Fear is the flip side of the coin on which pain resides. Pain keeps us alive. So does fear. They make us human. Which means Roosevelt was wrong and fearing fear is not all that healthy. To embrace life, sometimes you have to be a little scared, otherwise, how would you know you're human?

That's what Grams used to whisper to me as she ran her thumbs in tiny circles on the base of my scalp. She did this whenever I cried at night, scared senseless by the splashing noises I heard emanating from my bathroom. 

Right now, facing Principle Oliver, I wish I felt fear- I'm human after all. Instead, I feel an odd mixture of irritation and disgust. The two feelings dance with one another, painting a Picasso piece on my heart.

She had honey in her office, the murder victims were coated in honey. She went through great trouble to hide the honey. There was even that disturbing statue. I'm not one to judge, but... well, I'm judging anyways.

Principle Oliver walks towards the velvet couches to the right of the store, her movements mimicking that of a panther. Although, movement isn't the only thing panther-like about her. For this meeting, our Principle chose to don a sleek black suit with crisp collars on the black silk blouse underneath.

The entire outfit is a sharp contrast to her hazel eyes. It gives the illusion of yellow, like fireflies trapped behind the glass of her eyes.

"Olly dearest, take a seat," Ethan says with mock concern. Oliver looks him over once, before shifting her gaze towards John.

John clears his throat and crosses his massive arms. "Warmest welcome, Headmistress Oliver. We invited you today to introduce you to our two newest Guardians. This is-"

Oliver cuts John off with the swift raising of her right hand. For the first time since she arrived, she speaks.

"This is Justin Fides, Earth guardian. And this is Victoria Viris, Water guardian. Aqva and Terra. I'm aware. I sincerely hope this is not all you called me here for. I trust you understand the nature of my schedule?"

The muscles in John's jaw clench visibly, even underneath the scraggly mess of his beard. "I'm merely trying to uphold tradition." He opens his mouth further but immediately closes it, inhaling deeply as he glances at the ceiling.

"Tradition is outdated, I've already made that clear. Allegiance, however, is not. If anything, the least you can do is uphold your end of the agreement."

And by agreement, I'm guessing she means keeping her in the loop. It's the only thing coming to mind considering John's explanation of our current situation. But really, she already seems to be deeply 'in the loop' – at least more than me, and I'm a guardian (albeit a new one, but guardian nonetheless).

This time, it's Liz who speaks up. It takes one glance at the tightness around her lips to gauge how she's feeling. "Man, Olly, you've got to be clearer. This habit of speaking in tongues you have going on gets annoying real fast. What exactly do you mean?"

"Clearly civility is not a requirement for Guardians. It's a pity you're involved in this Mr. Fides, you deserve better," Oliver says, her gaze landing on Justin.

Justin offers no response, not verbally nor physically.

Oliver remains silent for a brief moment before she continues. "That cult the guardians are supposed to handle, the Servants of Korah? They made another hit. More violent than the previous ones. Suspicious, considering the nature of the killings in Neris right now. When were you lot planning on informing me?"

How does she know about those? Sheriff Lau assured John the situation was being kept hushed. And the cult?

"That's not your business," Ethan breathes, perching against the countertop.

"No? I may be an invad, Mr. Amor, but I am not ignorant."

With these final words, she gracefully stands from the velvet couches she was seated on and exits the store, leaving behind a trail of chaos as long as the tails of her onyx coat.

*****/\/\*****

For reasons beyond my comprehension, John believes training after midnight is 'beneficial and healthy' and that it 'strengthens team trust'. Ethan calls it the a.m scam (am scam, he says). I call it vegetable- something I need but do not want.

The four of us stand side by side in the arena, outfitted for training. The fabrics of our clothes are a melting pot of polyester, spandex, and cotton. John stands in front of us, arms folded stoically behind his back. I suppose he isn't expecting to sweat much because he's still in his maroon button-down shirt from this morning.

He nods towards us and begins his address. "Before we begin today's tasks, I understand that I have not yet explained to you two, Justin and Tori, the basics of your abilities."

Liz turns to me from my left, smiling wide, and I once again appreciate the wrinkles that form around the outer edges of her eyes when she smiles. "He absolutely loves this part, he's probably enjoying this more than you," she whispers, giggling. I grin, stifling a laugh.

John continues, "For now I'm going to glaze over the basics, the rest you discover while training. First, magic is, at its core, another form of energy. Those who have magical ability can produce and harness this other energy. Those who do not, Invads, can do neither."

I ask the question as soon as I think it. "Are there people who can harness but not produce?"

Instead of John, Ethan answers the question. "Not that we know of. But who knows? Maybe there are people like that out there and we simply haven't found them."

"I'd help you search," I say, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah?"

"Why not."

John nods and carries on from before. "As for being a guardian, it's hereditary. The previous guardian was one of your parents. Let's see, what else? Oh, as a guardian you can both conjure and control your element, but conjuring requires a lot more skill. Also, guardians are much more durable than the average human- even more than the average mage. There's a regenerative healing factor."

At this Liz laughs and says, "which means the hospital is the last place you want to go for injuries since they'll notice you recover in a week from something that should've taken you at least 5."

I hear a whimper from my right, barely audible. When I face Justin, I see that his features are taut and his mossy eyes are watery, shoulders pulled up.

"Then why didn't she survive? We have the same DNA, she should've healed, right? Why... why did Ayushi die?" His voice cracks painfully as he utters the last few words.

I place a hand on his shoulder, surprised by the stiffness. I want to help, but I don't know what to say. He's suffering, the last thing he needs is to hear words that make it all worse. I don't even know what's suddenly wrong.

John's eyes soften as he remains silent. Eventually, he takes a step forward, focusing on Justin. "Only the eldest inherit the ability. I'm sorry, Ayushi was not a guardian."

"So she didn't survive. But if I was in her place then... I should've been in her place..." he trails off, turning his face towards the ceiling.

No, no, no. Why's he...? How can I...? I don't know what happened but he can't blame himself. 

"Justin-" I begin but he cuts me off abruptly. "Tori no. I- I'm fine. Really."

"Listen, if-" this time it's Liz who gets cut off. "I said I'm fine."

"If he says he's fine, let's trust him on that, okay?" Ethan says, making sure to meet both Liz and my eyes. I suppose that means we should leave him alone for now.

"Thank you, Ethan," he mumbles, giving the three of us a bright smile before swallowing. Sometimes it's best to give these things time.

I try thinking of questions I can ask in an attempt to change the subject. Of course, I have questions, but those are Justin related right now.

Then it hits me, what John said a few minutes ago. 'Only the eldest inherit the ability'. And suddenly nothing makes sense anymore.

"How am I a guardian? What about Lauren?" I ask, confused beyond belief.

My question throws John for a loop as he scrunches his eyebrows together, scratching his beard. "What about her?" he responds, emphasizing the 'about'.

"She's my older sister, I'm second-born. How am I a guardian?" I repeat.

"Lauren is... your older sister?"

"Do you know her?"

"Who has told you what exactly?" John counters, completely ignoring my question. Maybe this is where Ethan picked up the habit from.

"My grandmother is Paula Viris. Ever since I remember she has raised me and Lauren singlehandedly," I clarify. Lauren is an entire nineteen years older than me, she's been an adult for as long as I remember. And Grams has been wrinkly and kind for my entire life.

Does this mean Grams was a guardian too? Or maybe it was one of the grandfathers? In either case, can I tell her about all this?

"That's very peculiar. I will get back to you on this since I'm not exactly sure what to tell you right now," John explains.

"In any case," he clasps his hands together, "we have to be in Neris four days from now, for the serial homicides. With one day for travel, that leaves us with three days to make some progress. Let's begin."

"Before that, I know we decided to focus on combat but I really think we should go the other route," Ethan says to John.

"Sage, why do you think such?"

"Considering the nature of the murders, Justin's second sight would be a huge help. And Tori's is always good to have around."

John considers this for a second before nodding in agreement. He then tilts his head to his left, gesturing for Ethan to stand beside him.

Ethan moves in front of us and announces, "second sight is an ability that allows the guardian to view the world in a way influenced by their element. Since I'm fire, I can view heat signatures of anything in any place."

He grins, continuing, "the better you are at reading your vision, the more information you get. I can read the heat signatures seconds apart and piece together the events that took place previously. In a sense, my second sight allows me to view the past."

"Is that how you knew the combination for the lock pad?" I ask, amazed as the pieces begin to fit together.

"Yes Interesting how it was incredibly cold inside though," Ethan he replies. 

Interesting Indeed.

/\/\/\*****/\/\/\

I will be posting again late Sunday/early Monday since this chapter was slightly later than I hoped!

Any theories on Principle Oliver? 

What are your thoughts on Justin? (Has anyone's view of him changed since the previous chapter?)

Please let me know what you guys think :D

Vote if you liked it, thank you!

Chp pic: Principle Oliver [pic will be up soon, I am going to post my own rendering of her but I have not finished it yet and did not want to further delay the chapter]