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"What, you didn't think transferring my power over to you was going to be easy, did you?"

"It's not like I asked for this!" Sparkie clenched her fists and looked at the man in front of her. "I'm a teenage girl, and not an especially heroic one! I mean, let's face it: I'll never be anything more than 'cute', I'm never going to make an A plus in my advanced classes without divine intervention, and I'm definitely not going to be able to save the world." She put her hands on her hips.

The man replied, "Well, I didn't ask for the powers when I got them."

She sighed, exasperated, "But why me?"

"I can't really explain at the moment. But let's just say it's not what you think, not a 'wrong place, wrong time.' There's a reason…" The tanned man smiled. " But I'm barely able to speak with you in your dreams, and you complaining is ticking my timer down. I just need to pass on some information to you. Find the others. Without all five of the Guardians together, you can't access your true potential."

"How am I supposed to do that??" Sparkie was looking more frustrated than ever. "And why do you speak like any modern person? Aren't you hundreds of years old?"

"I speak how you want to hear me, how you want to comprehend me." He shrugged, "As for finding your companions, why don't you just head back down to the temple? There's something there that can help you." The 'Guardian' shrugged and yawned, "Well, kiddo, I'm running out of juice. I'll drop by in your dreams sometime. Don't worry too much, I'm sure you'll save the world just fine."

Sparkie was about to protest to his leaving, but the man had already vanished. Her fist slammed down against the rock she was sitting on in her dream. Why had he chosen a boring girl like her? She was only good at running track, and had nothing else to about herself that was particularly special. She sighed, "If my life could get any more cliché , I would be the hero of some poorly written story. This sucks." She glanced around. "This dream sucks, too."

As soon as she said it, her eyes opened to her bedroom. She sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in her side. She pulled back her shirt a bit to examine herself. To her surprise, the injuries were gone, leaving thin white scars in their place. Sparkie jumped in surprise as her stomach growled loudly.

"Morning, Sparkie. You've been out for a day or two, how are you feeling?" Her mother came in, carrying a basket of laundry on her hip.

"Starving!" Sparkie threw the blankets back and jumped out of bed. Her hair was a rat's nest, pieces stuck up in various ways, her clothes were nasty and wrinkled, and she was a general mess. "And…I gotta use the bathroom!" She started to run out the door, stumbled a bit, and had to slow her pace down, as she was still unsteady on her feet.

After a long clean up time in the bathroom, Sparkie emerged, squeaky clean and ready to start her day. She got dressed, throwing on a blue jean skirt and a simple cami and button up combo. She sat on her bed and pulled her cell off the charger. It had a few messages on it.

"Practice is canceled, Chaz is back in town, and…" Her eyebrows furrowed at the last message. "Meet me at my house ASAP, Ella." She closed her phone, stuck it in the pocket on her baggy button up shirt, and then walked through her house to the front door.

Sparkie's mom was reading a book on the couch, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To Ella's." Sparkie stopped, her hand on the doorknob. "Why? Am I grounded?" She looked worried.

"Of course you're not, silly. I don't want you leaving the house for a day or two, just for health reasons. Just sit around and recuperate, darling." Her mom went back to her book.

Sparkie knew better than to disobey her mother (her temper was much faster than Sparkie's and a hundred times worse) so she slunk back to her room and texted Ella back. "Can't…come…mom's…got…me…on…lockdown…" Flopping on her bed, Sparkie hung halfway off of the bed and let her shoulder length hair touch the floor. She poked her belly button. "What am I gonna do for a whole day? I can barely sit still when I go to the movies!" Sparkie flipped off her bed.

She looked down at her legs. "Woah. Woaaaah." She blinked. Since when was she a gymnast?  "Spiffy!" She sprung on her toes for a second, feeling surprisingly light. She had never been heavy--she was her coach's prized sprinter and was trained to stay fast and small--but this was a different feeling. She looked at the play station plugged into her television, and then pulled out a Dance Dance Revolution box from under her bed. She opened it up and got the game set. "I wonder…"

"Sparkie, are you hungry?" The door opened as Sparkie's mother walked in. She smiled gently as she found her daughter sprawled out on her floor, using her video game mat for a bed. The game's music was still blaring, but Sparkie was passed out asleep. "Pushing yourself too hard, I see. C'mon you, get up. You know I can't pick you up." She knelt down and stuck her arms through Sparkie's and started to lift the teenager up. "You're almost sixteen, you've got to stop falling asleep in the floor like this."

Sparkie's eyes opened a little and she staggered face-forward onto her bed, "Sorry Mommy…." She passed out, fully dressed.

"Night, sweet-pea." Sparkie's mom tousled Sparkie's hair.

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"Hey, Sammy, I heard Sydney was sick. How is she?"

Sparkie's mother pursed her lips, "Oh, you know, she's being herself. She doesn't want to rest, but she's asleep at the moment, so no, you can't talk to her. Some father you are." She rolled her eyes.

Sparkie closed her door as soon as she realized her mother was speaking with her dad. Her parents had divorced when she was fairly young, but she still wasn't too fond of her dad. Sure, her mom was strict and her dad was an easy-going man that was fun to get along with, but Sparkie was much more comfortable living with Samantha Walter. Scratching her head, Sparkie slipped into her pajamas and went back to sleep.

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"Sparkie! Sparkieeeee!" The voice whispered sharply. "Sydneeey….Ellaaaainnee….Walltteeeeer…wake up!"

Sparkie sat up, in a sleepy daze, "Whaaaaa, who the hell is in my room?" She sat up and cracked skulls with someone.

"Jeez!" A fierce whisper came from the person sitting at the foot of her bed, "It's me! Ella! You really should lock your window!"

"WHY ARE YOU IN MMFFFfffffff---" She started yelling, but Ella's hand covered her mouth.

The brunette said sternly, "Hush. We're going back to that damn temple. You won't believe what happened to me today! I slipped in the kitchen and cut myself wide open with a knife and in two seconds I was fully healed--not even a scar. I pricked my finger a couple of more times to experiment, and whenever they got touched by water it'd heal right up. It's got to be something to do with that temple, and we're going now, so get your lazy ass up and get dressed!"

"If my mom finds out I snuck out I'll be sooooo dead." Sparkie muttered as she pulled on random articles of clothing, not even paying attention to what she was throwing on.

Ella stopped her before they jumped out the window. "No. Take off that shirt and put on something that matches. Now."  After Sparkie had changed clothes to Ella's liking, they jumped out the window and ran down the street.

"Where was that place?"

"In the deserted downtown area. It's gonna be hard to find in the dark." Ella started jogging down the street, and Sparkie followed.

The two continued to run down the road, turning every now and again. Ella finally slid to a stop as the scenery changes drastically. They lived in an old town that had a very historic center, surrounded by sprawling modern civilization. The old part of town had very few inhabitants, mostly some stray cats, and maybe an owl or two. No humans had lived there for hundreds years. The cost of fixing up the buildings just wasn't worth it. Still, it was a great place to explore, and teenagers often prowled the buildings.

"Here it is!" Sparkie called. She looked up at the building. It was intimidating in the dark, with  all of its beauty turned malevolent. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Sparkie…..do you think it's safe?"

The blonde's hair rustled around her face in the breeze that had kicked up. "Probably not. Let's go in already, I feel like we're being watched." They ran up the stairs, and into the door, which was actually still open from their previous visit.

The temple was dark, and the two girls struggled to find their way around. "What are we doing in here, Ella?"

"I don't really know, I just know that there's something wrong with us now. Why else would I be able to get badly injured and heal in a few seconds?"

"You have been handed down the powers of the Guardian Althea."  A calming voice echoed throughout the temple. "She had the elemental powers of water. Water itself is a healing force, but can just as easily destroy everything. A single misstep of your emotion…."

Sparkie and Ella went back to back. "Who's there?"

The swooshing sound of fire surrounded them, and soon the whole temple was lit by an almost magical light.

Description
"What, you didn't think transferring my power over to you was going to be easy, did you?"

"It's not like I asked for this!" Sparkie clenched her fists and looked at the man in front of her. "I'm a teenage girl, and not an especially heroic one! I mean, let's face it: I'll never be anything more than 'cute', I'm never going to make an A plus in my advanced classes without divine intervention, and I'm definitely not going to be able to save the world." She put her hands on her hips.

The man replied, "Well, I didn't ask for the powers when I got them."

She sighed, exasperated, "But why me?"

"I can't really explain at the moment. But let's just say it's not what you think, not a 'wrong place, wrong time.' There's a reason…" The tanned man smiled. " But I'm barely able to speak with you in your dreams, and you complaining is ticking my timer down. I just need to pass on some information to you. Find the others. Without all five of the Guardians together, you can't access your true potential."

"How am I supposed to do that??" Sparkie was looking more frustrated than ever. "And why do you speak like any modern person? Aren't you hundreds of years old?"

"I speak how you want to hear me, how you want to comprehend me." He shrugged, "As for finding your companions, why don't you just head back down to the temple? There's something there that can help you." The 'Guardian' shrugged and yawned, "Well, kiddo, I'm running out of juice. I'll drop by in your dreams sometime. Don't worry too much, I'm sure you'll save the world just fine."

Sparkie was about to protest to his leaving, but the man had already vanished. Her fist slammed down against the rock she was sitting on in her dream. Why had he chosen a boring girl like her? She was only good at running track, and had nothing else to about herself that was particularly special. She sighed, "If my life could get any more cliché , I would be the hero of some poorly written story. This sucks." She glanced around. "This dream sucks, too."

As soon as she said it, her eyes opened to her bedroom. She sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in her side. She pulled back her shirt a bit to examine herself. To her surprise, the injuries were gone, leaving thin white scars in their place. Sparkie jumped in surprise as her stomach growled loudly.

"Morning, Sparkie. You've been out for a day or two, how are you feeling?" Her mother came in, carrying a basket of laundry on her hip.

"Starving!" Sparkie threw the blankets back and jumped out of bed. Her hair was a rat's nest, pieces stuck up in various ways, her clothes were nasty and wrinkled, and she was a general mess. "And…I gotta use the bathroom!" She started to run out the door, stumbled a bit, and had to slow her pace down, as she was still unsteady on her feet.

After a long clean up time in the bathroom, Sparkie emerged, squeaky clean and ready to start her day. She got dressed, throwing on a blue jean skirt and a simple cami and button up combo. She sat on her bed and pulled her cell off the charger. It had a few messages on it.

"Practice is canceled, Chaz is back in town, and…" Her eyebrows furrowed at the last message. "Meet me at my house ASAP, Ella." She closed her phone, stuck it in the pocket on her baggy button up shirt, and then walked through her house to the front door.

Sparkie's mom was reading a book on the couch, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To Ella's." Sparkie stopped, her hand on the doorknob. "Why? Am I grounded?" She looked worried.

"Of course you're not, silly. I don't want you leaving the house for a day or two, just for health reasons. Just sit around and recuperate, darling." Her mom went back to her book.

Sparkie knew better than to disobey her mother (her temper was much faster than Sparkie's and a hundred times worse) so she slunk back to her room and texted Ella back. "Can't…come…mom's…got…me…on…lockdown…" Flopping on her bed, Sparkie hung halfway off of the bed and let her shoulder length hair touch the floor. She poked her belly button. "What am I gonna do for a whole day? I can barely sit still when I go to the movies!" Sparkie flipped off her bed.

She looked down at her legs. "Woah. Woaaaah." She blinked. Since when was she a gymnast?  "Spiffy!" She sprung on her toes for a second, feeling surprisingly light. She had never been heavy--she was her coach's prized sprinter and was trained to stay fast and small--but this was a different feeling. She looked at the play station plugged into her television, and then pulled out a Dance Dance Revolution box from under her bed. She opened it up and got the game set. "I wonder…"

"Sparkie, are you hungry?" The door opened as Sparkie's mother walked in. She smiled gently as she found her daughter sprawled out on her floor, using her video game mat for a bed. The game's music was still blaring, but Sparkie was passed out asleep. "Pushing yourself too hard, I see. C'mon you, get up. You know I can't pick you up." She knelt down and stuck her arms through Sparkie's and started to lift the teenager up. "You're almost sixteen, you've got to stop falling asleep in the floor like this."

Sparkie's eyes opened a little and she staggered face-forward onto her bed, "Sorry Mommy…." She passed out, fully dressed.

"Night, sweet-pea." Sparkie's mom tousled Sparkie's hair.

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"Hey, Sammy, I heard Sydney was sick. How is she?"

Sparkie's mother pursed her lips, "Oh, you know, she's being herself. She doesn't want to rest, but she's asleep at the moment, so no, you can't talk to her. Some father you are." She rolled her eyes.

Sparkie closed her door as soon as she realized her mother was speaking with her dad. Her parents had divorced when she was fairly young, but she still wasn't too fond of her dad. Sure, her mom was strict and her dad was an easy-going man that was fun to get along with, but Sparkie was much more comfortable living with Samantha Walter. Scratching her head, Sparkie slipped into her pajamas and went back to sleep.

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"Sparkie! Sparkieeeee!" The voice whispered sharply. "Sydneeey….Ellaaaainnee….Walltteeeeer…wake up!"

Sparkie sat up, in a sleepy daze, "Whaaaaa, who the hell is in my room?" She sat up and cracked skulls with someone.

"Jeez!" A fierce whisper came from the person sitting at the foot of her bed, "It's me! Ella! You really should lock your window!"

"WHY ARE YOU IN MMFFFfffffff---" She started yelling, but Ella's hand covered her mouth.

The brunette said sternly, "Hush. We're going back to that damn temple. You won't believe what happened to me today! I slipped in the kitchen and cut myself wide open with a knife and in two seconds I was fully healed--not even a scar. I pricked my finger a couple of more times to experiment, and whenever they got touched by water it'd heal right up. It's got to be something to do with that temple, and we're going now, so get your lazy ass up and get dressed!"

"If my mom finds out I snuck out I'll be sooooo dead." Sparkie muttered as she pulled on random articles of clothing, not even paying attention to what she was throwing on.

Ella stopped her before they jumped out the window. "No. Take off that shirt and put on something that matches. Now."  After Sparkie had changed clothes to Ella's liking, they jumped out the window and ran down the street.

"Where was that place?"

"In the deserted downtown area. It's gonna be hard to find in the dark." Ella started jogging down the street, and Sparkie followed.

The two continued to run down the road, turning every now and again. Ella finally slid to a stop as the scenery changes drastically. They lived in an old town that had a very historic center, surrounded by sprawling modern civilization. The old part of town had very few inhabitants, mostly some stray cats, and maybe an owl or two. No humans had lived there for hundreds years. The cost of fixing up the buildings just wasn't worth it. Still, it was a great place to explore, and teenagers often prowled the buildings.

"Here it is!" Sparkie called. She looked up at the building. It was intimidating in the dark, with  all of its beauty turned malevolent. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Sparkie…..do you think it's safe?"

The blonde's hair rustled around her face in the breeze that had kicked up. "Probably not. Let's go in already, I feel like we're being watched." They ran up the stairs, and into the door, which was actually still open from their previous visit.

The temple was dark, and the two girls struggled to find their way around. "What are we doing in here, Ella?"

"I don't really know, I just know that there's something wrong with us now. Why else would I be able to get badly injured and heal in a few seconds?"

"You have been handed down the powers of the Guardian Althea."  A calming voice echoed throughout the temple. "She had the elemental powers of water. Water itself is a healing force, but can just as easily destroy everything. A single misstep of your emotion…."

Sparkie and Ella went back to back. "Who's there?"

The swooshing sound of fire surrounded them, and soon the whole temple was lit by an almost magical light.