It has been a few years since I posted a story, and even longer since my last W.I.T.C.H. story. I hope that people still are reading these though. Since my short one-shot stories turned out to be quite popular, I decided to write another one in the same style, but this one turned out a bit longer than my usual format. I hope you will enjoy it nevertheless.
Those who only have seen the cartoon, might wonder who this story's main character, Orube, is. Orube only appeared in the comics and played a somewhat significant role in several stories, starting off as a replacement for Taranee who went on a single-person strike, but became a well-grounded charader on her own. Orube is a trained warrior from a world called Basiliade and is a young adult who isn't entirely secure of her place in this alien world, Earth... She eventually enrolls in the university and join a journalist club there (which is an important part in this story)
.Her appearance is that of a young, blue-haired woman, (with pointed ears, fangs and a red facial stripe she glamours)
If you haven't seen her, but still want to read the story, I recommend you search for a picture of her on the internet and have a look for yourself.
The Scoop of the Century
Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H.
Orube, better known here on Earth as Rebecca Rudolph, sat in the corner of the university's journalism club's meeting room, legs crossed, leafing through the latest edition of the Heatherfield Gazette. She was doing her best to blend in, still finding it odd to read the Earthly "news" that so many humans buzzed about. The newest scandal at Heatherfield University seemed trivial compared to her past missions, but Orube knew that "blending in" required immersion in even the most mundane details of human life. Being a journalist obviously meant that she had to be up to date with the news, and her two days off while visiting her mother in Basiliade had left her out of the loop, at least how her fellow journalists regarded past news. Before parting, her mother had gifted her with a basket of homemade food, which Orube happily accepted, and right now she was looking forward to the sandwich she had brought.
It was early morning, and a few members had already trickled in. She caught snippets of chatter from the boys sitting across the room, Joshua Prescott, her fellow journalism student, and his friend Majid. They seemed unusually animated today, shooting glances her way before huddling closer. Orube shifted uncomfortably, her heightened senses pricking. The sandwich she was about to take a bite from was put aside. She wasn't exactly unused to people watching her, but the glances weren't the normal stares of curiosity or admiration.
Joshua leaned in closer to Majid, who gave a half-worried, half-excited look back. Finally, Orube decided to listen.
"I'm telling you, Majid, if we're right, this'll be the scoop of the century," Joshua whispered urgently.
Majid, who was fidgeting with his notebook, whispered back. "You really think it's… aliens? Like, actual aliens?"
Orube tensed. She fought the impulse to glance directly at them and continued to pretend to be engrossed in her newspaper.
"Why not?" Joshua replied in a hushed voice. "Heatherfield's been quiet for too long, but everyone knows weird stuff's always happening here."
Orube suppressed a groan. It wasn't that she didn't understand their excitement; she knew exactly how much humans craved the idea of extraterrestrial life. Hay Lin and Irma had generously filled her in on that topic. But she also knew the chaos that could ensue if they got anywhere close to finding actual aliens. She managed to take a single bite of her sandwich before their behavior pulled her focus back to the aspiring reporters.
Majid's eyes widened. "So... you think this crash site they're talking about…"
"Could be a spaceship." Joshua's voice was barely above a whisper, and his grin was unmistakable.
Orube set her newspaper down, feigning a yawn. "What are you two whispering about?" she asked nonchalantly, hoping to steer the conversation without showing her nerves.
"Only the biggest scoop we've ever had a shot at!" Majid said, bouncing a little in his seat. "Some kid saw a ship fall out of the sky last night just outside Heatherfield."
She raised an eyebrow, keeping her expression neutral. "A ship?"
"A spaceship!" Joshua said, barely containing his excitement. "They said it was all shiny, and there was smoke and everything. Real UFO stuff."
Orube's thoughts whirled. There had been a strange disturbance last night that she had felt in her bones, but she had assumed it was just another side effect of the stressful city life. But if a ship from another world really had crashed in Heatherfield, it could mean trouble, and not just for her and the W.I.T.C.H. girls.
"Do you really think it's aliens?" she asked, leaning in with feigned skepticism. Her eyes darted to Isabel Pilgrim, who had just entered the room with her customary no-nonsense expression.
Joshua leaned back. "I mean, it's possible. We've all heard stories about…"
"Please." Isabel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, cutting them off. "The odds of an alien spacecraft crash-landing in the middle of nowhere are zero. Some teenager probably mistook a plane or something."
"Or maybe you just lack the imagination!" Joshua retorted.
"Or maybe," she replied with a smirk, "I just don't have time for nonsense."
Orube remained silent, pondering her options. She could easily refute Isabel and support Joshua's theory, knowing full well that extraterrestrial life wasn't only possible, it was closer than any of them knew. But that wasn't her role here. Rebecca Rudolph wasn't an intergalactic diplomat; she was just another journalism student at Heatherfield. Besides, if this rumor turned out to be true, it might be something only she and the Guardians could handle.
Finally, she shrugged and shoved her sandwich into a pocket for later. "Why don't we go check it out ourselves? Wouldn't that settle things?"
Joshua practically jumped from his seat. "Exactly! That's what I've been saying."
Isabel sighed. "Fine. If it'll get you to stop talking about aliens, we'll go. But don't expect me to believe any of it until I see solid evidence."
As they prepared to leave, Orube sensed a group of unusually clad people near the university's gate. She paused, narrowing her eyes, and spotted two men in black suits talking discreetly to each other while a third pointed at a map. A black van stood parked close by, leaving little doubt about whom it belonged to. If these guys thought they were anonymous, they stuck out like sore thumbs. Every student who passed them gave them strange looks.
She was jolted out of her thoughts as Joshua called her over.
"C'mon, Rebecca! Let's get out there before someone else scoops us!"
Orube cast one last glance at the men before following Joshua and Majid to Isabel's car. She slid into the backseat as they piled in and set off, chatter filling the car as they drove out of Heatherfield.
"Do you think we'll find evidence?" Majid asked eagerly from the passenger seat, practically vibrating with excitement.
"If it's there, I'll find it," Isabel said confidently. "And then I'll prove you both wrong."
Orube merely nodded, her eyes drifting back to the men in black she had spotted. If there are government agents here, things could get complicated quickly.
Close by…
…a very different group was preparing for their own investigation.
Agent James Darnell of the CIA adjusted his tie, peering at the printed report. His younger partner, Agent Leon West, was poring over a map of Heatherfield, marking an "X" over the rumored crash site location.
"So this is our job now? Hunting rumors?" West asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Orders are orders," Darnell replied stiffly. "Besides, there's been unusual activity here before. This might just be the breakthrough we've been waiting for."
A third agent, Julia Morales, leaned in. "So if it's an alien craft, what's the protocol?"
"We observe. We document. We don't engage unless necessary," Darnell said. He adjusted his suit and glanced around. "Let's move out."
As they left the university area in their nondescript black SUV and drove into the woods outside Heatherfield, Darnell's gaze sharpened when he realized they weren't alone. A car was parked just down the hill. He frowned, signaling to his team.
"What's this? Did somebody get the news before us?" Julia asked.
"Not sure. I'd better hope not. But let's hurry. The crash site shouldn't be far from here," Darnell added.
The agents walked for half an hour before coming to a stop.
"Wow, looks like somebody decided to cut down the trees. It looks like an open gate through the forest. Shall we follow it?" Julia said.
"I see no reason not to. Our coordinates align with the strip," West said, taking the lead and signaling for them to follow as he began moving inside the tree line.
Less than five minutes later, they came to a halt.
"That's it?" Julia sounded disappointed. "It just ends here, in a clearing?"
West looked around. "It seems so, but don't think this clearing is natural. Look at the trees on the ground. Every single one has been bent over and crushed against the ground. Something heavy must have been on top. But what could it have been?"
Within the same area, another group of amateur journalists from the very same university was trudging through the underbrush, led by Ambros Dale, an up-and-coming journalist known for his dramatic exposés and the bitter rival of Isabel's journalism club.
"I can practically smell the story," Ambros whispered to his cameraman, Tim. "Imagine the headlines: 'Alien Craft Discovered Outside Heatherfield!'"
Tim, weighed down by a heavy video camera, grumbled. "Yeah, sure. Just what the world needs: a front-page spread on UFOs."
Ambros paused, noticing footprints on the muddy path. He crouched down, studying them with great interest.
"Human shoes... several people. We're not the only ones out here."
He squinted, following the tracks through the trees and onto a rocky ridge. From this height, Ambros spotted two other groups: one emerging from an unmarked black car at the base of the hill, and another one walking at a faster pace further ahead of the first group.
"Those look like Men in Black. This has to be big! But who is—!? It's Isabel and her club, with that crazy woman. So, they're here too." He scowled. "We're getting that scoop first, Tim. Ready the camera! We need to find the UFO before either Isabel or the Men in Black does!"
Isabel's team of budding journalists was scouring the forest floor when Joshua suddenly knelt, examining a metallic object half-buried in the dirt.
"Could this be…?" he whispered.
"Probably a hubcap," Isabel said, leaning over and shaking her head. "Aliens don't lose hubcaps, Prescott."
Orube suddenly grabbed his arm, and her eyes narrowed. "Forget the hubcap. Look behind us!"
Emerging through the trees, she saw the silhouettes of three people, dressed in unmistakable black suits. She pulled the others behind a tree.
"Stay quiet. Don't let them see us."
Joshua craned his neck, barely concealing his grin. "Do you think they're…?"
"Probably government agents here to hide the evidence," whispered Majid, eyes shining with excitement.
Isabel nodded solemnly. "Alright, gang. We'll follow them, get any evidence we can. If they're hiding an alien craft, we're going to find it."
In another part of the clearing, Agents Darnell, West, and Morales were peering through their binoculars at Ambros and Tim.
"We've spotted people, probably the owners of the car we saw," West muttered.
Darnell shook his head. "Not good. This could compromise everything."
Morales glanced around nervously. "How did they know about this place? Did they follow us?"
Darnell's jaw clenched. "If they're sniffing around a government case, we'll have to deal with them sooner or later."
Back on the other side of the clearing, Isabel gestured for her group to stay down. She motioned to Majid and Joshua, pointing to a group of rocks they could use for cover.
"Majid, Joshua," she whispered, "get behind those rocks. We need a better angle on the Men in Black and figure out what they know."
They scurried forward, unaware that, just across the hill, Ambros and Tim had seen them!
Joshua slipped behind one of the rocks but accidentally bumped into a loose stone, which promptly made a disturbingly loud noise as it clattered against the rock. Isabel and Majid shot him an angry stare.
"Sorry," he whispered.
Meanwhile, Ambros Dale adjusted the zoom lens on his camera, catching sight of Joshua and Majid through the foliage.
"Tim!" he hissed. "They're on the move. Looks like they're trying to flank those agents."
Tim, wiping sweat from his forehead, raised his own camera. "Blast it! They must be hiding something from the government, aren't they?"
"Obviously!" Ambros said, snapping a few photos. "Those sneaky amateurs have been playing us this whole time. We've got to get ahead of them and see if we can catch anything. Follow me, and stay low!"
Ambros and Tim shuffled to the left, their movements causing a ruckus in the dry underbrush. The noise didn't go unnoticed.
Half-hidden behind a great oak, Agent Darnell stiffened. He gestured for his team to halt.
"Morales, West, did you hear that?"
Morales, squinting through her binoculars, muttered, "Shhh, there's somebody out there!"
West frowned. "Who? The guys we just saw?"
"Not sure," Darnell grumbled. "Might be the aliens."
Deciding to counter, the agents split up, each taking a different route to encircle the clearing. This, in turn, triggered even more suspicion as Isabel spotted Darnell moving through the trees.
"They're trying to sneak up on us!" Isabel hissed, signaling for Joshua and Majid to retreat back to her position. "Double back before we get caught. I don't want them to take away our cameras!"
Joshua tripped over a root but managed to keep his camera steady. "They're onto us! This is it, guys, we're about to uncover their whole operation!"
Orube lagged behind, feeling her head spin as she watched the clumsy "UFO mission" unfold. She had just pulled out her sandwich again for another bite when she heard a familiar laugh and dropped it on the ground in shock.
She turned and twisted her head to see where the laughter came from, finding it when she saw Will, Hay Lin, Cornelia, Irma, and Taranee waving at her from up in a tree.
Orube blinked, stunned, as her friends waved down at her. The girls were grinning, though their Guardian uniforms were covered in flecks of dirt and pine needles. She hurriedly jumped up to join them, glancing back to make sure the others from the journalism club hadn't noticed.
"What are you all doing here?" she whispered, eyes darting between her friends. "And why do you look like you've been running through the woods?"
Will's grin widened. "Oh, nothing much. We just, um… helped a few lost travelers."
"Yeah," Cornelia added with a laugh. "More like lost space travelers. And their ship."
Orube's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "You mean… there really was a crash?"
"Oh, yeah." Hay Lin's eyes sparkled. "They were actually really nice! Kinda looked like metallic cubes, if you can believe it. They'd miscalculated their trajectory past Earth's atmosphere."
Irma rolled her eyes. "And of course, they were just as bad at steering as some of the drivers here in Heatherfield. Will and Cornelia had to use a little bit of, you know, magic to patch up the ship. They were so grateful, they even left us this!" She held up a shiny, oddly-shaped rock that glittered in the sunlight.
Orube stared at the alien "souvenir," feeling a mix of disbelief and relief. "Wait… so you sent them off already?"
"Yup," Taranee nodded, brushing dirt from her uniform. "They're halfway to a galaxy far, far away by now. No one will even know they were here, save for the odd scar in the forest. Cornelia was about to grow it back when we noticed you guys."
Irma leaned in, practically bouncing with excitement. "We met actual aliens, Orube! Can you believe it?"
Orube sighed. "You do realize that every time you go to a new world, you're technically the aliens."
Irma shrugged, unfazed. "Yeah, but this time, we got a visit. We weren't the visitors!"
Will stifled a giggle, and Cornelia muttered, "Only Irma would make a distinction like that."
"Yeah, well, the alien tourists aren't our only problem right now," Orube said, peeking over her shoulder toward her classmates, who were still crouching behind a tree. "Half of the journalism club is convinced there's some alien conspiracy, and…"
She froze, realizing something disturbing: the club wasn't the only group lurking nearby. Further down the hill, she spotted Ambros Dale's team, clearly, they had noticed Isabel's crew. And even further back, she saw the black-suited agents who had tailed them here. All three groups were huddling and peeking at one another, each trying to keep from being noticed.
"Don't look now," Orube muttered to the girls, "but we've got company. The journalism club, some actual government agents, and a couple of nosy reporters. And they're all spying on each other!"
Will's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Sounds like a classic standoff. Do we… help them out?"
Cornelia smirked. "Or do we just let them keep confusing each other? Might be more entertaining that way."
Hay Lin's eyes were bright with amusement. "What if we play along?"
Orube shook her head, torn between worry and amusement. "Right now, the journalism club thinks they are the aliens. But if they do get suspicious of you girls…"
Irma's grin widened. "Then let's keep up the mystery. I'll bet they never even find out we're here!"
Meanwhile, the journalism club had regrouped, with Isabel commanding Majid and Joshua to stay hidden behind a log. They were watching the agents in black suits, who were busy tailing Ambros and Tim.
"I'm telling you," Majid whispered, squinting at the agents. "Those guys in black suits have to be the Men in Black. They probably work for some top-secret alien agency."
Joshua nodded fervently. "Look at how they're lurking around! Definitely suspicious."
"They're probably out here to remove any trace of alien life," Isabel murmured thoughtfully. "Alright, we need something tangible. Evidence." She gestured to Joshua. "Grab anything you can find that looks suspicious, or snap a picture of it. We'll get them with forensics! Hey, did anyone see where Rebecca went?"
Joshua gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am… no ma'am."
Nearby, Ambros Dale was whispering furiously to Tim. "Those agents… they must be out here to bury the story! They're not hiding it well, either."
Tim nodded, setting up his camera. "I say we get some footage and confront them later. They can't silence us all."
Ambros smirked. "Exactly. Let's give the world the truth."
Spying on the snooping journalists, Agent Darnell frowned, whispering to his team, "If they're investigating us, we'll need to deflect their suspicions and lead them off track. Morales, let's double back and see what we can find on them."
Watching from a branch high up in the tree, Orube and W.I.T.C.H. struggled not to laugh. They could see each group closing in, as if on the brink of discovery, but when Isabel and her group came closer to the tree they were hiding in, Cornelia waved her finger, making the tree's foliage instantly grow immensely thicker. New branches, vines, and leaves shot from the trunk, and one of them accidentally knocked Irma's alien gift out of her hand.
"Oh drat!" she hissed when it disappeared into the foliage beneath, and she was about to go and get it when another voice further below silenced them all.
Suddenly, Orube heard Majid's voice, "Hey… what's that?"
Joshua excitedly cut in, "I don't know, but that might be the alien evidence we're looking for!"
"What the heck is that thing? Put it in a bag; you don't know what it is. It could be dangerous!" Isabel hissed.
"Who's got the plastic bag?" Majid said, crouching low. "Josh, get me the bag! We need it back for testing."
Orube could barely make out a glimpse of Joshua below as he carefully sealed whatever he had found in a plastic bag, as if it were a piece of radioactive material. He shoved it in his backpack, making a face while rushing off.
"Great," he muttered. "Alien… something sealed."
Orube could hardly believe her eyes. Whatever the journalism club was now carrying, it was solid proof of extraterrestrial life.
"I can't believe they're actually taking it seriously," Cornelia muttered, peeking from behind a branch.
Irma cursed under her breath and spoke to the group telepathically. "That thing is ours! Orube, you'll have to find a way to get it back from them."
Orube shook her head, replying back through their mental link. "That won't be easy. Once these guys get their sights on something, they're like a pack of gorandors."
Hay Lin tilted her head. "What's gorandors?"
"Fierce predators from my home world."
Will snorted. "Anyway, we need to remove any trace of the crash. Cornelia, can you take care of that while we create a distraction?"
"Sure," Cornelia thought back. "But what kind of distra….?"
Irma and Hay Lin answered by transforming into green men, about half their size and with big black eyes. They high-fived, and through the link, they heard Hay Lin shout, "Cosmic!" with great eagerness. Will and Taranee rolled their eyes but followed suit, and the four "aliens" jumped down to the ground.
They had barely landed when one of the agents spotted them, his expression transforming into utter disbelief. "What the hell!? Green men?"
The "green men," took off in a sprint that seemed impossible with their short legs, and to the sound of maniac giggling.
Darnell stared wide-eyed. "After them!" And the merry chase was on, a ragtag group soon expanded by Ambros and Tim, who also wanted to join in.
"Well, you certainly have to be careful what you wish for; suddenly, you get it!" Cornelia sniggered and nudged Orube. "Looks like the task of retrieving the real deal falls upon you."
"Alright, leave it to me," Orube said and jumped out of the tree, landing gracefully like a cat.
As she hurried to catch up with Isabel and her group, the forest grew back around her with an unnatural speed, healing all wounds and signs of any disturbance. When she finally caught up with them, the rest of the journalist club was already waiting for her in their car.
"Where in the world have you been?" Isabel demanded.
"I… ehm, thought I saw something move, followed after it, and got lost."
"Jump in! We're leaving, fast!"
Later that afternoon, back at Heatherfield University, the journalism club reconvened in their meeting room. Isabel was pacing, muttering under her breath as Majid and Joshua eagerly prepared their evidence for analysis. They had somehow managed to borrow a DNA analysis machine from the university's biology department, a feat that left Orube more than a little impressed.
Orube had planted herself comfortably in an armchair in the corner, reading the day's newspaper and doing her best to ignore the rising excitement in the room.
"It's going to be big," Joshua said excitedly as he set the sample, a smear from the "alien" thing, into the analyzer. "Just imagine. This could be the first confirmed alien sample."
Majid leaned in eagerly, his eyes wide. "Do you think they'll have us on national television? Maybe even… international?"
Isabel finally paused her pacing, glancing over at them. "Let's not jump to conclusions. First, we analyze. Then we break the story."
Orube, listening to the exchange, rolled her eyes and tried to focus on the paper. She couldn't, for the life of her, come up with a reasonable excuse to snap whatever they had found out of their hands and tell them no.
"Almost ready…" Joshua was staring intently at the machine as a green light blinked, indicating the analysis was complete. He pulled up the results on the screen, his eyes widening as he scanned them.
"Isabel…" he stammered. "You… you need to see this."
She leaned over, taking the printout from his hands, and scanned it. A stunned silence fell over the room as her eyes went wide.
"This… this DNA sample," she said slowly, barely able to contain her shock. "It's not… it's not human."
Majid nearly choked. "Are you serious?!"
Isabel nodded, her voice a mix of awe and disbelief. "I've triple-checked it. This DNA sample is definitely… not from this Earth."
Cornelia paced back and forth under the old oak. Her friends were taking their sweet time luring those agents and wannabe journalists off on a false track, and she was growing bored of waiting. A sudden gust of wind made the branches move, and an object fell onto the ground with a dunk.
"What's this…?" she muttered and picked it up to examine it. "The aliens' gift! But what was it that Orube's friends found then?"
Orube looked up from behind her newspaper and felt her stomach drop when she finally caught eye of the alien artifact they had found, and grimaced.
It was her half-eaten sandwich!
Majid clapped a hand over his mouth, hardly able to contain his excitement. "I knew it! They are real! We have the evidence right here!"
Joshua practically bounced on his feet. "Should we publish it? Send it out?"
Orube groaned inwardly. She lowered her newspaper and looked at the group. "So… let me get this straight," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral. "You're saying you've discovered alien DNA… from a sandwich?"
Isabel, who was clutching the report like it was the Holy Grail, gave her a sharp look. "This is no joke, Rebecca. That sample isn't from any known species."
Orube's eyebrow twitched. "Right. But… you're sure the 'aliens' aren't, you know, maybe closer than you think and want it back?"
Isabel frowned, her suspicion finally softening into exasperation. "Rebecca, I understand you're skeptical, but we're talking about concrete evidence here. This could be the discovery of a lifetime."
Orube watched as they hovered around the "alien sandwich," exchanging awestruck glances, their excitement reaching a fever pitch. As the chatter escalated, she couldn't help but laugh softly to herself. They were standing on the brink of the discovery of her, though they didn't even realize it.
With a resigned smile, she folded up her newspaper and slouched back in her chair, letting them celebrate what was, after all, just a very normal Basiliadian sandwich.
Please, leave a review and tell me what you think^^