Okay. Do not panic...

"Yes, I'm up, Mom."

The door slowly opened and Andie did her best not to show her discomfort.

"Hey, mom," she said, trying to sound casual.

"Morning, honey-"

Lauren's look of stupor was even scarier than Andie had expected.

"Adrianna Rosalyn Galestone... what have you done to your hair?" she asked in a calm but tense voice.

Andie scrambled for a response.

"Well, uh... I... they... it's...they're extensions," she finally blurted out, remembering the last time she'd mentioned wanting longer hair.

Her mother's eyebrows went up, her expression suspicious.

"You always said you didn't approve of extensions." she pointed out coolly.

"I know... but... I... I thought I'd give it a try. And as a matter of fact, I like it."

"Well, yes, it suits you," Lauren conceded. "But we always agreed short hair was more practical..."

"No, mom. You decided that. I never said I wanted short hair, I just agreed because it made you happy."

"Hannah's never minded short hair."

"Because I always stopped you from cutting hers!" Andie retorted. "When I was ten, people called me Boygirl!" Andie said. "Because I had short hair! And that's the only reason you agreed to let her have long hair! You might want short hair, Mom, and it suits you fine. But that doesn't mean I have to do the same."

The electricity between the mother and daughter would have been enough to power the entire house.

"Let me be myself, Mom. I love you, but I'm not another you."

And with that, she walked past her and out of her room.

Andie's father was taking Hannah to school because he had to see a client who lived nearby, so Andie drove to school alone. The crowded roads and noise were almost comforting after the recent events. She turned the radio on. It was playing a popular song Andie liked. Soon, she found herself relax and sing along as she drove on. The clear sky wasn't bright enough to have its usual soothing effect on her. The sun wasn't quite awake yet, that was why. She almost laughed as she realised why she liked the sun so much. It was an unconscious manifestation of her power over fire. She could'nt believe she'd even actually, consciously thought that. This sort of thing only happened in movies or books! But she couldn't deny the fact that she'd heard Bane's voice in her mind clear as day. And that attack from that Zorak character, as much as she wished it were otherwise, had been equally real. So the only conclusion she could come to was that all those things they had heard in Chambers Lake Park was the truth. She was so lost in thought she was startled by a loud honking sound behind her.

"Sorry!" she called and moved ahead.

Soon, she reached her school. She didn't get out immediately. She knew her hair would make everyone look round. Everyone always saw her with short hair. She knew that she could say they were extensions and be believable, but she'd never been comfortable being the focus of attention.

"Hey, And-Whoa!" Jessica exclaimed.

"Andie, what did you do to your hair?!" Emily exclaimed.

Andie quickly looked around to check no one else could hear her.

"Officially, they're extensions. But they grew overnight."

"What?" Emily gasped.

"Shh! Yes, I don't even know how. I'm guessing it's because of my powers or whatever they are, but..."

"It's probably because you wanted long hair," Emily said. "You've always said you were tired of it being so short."

"Yes, but I didn't exactly plan on it growing out in a single night!" Andie replied. "Thank God hair extensions actually exist because otherwise I don't know what I' d have done... We have to blend in, and hair growing about half a foot over night isn't helpful...!"

"You could have said it was a wig," Jessica said, a grin creeping onto her face.

"That's not funny," Andie grumbled. "You wouldn't believe how shocked I was."

"Well, I don't mind, it looks good on you," Isabelle said.

Andie wasn't sure, but she'd thought Bane had been about to speak at the exact same moment. She couldn't help thinking about the conversation they had had the night before. Just then, the bell rang.

"Come on," Bane said. "We had better get to class."

Andie didn't answer but followed.

The first periods went on as they ought to. Andie's heart still hammered in her chest, her breath was too quick and she couldn't stop shivering, but she managed to keep it off her face. As she'd expected, she spent almost every moment being burned by the stares around her. She focused her mind as much as she could on her classes, even if flashes of black shadows and flames were uncomfortably persistent, and Zorak's face seemed engraved in her mind's eye. But what happened during break that morning drove it out of her mind. At least for a while. She had just left her English Literature class when Jessica waved and signaled for her to join her. Andie frowned slightly, wary. Whenever Jessica was so excited about something, it was usually something crazy. She walked towards her.

"Hey! I was looking for you! You are going to be so happy!"

"What?"

"Look!"

She caught her arm and pointed to a large poster on the wall.

"... What..."

But Andie soon saw what. It was a poster for the auditions of a talent scouting contest. A popular band, the Devil Riots, was coming to town around a little before Christmas and they were auditioning for their opening act. Below was the paper to sign up. Andie looked... and gasped.

"You signed me up for it?!" she cried, moving to remove her name. "Jessica!"

"Wait!" Jessica said, pulling her aside. "Just hear me out for one minute."

"Jess, I can't-"

"You can, you have a great voice! You just never showed anyone but Emily and me. It's Devil Riot! You know it's my favorite band, it would be so amazing if we got to meet them! And didn't you say we should blend in?"

"I didn't mean this! I meant just... keeping a low profile!"

"Well, what better way to blend in than to be involved in school activities! And we'll get backstage passes and meet the band and all that...! Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Fun for you," Andie said. "You know I don't like being the center of attention!"

"Your voice is too good to go unheard. Trust me, you'll thank me for this."

Andie sighed.

"I really wish you'd asked me..." she sighed.

"We both know you'd have said no," Jessica said.

"Whatever my answer, it's not okay to just sign someone up for things without even asking! I mean, you know I don't sing in public!"

"You should!"

"Well, whether I should or not, I have the right not to if I want to!"

"Just give the audition a try, okay? If you don't pass, which I doubt, you can just go on like nothing happened and I promise I'll never make you do this again. But just please, please, try?"

Andie glared at her. Then, finally, she sighed.

"Fine... I'll audition. But I hate you," she added as Jessica squealed in delight and threw her arms around her.

Andie knew why Jessica didn't audition herself. She was known for her... unique singing voice. Oh, she didn't have a problem with it, but she knew it would not get her through an official audition. But Jessica's scheme, though debatable, had at least succeeded in taking Andie's mind off things.

"You did what?!"

Emily stared at Jessica, her eyes bigger than her apple. The noisy cafeteria didn't register with her. Her focus was on Jessica, who had described what she'd said. The sun shone outside, but none of them noticed.

"Jess, that's not okay," Isabelle agreed.

They had found out about Andie being signed up for the audition behind her back.

"Well, now that Andie has said yes, it's fine," Jessica shrugged.

"No, Jess, it is not fine!" Isabelle countered.

"She only said yes because you'd never have forgiven her if she hadn't." Emily replied. "Or if not that, just to make you happy. And you knew she would. You've done plenty of crazy things, Jess, but this definitely beats them all!"

"You heard her voice, it's in the bag!" Jessica said, waving Emily's disapproval off with her hand.

"Guys!" Bane cut in.

"What?" Jessica demanded.

"Andie's been trying to speak for the past ten minutes, but you're not even listening." Bane said.

They all looked at Andie.

"I was trying to say that it's alright. I appreciate your support, guys," she said, looking at Emily and Isabelle. "But I'm not mad. I would have appreciated Jessica asking me, but never mind."

"... Why the change of mind? You're terrified at the idea of singing in front of an audience!" Emily asked.

"I've been thinking a lot. I think Ardente's power chose me for a reason. I didn't receive the power of fire to compensate my shyness."

It was true, Andie had come a long way since she'd first moved to Olympia, but she was still far from being as outspoken and confident as Jessica.

"I think it was to help me grow out of it. And... doing that audition, even if I don't win... might help me do that."

Andie understood why Jessica had done what she'd done, but Andie still didn't like the idea much. She'd taken singing lessons. Her mother had insisted she have an activity outside school, and music had been the most appealing to Andie. So that was what she had done. But as she drove home that afternoon, she couldn't help but think about Bane's intervention. It had been very nice of him to do that, of course, but... something about it bothered her. She hadn't really realized that her shyness went that far... and if she wanted to be a good fighter, she would have to toughen up quite a bit. What was it her mother always said? "You have a voice. Make it heard." That was it. But sometimes, it was far more difficult than it was made out to be... she spoke up in class, here and then, but every teacher agreed they believed she should do so more. She wasn't sure why she had always been so hesitant to speak. Or when she did, it was usually so quiet she had to repeat it. Maybe learning to fight would help her. She only had one way to find out. Bane had mentioned he trained at his uncle's house everyday. And he'd mentioned training them already, so why not? She had to start somewhere. Her father had said he'd bring Hannah home, so Andie went straight to Bane's house. He didn't live in the upper parts of Olympia, like her family. His uncle owned a bookstore (Andie had promised herself to stop by sometime but hadn't yet had a chance), so they weren't exactly rich. Andie didn't care. Among them, Isabelle was the only one anywhere close to her social level but that didn't stop them from being best friends. She turned into the small street until she found the number Bane had given them. She stopped and turned off the engine.She hesitated before stepping out. She was wondering whether this was actually as good an idea... wouldn't Bane read more into it than was wise? She still remembered every moment of the conversation they'd had when he'd helped her fend of Zorak... his carefully concealed pain, the way he'd assured her it was fine for her not to feel the same way about him... he was her friend, she would never deny that. She cared deeply for him, but... he was more like a brother. And she didn't want to hurt him, yet knew that every moment they shared would do nothing but that. He would never say so, of course, but... she knew it. How could it not?

She finally exhaled and climbed out of the car. She heard the sound of fists against leather from the back of the house. She walked around and saw Bane in a black sleeveless top and tracksuit. He paused, panting. Andie spotted a bottle of water on the grass. She reached forwards and picked up.

"Hey," she called.

Bane looked round, his face covered in sweat, his breath short. When he saw Andie, he blinked.

"Andie... hey, what brings you here?"

"Catch," Andie said, tossing him the bottle.

He caught it adroitly, of course, and took a long swig.

"Thanks," he said when he'd finished before setting it back down on the ground. "How can I help you? I doubt it's just a courtesy call."

"... Well, it's not like I'm not happy to see you..." Andie said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Bane's laugh tinkled like wind chimes.

"I know, don't worry," he smiled. "So what is it?"

Andie glanced at her feet. Then, realizing this was exactly what she was trying to stop doing, she looked up and tried to sound calm and determined.

"You said you were going to train us... is it okay if we start now?"

He blinked again.

"You sure?"

"I am. I have a family to protect and I have to start now. Because from what I understood, Zorak won't wait for us."

"No," he agreed. "Okay then, let's see what you can do."

After Andie had changed into a more adequate outfit, Bane proceeded to showing her the first basics of close combat.

"Okay. We'll start with a punch. It's the first thing you need to know. If you can punch your opponent it could knock it away from you long enough for to either run away or floor him. Go on, show me how you clench your fist for a punch."

Andie raised her fist, wrapping her fingers around her thumb before looking to Bane. He seemed hesitant as to how he should answer.

"What?" she asked.

"No, nothing." he said.

Andie dropped her hand.

"Bane, you don't need to sugar coat things..."

"Hmm... here, watch me."

He stood sideways from her, and raised his fist.

"Make sure to keep your fist like this," he said, showing her.

She turned slightly and copied him.

"Yeah, that's it."

And from then on, he showed her how to move her feet, throw a punch or kick without hurting herself more than her opponent.

"Your punches are actually pretty strong for someone who's never done this before," Bane said as he handed her some water. "Tell me if I'm overstepping, but I was wondering why?"

"... All I can think about is that night Zorak came after me."

"Andie..."

"He was at my house, Bane. My ten year old sister was in there. The only reason I survived was because you were there... I don't want that to happen again."

There was a silence. Just then, Andie's phone went off.

"Oh, sorry..."

She pulled it out and picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Andie," Lauren said. "I'm stuck at work for another hour, I have a last minute client meeting, and your father said he was going to get some sleep, could you run by the store and get some food for tonight?"

"Uh... yeah, sure... should I get anything in particular?"

"Oh, I'll let you choose."

"Okay, then. Talk to you later, Mom."

"Bye, honey."

Andie hung up and turned to Bane.

"Sorry, I have to go."

"That's okay. I was going to call it a day, anyway. You did pretty well for a first time."

"Thanks," Andie said as she got to her feet. "And thanks for taking the time to teach me all that."

Bane rose too.

"You're not the only one with people you want to protect," he said.

Andie wasn't sure what to respond to that.

"Uh... yeah, of course. Your uncle."

They both knew that wasn't quite what he'd meant, but Andie wanted to put things back into perspective before they went too far out of hand. If they ever had been in any form of order in any way beforehand, that was.

"Yeah," Bane said. "Yeah, he's important to me."

Andie bit her lip as silence fell. Clearing her throat, she said:

"Uh... I have to go. I'll see you at school, okay?"

And before she realized why or what she was doing, she leaned forwards and kissed Bane's cheek.

Flushing, she hurried away and drove off.

What was that about...? she wondered as she drove away. I try and keep my distance one second and then I kiss his cheek?! God, what is with me, lately? Surely my powers wouldn't have this much of an impact... would they? Hmm... maybe I should avoid one on one training sessions with Bane from now on... it feels too awkward... and I would probably only make it worse on him... Ha... why couldn't he like Isabelle or Emily? What does he see in me, anyway.

Once she'd finished in the store, she made her way home.

"Dad? Hannah? I'm home," she called as she came in.

"In here, honey," Hank called.

He was looking haplessly in the empty fridge.

"Don't give yourself gray hair, Dad," Andie grinned as she kissed his cheek. "Mom already intervened."

He then spotted the bags in her hands.

"Oh, perfect! Just put in on the counter, would you, honey? I'll get started."

Andie smiled and put the bags where he asked.

"D'you want some help?" she offered.

"No, I'm fine, thanks, honey."

"Okay. I'll be in my room, then."

"Alright."

Andie swung by the living room where she could hear Hannah's high laugh.

"Hey, Hannah," she said, peering in.

Hannah clearly didn't want to miss a single second of whatever she was watching because she merely waved. Andie shook her head in amusement and left her to it.

Once in the privacy of her room, Andie's smile faded. She crossed her room and fell onto her bed with a groan of frustration.

"Andie?" came a voice beside her.

"Yeah?" asked Andie's muffled voice.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just felt like burying my face in my pillow." she said, turning her head to so Ardente could hear her properly.

"... Is there anything I can do?" Ardente asked.

"... I can't see what... unless you have the power to make someone un-fall for you..."

Ardente looked confused for a moment then said:

"Oh... You're referring to Bane."

Andie sighed in assentment.

"He said it was fine if were friends, but it clearly isn't that simple... I feel bad for hurting him..."

"But you are not hurting him," Ardente pointed out, perplexed.

"I am. He just won't show it. Imagine if you were in love with Balon, but he just wanted you to be friends. Wouldn't you feel pain every time you saw him because you know you can't be the way you want around him?"

Ardente thought about it a moment.

"Yes, I think I understand your point... Balon and I fell in love with each other, so being in each other's presence was never an issue in the slightest... but if one of doesn't feel the same..."

"It downright stinks," Andie stated.

************************

Oh, poor Bandie, I hope they work it out...! Please vote if you agree!

What do you think they should be, friends or more? Let us know in the comments!

What trouble is going to come their way now? Let's find out in the next chapter!