Femslash February 2024

Day 11: Alternate Timeline

Hello! This fic contains an alternate version of Irma's story from W.I.T.C.H. first special issue, The Year Before, which depicted the first manifestations of the girls' powers a year prior to them becoming Guardians of the Veil. In the original plot, Irma, following a path made of rain puddles through the streets, reached those with whom destiny was meant to connect her somehow: her pet turtle (in the Olsen's Pet Shop) and Martin (who was sitting on a park bench).

Huge thanks to 22-Ti for betaing!

Irma wasn't alone when she left Olsen's Pet Shop: this time, she was accompanied by her new pet friend.

The said turtle was placed in a glass basin filled with water, which was to become his home from today onward. The reptile and his newly appointed owner glanced at each other with evident curiosity. Irma still wondered what she could name him.

She followed back a path of small puddles, located close together on the pavement. After crossing the street from the pet store, she found herself again at the gate leading to the park. Irma didn't deviate from the route marked by the water - she entered the park, coming back the same way she had got here.

Who would have thought that this water path would lead me to you? She pondered with a smile, looking at the turtle. He was the perfect companion for her: water enjoyer, doesn't move much, mainly rests. Eats from time to time. He was just her animal spirit. Her soulmate in the animal kingdom.

Finally, she reached the forking in the park lanes she had passed earlier. It was also the forking in the puddle trail.

What would have happened if she had turned right? Who would she find at the end of this path? Another soulmate… but maybe this time the human one? Like a REAL soulmate.

Without much thought, Irma turned into the second puddled lane. Not that she believed in destiny, magic or soul connection. Or any other silly abracadabra things. But you can always try, right? Anyway, it was only a walk.

Suddenly, Irma stopped abruptly. She almost spilled the water from the glass basin along with its inhabitant.

A few meters ahead of her, the watery path clearly ended next to a bench standing under a tree.

And someone was sitting on this bench.

Irma couldn't see who exactly. The leaning tree and the bush growing beside it effectively obscured the mysterious individual. The only things she could spot were the book that person was reading and blonde hair peeking through the leaves.

Calm down, Irma! It's a coincidence! Just a coincidence! She tried to keep her wits. She put the basin with the turtle on another bench nearby. With her heart beating fast, she began to approach the end of the water path.

What if it wasn't a coincidence? What if her other half was really waiting for her on that bench? The boy who was the one…

Blonde hair… Maybe there's a chance it's Andrew Hornby…?

What should she do when she appears in front of him? Say hi and introduce herself? Or take a look and run away? Many thoughts ran through Irma's head at once.

Finally, she came out from behind a bush.

It was a girl. Irma was instantly taken aback.

To be precise, it was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Slender, with long, blonde hair and light blue eyes.

The pretty stranger slowly looked up from her book and stared at Irma appraisingly. "Uhm, hello…? Do I know you?"

Irma was still standing there, stunned. She was so surprised by the fact that it wasn't a boy and dazed by the blonde's beauty that she couldn't utter a word. It was certainly not typical for her.

The girl on the bench frowned. "What? The cat's got your tongue?" She asked harshly.

The stranger's unpleasant tone made Irma immediately come to her senses.

"Ah, forget it!" She snapped angrily, and with a wave of her hand, she walked away towards the place where she had left her turtle.

These events took place before the end of the summer vacation, so Irma had not yet attended Sheffield Institute (as she was a student of 2nd class one year later). Because of that, I thought it's safe to assume that she hadn't known Cornelia yet at this point.

I wasn't sure whether Irma's turtle was he or she in the original, so I chose "he", as it was like that in the comic book edition from my country. I also made him still nameless as his name was different in every language version I checked.