Guardian Hill ~ dream-based one shot

[Lady Vulpix]

You know those times when I can no longer stand the pressure of the things I have to do and my soul keeps screaming for a chance to write? Well, it's been one of those times. In fact, it screamed so loud that it gave me an idea for a story in a dream. When I woke up on Friday morning, with a phrase from the dream still ringing inside my head (you'll recognize it in the story, it echoed in the main character's head as well), I was hooked by the sheer weirdness of the world I had just seen, and felt the need to write about it.

So I ran the concept through my mind to check its soundness, and realized that, while it seemed to be bending the limits of reason, it was still possible to make a coherent story out of it. I even had most of it already down. The dream had taken care of it. I only needed to fill in some of the details and come up with an ending and a title (I woke up in the middle of a high-tension scene so the dream didn't give me the conclusion, but I managed to think of one early in the morning when the dream was still fresh in my mind). Then I started writing as soon as I had the chance, had some fun with the introduction - mostly because I needed some light-hearted self-referential exposition to release the stress of my daily life and introduce this world at the same time - and wrote the story trying to choose the best words and details to describe it while remaining loyal to the dream (that is, not contradicting any of it, only providing extra information when needed).

Another interesting thing about my dream was that it was all in English! Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm dreaming in Spanish, in English or in some nonsense language, but this dream was clearly in English, and I took that as a sign that it was made to be posted here.

As for the title, I had first thought of calling it "A changing world", but that title just didn't feel right. It didn't have any of the taste of the dream. So in the end I decided to go with a phrase from the dream, which feels much more mysterious and also more relevant to the story. And so, with this paragraph, I end the meta-story of how the story came to be, and leave you with the meta-story which is the introduction, followed by the story itself which is also quite meta. If you can deal with that, here it is. I hope you can enjoy it.

Guardian Hill

This story takes place in a world very different from ours. A world in which every person lives many lives. Whenever someone wakes up, he or she may find him or herself to be someone different from the person who went to sleep the night before. This, of course, has many implications in the way society works. It could be interesting to analyze them in detail, but that would amount to a long rant rather than a story, so I will only state a few relevant details and let the rest flow as we go along.

So, some important things about this world: switches take place among people who are in close contact to each other, are roughly the same age and usually the same sex (although swaps between people of different sexes have occurred, especially when they've spent a long time alone together). At some point in their history, the people of this world decided to turn their lives into a play of sorts, with the script being updated daily by the performers. Each character has a name and a routine he or she has to follow, some personal traits which are listed at the beginning of the script, and a more or less vague outline for his or her future plans, relationships and history, which are documented in different degrees of detail - and usually at night - by whoever has played the role each day. There are schools and jobs, but they're far less organized than the ones we know. There is no racism; the concept wouldn't make sense to anyone in this world. Marriage exists, but it is an arrangement between characters, not their players. Those who find themselves married are supposed to act accordingly. There is no divorce, since no two actual people remain married for more than a few days. For the same reason, love between two people is rare and generally inconvenient. There is money, which is paid as soon as a job is completed, or daily in the case of long-term jobs, and usually spent immediately. Theft is uncommon and generally disregarded, since whatever is owned or stolen will be in someone else's hands within a few days. Physical violence, on the other hand, is a common problem. It is generally up to the guardians to track down the aggressors and ensure that they're tried and punished according to the local laws. Who are the guardians?, you may ask... That merits a separate paragraph.

Guardians are an essential part of society. They're people who have a natural ability to recognize the true identities behind the characters: to know the real people. It is said that about 1 out of 100 people is a guardian, although they only become aware of this talent as they grow up, as others do with whatever skills and abilities they may have. Guardians play their parts just like everyone else, but they're also in charge of other specific tasks. They're known mostly for keeping order, ensuring that no one commits a crime and gets away with it, but also in other aspects of daily life, like making sure that everyone who does a job that requires knowledge or skill is actually qualified to do it. Some of them like to assist with the "play" by helping others stay in character, giving them tips and reminding them of things they may forget. Although, generally, guardians themselves are the ones who most often break character.

Enough introduction. On to the story.

The sun rose. As usual, the girl took her hands to her hair before opening her eyes. It was a daily routine she had developed, like some kind of guessing game, to find out who she was without looking at the mirror. Straight, shoulder-length hair: that was easy, definitely Mandy. Which was to be expected, since she'd only been Mandy for a day; switches didn't usually happen so soon. She liked Mandy. Not only did she have beautiful hair and eyes, but her personality - as described in the script - was nice and easy for her to play. Mandy was a kind and amiable 17-year-old girl who lived in a comfortable house and liked to hang out with her two best friends, Yvonne and Lily, but was also friendly to people in general. The main problems with being Mandy were her extremely white skin - she'd have to remember not to stay in the sun for too long - and her sensitive eyes which were usually blinded by the sunlight when coming out of a poorly lit room.

She walked down the wooden stairs and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Mandy's house had some tasty cereals, which was another small bonus. The house was silent, which meant Mandy's parents had already left for work. "Pity," she thought. "I would have liked to know who they are today. They left so early... they must not like to sleep much. Meh... I guess I'll see them later."

She finished her breakfast, picked up her bag and walked to school. Luckily, all her friends lived closed to school, so she could always walk there. In a way, she felt she had everything sorted out, at least until the end of the year. Then... the next year would be a whole other story. She still couldn't imagine what her life would be like after she finished school, but it was bound to be very different, and it worried her. She'd have to think of what she wanted to do next and hope that it would be possible when the time came. But there were still a few months left. She didn't expect any sudden changes in the meantime. She certainly didn't expect him.

His name was Martin. That is, his character's name was Martin. He was new in school and in the neighborhood, and she was sure that the player was also new. Her curiosity was piqued immediately. It was unusual for people to change schools, especially during the last year. She waited until the break to find out more about him, and felt really glad for the opportunity her character gave her: it was just like Mandy to welcome the new guy and help him feel comfortable in his new environment.

Martin appreciated the warm welcome, and explained that his parents had decided to move because their own neighborhood was getting nasty. Too much violence, drugs and all that stuff. By the way he spoke, he seemed to agree with them, although they might just as well have taken one of the violent junkies with them. She wondered whether they'd waited until they were together and had a son who also wanted out of that place, and how long ago they had decided to move. She wanted to know other things about him too, but everything he said was in character. Martin seemed nice, but she needed to find out who he really was. She guided him along the corridors until she was sure no one else could hear them.

"Is it OK if we break character for a moment?" she asked him. "I'd like to know more about the real you."
"Why? Are you a guardian?"

The question caught her by surprise. She had to think for a moment before she could answer.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I think I may be. I mean, I feel better if I know who I'm talking to, and I think that must be a guardian thing. But I don't really care for telling others what to do."
"Then you must be a non-bossy guardian," he said with a smile. He extended a hand to her and said the word "hand".
"What?" was her response. She didn't know how to react to that.
"Hand is what I call my real self. That's what you wanted to know, right?"
"One of the things I wanted to know," she smiled and held his hand. "I'm Hill."
"Nice to meet you, Hill."
"Nice to meet you too. So... drugs, you say? That's scary. I don't get the guys who take drugs, they lose control and hurt themselves and everyone else."

Hand replied with a grim nod, which made Hill worry.

"Did you ever...?"
"I've never taken them myself, but I've felt their effect a couple of times. You know... after a switch. It's not something I'd like to feel again. That's why I wanted to move out."
"I thought you said your parents wanted to move out."
"That's what we wrote in the script. In reality it was I who asked them to take me out of there. I wanted to be with other people, to live better lives."
"It makes sense," Hill agreed.
"What about you, Hill? Have you ever had any nasty switches?"
"Nothing really nasty, no. For some time I was afraid I might become a guy, but it hasn't happened yet. No offense, it's just that I don't think I'd be able to play the role."
"Yeah, I guess being a girl would be just as awkward for me."
"I'm glad you understand. So... the worst I ever got was Betty, but even that was interesting. Having a body that's so different from the ones I'm used to... and being so hungry all the time... I ate three ice-creams and a whole box of chocolates in one day and I didn't feel sick! I felt my stomach was barely full. It was an interesting experience."
"Is Betty the big fat redhead who sits at the back?"
"Yes, I see you've noticed her."
"It's hard not to. Poor girl."
"Was that in character?"
"I guess. Or else I should say 'poor girls'."
"In character, I think Betty has a sad and lonely life. Out of character, it's not that bad. I just take it as a break from normality."
"You shouldn't break character so much. You may forget who you are."
"That's the one thing I know I won't forget," Hill replied, but the bell rang before she could see Hand's reaction. She wondered if he'd understood what she had meant.

No one else had heard their conversation, but they had seen them talk and walk away from prying eyes. Now everyone was making comments about them, and although the gossiping voices were still low, Hill knew she could expect to read about the event in upcoming scripts. She also realized she'd have to write something about it herself. Whoever was Mandy next would have to know how the conversation had gone... at least the official version. She'd have to think of what to write. She didn't get to talk to Hand during the rest of the day. He was busy getting to know the other guys and catching up with the classes. She would have liked to talk to him on the way out of school, but she already had an appointment with her friends and it wouldn't have been right to miss it. She saw him walk away with some of the boys, turning only briefly to smile and wave at her. Then she followed Yvonne and Lily to their favorite meeting place.

"I have some great news to share," announced Yvonne once they were all sitting around a round white table with sweet desserts on their plates.

That was definitely Power. She was the best Yvonne, in Hill's opinion. Just as lively and energetic as she was meant to be, and great at building suspense. Then again, she was also good at just about any role; but Yvonne seemed to suit her best. A special character for a special player. Most people had a word of their choice which they used as a name to call their true selves, but Power didn't. Hill thought about her as Power because that was the feeling she transmitted with everything she did. She was good at understanding a character and portraying it accurately, to the point it was possible to believe she was really different people. But there was still a personal imprint she gave to every role she played: she had a great inner strength. She'd put her all in everything she did, and would never let anything bring her down. And the role of Yvonne, a loud, enthusiastic girl with a strong initiative, seemed to be cut out for her.

Hill looked from one of her friends to the other. There were some physical similarities between Lily and Yvonne, especially their long, curly black hair. And they both had darker skin colors than Mandy's: milk tea in Lily's case, and chocolate in Yvonne's. But their personalities were completely different. Lily was calm and collected, and also rather shy. She rarely made suggestions, and usually went with whatever her friends decided to do. But she was a hard-working girl, and could be firm when the situation called for it. She was a difficult role to play. Springs was doing quite a decent work that day. She had her eyes fixed on Yvonne, and was looking intrigued.

Once she reckoned the suspense had reached its peak, Yvonne finally shared the news.

"I'm going on a trip to Carenne in 10 days. I'll be there for two weeks."
"What?! How?" asked Lily, surprised.

It was extremely unusual for anyone to go on such a long trip, let alone arrange it on such short notice. Going so far away was bound to cost a lot of money, which meant someone - or, rather, a group of people - had to have saved up for it for a long time. Something like that was done very rarely, just so a lucky few would actually get to go on the trip. It was like a lottery, whoever had the tickets on the right day would get to travel. Power was doing a great job at staying in character and pretending she knew it would be her. Or maybe she was just announcing it so that her friends could get ready in case the trip went to one of them? Hill thought about it for a moment, and realized that was likely to be the case. She contemplated the possibility of being the one who would travel to Carenne. It sounded like an exciting experience, but it was also frightening. What if she got switched with someone from Carenne and couldn't return? Then she'd have to learn to live in a different country, with new people and even a different language. It seemed too risky.

"Are you going alone?" she asked, trying to placate her fear without breaking character.
"Of course not!" came the reassuring answer. "My parents got 4 tickets. Two for them, one for me and one for anyone I choose."
"Nice. So who's going with you?" asked Lily, a bit too eagerly for her role.
"I haven't decided yet," said Yvonne. "I think I'm going to leave the decision for the last moment, to be more fair."
"Translation:" Hill thought, "I'm going to leave the decision to whoever's Yvonne on the D day. Yes, that sounds more fair."

There was silence for a moment, and then Yvonne brought up the next subject.

"What about you, Mandy? Do you have anything interesting to tell us?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you, of course. How many Mandys do you see around here?"
"Sorry, I was distracted."
"Hm hmm..." Lily grinned. "I think we were right about her."
"Right about what?"
"About you and the new boy," Yvonne explained. "What was his name? Manny?"
"Martin," Lily told her.
"Ah, right, Martin. You like him, don't you?"
"I don't know... It's too early to say."
"Come on, you know you can trust us. And we saw the way he looked at you all day. I'm sure he likes you."
"I think you two would make a cute couple. Even your names match!" said Lily.

How was Hill supposed to reply to that? She thought about it for a moment, until she realized they were talking strictly in character. It was all about Mandy and Martin, not Hand and Hill. She relaxed, and decided to give a Mandy-like response.

"Well, I've only just met him, but... he seems nice. And he has good looks too. I think I may like him."
"Yay!" her friends cheered in a high-pitched voice.
"I knew it," said Yvonne.
"I wish you two the best," Lily followed. "I know it's early, but I think you two can make a great couple."

Hill had a lot to think about as she went to sleep that night. The events of the day kept turning around in her head. She'd had a hard time describing them in her script. She kept everything in character, not mentioning any of her true feelings and concerns, but it was hard to focus on a mostly fictional story with a mind so full of questions. And the moment when Hand had called her a guardian kept coming back to her. She hadn't been able to look at things in the same way since then.

"Am I really a guardian or do I just want to be one?" she asked herself. "I can't always tell who someone is right away. Do I just want to be special? To be able to do something others can't? But everyone is special in their own way. Power's the best at acting in character in any role - it's like she never thinks of herself, how does she do it? And Springs is good at singing even when she doesn't get a good voice, and she has a good memory and is good at solving problems too. What am I good at? I even find it hard to write my own scripts. What's the point of scripts anyway? Do we follow them to have some sense of order? But it's fake, it's all an illusion! Whose idea was it to spend our whole lives pretending to be people who don't exist? Some say it was the guardians, but if I were a guardian I wouldn't force people to act in character. Come to think of it, I think guardian school would be fun... A place where everyone knows who the others are and they can all just be themselves. But then I'd have to watch my actions carefully: if I did something embarrassing, everyone would know it was me! And there would be no Springs to switch into my character and find a way to fix things... not just her, none of my friends would be there." She sighed. "But I guess there's no escaping that. Wherever I go next year, odds are my friends won't be there. I'd have to meet a whole new group of people and learn about their characters. If only one of my friends could be there with me... or even Hand. It would be nice if Hand were a guardian... Who knows? He might be. It would be one huge coincidence if we were both guardians, but it's possible, isn't it?" She yawned, sleep beginning to catch up with her. "I'll have to find out tomorrow," was her last thought before she finally fell asleep.

However, in an ever-changing world, things don't usually go according to plan. When Hill woke up the next day and went through her morning ritual, she realized her hair had become long and curly. Her pillow was also higher and her mattress not quite as soft. An exploration of her face revealed that it was round and had a small nose. That was bad news. There was no way to approach Martin as Lily. She'd have to watch from the sidelines and try to learn about him through subtle moves.

As the next few days went by, it became clear that Mandy and Martin were an item, and most of the class agreed that they made a cute couple. He also spent a lot of time with the other boys, trying to get to know them and learn to fit in. On his 5th day of school he seemed to be completely familiar with his new friends. In fact, he showed such a familiarity with them that it was clear he wasn't Hand anymore. Hill soon recognized Hand as the one who looked more nervous; of course, he needed time to get used to his new character. She tried to think of an excuse to talk to him, but her attempt was interrupted by Christine, another of her classmates. She wanted Lily to help her review for that day's math test, since she was supposed to be good at math - why did people write that kind of thing on a script? - but was currently having a mental block (that is, she hadn't really studied enough because she hadn't expected to be Christine that day). Lily wouldn't say no to that kind of request, and thus Hill couldn't turn her down. She had to spend the whole break studying with Christine (Crystal, the one who was quickest with excuses and laziest with anything that took some real effort). The bright side of it was that, after that, the test was quite easy (not that it mattered that much, tests were only there for students to realize how much or how little they knew and were corrected but not graded). But it also had a negative consequence.

Hill found herself in Christine's body the following day. It was frustrating; every switch was taking her further away from her goal. All she wanted was to get to know Hand, was that too much to ask? She tried to identify the tools at her disposal: Christine was a smart and responsible girl, but was rather on the shy side - again with the shyness! -, and she was always hoping to find a way to become a part of a group. She wanted to join others in their activities and be considered a friend by them, but didn't know how to get any positive attention - which, in Hill's opinion, was ridiculous, since everyone who had ever been Christine knew what she wanted and it was hard to feign ignorance. She finally decided that an awkward approach wouldn't be out of character, and decided to stand next to Johnny - Hand's current character - until he noticed her. It worked!

"Oh, hi!" he said to her. "Sorry, you startled me. I didn't see you there."
"It's OK, it happens a lot," answered Christine, who had a small build and was and almost as likely to go unnoticed as she pretended.
"Did you want anything?"
"I... er... I was just wondering... are you a guardian?"
"What?!"

"Bad move," Hill thought with shame. It was impossible to talk about guardians without breaking character.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," she lowered her head in a gesture that made her look even smaller.
"No problem, it was just... weird. What would make you think that?"
"It's just that since you asked me the other day... I thought that maybe you..."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I must have forgotten, you'll have to remind me. When did we talk? What did I ask you?"

For a moment, Hill wondered whether she'd made a mistake and he wasn't really Hand, but then he realized that was just an attempt to stay in character without quite admitting that he couldn't recall ever talking to her before.

"Not me... I mean not Christine," she clarified. "Sorry, I'm breaking character again but I don't know how else to find out. I'm Hill. I was Mandy when we first met."
"Oh!... Yes, I remember now. So you really are a guardian! Sorry, I don't know how to act around a guardian. There weren't any in my old school."
"You don't have to do anything in particular, just... do whatever you feel like doing."

She'd almost said 'be yourself', but she realized in time that that phrase would have only added to his confusion. He wasn't a guardian, she had to face the facts. But that didn't mean it wasn't worth getting to know him. She had the feeling that, if she tried hard enough, she'd find a way to reach some kind of understanding with him. Something she'd never had with anyone else. She could always tell him who she was after a switch, and he seemed to have the right attitude. He didn't even freak out like most people did when she acted out of character.

"I'm not sure of how to do that," he said. "To be honest I'm having enough trouble learning how to act like everyone around here."
"You can take it as a break. I can help you, tell you what I know about the boys and how to act like them. Isn't that what guardians do?"
"I guess we could try that. But you'll have to act in character too, or else you'll do more harm than good. People need to know what to expect, no one likes feeling that someone else knows more about them than they do. Guardians are also meant to keep things in order."
"I thought you'd never met a guardian before."
"I don't think I've talked to one before, but I've heard a lot about them."
"Maybe you can help me be a better guardian."
He chuckled. "I wouldn't know how, but if anything comes up I'll let you know."

Things looked promising, but it was Friday. Hill couldn't think of a way to see Hand during the weekend. She did, however, manage to join the other girls when they went out on Saturday, and on Sunday she was Lily again. That was a quick switch; not the best she could hope for, but at least she was back in her favorite group. She remained Lily until Wednesday, and managed to have a few occasional exchanges with some of the boys, but nothing really meaningful. Then Thursday came. It wasn't just any Thursday. It was the D day.

Hill became aware of the importance of that day as she explored herself in the morning. Still, she didn't rush things and went on with the ritual. Long, curly hair. "Still Lily?" she thought, but then she moved on to her face and noticed the long, oval shape and the sharp nose. The revelation stroke as lightning. "I'm Yvonne!" She opened her eyes and looked at her hands just to make sure. They were the right color. She jumped out of bed, brimming with excitement. She suddenly had a plan.

The plan was quite simple. Since she could pick anyone to go on the trip with her, she'd find out who Hand was and invite him. Then they'd have two whole weeks to get to know each other and spend time together while they explored new horizons. She was so confident she didn't even worry about the prospect of getting stuck in a foreign land. She trusted she'd be able to be Yvonne, or at least her companion - as awkward as that might be - on the returning day. In fact she was so confident that she didn't even stop to think others might find it weird if she went running after the boys as soon as the break began. Not until she was forcefully stopped by the huge mass of Betty's physique. At first, she thought she'd bumped into Betty by accident and apologized. But she soon realized it had been no accident.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked the fat girl in a firm tone.

Instead of looking for an answer, Hill's first instinct was to think of who was doing the asking. Her first guess was Power. She thought she might be eager to go to Carenne and was expecting her to invite her. But then she realized that would have been completely out of character for Betty, and Power would have never gone for it. She would have much rather missed the trip. Who was it, then?

"Don't you have anything to say?" insisted Betty, grabbing Hill's shoulder with her rock-like hand.

She couldn't be any of the girls Hill knew. In fact, she acted more like a boy. One of the bullies from the other senior class. Those nasty guys who liked to take advantage of boys at least 4 years younger, protected by the fact that the age difference would save them from switching with their victims. She reckoned he was probably quite upset by being turned into a girl - and an ugly girl at that. She would have called it poetic justice if his anger weren't being channeled towards her. She reckoned she'd better answer before he got even angrier and decided to hit her.

"I'm looking for one of the boys," she said, too scared to come up with a lie.
"Which boy?" Betty stared at her threateningly.

Hill looked around. A large crowd was now gathered around the fighting girls. She desperately searched for a hint that would reveal the answer to that question. She found it in the worried eyes of a tall, white boy with dark brown hair. Not only did he appear to be out of place, but there was something in his gaze that she had learnt to recognize.

"Jim," she answered.

That didn't help. Betty's response was a hit on Yvonne's chest, which sent her crashing against the floor. she tried to get back up and run, but the bully caught her first.

"You won't get away with this, Guardian Hill."

The words pronounced with Betty's voice resounded in Hill's head and echoed throughout her body. Now she was really scared. This wasn't just a bully venting out his frustration... it wasn't even an attack against Yvonne. It was against her! And he knew her. He even knew the name she called herself! She'd never expected a bully to be a guardian. Now she realized, too late, that there was no reason to believe that couldn't happen. A guardian could be any kind of person, just like anyone else. Being a guardian didn't make you bossy, but it didn't make you nice either. It was just a skill. A rare skill, but still, anyone could have it.

The bully stopped for a moment, waiting for a reaction. Hill tried to analyze her options, but there weren't many. Yvonne stood no chance in a physical fight against Betty, and the bully was too close to let her run away. Fortunately, before she could take any more blows, one of the teachers showed up and stopped them, proving another important point: that it didn't take a guardian to restore the order, even in a fight between guardians.

"What's going on here?" the teacher asked.
"Betty attacked Yvonne," said a voice from within the crowd.
"I was just trying to stop her," claimed the bully. "She was breaking character. She's been doing it a lot these days. All she does is try to go after one of the boys... a different one each time, but always the same player. I'm a guardian, I know those things. And so is she, but she sucks at it. She can't follow the most basic rules."
"Like hitting me like that wasn't against the rules," Hill said, but nobody listened.
"Is that true, Yvonne?" asked the teacher.

Hill didn't know what to answer. The question itself was confusing. It was addressed to Yvonne, who was a character, but it was a question about the player. A very serious question. Was she really that bad? Had she messed things up so terribly?

"I just... I just wanted to know..."

To know what? There were a lot of things she would have liked to know, but none that would make any sense to the people around her. She couldn't even put most of them in words. There was only one thing she could say.

"I just wanted to know if he wanted to go to Carenne with me. I have an extra ticket. It's for two weeks."

It was risky, but at that point there was nothing left to lose. And it could always be interpreted as Yvonne declaring her feelings to Jim. Admittedly, it was a bit forced, since she'd never shown any interest in him, but she hadn't shown an interest in anyone else either. It could be written down as secret feelings confessed at a moment of trial.

Upon hearing her words, the crowd split up leaving Jim in the middle of an open space. Hill looked around to make sure she wouldn't be stopped, and walked a few steps towards him.

"So... would you like to come?" she asked.
"I don't know what to say," the boy replied. "A trip sure sounds interesting, but this is all so sudden... And I'm only just... Nevermind that, I really wouldn't know what to do in a place like that. And spending so much time with you... Please, don't get this the wrong way, I like you, you seem very nice. But you scare me. Just look at what's happening. Betty was just beating you and now everyone is looking at us, and everything's so weird! I don't know how long I could handle it. And... you know... if you and I were together for two weeks... It would be awkward, you know. I think I've mentioned it before."

Hill understood what he meant. She realized they'd be likely to switch with each other. It would have been much more reasonable to pick a girl as her companion. That was probably why people of the same age and different sexes didn't usually travel together unless they were married or at least in a serious relationship. Whatever that meant for people who couldn't be sure of who their partner was.

"You've mentioned it, yes," she replied. "And so have I. I'm sorry, I thought we could overcome that, but now I see that I was wrong about many things. And I took things for granted that aren't true for most people. Thanks for showing me that. You really have taught me what I needed to know. I think... I think I'll be better someday."

She was hurt, but she couldn't blame him. She had only herself to blame. Herself and the other guardian, even if he had a point, he didn't have to be so blunt about it. She hoped they wouldn't attend the same guardian school the following year. But there would be time to think about that later. She still had to choose a new companion and get ready for the trip. Everyone was so eager to know who would be chosen that even the fight and the revelation that there were two guardians among them had been relegated to a corner of their minds by the time the last bell marked the end of the school day.

In the end, she chose Mandy. It was one of the two sensible in-character choices, and the one she was most comfortable switching into. Besides, she was Crystal that day. Not one of her best friends, but fun to talk to and, as lazy as she was, she had the advantage of not being prone to questioning. She wouldn't be worrying about how much she knew and whether she'd been watching all her moves and keeping track of all her switches. She could just hang out with her for two weeks, relax and take a break from everything. Then the future would slowly reveal itself. Making any further plans was pointless. It was best to tackle it one day at a time.