Work Text
In her 13 years, Wilhelmina "Will" Vandom found that certain things came easier than others.Swimming, getting on her mom's bad side and even obtaining leadership over a group of protectors known as the Guardians of the Veil.Under most circumstances, sleep was usually one of the things that also came easily to the Keeper of the Heart. But on this particular night, the young redhead found that getting to sleep was as easy as deciphering Algebra.To say the day had been crazy would be a strong contender for the greatest understatement in history.On top of Jeek, who everyone at the time thought was Blunk, nearly handing the Heart of Kandrakar to Cedric, her crush Matthew Olson had also stumbled upon the portal and ended up in Meridian.Thankfully, Will had managed to recover the Heart, put Cedric and his army on ice (quite literally in this case) and rescue Matt from any danger.The possibility of their friends and family discovering their secret lives was always a what-if scenario that haunted Will. Matt in particular was one she worried about the most. In the past, she often thought about what would happen if he ever discovered her true identity. Often, her imagination would paint the picture of Matt looking at her like she was some kind of freak and walking out of her life forever.On this particular day, though, her nightmare became a shocking reality when she saw Matt's head peeking out from under the snow. Thankfully, the latter half of her worries turned out to be complete fabrication. Matt had not only accepted her calling, and stayed by her side through and through, but had also promised not to tell anyone her secret. Though he was stumped at how he could explain the idea of parallel worlds, giant human/snake hybrids and magical elemental powers to the average person.Ultimately, these circumstances should have made the young leader fall asleep easily. But the constant wave of fear and anxiety in her brain kept that from happening.Elyon's coronation was still only two days away. Both she and the rest of the team were still no closer to warning Elyon of her brother's true intentions or just how they were going to save her.Being in a leadership position, Will was also worried about the safety and well being of the others. Growing up as an only child had left her with no brothers or sisters to play with. And her past life in Fadden Hills had given her little to no friends to hang out with. It made her feel like she would be alone for the rest of her life.But over the past few months, she suddenly had four new friends that were more or less sisters to her. Friends that helped her time and again on the battlefield and helped her relax back on Earth. Every sleepover, movie marathon and even classes at Sheffield all seemed better when her friends were close by.The thought of anything bad happening to them, especially in the inevitable battle with Phobos, scared her more than any horror movie could ever do.Glancing at her clock, Will saw that it was 1 am. She had been laying in bed, and staring at the ceiling, for over an hour.Realizing that her mind was only going to get deeper down the rabbit hole of anxiety, Will lifted the covers and placed her feet on the floor. She turned to face the bed, got down on her knees and grasped her hands together.Will's family hadn't always been regular church goers. She remembered how her parents used to put her in a dress, something she still despised, before heading to the Sunday service. But after her parents divorced, Will and her mother found themselves attending the service less and less. Will often wondered if her mom's belief in God was shattered when she caught her husband with another woman.If you were to ask her if God existed, Will's answer would indicate that she was on the fence about the manner. While she liked to think that there was some higher being in the universe, there was always a shadow of a doubt as to if it actually existedBut on this particular night, and with the constant fear of the upcoming days looming over her, Will cast her doubts aside and began to pray quietly."Dear God, I wanted to say thanks for everything you've given me so far. I mean...I may not have Cornelia's lifestyle or anything but I still have a roof over my head, a mom that loves me...for the most part and friends that I wouldn't trade for anything. I also wanted to say thank you for getting Matt got out of Cedric's grasp in one piece and for him accepting my duties as a Guardian."Will's slight smile soon vanished as she got to the crux of her prayer."But...I also just wanted to say...I'm scared about what might happen in the next few days. It feels just like yesterday that we all found out about our powers and were down practicing by the bridge. And now...we have to help lead the Rebellion so we can prevent our friend's twisted brother from draining her powers. I mean...what if Phobos and Cedric are more powerful than we think? What if I don't know what to do in the heat of the moment? What if something goes wrong during the attack and one of us..."Will stopped when she realized her face had become wet with tears. She wiped her face with the sleeves of her pajamas before continuing."I've finally found a group of friends that truly care about me. They don't care about how well I do in school or whether or not I've kissed enough boys...like back home. They care about me...the real me. And now they're looking up to me, as a leader. I mean sure I've eased into it alright and I've felt myself become more confident in battle...but sometimes I wonder if it was the right choice. I mean...Taranee does better in school than me, she could probably formulate a strategy faster than I can."Will stopped for a moment to take a few deep breaths."But for whatever reason the Heart chose me to lead this team. And...all I ask of you is to give me the strength and the courage to win this battle, save Elyon and restore peace in Meridian. But if you can't do any of this...please let nothing bad happen to my friends. If anything bad were to happen to them...I would never forgive myself. It would hurt me more than anything Phobos, Cedric or his army could ever do to me. Please protect them more than anything else and let us be able to kick Phobos's ass into the next dimension."Will felt a smile grow on her face as she said the last part. She was about to finish when she suddenly remembered something."Oh and please make sure my mom finds someone, as long as it isn't Mr. Collins. I can't imagine how awkward that would be to see my teacher both day and night. But I know my mom has been through a lot and cares about me, even if it usually means grounding me, and I just want her to be happy. So please let her find happiness and make her understand my calling if ever she were to find out about me and the rest of W.I.T.C.H. Amen."Will felt her eyelids grow heavy as she finished. It was like her brain, a giant tub filled with fear and uncertainty, had finally pulled the plug and allowed its contents to flow down the drain.Will glanced over at her nightstand and saw the Heart of Kandrakar glowing softly in the darkness. She always felt an odd sense of calm whenever she was close to the mythical jewel, especially when she slept. It was like every keeper of the Heart before her was placing their hands on her shoulders and whispering: "You've got this."For what felt like the first time in months, Will felt herself being able to breathe again. She remembered opening a fortune cookie at the Silver Dragon with the fortune reading:"Worrying is like praying for what you don't want to happen."It was something that always stuck with her, and became all the more clear at this particular moment.She knew that she could worry about all the negative outcomes of the upcoming battle until the cows came home.But another part of her knew that worrying would accomplish nothing but create what-if scenarios. What mattered now was the present and knowing that the outcome was truly in their hands, and that no matter what it'd lead to, they wouldn't go down without a fight.But for now, she simply let her eyelids close and her mind enter dreamland.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was often said that the only consistencies in life were death and taxes.But with stress and anxiety being as common as the cold, it could be argued that they were another consistency within life.But when it came to overcoming the two evils, different people executed different remedies.Some took to exercising, while others turned to meditation.But for one Irma Audrey Lair, she attacked any difficulty with a joke and a smile.The young brunette couldn't exactly remember why she was drawn into the field of humor, but she could definitely remember when she first partook in it. It happened when she was five years old. Her father, Thomas 'Tom' Lair had just come home from another long day at the police station. He slowly stumbled in, hung up his jacket, sat on the living room couch and started to cry. Her mother, Anna Lair, soon came out of the kitchen and sat next to him, her hand gently caressing his shoulder. Then they started to talk, but their voices were so low that Irma couldn't make out what they were saying.Although she didn't know why her father was crying, she found out years later that it was due to a house fire that took the lives of a couple and their newborn baby, it still broke her heart to see her father so in despair.Without a second thought, Irma ran to her father's room, grabbed his best dress pants (complete with suspenders), threw them on and ran back to the living room. She then proceeded to break out into her best dance routine, complete with an invisible cane and hat.Tom and Anna were at first dumbfounded by the sight before him. But after a few minutes, a smile began to work its way onto the older male's face before he broke out into a laughing fit, with his wife soon following suit.Seeing her father broken out of his sad stupor gave Irma more joy than any toy in the world. It also led her mother to nickname her 'Droopy Pants', a name she still detested to this day.But most importantly, Irma learned just how powerful laughter could really be and she made herself a sort of self promise to try and use humor to lift the spirits of everyone around her.Becoming a Guardian of the Veil, and harnessing the power of water, did little to change this promise. No matter the situation, or just how much danger they were in, Irma always managed to make light of the situation and put everyone at ease, even if it was only temporarily.But although she appeared confident and carefree on the outside, Irma was just as scared and anxious as the others. Discovering her Guardian destiny, seeing Cedric for the first time and realizing the dangers they would be facing, gave her an underwhelming sense of dread. Ever since she became the Water Guardian, a million possibilities ran through her head, such as where their future as Guardians would lead to, what their parents would say and do when they found out about their calling or even just what might happen to them on the battlefield. These thoughts and more crept into the young girl's brain at least once a month, although her sunny expression prevented anyone from noticing her discomfort.Currently, however, the main thought plaguing Irma's mind, as she lay in her bed, concerned the upcoming battle against Phobos.Irma's usual nighttime routine would be to eat dinner, fight with her little brother Chris, listen to a couple Karmilla songs, take a hot bath, change into her pajamas and crawl into bed before falling asleep.On this night, however, she accomplished everything except sleeping.When she was with her friends, Irma would alleviate her own personal stress by cracking jokes, doing impressions or even quoting her favorite movies. But now, she was left to fend off her toxic thoughts entirely by herself.Irma rolled to one side and glanced at the clock.2 am.Irma groaned and pulled the blankets over her head."Really brain?" Irma thought to herself. "You can't keep me awake during a 24 hour Friends marathon but you keep me up on a school night?"Irma was just about to crawl out of bed, turn on her TV and numb her brain to sleep when she suddenly thought about something her dad had said."Sometimes when I'm out there in the field and the odds are stacked against us, I just say a little prayer and hope everything works out for the best. Regardless of if things work out or not, it's just like a little good luck charm."Irma initially thought her father's statement was odd. Her family weren't regular church goers and they were pretty agnostic as far as to whether there really was a God.But at that moment, with Elyon, Meridian and their futures uncertain, her father's words never rang more true.Irma folded her hands behind her head and looked out her open window. She glanced up at the bright, full moon and started to softly speak."Hey God, what's happening? I don't know how busy you've been but my life has gone from zero to insane over the past few months. I mean one minute I'm just a regular kid with subpar grades and a Karmilla addiction and the next I'm this kick-ass superhero who can control water. I can't make this stuff up even on my best day!"Irma paused as she tried to put her feelings into words."I mean…I love what I do, I really do. Every time I go all witchy it just fills me with pride, like I can accomplish anything, especially when I'm with the others. Just like how my father wears a badge, my Guardian persona is like my own badge. And just like my dad, we've done a lot of good things in the past few months. But at the same time…I'm scared about what might happen to us in the future. How do we know if we can even successfully save Elyon? What if something happens to Caleb and all the rebels we've rescued? What if one of us…"It was only then that Irma felt like her heart was going to rip out of her chest. She took a few deep breaths before continuing."I know I don't always show it, but I'm just as scared as everyone about what might happen in the next couple of days. Even earlier today when I joked about that whole 'Home and Princess' magazine thing, I was just trying to lighten everyone's spirits, I wasn't trying to piss Cornelia off and come across as uncaring. I love Elyon, you know I do! It's just…sometimes I forget that Corny's known her longer than any of us and that she's scared about this more than anyone. If I'm stressed about this whole thing I can't imagine what running through Corny's mind. It's just like the time that..."Realizing that she was babbling, Irma took a few moments to regain her thoughts before continuing."Anyway…if you're somehow still with me, I just want you to protect Elyon from any harm and ensure that me and everyone else can come home to our families when this is all over. And…I hope you can make Cornelia happy again too. As much as we argue, I still want nothing but the best for her and it just hurts me to see how this whole thing has affected her. I know you probably can't make all this happen, but if you could at least make one of these things happen, it would mean the world to me.A yawn escaped Irma's lips as she finished. Her brain had finally been released of its demons and allowed to power down. But just as she was about to roll onto her side, she suddenly turned her head back towards the nighttime skies."Also please protect daddy when he's out on the field. I know he's a bit of a hard ass on me sometimes but I also know that he just doesn't want me to turn out like any of those freaks he busts every day. So if you could keep him coming home every night, I'll never doubt you again. Amen."Irma rolled onto her side and allowed her eyelids to shut. The last thought she had was a snippet of her dad's words."It's just like a little good luck charm.""I hope you're right dad," Irma whispered before she fell asleep. "I hope you're right."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Taranee sighed as she gazed into the candle's flame; its particular scent of pine trees flooding her senses.The scent took her back to when she was six years old, when she was on her family's annual camping trip. Coincidentally, it was also when her fear of fire began.The young girl had just stuck a marshmallow on the end of a wooden stick and moved it toward the campfire. A small part of the kindle suddenly exploded, causing a spark to land on the stick and ignite. Taranee could still vividly recall how the fire raced down the stick towards her hands, like a cheetah gaining on its newest prey. Thankfully, the frightened girl threw the stick back into the campfire before the flames could touch her skin. But ever since then, fire became one of the girl's biggest fears, along with many other things that would make several psychiatrists have a field day.She still couldn't tell if becoming the Guardian of Fire was an act of karmic destiny or a karmic coincidence. But the one thing she did know was that learning about her destiny and powers had nearly shocked her into a coma. Discovering that she was a sort of otherworldly superhero, with the power over the very thing she was afraid of, was the equivalent of throwing gasoline onto a bonfire.But although the young, African-American girl suffered from a variety of different phobias, there was one that reigned supreme in her mind and caused her the most dread whenever she thought about it.The Unknown.The constant reality of not knowing what was around the corner, both figuratively and literally, worried the poor girl to no end.In the beginning her worries were rooted around certain outcomes, such as burning herself from the fire coming out of her hands or falling from a great height after flying through the air.But as she slowly but surely mastered her powers, those fears quickly vaporized as the overall fear of the future took its place. Everything from what new evil they would fight next, to their parents or possibly the entire world discovering their secret identities or even the possibility of their children inheriting their powers.On this night however, those thoughts took a backseat as Taranee contemplated the present dilemma of just how they were going to rescue Elyon from her brother, or even if they could accomplish such a task.Taranee always found it extremely peculiar that the protection of the Veil, and whatever else their guardian duties entailed, fell upon a group of children that hadn't even been able to talk to the boys they liked the most. Sure they practiced their powers every day, and had proved victorious time and time again, but they were still merely children. Surely there must've have been some other people with stronger fighting, survival or planning skills that could solve a problem like this with ease.How were a bunch of kids, still trying to figure their own lives out, going to overthrow a crazed dictator and restore peace to an alternate universe?It was like solving a giant jigsaw puzzle with only the outer border completed.Taranee always loved being able to examine a puzzle, identify all the pieces and come up with a creative solution. But this particular nut proved to be tougher to crack than she thought.Up till now, with regards to Elyon and Meridian, she figured that the answer would present itself naturally to her, just like every problem she came across in her schoolbook. But as Caleb reminded them that Elyon's coronation was only two days away, she found the solution to be nowhere in sight. It left the poor girl with no clue as to how they could save their friends and all of Meridian. And that she realized was the root cause of why her heart was beating so fast.Realizing that her problems were not going to be solved by staring at a candle all night, Taranee folded her hands and bowed her head."Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. God bless mom, dad, my brother Peter, Will, Irma, Cornelia, Hay-Lin, Caleb, Yan Lin and everything you've given me so far from my health to the roof over my head."Ordinarily, Taranee's prayer would have ended there. But with her fears of the near-future mounting in her mind, she decided she needed another way to combat her fears."Also I wanted to say thank you for making us able to recover the Heart of Meridian and for allowing Blunk to prove his innocence. I mean sure his profession is less than desirable, and he makes the town dump smell like the botanical gardens, but he's helped us out a lot over the past few months and his heart's in the right place. I honestly can't imagine life without him now."Taranee pushed her glasses against the bridge of her nose as she continued."But…as you may know Elyon's coronation is only two days away and we still haven't a clue as to how we're gonna save her. For all we know, Phobos could be expecting us to rescue Elyon soon and he could just throw the coronation tomorrow without us knowing. I know I probably sound greedy by asking for more than what you've given me so far but we've come this far to save Elyon and I know how much this has affected everyone…especially Cornelia. So…if you could just help us out this one time I promise I'll never take life for granted again and I'll try harder to get over my fears, even my fear of antique clocks. Amen."And with her final words, Taranee blew out the candle, extinguishing the sole illumination within the room.She climbed into bed, took a deep breath and allowed her weary mind to escape reality for the next eight hours.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Heatherfield was no stranger to snow.The large city would normally see an average of 50 inches per winter season.Although daily commuters would moan and groan, other residents took to making the best of the cold season. This included skating on frozen ponds, sledding with their children or even enjoying a good cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace.In a particular apartment building, many residents were happily doing the latter as they watched the snowflakes fall from the heavens.Ordinarily, the Guardian of the Earth herself (Cornelia Hale) would be one of those people. But on this particular night, the young girl simply sat on her bed and gazed at the old Polaroid in her hands.The picture showed two blonde girls, dressed in that year's most popular snowsuit, grinning ear to ear at the camera. It was taken when they were around six years old, at the old skating rink where they first met.Cornelia sighed as she thought back to those simpler times.The time before portals, alternate worlds, giant snake/human hybrids and rebels. A time when their biggest worries were their shoes clashing with their clothes or whether the most popular boy in school liked them or not.A time when Elyon was just the girl next door and not the princess of an alternate realm where her brother wanted her head on a silver platter.Cornelia groaned as she threw herself into the mattress, wishing that sleep could give her frayed mind a moment of peace.But sleep proved to be fruitless tonight and frankly she wasn't surprised.After all, the last 24 hours had been nothing but restful.When she wasn't worried about how they were going to save Elyon, they were forced to recover the Heart of Etheria from Jeek, Blunk's even smellier counterpart.In a weird sort of way however, she was secretly thankful that Blunk had been innocent all along. He was a disgusting, foul smelling barf toad, as she put in her own words, but he was definitely handy from time to time. And he certainly possessed a good heart underneath his foul-smelling rags.But although they had successfully prevented Cedric from obtaining the Heart of Etheria, there was still the matter concerning Elyon's fate and whether or not they could change it.One on one battles with foes were one thing, but to defeat an army of them was a whole new ball game.A ball game with no rematch.Realizing that sleep wasn't coming to her, Cornelia threw off the warm, silky quilt and walked towards the window.Cornelia looked up at the yellowish Full Moon, clasped her hands together and began to pray."H-hi God," Her voice whispered softly. "I know I haven't spoken to you since third grade but...I need help. We all need help. Caleb says that Elyon's coronation is tomorrow. Who knows what Phobos will do to her? Who knows if...we can even come up with a plan." Cornelia took a deep breath. "I'm...scared...so scared of everything. I mean...why was I forced into this Guardian bullshit? Why couldn't that stupid Heart thing recruit soldiers or police officers. You know...people who can make plans and like..."The sound of teardrops hitting the floor echoed throughout the room."I know I haven't been the nicest person in life. I know I'm a bit...okay really self absorbed in myself and my own interests. But...we really need your help right now. I know I never say this enough but...I love my friends, even new gir-I mean Will. I don't want anything bad to happen to them, or Elyon or Caleb..."The mere utterance of the brown haired boy's name immediately brought a blush to Cornelia's face.The blonde certainly had her share of romantic interests in the past. Back then her ideal man was one with a loaded bank account, gorgeous features and a love of all things ice skating.Caleb however was different. He certainly wasn't bad on the eyes but there was just a pureness about him that drew her in. He didn't try to prove he was someone he wasn't, he didn't care much for Earth's bizarre fashions or strange customs. He was just Caleb, freedom fighter, hero to his people and someone she felt the safest with."Please allow us to save Elyon, keep everyone safe and allow Caleb to come through unscathed too. I...I..." Cornelia ripped the thought out of her head and expelled it through words. "I love him. I've never loved someone like I have before. Please allow him to come through this safe too. He has so much of Earth to see and do, like how relaxing ice skating is or how good the Sushi is around here."Realizing her train of thought was derailing, Cornelia quickly shook her head before she turned back to the large celestial body in the sky."I know I haven't given you much in the past but I'm hoping you can help make a better future for me, Will, Irma, Taranee, Hay-Lin, Caleb...even Blunk. I'll admit that he's grown on me. They all mean so much more to me than I could ever say. If we ever come out of this unscathed I promise I'll try and become a better person. And...I'll start going steady with Caleb." Cornelia felt a smile creep across her face. "That's a promise."Cornelia was just about to move away from the window when she suddenly thought about another urgent issue."Also...you know if it's possible, could you make Poufy Wear discontinue their winter line-up. Their sweatshirts always make me look like I've gained 30 pounds. Thanks again."With her emotions expelled to the outside air, Cornelia allowed herself to crawl back into bed and allow the covers to wrap her in a warm cocoon.She closed her eyes and finally allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep.Her dreams were a hodgepodge of nightmares (in which Cedric dangled Elyon's lifeless corpse in front of her) and dreams (where Caleb would finally close his eyes and place his lips on her own).
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hay-Lin sighed quietly as her family sat around the living room.It was the hour of their nightly prayer.While her mother was less religious than her grandma, the latter always argued that prayer should be an important of the day, as they never knew if tomorrow would come or not.But Hay-Lin's mind wasn't focused on the prayer in question. She was instead conjuring a beacon of hope to whatever deity was listening.
"Dear God, I know you got your hands full with all the billions of other people praying to you right now." Hay-Lin breathed before she continued. "But if you could just spare a moment, I'd gratefully appreciate it."
Since Hay-Lin had recited her family's prayer as far back as she could remember, her mouth recited the words with ease. She could have a full mental battle and her parents wouldn't even notice.
"We gotta infiltrate Phobos's base tomorrow and stop him from killing Elyon. You know Phobos, the baddest of the bad, destroyer of everything, slimy brother of Elyon? He's bad news and I would just love to put him in his place but we have no way of knowing exactly what we're in for. I mean fighting off man-eating plants and killer Sand Pits is one thing but this is just way different. I'm not sure what scares me more though, something awful happening to me or to the girls. Especially Irma, hell she's practically a sister to me! I know how far we've come, grandma reminds me of that everyday, but still..."
Hay-Lin was surprised her family couldn't feel her heart racing faster and faster.
"How would my parents react if I never came home again? How would grandma break it to them? It's like an encyclopedia book of questions with no answers. So...if you're up there listening God, please allow us to make it through this unscathed."
As Hay-Lin's family finished the prayer, she let out a loud breath she didn't know she was holding. Yan-Lin opened her eyes and glanced at her granddaughter with a concerned look. But Hay-Lin simply smiled like she hadn't a care in the world."Man I don't know why they can't have a Reader's Digest of these prayers! I zone out more and more every time."Yan-Lin smiled before she nodded. "Perhaps, or maybe your mind is busy with your other duties."Hay-Lin's face dropped as she lowered her head and found her attention drawn to the floor.Yan-Lin placed a hand of Hay-Lin's shoulder. "We'll discuss this later downstairs."Hay-Lin sighed."Okay."
XXXXXXX
As Hay-Lin reached into the cupboard to grab some food for Mr. Huggles, Yan-Lin descended the stairs, carrying a tray with a teapot and two tea cups."Now please tell me what's bothering you for real this time," Yan-Lin said as she placed the tray down and poured the tea into the cups."How do you even know something's bothering me grandma?" Hay-Lin asked.Yan-Lin smiled. "Being a Guardian allows one to feel closer to other Guardians, especially ones related in blood. Call it a fifth sense."Hay-Lin chuckled. Her grandma's knowledge of pop culture wasn't up to snuff but she tried anyway."That's sixth sense grandma.""Shh...don't wanna get sued."Hay-Lin laughed again before she sighed."I just don't know about this grandma. I mean overthrowing a tyrannical leader, rescuing a forgotten princess, this sounds like a job for the army, not a bunch of girls who know every single line to Clueless. Maybe...the Heart made a mistake.""The Heart picked me and I didn't do too bad of a job did I?"Hay-Lin paused for a minute before she nodded in defeat. "I guess not.""Besides, you and the others have grown closer to one another over the past few months. Surely you must have noticed how stronger you've become in battle."Hay-Lin simply blinked. "I just don't even know where to start," Hay-Lin said as she poured the Kibble into Mr. Huggles food dish and placed it in his cage.Yan-Lin handed Hay-Lin a cup of tea which she took gingerly."Have you ever heard of the phrase, you can't pour from an empty cup?"Hay-Lin laughed a little as her reflection gazed up from the beverage. "Enough that I would call it cliché.""And why do you think it's a cliché?" Yan-Lin asked with a smile.Hay-Lin let a small smile decorate her face. "Because it's true."Yan-Lin placed a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder as she gently kissed her cheek."You should rest first and then come up with the answers later. It might just come to you in the most unexpected places."Hay-Lin took a small sip of the hot liquid as she watched scurry through his personal maze of tubes."I hope so."