"I agree we don't have much choice about going to Meridian now," Irma agreed, "But I don't trust Vathek. What if he went back to serving Cedric?" The five of them had transformed into their Guardian forms, which at least meant Irma was more comfortably dressed.
Hay Lin nodded. "Irma's right. This could be a trap. Why won't you tell us where you found the portal that you came in through?"
"I don't know the way," he protested. "Your city is so strange, I was lucky I even found one of your homes."
"It can be a bit confusing," I agreed.
"Yeah, right." Irma glanced around the group. "What do you think, Corny?"
Cornelia gestured sharply and a wall began to spring up across the basement, cutting the more mundane parts of it off from the much larger space containing the portal and - at the moment - the eight of us. "I think we're all dressed up and the portal's open. If there's any truth to what you're saying, Vathek, we have to get moving. Now."
"Just one more thing." I gave Will a quick hug and then scrambled across the still forming wall. "I'll try to explain things to Mom."
"Hope!" she called out and Cornelia shifted her wall building efforts to leave a space for me to talk to me through. "You can't stay either! She'll hand you over to the police or something!"
"I'll try to talk her out of that. But right now for all she knows you've run off and won't ever come back. It's not fair to her to leave her thinking that."
Will frowned. "Maybe she's right. She -"
"She's afraid, Will. Afraid you'll be hurt. Afraid of losing you. Okay, shouting wasn't the smartest thing she could have done, but you know she's just as hotheaded as you are."
"Who are you calling a hothead?" she snapped and then flushed.
I spread my hands. "Let's face it, I'm a little less likely to start shouting back. That might give me a slightly better chance of persuading her."
"Mom isn't easy to persuade, unless you're Collins." Will scowled as she said the name and I could hardly blame him. He'd been sitting next to Mom at the school play just before Christmas, their relationship still going strong. "Still, if you turn on the waterworks you might have a chance. SHe almost melted when you teared up earlier."
Irma nodded wisely. "You're right. Hope's adorable when she's being a cry baby. Those big sad eyes are a devestating weapon."
"Shut up!" I don't cry that often. And it's not as if I don't have reason sometimes. "Look, even if you decide to stay there until Phobos was dealt with, you're not really planning on staying there forever, are you?"
Will didn't answer that for a moment.
"Setting aside the issues of Matt and Nigel -"
Taranee wrapped her arms around herself and Will looked wistful but said nothing.
"- I have one more compelling arguement. Remember what Irma said about plumbing? Vathek, does Meridian have flush toilets?"
He frowned. "I know what a toilet is, but how would you make one flush?"
The Guardians had vaguely horrified looks on their faces. "Good point," Hay Lin squeaked.
"Just promise me you have a plan," Cornelia pleaded. "My mom isn't going to like this."
"I have a plan," I lied, and just like that an idea popped into my head. "I'm going to go to see Miss Rudolph first. She probably knows more about this than any of us do anyway." I wondered if that was how Will came up with ideas sometimes.
"Ooh! Good idea," Irma agreed quickly. "Between you crying and Miss Ruloph's cookies, Mrs Vandom will be putty in your hands."
"Irma, do you want me to tell your dad that you ran away to join the circus as a performing monkey?"
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
Hay Lin nodded. "Irma's right. This could be a trap. Why won't you tell us where you found the portal that you came in through?"
"I don't know the way," he protested. "Your city is so strange, I was lucky I even found one of your homes."
"It can be a bit confusing," I agreed.
"Yeah, right." Irma glanced around the group. "What do you think, Corny?"
Cornelia gestured sharply and a wall began to spring up across the basement, cutting the more mundane parts of it off from the much larger space containing the portal and - at the moment - the eight of us. "I think we're all dressed up and the portal's open. If there's any truth to what you're saying, Vathek, we have to get moving. Now."
"Just one more thing." I gave Will a quick hug and then scrambled across the still forming wall. "I'll try to explain things to Mom."
"Hope!" she called out and Cornelia shifted her wall building efforts to leave a space for me to talk to me through. "You can't stay either! She'll hand you over to the police or something!"
"I'll try to talk her out of that. But right now for all she knows you've run off and won't ever come back. It's not fair to her to leave her thinking that."
Will frowned. "Maybe she's right. She -"
"She's afraid, Will. Afraid you'll be hurt. Afraid of losing you. Okay, shouting wasn't the smartest thing she could have done, but you know she's just as hotheaded as you are."
"Who are you calling a hothead?" she snapped and then flushed.
I spread my hands. "Let's face it, I'm a little less likely to start shouting back. That might give me a slightly better chance of persuading her."
"Mom isn't easy to persuade, unless you're Collins." Will scowled as she said the name and I could hardly blame him. He'd been sitting next to Mom at the school play just before Christmas, their relationship still going strong. "Still, if you turn on the waterworks you might have a chance. SHe almost melted when you teared up earlier."
Irma nodded wisely. "You're right. Hope's adorable when she's being a cry baby. Those big sad eyes are a devestating weapon."
"Shut up!" I don't cry that often. And it's not as if I don't have reason sometimes. "Look, even if you decide to stay there until Phobos was dealt with, you're not really planning on staying there forever, are you?"
Will didn't answer that for a moment.
"Setting aside the issues of Matt and Nigel -"
Taranee wrapped her arms around herself and Will looked wistful but said nothing.
"- I have one more compelling arguement. Remember what Irma said about plumbing? Vathek, does Meridian have flush toilets?"
He frowned. "I know what a toilet is, but how would you make one flush?"
The Guardians had vaguely horrified looks on their faces. "Good point," Hay Lin squeaked.
"Just promise me you have a plan," Cornelia pleaded. "My mom isn't going to like this."
"I have a plan," I lied, and just like that an idea popped into my head. "I'm going to go to see Miss Rudolph first. She probably knows more about this than any of us do anyway." I wondered if that was how Will came up with ideas sometimes.
"Ooh! Good idea," Irma agreed quickly. "Between you crying and Miss Ruloph's cookies, Mrs Vandom will be putty in your hands."
"Irma, do you want me to tell your dad that you ran away to join the circus as a performing monkey?"
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.