Serena, Later that day

I stormed into the pouring rain away from the insanity. YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER. I ran as fast as I could through the streams of people, splashing onto puddles and soaking some of the pedestrian traffic who kept walking around me like nothing had changed. You think you're special, little one? Like I'd never been adopted, like I'd always been a part of Sarah Mason's family. I was thrown violently to the ground. I ran and ran and ran until I finally reached the apartment. I fumbled with my keys and dropped them into the small flower bed near the door. I will find you. WE will find you. I cursed and snatched the keys up quickly before running inside and slamming the door behind me. I was inside, my salvation. Safe for now. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a mirror. I looked half drowned, it really was pouring down out there and in my hurry to get away from that madman Sebastian I'd left my umbrella behind. Sapphire was sitting in the lounge near the fire reading a Harry Potter book. She looked up as she heard me storm in.

'S? What's wrong? You look like you've just swum a marathon, what happened with that babe from Starbucks?' She asked.

'I'll tell you later once I know what happened myself.' I whispered back to her. Since he'd mentioned my parents I'd had small flashbacks of my nightmare. Sapphire gazed at me questioningly, but let it go. I'm sure the look on my face told her that I needed space to think. I went to my room quietly and slouched on my purple bean bag and draped my duvet cover around me, shivering violently. What the hell was that all about? The dark voices screaming in my head, the matching tattoos, Sebastian and my parents? Why should I give a damn about what my biological family were doing? They got rid of me, I don't care if it was for my protection as Sebastian had put it. That was probably a lie. In fact, he probably didn't even know my parents. I fiddled with my bracelet, and let it comfort me with my dreams of having a family who'd been forced to give me up, and who once they found me would want to take me home to a castle in some far away country like in Australia or somewhere hot like that. Then I remembered, I'd never leave Sapphire and Sarah. They needed me too much, and I loved them too much to ever leave them for some people who left me for 12 years. I groaned angrily. WHO WAS SEBASTIAN?

'I'm trying to tell you Serena, you're in danger now that I've talked to you. The vetlapa will sense your power and come to find you. In you head at first, they'll torment you. Then they will come to get you, and you'll be weak in your state of insanity. Those dark voices, are darker than you think.' Sebastian's voice echoed through my room. I spun around angrily to see him standing by the window, seriousness all over his face, not a hint of insanity. I studied him in his stunning blue Armani jacket and grey jeans. 'How does an insane Greek boy manage to wear Armani and talk about vetlapa and convince me that he's not insane? Why are you here Sebastian. Tell me the whole truth or get out before I call the cops.' He studied me for a minute, with his piercing intense blue eyes before he spoke 'Around 12 years ago, about the time you were taken, a hundred or so ancient Greek spirits were resurrected by a clever evil young man named Vet. He brought these spirits back to life because he heard that they were powerful beings that would do the bidding of whoever brought them back to life. Vet's letter under his eye was merely a ο which was for ordinary, so once he turned 18 he gained no powers like the rest of his village. He became jealous of the King of Greece who like all powerful Greeks had an ε, such as your self. This ε usually stands for extraordinary, but an ancient prophet prophesized that one special young girl with green eyes would have an ε that would stand for the Greek word επιλεγεί which translates to English as 'choosen'. So Vet killed the King and took his place on the throne of Greece. He ordered all girls with an ε and green eyes to be killed. Your parents sent you through the Line, a secret transport from our Greece to your New York. Not only does it take you from one place to another, it takes you to a different time. In my Greece right now the year is 106BC and war is ensuing. It is because of this war that your parents sent you here. But since you can't remember me or anything of your life in Greece, we have to assume that some sort of battle occurred between you and the vetlapa. You must have incredible skill to have fought them off as a five year old, and escaped only losing memories.' Sebastian gazed off as he spoke.

'I escaped so badly injured I had to have surgery and a lot of time in hospital. I still have nightmares of that night… and when I was running home away from you they spoke to me, and told me a couldn't hide anymore…' I whispered. I was sure my face was white as one of these Vetlapa ghosts Sebastian was on about. I didn't want to believe him, but even if so much of what he was saying sounded impossible, so much of it made sense.

'So what can we do to get rid of these Vetlapa? I assume that's what you're here for.' I said loudly, trying to sound more confident then I felt. I'm good at that. 'And how do we find this special green eyed girl?'

'Well… we've already found the green eyed girl. Next we find your parents. They were experts on the vetlapa and were head of the resistance against them. They disappeared as soon as they decided to come through the Line and find you.'

'Where's this girl then? Can't she just do some magic' I wiggled my fingers at him in a mock mystical way. 'and get rid of these "vetlapa"? And as for my parents do you think they could just be lost in NYC somewhere?'

'No Serena, think about it.' Sebastian pushed me over to my mirror. 'Look at yourself. The answer to this war is in you.'

I stared for a minute, thinking Sebastian had gone nuts. I studied my features. The long dark straight hair, wet down my back that made my tanned skin seem semi exotic. The only thing that ruined my desert Egyptian look was the lack of dark eyes. My bright glowing green ones stared back at me. And it clicked into place.

'You think that I'm your green eyed E girl?' I laughed. 'That's impossible. Don't you think I would've shown some magical powers by now or something? Believe me Sebastian, there's nothing magical about me.'

'You fought off Vetlapa at age 5. You're confident and perfect to be a leader. You're independent and years above your age. You're a fighter, but you're compassionate too. Serena you have all the qualities of the green eyed girl in the prophecies. That's why your parents sent you through the Line. They knew that they'd come for you and your magic would be exposed because even as a five year old, your defense mechanisms would've kicked in. You were always so touchy as a kid. Once, I was teasing my brother, Noah, and you came over and pushed me onto the ground and told me to pick on someone your own size.' Sebastian laughed, but soon returned to his sombre self.

'I don't believe this, I'm sorry Sebastian but it's a little too much to take in right now.'

'Yeah your parents thought that it'd be better if they came to tell you. But once they disappeared my father thought I'd have to do.'

'Where can we find my parents?'

'I think that like you, the Vetlapa caught them on their way through the Line. They keep it under surveillance.'

'You think that they're alive?' I questioned, studying his bright blue eyes carefully. His tone seemed hopeful.

'There's a possibility that they survived.'

'So how can we find them?'

'Well that's where you come in.' I stared at Sebastian for a minute. His eyes were as bright as mine, even if they were blue. It was unsettling. What he was saying sounded incredibly weird to me, and I was having a hard time taking it all in. Over the course of an hour my life had gone from normal to supernatural. I walked over to my mirror and studied my ε. I wondered if I was this chosen girl that Sebastian had talked about. I doubted it, I mean come one. I'm just your average hot-headed teenage New Yorker. Not some ancient Greek warrior. I looked back up at Sebastian who walked towards me and took my small hands into his big tanned ones.

'Serena, you are our only hope. Please, please consider coming with me to Greece to find your parents and help restore balance to your country. If you hate it there, we can always send you back, if that's what you want.'

'You're not going to take no for an answer are you?'

'No, not really.' Sebastian smiled, lightening the dark mood fractionally.

I bit my lip and deliberated. How could I leave my friends and family and life here behind? What about Sapphire? She needed me! I couldn't just leave her here, she'd be totally lost. She'd rather come to a Greek warzone with me than stay here in NYC lost without me. That and to be honest, I'm not sure I could handle something this huge on my own. I needed her there with me to go through with this. Not that I'd ever admit that to her.

'Okay. I'll do it. BUT with conditions.'

'Of course, anything you need will be provided for you. Thank God you've agreed! It makes everything so much easier!' Sebastian smiled euphorically. I smiled back, knowing he wasn't going to like my conditions very much.

'Yes yes, I'll do it. But first, I have to create a cover story to tell my mother,'

'Yes, of course!' Sebastian agreed quickly.

'And my school.'

'Certainly.'

'And my work.'

'That will all be taken care of.'

'And that Sapphire can come with me.'

'Yes, yes of course.' Sebastian agreed briskly. 'Wait, what?'

'You heard me.' I smiled slyly.

'Nobody other than Greeks may pass through the line! It's forbidden!'

'Well then I guess I'm not coming. Goodbye now, nice to meet you.' I dismissed him.

'No no! But you have to come!' Sebastian cried.

'Shh! Quiet, my mother will hear you!' I whispered.

'Sorry, but you simply must come Serena.' he whispered, much quieter.

'Sorry Sebastian, but this is a take it or leave it situation. You can take both of us, or neither of us at all.' Sebastian stared at me, considering my offer for a minute.

'Take it or leave it Sebastian.' I repeated. He sighed in defeat.

'Fine, you can bring her. But nobody is going to be happy about this Serena. Not one bit.'

'Not my problem.' I smiled. 'It's not my fault, you should be grateful that I'm even leaving my entire life to come save yours.' I knew I was being selfish and sounded conceited, but I had to be assertive. Sebastian needed to know that I was the one making the rules here. I wouldn't usually sound so whiney. This was my game now.

'Will she even want to come?' Sebastian pitched.

'Of course she will. We're inseparable.'