The Uprisen

Chapter 4

Waverly decided that she wouldn't be sending her boyfriend out to Boston alone to possibly get killed, so she and Cameron are taking the minivan out to Boston together. Before they leave, Willow gives Waverly a piece of paper.

"Grocery list," Willow smiles. "Thanks!"

"Um, sure." Waverly walks to the car and climbs into the passenger seat. Normally she'd drive, but today she decides that she wants time to think about everything.

She starts to think back to all of the times that Dr. and Mrs. Toher trained her, Willow, and Keegan. Waverly always considered the Tohers to be powerful due to practice, and not because of some musty old book. She always thought that learning how to use elements was difficult because there's not a handbook that teaches you how to do it. Now, she feels like the Tohers were privileged in more ways than just money.

After a few minutes of silence, Cameron asks, "You alright?"

Waverly looks at her boyfriend, unsurprised that he noticed she's not quite herself, but she smiles somewhat falsely, trying to hide it. "Yeah. Are you?" She knows it's a lie, but she can't exactly decide the thing that's bothering her the most.

He shrugs. "Everything is starting to make a little more sense now, you know? I'm just not sure if that's a good thing or not."
"Yeah." She didn't mention anything while they were in the study, but everything out of the ordinary is just one big coincidence, at least since the Uprising. Also, standing in the study made Waverly a little nostalgic. She, Willow, and Keegan used to sneak in there just to put themselves in Dr. Toher's shoes. She didn't realize how much he reminded her of her own father...or at least the little bit that she remembers of him.

Cameron glances at Waverly and laces his fingers with hers. He wishes he could take away all of her pain, but he knows that she prefers dealing with it anyway. She'd say that it's what makes the good parts of life so amazing, but he knows it also makes her stronger, even though she doesn't have to be.

"Did you want to go out for a bite while we're in town?"

She smiles. "Sure, but after we're done at the shelter. I've gotta get more community service hours for student council, and we've gotta keep a look out for more elementals. Especially now... Hey, don't you have a soccer game this week?"

"Yeah, Monday. When's your lacrosse game?"

"Not until next week. Willow has a meet Wednesday, though."

"Did you forget like I did?"

"Yup."

"Well crap."

They laugh, and keep on talking about school and sports, enjoying the fact that they still get that small slice of normalcy.

-----

Willow walks into the rec room-a room that has every toy a kid could probably imagine-and finds only seven kids playing in it.

"Uh, hey guys. Where's everyone else?"

The little boy playing with hotwheels to her right says, "Dunno."

"Willow?" A little Indian girl runs up to her, and attacks her with a hug. "That was sooo cool when you had that water tornado around you!"

Willow tries to hide the fact that the 'water tornado' had scared the crap out of her. "Aw, thanks Iza. You keep practicing, and maybe you could do it too!"

The ten year-old stares at Willow with hope and excitement, making Willow realize how often she forgets the way these kids look up her.

Iza takes hold of Willow's hand and pulls her through the rec room. "Come on! You've gotta see what we're making!"