Ah, Chekov's Gun. Got it.
W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H.
Later, much later, I was still nestled against Mom, this time on the couch in our living room.
"Maybe we shouldn't have come here," she sighed. "All we ever seem to do is fight."
"Here?"
"Heatherfield I mean. I know we both wanted a new start..."
Was it Heatherfield that made us fight? Made Will fight Mom, I mean? I hadn't thought that any of their fights were about the town. It was almost always something little I'd thought until I'd was in the middle of one of the arguments. Hardly worth the anger that they both felt.
But things had changed for Will on coming here.
She'd become a Guardian of the Veil, an important responsibility and one that she was hiding from Mom. I got the impression that Mom wouldn't be happy to learn about that, she'd probably insist Will stopped if she found out. That would be a huge fight if she tried to make her stop... and leaving Heatherfield would mean Will couldn't be a Guardian any more: all the portals she was dealing with appeared here.
Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin and Irma were all here in Heatherfield. So was Matt. No, Will would hate the idea of leaving Heatherfield.
If we left...
We?
It was hard enough to hide me from Mom around the apartment. There was no possible way that Will and I could both be in the car with her without her noticing something.
If they left then I would be left behind.
The other girls couldn't hide me for long - it wasn't as if I could pretend to one of them and their families would surely realise that something was wrong if 'Will' was still visiting all the time after moving.
I sniffled and Mom pulled me against her again. At least Professor Collins wasn't here right now to see me crying a second time today.
Sitting there pressed against Mom, I realised that I was being selfish and just thinking about myself. Being a Guardian wasn't the only thing that had changed for Will.
She'd gained a sister.
Was this my fault? She hadn't wanted someone to take her place but now she was sharing parts of her life with me!
"It's not Heatherfield," I told Mom. "It's my fault. I mess everything up."
"Oh, honey, that's not true."
She cuddled me more. Under other circumstances I'd have been perfectly happy to stay like that for longer (forever, for example) but the only thought on my mind in that moment was that Will should be here.
"You've made friends here, haven't you? Surely they're not saying that sort of thing about you."
"No..." I couldn't tell her it was Will's life - and hers - that I was messing up.
"Is this about the swimming?"
I tried to remember what Will had said. "It's something I'm good at, something I can do but I'm too dumb to be allowed to do it."
"Oh Will." She patted me reassuringly on the head. "You're not dumb. It's just... I know you can do better than you have. Better than I did."
"Better than you?" That sounded pretty unlikely. "But you're smart and pretty and..."
She blushed a little. "Thank you, Will. But so are you. I believe in you, honey... but I know that if you don't apply yourself a little more then you'll regret it someday."
There was a knock on the door and Mom got up off the couch to let Professor Collins in. He was carrying a big bag of chinese takeaway in one hand and his briefcase in the other. When we got to the apartment he'd given us some time alone. "Thank you Susan," he said when she took the takeout bag from him. "Feeling better, Will?"
Yeah. Some." I mopped at my face. "Sorry about shouting at you," I added reluctantly.
He nodded. "Alight. Now I've done some checking and I think I know what was happened. I should have explained things better to you. I'm your teacher and I should have been more responsible. I'm very sorry."
"So do I have to do the report or not?"
He pulled out a seat at the table and sat down. "I think it would be a good idea. I know your Mom is worried about your grades and an extra credit assignment like this could help pull your average up quite bit. If you really don't want to, I can let you off but I think that this would help you."
What was I supposed to say? That I didn't have time? That I didn't care? I don't think Mom would be too impressed. Besides: "Well I've already started doing research, I may as well finish it."
"That's the spirit," Mom assured me. "Why don't you get cleaned up for dinner. We can talk about some targets for you, ones where I'd be happy for you to join the school's swimming team."
I nodded. The way my face felt I could probably benefit from a washcloth. And maybe a change of clothes. "I'll be a moment then."
My - Will's - room was a welcome refuge.
For about three seconds as I stood with my back to the door, breathing deeply.
I almost shrieked in surprise as Will's head popped up above the far side of her bed. "When did you get back?" I hissed, not wanting Mom to overhear her daughter apparently having a conversation with herself.
"A little while ago," she told me just as quietly. Then she looked me over and frowned. "What's going on? You've been crying!"
"Going on?" My mind raced back over the day.
The horrible history class.
Will going missing.
Tea with Miss Rudolph.
Mom shouting at me.
Worrying about whether she was alive or dead.
"I wish today had never happened!"
Will looked wide-eyed. "It can't have been that bad!"
"Your dinner's on the table." And then I cold-shouldered her, climbing up into my little hidey-hole in the loft where I could curl up on myself and try to pretend that today had been nothing but a bad dream.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H. - W.I.T.C.H.
Later, much later, I was still nestled against Mom, this time on the couch in our living room.
"Maybe we shouldn't have come here," she sighed. "All we ever seem to do is fight."
"Here?"
"Heatherfield I mean. I know we both wanted a new start..."
Was it Heatherfield that made us fight? Made Will fight Mom, I mean? I hadn't thought that any of their fights were about the town. It was almost always something little I'd thought until I'd was in the middle of one of the arguments. Hardly worth the anger that they both felt.
But things had changed for Will on coming here.
She'd become a Guardian of the Veil, an important responsibility and one that she was hiding from Mom. I got the impression that Mom wouldn't be happy to learn about that, she'd probably insist Will stopped if she found out. That would be a huge fight if she tried to make her stop... and leaving Heatherfield would mean Will couldn't be a Guardian any more: all the portals she was dealing with appeared here.
Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin and Irma were all here in Heatherfield. So was Matt. No, Will would hate the idea of leaving Heatherfield.
If we left...
We?
It was hard enough to hide me from Mom around the apartment. There was no possible way that Will and I could both be in the car with her without her noticing something.
If they left then I would be left behind.
The other girls couldn't hide me for long - it wasn't as if I could pretend to one of them and their families would surely realise that something was wrong if 'Will' was still visiting all the time after moving.
I sniffled and Mom pulled me against her again. At least Professor Collins wasn't here right now to see me crying a second time today.
Sitting there pressed against Mom, I realised that I was being selfish and just thinking about myself. Being a Guardian wasn't the only thing that had changed for Will.
She'd gained a sister.
Was this my fault? She hadn't wanted someone to take her place but now she was sharing parts of her life with me!
"It's not Heatherfield," I told Mom. "It's my fault. I mess everything up."
"Oh, honey, that's not true."
She cuddled me more. Under other circumstances I'd have been perfectly happy to stay like that for longer (forever, for example) but the only thought on my mind in that moment was that Will should be here.
"You've made friends here, haven't you? Surely they're not saying that sort of thing about you."
"No..." I couldn't tell her it was Will's life - and hers - that I was messing up.
"Is this about the swimming?"
I tried to remember what Will had said. "It's something I'm good at, something I can do but I'm too dumb to be allowed to do it."
"Oh Will." She patted me reassuringly on the head. "You're not dumb. It's just... I know you can do better than you have. Better than I did."
"Better than you?" That sounded pretty unlikely. "But you're smart and pretty and..."
She blushed a little. "Thank you, Will. But so are you. I believe in you, honey... but I know that if you don't apply yourself a little more then you'll regret it someday."
There was a knock on the door and Mom got up off the couch to let Professor Collins in. He was carrying a big bag of chinese takeaway in one hand and his briefcase in the other. When we got to the apartment he'd given us some time alone. "Thank you Susan," he said when she took the takeout bag from him. "Feeling better, Will?"
Yeah. Some." I mopped at my face. "Sorry about shouting at you," I added reluctantly.
He nodded. "Alight. Now I've done some checking and I think I know what was happened. I should have explained things better to you. I'm your teacher and I should have been more responsible. I'm very sorry."
"So do I have to do the report or not?"
He pulled out a seat at the table and sat down. "I think it would be a good idea. I know your Mom is worried about your grades and an extra credit assignment like this could help pull your average up quite bit. If you really don't want to, I can let you off but I think that this would help you."
What was I supposed to say? That I didn't have time? That I didn't care? I don't think Mom would be too impressed. Besides: "Well I've already started doing research, I may as well finish it."
"That's the spirit," Mom assured me. "Why don't you get cleaned up for dinner. We can talk about some targets for you, ones where I'd be happy for you to join the school's swimming team."
I nodded. The way my face felt I could probably benefit from a washcloth. And maybe a change of clothes. "I'll be a moment then."
My - Will's - room was a welcome refuge.
For about three seconds as I stood with my back to the door, breathing deeply.
I almost shrieked in surprise as Will's head popped up above the far side of her bed. "When did you get back?" I hissed, not wanting Mom to overhear her daughter apparently having a conversation with herself.
"A little while ago," she told me just as quietly. Then she looked me over and frowned. "What's going on? You've been crying!"
"Going on?" My mind raced back over the day.
The horrible history class.
Will going missing.
Tea with Miss Rudolph.
Mom shouting at me.
Worrying about whether she was alive or dead.
"I wish today had never happened!"
Will looked wide-eyed. "It can't have been that bad!"
"Your dinner's on the table." And then I cold-shouldered her, climbing up into my little hidey-hole in the loft where I could curl up on myself and try to pretend that today had been nothing but a bad dream.
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.