To Survive without the Guardians

Chapter 10: Split

Matt sat on the couch in Grandpa Sloan's living room, listening to Duran speak.

"We should wait a little longer," the brown-haired guy was saying, "before we do anything drastic."

"Duran, I could stand the Fearlings once a week, but them attacking me almost every day now is them being drastic," Angelia said. "Do I need to wash off my makeup and roll up my sleeves to show you what they've been doing to me? I've been having nightmares about it for the past week!"

"Just a little longer, Angelia," Duran soothed.

She stood up abruptly. "No! I am done waiting!"

"Duran, while I see your point, we really can't go on like this," Haven said.

Garvit gave her a look. "I think you'll manage. You've been doing this for about eight or nine years, haven't you Haven? You can wait another week."

She glared. "I can manage. Angelia needs help."

"I say we get ahold of some weapons," Matt said, finally able to seize the chance to speak. "The Fearlings must've taken Haven, Angelia, and I's asking the Guardians for help as a threat." The phantoms probably hadn't noticed Duran and Garvit doing it. "Now they're attacking back, so it's time we fight back ourselves." A powerful flame glowed in his dark eyes.

Duran shook his head. "No, that's too dangerous. They're doing all of this just because we asked for help from their enemies. What would happen if we started killing the Fearlings ourselves? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"The Indicator's changing," Garvit said, holding it out. It was even farther from the center of the silvery blue half now. "Something's coming, but we can't tell what it is until it does."

Matt rose from his seat. He didn't feel he could convince others of his strong point while sitting since it limited his movement. "And we need to defend ourselves from it! What do you think, Angelia?" Maybe he could use her, Duran and Garvit's friend, to help convince them.

The teenage girl's gaze darted back and forth. "I think it'd be too dangerous. The Fearlings would start attacking us much worse if we did."

"But what if we didn't?" Matt prompted. "It wouldn't get better."

"It might."

"Technically, if we could defend ourselves well enough, we wouldn't have to worry about repercussions," Haven pointed out, "unless a whole army of Fearlings attacked us back."

"Which could happen," Angelia said.

"I think they'd be more likely to leave us alone," Matt said. "What could be so special about us that continuing to attack would be worth the risk?"

"They had to have started attacking you for some reason," Garvit said.

"But they could just as easily start attacking someone else," Haven said. "Though I don't really like the idea of what we go through happening to other people."

"If the Guardians won't help us, then we have to do the defending ourselves," Matt said.

"I think it's more that they're simply not aware..." Haven began.

"But how do we make them aware?" Matt interrupted. "We wait until it snows, and we see Jack Frost one day on the street out of luck? We wait until your sister loses a tooth so we can write a note to the Tooth Fairy? What do we do, Haven?"

Angelia twiddled her thumbs. "It could get worse."

Matt waved it off. "It could get worse either way. Angelia, I'm trying to help you. Help all of us."