I walked slowly to the front of the church. All around me people were dressed in black and not a person looked happy. I spotted Ariana, Tara, and Maria all in tears. They had loved her and now that she was gone they were distraught. Belle was standing next to them in a daze. Her blond, curly hair wasn't as bouncy as normal, but her forest green eyes showed confusion. The poor toddler didn't understand why everyone was so upset. She didn't understand that she would never see her again. Should I try to comfort them? I wondered.

I shook my head and looked around the large church for Brandon. Brandon was the one that I wanted to talk to. He was the one that I needed to talk to. I searched frantically for his strawberry blond head, but I couldn't find him. I couldn't find his pale green eyes. The ceremony was huge. It was definitely fit for royalty. The coffin was white with little roses all around it. Everyone had been invited. Literally. If you had known her, you were invited. Of course, there was security, but there were so many people that had loved her. She was such a nice person to everyone.

I began to think of the last time I had seen her. Her hair had been the color of midnight and her eyes sky blue. Her lips perfectly round and a magnificent red. A modern day Snow White, I had thought. But this time she wouldn't be waking up with a kiss. I thought as I recalled the fairy tale that I had been told as a child.

I walked closer to place a rose in respect. There were so many roses that it looked like she had drowned in them instead of the way that she had really died. Instead of adding another to the sea of red and white roses, I placed it on the ground in front of the elegantly carved coffin. I couldn't look at her. Looking so peaceful as if she were just sleeping. Every other death that I had dealt with had not been as direct as this. I hadn't attended funerals for any of them so it had never seemed like they were really gone. The last funeral I had attended had been the joined funeral of my grandmother, grandfather, father, and mother. This one just brought back too many memories.

"Hey, you look beautiful." Kaleb said from behind me.

I was wearing a simple, one shouldered black dress that showed off my figure. I was getting used to being forced to wear things similar to this attire, but it didn't mean that I liked it in the least bit. Black high-heels apparently completed the outfit and were the only shoe that would, according to Gracie. I had put my foot down when it came to makeup. My beloved stylists spent an hour straightening my light brown hair to perfection and adding extensions, which I had allowed reluctantly, but I refused to let them put anything on my face other than mascara and lip gloss. Funerals weren't a glamor contest and I didn't want to be the center of attention.

"Hi. Thank you, but it is a funeral, beauty wasn't exactly what I was going for." I replied in a whisper.

"But it is also your sixteenth birthday. You should enjoy it."

"No, Kaleb. I can celebrate any day. You should go talk to your dad instead of wasting time talking to me. He looked pretty upset. It was his wife." I reminded him softly. I had been trying to encourage Kaleb to reconnect with his dad over the past few months, but sometimes he just needed an extra push.

"I will go talk to him." He promised with a roll of his eyes. He was respectively dressed in a suit with his black hair tamed perfectly. He didn't move.

"What's wrong?" I asked him only half joking.

"He didn't deserve her. Isabella was so kind to everyone. She didn't deserve to be in a loveless marriage. Especially when he still fantasized about my mom. Speaking of which, she feels horrible about it. She thinks that it was somehow her fault, but I don't even understand how that could make sense. Mom has already gotten her hopes up, even if it was unintentionally." Kaleb finished, lowering his voice. I saw him glance around to make sure no one had heard him.

"Hey, I know what you mean. Isabella understood. I saw the way that she treated him at the wedding. If you feel upset, imagine how Louis feels right now. I honestly do think that you should go talk to him. Actually, I am coming with you to make sure that you do." I pestered him. I intertwined our hands and led us through the crowd of people.

Louis stood in the corner surrounded by people who were apologizing to him. His usual tan was gone and he looked paler than a ghost. His bright green eyes had lost their spark and instead of looking invincible and on top of the world, he looked vulnerable and put down. He went through the 'thank yous' and the handshakes for political reasons, but it was easy to tell that he was read to collapse. When we finally able to get him alone, I could see just how much Isabella's death had taken out of him. Even his voice was crumbling.

"We came to offer our sincerest condolences." I started, trying to make it seem like we were just like everyone else.

"Thank you, Cameron. I appreciate it. Can we take a walk?" Louis asked. Both Kaleb and I nodded vigorously.

Louis led us back into the sanctuary of the church and through a side door that brought us outside. It was pretty smart that he had figured out all of the escape routes before doing anything. The spy in me had done that immediately, but the celebrity in Louis had done it, too. He may have been king, but he was just as famous as any celebrity, maybe even more famous.

"Louis, I know that you know how we felt about her. We also know that you don't want any more sympathy. It honestly doesn't help." I said. He nodded a little sadly and ran his hands through his dark hair. "Look, I only came over here to talk to you for a minute and see how you were doing. Then I am going to leave you alone with your son. If you need any help with the girls and Brandon, Kaleb and I can watch them for a little while so that you can mourn." I informed him as quickly as possible.

"Thank you, Cammie. I might take you up on that. It isn't my fault is it, her death? I keep debating it in my mind. If I would have told her about Kaleb, she wouldn't have wanted a boy so badly and she wouldn't have died. I just don't know anymore." Louis's voice cracked and it sounded like he was about to start crying. His eyes blinked a little to hold back the tears.

I looked around me trying to think about what to say. The church grounds were insanely beautiful. The grass was perfectly cut and the the bushes trimmed. There was flowers everywhere of all colors and a few butterflies fluttered around in the summer air. It wasn't too hot today, which was good, but it seemed like it should be raining. It was as if the universe was mocking us as the birds called playfully to each other.

"Louis, I could tell you a hundred times that it wasn't your fault, but you wouldn't believe me. You won't believe anyone until you come to terms with everything. I am going to take the girls and Brandon back to the, uh, house and give you some time to think about it. It will also give you time to spend with your son." I said after some thought. "Bye, Kaleb. I will see you at the house." I told him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Cammie, thank you. Really, that helped me. Thank you for everything that you do, I am honored to call you my daughter-in-law. Oh and happy birthday. I didn't forget." Louis said with a forced smile.

I nodded and left them alone to find everyone. I breathed in and smelt the lake that the church was near. It was pure and clean and simple. Beautifully simple. I had the urge to go stick my feet in the lake and stay there for hours. I would've if I didn't have to get everything ready for our unexpected house guests. My cell phone was going to be busy. I was only given a cell phone to communicate with certain people. There was always people monitoring my call or texts so I was unable to ever have a real private conversation. Calls were made to Louis's nanny and to the small staff at our house. Everything was ready except for the kids themselves.

Ariana, Tara, Maria, and Belle were the easiest to find. They weren't far from where I had last seen them. This time, they were no longer crying, just dazed and sad. When they were told that they would be coming home with me, they all looked torn. As if none of them were sure whether to be happy at the chance of seeing Kaleb and I, confused as to why they weren't going with their dad, and upset about their mother. I flashed them a smile of understanding. Years ago, I had been in their same position.

"Do any of you know where Brandon is?" I asked them. He was really starting to worry me. I hadn't seen him all day except for during the ceremony. As soon as it was over, he had dashed off to the unknown. I had looked for him, but to know luck.

"I do." Tara said shyly and a bit reluctantly. Her strawberry blond hair that had once looked like my brother's was now much lighter and was now more blond than strawberry. It had been cut since the last time I saw her and now went down to her chin, framing her triangular face beautifully. Her stormy gray eyes now looked more like rain clouds with the tears that covered them. "He is with Cherri upstairs. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone." They are the same age, I can see why he would be more lenient to talk to her. I said silently in my head.

"Can you show me, Tara?" I asked her as I bent down to look her in the eyes. The tight, black dress and heels made it a little uncomfortable, but I managed. This time, it was Ariana who spoke.

"I can bring you to where Cher is." Ariana told me using their new baby sister's nickname.

I heard a bit of resentment in Ariana's eleven year old voice, but I ignored it because it was understandable to an extent. Isabella had died in childbirth as Cher was born. I understood that Ariana would be upset with the baby even if it wasn't her fault. We can work through that.

Ariana started up the stairs slowly and without a word. I hoisted Belle onto my hip and grabbed Tara and Maria's hands before following her. I tried to cause as little of a disturbance as possible as I ushered the girls up the twisting, musty stairs. Louis had decided not to put her on display because it would cause emotional distress for some. I respected his decision although I would have seen it differently.

As soon as we turned the corner, I heard the cries of the newborn girl. Even if the stairs had been musty and gross, the room that the baby was in was gorgeous. There was stain-glass windows on two sides of the room, flooding the room with colored light. The baby basket was intricately designed with the Starry Night painted across it. The nurse was hurrying across the room with a bottle in her hand, trying to quiet the baby.

Sitting next to the baby was Brandon. As soon as he saw us, he jumped up as if he had done something wrong. He looked absolutely adorable in his white, long-sleeved polo and black pants. His pale green eyes were stained with tears that made me want to cry, too. A smile spread across his face when he saw that I was there.

"Cammie!" My little brother exclaimed, running over to me and giving me a much-needed hug. "I have missed you so much! You're sad about Ms. Isabella, too, right?" He whispered into my ear.

"I have missed you, too, Bud. But it has only been a month." I said laughing. Then I thought about how to answer his next question. "Brandon, of course I am sad. It is okay it be sad when people pass away. It shows how much you loved them or cared about them. Even if you don't know someone for very long, you are usually going to miss them when you can't see them anymore. You and the girls are going to be staying with Kaleb and me for a little while. Okay? Clothes and a few other things are already being delivered to our house." I turned to speak to the nurse. "You probably aren't going to be needed as much at our house, but you are welcome to come."

"Okay, just let me pack her things and get her set up in her car seat." The young nurse said quickly. She shuffled across the room and I ignored my growing suspicions of her so that I could focus on the kids. "I think that I am going to stay here." She added while moving everything around.

"So we are going to slip out the side door. We need to try to be quiet so that people don't notice us. I have a car waiting for us." I explained in a hushed voice. "Ariana, I am going to have Belle and Cheri so I need you to keep track of Tara, Brandon, and Maria." The solemn eleven year old nodded with a glance at the three younger siblings.

"You know what? I think that we are just going to get a basket for our house. We really don't have time to have it loaded in the car. You understand, right? Thank you so much for your help, but we really must go." I rambled on apologetically.

The nurse just stood very still. I walked over to the bassinet to get the baby and I was instantly shocked. The baby had midnight black hair, crystal blue eyes, and perfectly round, red lips. Cheri was the spitting image of her mother. Another reason for the newborn to be resented. Another reason not to display her. I shook my head a little and placed the baby in her padded car seat. She began to fuss a little, but soon settled back down. She is beautiful. I thought as I grabbed her car seat and picked Belle up.

Quietly, all seven of us rushed down the stairs and into the sanctuary. It was just quicker not to cause a scene. There would be questions and unwanted press. The car was already there when we opened the door and tasted the fresh air that surrounded the church. I motioned for everyone to get in and I shut the door. Once everyone was situated, I gave Cher the rest of her bottle and rocked her till she fell asleep. After thirty minutes in the car, the rest of the kids had fallen asleep. Even Ariana, who had fought it, had eventually surrendered.

I knocked on the driver's window to ask if we could stop somewhere to get a drink as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb anyone. But when the window was rolled down and the driver was visible, all manners went out the door.

"What the hell, Jeremy?" I barked as I saw the face that had been on my mind for the past three months.

So that is the first chapter of Getting Even. It is going to be a lot different from the Crystal Diaries. I plan on having it include more action than the Crystal Diaries did. If you want more/less of something please let me know. I love to get suggestions and I always try my hardest to incorporate them when I can. Please REVIEW and tell me what you think! I don't care if you hated it, disliked it, or whatever. Just give me your thoughts so that I can fix it. :)

Question of the Chapter: Is there any character from the Crystal Diaries that you want to be included in this story?

Non-Related Question of the Chapter: Did any of you like when I asked about your favorite movies/music/ that type of stuff? Should I keep doing it or was it just aggravating?

If any of you were wondering about my other story, Everything is NOT What it Seems, I deleted it. My co-writer (and personal friend, Tyger Elf) and I created an account just for our collaboration writing, so we moved it there. If you want to continue to read it, our author name is OKay.