A/N: sorry guys, I think I may have a bad habit of getting sidetracked. (sigh) Either that, or I am way too involved in way too many things. Ugh. But consider yourselves lucky. I was going to flip over to what Daley and Salem were doing for the this chapter...but I didn't think I could be that mean. (Smiiiiles) Thanks for the input. I think I may have thought up a way to make them work.

A New Twist on Absent Minded

(Sadie Aurn's PoV)

I glared at Nikolas, options running through my mind. How could I possibly agree to his

proposition? That would be the same as committing heresy to all of the witch lines. And how could I possibly pull Salem into this, when she didn't even know anything about the situation? I gulped, a single tear falling down my cheek. This was impossible. I was fifteen. How could Nikolas expect me to make such a large decision?

I felt Silver's hand on my back once again. I stood up a little straighter, pushing him off. I have to do this myself. I let my words flow into his mind. Silver nodded and stepped back.

With a deep breath, I announced, "Nikolas, I can't agree to that. You are well aware that there is no possible way I could agree to curse my cousins with that fate." Sarah smiled at me knowingly, but sadly. She knew she was cursed by a witch's standards. Not by mine exactly, but by any other witch's. Nikolas smiled grimly.

"Well, if rumor holds true, one of your dear cousins has already fallen to this fate. Tell me, Sadie. Are you going to be the one to drive the knife into her chest? Or are you expecting her to do it on her own?" I went ridged at Nikolas's words. Kill...Daley! I couldn't process what I had just heard. Omigod...he's right. I thought sadly. My eyes became blurry, blurry under a layer of tears. A sob wracked through my body. The vampires that I had murdered over the years came back to flood my vision.

I watched as the gleam of life left all of their eyes. I watched their blood coat my hands. I watched them fall back to the ground, dead.

And suddenly, there weren't any more vampires blocking my vision. Now, there was only Daley. Sweet, innocent Daley, who had the curse of being the Last Light born upon her. Daley, who's skin had gone pearly white, who's eyes had gone practically black. Daley stood in front of me, fear in her eyes. A knife...my knife, was through her heart. She fell, never to rise again, and I screamed.

(Lyssia Vida's PoV)

I stared in horror at Sadie, who had fallen to the ground in tears. What the hell was going on? I ran to her side, slowly trying to see what was wrong. She wasn't hurt physically anywhere. What was wrong?

I heard the familiar sound of a sword leaving a sheath and looked up sharply. Silver had Nikolas cornered, a knife to his throat.

"Release Sadie, or I will kill you." I was shocked by how calm he was. He might as well have said 'Nice weather we're having, eh?'

Then it struck me.

Nikolas was somehow controlling Sadie's mind. Sending her images, or something similar. I glared at him.

"What do I have to do, Nikolas?" I whispered horsely. "What do I have to do to get you to leave us alone? Kill you? Kill myself?" Sarah looked harshly at me.

"Never, Lyssia. You will never do that to yourself, you hear me?" I looked at her. Tears filled my mind as Sadie cried out in grief. But suddenly...

...it was all over. Sadie relaxed, stretching slightly before she jumped up and grabbed her blade. She looked furious.

"Nikolas, I will tell you once, and once only. You are to never harm someone I care about, unless you want to be seriously harmed yourself. No matter how much I care for Kristopher and Sarah, I won't hesitate to drive my blade through your heart." I stared up at Sadie in shock. She seemed so strong, so powerful. And I...I wasn't. That had been made quite clear multiple times.

Nikolas was clearly shocked. "That...That should have killed you." Sadie glared.

"You were lucky you were even able to cast that illusion on me, Nikolas. I'm not an Aurn witch just because of my blood." She gave him one last intimidating glare before turning to me with a smile.

"Let's make like a joint and roll, shall we?" She asked. I laughed, despite the severity of the situation I was just in. That was Sadie for you; she could threaten the life out of someone one moment, and say something so stupidly funny the next. I jumped up to join her as she grabbed Silver's arm. Silver was tense; definitely upset.

Worried. He's worried about her. Sarah's words traced through my mind, bringing a light smile to my face. Sadie deserved someone like him. Someone who would worry when she was in danger. Someone who would stand up for her. Someone who would protect her.

"And by the way," Sadie started, "I will take care of Kaleo for you. He's a bit of a pest anyway." With a moviestar smile, Sadie embraced Silver, grabbed hold of me, and disappeared in an instant.

A/N: Ew, I'm brain dead. You'll understand all the references about the Last Light and the Cousins soon...I hope. I'm super busy...so I don't know how much longer it'll take to get to that part.

jai