BOOK TWO!!!! part two will be up soon. thsi is the sequal to world of danger! Now world of identity is shorter then world of danger was, this book instead of focusing on setting and back stories, it focuses alot on character development, and you will get to see a part of them that you never saw before. now I hope you like it. Book three world of change, is in the works and will be here soon, but world of change is the best yet!!!!

Chapter One – Moving Day

I was angry, worried, and possibly excited but that could be up for debate. Against all of my protests, against every point I had spent hours arguing here we were. What’s worse is that Seth took the side of my brother.

Not only is it dangerous here but you never know what powers you will get. As much as I loved it here, they needed to leave. Charles, Gracie, and Anthony, my siblings, are moving to the magical world.

What if either Gracie’s or Anthony’s power was dangerous? What if they didn’t like it here? What if father got to them? Here they would have their powers and I knew Charles wouldn’t stand a chance against them. The only good thing that came from this is that Charles could use his power at all times and we could visit them more but other then that this was a dreadful idea.

We didn’t have much to bring over; we were leaving all of the furniture in that sorry house. Charles had already sold it to a person down the street who wanted to upsize his house. In my opinion his house is bigger then ours ever was.

Seth my boyfriend for a year now had given Charles some money to get started; they both think that I don’t know. According to Alyssa, Caitlyn gave him hell for doing so. Alyssa also told me that after what she did to me Seth didn’t give a damn what Caitlyn said anymore. I can’t even express how grateful I am for that.

This was one of the most eventful things that has happened in the past few months. We did have one battle which ended with Cody and a broken arm (now mended) but other then that it has been strangely quiet around. Not to say I wasn’t grateful for it but it seemed like something now was bound to happen. I really didn’t want it too.

I was sitting in their sitting room. It sounded so weird to think of it as their house. I didn’t have a home anymore. The couch was cozy, but it was a dull grey colour. The walls were a light blue all throughout the house. I liked it, and the best part was they weren’t above a store.

There was a corn field out the back, just like there was in high class. I had already chased Anthony and Gracie though it today while the big furniture was coming in.

I guess I was glad Gracie and Anthony would get a good home to grow up in even though a lot of their childhood was already gone. Anthony turned eleven last month and Gracie turned eight the month before. I was scared that living here might take their childhood away from them as it did to Seth. Of course I never expressed this out loud. Seth would have been on my case in a snap.

Isabella sat down beside me on the couch. She looked exhausted. The summer air was unbearable outside, especially when you are moving heavy furniture.

The second Cody walks into the room Isabella stood up and led him into the far end of the hall way. Seth had heard them fighting before in the forest. He said it wasn’t anything too serious, just a disagreement, but he would never tell me the truth unless it was life or death.

Everyone started coming into the house one or two at a time until everyone except for Charles was dispersed in either the kitchen or the sitting room. Gracie and Anthony were propped up in front of the window waiting for Charles’ arrival. He was applying for a job up the road at a local store.

Seth and I were trying to get supper ready, or rather I was trying to get supper ready while he was trying to get in my way. Either way he was making me laugh so I was happy.

I was making mashed potatoes and chicken it smelt so good, well anything that didn’t smell like fish would have been great right now.

I slapped Seth’s hand away for the tenth time that day. “You are going to burn yourself!” I scolded.

Seth licked the tip of his finger where he still managed to get to the potatoes. “Well at least I get something out of burning me this time.” I flung some water at him and it landed right on his head. I couldn’t stop laughing. He wiped the water out of his eyes but he was smiling. If we were anywhere else he would have chased me until I surrendered, but here we would break something. I knew we would.

“Will you two stop fooling around and come out with the food already!” Cody yelled.

“Either way you will have to wait for Charles.” I called back. I looked behind me to see Seth with a big grin on his face. We both broke out laughing again.

We set the table and squeezed eight chairs around; we called everyone to sit down. Everyone came except for Anthony who said he was going to keep watch. There were a few minutes of awkward silence before it was broken by Anthony rushing up to the table and sitting down. We heard the front door open and Charles walking into the kitchen which in this house served as the dining room as well. He sat down without a word.

“So…” Isabella encouraged.

“I got the job.”

“He got the job!” I said.

The table exploded into small talk and such about the house, the job, anything we could think of really. Seth and I offered to clean up at the end of the meal. No one else wanted to anyways. I missed doing all of the chores in the house. Everything out in the wild was too easy. It also made me think of what it would be like to have my own home. I sure wished I could.

After that chore was done, Isabella and Cody left to go get everyone something from the candy shop down around the corner and the rest of us gathered in the sitting room.

We all made some more meaningless small talk, all of us knew we wouldn’t start the talking until the smaller of us were in bed, Charles was worried about us scaring them, but in my opinion Anthony was old enough to stay up.

Isabella and Cody came through the door just before we were about to put them to bed. The sun had already started setting. We had to let them stay up for longer because they brought chocolate for everybody. When the sun was fully set they were finally put to bed. It was a five bedroom house. For tonight’s purposes Anthony and Gracie would share a room.

Once everyone settled back down Charles started talking about his new job and what he would have to do. To be honest I tuned it out to the best of my ability. It was irreverent to what I wanted to talk about. I felt like my parents when they used to host house parties. You could always tell that no one except for the speaker him self was listening.

“Charles what is going to happen now?” I asked interrupting him.

“About what?”

“What’s going to happen with Gracie and Anthony? What will you do when they get their power?”

Charles sighed. “I’m going to help them control it.”

“But you don’t know how.” I protested.

“I grew up watching father train Richard and even if that was for evil Richard has amazing control over his ability, we all know that.”

“Richard isn’t evil.” Isabella whispered. Seth took my hand in his and I squeezed hard.

“He killed mom.” Charles mumbled.

“It wasn’t him.” I contradicted.

“I saw him.”

“I did too, and I’m telling you it wasn’t him. That day might be hazy to you but after seeing it one hundred times in a row you tend to remember details.” I was angry now. This hasn’t been brought up since I had gotten better. I think Seth sensed the tension because he got up without warning, all eyes went to him.

“It has been a long day.” He whispered and then started off down the hallway

I stood up as well. “Good night.” I said and turned to follow him into our room. It was two single beds, neither big enough for us both to sleep in. I closed the door behind me and stared out the window for a long while until Seth came up and held onto me from behind. When he let go I turned around. We sat cross legged each on our own bed facing each other.

“Your birthday is coming up.” Seth whispered.

“Not for another two months.”

“Your eighteenth.”

“Finally an adult.” I whispered.

Seth smiled and mumbled. “Maybe then I won’t feel as guilty.”

“Guilty about what?”

“Sometimes its like I’m taking advantage of you Elizabeth, this whole time I’ve known you, you have been a child and I have been an adult.”

“I was sixteen when I met you not twelve.” I contradicted.

“Just the same.”

“It isn’t my fault you are so old.”

Seth smirked. “If you call twenty old you have some serious problems.”

“Don’t feel guilty.”

“I don’t right now.”

“Then when do you?” I asked.

Seth smiled. “I will keep that my secret.”

I sighed and leaned back on my pillow. “Birthdays don’t change anything.” Seth leaned back against his as well.

“You are a whole year older.”

“Yes but between now and then there really isn’t much of a difference.”

“A lot can happen.”

“Not enough for me to feel any more of an adult in two months then I do now.”

Seth got up out of his bed and squeezed up against me in mine. It was much too small for the both of us to be there but neither of us cared that we were half on, half off of the bed. We lay on top of the blankets because it was too hot to go underneath. His body heat wasn’t helping the matter, but I would rather have him here then not.

Seth grabbed my hand and held it in his. Neither of us fell asleep like I expected us too but we didn’t say anything either.

I was in that moment between awake and asleep when Seth whispered in my ear something I never expected. “Isabella and Cody’s fight is over now. They are fine.”

I sighed. It was like him to think of something like that that was bothering me subconsciously.

“Seth… what do you think their ability is going to be?” I asked.

“I have no idea.”

“You told me once that you had met someone that could make rainbows, I want Gracie to have that.”

“I think that would make her happy for a few years.”

“And I think Anthony should be able to play amazing music, like a protégé.” I continued. It was Seth who sighed this time.

“They might like that for the moment but when they are our age they might want to do something useful with whatever power they have.”

“Your right.” I whispered as I tried to roll around. Impossible. I finally huffed and got up. Seth was laughing as I pulled him up too. I pushed both of the beds together to make one big one. Now only if I had thought of that sooner. We laid back down, both of us fully on the bed now.

“We need to visit here more often.” Seth said to what seemed like the ceiling up ahead.

“Yeah Gracie and Anthony love it.”

“And you’re happy here, you love being home.”

“I love having a home.”

“I will have to bring you to mine.”

“You have a home?” I asked. As far as I knew he had lived in multiple hotel rooms with the five for all of his life.

“Yeah, I share it with four other people but it is better then nothing, actually I haven’t been there in a couple of years.” Seth looked away for a minute before looking back to me.

“I will love it, I’m sure.” I said as I kissed him softly goodnight. Eventually sleep caught up with me and I drifted off with it, but Seth was asleep before I was which was weirder then anything else that night. Like everything else I let it go. Sometimes it’s better not to ask, and when your question was ‘Why did you fall asleep?’ it was safer not to ask. Especially with someone like Cody around.

---

I woke up early that morning so I could get into the shower before anyone else could. I always took advantage of being in a home. Showers here were much better then running into the closest hotel, or worse taking a bath in the river. It had only ever happened once but I swore never again.

I pulled my hair back in that same ribbon again. It had gotten considerably longer so I put it higher up now. It still fell mid back. I got dressed quickly and started breakfast – pancakes. Everyone was up and around the table by the time I was done. The smell of pancakes filled the air.

We all ate and talked about everything that had happened to Gracie, Anthony, and Charles that year. Apparently moving was the highlight of it. After breakfast Seth had to drag me into our room to pack anything that we had unpacked.

We stood outside the door that morning, all of us in such a small space. I kept on talking, trying to put off goodbye. We could never guarantee when we would see each other again. Seth was finally able to stop my stammering and started off with the first goodbye hug to Gracie.

I ran to hug Charles before he could see tears in my eyes. “Keep them safe.” I whispered in his ear before I pulled away and Isabella took my spot.

I hugged Anthony. “I’m too old for hugs.” he whispered in my ear embarrassed to say so out loud.

“Impossible, I hug you all the time.”

“But you’re a girl!” I laughed and I could hear Seth laughing behind me.

“Get used to it.” I muttered.

Gracie was getting so many hugs it was unbelievable. When she was finally in my arms I picked her up.

“You are sad.” She whispered.

“Of course I am, I’m leaving.”

She shook her head fast. “No I mean you are sad!”

I looked at her confused. “I don’t understand.”

“I know you are, someone is telling me that you are sad.” She tried to explain.

“What else am I feeling?”

“You’re worried about something, and happy at the same time. Elizabeth why are you happy?”

I gave a small smile. “Because I think we know your power.” By that time everyone was in a little circle around us. I set Gracie down beside me.

“It’s not fair!” I heard Anthony say and I heard a door slam right after. Seth went running off after him, it was so unlike him to do, but we were all family now, I’m sure he already considered Anthony his brother, I knew Anthony did.

“Congratulations Gracie.” Isabella smiled.

Gracie extended her finger to Isabella and smiled when she touched her hand. “You are happy.”

“Of course I am.”

Seth came back out with Anthony a few minutes later and gave his own congratulations to Gracie. I even heard Anthony say a few words to her.

We once again said our goodbyes, or rather were forced to and set out for another day of walking. We had almost forgotten the extra tent Charles was giving us. Two tents, it was like heaven on earth.

Seth and I in one, Isabella and Cody in the other (as much as I hated that but I didn’t think I could sleep anymore without Seth’s arms around me) and Jamie would switch between the two.

“What did you say to him?” I finally asked Seth. I saw Isabella look up too.”

“Now that was between Anthony and I.” Seth glanced over. “And maybe Cody.”

Cody smiled, “Don’t worry it was nothing bad.” He said to me.

Seth looked over laughing. “You think I would say something bad to your brother?”

“I never thought that.” I muttered. “Cody is shoving thoughts into my head.”

Cody started laughing and I heard Jamie laugh a little as well. She was so quiet I was surprised to hear a sound come out of her at all.

“Alyssa will be waiting for us where we are to set up camp.” Seth said to me mostly but it was for everyone to know.

“Good.” I said. Having Alyssa around was of course a joy. Alyssa was not only part of the five but was also my best friend. She has helped me through a lot.

So we walked for hours on end and looked forward to finally making it. Seth had told me we were close when I saw the lake. He told me we were camping on a small island while he gets things settled with Alyssa. I wondered what he had to talk to Alyssa about but I didn’t ask. He would tell me as always he couldn’t tell me.

As soon as we were walking on the shore of the lake I saw Alyssa waving her hands and running up and hugging both Seth and I at the exact same time. She then managed to hug Isabella, Cody, and Jamie in one hug as well. I don’t know how she does it.

I smelt freshly cooked meat in the air and a little a ways I could see the smoke. “Dinner?” she asked.

Chapter Two – Video Reel

Dinner was delicious, but I would have never guessed that it was that time already. Alyssa kept on talking; she was giving us updates of everything going on with the five. Apparently Caitlyn was in England for a year taking care of some business over there and spending the time with her husband Chris. So that only left Lillian, Sam, and Alyssa in camp. To me it sounded awkward but I guess they all grew up together. It really would be no big deal. As Alyssa put it though Sam and Lillian never really spent time together but they were almost inseparable now. Seth wasn’t surprised by this but Alyssa however seemed annoyed.

They haven’t heard any word of where my father is now but she told me that this was now Seth and her long term case. I always thought it was everyone’s main case but there were other civilizations across the world. Alyssa also said that she might be going to Asia in a few months to cover up something small. She was excited because she has never flown over the ocean with Lillian. It sounded exciting but anything to do with not travelling on foot sounded great. Cody laughed at this notion. No one else found it very funny.

Before we knew it night had fallen and we were all still sitting around the fire. I was giving everyone another round of water. “Why can’t you shoot wine out of your hand?” Cody asked in exchange for a thank-you. Isabella knocked the cup on him, which sent water everywhere. Well all over Cody and a bit on Isabella too, but only because she was sitting beside him. That was enough to send us all laughing in hysterics even Cody was laughing but from the look on his face he wasn’t happy about it. He went into the tent to change but never came back out. Soon Isabella went to see what was up, again she never came out. I assumed they had went to bed after a day like we had.

Jamie went soon after. She hovered in between the fire and the tent not wanting to disrupt Isabella and Cody, but not wanting to get in the obvious conversation that Alyssa, Seth and possibly I was going to have. She slipped into the tent.

I took a deep breath. “Gracie got her power.” I whispered. Alyssa moved over beside us. “She can feel other people’s emotions.”

“That’s great.” Alyssa said but she kept on looking up to Seth. I knew I was in the middle of something but Seth wouldn’t have the straight to say anything and I couldn’t see Alyssa telling me to get up so I got up myself.

I kissed Seth quickly and announced I was going to bed. “You don’t have to.” Alyssa called out. I started laughing.

“Yes I do.”

I entered the tent. This one was Charles’. I recognized it as the one we used to camp outside in. It was a bit smaller then the other one but not bad. We gave Isabella and them the bed so I laid my head down on the pile of pillows and blankets. It wasn’t that uncomfortable.

I didn’t listen to them and even if I tried it wouldn’t be anymore then some muffled whispers. I told myself I would stay awake until they both came to the floor to sleep beside me, but it had been a long day, and I was tired. I drifted asleep

---

That morning Alyssa stole me away. She took a bag that I never noticed until now, she always had with her. I didn’t bother asking what was in it. I didn’t care that much.

“You really need to get away from Seth more often.” Alyssa said skipping along the river with me close behind her.

“Why is that?”

“You are going to start to act like him.” She laughed and finally sat down. My muscles were aching so I joined her in a heart beat.

“How do I act like him?” I smiled it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

“I don’t know, it’s just the way you walk and the way you say things now. It was different from what you were like before you met Seth.” Alyssa tried to explain. After seeing she failed she muttered to let it go. I didn’t argue with that notion. I had some other things I wanted to get out of her.

“Tell me something…”

“Anything.”

“Seth never told me what you guys did as kids.” I said. It was a stupid thing to wonder about but I had spent some nights sitting up and thinking about what it would really be like.

Alyssa smiled. “We grew up fast.” she said. “Training was our main priority, and then schooling. Any time we had time for fun we spent it running threw the fields.” Alyssa’s smile faded. “By the time we were ten it was all about fighting battles with each other, tests of strength.”

I frowned. “Sounds pretty bad.” Just like Seth said it was. I added silently to myself. Out of all the things he gets wrong it has to be this he gets right.

“Ask Seth about it.” She said. “He most likely still has the score from all of the fights that him and Sam had, and the scars too. And he was proud of every one of them.” She laughed.

“By the time I was twelve everyone had gotten together with each other. It was all about who you were with and how far you could go with said person. Elle and I were those dorky twelve year olds in the back round of everything.”

I laughed. “I’m sure Lillian was good at that game.”

“You would be surprised what Seth and she were like.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked trying not to get a mental picture. I had to keep this conversation as light as possible.

“Seth at fifteen...” Alyssa shook her head. “He was the most immature teenager I had ever seen. You would have hated him. Nothing like he is now, a completely different person.” I could never imagine ever hating Seth. There had to be the Seth that I knew now somewhere there. Maybe he just didn’t show it, or at least that’s what I hoped. I would have to admit though, as time goes by there is always that moment when Seth is with Cody that he lets go and goes crazy, maybe that is the real him. What if I have it backwards?

“Was Caitlyn with Chris at that time?” I asked trying to change the subject.

“Oh yes.” Alyssa laughed. “Well Caitlyn was nineteen at the time so she was the role model of all of us little kids. Sam was with Gabriella.”

“Gabriella?”

“Things didn’t work out well.” Alyssa said. “And then the last year of the old days.”

“Old days?” I asked.

“That’s what we call it when Elle was alive.” I nodded. “We had Chris and Caitlyn’s wedding.”

“We were all together with somebody.” Alyssa remembered. “Hold on.” she said as she went through her bag to pull out some old photos. I had never seen a photo with such brilliant colour before.

The photo had all of them there; Caitlyn was stunning in her white dress. The man holding her must have been Chris, I had never met him but I made a mental note that I should.

Sam was with what must have been Gabriella, a small Mexican girl. I looked to Alyssa, she looked so young. Her hair was long and put into two braids going down her sides. Behind her there was guy, unrecognizable.

“That’s Jared.” She said. “My boyfriend at the time, but going months at a time without seeing him eventually broke us up.”

Jared was tall compared to her and also looked so incredibly young.

I pointed to a tall girl beside Alyssa. “That’s Elle isn’t it?” I asked. Alyssa nodded.

Elle had brown hair and those same green eyes that Seth had. She had cute freckles. Elle was beautiful, a little reflection of Seth. The fact that they were siblings was obvious. I wanted to meet her, I knew I never could.

I didn’t look much to the guy beside her because at the end of the picture there were a young Seth and Lillian. Lillian was looking stunning as always, somehow she still didn’t look a lot like me. Her hair was long back then but she still had those straight cut bangs. She was nothing standing next to Seth, who unbelievably was the same age as I am now.

His hair was shorter then it is now, still jet black. His face was fixed into that smile I loved so much. He was running his fingers through his short hair, acting cool no doubt. His green eyes were shinning back at me.

“The old days.” Alyssa repeated as she handed me another photo of just Lillian and Seth. It was still at the wedding. They were posing just like every other picture, Seth still as beautiful as ever.

Alyssa laughed and got up. “Come with me.” she said.

I did, there was no use asking why with Alyssa anymore.

She took me dragged me to a near by town and bought a room in the first hotel she saw. She started closing all the blinds until it was dark.

“Now wait here.” She instructed. I nodded sitting down on the bed. I didn’t say a word. I knew she would make me be quiet quickly.

When she came back she was holding a projector screen. “Get me a white cloth!” she yelled out. I found one in the bathroom and gave it to her.

After it was all set up she turned to me. “I bet you have never seen a movie.” She said.

“No, I haven’t.”

“This was three days before the wedding.” She said as she stuck something in the side of the projector and flipped a switch.

Alyssa came on the camera, all in black and white. “Is it on?” she asked. She was so young it took me back. “I think it is.” She said. And backed up. “You ready Elle?” Alyssa asked.

“Yup!” she yelled out from behind the camera.

“Hey we’re trying this old thing out for the wedding.” Alyssa said into the camera.

Before she had a chance to say anymore Seth sneaked out behind her and grabbed her braids and pulled on them and twirled them around her head.

“Seth!” she yelled. And tried and to turn around to get him. Seth followed behind her with Alyssa’s braids still in his grasp.

“What’s wrong Allie? Not fast enough?” Seth taunted. His voice was slightly higher then it was now. I laughed.

Alyssa yanked on her hair and got loose. She jumped on Seth from behind and hopped into his back. Seth spun around in circles trying to get her off.

“Sam come take the camera!” Elle yelled. I heard a slight noise behind the camera and then Elle came on the screen.

Seth dropped Alyssa with a thud. A scream came from behind the camera.

“Shit Lillian! Calm down!” Seth yelled out and ran behind the camera.

Alyssa and Elle both broke out in laughter. “My brother off to save his girl.” Elle joked.

“Seth! Save me!” Alyssa yelled and dropped to the ground.

Elle lifted Alyssa up and kissed her on the forehead. “It’s okay my lady! “ Elle yelled and then Alyssa jumped out of her arms and they both laughed and laughed until Lillian came out with Seth into range of the camera, then they both went silent.

Seth grabbed Elle and lifted her up. “Let me down!” She yelled.

“I’m saving my so called damsel in distress from the annoying sister from hell.” He said.

“Hey!” Elle yelled and started to hit Seth.

Lillian lifted Alyssa into the sky a ways and almost dropped her multiple times. Alyssa was laughing the whole time, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Elle and Seth fooling around the whole time.

Lillian came floating down and dropped Alyssa. Alyssa landed with another thud. Elle ran away from Seth and came over to Alyssa. “Lillian,” she said “I am the brave Sir Seth here to save you.” Elle said as she helped Alyssa up. Alyssa and she couldn’t stop laughing. All I could think of is Isabella’s reference to Seth being my night in shining armour.

Lillian came up to Seth and kissed him lightly. “It was followed from a chorus of gags from Elle, Alyssa, and Sam.

“Shut up!” Seth yelled out and kissed Lillian again.

I heard Sam next. “And now we come in contact with the longest running relationship without marriage in the five history. Don’t get them angry or they might gat irritable. The key here is to keep your distance.” He said. I heard Alyssa and Elle laughing their heads off in the back round.

“You are in idiot you do know that right?” Seth asked.

“Hold on I think we might have heard one of them.”

Sam ignored him and came up on them for a close up. Seth covered the lens with his hand.

Alyssa took the camera from him again and ran with it. Elle was beside her. Chris and Caitlyn were by the river talking. Caitlyn turned around she looked pissed.

“You idiot!” she yelled. “That was for the wedding!” Caitlyn ran at the camera and the picture went black.

I was laughing, Alyssa, not so much at the end part.

“What did she do?” I asked.

“Well, she broke the camera for one thing.” Alyssa said. I started laughing. “And then called our big brothers in on us.”

“And what did they do?” I asked.

“It was different every time, I forget what it was that time… but believe me it was not enjoyable.”

“You guys had fun back then.” I whispered.

“On our good days.”

“What was it like, on your bad days?”

Alyssa looked away for a second and then looked back up to me. “We did whatever we could to distract ourselves… so we could stay strong for the rest of us. Rule number one, never let people suffer with you.” I bit my lip. I still felt horrible for when I got sick.

“I can’t believe Seth was like that though.” I whispered. Alyssa opened the blinds back up and put the projector away and stuck whatever she had put in there to begin with back in her bag.

“What’s in there?” I finally asked. Alyssa sat back down beside me.

“It was supposed to be for Seth but I don’t know if I can let it all go.” She whispered. She dumped everything out on the bed.

There were the pictures, the film for the movie, a wooden box, a necklace, and a bear. “Why were these for Seth?” I asked in hardly more then a whisper.

“They were Elle’s; we just found them in our old base camp under the floor boards.”

“Why the floor boards?”

“I don’t know.” I looked at the necklace, all gold with a heart at the end and at the bear. It was worn but adorable. I had already seen the pictures and the film so I picked up the box.

It was brown and engraved with her name. There was a lock on it but I could hear things inside. It wasn’t my place to open it so I didn’t. “I can give it to him if you can’t.” I whispered.

“Would you?” Alyssa’s voice lightened up. I nodded my head and she hugged me tightly but her smile faded quickly.

“Elizabeth do you think you can make it back to camp on your own, I… I need to stay here for a bit.”

“Do we have reason to worry?”

“No of course not I just… I can’t go back just yet.”

“I can make it.” I said. Alyssa rushed me out the door with her bag, she gave me a hug goodbye and I was on my way. I was surprised that I even remembered how to get back. In the forest all you had to rely on were landmarks. Luckily I only had to trust landmarks half of the way. Seth met me.

“I heard you walking alone.” He explained. I smiled lightly and nodded my head. Instead of walking with him we sat down against a tree instead, He didn’t ask what happened with Alyssa. I assumed he already knew so I went right into what was in the bag.

“Alyssa gave me these to give to you.” I whispered and handed over the bag. “They were Elle’s.”

Seth took the bag slowly and hesitated before opening it. He set the pictures and film aside, avoiding them all together. He pulled out the bear and gave a small smile. “This used to be the only thing that would put her to sleep when the monsters came.” Seth whispered so silently I wouldn’t have been able to hear him over the wind.

I kept quiet not wanting to say anything unless a question was asked.

He pulled out the necklace next and put that aside as well. He pulled out the box and fumbled with the lock a bit until I took it out of his hands and burnt it off. He opened the box slowly. He gave a big breath in and out. It was only then I realized he was fighting back tears and breathing very heavily. I took his hand and he pulled out the first piece of paper that was squished in there.

It was a finger painting of I don’t know what. “She made this when she was four. I tried to keep her amused while I was in training.” He whispered. He pulled out picture after picture and a few diary entries as well, he gave captions for each one. I found myself nearly crying by the end. He placed everything carefully back into the bag, everything except for the necklace.

“You should have it.” He said.

“No Seth.”

“I can’t think of anyone better.” He objected. I wouldn’t feel right wearing Elle’s necklace.

“At least keep it safe for me okay?” he asked holding it out to me. I couldn’t deny him when he was this upset so I took it and clutched it in my hand hard.

“Are you okay Seth?” I asked.

Seth shook his head. “Surprisingly I don’t think I am.” I wrapped my arms around him the best I could with him leaning against a tree and we stayed like that for a long time. Seth finally got up and we didn’t talk the whole way. It took me until that night to realize that Seth had kept the stuff there. It was too dark by then to go get it and if he didn’t want it that much I knew if I got it, it would make him upset. So I didn’t and I stared at the fire to distract myself from everything else, just like I always do.

Chapter Three – The Night Before

The grass was warm under my head. Right now I preferred this to a pillow. Sometimes you need to get away and watch the clouds go by. I had found a spot in the forest where I could do just that, only the whole sky was cloudy. I was hoping it would start raining; I have always loved the rain.

I made the wind pick up so I could watch the trees sway instead. What do you do when there is nothing to do at all?

Back when Seth and I first met we would spend all of our time asking questions. It was hard to imagine he ever imagined being with me as a job and nothing more.

We had already been through so much; some people don’t get the experience we what have had in a life time. It was hard to imagine.

Seth was part of the five, a group set out to save the magical world. Unfortunately my father was the threat. I have come to except now that he never was much of a father but it is hard to accept sometimes. As for the five, I have my heart set to join the group. I am already doing so much but Seth says I shouldn’t want to dedicate my life to them to what I say I already have.

I could hear talking not far from here. I got up to see what it was. It was Isabella and Cody. Cody seemed distracted and didn’t hear me there. Isabella’s back was to me, I couldn’t see her and Cody was stoned face. I knew I shouldn’t watch whatever was going on but I couldn’t look away.

I knew something had been wrong. When I asked Seth he would either kiss me to avoid the question or say he didn’t know. His secrecy was rare now, and he only did so when necessary. I had even gone as low as to ask Jamie. She said she didn’t know anything but left quickly. What ever it was, they all knew accept me.

I had a feeling that whatever it was, it was going to show its self now. I also had a feeling that Isabella isn’t happy about whatever it was. She had been moody around camp and refused to talk to Jamie. They didn’t talk much to begin with. Isabella swore to me she was the devil in hiding and was rude to her. I had never seen it and she was always so nice to me. Isabella believed it was an act for Seth.

“Are you finally able to admit to it?” Isabella hissed at him. I had only once seen her this angry, only when she protected me from Caitlyn.

“Isabella calm down.” Cody said.

“You kissed her.” Isabella whispered. Cody only looked down. “You kissed her didn’t you?!” Isabella yelled making me jump a bit. I could hear her voice shake and I could only imagine the look on her face.

“Yes.” Cody said. “I kissed her.”

Jamie? She was the only logical person he could have kissed. That idiot he swore he wouldn’t hurt her!

“When?”

“A month ago.” Cody said hardly speaking the words.

“And you didn’t tell me for a month?” Isabella shrieked. “You should have just told me!”

“I didn’t know how to tell me girl friend I am in love with someone else.”

“You are in love with her?” She whispered. Tears were streaming down her face and her voice was cracking. She was so hurt.

“I love you both.” He said.

“Pick one, you cannot possibly have us both, well maybe she would be okay with that but I wouldn’t.

Isabella’s arms uncrossed and she ran her hand against his jaw line softly. Cody’s eyes closed. The tone had changed completely. “Don’t do this.” She whispered. Cody didn’t answer. Her caress turned into a slap on his face. Cody bit down hard. I could see her trembling and Cody couldn’t even bring himself to look at her.

I stumbled a bit and Cody looked up, he saw me. Isabella turned around to see what he was starring at. Her eyes were red with tears. Cody collapsed on the ground.

“Isabella.” I said disapprovingly.

“I’m sure Jamie will find him.” Isabella whispered as she walked into the forest and soon broke out into a run.

“Seth!” I yelled out hoping he wasn’t too far away. “Help Cody, don’t come looking for me!” I ran off with Isabella.

When she couldn’t run any more she leaned against a tree for support. Her arms wrapped protectively around herself. She wouldn’t let her self cry fully, but that doesn’t mean there were no tears. There were plenty.

I hugged her tight until she was breathing normally again, but she was still trembling. I got her to sit down finally. She hugged her knees to herself and looked away from me.

“Isabella…”

“Don’t talk. You saw it all, there is nothing to talk about.” She whispered and took a big gulp back.

“Yes there is.” I said determined to get something out of the girl.

Isabella wouldn’t look me in the eyes until her own were dry. “I love him Elizabeth, I still do, but I don’t know… what to do.” She whispered and her eyes drifted away from mine once again.

“How could you still love him?” I asked.

“The same way you still love Seth after everything he did.” That was all she had to say for me to understand, I just, never thought that Isabella loved Cody like I loved Seth, but if she did…

“Water?” she asked and cupped her hands in front of me. I filled them the best I could and she drunk quickly. “You know what would dull the pain? Wine. It’s what we would have done back home.” She whispered.

“That’s what you would have done.” I reminded her.

“But you would have done it with me so I wouldn’t be alone.”

“You know me too well.” I whispered.

Isabella offered a weak smile and I returned it the best I could.

“You want to know what to do? You go back there and get him back if you love him, you fight for him, and knowing how much he loves you, it will be no match at all.” I told her. “You can’t sit back and watch it happen.”

“It already did.” She whispered. “He is already in love with her, I should have known when she started flirting, and Cody started smiling at her…”

“Isabella.”

“And then I asked Seth and he told me exactly what I didn’t want to hear.”

“Then you fight.”

“If Seth went back to Lillian would you fight back?” She asked me.

I was silent. I’m not sure if I would or not. It would all depend if Seth really loved her or not. But Lillian being my sister and Seth having previously gone out with her would make my case a lot different.

“I don’t know.” I whispered.

“Well I do, and if he doesn’t want me then I’m not throwing myself on him. He isn’t some gem I can get back.”

“But he never went out with you, he never chose you over her, you broke up with him. What if this is just like when Lillian kissed Seth, when if she threw herself at him?”

“If that was the case then he would have never fallen in love with her.”

“Seth was in love with Lillian.”

“He was that’s the difference Cody said he is in love with Jamie.” She said. She had made her point, and I don’t think she was going to go for him. It was so sad, as much as I hated Cody I knew how much Isabella loved him. She had told me countless times that I don’t know him like she does. That she had seen him when he wasn’t being a jerk and that is what she loved. I had yet to see it.

“Go find Seth, Cody, and Jamie. I’ll go back to camp.” Isabella whispered.

“I should go with you.”

“No, I should really go alone.” Isabella said and she got up and left me sitting on the ground. I soon got up as well. I didn’t want to find the others though. I wandered around the forest slowly until I had made myself to tired to carry on. I made my way back to camp slowly.

Cody was back up and standing near the doorway of his tent. Cody closed the tent door when he heard me. Isabella must have been in there too.

“Do you want to know what they are saying?” Seth asked coming out from out tent.

I nodded slowly.

“Cody is telling her not to go. Isabella just said that they were broken up and that there was no way she could stay.” I held my breath wondering if Isabella could keep her cool.

“Cody told her it doesn’t have to be like this. Isabella told him this is the only kind of closer she can think of.” I just wanted her to get out of there.

“What’s happening?” I asked after it was silent.

“Nothing.” Seth mumbled. I gave up and ran around the back of the tent. I leaned in and pressed my ear up against it listening to every word. Seth was right, it was silent.

I heard a stumble and Isabella say, “You shouldn’t be up.”

“I couldn’t sit down now.” Cody whispered.

I heard Cody start something but Isabella didn’t let him finish. “What kind of closer do you want Cody.” A few more steps. “The kind where we kiss goodbye one last time and I walk away?”

It was silent for a long time, until Cody finally said, “No.”

I heard one last zipper and the tent door opening. I followed Isabella into our tent and helped her unpack everything she had to pack. Most of it she kept in a small bag.

The fire that night seemed cold. Isabella was beside me, resting her shoulder on mine just starring into the fire. Cody was sitting beside Jamie, neither of them was talking. Seth and I didn’t want to break the silence.

Cody and Jamie went to their tent first and when Isabella fell asleep on my shoulder Seth carried her into out tent. Seth came back out and I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“It didn’t happen to me.” I mumbled.

“And it never will.” He vowed.

“This means we will have to start sneaking out every night.” I sighed. Seth laughed silently.

“Only if you want to…”

“I do.” I whispered. “If nothing but to talk without everyone else in out heads.” Literally.

Seth nodded and it was silent for a little while longer. I got up and pulled Seth up with me. “We better get to bed.” I whispered.

“I can’t, I am pulling an all nighter.”

“Why.”

“Your father is too close for me to sleep soundly.”

“Is he in your range?” I hadn’t fought him since that time so long ago. I had the opportunity to kill him, but I didn’t, I couldn’t. And how did he repay me? He made me deathly ill. I knew at that point that I had been reckless and stupid.

Seth nodded his head slowly. I bit my lip. I didn’t know how to respond. This is what we wanted after all. We wanted my father dead, and the only way to do that was to get close, but still every time Seth said he was near I flinched in terror.

“Don’t worry about it.” He told me, “I will, wake you if he comes near, I don’t think he will find us though.”

“And if he doesn’t find us…”

“We find him.”

Of course. This was all a big chase. If we get the first attack, we have the advantage, if they do, then they have the advantage. It was as simple as that, or so we thought. There are so many aspects of battle that I don’t even want to think about were raceing through my mind at top speed now to try and prepare myself. All of which got wiped away when Seth leaned down and kissed me.

“Thank you.” I whispered.

Seth smiled. “My pleasure.”

I gave a small giggle. “I could stay out here too, or we could switch off…”

“I don’t think something is going to happen, but if it does I don’t want to be asleep, besides I take sleep deprivation better then you do.” That fact was already proven right so I couldn’t argue with him.

I had hoped to talk with Isabella that night but I didn’t have the chance, she was already asleep.

I tried to fall asleep myself, but I was just as worried as Seth was. So I wouldn’t worry him I pretended to sleep until I actually did.

Chapter Four – Explosion

I woke up early that morning. The sun wasn’t even up. I got up quickly and headed outside. Seth was still sitting on that same log poking at the fire, or rather what was left of it. I put it out completely and wrapped my arms around him from behind.

“Hey.” He said in that tired voice of his.

“Go to sleep for the next few hours.” I suggested.

Seth shook his head the same way I knew he would. He was much too stubborn. “Why would I when the person I have been waiting for is finally up with me?” He whispered and pulled me down on his lap. I was laughing at the use of such a cheesy line but I also knew that what he said was most likely true, I know that’s what I would have been doing.

He pressed his lips into my hair and on to my neck. It was too early in the morning to concentrate or for Seth too late in the night so just that sent my heart raceing.

I lay my head back on his shoulder. “How far is he?”

“Not far at all.” Seth whispered and his arms tightened around my waist.

“He wants me.” I felt Seth nod behind me.

“And if he doesn’t get me he will kill me.”

“He won’t kill you.” Seth whispered.

“You don’t know that.”

“I know that you won’t die today, and you won’t die tomorrow.”

I sighed. I guess I wouldn’t die today but with a battle everything was put up in the air. You never know what could happen. Just then Seth flinched. I got wide eyed. He always did that when something surprises him.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He whispered.

“That wasn’t nothing.” I contradicted.

Seth got me up and brought me into the forest. I realized he was being careful not to go too far though. I could nearly see the tent still. “Do you know what time it is?” he asked looking up to the sky. I looked up with him. The sky was a variety of pinks and oranges.

“I don’t.” I whispered.

“Six-oh-three.” He whispered.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked in a whispered fearing he was hiding me from something.

Then he grabbed my arms and pulled me in and kissed me like no other time before. My hands tangled them selves in his hair and I felt his encircle around me. My heart was thudding in my chest as he slowly backed me up against the closest tree. My hands moved down his neck to his chest and I had to break away to breathe. It came out in a horrible gasp and then his lips were on mine again. Seth grabbed my waist and lifted me up on the roots of the tree so I was the same height as he was and I kissed him again, long and passionate until Seth flinched again and pulled back.

“What’s wrong Seth?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He said but he looked off in the distance, he seemed distracted.

“That doesn’t seem like nothing.” I said trying to concentrate on our words instead of the thudding in my ears.

“Well it is.” He said. “Having Michael this close is just uncomfortable.”

“And the kiss was for…?”

Seth smiled. “Now I can’t kiss my girlfriend?”

“Not like that in these circumstances.” I told him smiling now too.

“So you’re saying you didn’t love that as much as I did?”

I hoped down from the roots. “I didn’t say that at all.” I said. “Actually, it was rather enjoyable.”

“Rather?”

“I meant there have been better.”

“By whom?”

“Still you and me, but just better.” I teased.

Seth shook his head and let it go. “When we survive today, I have a surprise for you tonight.” He told me backing away from me. “Something I hope you are really going love.”

“What?” I asked.

“Surprise.” He whispered, just dodging a tree.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back, I promise.” He told me then turned and ran. I couldn’t worry about him now, but I couldn’t help it, I wondered about the surprise, the battle, the kiss, Seth’s obvious fear. Was he afraid that I wouldn’t be able to face them again?

I got up and saw Seth’s sword was gone. Did he have it with him the whole time he was with me? I took mine and swung it around a bit, but battle was more the just swinging around a sword, even though I wish it could be that easy.

The first thing that Seth had taught me with a sward was how to parry and the specific parries. The second thing he showed me was how none of it mattered in a real battle. No one thrashes to the exact spot you need to parry to. You can’t get taught how to battle, but you can prepare for it.

Seth came running back and before I could ask him where he was he woke everyone up and gathered them around the non-existent fire.

Seth told them that Michael was close and that we would be in a battle today. We all hoped it would be the last but no thought it would be.

Seth had tried to get the five to come but Caitlyn was still in England, Sam was in Northern Canada, and Lillian and Alyssa were near the southern boarder. They would never make it to us in time.

Seth explained the whole strategy of ours. For once we would get the advantage. We gathered our swords, everything else would stay here. Seth told us to wait until noon, that way it wouldn’t be so early. I didn’t understand why it mattered when we battled, but Cody seemed to agree. We sat there worried for too long, then we finally met them face to face in a clearing half a kilometre away at about one o’clock. So they were expecting us, we weren’t expecting that.

I looked across the five faces of the people in front of me, all of them I recognized, all of them were just as harsh and as cold as I remembered. It seemed as if the twins had grown which wasn’t a good thing. Taylor and Lauren both scared me. Taylor could remember everything. That made her an excellent fighter, even if she doesn’t have the strength to use her skills. Lauren could make us all pass out, but she didn’t because that would hurt her own side just as much.

Keaton was eager to start. I could see it in his eyes. He could run, and I mean run incredibly fast. Seth usually fought him, seeing as he was the only one that could see him when he moved, but I had a feeling that Cody would be fighting him this afternoon. Seth had a thing for my brother.

Richard was standing directly across from me. His eyes were blank and his face was saddened. He was the only one on the other side that didn’t want to be here. He was being controlled by my father, just another reason why he needed to be killed.

Father was smiling at us all, he loved battle, just another opportunity to kill me. He loved the fact that all of this was so hard for me. Wouldn’t he be in for a surprise when he sees I won’t be holding back at all?

Father was the reason I was here, father was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me, sometimes I felt like father was my life. Sure he brought me here and I was set to kill him, but the fact that he was the one who got me here was another matter all together. I often thought about it, no father no magical world. No magical world no Seth. No Seth, no love. I could handle a world without Seth, and I knew he felt the same way.

I stopped myself from thinking about that, no doubt I would later, but not now.

I had been so distracted I didn’t see Seth taking the first few steps to the middle of the field until he was across that half line. That was all it took for the battle to begin.

My sword was drawn and I was throwing out as much fire as I could without exhausting myself. Unfortunately father was good at dodging such things. I kept on trying; it was all I really could do.

I looked over to see Seth and Richard fighting. It was hard to see two people I loved dearly trying to take the other life away. It was what Isabella said coming true; every thrust you are hoping for the opponent to die. Every parry you are hoping not to get killed your self. It applied here more then everywhere else. I finally peeled my eyes away from them and forced them to see the face of my father. He was a skilled fighter, but I was quicker then he was.

I heard the clinking of the swords and the grunts of everyone. Everything turned into a blur and suddenly it was all instinct. I knew where he was going next and if I didn’t I threw fire in his face.

“Jamie’s out!” I heard someone, I don’t know who yelled. Suddenly everything was right here again. Cody went running and Seth was fighting both Richard and Keaton

I knew he was out numbered and I knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. “Hold your breath!” Isabella shrieked.

That is when the world started to crumble around me. I knew this wasn’t good, not at all but all I could do was fight my father, we were both evenly matched and I didn’t see anyone getting an advantage anytime soon.

I must have been holing my breath for two minutes when I started to get dizzy, we were all a little off and this couldn’t have been good for Jamie.

“Lauren’s down!” Isabella yelled and a chorus of gasps went through everyone. I couldn’t believe Isabella had made someone pass out, she would have killed her if Taylor wasn’t on her back right away.

Suddenly as if in a flash father wasn’t in front of me anymore. I looked around, Seth was running towards me. Why? Why was everyone leaving? Richard turned around and started to flea. Was it all over? Had Seth killed my father? No that couldn’t have been it I was right here the whole time. Seth wouldn’t have been running towards me. Yelling. He was yelling. Then I saw it. Only five feet away a bomb. I started to run away but I couldn’t. Seth was running right towards it. I started to run anyways. There was nothing I could have done even though I desperately wanted to.

My heart thudded so loudly in my ears just like this morning, but this time it was out of fear. I dropped my sword to help me run faster but it didn’t help any.

They always say your life flashes before your eyes, well mine didn’t. All I saw was a big blur of the trees beside me as I was running using the wind to help me get along.

I turned around quickly to make sure that Seth was out of the way. He had started running back and then he turned as well. He had heard me stop. Everything was so loud, a ringing in my ears. Then there was a bright light. Fire everywhere and it threw me back before I could have done anything to stop it.

I slammed into the ground. The ringing had grown louder. Why wouldn’t it stop? Then rocks came over me. I was buried underneath.

Then there was nothing but the pain. It washed over me so that I couldn’t think, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t scream for help. Then there was the darkness strangling me like a blanket, suffocating me so that I couldn’t breathe any longer.

The pain was pounding in my head, swelling bigger then it started. It felt like it was ripping me to shreds. I needed to go away, and then just like that it did and there was nothing else…

Chapter Five – Overrated

SETH - FOUR YEARS EARLIER

I took my hands off of his neck slowly. His head was out of place and he was bleeding from everywhere I could possibly think of. Christian was dead.

It was such a victory and I was glad I had killed him even though most people would think of this sense of joy as sick and wrong. But his master had killed my parents after all. I wasn’t in my right mind around these people to begin with.

I didn’t know if I could take the body back with me. We were supposed to when we killed someone so that another person wouldn’t come across him. I decided to burn him instead.

I watched him burn as I sat on the log. He couldn’t have been much older then I was, he would have never had any part of my parent’s death, but joining Michael had put a death sentence on his shoulders. I would be rewarded when I got back to camp.

I heard steps and I stood and drew my sword as quickly as I could. Michael stepped out on the other side of the fire. “Great job Seth.” He said. “You killed one of your own.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I spat out at him.

“He has been under my control this whole time. You see you and I aren’t all that different; we both kill the innocent to get what we want. You want revenge and I want to world.”

“That isn’t true.”

“It won’t be in a few hours at least, you burned all of the evidence.” Michael said motioning to the fire I created. Christian. Had I really killed an innocent person? I had taken an oath against it. Guilt was welling inside me.

“You bastard.”

“I would watch your language if I were you Seth. You five members have an image to protect, not to mention I’m sure you would want to make your father proud.”

“You killed my father.”

“You don’t think he is looking down at you from heaven?”

“I think that if he is heaven, he doesn’t give a damn what I am doing here on earth.

“Obviously you don’t know what its like to be a father.”

“It’s not like you do.”

Michael gave a disgusting laugh. “I suppose you are right… but by birth right I am Lillian’s father… and if memory serves right you are her boyfriend.”

“So what are you going to threaten my life or something?”

He shook his head. “Where did you get that arrogance from? Your father… oh wait that can’t be it. You were three. Must have been Wyatt Morgan… no I bet it was from Matthew Sinar…”

“Shut up.”

“I won’t threaten your life, because that’s what a good father would do. And even if I did, I don’t think that would stop you from hurting her.”

“Who said I’m going to hurt her?”

Michael gave one laugh and started to walk away. “If you are anything like me - which you are, you will hurt her.”

“I am nothing like you!” I yelled out, but he was gone.

I stumbled backwards until I was leaning against a tree. I sat there watching the fire burn Christian. He should have still been alive. I had killed him. Everything was my entire fault. It didn’t matter how Michael set me up. I should have seen the hollowness in his eyes and the meaningless expressions. I should have known. I sat down in the grass and stayed for a long time… too long. The twilight sky had turned pitch black and I was still sitting here. I heard steps again but I knew who it was this time. She sat down beside me and lean her head against me.

“It’s Christian.”

“Congratulations.” Elle whispered. I know she didn’t understand the victory in killing people. She had never been brought up in the way we had, but she understood that we thought it was good. This time though I shook my head.

“It was all a mistake.”

“How is that?”

“I saw Michael.”

“And…”

“He told me he was controlling Christian. I killed an innocent person.” I whispered slowly tears were coming to my eyes but I told myself I would not cry with my little sister here.

Elle looked up at me, the fire was burning in her bright green eyes, just like our mother’s. “Death is overrated.” She said.

I could have laughed, she seemed so serious, but the statement itself was ridicules. “What I mean by that is everyone is so afraid of death.”

“And…”

“Well… for the people that die, it is so easy. Everything goes black. It is the people that loved them that have to suffer afterwards. The person who died will never know the difference. He never had any family to miss him.”

“I still ended his life short.”

“He won’t care up in heaven.”

“You are crazy.”

“Maybe… but I am right.”

“You should be back at camp.” I whispered.

“No.” she said stubbornly. “You moved out when you were ten, I am perfectly fine to be out at night when I am thirteen.”

“But I didn’t have the maturity of a seven year old.”

“I guess your maturity went down some in the past then.” She said and stuck her tongue out at me. “You might want to get some water.”

“Why?”

“Because you just got burned!” she said. I couldn’t help but laugh this time. “Why is everything with you like that?” I asked.

“Because that’s what your always like and everyone loves you.” Elle muttered. “I don’t know how, and we have the same blood running through our veins that makes us one in the same.”

“Not everyone loves me, but the number of people that do astonishes me.” I said mockingly.

“See.” She said. I understood her point.

“Actually I think Caitlyn must hate me by now.”

“What did you do now?” she asked always amused by my tactics.

“You know that white shirt she got?”

“Yeah…”

“Its not white any more.” I said simply. “You’ll see tomorrow.”

Elle smiled and shook her head at me. “Sometimes, I wonder if you weren’t in the five how you would get on I life.”

“I wonder that too.” I thought, but said. “I’d get along the same way I do now.” It was defensive I know and that usually wasn’t my style so it really shut Elle up. She took too much after me sometimes. I didn’t want her like me. I had grown up all wrong without a father. She didn’t need to come to that realization.

We were silent for a long time. I was almost convinced that Elle fell asleep on my shoulder until she talked again. “Tell me about Mom and Dad again.” She whispered. I smiled. She asked all the time, but I was only three when they died. All I had was the stories that both she and I had heard thousands of times.

“Dad was strong, and he loved us both dearly. He had brown eyes, and the same brown hair as you have. He would have raised us right.”

“We were raised right.”

“We would have lived better with him.” I said. “And mother is where we got our green eyes from and where I got my back hair.”

“That shines blue.” Elle added, never letting me forget that fact.

“That shines blue.” I whispered. “She was beautiful and she loved our father like no one else. That’s where Wyatt said you get your kindness from.” Elle smiled.

“And they died young and tragically.” I added at the end.

“You saw it didn’t you?”

I nodded. “They were loyal to the end, and they didn’t kill each other. It was other people.”

“One upside.”

“Yeah…”

Us Kennedy’s were frowned upon by a lot of people. Our great, great grandfather had been one of the first people to start taking over the magical world, but it was our father to turn against the evil legacy, so they found Michael Parker. His father was an ally to my grandfather. No one ever saw my father as a hero though, even for me to be in the five, I was still looked at as a bad influence on everything. If this got out it was all over for Elle and I. If Michael didn’t kill us, the public will.

Elle didn’t know any of it. I had only just learned it recently from some of my father’s old journals. No one else knew I knew, but I had a feeling that both the Sinar’s and the Morgan’s knew perfectly well. Lillian and I had always been outsiders in the five, two evil families amongst the five legacies. It was Matthew Sinar and Augustine Morgan who started the five. I am so glad that Caitlyn, Sam, and Alyssa never thought that way, but there was a reason Caitlyn, Sam, and Alyssa were first, second, and third in command.

I tried my past to push thoughts of that away. I spent enough time worrying about that to worry now. By this time Elle had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I carried her back to camp and placed her in the tent on our bed.

I remembered back when I was thirteen. I had already moved out too. I always thought I was so old, so big. I was the older brother after all. But looking at Elle now she looked so small.. Were we all really this small at thirteen?

“No matter how much you don’t think dying is a big deal, I won’t let you die Elle.” I whispered. It was the only thing I could say to make me feel better. Even if I couldn’t make it come true I would have tried. I could never loose her. She was the only family I had left.

I left her there and wandered back outside the tent. Everyone was asleep I supposed. I wouldn’t have to tell anyone just yet. I debated whether to wake up Lillian or not. She and Alyssa were really the only ones I wanted to talk to about this. Caitlyn would be harsh, and Sam wasn’t the kind of guy to sit and listen, anyways he was my elder and that would be… well awkward.

I decided to go talk to Lillian. Even if I didn’t tell her, I knew she could distract me for a while. I crawled into her tent beside her on the bed and she woke up instantly.

“A little late isn’t it?” she asked.

“Early.” I corrected.

Lillian rolled her eyes and kissed me. “What happened, I saw smoke…” she asked.

I looked down. “I killed Christian.” I whispered and told her everything. She looked at me astonished afterwards.

“But you never knew that Michael was behind it.”

“Michael is always behind it Lillian and we know that.” I said, I was about to go back to Elle when she pulled be back down on the bed with her.

“I always wondered what it would be like to be in Elizabeth’s place.” She said. “To have grown up without this world, to have been a normal person, to have a family. No matter what people think of me, I have always wanted that kind of life. It think I could have been different out there. I always resented Michael for picking Elizabeth to be his daughter and casting me away to Matthew and Georgina. I never belonged there and I became who I am now so that no one would ever know how much I was hurting.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“Because you and I are so similar, you do the same thing. You hide from who you are. You are going to go out there tomorrow and act like killing Christian was no big deal, even though you, I, and Elle will know better. It is who we are now, and if I had been there, I would have killed Christian too.”

Much to my regret, she was right, I went out the very next day stoned face, so no one would ever know the truth.

Chapter Six – Recovery

PRESENT DAY

I was coughing. No heaving. I couldn’t be quite sure. Every time breath I took my chest ached in pain. It was all that I could think about. Every breath I took tasted dusty. My head was pounding, but it wasn’t just my chest that hurt, it was everything. There were rocks on top of me so I couldn’t move. I don’t think I would have been able to move even if the rocks weren’t there.

I tried to yell out to someone but all that came out were whispers. I couldn’t talk. I knew I could very well die like this. This could be my death.

She came into my mind like a bullet wound. If I was farther away then Elizabeth and am still on my death bed then she would be as well. I stopped trying to scream. She needed to be found first. I could wait forever down here if it meant she got to live.

I tried keeping my eyes open but the dust was too much. I closed them with a jerk. That was all it took to fall asleep.

I set her down on the rock still not able to let go of her. “You can open your eyes now.” I whispered. She looked right into my eyes. She was shaking and she didn’t even know it. Elizabeth didn’t look around at all, she was scared of everything. I had made her this way.

“I’m okay.” She whispered. She voice was horrible coarse and shaky. I just stood there. I didn’t know what to do.

“No one is okay after witnessing their first death.” I denied. I couldn’t see her shaking anymore so I pulled her into me to stop her. She was breathing hard but I imagine I was too.

I sat her down on the rock again and I came beside her. My arms still around her tight, I laid her back slowly. It wasn’t the most comfortable but it was better then anything else. She was cold so I tried to warm her up. She was still so scared. She hadn’t so much as looked up yet.

I whispered whatever came to mind in her head and she seemed to be falling asleep. I swept her soft hair to the side and kissed her head softly. “It’s okay now Elle, go to sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Thankfully she did. I needed to be more careful with her. She could have been the one dead.

I woke up it was soft. The first thing thought of was that it was all a dream. That was what I thought of the first morning I woke up from Elle dying.

I opened my eyes. I was in the tent, in the bed. There was a cast around my collar bone. I must have broken it. The pain was coming in waves but I ignored it. I Isabella was sitting on the ground beside the bed. Her head was resting on the bed and she was fast asleep.

“Isabella.” I whispered.

She woke up and gave me a forced smile. “Hey.” She said. Her voice rang in my ears. It was like I had no control over my power any more.

“Where is Elizabeth?” My voice sounded all wrong. It was coming out shaky and rasped.

After Isabella didn’t answer me I asked her again. “They are out looking for her.”

Her words hit me hard. They still hadn’t found her? She could still be out there underneath it all. I struggled to get up but Isabella pushed me back down. “You can’t go, you will hurt yourself, you broke you collar bone.” She yelled.

“I have to.” I insisted. Even if I break it more I will still have to recover, a bit more pain was nothing. I tried to get up one more time.

“Seth!” she yelled. Tears were openly falling from her face now. “All three of us were out there looking for you two and when Cody found you I had to bring you back, I was told to stay here for until they came back. It’s been three days. Even if she is still out there… I don’t think we will find her alive.”

Isabella clung onto me. My collar bone was screaming in protest but I couldn’t let her go. I kept on telling myself she couldn’t be gone. She was strong. She could have fed herself and gave herself water. She could still be waiting for me to come and find her. I needed to find her.

“Sorry.” Isabella whispered when she got up.

Just like on cue Cody and Jamie walked through the door. “We couldn’t find her, if she is there she has been unconscious the whole time.”

Cody would have been able to read her mind if she was there. I closed my eyes. I needed to scream, to cry, and to curse the world but I couldn’t do anything. She was lying on her death bad and I was recovering on this soft one. It didn’t seem fair; hell the whole damn world wasn’t fair. I had know that when I was three, when my parents killed each other in front of me, and was reminded again when Elle died, and now the only person on this world I truly loved had died with me to watch yet again.

I couldn’t, wouldn’t let myself fall into the way I was before, but how could I not, I didn’t have anything to live for anymore.

I started coughing again and it was like daggers being thrown into my throat (and yes unfortunately I do know what that feels like).

“Go look harder.” I said.

“We have been out there for three days…”

“You know I would be out there until the day I die! Since I can’t and you can you have to do this for me.” I yelled the loudest I could. I’m afraid that wasn’t very loud.

After no one moved Isabella got up. “I’ll go.” She said and slipped out. I banged my head against the bed and cursed myself for getting hurt. I would be healed in about a month but in a month there was no way Elizabeth could ever be found. That’s when it hit me and hit me hard. There was good chance I would never see her again, never hold her again, never…

“Cody, I’m going to go help her.” Jamie whispered running out. That left Cody and I free to talk. It wasn’t like he didn’t already know everything.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. I didn’t speak. What could I say? He couldn’t relate to me at all. Even if Isabella or Jamie died for that matter he would never be as hurt as I was now, he would always have the other one, he would always have someone, I have no one.

“You are better at hiding things from me then I thought.” He said as he threw a black case at me. I knew what it was. Of course I knew what it was, I had been to ten different stores looking for one that I thought would be great, one that would make her blue eyes light up and tears come into them, one that she would fling her arms me for getting, one that we both knew we never wanted to let go. None of that would ever happen.

“It fell out of your pocket when I carried you over here.” I opened it slowly and saw the gold ring shining back at me. The gold was almost orange. I thought this one would be the one because of everything that happened to us at sunset. I had planed everything in my head, gone over it countless times, and every time I saw her it took everything I had not to go down on one knee right there. I was going to ask her to marry me.

“Wasn’t it going to be a bit soon though?” Cody asked.

I hated how he put it in the past tense, it made everything so real.

“It’s what she would have wanted.” I said. And what I wanted too. She would love the big wedding, getting everything planned. After all of the pain, she deserved a night where she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone killing her, and then the honeymoon spot afterwards was going to be a dream. We both deserved it.

“Is that what you want?”

“I want what she wants.” I said not giving him the answer he was looking for. He was going to give me a big thing about or ages, one that I would fall asleep listening to, or drown in my own scattered thoughts.

“I’m really sorry man.” Cody said once again. I closed my eyes hard trying to stop my life from spinning around.

Why hadn’t she run when I told her to? Could she not hear me, and why in the world would she turn around for me? I had always told her to save herself and I would find a way to save the both of us. If she would have only trusted me we would have both gotten out alive. If I had made her trust me, if I had gotten there sooner…

I was blaming myself again, I knew I wasn’t suppose to but hell, it was the only way I could analyze this. Blaming myself is the only way I wouldn’t go out there and kill everyone that was a part of her death, all I would have to live with now is me.

I gave a slight groan of pain and closed my eyes. “When can I get off this bed?” I asked in another groan.

Cody looked around the cast that had been around me from the moment I got up, “You could leave now if you want; you are a miraculously fast healer.”

I didn’t comment on that, of course I was, it was implanted in my brain since I had been a baby. I could get a bullet in the heart and most likely be able to recover, but we can get killed, of course how could have Elizabeth known that the explosion would have just shaken me up a bit. It was weird, I could deal with every physical pain possible, but the mental stuff came closer to killing me then everything else.

I struggled to get up and slipped a shirt on over my cast and walked out slowly. My chest wanted to go back but I couldn’t. I needed to get out. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go the field just yet, maybe tonight. I knew I wouldn’t be going back to that tent for a couple of days. I could live out here easily.

I walked until Cody was out of my range, my ears were ringing as it is, and I didn’t need his steps distracting me as well. My breath sounded like thunder in my ears. My body was over reacting. I couldn’t handle her death, not when I still craved her with me. The horrible thing was that the one person I wanted to talk to about Elizabeth’s death was Elizabeth. I knew that could never, ever happen.

Elizabeth didn’t sleep the whole night. She woke up once in tears, another screaming, and what’s worse, she didn’t remember a thing that morning. She jerked wake at sun rise. This time I was sure she was actually alive.

She went to sit up but I kept her to me afraid of her falling. “Don’t leave now.” I whispered. She leaned back into me, she was still quivering, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the chill in the air or last night. I wanted to get up, my back was aching but I wouldn’t for her sake.

“Seth? What was his power?” she asked in her low voice that made me scared.
It was one question I didn’t want to answer.

“He can take your soul away.” I muttered making sure my voice ended the conversation there. I had been careless with him, Caitlyn told me he was dead, out of the area, whatever excuse she gave me was a lie, everything with them always is.

I let Elizabeth get off of me and I sat up on the rock. Elizabeth offered me a weak smile. She always tried to make sure I was okay, to make sure I knew she was okay. I wondered if she felt tired or sore. She did not seem like herself.

“Remind me not to sleep on rocks anymore.” I said hoping to make her laugh, we both did.

As we walked back I almost held her up. I don’t think she knew she was leaning on me so much. I think she thought she was fine. Was it shock or denial of what happened?

Isabella took her from me the second we got back. Isabella was the only person I would ever trust with her this way. Still it made me nervous.

Isabella looked up at me in panic over Elizabeth. I made gestures behind Elizabeth’s back to tell her not to bring it up. She didn’t know how worse off she was.

I kept on replaying the explosion in my mind. Why hadn’t Eliza seen Keaton plant the bomb? To me it was obvious what it was, especially with the infernal ringing that came from it that almost made me pass out right there. Where were Cody, Jamie, and Isabella during all of this?

Too many questions, and I didn’t have answers for any of them. I was so caught up with Elizabeth that I didn’t notice the little details of what happened. That was the difference between her and I. She could most likely recall where everything was. She would have been watching Isabella just as much as she was watching me. That was only one of the reasons why I had loved her.

I tried to concentrate on her, what she looked like. When she turned around there was so much fear and confusion.

I never really thought of how she was going to die. I knew it was very probable that she would die first, but that was only because of who I am. If there was any way for her to go out I guess this would have been it. I didn’t know why, but I almost wished she would have died in my arms the night I came back and she was sick. I didn’t sleep at all that night, I was afraid I would wake up to find her dead, but I would rather have her die here then there where she is no where to be found.

I made my way to the back of the clearing. I hoped that with all of the smoke Isabella and Jamie wouldn’t be able to see me.

The ground wasn’t the ground anymore. It was more or less a big pile of dirt. I walked around it trying to pick up her sent, or anything that could have been hers. I tripped a few times and fell once but I was better then I thought on my feet. I didn’t realize my eyes were filled with tears until I took a moment to stop. I told myself it was the smoke but I knew it wasn’t. It was her. I hadn’t cried for years and this was to set me off.

“You can’t die out there Elizabeth!” I yelled to her by chance that she was right under my feet and by chance she was conscious enough to hear me.

“You can’t die.” I whispered to myself as I dropped down to my knees and started pulling rocks out of the way. I was convinced she was down there. Once I felt the ground I knew she wasn’t.

I started breathing heavily and snuck into the hole I had made. I stayed there for hours. The wind had picked up and blew most of the smoke away with it. I didn’t come back until that night.

I started to stumble my way back to the forest when I saw something shiny glittering in the moonlight. When I went to see it was pure gold and only half of what I remembered. It was half of Elle’s heart.

I followed her outside. She told me not to but I did anyways. She started to run and I knew something was up. When she stopped she was shaking and muttering to herself. I walked out and stopped her shaking.

“Your right.” She whispered. “No one is okay after witnessing their first death.”

‘I wish I wasn’t” I really did. I rocked her in my arms. “You’re going to live a long life Elizabeth, and I promise I will be there every step of the way.” I whispered hopeing it was true. Hoping that we would survive this battle.

Chapter Seven – Realization

I took the heart back with me. If anything but to break into pieces afterwards. What are the chances that I would ever find this? Why did I have to find this? It was so much of Elle, and so much of Eliza together in one. It was too much for me to handle.

God I missed her so much. I needed her here. Did she just give up living? If she had set her mind to I know she would still be alive now. She could always do what she set out to do. She still managed to amaze me every single day. One day she relates to me on a whole new level and the next she is out there fighting for the world. She was everything and now she is nothing.

Did she think we would be okay, would she ever consider things would be better without her, or was she killed in an instant. She couldn’t really be gone. I’m sure if I went back right now she would be at camp unconscious, there was no way… she couldn’t just… she wouldn’t… but she did.

I sat down when I was far enough away I couldn’t smell the smoke and sat down. I couldn’t bring myself to light a fire. That hasn’t been my job for over a year. If I shut my eyes tight and leaned against the tree I could pretend it was her I was leaning against. Accept the tree didn’t make those movements a human does and doesn’t realize it. A tree doesn’t have a heart, and the tree just wasn’t her.

I pulled out the knife that has been lodged permanently in my pocket, I only kept it for her protection. Ever since she came here I felt like she was so vulnerable for anything and pushed training on her like Maria had done to me when I was little. I couldn’t have her getting hurt because of my insolence. Even then I felt the will that she was going to mean something one day. I guess for once, I was right.

I starred at my reflection in the cool steal. My hair even more black then usual fell in front of my eyes. It would have been driving Elizabeth insane by now. I wasn’t the same and I never would be, and now I was only debating with myself what to do with it…

I could feel her eyes on me. Had I scared her? I should have never told her anything about the five, but how long could I go without telling her. I was already falling for her.

I tried to look away but I couldn’t help but sneaking looks at her through my hair. I couldn’t believe I had let it get this long, but even this long only skimmed my eyes,

We couldn’t… Maria said… oh screw it. Maria has never told me what to do and she isn’t going to now. If I had listened to her I would still be with Lillian and listening to her crap problems.

I got up and walked in circles. What if she was scared of me, what if she would leave right now? They would kill her. They all would.

She started me when she stood up, but she only went as far as to lean against a tree. Her eyes still hadn’t moved from me. I think she loved me too, or she loved who she thought I was.

I finally stopped my pacing and came face to face with her. I was taunting myself being so close. I could hear every move she made with precision. I knew Maria would never be able to stop me now.

Elizabeth looked so pale, and her blue eyes were starring into mine. She bit her lip. She was as nervous as I was.

“Are you ok?” I asked trying to sound normal. Every time I said it in my head my voice came out as only a crack.

“I’m fine why do you ask? She said with that spark of attitude that I learned to love. She was so much different from all those other city girls, and so much like Elle’s mocking personality of me.

“You look a little pale”

“My skin is normally pale.”

“Paler than usual.” I said. I brushed my

hand against my cheek. She got even paler.

“Maybe it’s you?”

“My vision is much better than yours is, now what’s wrong?”

“Really I’m ok”

“Fine don’t tell me” I said as I slowly leaned over and kissed her forehead. I was pushing it and I knew it but if I was going to do this… I backed up but still faced her, for some reason I couldn’t look away.

“Do you like it here?” I asked.

“Here in the magical world?”

“Yes” I answered and smiled at her cluelessness.

“You know I do.”

“Do you think you will go back to the censored world?”

“Not as of now I can promise you a few more months at the least.” If she wasn’t going to return there, what could it hurt right? I had never been this nervous in my life.

“Okay, it is good to know.” I whispered. I looked at her for a long time debating whether I should go now. It shouldn’t take this much, with Lillian it was easy and it all just fell into place. With her I needed to be careful.

I stepped forward slowly and lifted her chin up to meet mine, just like I used to do with Lillian. I stopped for a moment. I knew I could still back away but I didn’t. She pushed forward that little bit for us to kiss. Just that erased any thought I had of Elizabeth and Lillian being similar. They weren’t, not at all. I pulled her closer but then pulled away when I knew it had gone on too long. I had to pace myself. I had to stay in the moment…

It would just be too easy to push the knife in to my heart. With my injuries I would never be able to survive it. I would be with her again. I wouldn’t have to live like this, but would she ever forgive me for it.

I closed my eyes and told myself I couldn’t. I wouldn’t even think about living, I wanted to live. I wasn’t afraid of death, but I would never inflict it on myself.

Death isn’t scary, not for me. But thinking about everyone you will never see versus the people you will see if my some miracle I go to heaven was almost worth dying. I would have a family up there, if you can still have your family in heaven. I would have all of them back, mom, dad, Elle, Elizabeth, hell I could even apologise to Christian.

I know she wanted me to live, but living is too hard and sometimes unbearable.

I could tell I was close to where their camp was. I had only stopped once in the four days I had been travelling, well running to get back. The nerve of Lillian. I was so scared of what I would come back to. I pushed myself harder until I heard them all in my range. Three people were breathing. Three.

That was all I needed to know to be okay. Soon I saw her lying outside. She never stopped surprising me. She was shaking violently. I held on to her with all my might. I tried to stop her flailing arms. She had no control what so ever.

She looked just awful, her eyes were red and her face was sweaty. I had missed so much. I couldn’t help but feel responsible. I didn’t even feel the pain she caused in my arms until she stopped. I knew she was waking up.

She smiled at me and I gave the best smile back. She always tried to hard. “Seth!”

“It’s okay, I’m here.” I whispered and rocked her in my arms. It always seemed to make her feel better.

“I’m sorry.” she mumbled. “I’m not doing very well.”

I forced a laugh. “Well trying to stop you from seizing was fun.” She thankfully laughed too.

“I got sick of the tent.” she said.

“I would too.” I agreed.

“It has gotten worse.” She said. Her voice went down to that of a whisper.

“I can see that.” I said as I shook my head.

I had to make her feel better. I couldn’t show her that I was terrified. I couldn’t loose her. I know I couldn’t. I leaned in to finally kiss her.

“I’m sick.” I protested.

“Well luckily I don’t get sick then.” I laughed. She frowned.

I kissed her with all of my might. I had to jerk myself away. She was so out of breath from those five seconds.

She started to shiver, it scared me. I held her close to me on my lap and wrapped the blanket around the both of us. I held on to her tight.

We stayed like that in and out her hallucinations. I tried to ignore the seizing for her sake. I talk to her about whatever came to mind. I could see her fighting back sleep and as much as I couldn’t let her fall asleep I knew I had too. I slowly lowered the both of us to the floor. I watched her sleep for a while and then I brought her in the tent with me.

“I won’t let you die Eliza.” I whispered in her ear before falling asleep. “Not here not ever.”

I knew I could never live without her. I knew I had to see her and everyone else and I didn’t matter who it would hurt in this life. They would all find some way to get over it. I stumbled up and leaned against the tree for support. I looked to the knife and positioned it to be right above my heart. I found the river that way I could just wash myself away with the current.

“No Seth you can’t!” Someone yelled, she yelled.

The knife dropped out of my hands and into the river, there was no getting it now. I looked around frantically. There was no one here, yet I heard her voice clear as anything.

“Elizabeth, Eliza!” I yelled. She wasn’t here. She had never been here. I sat back down. I was hearing voices, having conversations with her in my head. I loved her to much.

“Elizabeth if you are here, you have to know,” I whispered. “I love you, I can’t stop loving you. I don’t think I can live without you.” I was talking to know one and I knew it.

“Damn it Elizabeth! You got me talking to myself.” I yelled to the sky, to everyone, to no one. I didn’t know anymore.

So I didn’t kill myself. Maybe it was for the best. Isabella would be lost without me. Alyssa would be crushed in all directions. I knew she still sort of loved me, I also knew from Lillian that she was into someone else. I was just glad she was getting over me. I had hurt her too much already, this would kill her. Lillian would get over it somehow. She would sleep with Sam in some effort for the both of them to try and forget. And Caitlyn, well I don’t know what she would do. You can never know with her.

I wiped the dirt from my face which was pointless because I lay down in the dirt. I fell asleep and I knew the day from hell was finally over.

Elizabeth ran off with the candle in her hands, of course I had to follow her. I loved seeing her run again. I loved seeing her live again.

She finally stopped at the river. I didn’t ask questions, I only watched her as she grabbed a piece of drift wood. She skimmed her hands across the water and smiled at the ripples. I had never seen her so happy to be outside.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Yes.” I nodded. I watched her light the candle and put it off in the water. I watched her smile grow and her eyes widen. She loved to orange on the water and I loved her watching to orange on the water. I knew it was going to be a great night. Hell any night is a great night with the woman I love.

Chapter Eight – The End

“I know that you won’t die today, and you won’t die tomorrow.” That’s what I had told her. What did I know? I stepped through the tent doors to find Isabella curled up in a ball. Tears were still on her face. She looked just awful, but I’m sure we all did.

I kicked off my shoes and sat down beside her. She was shaking and I pulled a blanket on her. It didn’t stop her though. She was like a reflection of Elizabeth, right here beside me.

“Seth?” She mumbled as she sat up and her hand immediately went to brush her tears away. Her and I we were so much alike in that way.

“Yeah, I’m here.” I whispered.

“I am so glad, I was up looking for you half the night, I was worried that you would do something stupid.”

“I almost did.” I admitted.

“Seth.”

“Don’t talk to me that way.” I said. She was quiet. I thought I didn’t want to talk to any body but the silence was too much. “I… I can’t handle this.” I whispered.

“I don’t think I can either.” She whispered.

“I’m loosing it.” I told her only half admitting it to myself.

“Your fine.” She denied.

“I heard her out there. That is not normal.” I said. Her eyes widened.

“What did she say?”

“She told me not to kill myself.”

“She would always say that.” Isabella said in a matter of fact voice.

“No matter what.” I agreed. We came before her always. In her head at least. I never understood her in that way. To me she would always come first.

Isabella held out an envelope to me. I took it. It had my name on it, in her writing. I saw one with Isabella’s on the floor. “That’s why I was crying.” She whispered. “She wrote it for you… encase she were to die. She wrote it after you and her were in the woods, and that guy attacked you.”

I just starred at it breathing heavily. I didn’t know if I couldn’t handle this now. I knew I wouldn’t be able to read this here.

“You don’t have to read it now.” She whispered. “I stopped in town and got a bottle of wine. I already had some but we can split the rest.” She suggested reaching to the other side of the bed and popping it open, she held it out to me.

I nodded slowly and took a swing at its tangy taste. It wasn’t what I would have gotten but it was fine none the less. We had finished off the bottle within that hour. None of us talked.

“I’m going to go…” I said standing up and holding out the letter.

“Promise that you will come back.” She said.

“I promise.” As if that meant anything anymore, but it was the only hope she had to go off on. I didn’t even know if I would be able to come back or not. I could see myself just running away and hiding for the rest of my life. Knowing the five they would find a tracker or something to come and get me. At least that would add some amusement to my life. Maybe I would become truly crazy and would start hearing Elizabeth all the time.

I got far enough away that Cody wouldn’t be able to hear my thoughts. Sometimes I didn’t under stand how his power worked. He could hear thought farther away then he himself could hear. I starred at the letter for a long while. Her writing was on the cover with my name, my name. I had to open it, but did I have the strength to?

I fumbled with it for a minute and then dropped the envelope. The note was in my hand. I unfolded it slowly. It was written on both front and back. Some of it was smudged by her tears. I could still smell the salt from them, I could still smell her all over this note. It was all her writing, hers.

I closed my eyes and opened them again. I finally averted my eyes to the note and forced myself to read its words.

Seth

Well I guess neither of us whished for this to happen, because if you are reading this, well I don’t have to say the obvious. The scary thing is, I don’t know how I died. When I thought about how I was going to go out, I hoped it would be at the same time as you. I hoped neither of us would ever have to live without the other. As if either of us could ever have a regular life. I don’t know why I’m writing this, I don’t know what to say. If you are reading this you are most likely a wreck at least I know that I would be. There really isn’t anything I could say here to express how much I am missing you, or anyone for that matter. I could say I love you a million times and it still wouldn’t even come close. So I tell you now. I love you Seth Edward Kennedy. I have as long as I have known you and I always will. Don’t ruin your life over me like you did for Elle. I’m not worth your life. No one is worth your life. But don’t forget me either. Keep me with you forever and always. Please Seth stay alive for me. Take care of Isabella, she can’t do this alone. Even with Cody by her side, she will need you I know she will. I love you, I love you, I love you. If I could I would come back in a heart beat. Kill father for me, because I think that’s how I died. That’s how I think I would die. Reading this over it doesn’t make any sense at all but none of this does so it fits. Just do one thing for me, let go of everything.

Love,

Elizabeth

I read it five times, and I read I love you countless times. It was like she knew she was going to die young. It was like she knew everything. This was her. It would have been so easy to rip it up and forget I ever saw anything. That would have been too easy. I couldn’t let her go that easily.

I slipped the note in my pocket and pulled myself together. I had to do what she said, even if I don’t know how. Let go? Let go of what? Elizabeth help me with at least that. Give me a sign, give me anything to show me how to live what to do.

I waited and there was nothing, nothing at all. “Thanks.” I muttered.

“For what?” I turned around quickly, I could have sworn it was her, but it was Lillian. I could always tell them apart, everyone always could but for them it was the hair, for me it was all the little things. Lillian was an eighth of an inch taller the Elizabeth was. Her eyes were lighter, her skin tanner and her hair lighter. You could always tell by their facial expressions. Lillian’s always hard and strong but Elizabeth’s were always so soft. In the later days though, Elizabeth’s expression was getting harder. I couldn’t tell if it was because of her getting older or if it was because of her past catching up on her like it did with Lillian years ago.

“What are you…” I started but trailed off.

“I saw you were camping here. Where’s Lizzie?” she asked.

I looked down. She really didn’t know. It wasn’t like she was going to care if I told her either. I took a deep breath. “There was an explosion, she died.” I whispered. I gritted my teeth together as she slowly came closer. They were too much alike. Way too much, I’m sure if I tried hard enough I could pretend she was Elizabeth… I couldn’t possibly.

“So that’s what happened to you.” She whispered.

“I broke my collar bone.”

“No not that, your eyes are red and, you look so tired. You look so weak Seth, your going back I can see it already.”

“I’m not going back.” I said through clenched teeth.

“I’ve got to get everyone else.” She said stumbling back. “Seth I’m so sorry for you.” For me, nothing at all for her, she was just worried about how I was going to react. She didn’t care about Eliza at all.

I didn’t want the five coming to babysit me like a child. One of them would stay, I knew they would. They would make sure I lived, they would take me on countless missions and make me smile for them and possibly slap me if I didn’t. It was routine but if they thought they were helping, they weren’t.

I made my way slowly back to the tent. “The five is coming.” I called out to anyone that could hear me. Isabella was still sitting on the bed.

“They heard?”

“Lillian found me and is going to tell the others.” I whispered.

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Seth! Seth stop it, it’s us remember its Sam and Caitlyn you know us damn it!” Sam was screaming at me. I couldn’t respond though, I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, and I didn’t know why. I had been in shock before but nothing like this, nothing could surprise me, scar me that much.

“Sam regain control or else you will kill us all!” Caitlyn screamed. What ever I was laying shuttered with impact and I heard his steady foot steps walking away.

“Seth.” She whispered. “Seth come back to us.”

“Let me see him!” Lillian screeched and came running past who ever was at the door. “You don’t get to break up with me and then die.” She said as her lips attacked mine. It wasn’t bad exactly but certainly not what it used to be.

“Elle?” I whispered not knowing why I said her name when I knew it was Lillian, and Elle would have never kissed me.

“No sweetie its Lillian, Elle isn’t here.”

“Caitlyn?”

“Mhmm.”

“Where is she, she died didn’t she?” I got up slowly.

“Yes, she died.” Caitlyn whispered. I gripped the handles on the bed I was laying on and pulled myself slowly up. I was in the infirmary of our eastern house. I squinted from the light and slid off the bed slowly. I was in a daze and everything was haze but I didn’t care.

My shoulder ached, I must have dislocated it when I… swing at her. I found my way outside. Everyone followed me.

Alyssa was walking away when I came out. She must have heard one of us because she turned and gasped.

“Allie, tell me something.” I asked. She nodded. “How did she die?”

She seemed surprised I didn’t know, but I did know. I remembered everything. I just wanted to see if she thought what I wanted everyone to think. “Michael and Richard killed her.” She whispered.

“No.” I denied. “I did.”

“Seth you didn’t…”

“Don’t argue it.” I told her. I wasn’t my father. My father did great things, all I did was run away from my parent’s deaths and now I had killed my father, or what passed as it. The last connection to my family I had left was gone, the one person that I was forced to protect I actually cared about was gone. Gone.

“Are you okay?” she asked daring to take a step closer. I found myself leaning backwards. Seeing her only reminded me of my sister, they had been inseparable since birth. They were meant to be best friends.

“No.” I said, and I don’t think I ever will be.

“Seth!” Alyssa yelled running into me arms out stretched her face red from her previous tears. “I heard and I couldn’t believe, Seth, I’m so sorry.” Tears were running into my shirt.

“I still can’t believe it.” I whispered and stepped away from her.

Sam was behind her, neither Lillian nor Caitlyn were here. Lillian most likely went over seas to get her.

“Seth.” Sam whispered.

“It was Michael.” I said stating the obvious.

They both just stood there. Isabella came out after a while and there were more hugs and tears. Cody and Jamie were no where to be found.

“I’m going to go out with them for a bit.” I said to Isabella. She nodded and retreated back to the tent. I walked in front of the two of them for a while. Finally I just sat and they followed.

“Seth…” Alyssa started.

“I’m loosing it.” I told them. Alyssa looked at me with wide eyes.

“Is I as bad as it was with Elle?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will you go back?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you know then?” Sam asked.

“I know it all feels like the end, I know everything is coming to and end.”

She slapped me hard. I wanted her too. This was what I asked for after all. “That’s for never coming back when you said you would.” She said in the bravest voice she could build up. How could I take her seriously when she was quivering, she could hardly stand up straight.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. I’m sure my face was a little red but it didn’t hurt too much.

“It is supposed to hurt.” I objected. She rolled her eyes.

“Fine.” She slapped me again. “That one is for loving Lillian first.” That was one I would have never expected to hear her say. I always thought it would be a silent feud.

“I should have seen that coming but I didn’t.” I explained. She looked up at me sadly but slapped me again.

“That one was for every time I said I love you when you never told me the truth.” she whispered, that was all she could build. Maybe this was hurting her, she seemed as if she could fall apart. She slapped me again. “That was for planning to kill me.”

That one I was expecting. She went to hit me again but I grabbed her hand as it was coming down and twirled her. I brought her in closer. This time she didn’t flinch away. I was so relieved over that. I kissed her so cautiously, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to.

“You can’t make everything better with a kiss.” she whispered.

“It always makes things a little bit better.” I objected. I kissed her again.

“Seth.” And again.

“Seth!” and again.

“I’m not letting this go.” And again.

“But it is a little better.” she admitted.

That was all I needed to hear “Like I said.”

“It could always get better…” she taunted. I almost laughed, I was thinking the same thing, and I kissed her again.

I wrapped my arms around her that was the only way I knew she wouldn’t fall over. I rocked her gently; it came naturally to do so.

It seemed to be the only thing I could think about. The old times when things were good, life was good. Even when times were bad and we were fighting, even when we were in battle or one of us was hurt it was always better then this. We always knew how good we had it; both of us had come from a horrible life.

Her arms were around my neck and I could feel the short breaths of hers growing longer. She leaned in and kissed my neck slowly. I wanted to let her down and kiss her lips but there were some things she needed to do first.

“Go to sleep Elizabeth.” I whispered. “I promise I will be there when you wake up.”

Chapter Nine – Funeral

“What?” I asked face blank, palm sweaty from gripping the sword so hard.

“You heard me Seth, this is the mission of a life time and we have decided to give it to you.” Maria said. The five panel sat in front of me. Matthew, Maria, Alexandra, and Wyatt was all in attendance, Georgina was not. For once in my life I would have welcomed her presence. She seemed to take pity on me as well as Alexandra, but tonight Alexandra seems as much with the rest of them.

I put the sword back in its sheaf. I am the best swords man the five has ever seen and you would rather use my skills to train that bastard’s daughter?” I asked angered.

“Seth language.” Wyatt interrupted using his step fatherly voice.

“I don’t give a damn what language I use.” I told him. I had told him countless times he was not my father and if it came to that I would tell him here in front of the whole panel.

“Well we do.” Maria told me. “And if you don’t smarten up you’ll find yourself in fifth rank pretty fast.”

“I don’t care about my rank; all of it is based on who you're related to, as if I could change that.”

“This girl you are training is not only Michael’s daughter but also Lillian’s twin sister, you need to respect her just as much as Lillian, she hasn’t even known this world yet…”

“Then why in hell would you ever want to bring her into it? “I asked then starring into every one of their eyes. “It only gets you killed…”

“Seth not everything needs to be about Elle.” Alexandra said.

“You just made it about Elle. I didn’t even mention her name.”

“We all knew what you were implying.”

“I don’t give a damn what you think I was leading too, maybe I have thoughts other then just her, maybe sometimes I just want to forget her.”

“And how is that working out for you?” Maria asked.

I was silent. “You will speak when spoken to.” She told me.

“Like I would tell you of all people about my personal life.” I muttered.

“Speak up boy.”

“I slammed my hands on their table. “First off I am not a boy as you wrongly accused, I have a name and I have the right to ask for it to be used. I had said that I would never tell any of you people anything about my personal life.”

“You know we have ways of making you talk.” Maria said in her icy tone.

“I know all too well.” I muttered.

“Seth.” Matthew said finally speaking up with complete authority, the one person I wouldn’t dare talk back to. “You are doing this mission whether you like it or not. We will send full instructions to you through Alyssa. We hope to see you again Seth Edward Morgan.”

I took a step back from the table. “Seth Edward Kennedy,” I told them all. “I changed it the first day I could, and don’t you dare change it back, someone needs to continue the name, and I’ll still never forgive that you changed both mine in my sisters in the first place. Her grave should have read Elle Serena Kennedy.”

“You are dismissed.” He told me and I left without one look back.

Have you ever loved someone so much that you knew that you would do anything for her? Anything at all. You know that kill anyone that stood in her way, in our way, and would kill yourself before anyone else killed her. Have you had her taken away from you in a flash?

I often question if it would hurt this bad if Elle would have never died. If I had found Elizabeth and had been able to introduce her to my sister, to have her to face today with me, but if I was being honest with myself, if Elle had never died, Elizabeth and I would have never been together.

I tried to remember all those nights, my arms were around Elizabeth, and I was just watching her sleep. Back then I tried to remember what it was like when Elle had died. I couldn’t remember, now I do.

I couldn’t decide what had been worse in my life, Elle dying, or Elizabeth. I always thought Elizabeth. Elle I recovered from, but how are you supposed to recover from something like this? I could still see the scars she left when she burned me, I could almost still taste her on my lips, and I had to see her God damned sisters walking around everywhere.

I tried to be the person I had been four years ago, the person who could have gone on. It seemed almost impossible.

Now everything was all about remembering, what was the last thing I said to her? What was the last thing she said to me? None of it should have mattered, but it did.

I was sitting at that spot I had first brought Elizabeth after her small concussion. The spot that was my parent’s favourite so long ago. The spot that everyone knew was mine. I didn’t understand why I was hiding here, but I didn’t understand anything anymore so it didn’t matter.

I knew a town about ten miles away a funeral was being held. One that I should be at. But I couldn’t... I should be there, but I’m not. Seeing the empty coffin would only remind me how easy it would be to die. How only tearing this brace off… I slammed my fist into the closest tree. I promised myself I wouldn’t think about dying, at least not me dying.

I reached into my pocket – a big mistake, because what I pulled out I never wanted to be reminded of again. A gold ring with three small diamonds in the centre. Now I would never get to see her face light up, see those blue eyes fill up with tears, feel her lips press up against mine. Before I realized I was doing it I threw the ring the farthest it would go. It landed in the lake about twenty meters away from here.

I searched through my bag for the medical kit that I always kept; it was habit to worry about others and took out the bottle of alcohol. It was always used for medical purposes but I took a swing none the less. The last time I had tasted its tangy taste was with Isabella, but before that, I was seventeen, the day after Elle died.

I drank more, and more, and more, until the bottle was done. The bottle was small but strong and it was all I needed to blur my vision, just for a little bit. I was disoriented; I wasn’t used to the alcohol going through my veins.

I ran my fingers across the rough surface of the neck brace. How could I have come out with this when Elizabeth never came out at all? I knew why. I am a part of the five. They gave us super human ability to stay safe. Something that I had treasured when I was a kid and get stabbed while playing around and still be able to recover, but now I wished the explosion had killed me too.

I whispered her name and it hurt in the gut like I knew it would. I said it over and over again just to collapse in the cold mud. I felt a stinging pain go through my chest. I was loosing consciousness. I could feel it, but the closer I came the more I wanted it. That was when I realized – I wanted to die.

Wyatt ran after me after the meeting. He called my name and finally I turned around to face him. He was upset; I could tell Matthew had given him a stern talking to.”

“Was I horrible to you? When you were younger?” he asked me. I looked at him as if he had told me something insane.

“No.” I said.

“Why do you hate me so much?” he asked.

“I don’t.”

“Then why this, why make a big deal about changing your name, about defying me and everyone else?”

“I’m not a Morgan. I never will be and never want to be. The fact that you never thought of me belonging to a different family, changed my last name, and acted if I was your own made me dislike you.”

“I wanted you to feel like you belong.”

“I don’t want to belong.” I told him, not to your family, to nothing but my own.

“You don’t want me to be like a father to you anymore?” he asked. I shook my head no.

“Fine then Seth. We all know you have had a hard life but you better get your act together or the rest of your life will be in ruins.” He said to me and walked off. That was the first time I had ever heard Wyatt Morgan be an idiot.

I woke up to see Elizabeth’s face in mine. I was dead and I didn’t know why. It didn’t matter. My vision sharpened. It was just Lillian.

“Good he is awake.” She said and backed up from me. There was a horrible pain in my chest I could hardly breathe and I was looking into the faces of four people who I didn’t want to see right now.

I saw a blur of red and then a slap in the face. “If you want to go back to the way things were we can make things exactly the same.” Caitlyn said. Chris was silent behind everyone. I hadn’t seen him in forever.

Alyssa and Sam helped me up. It hurt to sit, it hurt even worse to stand. “I don’t want to go.” I whispered. I couldn’t talk without straining my voice right now. The other continued on still. They didn’t care about what I had to say. I wondered if in their eyes, they blamed me too.

I pulled my arm away from Sam but Alyssa kept hers around me, keeping me up. It was just like old times. Alyssa picking up the pieces, only this time I knew what it was going to be like, how to handle it. This however I knew I could not handle.

Alyssa let everyone go ahead of us and then finally stopped and turned to me. “Don’t let this go back to the way it was.” She whispered. Her voice was giving in. She had been strong for everyone for too long. I was thinking that I had lost my sister and my girlfriend; she had lost both of her best friends. If anyone would know she would. Still she managed to go on. I wondered if this would count as a disease.

I couldn’t answer her back. I just looked down to the grass. Everything was just too painful now. “Seth you do know this wasn’t your fault.” She whispered stepping closer to me. I didn’t know. I never could know for sure. There were always things I could have done to prevent it. There always is.

Before I knew it there were tears coming to my eyes. Something I had sworn so long ago that I would never do again, at least not in front of anybody else. Again I slammed my fist into the closest tree and clenched at the familiar pain it brought afterward.

I slumped down against a tree until I was sitting. My ribs and neck were screaming at me to stay still but it felt like punishment. I welcomed the pain with open arms.

I hid my face in my dirty jeans and finally felt a tear. Alyssa was beside me in an instant. “You can’t let anyone see me like this.” I whispered. Alyssa wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

“Who would I tell?”

I kissed her softly just before she went to sleep beside me. I had almost driven her away too. She was my everything now. The only person that bothered to stay. Caitlyn didn’t even come around anymore. Was I that horrible? Of course I was. I didn’t do anything anymore. It had almost been a year.

Now I had some new mission. I would have to live with the Parker girl. I don’t know how I will stay sane. She looks like Lillian and is a spitting image of her father. How in hell do the advisors expect me to do this?” I would find a way, if she was my chance to kill the idiots I would take it any cost. They made my life a living hell.

“You made it.” Gracie said to me as she took my hand and led me to Charles. I had only met them twice but they knew me enough.

“Gracie go find Isabella.” Charles whispered when I got there and off she ran. “You look like shit.” He said. If it were any other time I would have laughed but I wouldn’t.

“Yeah well…” I didn’t need to say anything more. We gave an awkward hug and then parted ways. There were so many people. I stayed on the ends of it all. I wouldn’t go anywhere near the black empty casket. I couldn’t. Alyssa was by my side for most of the time though.

I recognized almost everyone there. People I knew, people Elizabeth had known. I recognized all but one. The girl had short cropped brown hair and brown eyes to match. Every other facial feature looked exactly like Elizabeth… with a change of hair colour. I was seeing her every where. I was sure I could pick any person in this room to compare to Elizabeth, but nothing could ever come close.

To my surprise she came up to me. “I was a friend of Elizabeth’s.” she said. Her voice was deep, well at least deeper then Elizabeth’s. I knew that is what I would compare every person to know. Everything was about Elizabeth. “My name is Mary Thomas.”

Her eyes were starring right into mine. I took a deep breath and held my hand out. “Seth Kennedy.” I introduced.