At midnight, I watched Ozario's sleeping face. He was admirably sound asleep. I noticed an unusual movement at the bottom of our bed. I sat up, letting the cover fall off my shoulder. I caught something gleaming in my eyes in front of me. There a silhouette of a woman who sat before me, wearing a small shaped' V' necklace. Oh, no! Oh, no! A symbol of The Vipers! The necklace reflected from the lamp, which dimly lit the room. I wasn't able to see her face. It was too dark in the night, only two red eyes stared at me like a devil.

The shadowed woman's hands lifted to her face like she was picking at her nails. "You are an extraordinary threat to me, Child. Your value might be the reason for that. Listen to me close... I know that you will. Stay away from Ozario, or I'll make sure you–or both of you–will never see each other again. You wouldn't want me to play Hangman with you, would you?"

The voice of the woman sounded familiar. It was out of this world. I was trying to call out the girl's name, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, there was no sound coming out of my mouth. All I could do was shake my head to deny her request. I'd rather die than leave Ozario, unless he asked me to do so. From her anger the room began to shake violently.

"Big mistake, you wretched thing!" Her hair started to flow like the wind was brushing against her mercilessly.

"Oh! What a cliché," I found myself capable of speaking again. I can control my dream, I chanted to myself. "You think I fear you? I don't. You're not real. This just isn't real," I spoke sarcastically nonchalant.

Everything came to a halt and fell silent. I blink at the woman's sudden disappearance. I searched the room until I looked to my right and jumped. The girl was sitting right next to me, but I still couldn't see her face well. I saw that her fancy red dress matched the color of her evil eyes. Her rudeness sickened me. I hated feeling horrified by her, especially as she was just another typical villain.

She whispered, "You think this is a game?"

"A dream," I corrected.

The walls had broken down. The bed began to fall through the dark, bloody sky. I was trapped, nailed to the mattress. It hurt so badly that I couldn't move at all. The woman was still sitting by my side. Staring into her eye cold eyes, she obviously had no fear of the long fall. This time, I was able to see who this lady was, Astrid. I couldn't stand the sight of this creep! I turned away, thinking that I could escape the beating of her red glare. I was wrong about that. She came closer to my face, pushing me even faster to the ground. She choked me gruesomely. I had to be tricked into her rubbernecking again. It was as if she loved seeing my mortified reactions, wondering what to do next. My eyes could no longer resist Astrid's eyes, which made me panic. I couldn't move any longer. I had been frozen in place.

"Don't be afraid, Child. Pain is a mere illusion of the brain," she calmly informed. "Death is... is a twisted reality," she hissed!

She bit the blade of my shoulder, causing a fast, traumatic pang that spread all over my body. The feeling was practically ripping me limb from limb with no morphine to sooth the pain. I couldn't scream, no matter how terrible the pain worsened. It was just the air bellowing out of the edge of my mouth. I started to burn like the woman had left me in an oven of 550 degrees. I could feel my skin grow huge boils that burst and oozed blood. But when I saw my skin, my body did not have any wounds or bumps. I couldn't force myself to breathe any longer. I started to faint.

I crashed down to the ground beneath me. All my bones had broken. The venom, or whatever she put in my body, kept destroying my veins. The bed broke from the landing. It's pieces pierced my body in a lot of places I couldn't see. Tears slowly fell from my eyes, but I wasn't sad, just confused. The wicked clouds returned with sad faces... Then, like before, they faded away. I didn't feel any more discomfort. Once again, I had my angel-like wings. This time, Ozario was lying beside me, watching the sunny, blue, clear sky by my side me. I stared into his silver and loving eyes.

He whispered, "Catalina, wake up."

In my right eye, a radiant light flashed. I rushed out of my nightmare, sitting up. A quick search around the room let me know that I was safe, even though my sight was a little blurred. I realized that I wasn't breathing. After gasping for air, I started to cough. It felt like I was choking from drowning. I rubbed my face, then freaked out once I saw the blood stains on my hands. My sight focused more. The sky was still dark, and the stars were as beautiful as ever. I was breathing heavily, looking down at my legs. I was back in Carlisle's hospital bed, which he kept in his homemade doctor's office. Everyone looked at me with worry or fear. A few people left the room, covering their mouths or noses.

"Cat! Oh! Dios mío!" Ozario hugged me tight. He frantically babbled, "You scared the hell out of me. I haven't been able to wake you up from your nightmare. You started fighting, screaming, shaking, and coughing. Cat, your nose started bleeding. I was so scared that I didn't know how to respond. S-So, I took you to Carlisle." Ozario's whole body quivered in fear.

"I'm s~so s~sorry I sc-ared you," I said in a hoarse, achy voice. I touched my neck and cleared my throat from the pain.

Carlisle walked up to me and touched my shoulder. "Don't speak. You damaged your vocal cords when you were screaming so loudly. You need to let it rest for at least four days. You should be able to speak a little better by then."

Ozario grabbed a wet rag and daubed it on my nose, removing the blood. He looked so frightened and he still shook from what happened. Onyx gave me a piece of tissue to stuff my nose. Then he gently laid me down on my bed, leaving his hand on my forehead. He kept taking a deep breath, trying to calm down. I don't like that. I don't like that I scared you.

Curiously, Astrid burst into the room. She gawked at both of us, trying to understand what happened. She sat, with the same dress from my dream, at the end of the bed. I glowered at her, trying to figure out if I had really woken up. Her eyes showed an astounding amount of fear from anything that happened earlier.

"You're finally awake. I'm glad you're not severely hurt. I got worried. Everyone is." She set her hand on her chest and exhaled.

Ozario grazed my hair back from my face. "She can't speak right now. Her voice is damaged. I will help you get better, alright? Maybe, next time I'll take you to the karaoke bar. Sorry, Kitten."

My shoulders slumped because I was really bummed out. I really wanted to go out for the coming year. I might be staying home at this rate. I never thought that Ozario, of all the fearless people, would tremble the way he did for me. Looking at Oni with a sad gaze, I felt that Astrid touched my leg with sympathy. She shook her head, sighing. Ozario kissed my forehead, and he stood up.

"Well! We can still have fun later this afternoon, can't we," Astrid offered?

Ozario nodded. He smiled at me and said to her, "Good idea. I guess it wouldn't hurt to do something else that's fun. I will be back, alright?"

Astrid and I were nodding as he left the office. She moved to Ozario's chair, staring into my face. I gave her a warm grin. I just wanted to believe that this was just another nightmare. I was kind of happy for the first time that it was something different from my usual one. That nightmare was a bit exciting but too exhausting. Astrid poked my cheek with a smile and began to hum a strange tune. It sounded a little off key at first, and then her humming sounded incredibly lovely to listen to. I was a little confused and bored. I started to have a conversation.

"I know..." I coughed a little to clean my throat of anything that lingered in it. "I-I shouldn't talk, but how did you meet Ozario," I asked?

Astrid sat up straighter. She smiled excitedly. "I met him in 1857. He was 56-years-old. I thought he was 19 or something." Astrid giggled at herself, then said, "He played at his very own ballroom, Bailar Esta Noche. Dance Tonight. He calls it a dance hall. Heh, what's the difference? Ozario was a charming bachelor. He was one of the best in town, a rich man, and he played the instruments beautifully. In particular, the harp. Ozario played so gracefully that any woman wanted him to touch her skin with his gentle hands. He was a true gentleman who could sway any woman, but he was different. He's no player or cheater like most of the men in town, or at least in that hall. No sniper, or creep, nor competitor and so one. Just different. Ozario has always taken love seriously and strayed from specific ladies, who have not drawn his attention. He never liked girls flinging themselves on him. Too disgraceful. He rarely dated, therefore. It was good luck that he saw me. I think you could call him a rare breed if you wanted to. Surprisingly, he wouldn't have been offended. He would have claimed the label."

"That's definitely like him." I breathed, chuckling a bit.

Astrid laughed. "Yes. Yes. Ozario has always been so cynical, but so truthful. The day he saw me in the ballroom was the night he saved my life from a rapist who was supposed to be my date; I made my date angry. That's when I found out Ozario was almost like me. With a long metal chain, he whacked the bastard. It was amazing how far my date flew. Ozario was even playing the bullfighter game with him. The asshole ended up breaking his own neck, trying to charge at him like an idiot." Astrid tapped her hand against her lap as she laughed even more.

Wow! Ozario sounds kind of cool and brave when he beat that bad guy. I smiled.

Finally, Astrid relaxed her laughter and said, "Ah! We both know how Ozario can be when he is on fox hour. He slips by with it all, doesn't he? Well, we spoke for several days, slowly getting feelings for each other. He believed in taking things slow before... But, you must be an exception,right?"

I shrugged. "I don't know," I whispered.

She smiled and carried on, "You're living with him, sweetie. Ho-hm. A few years later, he proposed so romantically to me. I told him he was the winner of my game. I always dated men who used me, you see. So, I was using the game as a precaution. I sent Ozario one year to do something for me. After two years, he returned. I messed it all up by becoming defensive. I became the kind that pushed people away from me before they hurt me. But he was good. I did something that striped away the love of my life and I was humiliated. I did something that stripped me of the love of my life, and I was humiliated. On our wedding day, he found me in another room, frozen at the door, with no emotion on his face. I was with another man, someone that Ozzi was working with. I couldn't tell him how much he felt about all that. The last words he spoke were' Farewell. I wish your night be good to you, Madam.' Afterward, he ran away angry. People are waltzing in to find me dirty and exposed because the doors have been left open. I was left a show for the wedding guests. I acted like a whore. I've been feeling miserable for years after that. I didn't see him until we had crossed the paths again on a fateful day. After that, we kept in touch. Anything else, Dear?"

"That must've been tough for the both of you," I muttered.

Astrid looked down at the floor. "Him more than I," she chimed in. "I believe what I had done... I deserved all the consequences for it. Rest your voice, now. You've spoken enough, Cati Cakes."

I tried to giggle because of the nickname, but it sort of hurt.

Ozario reentered the office, carrying some soup. "Cati, eat this, please. I placed some herbs inside to help remove the pain in your throat. I have to lift the gross stuff ban for now." He alerted me.

"Uh, oh." I coughed, taking the bowl. "Than-"

"No!" Ozario frowned and blinked a few times.

I glared back at him. "I am going to say, 'Thank you,' and you are going to like it," I angrily whispered.

Astrid laughed at us. She stood in front of Ozario. They exchange pleasing, then unpleasant glances at each other until she reached the exit. What was the change in facial expression about?

Astrid turned back around to see me for one last thing.

"Catalina."

"Yes?" I tried to answer with my quivering voice.

"Remember what I told you. Pain is just a mere illusion of the brain. Know your dreams are, too. okay? You can change them. The next time you say the dream isn't real, be careful with what you do." Astrid shot me an evil glance again. She left after that.

What? I could have sworn she just gave me the evil eyes! My eyes widened. I couldn't move again. Is my dream real? Is she a friend or deluder? I kept repeating this question in my head, over and over.

Ozario grabbed my hand. "Are you alright?" Onyx asked.

I shook my head, freaking out. "She said that in my dream. How did she know she said that in my dream? How did she know what I said in my dream?"

"You talk in your sleep, Catalina. You were saying plenty of wild things. I left to get supplies for Carlisle while you were asleep. She stayed until I returned. Maybe, she told you then while you were freaking out and you heard it in your nightmare. Just relax. I mean, you replied to me too before you had woken up. I told you to wake up and you forced yourself awake," Ozario answered.

"I... guess, I must be getting paranoid again." I tried calming my nerves by breathing. I felt almost satisfied with his answer.

Ozario touched my chest where my heart beat. "Hush, mi dulce. Eat. Your throat should heal, okay?"

I nodded while he kissed my cheek. A few hours passed, I came into the living room where everyone stood about as usual. A couple of Cullens were missing for a while. I sat next to Jacob, who has kept his distance from Astrid since she got here. We both stayed on the floor, talking for a bit.

I peek at Jacob for a second, then whispered, "Jacob, how are you?"

"I could be better," he spoke calmly. "I still get uneasy around bloodsuckers... But, I think I misjudged the Cullens. It's the others I hate. Aren't you not supposed to talk?" he asked.

"Well! Bore~doms like theeese require rogue rebels. I-I just can't s-top." I struggled to say.

"Rebel, huh? You can definitely be just as stubborn," Jacob chuckled.

"Yup!" I giggled, then coughed a little. "Phew!"

Jacob shook his head with a smile. "You know I can't make you laugh. Not, yet."

"Yea, I know, Jac." I silently stated, "Ozario would kill us both. I wanted to know why you keep your distance from Astrid, but not those other three girls."

Jac glanced at Goldie Locks, then faced me. "There is something wrong with her. Every time she comes around, only Ozario gets involved. Even his own brother hates Astrid's guts. She isn't good. She's psycho. Too Mary Sue to be likable."

Only Ozario, huh? "So, I see Ozario has you hooked on book references, too," I playfully whispered.

"Yea... but, he isn't wrong." Jacob shrugged. "I've seen it, lately. Ozario knows this, yet, he still sticks around. Even Skuld told me, from the beginning, that she can be psychopathic to an extent. So, I keep my distance. Don't wanna get on that witch's list."

Jacob watched Renesmee come into the room. His pupils dilated. I shook my head. D'aww! That's cute. I was just about to ask about Astrid's list, but, everyone's attention turned to Ness. I closed my mouth and listened to the plans for today. Everyone planned to do as much human stuff as possible for Renesmee and my sake for the New Year's celebration. Ozario came around the corner with Alice and Edward, who also joined the event committee. With Alice on the team, everyone knew it had to be something perfect or elaborate.

Alice wore a large smile, waving her hands in glee. "Well!

Ozario and I came up with some great plans. So, let's get started!"

Renesmee smiled so bright that I can't tell if she was the sun. We reached the hotel in Seattle the next day. Everyone would be spending the entire weekend in the almost as gloomy as Forks side of the area. Someone decided to host a festival for New Year's Eve in a huge park. There was a big carnival in the center. Our job was to enjoy as many festivities as possible, like our last day was tomorrow, especially since it started during dusk. If not, we would have to stay at the hotel until boredom kicked in. It would mess up our family trip that the Cullens haven't had in forever. Alice demanded pretty intense terms, but no rules really applied besides

"Have fun or else!"

I had strict rules of my own "No speaking, no screaming, and no noises from me the entire time. Just play charades or something." Yea... Easier said than done, but worth it if I wanted to speak, again. It should be a good day. I wore my favorite plaid and hooded vest with my chained boots today. We separated in groups of two first: the married couples of course stayed together; Jacob and Renesmee were definitely partnered; The Three Fates stayed together with Seth joining, which had been the largest group. Apparently, Seth somehow imprinted on Verdandi not to long ago, which is awesome. Astrid, Henry, and Leah stayed by each other's side. They became a bit cool with each other recently, sort of. Astrid was with them... so Henry had complications. And, of course, like any romantically clichéd story, Ozario and I stuck together. He wanted to keep me safe, happy, and quiet.

All of us went our separate ways, doing separate things, and enjoyed our respective partner's company. We met up at the food court to talk about what we could do next as whole. Leah started acting out of character, however. Her attention was locked on the thoughts she had, and her expression was slightly confused but definitely angry. Edward knew something was up, because he took Leah to the side and spoke with her about the situation.

I looked at Henry. Hen kept staring at me, also revealing that he knew something was wrong as well. It was written on his face. He projected sympathy, which coated every emotion he could have possibly felt. I turned away Henry and tapped my fingertips on my lips. Should I speak to him? I got up to check on Leah and Henry, but Ozario stood up to do it before I could even make a move. I sat back down, slowly. All four – Edward, Leah, Onyx, and Henry – talked. Hastily, all four of them stared at me. I received a strong feeling of uneasiness after the way they looked at me so horrifically and in unison. I-Is something wrong...with me? Ozario quickly walked back to my side with something niggling on his mind. His eyes were downcast.

Onyx spotted me watching him. "Let's avoid heights, alright?" Ozario asked, fondling my fingers with his.

I tapped my free fingers on the table. My brow jumped with curiosity. I struggled to get my words out, "T-teeell me the truth, Onyx. I-I know something is wro-oong when I see it."

"So, freak'n observant," Ozario murmured behind his clenched teeth. He sighed and said, "Alright. Look... Everyone wants to go on rides that has a bit of height, speed, etcetera. You can't go because it might damage your voice. All of us want you to get better and have fun, okay? Just trust me, please?" He explained in a worried tone that was not fit for such a lame excuse. He was hiding something from me, but for now, I took his word for it.

"Humph." I twisted my lip and gave him a look. I wanted him to know I understood that he lied. "Sure." I whispered. I nodded, agreeing with him.

Onyx sighed with his thinking face still showing. Those silver eyes looking at the table. Head hung slightly. Brows bent inward for intense thinking. He kept messing with his nails or tugging his incredibly tough skin. As much as I liked jumping off trees this was no time to argue. My vocal cord could become more damaged if I scream one more time. Ozario seemed more alarmed than ever before, which let me know there was something troubling all four of my comrades worse than me and my throat. Ozario's body actually slouched for goodness sake! He usually sat with dignity.

Something's wrong. Exceedingly, wrong.

The whole family gathered together to resume our fun.

Things began to get a little... bizarre, once we had reached our first family ride together. A haunted house, indoor ride, and a man lectured us with the rules until the doors opened and let all the costumers in. It was a pretty cool simulation at first. We were stuck in a room together that started narrating the reason why the house was haunted. I kept looking around to see how scared people would get and laughed at them.

Ozario looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed. He questioned, "What human laughs in a haunted house?"

"All these people have weak stomachs. It's all over their faces." I whispered, sarcastically, and smiled.

Jacob laughed as well. "Right! A bunch of wussies." Jac and I gave each other a fist-bump.

"I love this girl." Ozario whispered to himself, "Just so weird." He chuckled.

I looked away and spotted a man eyeballing me in a corner.

His evil glare made me anxious. I frowned back at him. I don't know what possessed me with this new-found bravery, but I folded my arms and looked confident. The man glaring at me disappeared into the crowd all mysterious-like. Ugh! Creep.

The lights flickered off for a dramatic effect, but I knew something more interesting. Red eyes shot through mine, throwing knives of fear into my mind. The light flashed on, unveiling Astrid's red eyes looking at me. I panicked from the jump-scare she played really well. She laughed at my dismay, took my left hand, and boasted about it.

"And, you teased all of these people for having weak stomachs."

I giggled and defended myself, "Phantoms are everything compared to this place. Of course, I'd be terrified."

"Oh! Sit next to me! I'm sure Ozario won't mind as long as he is nearby!" She begged, skipping to a seat for the haunted ride.

I smiled and sat next to her, still holding her hand. Ozario and Leah sat behind us, smiling at us. Once everybody got a positioned seat, we started to roll forward. Then, we fell backward. It startled a lot of us. I wasn't so fazed by it. Not because I had witness worst traumas, but because I had my eyes locked angrily at the front seat.

That creep with an attitude sat before us with his elbows supporting his head. He viciously glowered at me. It made me feel highly uncomfortable. Pissed, actually. I looked away and found

Ozario, who seemed to have noticed him as well. Onyx's red eyes narrowed at the guy. He touched my shoulder, destroying the man with his deadly frown.

The ride really began when we shot through a hole. Everything kept flickering on and off. The man just continued watching Ozario and me. We grimaced back. It reached the peak of creep status when he unexpectedly vanished. Ozario let go of my shoulder roughly as if something affected him some way. I looked back, but Ozario wasn't there. No one sat around me on this train. It was empty, but the ride kept going. I closed my eyes, listening to my surroundings.

A man's voice whispered, "This isn't a dream."

I opened my eyes and looked at the creep in my face. "Says who?"

He wiped out his green contacts, revealing his real eye color, red. I stood up to run. His hand felt like solid ice when smacking my face toward the back seat. I collected myself enough to punch him really hard, knocking him away from me. I got up, jumping from cart to cart to get away from this psycho. The creep caught my leg, slamming me back into a chair. He c-choked me, crushing my throat. I tried to push him back by pushing in his eyeballs. He only laughed.

It wouldn't work! The brute was too strong for my weak, human hands. He grabbed my hair and shoved my head close to the wall, trying to remove my face. I kept pulling against his grip.

I almost died until I was snatched backward by Ozario's hand, which prevented my head from getting decapitated.

"Catalina!" Ozario shouted.

While coughing, I shook my head. I suppose, I forgot to breathe again. The ride stopped, letting everyone off. I ran outside before the others caught up and halted before a trashcan. Then, I bent over and vomited. Ozario found me first, grazing my hair back so my puke won't get into my hair. I stood up straight, looking at him. I tasted salt and some disgusting metallic after taste. Blood. Onyx fumed with rage, but calmly held out a tissue for me. Ozario expressed a state of fright and anger I didn't think existed in him.

"Cat, are you alright?" he asked softly, sadly.

I nodded, wiping my mouth. Well...I'm still alive and breathing, which is good. "Yea... Sure. Just dizzy. I'm good.

Ugh," I whispered.

Ozario took me by the hand, pulling me close. He ravished me in a snugly hug. "He got me, too. I saw his real eyes. He manipulated my mind and put me in some dark room. I'm glad I broke out of it in time..." Onyx pulled me away. His hands stayed on my shoulders. "Cat, the conversation earlier had been Skuld and Alice's vision. We have an emergency. Someone is trying to attack you here in Seattle. I need to keep a close eye on you at all cost."

Finally! He tells me! I'm satisfied now that I know. I rolled my eyes. What do these idiots want from me, now? "Vipers. Got it."