Sorry for taking so long to update. I somewhat lost my inspiration for this halfway into the chapter. The good news is the inspiration was refreshed by a good friend of mine I just met this year at school. He is in the middle of writing a superhero saga and it made me get back into this. So once again, sorry for taking so long to update and I hope you enjoy the chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated.

The Adventures of Dish Man

Part Two

Chapter Five: Something New

Riana looked at Connor somberly. “You must tell the others what has occurred here. I fear Liana has been tempted by the Nefarious.”

“What about you?”

“I must reassign someone to Jebediah and Garen. I believe the Nefarious will be coming after them soon.”

---

Garen walked back to Jeb’s house slowly, the tears streaming down his face. To even think about not getting to see Liana every day caused a spasm of pain to burst through his chest. She was gone…perhaps for good this time. He didn’t want to accept that she wasn’t coming back. Then again, maybe she never felt the same way he did.

In Jeb’s house Garen collapsed on the couch, not even bothering to hide his feelings from Sue and Jeb. Sue stood up, walked over to Garen, and sat down next to him, offering reassurance. Jeb just looked down at Garen. “Well?” he asked. “Where is Liana?”

“She’s gone Jeb. I couldn’t stop her. You know how stubborn she can be.” Garen couldn’t look up at Jeb; he didn’t want to see the look on his friend’s face. Garen knew Jeb had started to notice Liana more and had taken interest in her. He didn’t need to see how much this was affecting Jeb because he already knew how much it hurt.

“You just let her leave? Garen, did it occur to you that the Nefarious is looking for her? She’s in danger out there!” Jeb responded.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Garen yelled. “I couldn’t stop her. See how well you fare when you go up against winds reaching tornadic speeds. Liana is an Elemental, Jeb. She can control all of the elements. A molecular doesn’t stand a chance against her and I refuse to attack her.”

“I know how strong she is! She trained me.”

“Quiet!” Sue yelled in both boys’ minds. “Arguing is not going to help the situation at all. We need to relax and think about this rationally.”

“I agree,” said a mellow female’s voice from behind the group. They all jumped up and looked at her in shock. “I am Riana, one of the members of the Council of Powers.”

“You’re one of the Powers?” Jeb questioned. He studied her, taking in her features. She appeared to only be in her twenties with sleek brown hair that fell to her shoulders and eyes that were a mix of green and brown.

“Yes,” Riana answered. “Liana has renounced the title of Guardian, which puts you in danger. I am here to assign a new Guardian.”

Sue interrupted. “With everything going on right now, it isn’t wise to assign a Guardian that has no idea what is going on. They need someone strong enough to protect them and help them with the Nefarious.”

Riana smiled broadly. “Those are my thoughts as well…which is why I’m assigning you the job. Susannah Patton-Riley, will you become a Guardian and take Jebediah and Garen as your charges?”

Sue looked at Garen and Jeb for a moment then looked back to Riana. “If I can help take down the Nefarious, then I’m in.”

---

God, I must be crazy. What if by leaving Jeb and Garen I’m putting them in more danger? Why did I tell them about my family? Now it’s only a matter of time before both sides find out. I’m glad my mom asked her Guardian not to inform the Powers of my father’s origin but now I wonder if that’s just going to complicate things even more.

I really should just leave town and find somewhere else to live. I’m free from the Powers now and I can just run from the Nefarious. For the first time in many years I can actually choose what to do, instead of obeying commands.

But will running actually help in the long run? Am I prepared to never settle down anywhere, to never allow people to get to know me? Can I really stand to be alone forever?

---

Liana stopped moving after several hours, hoping that the Powers couldn’t track her as they had while she had been a Guardian. She sat down on the ground in the middle of a park somewhere in Connecticut. Closing her eyes, Liana tried to control the raging tide of her emotions that was flooding every facet of her mind. Never had she felt this much before; being stoical had saved her a lot of pain while in Darius’s home. She took several slow deep breaths, trying to quell the storm raging within. Garen had looked so shocked when she had used her powers on him. She had warned him that she would use them if he didn’t back off but…could she really blame him for wanting her to stay?

“No, I can’t love him,” Liana thought. “It’s too dangerous. I need to forget him and just move on from all of this. I have to forget him.”

Opening her eyes, she looked around the park at all of the happy children with their parents or babysitters. A change of scenery, a change of identity, and a change of pace could help. Maybe attempting a normal life for a while would help her decide where to go and what to do.

As Liana stood up to leave the park she felt a heavy pressure on her mind. She tried to fight it off but it was too late; her vision turned blurry and she felt light-headed. Then she fell down and knew no more.

---

Liana began to come to a while later and almost instantly noticed that she was tied up. As she tried to use her power of the elements to release herself, a surge of pain exploded in her mind. She growled in frustration, realizing that she was being held by the Nefarious’s special restraints. Any use of power would result in instant pain, until the prisoner stopped fighting the restraints or died from the mental abuse.

“You shouldn’t fight this,” a deep voice said from her right. “The restraints are only a precautionary measure. We had to make sure you would listen to our proposal.”

“What are you talking about?” Liana asked angrily. This was one of the last places she wanted to be; the only place worse than this would be Darius’s home.

“We know you left the Powers as you were unhappy with the position they placed you in. You have so much power and so much potential, and they were wasting it. One such as you shouldn’t have to settle for the sidekick position…”

“Stop with the long-winded explanation,” Liana snapped. “What are you offering?”

“A position in our top ranks. Your power would be most helpful in the battle against the Powers and you would no longer have to settle for guarding those with powers lesser than your own.”