Chapter 2 Introducing William

Yan Lin couldn't believe her eyes when Caleb returned with another guy. She'd thought Will would have been right on his heels. Which turned out to be correct. She'd just never thought she would see Will like a guy, even if the girl was quite the tomboy. After Will and Caleb had told her the story she could make some sense out of it.

"It seems that it was Phobos's or Cedric's intension to turn you into a woman, Caleb. Do you know why?" She asked calmly, while her eyes were still resting upon the rather agitated Will.

At first Caleb shook his head but then he got up.

"Of course! I mean, I'm the main face of the rebellion. If I disappeared, people would get discouraged and the rebellion would get a hard time." He said.

Yan Lin nodded slowly while Will only sighed.

"All fun and games." He said annoyed. "But how am I going to explain this to my mother? Or school? Or the girls? I'm doomed."

At this Yan Lin smiled. She noted how Will saw her smiling and grinned even more.

"Why are you smiling like that?" He asked.

"It so happens that your mother called, telling that she had a big conference in another state and won't be back for a month. She asked me if I would keep an eye on you. Your cell phone will have the voicemail if I'm correct." Yan Lin explained calmly.

At this Will immediately opened his cell phone and listened intensely. While he was busy, Yan Lin saw how Caleb started to grin. She had a feeling he was concocting a mischievous plan and she herself was rather curious to what he was up to.

Will sighed relieved.

"Okay. At least I don't have to tell mom for a month. Now what about school? And the girls?" She asked.

Before Yan Lin could answer, Caleb spoke up.

"You don't have to tell the girls anything. Nor school." He said with a grin.

Will and Yan Lin raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" Will asked.

"I'll just introduce you as my childhood friend William." Caleb replied. "I'm curious to how many girls you can get while being like this."

Will blushed immediately and frowned deeply. Yan Lin was sure he would deny but then a grin spread on his face.

"How about this. If I manage to get Cornelia to swoon for me before my secret leaks out, then you'll have to tell me your secret with math." He said with a grin.

"And if you lose?" Caleb said with a frown.

"I'll do your shifts for a month." Will replied.

"Then I think you should manage to get all the girls to develop a crush on you." Caleb countered.

Will made a face and shuddered a bit before grinning evilly in return.

"Fine, but only if I win you will also go to school in a tutu." He said, holding out his hand.

Caleb made a face as well but then grinned. Yan Lin thought he was very confident for agreeing with the bet. Because if someone could get girls, then it would be a girl in a guy's body.

"You kids." She said while shaking her head as the two of them shook hands.

"Now give me your cell phone." Caleb said urgently.

Will raised his eyebrow.

"Why?" He asked almost protectively.

"What if one of the girls call you? Your secret will be out in no time." Caleb said a matter-of-factly. "I'll tell them that I found it right after I brought you back to Earth and your mom called and told you that you and your mother were leaving town for a month for a sudden funeral."

Will looked almost pained at his cell phone as he handed it to Caleb. Caleb pocketed it away and then got up.

"Is Hay Lin here?" He asked.

Yan Lin grinned and nodded at the basement door.

"They are all here. They wanted to know about your mission so they decided that it would be best to wait here." She said.

"Oh joy." Will said deadpanned as he got up and followed Caleb to the basement door.

Yan Lin giggled softly and decided that she earned a cup of tea. She had to think about what had happened and to think of a way to reverse it. As well as looking for a back-up Kandrakar had given her long ago.

...

Hay Lin was on edge. Caleb and Will had left for four hours now and she wanted to know what was happening in Meridian and why it was taking so long.

"Getting some gunpowder shouldn't take that long, should it?" Cornelia asked slightly annoyed.

"Corny relax. Will will make sure that your boy candy survives." Irma said lazily, but Hay Lin could see that Irma was concerned as well.

Hay Lin saw how Cornelia flared up and was about to throw a retort at Irma when the basement door opened. Hay Lin looked up and smiled when she saw Caleb walking in.

"Caleb!" She cried happily.

Hay Lin rushed up the stairs and hugged him tightly. Caleb laughed good-heartedly and Hay Lin looked past Caleb, expecting to see Will as well, but instead she saw a well build guy with short blood red hair walking right behind Caleb. He was dressed in clothes similar to those Caleb used to wear.

"Hey!" She said as she flashed a smile at the new guy.

The guy flashed her an awkward smile in return and his eyes went to Caleb, who only grinned.

"Hey Caleb, what did you do to Will and who's this handsome guy?" Irma yelled as the three of them descended the stairs.

The new guy blushed heavily, which made Hay Lin giggle. A blushing guy was rather cute.

"Will's mother called immediately after we returned to Earth." Caleb explained. "She ran off and left her cell with my friend here as she shook his hand. She and her mom are apparently going to another state for a sudden funeral."

Hay Lin nodded sadly, wondering who had died and if Will was okay. But her eyes were drawn to the mystery guy who was now standing a bit from the group and looking over them. A strange shiver went over her spine, as if she was used to being looked at like that. Once the guy saw her looking he grinned at her and nodded. Hay Lin felt herself blushing as she took note of his beautiful brown eyes. She was sure she'd seen this guy before, but she couldn't place it.

"Anyway." Caleb said, breaking not only the silence, but also the loving hug of Cornelia. "I want to introduce an old friend of mine."

"So you actually know human guys who are hot and around our age?" Irma questioned, making Hay Lin giggle. "Why haven't you told us before?"

Caleb rolled his eyes before he looked at the mystery guy.

"William, may I introduce you to the four remaining Guardians of Kandrakar?" Caleb said as he pointed at the girls.

Hay Lin saw how Cornelia and Taranee raised an eyebrow and she just grinned friendly at him, her brain already trying to figure out what kind of outfit would fit him the best.

"Am I allowed to guess the right Guardian?" William asked and Hay Lin felt herself blush at the sound of his voice.

Caleb nodded and Hay Lin stayed silent as William moved slowly towards her. He looked her in the eyes and took gently her hand. He kissed it, making Hay Lin giggle even more.

"Charming grey eyes and her hair in two long pigtails. You must be the Guardian of Air, Hay Lin. Am I correct?" He asked as he looked deeply into Hay Lin's eyes.

Hay Lin blushed again and nodded, finding herself speechless for a short amount of time. During which, Irma pushed her aside and took her place in front of William.

"Lucky shot." She claimed though Hay Lin could see that she was already swooning over the new guy. "Bet you won't manage to guess my name."

William flashed her a charming smile and Hay Lin felt a small pang of jealousy when he took Irma's hand and kissed it as well.

"The Water Guardian with the beautiful blue eyes, Irma Lair?" He asked gently.

Irma blushed a bit and grabbed him closer, so that their faces were inches apart.

"You know, a guy like this is very rare." She said seductively, but William managed to free himself from the grip and patted her on the head.

"I believe you." He said before turning to Taranee.

Hay Lin giggled behind her hand and received a nasty glare from Irma but she just shrugged it off. She watched how Taranee raised an eyebrow as William bowed before her and took her hand as well. He brushed a kiss upon it and looked at Taranee. Hay Lin giggled softly as she saw how even Taranee's cheeks flushed.

"This complexion beautifully mixed with those brown eyes." He said. "You must be Taranee Cook, Fire Guardian."

Taranee just nodded but remained silent.

"Wow Caleb, you brought us a guy who actually knows how to be sensitive." Irma said with a grin. "He's not gay, is he?"

Hay Lin giggled as Caleb started laughing and William blushed, glaring angrily at him. Caleb calmed down and shook his head.

"Oh no. I'm quite sure he's hetero sexual." He said with a grin.

William then grinned at Irma.

"Let's say I just know what women want." He said with a grin.

Again Hay Lin felt a blush creeping up and she even felt her jealousy rise when William turned to Cornelia.

"And this beautiful young lady, who seems to personify the summer, must be the Guardian of Earth itself, Cornelia Hale." He said as he took her hand in his.

Cornelia swiftly took it back and turned to Caleb, though Hay Lin noticed that she was blushing.

"I'm sorry, but I already have a boyfriend." She stated, kissing Caleb on his cheek.

William just nodded elegantly and even bowed for her.

"But of course. It would have been strange for a lovely lady like you to not have a boyfriend." He said, making Cornelia blush even more.

Caleb raised his eyebrow and looked angrily at William, who only replied with a smug grin. Hay Lin wasn't sure why they were exchanging such looks, but she wasn't really bothered by it. She just wanted to know more about him.

"So, why are we meeting you only now?" Irma asked as she sat down on Caleb's bunk bed.

William took a leap and landed perfectly next to Irma. Hay Lin was quick to jump next to him and she saw him grinning.

"I recently joined the rebellion." He said calmly. "Before that I was just a farmer boy, until Phobos killed my parents."

...

Caleb had to hand it to William. He was good with improvising. And with flirting. Why was it that he'd never seen Will flirt before? He'd thought she would certainly fail, seeing how she easily turned red and started stuttering when Matt was nearby. But now Caleb could see that he already had Irma and Hay Lin wound around his finger. Caleb dreaded the prospect to wearing a tutu, but he hadn't lost yet. And he could get some fun out of this.

"I brought him here so he could learn some things." He said, getting a dirty look from William while the others were focusing on him. "And I'm going to teach him sword fighting while you guys train yourself."

At this William got off the bunk bed and walked at Caleb.

"We never agreed on that!" He said angered.

Caleb shrugged.

"Joining the rebellion means learning how to use a sword and your fists." He said with a smug grin.

William seemed to be keen on telling him a thing or two when Hay Lin suddenly jumped besides them.

"Oh! Are you going to attend school as well?" She asked, making William swallow nervously.

"I...Uh...I" He said before Caleb answered.

"Yeah, I'm going to enrol him tonight as an exchange student." He said while smirking at William.

"Thanks Caleb." William sneered annoyed.

"Oh! That's great news!" Hay Lin said happily and Caleb already knew where this was going.

William on the other hand, did not.

"Why?" He asked confused.

But Hay Lin was already gone. Caleb grinned and looked at the other girls, who were all wearing the same grin. William seemed to realize what it was and his eyes widened.

"What are you going to do?" He asked fearfully.

Caleb, as well as the girls, closed in on him and grabbed him tightly as he tried to fight a way out of their grip. Though William seemed to be stronger as a guy than as a woman, he was still no match for three girls and Caleb and in the end he was standing in his underwear in front of them. Irma and Cornelia holding his pants and Taranee holding his shirt. Caleb had taken the liberty of pulling off both his shoes and socks.

While the girls were all blushing, something Caleb wasn't too happy about, William was swearing loudly and blushing as well. But before he could actually form sentences, Hay Lin had returned with a lot of clothing and needles.

"Great! You're already in your underwear!" She said, making William blush even deeper. "Get on the stool and put these on."

Hay Lin threw the clothing at William, who clumsily caught them. He then looked at the others.

"Do you guys really need to stay and watch?" He asked a little awkward.

Caleb merely shrugged while Irma wolf whistled.

"And missing your fine body? How 'bout no." She said, making William blush deeply.

Meanwhile, Caleb had to stop himself from laughing through pinching himself discreetly in the leg. If Irma knew she was talking to Will instead of William she would have been embarrassed to the max. This was actually packing better than he thought.

William quickly dressed himself and Hay Lin forced him to stay still as she adjusted the clothing. Caleb saw that Hay Lin had dressed him in a red long sleeved shirt and some black baggy pants which Caleb easily recognized as Hay Lin's gothic idea she had once planned for him. Once William realized what kind of outfit he was wearing he sighed, but stayed silent. The thing that worried Caleb was the mischievous look in William's eyes.

The girls sometimes gave some critics on the clothing, but both William and Caleb stayed silent. Only when Hay Lin had finished and William was allowed to look in a mirror, did Caleb see what Will had been planning.

"This is truly amazing, Hay Lin. You truly have an eye for this." William praised and Caleb watched how Hay Lin squealed in joy and hugged William.

Caleb had to refrain himself from any retorts and glared at William who was grinning smugly at him from over Hay Lin's shoulder. Hay Lin stopped her hug and jumped happily up and down.

"Oh! Thank you!" She said happily. "I've got even more ideas! I've got the…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Hay Lin." Caleb said, trying to keep William from praising Hay Lin even more. "But I've got to enrol him and I think that we can start a lesson brawling."

At this William scowled at him, but Caleb grinned. The other girls looked interested at the two and as Hay Lin went to fetch a phone, Irma patted William on the back.

"And? Are you going to defeat Caleb?" She said with a grin.

Caleb looked at William, who was still glaring at him. William shook his head and looked apologetically at Irma.

"I'll try, but he is the rebel leader. So I'm not sure how things will go."

"You'll make it, cutie." Irma said with a wink.

William blushed again and Caleb grinned broadly, though hid it when Cornelia looked at him. Hay Lin came running down with the phone in her hand and handed it to Caleb. Caleb coughed a couple of times before dialling the number of the school.

"Yes. Hello, you speak with Mister Green." Caleb said with a heavier voice, causing a soft round of giggles from the girls and William. "I'd like to enrol an exchange student."

A silence fell in the room as Caleb repeated words like "Yes." and "Of course".

"Thank you." Caleb said, finishing his call and looking around the group. "And say hello to Sheffield's latest exchange student."

William cracked a smile, even though it seemed as if he was forced to do it. A gentle new glare was sent to Caleb while he handed the phone back to Hay Lin, who now rushed to bring it upstairs.

"Great." He said, trying to hide the sarcasm.

Hay Lin returned with the news that her parents didn't mind having an extra guest as long as he worked along, but Caleb knew Will would oblige. He could see that William was not happy with him, but Caleb had all rights. Seeing that Will was hell bent on taking Cornelia away from him, he had all rights to make her life miserable.

"Ready William?" He asked, getting into a fighting stance. "Cause I think you could use brawl lesson number one."

Caleb wished he knew how to use a camera, because Will's face was priceless.

[A/N] Yes, Caleb throws William and Will randomly, but it's always the same person. And yes, I did just put Will in Caleb's gothic style clothing, but admit it. It would look good on her...him..
Now the two start a lesson in brawling, but I don't find that particularly interesting. Maybe we'll see more of it or we'll see something entirely different and extremely hilarious.

Anyhow, review and till next time!