Their hands glowed and a circle formed around their feet. They closed their eyes but didn't let go. The circle grew, became brighter, and suddenly, Andie felt what could only be described as an explosion of light shot off of them, destroying the demons instantly. There was a pause as everyone waited, listened. But nothing else came. Andie and Bane, unable to hold on any longer, fell to the floor, gasping and sweating. There was a scurry of feet as everyone dropped around them.

"Andie!" Isabelle gasped. "Are you okay?"

Andie looked to her left. Bane was lying a foot away, looking exhausted but unharmed.

"Bane? Are you okay?"

She unthinkingly reached for his hand. He looked at her.

"Yeah," he replied breathlessly. "Are you?"

She dared not nod, so she said, almost before she thought about it:

"Knowing you are, I am."

There was a pause. Andie wasn't sure what had made her say that, and yet she meant it. She cared for Bane, and wouldn't have been able to stand losing him. Their fingers laced together before they knew it, their eyes locked together.

"Come on, let's help you guys up and get out of here fast," Isabelle said, pulling Andie to her feet with Jessica while Ardente and River took care of Bane.

Together, they made their way to their cars, the former masters returning to their spiritual form to avoid arousing suspicion. Not for the first time, Andie wasn't sure how she got home, or even how she kept her feelings from her face when she saw her parents. She went to her room, to exhausted and shaken to eat or even feel hungry, and collapsed onto her bed where she fell asleep instantly.

The next morning, Andie got up even more exhausted than the night before. The sky was a faded gray. Painful all over, still reeling about the attack, she went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face and see what her expression showed that it shouldn't. From what she could see, nothing out of the ordinary. She looked tired, which she was. And she could use the project as an excuse.

"Everything alright, honey? You look a little pale," her father said.

Andie had been munching at her apple absentmindedly. Her mother had already left for work and Hannah was eating her cereal quietly. She was more likely to zone out when it was just her father, she'd noticed. Probably because she didn't her mother's judging eyes on her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine, I'll sleep in this weekend."

Thankfully, it was Thursday. Only one more day and she'd be able to get a little rest. Well, between the audition and homecoming.

"Have you chosen a song for tomorrow, yet?" Hank asked.

"No..." Andie said, thinking her to-do list was too long for comfort. "I'll have to do that tonight..."

A small spark of irritation towards Jessica flared through Andie. And apprehension. She was going to homecoming with Bane. And the events of the day before flashed through her mind. The wave of relief she'd felt when she'd seen he was okay, the touch of his hand under hers, the way his fingers had laced through hers...

"Andie?" her father called.

"Huh?" Andie gasped, snapping out of her reverie.

"I was saying you're going to be late."

Glancing at the clock, Andie saw he was right.

"Shoot!" she swore.

She jumped to her feet and grabbed her bag.

"Come on, Hannah! Bye, Dad, love you!" she said, kissing him swiftly on the cheek and hurrying out, Hannah on her tail.

Zarias was gathering information from one of the few Umbras that had returned from their mission. The rest had been destroyed, the Umbra told him. He had expected that to happen. What the Umbra told him next, however, made him listen more intently. Two of them had combined their powers and the result had been incredibly powerful, even he could tell. He had no power of his own, but his father had shown him how to distinguish great power. Of course, he's known the element masters were powerful beings and not to be taken lightly... but these were just children! Could they already master their power that well? No. It had been luck, that was all... He sent the Umbra on his way and went towards his father's throne room.

"What is it Zarias?" he asked coldly.

"The umbras have told me of something I think you will find interesting."

Zorak doubted that, but raised an eyebrow nonetheless.

"Very well. But be brief."

Zarias cleared his throat.

"Do you recall the former incarnations of the elements combining their powers?"

Zorak frowned.

"I cannot say that I do. Why do you ask?"

"Because it appears the new ones have that ability."

 Zorak blinked.

"What in the realm are you talking about?"

"The umbras have witnessed it," Zarias insisted. "The Guardian of Light and the fire guardian did so this very day."

"Really? And what does that change for us?"

"Well, the Umbras say that it increased their individual strength."

"There is nothing unusual or strange about that," Zorak said disdainfully. "Of course numbers increase strength."

"What I mean is we hadn't expected that. Which would explain why the Umbras haven't been able to get those humans to us before."

Zorak paused, thoughtful.

"Hmmm. That means we'll need a new plan," he said. "One that will succeed."

When Andie arrived after leaving Hannah at her school, everyone was already going inside. She grabbed her bag and headed in after them. Her entire body protested vehemently, but she ignored it. She only just made it in time and sat down panting slightly. She didn't have any classes with any of the others, that morning. She would have preferred not to spend the next four hours by herself, but it couldn't be helped.

So she tried to keep her mind off things and focus on her classes. Of course, that proved next to impossible. Between the attack and her combining her powers with Bane, she was a mental mess. Especially because in that moment, there was no denying that they had connected, somehow. Their powers had gone from one to the other and Andie didn't think you could get any more connected to someone. But did she want that with Bane? Was she happy about it? She tried answering that question all morning. And by the time she reached the cafeteria later, she still hadn't figured it out. She saw them talking together cheerfully. She didn't want to ruin the mood. So she took a deep breath and put a smile on her face as she walked towards them with her tray.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Hey!" Bane smiled, moving to the next seat to give her room.

Andie hoped he didn't notice her slight hesitation before sitting down.

"So, you all set for tomorrow?" Jessica asked Andie.

"Huh?" Andie blinked, confused.

"The audition!" Jessica said. "Tomorrow night at eight? Washington Center?"

"Oh, right..."

"Olympia's the first stop of their new tour so they're making a huge deal out of this audition, it'll be open to spectators and they get to help choose!"

"How?"

"Well, we vote for our two favorites, and then they pick from there."

Andie groaned mentally. It sounded like it was going to last the night.

"That'll take ages, though, won't it?"

"Oh, no, they're very strict with the criteria, Andie was lucky to get in," Jessica said. "You had to have taken lessons for more than three years, be eighteen, live in Olympia, and have steady grades, they asked for your grade point average and everything."

"Really?" Andie asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I heard one guy say you were only about a hundred or something. They're doing it in several rooms, so it's quicker."

"I'm sure you can still back out if you want," Emily said.

Andie was feeling a little hot all of a sudden.

"No, she cannot!" Jessica interjected firmly.

"Isn't that my decision?" Andie asked.

"Sure, but... you said you'd do it..."

"Because you put me on the spot!" Andie reminded her. "I haven't even managed to pick a song, yet!"

"Any song will be fine," Jessica said.

The bell rang and Andie wished she were that confident.

The afternoon went on normally with its classes and homework, the hustle to get from one to the next, and after the final bell, everyone poured out to their cars or buses. Andie and the others headed to the park to train some more. Bane assured her they were invisible and inaudible, but she still was amazed no one had called the authorities, yet. Soon, they were all training again, Balon pushing them as hard as ever.

"Harder, Andie!" he said as they trained against one another. "No, Isabelle, your feet are crossing. Not bad, Jessica. Wake up, Bane!"

He was silent for a moment.

"Emily, try and keep moving. You've got the movements, you just need to remember not to stay static."

Emily nodded.

"Bane, come on, is that the best you can do?"

"We've been at it for two hours," Bane panted as he kicked at River who blocked him.

"Yes, and every moment you aren't training is a moment the demons can attack and defeat you!" Balon snapped.

"ENOUGH!" Andie shouted.

Everyone froze and looked at her. She was glaring coldly at Balon.

"I beg your pardon?" he demanded.

"I said, enough," she repeated. "You're always harder on Bane. Why? He's trained longer and harder than all of us combined. How can you keep... berating him like that you do?"

She took a few steps forwards, not taking her eyes off Balon who was staring coldly back at her.

"It's mean. It's unfair. And for what? So you can... assert your alpha male authority? Because Bane's the only one who could potentially be a threat? It's disgusting."

Andie turned to Ardente.

"Honestly, I don't know how you fell in love with this guy."

She turned round and stormed off.

 Andie tried to use the drive home to calm herself down. Her parents were sure to ask her what was wrong if she came home angry. She could say she was just tired or had had a disagreement with a student, but they wouldn't believe the first and would blow the second out of proportion faster than she could explain it. Andie reached the house and parked as usual, taking a few seconds to calm herself. Then, she climbed out and went inside.

"Hey, I'm home," she called as she closed the door.

She saw Hannah in the doorway.

"Hey, Hannah," she smiled.

But to her astonishment, Hannah ignored her and went to the living room.

"Hannah...?" Andie asked, confused.

No answer. Andie was stunned. Hannah had never been so cold towards her... what was going on? She heard noise from the kitchen where her parents were putting the dishes away. Clearly, they'd eaten without her. Was it that late? Apparently, yes... Andie looked up at the clock on the wall. It was just a little after eight o'clock.

Yikes, I hadn't planned to be that late... she thought.

She stepped into the kitchen.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, we couldn't agree on something about the project." Andie said. "Is something wrong with Hannah? She seemed upset about something..."

She trailed off when she saw her parents' faces. Her mother looked unhappy about something. That, Andie wasn't too surprised about. But what shocked her was her father's expression. He didn't look angry... just disappointed, which Andie found worse.

"...What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"You're asking why your sister is upset?" her mother asked.

 Uh oh... she's got her arms crossed... Andie noticed with a sigh. That can't be good... But what's with everyone, tonight...?

 "Well, yes, of course I am, she's my sister, if she's upset I want to do something about it..."

 "Well you didn't seem so worried about her when you left her all alone at her school for an hour!"

"Lauren..." Hank intervened.

"Well, have you got another way to put it?" she demanded. "I thought not."

Andie stared at them.

"What d'you mean she stayed at her school by herself for an hour? You said you were going to pick her up..."

"Yesterday!" Lauren cut in. "I said I was picking her up yesterday! I told you this morning that I couldn't today, and needed you to!"

Andie's eyes widened in horrified realization.

"... Oh, God... she must be furious with me..."

"You know what, she actually wasn't! She was just afraid you'd had an accident!"

Andie felt a horrible guilt burn her stomach like she'd had too much balsamic vinegar.

"I... I'm sorry... I..."

"We're supposed to be able to count on you!" Lauren snapped.

"..."

Andie suddenly felt anger burn along with the guilt.

"... So you can make a mistake, and Hannah can, but I can't? How is that fair?"

"You're th-" Lauren began.

"The oldest! I know!" Andie retorted shortly. "But does that mean I have to be perfect? Because if that's what you're expecting, I'm afraid I can't do that."

Anger and indignation suddenly faded into pain.

"... You know how much I love Hannah." she said, fighting to keep her voice from cracking, her eyes stinging. "You do. And I can't believe you're even thinking of questioning that. I forgot her once. And I said I was sorry. But does that make me a bad person?"

She almost mentioned fending of Zorak that night they were at a congress, but didn't.

"What about the time you forgot Hannah's birthday cake and I got one before she got home? Or all those times you came home late without her saying goodnight to you when that was all she asked for? But I make one mistake... and you give me Hell for it?"

There was a silence.

"I'm sorry if you feel I'm not the perfect daughter you wanted," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "But I'm eighteen. I make mistakes... I'm doing what I can, okay?"

She turned around before they saw the tears in her eyes.

"Andie..." Her father began.

"Just don't, dad," she said.

She knew he hated conflict. He hadn't said a word. But that was sometimes a problem. She could have used his support. She marched out.

Closing the door, she paused a moment to compose herself. She needed to apologize to Hannah, and she didn't want to cry ion front of her. She wiped her eyes and went to her sister's room. She raised her hand, hesitated, then knocked before opening the door slightly.

"... Hannah?"

She was sitting on her bed with a few of her toys. Andie recognized with a pang the pink unicorn she'd given her three years before and that she always took for comfort when she was upset.

"What?" Hannah asked.

"... Can I come in?" Andie inquired.

"If you want," she shrugged.

Andie stepped inside, closing the door and sat on the edge of her bed.

 "Hannah... I'm really sorry... I didn't mean to forget you, I swear..."

"Then why didn't you come?" Hannah asked.

Andie sighed, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"... When you grow up, you'll see that life often gets more complicated..." she finally said. "And I just... lost track of things for a bit. But it won't happen again. I promise. Are you mad at me...?"

Hannah looked up at her and shook her head. Andie sighed with relief.

"Come here..." Andie said, pulling her sister into a hug.

She held Hannah close a few moments.

"You're the best sister in the world, d'you know that?" she said.

"And don't you forget it," Hannah grinned in her shoulder.

Andie let out a little laugh and pulled away.

"I won't. Come on, time for you to get some sleep."

She tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Hannah." she said.

"I love you too," Hannah answered with a yawn before closing her eyes.

Andie smiled fondly, gently stroked her sister's hair and quietly left the room.

Andie closed the door to her room and lay down on her bed with a sigh.

"Andie...?"

"Yes?" she asked.

"... I'm sorry... I feel somewhat responsible..."

Andie exhaled wearily.

"No, Ardente, it's not your fault. You chose us, yes. Were we the right choice? I don't know. Does it complicate things? Absolutely. But I understand. It was necessary. And it worked for a while, that's something..."

"I suppose..."

"And I'm the one who should apologize... I shouldn't have spoken to Balon like that, or said what I did to you... I was mad... I'm sure he's not so bad."

Ardente looked infinitely sad.

"He was very much like Bane, once... but ever since we... died, he's changed... I think he's hard on Bane because he doesn't want to see him make the same mistakes."

Andie sat up and looked at Ardente.

"First, we're not you, and you're not us. We'll probably make mistakes, like I did tonight, but we'll make our own, not yours. And second, you didn't have another choice. Either you died while giving up your powers and hiding them in us, maybe not stopping but at the least delaying Zorak, or you died fighting him, and he would have maybe found a way to take your powers and destroyed everything without anyone being able to do anything. This was the only possible way to keep that from happening."

Ardente didn't answer at once.

"Yes, you're probably right," she agreed finally.

Then, probably wanting to change the subject, she said:

"Your audition is tomorrow, I believe?"

Andie groaned.

"Yes..."

She leaned back, and felt something strange under her fingers. Frowning, she looked, and found several sheets of paper.

"Oh... these are the songs I'd been looking at last night." she remembered.

She'd printed out some lyrics, hoping they would help her chose the song. Glancing at them, her eyes fell on one particular song. Her eyes traveled down the page, reading the words, and the more she read, the more it became obvious. This was the one.

"What is it?" Ardente asked.

Andie smiled up at her.

"I've found my song."

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

Ooh, I wonder what song that is, don't you?And was that combining their powers cool or what? I don't know if that's the last we've heard of Zorak, though...

Which is your favorite song? Let us know in the comments!

What song will Andie sing? Will she pass the audition? What else does the Demon Lord have in store for them? Let's find out in the next chapter!