Disclaimer: I don't own the Lorien Legacies

Hi guys,

Thank you all for the reviews! As amazing as ever and really encouraging. I won't go on but just i'll just say another huge thank you!

Secondly, last chapter was to sort of tie up loose ends but i'm glad you all enjoyed it. Anyway, because i'm cruel, the trouble will soon begin once more for the Garde so i thought i'd give them another calm(ish) chapter here. :D

So, please enjoy and read on...

Nine

The sun shines down through the windows and onto the kitchen table, lighting up the dreary room. I feel the warmth on my back and smile at the peace i'm feeling at the moment. It's only temporary of course; as soon as Five comes back into the room, i'll become pissed off again. I know it's irrational but she is just so damn annoying. She hits all my weak points in arguments and i never know what to say back to her.

As if Five knows i'm thinking about her, she enters the room. Fortunately, she can't read my mind anymore. I've developed a way of blocking my mind from hers by imagining a thick wall in front of my thoughts. At first it was hard to constantly do, but now it's just like second nature. We scowl at each other as she comes to sit down at the table.

"So, things we need to do" she says, bringing out a notebook and pen. What is she, a student? She glares at my look and flicks her hair back defiantly.

"What? Someone's got to make a solid plan and i don't see you doing it" she says to me, annoyed. I grin at her calmly, hiding my inner annoyance.

"Sure, go ahead dwarf. No one's stopping you" i drawl, which i know annoys her. Her shoulders stiffen at my nickname for her but she doesn't say anything and she turns back to the others. John rolls his eyes at me and i grin at him.

"Well, i want to get my chest back" Six says. We all nod as Five writes that down. We need to get Six's chest as it's her inheritance, part of who she is. I can't imagine not having my chest and i feel pity for her.

"Ok, what else?" Five says. Adam shrugs and looks down. He's a cool guy, but nervous around me. Probably because it took me a while to decide not to kill him.

But hey, i've gotta be cautious.

"Obviously train" Eight says. He's holding Marina's hand and i try not to roll my eyes. At least they're not as mushy as Johnny and Sarah, who are so romantic and sweet that i feel like throwing up whenever i spend too long with them. Unlike the others, I actually feel bad for Sarah; she was in the same situation as Maddy and neither could defend themselves against the mogs. The others just need to realise that.

"Ok... well i think that's clear" Five says, but she still writes it down. She looks up at us. "Maybe, locate the ships. There could be some stuff on them that we could use to help us and eventually we'll need them" she says. I'm surprised how sure she is that we'll ever reach the point that we need our ships, but i see Six nod.

"Sure, why not? Let's be optimistic for once" she says. I see her point and i shrug.

"Crayton mentioned something about Chimaera being hidden on Earth but he never said where. I think we need to find them, if they're all as awesome as BK then we'll definitely be stronger. There might be something in the Loric papers" Marina says. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I didn't know there were other chimaera on Earth; i thought BK was one of a kind.

"Good point. And that's another thing we need to do: understand the Loric papers" Five muses, writing it all down. "Ok, well i think that's probably enough for a while, we don't wanna overwhelm ourselves just yet" she says. But i have an extra idea and one that i'm sure will be enjoyable to all.

"What about blowing up some mog bases?" i suggest. John shakes his head, whilst Six rolls her eyes.

"It's too dangerous-" John begins but Five interrupts.

"Actually, that's a good point" she says, writing it down. I stare at her stunned. Did she just say i had a good idea?! "They're creating a lot of developed drugs and weapons in the bases, as well as training the piken and kraul. If we destroy them, we'll be weakening our enemy" she says.

"It won't take much, just a couple of bombs" i say, already imagining all the stuff we can buy off the internet to build the bombs. Five nods and i see the others begin to agree. I grin and lean back, pleased with my input.

The group begins to disperse, until it's just Five, Adam and I at the table. Most of the others have gone to relax but i want to go for a run. I don't understand why some of them don't like training like i do. But then, i am awesome at it.

I stand up and am about to head outside, when Five calls my name.

"Yeah" i say, turning around. I'm wary of what she's going to say.

"Good suggestion" she says, looking like it's hard for her to say. She then turns around and i stand there, stunned. It's the first time she's ever said something nice to me.

"Well, stop staring at me! It enhances your already dense appearance" she snaps, without looking behind.

I grin. "And there i thought for a moment you could be nice" i reply and then i turn around and leave the house. I'm already dressed for jogging in tracksuits, shirt and trainers so i don't have to waste any extra time.

I take the cliff path and jog down it, increasing my pace when i realise no one is about. I love running; i feel so free when i run. I admire the sea view, but i can't help but compare it to Lake Michigan and Chicago.

I stop running after a while and stand on a cliff, looking out to the beach and the sea beyond. It's beautiful of course but i would give anything to swap it with my home view. I think on my last months in Chicago with Sandor and i wish i'd appreciated it more; appreciated him more.

Sandor. I haven't thought about him in so long and yet he's always been at the back of my mind. I wonder if he'd be proud of me, or just disappointed. No, he'd be proud; proud i never cracked in the base; proud i trained even when captured; proud of all the mogs i've killed and will kill in the future.

I then think of Maddy, sweet Maddy who never did anything wrong but just had a father who meddled too much. Who was then dragged into this whole mess, like Sarah, but ended up dying for it. Another reason i don't like Five is because she reminds me of Maddy so much; thick black hair, athletic figure, strong personality, good sense of humour (when Five uses it).But i would swap Maddy for Five in a second if i had to, even if Five is Loric. They just can't compare to me.

I realise my breathing has increased and i try to control it. I unclench my fists and shake my arms in an attempt to relax myself. I need to control myself and stop getting so worked up. Sandor and Maddy are dead and i can't switch them for Five, even if i wanted to. Besides, we need Five to get back to Lorien.

Scowling, i turn and continue my run down the path. I try to ignore the memories of a black-haired girl screaming for my help as a piken advances towards her.

Xxx

Sarah

Sarah Mary Hart. Leader of the cheerleading squad, boyfriend of the quarterback of the football team. Resident gossip and head bitch of the school. Everyone thought i was perfect and wanted to be me. Even i began to think i was faultless.

Then i became Sarah the photographer. The Sarah who was nice to everyone, who welcomed newcomers to our school, who helped animals by building shelters and who gained good grades in class. The Sarah who John fell in love with.

But now, i'm Sarah the traitor. The girl who betrayed the love of her life for a lie, for a broken promise. The girl who let her good friends be taken away and tortured by mogs. The one who deserves every rejection from the others.

I sit on my bed, with my knees drawn to my chest and my arms wrapped around my legs. I hate myself for what i did and i would do anything to go back in time and warn the others, warn them of the Government's plan. But i can't and now i have to deal with the consequences.

John's forgiven me of course; he's too good of a person not to. Six still hates me and i can't blame her. Not only did i betray her but i'm going out with the guy she loves. No wonder she wants me gone.

The others are harder to tell. Eight has avoided me but i suppose i can't blame him; he's just so protective over Marina. She has been kinder and defended me in the base, but since then hasn't really talked to me. I think she's just had too much on her mind to notice. Ella has glared at me a lot and i realise she's just as protective over Marina as Eight is.

Five doesn't trust me but then she doesn't seem to trust anyone except Adam. When she said i should stay behind, John told me she was being practical, not a bitch. But i still deserve everything i get.

My stomach rumbles and i head downstairs to get something to eat. Marina, Eight and Ella are all watching TV; the others are out, probably training. I better avoid that; Six would love an excuse to give me another black eye.

Eight looks up as i enter. Marina is lying on the sofa with her head on his lap, both of them reading a magazine article and laughing at something in it. I remember when i was like that with John, when it was just us two and everything was so easy between us. I feel sad for the time where i took everything for granted. I smile at Eight but he just stares back and then looks away. Ella doesn't even bother looking up.

Crestfallen, i walk over to the fridge and grab an apple. I'm about to head back upstairs to sulk, when Marina calls my name. I turn around, a questioning look on my face.

"Do you want to join us? Have a bit of company?" she asks, smiling kindly at me. She's too nice really and i know the others want me to refuse but i can't help but nod and smile. I see Eight frown a bit and i sit awkwardly down on a sofa opposite them. Ella stands up and stretches.

"I'm going to go help Adam and Five with the papers" she says, smiling at the other two. Marina sighs but nods and Ella leaves.

I sit there, embarrassed and upset. What chance do i have of fitting in again, if Ella one of the easy-going ones around here hates me? She must have been through hell in that base to hate me so much. Marina sees my face and smiles at me, pityingly.

"Don't worry about her. She's just over-protective. Just like someone else" she says, looking up pointedly at Eight, whilst nudging him with her elbow. He looks away and she rolls her eyes at his pretence to not know what she's talking about. I smile back at her timidly.

"I really am sorry-" i begin to say until Eight scoffs and shakes his head, angrily. Marina hits him on the arm but he moves to get up. Marina sits up and looks on frustrated, as Eight leaves the room.

"Hey, don't worry" she says, seeing the tears in my eyes. "It's not your fault. The US Government were blackmailing you. Eight is just... well, he blames himself secretly and you're the easier target" she says, taking my hand. I can't help the small sob that escapes from me and she sits next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" i ask, confused. I feel her shrug and sigh.

"I know what it's like to grudge someone at the time and then regret it later on. It's a waste of time and effort" she says. I look up at her.

"Who did you hold a grudge against?" i ask, hesitantly. She smiles at me reassuringly.

"My Cepan. And i wish i hadn't now" she says, looking away, a frown on her face. I'm shocked; i thought the bonds they had with their Cepan were binding and strong. I wondered what happened there, but i can tell by the look on Marina's face that she doesn't want to talk about it.

There's a brief silence until Eight walks back into the room with his chest and i find myself becoming more hopeful. Maybe he doesn't think i'm so bad if he's back. He smiles at me faintly and i wonder if he overheard our conversation. Marina rolls her eyes and i think he must have done.

"Decided to come and join us then" she asks, grinning at him cheekily. He sits down in his original seat and Marina gets up to sit next to him, which pleases him a lot even though he tries to hide it. I smile as he takes her hand, happy that they're together. At least they're ok in this whole mess.

"I realised i was being an idiot and i'm sorry" he says to me. I smile.

"Seriously, i don't blame you; anyone would do the same. And i meant what i said earlier... i really am sorry" i say. He smiles and looks away.

"Thanks" he says and turns to his chest. I notice he doesn't forgive me though.

Can i blame him?

There's a small silence and then Marina switches the TV on. The news appears but there's nothing about our recent fight in Pennsylvania. I see Marina lean into Eight and him wrap his arm around her comfortingly. It's very sweet and i wish John were here, to do the same with me. But i know things will never be that easy for us anymore, no matter how much i want it to be.

We sit here for a couple of hours: talking, watching the TV, and looking at Eight's chest. I feel myself bonding more with Eight and Marina, and laughing more than i thought i ever could after the base. We begin watching a popular film on the TV, Twilight i think, and eventually Marina falls asleep on Eight's shoulder. He shifts so she's in a more comfortable position and then he turns to me. By now, i feel a lot more confident around him but the look on his face makes me falter. It's grim and cold.

"Look, I do like you Sarah. But if you put Marina, or Ella, in danger again, John won't be able to keep you with us. I won't let him. Ok?" he says. I realise no matter how nice or cheerful he is, i am not one of them to him and he will only protect his true family.

I nod and he looks away, focusing on the TV once more. Suddenly, the room doesn't feel so warm anymore.

Xxx

Adam

My brain hurts. I've been analysing these damn papers for days and nothing useful has appeared yet. Five says it's only a matter of time but i'm starting to just think that these papers are useless. I lean back and stretch my arms out in front of me. Five smiles at me sympathetically.

"Want to take a walk?" she says. I nod eagerly and we both stand up. I grab my jacket on the way out, as it's still chilly outside.

We walk down the cliff path slowly. I know Nine took this path earlier on his run earlier, but i doubt we'll bump into him; he's a fast runner. The brisk wind chills my cheeks and i zip my coat up. Five's hair plays in the wind and she pulls it back in a small bun, an irritated look on her face.

"So, what do you think of the others?" i ask her. She smiles up at me as she lightly jumps onto a rock. She's still smaller than me and i smirk at her. She rolls her eyes and steps down.

"Umm, i like Marina. She's a lovely girl but probably a bit too nice at times" she says. "Fortunately for her, Eight's suspicious on her behalf so i guess she doesn't have to worry as much" she continues. I nod along; Marina has forgiven Sarah pretty quickly considering, therefore Eight has taken his role as her protector very seriously.

"John is nice too, but his thoughts are seriously mushy at times. You really have no idea. But he seems powerful in his own way and i have a feeling... no, it doesn't matter" she says, looking off into the distance. I want to ask what she's thinking but i've learnt from experience to just not ask. She won't tell me.

"Anyway, Ella's awesome. She's great for a 11 year old; most of them are brats" she says, grinning.

I laugh and roll my eyes. "Hey, it's true! I was!" she says at my look.

"Still are" i mutter and she laughs when she hears me. She knows i'm only joking.

"I like Six; she's a good fighter and agrees with me about Sarah. Nine is an idiot to feel sorry for her" she finishes. I frown at that last bit.

"It's not completely Sarah's fault" i protest. Five looks at me, an eyebrow raised.

"She gave up her friends to the mogs. I don't see that as innocent" she argues. I find myself losing patience. I know what the mogs are like; Sarah would have been too terrified to resist. Five hasn't lived with mogs and she doesn't know how they think, not like i do.

"Sometimes you need to be more understanding" i say to her. She stops and looks up at me, confused.

"Sometimes you need to be less understanding" she snaps back, annoyed. I don't want to get angry with her, but i'm so tired and her attitude is pissing me off.

"We can't all be bitches like you" i say. Harsh but true. "You've been going on at Nine and Sarah all week, just give it a rest!" i say to her. Anyone else would have surrendered and listen to what i'd have to say, but Five retaliates.

"Look at where being a bitch got me! I saved your life in that base! I saved our lives in Paradise!" she hisses back at me. I sort of see her point, but we're both so tense we want to release our frustration on each other. Also my anger is explosive. And she's just set me off.

"I helped!" I shout back at her. There can't be anyone around or Five would warn me to tone it down. "You always think you're the best when in fact you're just trying to compensate for your past! You're a weak little girl, who let her Cepan die and then ran off like a coward!"

Immediately, i know i've gone too far. Her face freezes in an expression of pain and tears form in her eyes. She takes a couple of jerky steps back.

I reach out to her "Five..." i begin, but she jumps further back and trips over a rock. She falls to the ground.

"Oh, sorry. Did i interrupt?" a voice asks. I turn and see Nine standing there, a confused look on his face. I ignore him and turn back to see Five has scrambled up.

"Five.." i begin again, but she turns and walks away.

"Five!" i shout. She turns around and glares at me. Poor Nine just stands in the middle, completely lost.

"Stay away from me Adam! After all i'm the coward who lets her friends die!" she shouts. I open my mouth but she's on a roll now. "I'm just the bitch who nobody really likes and just tolerates because i'm good in a fight! Don't argue with me, i can read minds! I know that's what most people think" she shouts.

I see tears spill over from her eyes and she wipes at them angrily, embarrassed to be showing weakness. I step forward one more time and try again, but she turns invisible. I'm positive she'll have run off by now to cry in peace. And she never cries. I feel terrible and a knot forms in my stomach.

Nine whistles. "Dude, what did you say? You have got to give me some pointers, because i never get that reaction" he says, smirking at me.

I glower at him. "Seriously?! She's just a person, be nice to her!" i hiss. He shrugs and turns back home.

"You mean like you were just now? You can't talk man" he says, sauntering away.

I turn away and ball up my fists.

I don't want him to see just how much his words really hurt.

Xxx

Six

I wake up slowly, my eyes feeling like they're glued shut. I groan slightly and rub my face, resigned to the fact that i won't be able to fall asleep for a while. I'm a light sleeper and on top of that, it takes me forever to fall asleep. I find it hard to relax.

I automatically look across to the next bed but frown when i don't see Marina there. We've been sharing a room and she's always there whenever i wake up. Feeling worried, i bolt out of bed and pick up my sword. You can never be too careful.

I turn invisible and slowly creep downstairs. I can't hear anything but then again, if it were an attack, there wouldn't be a sound. I take a deep breath and adjust my grip on my sword, my hands sweating slightly. I enter the lounge but don't see any mogs.

What i do see is Marina huddled on a sofa, her knees pulled up to her chest. She doesn't know i'm here; she's too consumed with crying to notice me. Her body's shaking with silent sobs and i turn visible. I put my sword down and approach her.

"Marina?" i ask softly. She jumps and lets out a hushed shriek in shock. She visibly relaxes when she recognises me and she wipes her face, embarrassed.

"Are you ok?" i ask her, sitting next to her. She sighs and hiccups, more tears escaping.

"I just had a nightmare, that's all" she says, looking away. She's uncomfortable at having been caught like this but i don't see why. It's not a bad thing to cry every now and then.

"About what?" i question, though i think i already know. What else would she be so scared about?

"The base" she replies, sniffing. I get up and pour her a glass of water, hoping to calm her down. She accepts it with a tiny smile and takes a sip. She rubs her face, looking weary and worn down.

"I dreamt i was attached to the machine again but this time you guys were all there" she explains. I take her hand and she smiles again but ever so slightly. She's still shaking and i look at her with pity. I had no idea she was this affected by what she went through; she's good at hiding her inner pain.

"I couldn't get free, no matter how hard we all tried. And i just remembered the pain" she says, shivering. I wrap and arm around her shoulders and she begins crying, burying her head in my shoulder.

"Shhh, it's ok. You're safe now" i soothe her, rubbing her back. Eventually she stops crying but she still leans on me.

"I had no idea you felt this way. Have you had many nightmares?" i ask her. She pulls away, still looking delicate.

"Yeah. Every night since the base. But it's never been that bad...usually they're ok to deal with" she says. I sigh and look her in the face.

"You should have told me. You shouldn't have kept all that locked up" i say. She shrugs and looks away.

"It didn't seem so bad after i woke up. I thought i could handle it... it was just particularly bad tonight" she says, looking down at her hands.

"How much do you think about it?" i ask her.

"Honestly? It's always in the back of my mind. It will always be there, Six. I won't ever forget it" she says. Her face is filled with pain and i reach out to take her hand again. She smiles absently.

"It's not remembering the pain that's bad" she says, tracing a pattern on the sofa. I turn to look at her. "It's the thought of being helpless whilst they... whilst they tortured me. I couldn't do anything and it's horrible. I had no control" she says, her voice rising a bit at the end.

"I wish you had told me this earlier" i say.

"There's nothing anyone can do. I just have to live with it" she says. There's a short silence as i desperately think of what to say.

"The worst bit was the needle. Nothing compares to it; i would have rather been tortured for a whole month rather than have that needle in my head" She shivers and a spasm rocks through her. I look at her concerned. "Six, you have no idea of the violation, the pain that it caused. I'll never feel the same" she whispers, more tears escaping.

"And then i can't talk about it with anyone except you" she says, looking lonely and scared. I smile at her encouragingly.

"Eight would talk to you; he's worried about you" i say. She shakes her head.

"I can't talk about it with Eight, it hurts him too much. He hates himself for not being able to do anything. If he knew i felt this way... it'd kill him Six" she says, sighing sadly. I nod.

"Ok, i understand. But still, you should come to me whenever it gets too much" i say. She nods but doesn't look any better. I'm not going to make any more difference here; she needs someone who fully understands what she's going through. Despite worrying about Eight's feelings, she needs to talk to him.

I yawn and stretch my arms out, pretending to be exhausted. Marina looks at me and smiles sadly. "You should get back to bed, you look tired" she says. I nod and hug her. She stiffens but then relaxes and hugs me back. Definitely still affected by her experience.

"Well, get some sleep too. We're beginning training again tomorrow" i remind her gently. She nods and pulls away.

"I will... i'll be up soon" she whispers. I nod and walk away. I've barely left the room when i hear her begin to cry again. I feel immense pity well up in me and i quickly make my mind up, walking up the stairs. Once i'm upstairs, i go to Eight and Nine's room, gently knocking on the door. I hear a groan and a muffled 'go away'. Definitely Nine. Despite that, i hear shuffling and then Eight opens the door, grimacing.

"There better be a good reason for this" he mutters, stifling a yawn. I nod and motion him to come out of the room. I can hear Nine moving about slightly and i don't want him to get pissed off with me. He's violent when his sleep is interrupted. Eight sighs but shuts the door and Nine settles down, pleased that he can now sleep again.

"You need to talk to Marina. She's been having nightmares" i say to him. At once he turns serious and concerned.

"Is she ok?" he asks. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

"She's crying downstairs. I tried to talk to her but i don't really understand what she went through" i say, raising my hands helplessly. He nods.

"But she doesn't want to talk to you because she hates that you blame yourself whenever she mentions it" i say. He sighs but nods again.

"I know... i'll have to work on that. I'll go see her" he says. I nod.

"Thanks. She really needs you right now" i say. He smiles sadly and then teleports away.

I stand in the hallway by myself but then sigh and shake myself. I can't do much else tonight so i might as well go to bed.

At least I won't get haunted by nightmares.

So, i threw a Nine POV in there as well as Sarah's. I hope Nine's was ok. In the Lost files book about him, he was a lot deeper than he seemed on the outside so i've tried to continue with that side of him. Also, I'm going to be experimenting with different POVs now, so feel free to give me some advice or tell me if you think i need to change something. I'll still stick to some old ones though; ones i'm comfortable with.

I hope you enjoyed! Please review! :D