Utopia

Trina looked back and forth in complete awe at the three people attempting to protect her... from each other. First there was the girl, about her age, who seemed completely harmless, but in fact was quite powerful, and not someone you wanted to get on your bad side. And then, only a few feet from her, were the two guys, Alex and Stephen, frozen in fighting stances with one on top of the other. Slowly awe turned to humor. Her delicate lips curled up in a dazzling smile, and laughter escaped her lips.

Soon she was literally on the ground laughing, rather hysterically. Eventually she was reduced to gasping for breath between little bouts of uncontrollable giggles. It felt quite nice actually, to be laughing, despite her rather bleak situation.

"Uhm, Katrina? Are you alright?" Willa asked hesitantly, clearly not certainly whether she had just witnessed Trina loosing her mind or not.

"Fine... just fine." She finally managed, laughter beginning to ebb. "It's just kinda funny, don't you guys think? I haven't known any of you for very long, at all, and yet the three of you are fighting each other to protect me."

"Well, I don't know about him," Willa replied, shooting a not so pleasant glare in Stephen's general direction, "I mean after all, he was trying to force you to leave."

"True, but he is my guardian. He is trying to do what he thinks is best." She felt the rightness of what she was saying as the words escaped her lips. Almost as if she could sense that what she had just said, was indeed what Stephen had been attempting to do. "Uhm... Willa?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think you could maybe... I dunno, unfreeze them? I don't think they are particularly happy with their current position."

"Oh! I forgot." Willa grinned sheepishly, and muttered a word under her breath, that Trina did not quite catch. The result was instantaneous.

"Get off of me!" Alex was immediately pushed to the rocky ground, where he promptly leaped to his feet and shook his dark hair from his face.

"With pleasure. Now, who do you think you are, coming in here and trying to kidnap her?" Alex voice was a low, dangerous growl. Had it been turned on her, Trina was quite sure she might faint. She wasn't so good at confrontation.

"Me kidnap her? You are the one who took her in the first place!"

"To save her life! You know, the job that is technically yours. It's a shame such a nice girl got such a lousy Guardian."

They were going to fight again, Trina could feel it. She had to stop them, but how?

And then, it hit her. They were fighting over her, right? Then perhaps they would listen to her. In theory it was the perfect plan.

She jumped in between them, opening her mouth to begin, but she wasn't quick enough. In one fluid motion both were there, fighting with her in the middle. She ducked several times, narrowly avoiding fists flying toward her. All the while, attempting to speak.

Suddenly, her world exploded with pain, and darkness threatened the edges of her vision.