At long last, the final bell rang. Andie got up and forced herself not to run out of the classroom, because that would be strange. And as eager as she was to get started on her research. She made her way to the library, but before she went in, she called the hospital. Bane was stable, but there was no change, no sign that he would wake up any time soon. Andie had expected that, but it was a heavy blow nonetheless. She took a few deep breaths and went to the library.
“Oh, hello, Andie, how are you?”
“I'm fine, thanks, how are you?”
“Oh, I'm fine. I'll be glad when Elliot arrives, though,” she smiled.
Andie couldn't help smiling too. Soon, a baby would be born, and you couldn't not be happy about that.
“When is he due?” she asked.
“If all goes well, next week,” Mrs Philipson answered. “I should already be on leave, but my replacement can no longer come, so we're struggling to find a new one... In fact, I must give the principal a call to see how that's doing... excuse me.”
She walked off carefully, leaving Andie alone. She immediately began searching through the rows for books that might help her. It took almost fifteen minutes, but she found one, entitled Myths, Legends and their secrets. She took the book, went to find the nearest table and sat down to read.
Not wanting to miss a single word, she read the book carefully from cover to cover. So far, nothing seemed like it would be much help. Plus, she had no way of telling if any of this was real... of course, her power was very real, as had been the attacks over the past weeks, and Bane's coma was painfully real as well. So she had to keep trying. She was so caught up in it she didn't see the time go by. She was about ten chapters in when a voice interrupted and made her jump.
“Andie? Is everything alright? Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you.”
Mrs Philipson was standing next to her.
“No, no... it's fine.” Andie said.
“I'm sorry, but I have to close, now.”
Andie glanced at the clock and saw it was almost six o'clock. Shad been here for the past two and a half hours!
“Oh... right, of course... sorry. I'll go put this back and head out...”
“If you want, you can borrow it. You seemed really enthralled by it.”
“Really? Thanks a lot, Mrs Philipson. Bye!”
“Bye, Andie.” The librarian smiled as Andie hurried off.
She clutched the book against her chest, her bag swinging against her shoulder. She reached her car and drove off, the book safely in her bag.
“Andie? Is that you?”
“Yes, sorry I'm late, Mom,” Andie called as she closed the door. “I wanted to finish a bit of homework. I needed a book from the library and lost track of time.”
"That's okay. Did you get the help you wanted?”
“... Not quite, but I'm closer than I was.” Andie said.
She hated lying, so she tried to be as truthful as possible without saying too much so as to not risk slipping up. Of course, it was still not easy. But it was better than completely lying and ending up getting lost in them so you could never make it out without causing serious damage.
"In fact, I should get back to it. I'll be in my room.”
“Okay, honey.”
And so Andie headed up to her room. She immediately sat down at her desk and pulled out the book, opening it where she'd left a slip of paper.
“Andie, how do you know this is going to help Bane?” Ardente asked with a frown.
“I don't,” Andie said, not looking at her. “But it might, and I don't want to miss it.”
“Andie...”
“Look, this is the only way I can think of to not go crazy, okay? So... just let me do this. Please.”
They looked at each other for a moment.
“... Very well.”
So Andie went back to her reading, only forcing herself out of it for dinner, which she ate quickly before saying she still had homework.
Andie stood in the dark, unable to determine where she was. She couldn't see anyone. She couldn't even make anything out.
“... Hello...?” she called, her voice echoing in the dark.
She hadn't really expected an answer, but the reality was still scary. Having lost the habit of being alone, whenever she was, she felt uncomfortable.
“Is anybody there? Hello?” she called again.
Again, only silence answered her. Andie bit her lip trying not to panic. If she could at least see... but she could hear, apparently, because just at that moment, a voice echoed somewhere around her.
“Andie, help!”
Andie froze. She knew that voice...
“Bane...?”
She tried taking a step forwards, and found that she could move, even if she had no way of telling which way was up.
“Andie, it's me! You have to help me!”
This time, she tried running forwards. It was probably pointless, but at least she felt like she was doing something.
“Bane! Where are you?” she called, running, trying to find the direction of the voice.
There was a terrible silence before she got an answer.
“Andie, help me! I need you!” Bane's voice called desperately.
Suddenly, there he was, chained, his chest bare, his eyes wide.
"Bane...!”
Andie hurried towards him but as she came closer to him, purple flames shot up around him and instead of Bane, it was Zarias who reappeared. Andie stumbled backwards and fell to the ground as Zarias swooped over her, and fired his purple flames at her.
Andie's eyes snapped open. The alarm clock on her nightstand was going off. She straightened up and realized she'd fallen asleep at her desk, the book open in front of her. She got up and stretched, feeling a little stiff. She turned off the alarm clock and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a little tangled, but that was normal.
“... Andie, are you feeling alright?” Ardente asked.
“You look exhausted. You didn't fall asleep until past three in the morning, last night.”
Andie frowned.
“Really? I wasn't really paying attention to the time...” she said. “I was-”
“Reading that book, I know...” Ardente said, a hint of disapproval in her voice.
Andie stared coolly at Ardente. Her mother was already judgmental enough towards her, she really didn't need Ardente doing it too.
“Ardente, what would you do if it were Balon?” Andie asked, looking at her. “Look at me and tell me you wouldn't do everything you could to find some way to help.”
Ardente didn't answer.
“See?” Andie asked. “Look, I know you just want to help, and I appreciate it, really. It's But I'm fine. I just didn't sleep much. People do it all the time. It's nothing.”
“... If you say so... but really, Andie...”
“Look, I'm eighteen, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions.”
“Yes, but...”
“I am finally sure about what I feel,” Andie interrupted. “I want to have a chance to tell him.”
Andie hadn't enjoyed arguing with Ardente. She never enjoyed disagreements with anyone. But as good as Ardente's intentions were, she tended to treat her like a child, and Andie was not a little girl anymore. She drove to school in silence, thinking about everything she'd already found, and trying to make sure none of it had anything that could help. So far, no good. She sighed as she pulled in the school's parking lot and got out. Isabelle, Jessica and Emily stood waiting for her, talking together. She couldn't see or hear from where she was, but she was fairly sure they were talking about her. She glanced in her bag to make sure she'd brought her book to keep looking through it during her breaks. Satisfied that it was there, she walked over to her friends.
“Hey, Andie,” Jessica said, hesitating between subdued and cheerful.
“I'm okay, Jessica, you can act normally.” Andie said.
“Are you feeling okay? You're a little pale,” Isabelle noted.
“I'm fine. I just didn't sleep much.”
“Oh, working on that essay? Tell me about it, it took me forever to finish!” Emily groaned.
Andie frowned.
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “What essay?”
They stared at her like she'd asked them to jump off the school roof.
“You are joking... right?” Emily asked.
“Please tell me you didn't forget that essay about comparing British literature and American literature...” Isabelle said.
Andie suddenly remembered. It was even an important one, the teacher had insisted on that.
“I... I was so caught up in my research that I forgot it...” she admitted quietly.
“You're dead if you don't hand it in...! Mr Willows will put you in detention for the rest of the year!”
“... Give me your notes.” Isabelle said.
Andie stared blankly at her.
“What?” she asked, perplexed.
“I have a study period in an hour, I'll write it out for you.”
“... But...”
“You would do it for me, now give me your notes,” she ordered.
“You might want to do it, she looks ready to kill,” Jessica said to Andie.
“When it comes to preventing my friend from failing classes, yes.”
“Really, Isabelle, are you sure...? I don't want you to get into trouble...”
“I'm a week early on my homework, I'll be fine.”
“... You do your homework a week early?”
“Well, everything I know I have to do, yes. Why, don't you?”
Her innocent look made them all laugh.
So as to not have Isabelle take over her homework again, Andie forced herself to concentrate that morning. Spanish was easy enough, despite the painfully obvious absence of Bane. Math was harder, partly because though she wasn't too bad at it, she had She also forced herself not to call he hospital to not get distracted. Another report that Bane had not evolved would only make her feel depressed. And anyway, they would have known about it somehow. She went to her locker to swap her Math book for her History book, when someone called her name.
“You're Andie, right?”
Looking around, Andie recognized Vicki Chase.
“Vicki. What can I do for you?” she asked cautiously.
“You're a friend of Bane Davis's, right?”
Trying not to frown too ostentatiously or let the mention of Bane get to her, Andie said:
“... Yes... why do you ask?”
“He hasn't been to school in a few days, and I was wondering if you knew why, or if there's anything I can do.”
Andie could hardly believe her ears. Vicki had never even noticed them (well, aside from Bane, obviously), and now she was being all sensitive and helpful? She wasn't buying it.
“...”“Whatever reason Bane has for not being here, it's none of your business, and we certainly don't need your help, Vicki.” Said Jessica, who arrived at that moment.
She took Andie's arm and they walked off.
“You okay?” Jessica asked.
“Yeah. Thanks, Jess...” Andie said.
“No worries. I can't stand that Vicki Chase, myself.” Jessica shrugged.
They went off to their classes. The morning went on normally. Andie was still a little nervous, glancing outside regularly to check for signs of demons. Just because they hadn't attacked them there yet didn't mean that they wouldn't... and when they did, that would make complicated an understatement.
At long last, the bell rang the end of class. And like always, there was a rush to get out. It was like a stampede without all the horns and with half as many legs.
“You coming to train with us?” Emily asked as they joined outside.
“... Not tonight. I think I'll keep looking for something helpful in the book I borrowed.”
They looked like they wanted to object, but didn't. Andie was grateful for that. Partly because she could then keep the real reason she didn't want to go to herself. She was actually scared of going back there. The last time she had been there, she and Bane had almost died. She didn't think she could face going back there. Not yet, anyway.
“... Okay. See you tomorrow, then...”
“Yeah. See you around.” Andie said.
She waved and went to her car. It was a quiet drive back. Usually, she would turn on the radio, but not this time. She was distracted enough as it was, she didn't want to end up smashed in a tree or a building. Fortunately, she managed to reach home without a scratch.
“Hey, I'm home,” she called as she came inside.
“Hey, honey, how was your day?” Hank asked.
“Oh, nothing to report...” she said evasively.
Hank looked up her from his paper.
“Come here, I think we need to talk.”
Andie had a bad feeling she knew what this was going to be about, and she wasn't sure she liked it, but she knew her father would not take no for an answer. So she sat down.
“Jessica told your mother about Bane's accident. Why didn't you?”
“... I... I couldn't, I guess... it had just happened that day... I could barely function.”
“How is he doing?”
“... He's still in a coma...” Andie said, fighting to keep her voice steady.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No, thanks, dad. But I love you for wanting to.” she said and kissed his cheek. “I have to finish my homework.”
“Okay, honey. You know I'm here, alright?”
“Yeah, I know. Love you, dad.”
“Love you too.”
Andie headed up to her room. Closing the door she leaned against it and took a few deep breaths. Thinking about Bane, talking about him had been more painful than she'd expected.
“I can't let it get to me...” she told herself. “I'll find a way to help Bane.”
For the next hour she forced herself to finish her homework, not wanting to have Isabelle do it for her. She mean to get back to her research when her mother called her for dinner.
“Go, Andie, you'll work better on a full stomach,” Ardente told her.
“... Yeah, I guess you're right.”
So she went down to dinner, trying to act normal and not like she was itching to get back to her room the second she sat down. As soon as she was done, she moved it all aside and pulled Legends, myths and their secrets out and opened it up at the page she'd stopped at. She soon lost herself in her reading, taking notes, comparing what she'd already written to new information, sighing and crossing something out... she didn't even pay attention to the clock. As she was beginning to think maybe this book wasn't going to help after all, she froze.
“... Oh, my God... that's it!” she whispered. “Ardente! Ardente, are you there?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Look at this!”
She pointed to the page she was looking at. Ardente leaned forwards to look too.
“The Caduceus...? What about it?”
“It's supposed to “put the awake to sleep, and awake the slumbering!”
“Yes, but we don't know where it is!”
Andie scanned the page in mute concentration.
“There! It says here it's been rumored to be in Hermes's temple on the Acropolis!”
“Andie, the Acropolis is in Greece...” Ardente said.
“Yeah, I know that. But according to this...”
She pulled a newpaper article she'd found.
“... a statue of Appolo with the exact same is going to be in the next exhibit at the museum! It's worth a shot, don't you think?”
“You mean you would steal it?”
“Borrow it,” Andie corrected. “I'll take it back as soon as we're done.”
“But how would you go about doing that?”
“... I don't know.”
“If you're caught, you will go to prison!”
“If you're right, Zorak is bound to send his demons or worse, his son after you to stop you! You can't go alone!”
“Then, I'll ask the girls to come with me.”
“Andie...”
“Look, this is the best lead we have so far. I want to at least check it out.”
They looked at each other, and Andie knew Ardente was thinking of Balon. If the situation were reversed, they both knew Ardente would do the same.
“I know you're trying to protect me, but I have to do this.” Andie said.
Ardente sighed.
“... Very well...”
“Wait, you're joking, right?”
It was lunchtime the next day. Andie had told them what she had discovered.
“No.” Andie said. “I know it's a long shot, but if it works...”
“Bane would be cured...” Emily finished.
Andie nodded.
“But what's the difference between that and Isabelle healing her?”
“One, we don't know what the effects on Isabelle could be if she did something that big. It could harm her. And two, even if it worked, which we have no idea if it would, we can't just walk in too soon and heal him. It would arouse suspicions and tricky questions and a whole lot more mess.”
“... But wouldn't the same be true with this Caducus thing?” Jessica asked.
“Caduceus,” Andie corrected. “And maybe, but more time will have passed, so it will be easier to make it look like he just woke up himself.”
“... Andie, I don't know...” Isabelle said. “I mean, I'm all for helping Bane get better, but... I just think it's opening ourselves up to a lot of trouble... and stealing...”
“... We've already been opened up to a lot of trouble,” Andie pointed out. “Ever since we were chosen to incarnate the elements. So in my opinion, a little more or less isn't going to matter much. And like I said, it's only borrowing. I'd give it back as soon as we've cured Bane.”
Her friends looked at each other.
“It's fine if you don't want to come with me. I can manage.”
“No, you can't!” Emily said at once. “Ardente's right about one thing, Zorak will almost certainly know or find out you're going to get the Caduceus and he'll try and stop you!”
“In fact, now that I think about it, I'm surprised he hasn't tried to go after Bane.” Jessica said.
“I wondered about that too,” Isabelle said. “So I asked River, and she told me that as evil and power hungry as Zorak is, he has a minimal sense of honor, and would not attack a man who couldn't defend himself.”
“You sure about that?” Emily asked. “I mean, he went after Andie when she couldn't...”
“I think he knew I could, even if I didn't...” Andie said. “After all, these powers are partially based on instinct, right?”
“I guess...” Jessica said.
“Well, I'm not letting you go alone.” Isabelle said. “So count me in.”
She held out a hand at the center of the table.
“Thanks, Isabelle,” Andie smiled as she placed her hand on Isabelle's.
They looked at Emily and Jessica.
“I'm going with you,” Emily said, her hand joining theirs.
They turned to Jessica.
“Okay, okay, I'm coming.” She said.
And she placed her hand on top of theirs.
************************************************
Well, things are definitely not looking good, are they?
Who do you think is right? How do you feel about Robert Davis? Let us know in the comments!
What will the girls do? Will they go through with their dangerous plan? Let's find out in the next chapter!
As always, thank you for reading, voting and commenting! You're amazing!