So indeed during dinner, everyone was silent. My dad gave a short summary of what happened at work, told about Rosetta's improvement. Chris gave a short record of what he'd been doing during the day, but it wasn't that spectacular. I also gave a short summary of what happened at school and where I was before going to dad. And thus dinner ended, we loaded the dishes in the dishwasher and I went back to my room.

Our discussion was short. I relayed the predictions, except the one where I supposedly would fight a friend. It didn't feel right to relay that one. Will was sceptical and but I couldn't help but believe in them. Even if some of them could destroy my friendships. So in the end we decided to wait it out and check the book on Sunday, when Will was once again free to do what she wanted.

Saturday came and went by. I wasn't really motivated to do my homework. I did start, but I was certain half of my answers were a mix of English and French for my French homework and I'd decided to draw my answers for biology, rather than write them down. A fun experience, but also not efficient. In the end I just stared at the book and decided to take matters into my own hands. I took my laptop and started to search the internet for undine.

It took me a while, but in the end I found some information about them. Undine were supposedly water sprites. They were also known by the name water shades. They, along with sylph, salamanders and dryads, were a mythical species known as elementals. They were supposed to possess magic and depending on the element had a few specific forms. The magics they possessed were vaguely documented and not really trustworthy. As for the undine specifically. They were barely seen with the naked eye. If they are spotted, then it's usually because there is a group of dolphins swimming along with them. They seem like darkened, elongated human shapes in the water.

"So they are water shades? What do you think that Jewell guy tried to tell you with the book?"

It was Sunday. Will and I had taken a stroll the moment she dumped her stuff at her dad's and made an excuse to Serena why she couldn't go shopping. We now sat in the park, with Will browsing through the book while thinking about the things I'd found yesterday. She was still not convinced. When I first told her, she helped me remember we were on earth and not on a planet that possessed multiple magical creatures. She conceded when I pointed out that we lived here and that Lilian was the Heart of Earth. Still she was sceptical about it all.

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have pestered you about it."

Will stayed silent for a moment, her eyes blurring as she read the pages. She muttered something under her breath as her finger followed the sentences. It was a hopeless cause, but who knew. Maybe she would find something I didn't.

"And you said he gave you predictions? You trust those?"

I gulped. If I were truly honest with myself, I'd say I trusted him. I don't know why or how, but he didn't give me the vibe that he was lying. He had nothing to gain by lying to me. And he didn't strike me as a loon either. I nodded and Will gave a grunt. I understood why she wanted some proof. Some of the stuff could worry the others. And she obviously disliked that Phobos could cause for more friction between her and Matt. She didn't say it, but I knew that was worrying her. She browsed again and for a moment something caught my attention.

"Wait!" I said as I took the book from her hands. I browsed again and found that which had caught my attention. A pink leaflet was tucked within the book and I pulled it out, grinning.

"A note with the lending date of the library," Will said, her eyes wide. "This actually gives us a chance to do some research."

I grinned, ignoring that she'd just dismissed all my earlier research. At least we had a clue. Now we could find him and convince him he had to go to the police station. Staying out in the open with that Zibos guy running around was not a good idea.

"Let's go to the library, get his address and hope we can get him to tell us how he knows so much about us," Will said. She got up and closed the book, a resolute look on her face.

"And get him to safety," I added.

Will nodded firmly. Leave it to her to understand when things were serious. And thus we took off to the library. It was not my most favourite spot in the city and I rarely came here. It was a good thing Will seemed to know the way. It was slightly embarrassing to know that she knew where it was located while I lived here my entire life. I didn't say so, of course. I just followed like always. On our way, I noticed her phone buzzing an awful lot. Only every once in a while did she check, sigh, and either put it back or type a short answer in return. During a moment where she was responding, I decided to be my usual nosy self and looked over her shoulder. Matt had apparently been spamming her. From what I got was that he was checking in on her where she was, with whom she was and what she was doing, as to make sure she wouldn't overexert herself. There'd been plenty of times where he asked to come along as well, with Will constantly brushing him off. I decided to say nothing about it. Especially not when Will gave me a slight glare when she noticed I was reading along.

We arrived at the overly large building. Statues outside were slightly weathered by the rain and the wind. To me it looked like a grim and towering building, meant to dwarf people. I really disliked this place. I repressed a frown as I followed Will in. The inside of the place was even larger than I remembered. Books stacked higher than people could reach. Rickety ladders leaned against the bookcases, which were all lined up like dominos. What could possibly go wrong here, you'd imagine.

We were quickly approached by a lady I could only imagine working here. Wrinkles on a visage you didn't expect. A set of glasses was placed precariously on her nose. It seemed like a redundant accessory, as she kept peering over them with her dark eyes. Her blond hair was tight up in a bun on top of her head, completing the overall 'stern and stereotypical librarian' look. Especially when you added the old fashioned pink dress she was wearing. God help me, I might be turning into Cornelia, judging people by their taste in clothes.

She peered at us over her computer screen and frowned a bit as Will asked our question.

"I'm really sorry," she said in a faked posh tone. "but I'm not qualified to give that kind of information."

I sighed deeply. Of course our research would be stopped here. I glanced at Will, who'd stopped listening as well. Instead she was staring at the computer, her face scrounged up in concentration. She noticed me looking and gave me a small nod. Time to create a diversion.

"the content of the privacy law…"

This woman could drone on and on. I decided to flash my best smile and reminded myself to lighten up on Corny. This lady was a lot more horrible than Cornelia could ever manage.

"We understand, of course. After all, I'm the daughter of a police officer. The many times my father speaks about that law. Did you know…"

I started to rattle of a few instances where my dad had been complaining at the dinner table about work. These weren't supposed to leave the house, but I left out names and places as I continued. The old lady didn't want to show it, but her hawkish eyes gleamed with interest as I continued to drone on about a few old cases. She wouldn't be this interested if she'd heard it every day of her waking life.

"Thank you ma'am. We're sorry to disturb you and glad we returned the book. Have a nice day."

Will rudely interrupted my retelling of the Christmas pudding accident of 2010. She smiled brightly, as if the librarian had given us all the information we ever needed. The old lady looked only confused for a moment and seemed to have half a thought of keeping me here, so I could finish my story. However, Will had already pulled my sleeve and dragged me halfway out before the old lady could even try to call us back. I waved at her and sent her a cheeky grin before leaving after Will.

"So? Was my diversion good enough?" I asked as the cold autumn wind breezed past us.

Will nodded, though she frowned a bit as if in thoughts.

"Yes. I got the address. The computer was very cooperative. He was glad he was being used for something else than bubble pop," she said.

"You don't seem to be happy about it, though."

Will shrugged.

"It told me that the last one to check it out was a man called Benjamin Crane, from 34 Achaboud Street."

I frowned. I never heard of the street name before. I didn't want to say that I knew Heatherfield like my back pocket, but I'd assumed I'd known all the major streets. Maybe this one was some place I rarely went? Or never maybe. Luckily we had smartphones and a map app, or else we would have been lost. I already pulled out my phone and was halfway typing the street name when something else dawned on me.

"Benjamin Crane?" I asked, looking up from my phone and turning to Will. "You don't think?"

"That that's the crane you will be saving?" Will finished darkly. "It is awfully coincidental. We need to check it out as soon as possible."

I immediately returned to my phone, typing in the address Will had given me. We needed to get to the location before anything bad happened. The map gave us the quickest route, which would take us half an hour to get there by foot. Having no other option, the two of us started to make our way to the forgotten streets of Heatherfield. It was the first time that I realized that I only knew the centre and the better neighbourhoods of Heatherfield. We took a few turns and quickly found ourselves in the streets kids our age shouldn't be wandering. Some windows were bashed in, others covered by wooden boards. I saw many stubs laying on the ground and it didn't take long for a nauseating scent to waft past me. I didn't know what it was, but it smelled stale and sour. There weren't a lot of people out. A few were working on a car which looked like it wouldn't drive for long. Some men stared at us for a short while, smoke twirling up from their cigarettes. I moved a bit closer to Will. If my parents knew I was here, they would have a heart attack. I heard some harsh laughter and noticed a group adolescents. If anything, they were supposed to be in college or at work, judging by their age. Instead they hang around, kicking trashcans and laughing crudely. One guy looked up and noticed us. His head was shaven on one side, the other side his hair was long enough to reach past his ear and coloured purple. I was not going to point it out. He wolf whistled at us. Will didn't react. I looked at her and found she was in Guardian mode, albeit just mentally. I cursed softly. This Benjamin's life was on the line, just like Jewell's, and I was being concerned of being in a dangerous neighbourhood. I walked through worse conditions, amongst people who did want to kill me. I tried to shrug off the tensions I was feeling and focussed on our mission. Which definitely helped me feel more at ease.

We walked on until the scent of the sea and of rotten fish drove away the sour and stale smell of before. We started to pass warehouses and I realized we'd reached a part of the docks. The part I never came, but still. I looked around, surprised to find that the streets even had names.

"Your destination is on your left hand."

I almost dropped my phone. I'd forgotten that the volume was on. Will frowned as I turned it off. We then turned to an old warehouse-like house. As if the government had tried to repurpose it for housing. A few windows were ticked in and the stairs leading up to the door seemed rickety. The door itself didn't look like it would stop a trespasser. It wasn't even made of wood. Instead it was made out of a netting to keep insects out. A door you'd see in hillbilly camps, I'd reckoned. Nevertheless we walked up to it.

"Should we knock?" Will asked.

I could hear her nervousness. Despite everything, Will was still a teenager who didn't like to talk to adults. I grinned at her.

"How about we blow at it? I bet if we try hard enough, we can blow the door off its hinges. Would be a fun story to tell Hay Lin," I said.

Will breathed a laugh and pushed me lightly. I grinned back, glad to still be of service. However, our laughter caused some commotion inside and soon we were faced by a tall, bald man wearing sunglasses. I frowned, almost certain I'd seen him before.

"Yes?" he said.

My eyes widened. I recognized that voice. He was one of Zibosky's crooks, the one Rosetta worked to the ground at the police station.

"Hello there!" Will said, oblivious to my recognition. "We're looking for mister Benjamin Crane."

"That's me. Whaddayuwan?" the man replied gruffly.

Will seemed to be displeased by the man's attitude, but I wasn't going to give her the privilege of discussing with the man. He was a fake, which meant that the real Benjamin could be in danger. Water gathered around my hands quicker than I'd realized. Before Will could even ask another question, I'd gathered enough water to hose him down.

"To begin with, I'd like you to step aside!"

My reply to his question was accompanied by a strong jet of water. I blasted a hole in the door and him against the far end wall. Once my attack subsided, he lay unconscious on the ground and Will was staring at me in absolute horror.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she hissed at me.

I didn't feel guilty. This guy had it coming. I looked at Will. She seemed to be taken aback. Then again, she rarely saw me serious. I frowned and nodded at the man I just knocked out.

"That's not Crane. I've seen him at the police station two days ago. He's one of Zibosky's men."

Will's look of admonishment quickly turned to alarm. I walked through the door with her close behind me. She moved over to him and placed a hand on his face while I made the water evaporate.

"He's one of the crooks who are after Jewell? We can't ask him what he's doing here, he's out cold," Will said.

I had lost interest in him. To be knocked out by two women in three days must not be good for his ego anyway. I had been looking around the room as Will examined him. I noticed another room adjacent to it and as I entered, I heard some low mumbling. Looking around I saw Jewell, tied up on a chair. I gasped and ran to him, exclaiming his name to alert Will of his presence. I first undid the muffle before working on his ropes.

"How do you feel?" I said as I fumbled with the ropes on his wrists. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, thank you sweetheart. But…I'm not Jewell. My name's Crane. Benjamin Crane."

I halted for a moment. His voice was indeed similar to Jewell's, but it missed something. And his eyes, while also blue, were not like Jewell's. I had just saved Benjamin Crane. I had saved crane, just like Jewell had said. I looked up when I heard footsteps approach and found Will looking as surprised as I did.

We didn't waste a lot of time. We tied up Zibosky's henchman and left him in the same room where we'd found Crane. Crane thanked us several times. He didn't ask how we knocked out his jailer or how that hole appeared in his door. I didn't know how I felt about that. Normal people would be curious at least. Instead of asking us anything that should be strange about this situation, he poured us a glass of water and invited us to sit down. I looked awkwardly at my cup, remembering the exact words Jewell had used when we first met.

"I'm a fisherman," Crane said. "It's my work, my life."

I looked up. Neither of us had tried to strike up a conversation, yet he started to talk on his own. Will gave me a sideways look. I knew she was wondering if I'd been suggesting him to talk. I quickly shook my head no. I didn't do that on everyone.

"It all started just six months ago," Crane continued, unaware of our silent conversation. "I was sailing near Lighthouse Cape and I wasn't really fortunate."

I felt sorry for the man. Considering how he lived and what he wore, I would think he hadn't been fortunate in a long while. Deciding it was better to keep my mouth shut, I continued to listen.

"The sea continued to get worse and my ship was in a bad condition, but I had to continue my work. The waves were getting higher all the time and soon my ship made water. I still remember the coldness of the water, and the darkness. It was ruthless."

Crane shuddered as the memories came to him. I only pursed my lips. It was difficult for me to imagine water being anything but pleasant. However his story made me realize once again how fortunate I was with my powers.

"I tried to swim to the shore. The waves were lit up by the lighthouse, as if it tried to tell me I was almost there. But, I'm not a young man anymore. The currents were too strong and I started to sink into the deep."

I held my breath, noticing that Will was doing the same. The outcome of this story was no surprise. He'd survive, seeing as he was sitting here with us. Yet I felt the anticipation anyone would get from a good story. How did he survive?

"Suddenly, something lifted me up to the surface! A mass of turning water was bearing me to the coast. At first, I thought it was a dolphin. There were some playing around not far from me. When I finally reached the reef, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even think of climbing to the dry sand. It was at that moment I felt two hands taking me by my arms and pulling me to safety. That was when I saw him. At each turn of the lighthouse's light, a peculiar appearance became visible. Some sort of shade with a vague contour. The apparition became clear when it took my appearance. He told me not to be afraid and carried me to my home."

I choked on my glass of water halfway during the end of his story. I stared at him, before staring at Will. Will only frowned and I remembered she'd never seen Jewell. She didn't know he looked exactly like Crane. I got up and looked at Crane, who seemed amused by my reaction.

"But then you're talking about a…" I said.

Crane nodded. "An undine, indeed. A legendary creature."

He snickered sadly as he looked at his own cup of water.

"And to think I never believed in those sailor's stories," he said.

He seemed to dream away for a moment, but all I could do was stare at him. This man met a legendary creature, who saved him from drowning. It was almost a fairy tale come to life.

"You have to know that the undine had no name. When I recovered I decided to call him Jewell."

It was the final confirmation I was waiting for. Jewell was an undine. A creature from the sea. A creature of water. My element. No wonder he could read my thoughts! Maybe I could have read his if I'd known what he was. And of course he would know I'm the Guardian of Water. I wouldn't be surprised if all aquatic life had some notion of it. Will coughed softly and I realized that the water in my cup had been swirling violently. I calmed down, giving Will a lopsided grin as an apology. Crane hadn't noticed it, he was still down on memory lane.

"He remained with me and he started to make predictions. He told me where I would catch a large batch of fish. At first I rented a ship, but his predictions were so on point that business began to boom and I bought myself a new one."

Maybe he'd noticed me scowling, or maybe he just wanted us to believe he was a good guy by nature, because he immediately defended himself for his actions.

"I'd asked him a hundred times what he wanted in return. He wanted nothing but my happiness. I think it was the first time I started believing in angels as well, even though he came from the sea."

His eyes turned dark as a particular hard memory came to his mind. His hands balled as his voice cracked a bit out of anger.

"Mark Zibosky took notice of my luck. I knew I shouldn't have gone to him when I had no money. I just had no choice, you know? When I stopped asking for money, he got suspicious. And it didn't take him a long time before he learnt of my secret."

Pure regret was on his face. My heart went out to the man. He didn't look like he'd had a lot of luck in his life. When he finally found some, someone else had to rip it away. It were times like these that I could really detest people. No wonder my dad would often complain that he hated people. A few sparks caught my attention. Will's hair was standing up right and a last spark flew off before she started to breathe deeper, trying to calm herself. And yet, I couldn't blame her. I was getting angry as well.

"He thought Jewell was my twin brother. He took me hostage and started blackmailing him."

"Let me guess, predictions about the close future for your life."

My voice was trembling with anger. Crane nodded sadly. I understood my dad's frustration with Zibosky's newfound freedom even more. That man should be locked up and the key should be thrown away. A few other things could happen to him too, but I decided that would perhaps be a tad too cruel.

"He used them for his obscure business, illegal gambling and traffics…" Crane said. "Finally the police raid came and…"

"He was freed. But how come you were still prisoner? I'd imagine Jewell would have told the police about you."

I gave Will a short look, reprimanding her for cutting his story short. She ignored me completely and gave a critical look to Crane. She was fishing for more information.

"The moment of the raid, my captor knocked me out cold. When I woke up, I was untied and he was gone. Until yesterday, when I had barely returned from the police station after they'd picked me up and asked me for a witness report."

A silence followed in which Will and I looked at each other. I could still see some scepticism on her face, but even she couldn't deny that there was someone in danger who needed saving. Crane got up, looking desperately at the two of us.

"Please believe me when I say I'm not crazy. In the time I've been with Jewell, I gathered information about him. They're also called water shades and have the power of clairvoyance and shapeshifting. However…When they do take a form other than their water shape, they are no longer capable of turning back… I…I cursed him. And he only saved me."

Crane let his head fall to his chest, his voice cracking with a lot of emotion. I placed my hand on his arm, hoping it would convey some hope to him. I gave Will a sideways glance and could see that she felt pity for him as well. Her large brown eyes stood sad as he looked at Crane.

"Where can we find Jewell?" she said.

Crane looked up, suddenly panicked.

"No! You girls have done enough. I don't know how you bested him – he pointed at the knocked out henchman – or how you found me, but I won't let you endanger yourselves. I will take this to the police."

I could see he really wanted to keep us out of trouble. He just didn't know that we were the police for this kind of stuff. I sighed deeply and gave him my sweetest smile.

"Relax and tell us where Jewell is. Relax and tell us where Jewell is," I thought.

His eyes glazed over for a moment and he sat back down.

"Jewell can be found at Lighthouse Cape. He likes it there," he said, his voice distant.

"And let me guess, Zibosky knows this as well?" Will added.

Crane nodded.

I got up and Will followed suit. I thanked Crane for the drinks and told him we would alert the police. My father was a policeman after all. Saying this caused him to snap out of the trance I'd put him in and he nodded. I couldn't tell him we were going. He had enough worries as it was. Will and I left and waved at him. We took a few turns and found a couple of crates stacked away. The fish odour was terribly strong here, but I at least managed to keep my lunch where it was supposed to be.

"You know where Lighthouse Cape is?" Will asked.

I nodded. I'd been there a couple of times before when I was younger, but I could still find the place without a doubt. The problem was that it was on the far side of town. Even if we walked along the docks, it would take us at least an hour.

"Yeah, but it's a long walk. You don't suppose you could transform us…"

My voice died off as Will raised an eyebrow. She didn't have to say it. Bad idea.

"How about you teletransport us there?" she replied.

I gulped. My teletransporting had been improving but I was still afraid I'd mess up. Will grinned at me and placed a hand on my arm.

"Come on. We need to save Jewell."

I nodded grimly. I closed my eyes, remembering how the air smelled there. How the paint was slowly fading off the large tower. The cracked glass up top, the few tuffs of grass that decorated the lone patch of dirt where it stood. Visualizing it clearly, I focussed my magic and imagined us standing there. There was a familiar rush of magic. The scent of rotten fish disappeared. Seagulls cawed more often and as I opened my eyes, I let out a small sigh of relief. We managed to get here without me teletransporting us halfway in the air or in the walls. The relief quickly vanished when I noticed the door open wide.

"So, you still wanna do this without magic?" I said.

"Unless you want a one way ticket to the hospital. They might be armed. Just knock them out and don't injure them too much."

Will's hands crackled with lightning. I smiled.

"I love it when you change your mind."

I rushed in and lo and behold, two crooks were indeed standing watch. How'd I know they were crooks and not people who worked here? The lighthouse didn't have a tenant since before I was born and they did have the general 'bad guy' vibe. They turned around and laughed the moment they saw us. There were some comments on us being kids and that this was no playground. We showed them we knew. Will had electrocuted the first before he even realized what hit him. His pal turned his back to me when he noticed that his friend went out. Which was a bad decision. I launched a new torrent of water at his back, knocking him violently against the wall. I dissolved the water and only noticed at a sideways glance that the man was bleeding. Not too much, but it still made my stomach churn. I'd been a bit too enthusiastic.

We couldn't linger too long with the two below as Zibosky's voice echoed through the lighthouse.

"Finally, you're here. Your twin brother didn't want to tell me where you were."

For good reason, I thought. I had already started to rush up the stairs. By the hastened footsteps I knew Will was close behind. In no time we were almost at the top. Will's breathing was heavier and I gave her a look of concern. She shook her head, took a deep breath and motioned me to go on. I nodded grimly.

"But we have our ways to make people talk. And we know how to keep them silent as well," Zibosky said.

I couldn't help it, but a laugh escaped me. This caused Zibosky to turn around. I walked out of the door and onto the balcony where he and Jewell were standing.

"And I always thought such words were only used in gangster movies," I said, grinning broadly.

I then nodded at Jewell, glad he was alright. "Hi Jewell, I'm happy to see you."

Jewell smiled at me and this time, I noticed none of the sadness he formerly carried.

"Me too," he said. "I'd knew you would come."

Zibosky was clearly not happy with my appearance. I didn't know what he thought to be intimidating about a sixteen year old, but he seemed desperate. He grabbed Jewell and pulled him closer, keeping him in a semi-choker hold.

"Don't move. I don't know who you are kid or what you said, but don't think of coming closer."

His hands were fumbling with his pockets. If I was unlucky, he would probably be looking for a gun. So I tried to calm him.

"Relax, Zibosky," I said. Then a smirk formed on my lips. This man was a crook. A criminal who probably instilled fear in people. And yet I didn't see the difference between him or anyone from Phobos' army. No that's not true. The Lurdens were uglier and thus scarier. But the main point was, I didn't fear him. He seemed almost laughable, trying to intimidate me and threaten Jewell. "You don't want to make me angry, do you?"

Maybe it was my confidence or the lack of speed with which he was trying to locate his gun, but Zibosky was growing increasingly frantic.

"Mike! Orlando!" He yelled.

"Are you calling your henchmen?"

I turned my head to see that Will was done taking a breather. She stepped onto the balcony as well and leaned against the door. The way she was grinning made it obvious she too didn't see Zibosky as a threat. Probably because she knew that either of us could teletransport Jewell out of his grip. She let one of her hands crackle with lightning, looking at it as if she were interested.

"Sorry, but we're used to deal with worse creeps than you."

Bonus points for intimidation. Will finished her sentence by looking Zibosky in the eyes. He paled a little and started to shake. He pulled Jewell closer to his body when Will walked up to me, as if that would shield him from us.

"Who…Who are you? What do you want?"

It was strange, standing on the other side of the question. We usually asked villains that. To have a villain ask us, was surprisingly fun. I took another few steps towards him and gave him my friendliest smile.

"We're the good guys. And we want you to leave Jewell alone," I said.

This somehow concerned him more. He managed to find his gun and pulled it out. I halted immediately. He pointed it at us, trembling like he'd seen a ghost. Only now did I hear Will's magic crackle behind me.

"Quint…"

"Stay there! Don't!"

Zibosky never managed to finish his sentence. He took one step back too many and started to lose his balance. The gun fell out of his hands down the side of the lighthouse. He was now trying to maintain his balance by holding on to Jewell. It didn't work. I ran forwards, hoping to catch Jewell in time. Zibosky and he fell over the ledge. Jewell was out of my reach and I watched him fall slowly. Zibosky was caught by Will, who held him as she too watched Jewell fall. The sea below him was acting up, causing high waves to clash against the building. Jewell was perhaps an undine, but in this form he would die if he hit the waves. I had to save him. I had to help him. But the only way I could now was if I could somehow lift his human form. I had no idea what to do. Tears were forming in my eyes as I threw my hand out. Magic shot from it and all I could do was hope that my wish was turned to magic. I wished him to be himself again. To be free.

My magic hit him and as it did, he fell apart. Not the nasty kind of thing. He just turned into water before vanishing in the ocean below.

Everything that happened afterwards seemed to go in a blur. Zibosky was pulled back to land and we knocked him out. We left them behind as there was no prove of any criminal activity. Plus my dad would kill me if he'd known I'd tracked a dangerous felon. For good measure, I tried my suggestion on him as he lay unconscious. Convincing him he didn't see two teens, but rather two figures he couldn't exactly remember. Two days later, Zibosky was tried. Even though Jewell was no longer in human form, Crane was still around. He was the witness needed to get Zibosky in jail. Though Zibosky's attorney was pleading for an insanity case, due to him mumbling about witches and water creatures. This was one of these times where I was happy earth didn't believe in magic. It would have gotten us in a lot of trouble.

As for me, I'd decided to make it a routine to visit the beach every day. Jewell's human body might be gone, but he was still around. I could hear him if I listened well enough. He'd thanked me for freeing him. I only asked him if he could stick around if I ever needed an impartial listener.

And so, two days after Zibosky's trial, I sat on the beach. The waves were lulling me to a serenity I rarely knew.

"You busy?"

I looked up, slightly surprised to see Will standing next to me. I shook my head and patted on spot next to me on the blanket. Will took the invite and sat down as well. Her hair swayed in the wind as she too looked out at the ocean for a moment.

"How did you know I was here? I didn't tell you."

She gave me a shy grin and scratched her cheek.

"Ah. Well, you weren't at my place to avoid homework, so I just sensed you out. Took me a couple of times. Ended up in quite a few fish restaurants. Should have known you were here, though."

I raised my eyebrow. Will's policy regarding the use of magic had gone through some drastic changes as of late. Including our use of it in the past few days.

"You're being terribly lax when it comes to magic use," I said.

Will sighed. She put her face in her hands for a moment. She then looked at me. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I get why you've all been making such a fuss about not using magic," she said. "The last few weeks have been horrible for me. But I've loosened up, okay? As long as no one else learns of our secret…"

"Even if they do, people will think them crazy," I said with a shrug.

"There are always people who do believe, Irma. And I rather not meet them."

I sighed and nodded. Couldn't blame her really. Movies always showed some nutcase believing in the things that shouldn't be possible. I wouldn't be surprised if there were multiple nutcases here in Heatherfield either.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"The green is finally gone. Which means I can start swimming again."

I looked at Will. She could still be glamouring her lips and lie to me. But then again, she could have done this days ago. She knew our worries weren't for nothing. Her stamina got terrible in the days she'd been recovering. So I decided to believe her.

"Have you decided to tell them about the prophecies?" she said.

I nodded. Minutes before she'd arrived I'd sent the prophecies by text. We'd told them about our adventure during a very late night – and early morning for them – telepathy session. Which also brought a lot of admonitions from them. The only reason why they stopped badgering us about it was because we got out of it without an injury or our secret out. But during our explanation, I'd kept the prophecies about them to myself. I wasn't sure how they would react to it and I wanted them to think about it without the others giving their opinion about the prophecies. Will didn't mention hers either. I just wondered how they would react to it. Or how sceptical they would be.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about yours?" I said.

Will sighed deeply. She looked up at the sky. The Heart was pulsing softly on her chest, the light peeking out of the top of her jacket.

"Orders are orders, I guess. I just have to tell Matt that he has nothing to worry about and hope he takes it well."

"Like he did when you told him about the poisoning."

Will gave me a sideways glare. Matt had been livid when Will told him about the poisoning, nearly forbidding her to do her Guardian work. This in turn had gotten Will mad and the two hadn't been talking since. Still I knew she still liked the boy. Over the past two days, there had been signs of them making up. But both were terribly awkward when it came to stuff like this. I just knew they would make up before the end of the week probably.

"Yes, well. He will take this better. I won't get injured this time."

Again the definite tone. I sighed and shook my head. No point in arguing here.

"Just know that I will be coming along. We all got this stupid mission and seeing as the others got a free pass out, I will take it upon myself to keep an eye on you."

Will smiled at me.

"Deal."

[A/N] And that's the end of this chapter! What are your thoughts? Curious as to how Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin are faring? Well, wait until the next chapter!

So stay safe everyone and love each other, especially in these times 3