Chapter: 8

Were Broken Hearts Go

The smell of ocean came from the river bank we walked along side. Brown and orange leaves flowed down stream along with the current. Fall was in full affect and the change of seasons was very apparent here. Soon, the cold dark snowy season that is Winter will be here, only to match the cold and icy feeling in my chest. The feeling which brings pain so unbearable that sometimes it hurt to even try to talk. Arriving home was one of the harder parts of the past few months, but knowing that I'm not alone in this battle did make me feel better. Knowing that some more people I love will die int hat battle, only made me worst then before. But this chance to take out Christian and Lysander was the only chance I would have right now, so it was not one I was about to let slip me by.

After the introductions, Boian asked if I wanted to take a walk so we can talk and catch up. So far only walking has been done. The silence between Boian and I as we walked didn't bother me; it wasn't that he didn't know what to say, I could tell he was simply respecting my need for solace. He looked good, healthy, taller somehow. His hair was a bit longer and his scruff was still clean and nicely kept. He wore the same brown leather jacket he wore the first time I saw him and the wear and tear showed. He seemed really attached to it but who was I to say anything? I've been wearing the same black trench with seth's bloody shirt underneath it since his funeral. Though its been washed, and I have changed some clothes, the blood seemed to have stained the shirt, so I will never forget of that night, but its all I have of Seth. I realized how crazy I must have looked just then so I made sure the trench was buttoned up all the way so that the shirt would not be exposed and quickly began a conversation.

"Evelyn seems nice." I said to Boian to break the silence.

"Yeah, She's really great ..." He said looking down at his feet as we walked.

"You go home to find others like yourself, and you find a girlfriend while your at it. How'd that work out?" I asked.

"Wasn't intentional really. She hated me at first, or so she says, then she yelled at me, and then kissed me. Couldn't keep her hands off me." He said in a joking manner while laughing. I giggled, but to hear about someone else's love, only killed me inside.

"How did you know about this? About the immortals ... about Seth?" I asked finally changing the subject.

"He came to me. Seth did." Figures he would have. He really is hell bent on getting some strong recruits for this battle.

"It seem's he's been doing that a lot lately." I said feeling upset that he hasn't yet come to me.

"He apologized to me, you know, for the way things went when him and I first met. He then explained what he wanted ... or needed really. He told me about the war, which I had a feeling about since the immortals came and attacked us at the church"

"Church?" I asked sounding surprised.

"Yep, the others made a large living area out of the undergrounds of the Black Church in Brasov. Seemed weird at first but now its quite cosy. Spiritual visits and all"

"I didn't know the Immortals would know how to find you. Know where to come."

"Well The original leader of our group, coven or what ever you want to call us, not only had a deal with Christian to kill me, but he also had a long term deal with the Volturi that included leaving them alone. Needless to say, after I killed Caius, that treaty was gone and as for the original leader, he's dead now"

"So I'm guessing your the new leader?" I asked,

"Yep, I guess you can say that"

"Look at you Boian, Family, Girlfriend, promotion... your doing pretty well for yourself if I must say so." I said as I lightly punched his shoulder.

"You forgot mansion size living area underneath our OWN church in which I run and now own. So business owner can be added to that list as well." He said as we both laughed. "So whats with the Eyes Rena? New diet choice?" He asked trying not to sound upset by it.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said not willing to re-tell my side of things. He'll have to accept it or not fight with us.

"Ok, that fine. Next subject" He said as he put his hands back in his pockets.

"I'm sorry about the Immortals attacking you and your new family. If we had known, Seth and I would have went there instead of coming home early ... maybe then he would have ..." I stopped my sentence short when the river opened up and we were no longer surrounded by trees. We made it down to the beach like shore area that the river lead to. The eerie feeling of Deja Vu hit me and then the flash backs came too. Strong and hard the last moments of Seth's death played back to me like a motion picture. The smell of the ocean nauseated me and I felt like a ton of bricks smacked me in the stomach.

"Rena?" Hearing his voice, I snapped out of it. Boian was lifting me from my knees and back to my feet as he said my name. I hadn't realized I fell.

"Sorry ... I just..." I said as I dusted the sand off my knees.

"Is this where it happened?" He asked as he looked around.

"No ... it's not. Just, reminded me of it." I said as I continued to walk down the long shore lines of the beach. He took a few steps and caught up to me.

"What happened that day?" he asked. I wasn't ready to relive those moments out loud. It was bad enough that I had to alone in my head every second of the day let alone to every person who asked. I ignored his question and moved onto something else.

"You know, Seth hasn't come to me yet. Not in spirit form or anything. I think his wolf did, but not Seth." He got the point and went along with the subject change.

"I'm sure he's watching over you Rena, you just have to believe he is."

"His wolf told the others he is, that he has been with me every step of the way ... but I don't know why I'm not the first person he went to." I said as I sat down on a large piece of drift wood that has washed up on this beach. Boian sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Maybe he understands how hard it might be for you to see him. Maybe he knows that he cant do that for the sake of losing your new control over things. Theres a change in you Rena, a dark one that has ignited a new warrior within you. I could sense it the second I stepped foot on your yard. As dark as it may be it may also be very needed to win this war. Maybe he knows it will not help you to see him. If theres one thing I've learned from losing someone you love, is that you have to learn to let them go before you become a new and better person. I wouldn't let Sorina go, I held onto her tightly, but finally I came to terms with it, and then Seth brought her to me that night. I got to say my final goodbye, but that was only after I had already came to terms with it myself." His words were strong and true to the heart. But much like him, I wasn't ready to let go. Not until he was avenged.

"If that is true, then I know he will never come to me ... I will never let him go." I said truthfully.

"Thats the thing Rena, It all starts, with letting go." he said now looking me in the eyes. I gave him a large appreciative hug. He was the only person who would understand my pain.

"He's right" The voice said from no where. I pulled back and looked at Boian then looked around.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"I don't know" he said as he looked around us too.

Then, things went silent, the waves kept crashing on the shore, yet no sound was made. The winds stopped and the sun began to shine. Shine its bright golden rays down on us, my skin began to sparkle, Boian covered his eyes and then a flash so bright engulfed us, blinding us unexpectedly. After a complete minute, it then disappeared. We looked around and it didn't take long to see him. Glowing a magnificent gold, he walked from the water onto the beach and toward me. He was just as beautiful as I remembered him, his russet colored skin, shone bright and sparkled almost like mine. I stood up slowly as did Boian and I took a step forward.

"Seth?" I asked. I stumbled over his name, feeling a huge lump in my throat. "Is it really you?" He stepped closer to me and then put his hand against my face. The warmth I longed for was there finally, sending the same sparks it always gad before. The beautiful man I fell in love with two years ago, and who was taken away from me way too soon was back.

"Hey Boian" He said as he nodded his head. Boian nodded back and said he'd give us some alone time. As he walked away I Threw my face into Seth's chest. He felt so real, so alive.

"I'm sorry I haven't come sooner. I wanted to, but you were in such a dark place that your mind blocked me out." It was my fault this entire time?

"No ... it was not your fault Rena. Nothing was your fault. Stop blaming yourself for everything." He said. He could read my mind now?

"You died because of me! If I had never run into you that day in the woods, you would have never met me, imprinted and would have never been in this situation to have been killed. I had so many opportunities to get you safe but I was weak, I was too weak to fight back!" I said sobbing as I threw my face into his chest.

"Rena stop!" He said now pulling my face up to his. "You can't avoid fate or out run destiny. I was DESTINED to be yours and you were DESTINED to be mine. We were made to be in each others lives. Things happen for a reason. Wether it be to make someone better in life, or to prevent greater things from further happening in the future. I take my passing as a good thing. It allows an opportunity to present it self. The opportunity to take down the one monster who has a single chance to overtake man kind. If I had to die to protect the world, then so be it, but YOU have to stop blaming yourself for it." I shook my head in protest but he continued on.

"What Boian said was true. You have become something so much stronger then you were before this. BUT you are not where you will or can be if you don't stop blaming yourself. You must let go of the pain and make room for the power needed to defeat Christian. That power depends on you to do that. The world depends on you to do that."

"How am I supposed to let you go?" I asked sobbing even more.

"You don't have to let me go Rena. I will always be right here ..." he said as he pointed at my heart. "... It still beats, for a reason. I can be that reason. But only if you let go of the pain and hurt you hold. Channel that energy into good energy to defeat those who will try and stop you." I looked at him and held his warm hand.

"I don't know if I can do this Seth. I don't know if I'm ready"

"You are Rena and you can. Just remember what I said." He said as he started to back way, I tried to hold onto his hand but it faded away from mine"

"Seth, no, please don't leave!" I begged.

"I won't be far. Remember? I'll always be here, in your heart." He said as he flashed his bright white smile to me.

"Seth! I love you!" I said as I choked on my own words. "I'll always love you!"

"Rena, I love you more then you will ever know." He started to turn around but then stopped. He tilted his head then turned back at me with a strange smile.

"Hey Rena"

"Yes?" I asked as he analyzed me sitting on the dirt. He smiled then shook his head. "Red is not your color, I prefer the golden hazel. Craving new blood?" He asked as I immediately took my eyes away from his.

"Its ok ... but ...you have a strange glow to you. You look more beautiful then you ever have" I didn't know how to take that really. I just looked down back at the ring that was still on my ring finger and began to spin it in place.

"It's only temporary. I promise..." I said.

"Hm, the glow is not from your change of diet. Your still evolving and you don't even notice it." He said with a smile.

"Will I see you again?" I asked. He giggled and began to glow even brighter.

"Stay alive through the war. Survive it and win, promise you will, and I promise I'll come back." He started to float off and the light began to shine again. It was almost blinding before he added one more thing.

"One last thing Rena, if help comes, take it... Take all the help you can get. No matter what, or who. I'd really like to see you one last time after this is all over with" The flash of light finally blinded me and then all the normal sounds of the beach came rushing to me again.

I was sitting there, in the sand, listening to the waters crash ashore. Alone. Boian was close by walking through the trees , I could smell him and hear him still, but Here in this moment, I was alone again. Alone in the mission only I knew could be accomplished. Seeing Seth really ignited something in me again. I felt a flutter in my stomach, almost like butterflies from excitement and I knew I had to get back to the house. I had to get to training these newborn hybrid evolutions and fast. I stood up, and the feeling of a ton of bricks hitting my stomach came again. I crippled over a bit from the nausea and then felt like something was coming. Why was I having yet another panic attack? I wasn't upset, I felt a bit better now. It was then that the voices hit me at once. Thirty Four different voices screaming, roaring. The chinese came first, then the African. The english was all that I understood and the words "ENEMY" "EVIL" "DEATH BRINGERS" was all I needed to hear to understand that it was my new pack of shifters talking to me, reaching out to me to inform me something was wrong.

I ran through the forrest in the direction that Boian was. I found him within seconds, grabbed his arm and told him something happened. I didn't need to, for he too was connected to his own pack who were reaching out to him as well. This pack bond was new to me but I didn't think it was this powerful. I hadn't realized how faster I was since drinking human blood, until I realized that Boian was a few hundred feet behind. Being that his speed matches a vampires, I was going really fast. Within seconds of running, we were running up the hill tow here my house sat atop. The growls, the arguing could all be heard as we dove through the giant wall of green maze. I didn't even bother following it, instead I tore through it and made my way into the back yard.

The crowd was so large that I couldn't see what was going on at first. I couldn't smell anything besides shape shifters, which always had a strange dirt like odor mixed with ammonia and animal; vampire and human. I pushed through the crowd and the closer I got to the middle, I caught onto to new smells. Two vampires I was very unfamiliar with, but two vampires everyone here in this group apparently were familiar with. I heard Edward and Bella explain to everyone that they needed to calm down and hear them out. alice was there too but she couldn't barely talk without someone nearly ripping her throat out.

"YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING!"

"YOU SAID THEY ALL WERE GONE!" Adelpha and Adelphos both said. Tanya and Kate were also some of the hecklers.

"EVERYONE STOP!" I Shouted and sent a small blast that would push them all out of my way gently.

When the crowd separated enough for me to see who it was they were talking about, my mouth fell open, teeth bared a bit and the snarl was almost uncontrollable. They stood behind Edward and Bella, who for some reason were protecting them, as Charles blocked the one from using her powers. The males posture was very proper and he barely flinched at the site of my power. His long black hair was pushed out of his face, exposing the chalky colored skin which was aged a thousand years. His deep crimson, almost burgundy eyes had a milky hue to them; very old, very powerful. The smile he wore on his face only proved my original thought, that he was Aro, Leader of the once in charge Volturi. To his left, another Volturi member who was obviously the most deadly one they had. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She was much shorter then Aro and still had a childish look to her. The same burgundy milky eye carried over to her and though her skin was chalky white, it didn't present the same very old look as Aro's.

"I've read his thoughts as well as hers, they mean us no harm anymore." Edward said putting extra emphasis on the 'anymore.' Everyone began talking or shouting again but I lifted a hand and they silenced.

"I thought you hated them Bella?" Ditto asked.

"I do. Standing here this close makes me sick, but I stand by my husbands choice." She said looking back at Edward.

"How did they survive?" I asked.

"Ask us yourself" Jane said. Her tone was sharp and pointed. She glared at me then her nose flared a bit. I hissed, I felt my heart level rise from the anxiety. I wanted her dead.

"What have we here Edward?" Aro asked as he stepped around Edward. "Is this another vampire human offspring?" he asked in a song like voice.

"Why don't YOU ask ME yourself?" I said smartly back at them. Jane let out a hiss and everyone around me snarled or growled.

"May I?" Aro asked while extending a hand to me.

"You may not" I said coldly. His smile twitched a bit and he looked around him.

"Rena, theres nothing he can do, he just wants to know about you, he gets that from a single touch." Alice said.

"This is the same filth, that you said is worst then Christian and Lysander. The all mighty Aro, who kills for pleasure and TRIED to kill you and your family." I said back.

"Actually, we kill for justice, Rena is it? We never kill for pleasure." Aro explained. "We usually and always have plausible reason to take action toward another vampire."

"It's okay Rena, he means you no harm." Edward said. I looked back at Aro whose hand was still extended and grabbed it. He closed his eyes and his smile grew bigger. Within a few seconds, he saw everything. Everything about me. Everything from those Foggy days as a human, up until this very moment I stood in front of him.

"Marvelous!" He said out loud clapping his hands together. "Jane! Do you know what stands before us?" He asked as he turned to face her.

"This is a human girl, who has EVOLVED into a vampire! Only after her birth mother, was bitten by a vampire while she was still carrying her. The venom was stored until her body began to reach full maturity. The venom slowly unleashed itself and created what you see before you."

"That doesn't explain the heart beat" Jane said.

"True however it seems, that the blood flow and growing cells in her body, mutated the virus, or the virus too evolved into a higher form. Causing her to still carry almost every trait a human would, minus the aging" He explained. "and strength it seems" he added.

"So, The leader ... Christian ... he is not only your maker, but both you, and Noah's biological father? If there was no werewolf involved that day, I would have seen you in Farahs thought. Be lucky I didn't my child" He said with an evil smile painted from ear to ear.

"IS that a threat!" Boian said now standing next to me towering over Aro.

"As you can see, moon child, I am in NO position to threaten anyone. Just giving credit to the one who was able to hide from the Volturi for so long. Someone with such exquisite gifts." He said.

"I have answered a lot of questions and you have yet to answer any of mine. How did you survive?" I asked.

"If the freak show twin wasn't blocking my powers I'd show you first hand how we survived." Jane said. I hissed and she smiled.

"Yes, we barely escaped but luckily, the one flaw those zombie manufactured freaks he calls vampires, are so enthralled with cannibalism that they became quite focused on their feast."

"Lysander would have killed you. Theres no way you escaped him." I said.

"Ah, yes you see ... he was quite distracted by the two Egyptian traitors we threw at him that it gave us the opportunity to run. Speaking of the Egyptian, you were actually familiar with them weren't you?" He asked. By my grimace he knew I knew them

"It makes sense now doesn't it jane?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When the Volturi intercepted in China, the immortals were exposed to us. We knew about them already but this confirmed that they still existed. When we returned to Italy, we were greeted by two Vampires who stated they knew where the leader was and what his plans were. The female was very careful not to think about you when I scanned her thoughts about Christian. It was only a few minutes ago that I found out about the tie between you and them. They set you up did they?"

"Something like that." I said. "What do they have to do with distracting Lysander?"

"They stole from him. Something valuable. Something they gave him originally that they had all intentions of keeping themselves." He spoke of the Venom.

"It was a useless jar of old ancient DNA. They had plans to sell it on the black market and get money for it. They were stupid vampires, a complete waste of time." Jane said. So the jar wasn't real and they hadn't lied to us. Just lied to Lysander and Christian to stay alive. It back fired on them in the end, and they ended up dead.

"We used the underground tunnel we have to escape, by the time they realized we were gone, and by the time they found the tunnel, we were already in the ocean traveling here." Jane added.

"You swam ... here?" Noah asked.

"Yes, we know the tricks to a good escape just like anyone else. The one thing Christian can not keep on his team is a good tracker. So even if he some how did find one, they could never be as good as the one we had, and if they were good, they'd never find us in the water." Aro said.

"So what is it that you want?" I asked. Aro looked around and smiled.

"Isn't it obvious? We want in. We want to help take down these rogue law breaking vampires who have overthrown the Volturi. Those who took down the very thing that took centuries to build. We want them dead."

"Absolutely not!" Emmet shouted.

"Rot in hell!" Rosalie added. I hadn't even seen them here until they stepped up.

"Let them suffer alone, let the nomads handle them, or better yet, have the Romanians handle them. They would LOVE the chance to finish them off!" Adelpha said. Her hate for the Volturi was just as strong as anyone else here. She had reasoning to. They killed her husband, the man who she too loved. I stared into his eyes as Seth's words replayed in my head. "Take all the help you can get. No matter what." I took another look around and then back at him.

"You will stay in the basement, surrounded by shifters. Charles and Ditto will be down there too, to make sure Jane doesn't get out of hand. If she does, she'll be the first to go. I will make you watch her slow death, at the hands of one of the many people here who would love the honor to do so. But don't think that if she gets out of hand and dies, that you go scotch free. You are weak, but you are NOT dumb. We will quickly destroy you just as quickly as we do her. You are allowed to join in practice sessions with the other evolutions, the practice on such an old vampire might do them good. But again, the second you go out of line, you will be done. Do you understand?" I said now stepping close enough that only an inch separated us.

"I understand." He said. I looked at Jane and waited. She didn't want to answer me but she had no choice. It was this, or die.

"Jane, my child, do you understand and agree to the terms and conditions presented to us today?" Aro asked without looking at her.

"I agree"

"Good" I started to turn and walk away but Aro began to speak again.

"Rena, If the other evolutions are nearly as lovely as you are, I look forward to training with them" His sentence had a million meanings to them ... but I didn't have the time to figure out which one he really meant it for. Instead, I ignored him, then instructed Ditto and Charles to take them down to their room. Luckily for them, they get the most recent add on, the one that has no furniture or carpet in it. Just cinderblock walls and cement floors.

Out numbered or not, our own numbers were not looking so bad anymore. Thirty-four shape shifters, six witches, eleven werewolves, and thirty-two vampires. With more to come, This war would be a tough one, but a good fight will be fought. I promised Seth i'd come out alive, and that we'd win. I will not break my promise to him. Never again.