STRONGER-BOOK 2- (GUARDIANS OF LA REINA)

CHAPTER ONE

Dear Diary,

We arrived home two days ago. I have to admit that I have been bombarded with mixed feelings since the decision was made that Blake and I would return home with my parents. Aunt Ellen and Uncle Alexander gave me this diary as a birthday present. Yes, I finally met my Uncle, and I liked him immediately. He is a quiet man, but he understands me. He was the first to notice that although I wanted to be here with my parents, my heart stayed behind with Mia and Dean.

Thinking about my friends who stayed behind brings me back to why I am sitting on my window sill tonight with my new diary on my lap, just trying to figure out how I feel and make sense of all these feelings inside me. Uncle Alexander promised me that everything I wrote in this diary would be hidden from everyone else. I don't know where to start, if I have to be honest. If I go back to when I realised Mel was gone, I have difficulty breathing. I have not been fair towards anyone in my life these last two days, especially not Blake. Whenever they wanted to talk about what happened, I just blew up. I know it is unfair, and Uncle Alexander is correct: I will not feel better until I face everything I feel. So this is me trying to be better.

Without thinking, I broke the connection with Blake when I realised I could not see Mel. I just wanted to get to Mia and find out if she knew where Mel was. I did not think for a second to talk to Blake or Vidyut. I know it was rude of me, and we have not merged since then, so I have no idea if my disrespect caused Vidyut to be angry. One can say that fear took over, but that would just be looking for excuses. I know I will have to face both of them and apologise.

When my feet touched the ground after changing back into myself, I ran towards Mia, who was celebrating our victory with the rest of the warriors. Little did either one of us know that the victory would have been short-lived. I could not get the look on Mia's face out of my mind when she realised her sister was nowhere to be found. Within minutes, it was confirmed that Mel had been taken. One of the warriors found an arrow with a message in a tree. The message read, "You may have sent us running this time, but we still won. We have one of your own. She will be our servants as proof that we are the victors."

If not for the fact that Milak and his people took Mel, there would have been no doubt that we have won. We had a few injured warriors but no deaths. The same could not be said about Milak's fighters. Only a few of his people survived, and they were taken prisoners. The rest were buried out of respect for the wolves and their land.

Everyone, even the injured warriors, searched for Mel. We thought we had found a trail, but it went dead again. We searched right through the night. No one rested, not even my mother or father, who had to be tired from the journey and the fight. By morning, we had to take a break to eat and drink something. I cannot even remember what we ate. At first, Mia did not want to eat, but Dean eventually convinced her that she had to eat and drink to regain her strength. The other reason we took a break was to get the wolves up to speed. Even though the battle was over before the wolves could reach us, they were and are still a great help in the search for Mel.

Hendrik immediately sent out search parties. We all hoped that the wolves would have better luck finding Mel because of their sense of smell, but until now, they had yet to find a way to get through. It seems as if they have just vanished into thin air. Not that anyone is giving up. We searched for three days before the decision was made to return home. I did not want to return, but I understood that I placed everyone else in danger by being out in the open and that it was necessary to return home. Still, leaving Mia alone in the search for Mel broke my heart.

To say she is alone is not entirely true; Dean and Cassandra are with her, along with the wolves and some warriors. Cassandra chooses to continue the search. Eric and Kai are working on something to help with the investigation. I do not know what they are working on; I know they are working non-stop. The last time I saw either of them was when we arrived. I feel so helpless. There is nothing I can do for now to help Mel. Mom promised that Blake and I could return to the search when Eric and Kai finished whatever they were creating. Mom and Dad are working on magical disguises for us. If not for the disguises, we would not have been able to go back. It is just too dangerous. Blake and I were the original targets, but because we were merged in the form of Vidyut, they could not find us, and they took Mel in our place. Sometimes, I wish they had taken us instead, but that would have jeopardised La Reina.