Guardians of the Watchtower: North

Chapter 23

Ivy turned over on her stomach trying to move the pillows out of the way to get a better look at the clock she had placed on the side table. It's neon green letters stood out stark against the darkness of the room, and the four four thirty-six a.m. blinking, made her grown in protest. Ivy laid there in the sheets letting her mind wander as it ran over the combat skills she had been picking up and some of the things the Goddess had transferred to her. White candles are for a balance of all colors, spiritual enlightenment and cleansing, yellow for activity and creativity, unity and to help you concentrate, orange to help some speak their mind, ambitions, and self-confidence, pink candles promote romance and friendships and red brings good health , passion, strength, and courage while silver removes negativity and brings stability to one's life. Blue candles for water...like Addy. Ivy could see Addy's face full of fear, as their fingers slipped through each other's and the portal slam shut between the worlds. Guilt immediately set in, she had left her behind, not on purpose but she had, and she had to get back to her soon before it was too late to save her. The knock on the door was what ripped her from her thoughts as she sat up, more tired than she felt she was and looked over at the five thirty blinking its annoyance.
"I'm coming!"
Ivy slipped out of bed and walked zombie-like to the bathroom grab her robe and wrapped it tightly around her slender waist before heading for the sitting room door. Both guards were still stationed at her door, same as before, she nodded in their direction, but they just stood there like statues.
"Lively bunch aren't you guys?"
She turned when she heard a familiar snicker from the other side of the room, to find John and Sylar standing in front of the unlit fireplace.
"Morning guys!"
"Morning sunshine!" Sylar blew her a mock kiss, as Ivy rolled her eyes playfully.
"Your clothes are being pressed and will be here momentarily, go ahead eat and get cleaned up. I'll have the new maid lay them out on your bed for you."
"Thanks, John," Ivy replied in a smallish voice as she walked over to the table that looked like it usually did, with its many trays. A thought sent her back to the cell, thinking about how much she missed this and she felt even more guilty when she about what Addy would be eating.
Ivy played with the food, rather than eating it, her guilt was stealing what little appetite she had left. So, she stood and went to her room to shower and came out to see her clothes, just like John had said. After dressing and applying her eyeliner, she walked back into the sitting room where John handed her the embroidered bag.
"It's going to be okay, Ivy. We will figure this out and save Adaliah, I promise you, we will!"
"I just hope we're not too late, John!"
Ivy tossed the bag over her shoulder as she made her way to the door, the men in black followed suit, as well as Sylar. The driver was already waiting at the car when they stepped out onto the porch, and Ivy climbed into the back of her car along with Sylar, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as the detail split up, one in front with the driver and one in the back with them. Ivy watched as the red door slipped away from her sight, and the uneasy feeling in her stomach got a little worse, as they passed the gates to leave the grounds.
They sat in silence mostly, but for the sounds of the birds chirping in the crisp January air. The days were beginning to get a little longer, the snow was still on the ground, but it was already beginning to get a little warmer by mid-day, enough to make it melt along the edges. As the car pulled up the first bell rang signaling the fifteen-minute warning before the first bell of classes, both Sylar and Ivy quickly let themselves out of the car. Grabbing their bags as they started making their way through the crowd of kids trying to get inside before they were late. The two-man detail was on Ivy like white on rice, trailing behind her like shadows, weaving through the students like liquid, no one appeared to notice them, so Ivy kept going.
"Welcome back, Seniors! This is the last semester of your high school career and the beginning of your adult lives! Let's make this one count!"
Ivy had already put her head down on her desk when the kids began filing into the classroom, instantly they noticed on their way in her guard standing by the door.
"What's with the FBI agent standing in the doorway?"
one girl asked another.
"I don't know."
That's when a sliver of fear ran through Ivy, had she remembered to use her glamour to cover her ivy on her face?
"Did you tattoo your face over winter break?!"
Oh Goddess, she hadn't, Ivy quickly pulled her blazer over her head and got up, and made a run for the door.
"No it's Sharpie, my friends and I were just playing around." She ducked out the door running, hoping and praying no one else would stop her before she made it to the bathroom.
Once inside Ivy shut and locked the door, leaving the guard outside. Ivy walked to the sinks ,standing in front of the mirrors she stared at her eyes with their beautiful colors and rings and the shimmering ivy along the side of her face.
"Even though my gift isn't something I should hide, its best to hide it from prying eyes, so for now, cover my marks until I call them by touching them." Ivy's palms flared to life as she moved them over her face, the ivy marks disappeared into her skin and the eyes, looking back returned to a normal green. Ivy turned around as she moved her hands over her hair and arms, but the gasps from the stall directly in front of her made her heart stop. Ivy reached out to push the door open but before she could it burst open and out spilled Kate who acted like she was looking at someone with three heads.
"Kate, don't scream!"
But of course, that only made her scream as she darted around Ivy hitting the door and scrambling to unlock it and falling into the hallway screaming.
"STOP HER!"
In a flicker, the guard was on Kate, who screamed a blood-curdling scream that made people start piling into the hallway from every door in every direction.
"what is going on here?!!"
"SHE'S A WITCH!!!!" Kate screamed at the top of her lungs, and the whole hallway suddenly grew silent.
Ivy's heart was in her throat as she looked around, waiting for them to start tying her to a stake to burn her.
"Drop the student you, you, what's his name, Miss. Fomalhaut?"
"Markus, Samuel's still by the door."
"Markus, drop my student!"
That's when Ivy smelled wet earth and saw a sea of silver butterflies fill the hallway and blotted out everything, and Ivy found herself looking at her own eyes in the mirror of the bathroom as she took a sharp breath and turned.
"You can come out Kate!"
Kate came walking out of the bathroom stall slowly, looking Ivy up and down.
"How did you know I was here, freak?"
"Why do you hate me so much, I've never done anything to you to make you treat me like this."
"You took away the one thing I wanted the most!"
"Sylar?"
"Yes, Sylar!"
Ivy laughed to herself,
"No matter, if I weren't here, Sylar would never be able to be with you Kate.It's not even because I'm here,it's because you two are completely different types of people."
"You don't know that you don't know anything about me!"
"No I don't, but I do know Sylar, and he's like me, not you, his family would never allow you to be with him regardless."
"I don't care what anyone thinks he's supposed to be with me." Kate was almost in tears now.
That's when Ivy saw Kate for the first time, for who she was a scared insecure little girl. She wasn't a bad person, she just needed the right kind of friend to show her how she needed to be, how to treat people the right way, with kindness.
"Goddess help her please, for me!"
"Who are you talking to?"
Ivy could smell the wet earth before Kate could finish her sentence, its pungent aroma filled the bathroom. Ivy went to the window and opened it, as little silver butterflies began to flutter in, and Kate began backing up against the bathroom wall, looking scared.
"Don't be scared Kate, I want to help you!" and as Ivy finished speaking her palms flared to life, Kate dropped to the floor whimpering and cowered in fear.
"Kate," the voice that said her name was unlike any voice Kate had ever heard, she turned her head and looked up.
"Kate, my child, don't be afraid!"
Kate couldn't take her eyes off the Goddess, who stood, in all her beautiful glory before her, open arms waiting for Kate to come to her. Ivy watched, as Kate stood up slowly and walked into the Goddess's welcoming arms with a smile on her face. The Goddess placed the most gentle of kisses on Kate's forehead.
"May my kiss bring you love and light into your heart and help you be the person you wish to be, but hide, for fear that others would reject you, let go of all the anger and pain and someday you'll find your way!"
　
Kate turned and wrapped her arms around Ivy so tight that it caught her off guard, Ivy hugged Kate back. Kate pulled away first with tears in her eyes,
"I'm so sorry Ivy, I know what I did was mean and hurtful, please forgive me!"
"I forgive you, Kate!"
Kate smiled and turned back to the Goddess,
"Thank you for giving me a choice!"
The Goddess simply smiled down at Kate as she faded from sight.
"Blessed be my child!"
Kate then t walked to the door, unlocked it and left.
　
Ivy couldn't believe what just happened. She began laughing, almost maniacally, thinking about how it could have gone badly if the Goddess hadn't helped her, she was pretty sure, she'd be tied to something right now and on fire. Ivy turned back to the mirror and used the spell again to cover her ivy and hide her marks and went back to class. As she walked in, Kate waved her over to sit by her. Everyone looked at Kate like she had sprouted a second head. Not caring about the whispers, Ivy climbed the stairs and sat down next to Kate, who smiled at her then returned her attention to the professor.
　
The class was over before Ivy realized the bell had rung and was grabbing her things as she went to meet up with Sylar who was already waiting for her with Samuel in the hallway.
"So I heard you had an eventful first class!"
"Yeah, to say the least!" Ivy giggled.
"So now you and Kate are friends?"
"Yeah, we are."
"And how did that happen?"
"Well, Kate saw me using my glamour spell and told the whole school, then the Goddess reversed it, and I asked the Goddess to help her, and she did!"
"Wait, What? The Goddess, herself, was here in the school helping Kate?"
"Yeah!"
"You figured out the loophole?"
"What loophole?"
"The loophole to helping humans is you can help them, as long as it's an act of a pure heart and mind. You honestly wanted to help Kate. Otherwise, the Goddess would never have shown up to help with a human."
"I did want to help her, she was angry and she started crying because we are together. I saw the real Kate, and how she wasn't what she pretends to be. I wanted her to be okay with being who she is, no one should ever have to hide who they are, we are all beautiful as who or what we are, the Goddess taught us to love unconditionally and to be understanding of everyone no matter if they're different from us."
"And this is why you're the Guardian because you see that humanity is worth saving, that they just need a little help to see the right path is all even if it's not our path, just a better one than the one their on."
"I didn't at first but now I do."
Sylar leaned down and kissed Ivy ever so gently on the mouth as the bell rang, taking Ivy by the hand and leading her towards their next class.
The rest of the day went by without any problems. Just the normal buzzing of teachers and students talking in hurried conversations on their cell phones, in the hallway, so they didn't get caught running to get to class or lunch.As the last bell rang, Ivy grabbed her bag books she needed for homework and walked out to the car with Markus and Samuel trailing behind her. She waited in the car for Sylar, who climbed in and stole another kiss as the car pulled away from the school, and began the journey back to the estate.
Ivy smiled to herself as she rolled down the window watching the sunlight bounce off the hills and thought about what Sylar had said to her
"In order to help the humans, it has to be an act of pure heart and pure mind"
Was her heart pure enough to save them or would it be tainted because she couldn't let go of the anger and hatred she had for Dovarian? Would her father's death make her fail? Could she let him go? How do you let go of the one that you loved so much, that gave you life and not lose part of yourself in the process?
"How do I let you go, daddy when I miss you so much and would give anything to feel your hug again."