Will released a blinding light from the Heart of Candracar, and Hay Lin hit Cedric in the face with an airbound spinning bat Hay Lin away and Will caught the girl in her arms. At that moment, the other Guardians flew over them on skis, and Will yelled out, "GUARDIANS, UNITE!"

The girls transformed, flying forward as their skis fell to the ground. Will looked up, hearing a battle cry as Caleb slid up the tail of Cedric, using the snake as a ramp as he flipped, landing with the board dug in the ground beside him. Will shook her head, flying up toward him. What a show off.

The guardians landed, dotted around Caleb and Taranee turned to Irma, "Irma, let's give snake-boy a cold shower!" Will grinned nervously at that, shooting a look at Caleb, but he didn't react. Taranee melted the snow around Cedric and Irma doused the snake-Lord in it. Hay Lin sent a small hurricane to surround Cedric and Cornelia used vines to grab him while all of them surrounded him. Will, along with the others, caught a vine and held him up. "Nice net. Do you do hammocks?"

Cornelia looked at the snake, disgusted. "Well, now what do we do with him?"

Irma grinned mischievously, "I vote we put her in Sondra's luggage." Will's laughter was cut short as Cedric roared and thriving, he snapped the vines holding her, and took off.

...

Cedric dropped to the snowy ground and glared behind him. There he was, only metres away. "Caleb." Cedric growled as the guardians landed around the murmur boy, the redhead at his side. He hissed and dived into the snow, ignoring the taunting of the water guardian which followed, "That's right! Hssss! Get your stinkin' butt outta here!"

...

"OW! Careful, you dupes! That hurts!" Everyone gasped and muttered at Sondra's strong American accent.

Will grinned, leaning down in Sondra's face "Hmm.. Your ankle's only sprained, but I think your accent's broken!"

"Dry clean only! Grandma's goat hair, huh?" Hay Lin tugged at the girl's jumper label and Taranee smiled.

"Yeah, we should get you to the bolʹnitsa."

Sondra only glared daggers at them, "And what does that mean?"

"Hospital!" Taranee said, matter of factly, "You said you spoke Russian. Oh, and by the way, no cashmere goats in Switzerland. Unless you're from the Himalayas as well?"

"Oh, who cares! As soon as I reach my parents, I'm switching schools anyway!"

Matt turned to Will, grinning. "The front of the bus, or the back?"

Will laughed and they began departing along with most of the other students. Sondra cried out desperately, "So I don't have some dumb accent! So what!"

Elyon only rolled her eyes at her, "What a total loser!"

"No duh! Pretending to be Ms. Fascinating Swiss Person!" Elyon and Cornelia left.

Irma turned back and grimaced, her hands planted on her hips. "WEREN'T YOU LISTENING! SHE'S A FAKE!"

Martin and several others remained around her, "Yet her face and shiny, lustrous hair are also real!"

...

"No new portals." Will shook her head at Caleb, the sounds of the girls and Yan Lin seeping into the shared room where they both sat on the floor, the map spread out in front of them, several beds surrounding.

Caleb shook his head, his fingers sweeping over the dry paper. "That means he didn't return to Meridian."

"So, where did he go?"