Chapter 40

Arraignment


"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die."

Herbert Hoover


Madness.

That was the only word to describe what was going on around her. And she wasn't even in the full array yet, just barely into the manor.

Amina needed to get to where Coach was, she could acutely feel Federico's presence on her heart. Because minds are nothing but spirits and souls, and now her body housed not only her spirit, but the last vestiges of his dying will that kept him alive inside of her. His flame, his consciousness, probing at her, like a gentle nudge, asking her to let him in but she couldn't do more than push him away at this moment.

She would most likely come to regret it-turning away the boy she loved for part of the time she had left with him before he disappeared altogether. But the problem was that she didn't want him to see her as she had become. She loved the version of her that once was, the one before Alphonse, before the Varia; the one she saw in his memories. Kind, pure-hearted, good-natured, well-mannered, and smiling. Now she was rebellious, angry, resentful, and vengeful: stopping at nothing to achieve her goals, including instigating a coup.

Her goal and aim was Alphonse, she needed to get the Varia weakened and in disarray first in order to reach that man. A man who had done nothing but attack and terrorize her since she woke up in the Varia mansion. Who became the embodiment of the worst of evils.

How was it that her blood could boil but also she felt chills run through her body at the thought of him? Disgust threatened to drown her, just like the screams that boiled to the top of her throat and only sounded in her head. Her screams, coupled with the sight of Federico's blood.

The sight never goes away. Federico tried to protect her, her vision blurred with Federico's blood as Alphonse stabbed him. Then to make matters worse, that diabolic ceremony where using Federico's dead body, Alphonse achieved some sort of dark flame. He got what he wanted at the expense of her. That was supposed to be her in that macabre flame exchange, she knew it with every fiber in her being. He allowed her to see and escape, so she knew to fear him.

What he wasn't counting on that once he took everything away from her, from the depths of that pain, rage and regret. He forged her: a girl single mindedly dedicated to taking him down.

The longer the Varia upper echelon was in a tight-knit formation, the worse her odds of getting rid of Alphonse.

Which meant cooperating with the Cinquemani. Fede's family had been feuding with them since before she remembered who she was. She was betraying her dead fiance to get back at her brother who killed him. Which also meant having to be the girl who went against the feared Varia boss, who was incidentally also Federico's brother.

Truly, she could win the 'worst fiancee award' if there ever was one.

A logical part of her knew that Federico was such a good human being, so caring and thoughtful and loved her so much that he truly would not be bitter or resentful towards her. She had explained the events that had led them to where they were, and she was committed to doing her part of what Federico had asked of her.

But that didn't mean she wanted him to see it or see who she was becoming in order to reach her goals.

And so, though it burned her, her heart aching out of longing for Federico, to savor whatever time she had left with him, to feel him near her, hear him, soak up his entire being; what she chose instead was to put up a wall between his consciousness and hers. Feeling enough of his presence to know he lay on the other side but ever so afraid to let him ebb fully into her own. It was surprising how easy it was, but that no doubt had to be also because Federico was anything if not a gentleman. He would respect her freewill and her decisions, because that was the caliber of a man he was.

Celeste felt a surge of love and support he sent her way, it's okay, take your time, I love you, do what you need to do, I'll be here, though he couldn't speak to her as she wasn't allowing him. It felt a familiar burning in her eyes at the overwhelmingly positive energy he sent her way. She blinked quickly and wiped at her eyes, she couldn't cry now.

With a deep breath and a boy literally stuck in her head, she started running straight into the depths of the Varia manor to try to locate Coach.


She didn't know how long it took her to get to Coach, but when she saw him, he was flanked by two other Cinquemani servants, who were surrounding him defensively. She nodded to them respectively. A flash of recognition shone in their eyes and they nodded back at her. One of them touched Coach on his shoulder, taking him away from the plan he was showing another operative. He barked some orders and dismissed all of them so it was just Coach and her left.

"Kid, where the hell have youse been?"

"Through hell and back, I had an altercation with my brother."

Coach furrowed his eyebrows and gave her a look of surprise. "Brother? Youse found your family?"

"You could say that." Though at this point she wished she hadn't.

"Then what the hell you doin' back here? I wouldn't have blamed you if youse had cut and ran, this isn't your fight to begin with. If you have your memories, get out now."

Amina gave him a bit of an uncertain look and heaved her shoulders heavily before releasing them in a long sigh. "Unfortunately, I can't say that anymore. My memories make my life more problematic. But really it's been the things I've learned now than what I used to know before, that are the bigger issue at hand."

Coach just looked confused, he didn't want to pry but also he was a bit concerned. She knew that but she didn't want to draw him into a bigger mess than they were both in respectively. So she did the only thing she knew to do at a time like this.

She changed the subject.

"Where is Esposito?"

Coach could always tell when someone was trying to shut a door behind them and he let himself be escorted out. Amina silently thanked him for it, even if she knew it was as much as a preventative measure as it was a respectful one towards her.

"Dead."

That was a surprise, she really hadn't seen that one coming. "What?! How-?"

"You missed when this fight first broke out. Last I heard from some boys still in Cinquemani central is that they were planning on attackin' the Vongola. I couldn't get a confirmation of when, but there was enough of movement to let me know it was goin' to happen soon you know? So I did the only thing that was smart, start preppin' quickly to counter when BAM- all hell broke loose. Next thing I know, all signals are cut here in the Varia to create a black zone and Varia and Cinquemani start fighting."

"Is that when it happened? In the maddening foray Esposito was unlucky?"

Coach scoffed. "I almost wish. It's worse. The damn man decided to go straight for Alphonse during servant lockdown protocol. If it hadn't been because Alphonse acted on instinct and killed him within seconds, I swear to you I would've killed Esposito myself with how pissed off I was. He could've put so many people in this place in jeopardy when they made him talk."

"How much trouble are we in?" If somebody caught on to Esposito and the rest of the Rogue Regime, they were toast.

"Luckily not as much as we should be. Esposito was treated like a Cinquemani off-shoot. They've already suspected an infiltration here and there and since this happened once the battle had already started, it was dismissed as an early casualty by a hotshot who wanted to get his hands on a Varia top gun without thinkin' things through."

While that made Amina release some tension she didn't even realize she had,, Coach on the other hand was still heavily riled up.

He rummaged a hand through his hair in aggravation. "Don't really know what spurred a man as collected and as smart as Esposito to do sumethin' like that. Attacking Alphonse head on?!"

"Brianna. That's probably why if I had to take a guess." Celeste couldn't hide the distaste on her tongue, she had no doubt her face probably twisted into a grimace too judging by how Coach was looking at her like she grew another head.

"Let's just say she was heavily involved with Alphonse." It made her want to gag, and once Coach caught her drift, a look of revulsion came across his features too. He knew Esposito had a thing for Brianna, he must've found out. Or knowing the kind of ego Brianna had, maybe she told him she was leaving him for someone else and he had enough of a network to figure out who. "Idiota." He scoffed under his breath. That's what brought him to an end, a bad romance and a need for revenge, what a sad way to go from such a capable man.

"So, where's the floozy now?"

"Dead." She used the same deadpan tone Coach used. He took a second look at her and she didn't know what he saw in her body posture or eyes but he knew that she had done it. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Kid, youse alright?" He softened in a way she didn't know he was capable of. It was her first hit, and hell if a first kill don't do something to your insides. No one forgets their first.

She couldn't say that she was but she also couldn't say that she wasn't. A lot has happened since that time, with Brianna, Alphonse, Federico, her father and if she started unraveling just one of them, she would begin to unravel too. Amina couldn't afford to process anything right now, just keep moving forward. Eyes on the prize, eyes on the goal. Even if it seemed the longer she kept moving forward, the more baggage she seemed to be picking up.

"I'm as good as I'll ever be." Because it was only downhill from here once she truly began emotionally processing everything. But being able to emotionally process meant she found a stable and safe enough place that she could afford to do that and right now that was uncertain. She was putting her life on the line and couldn't let anything rattle her right now. She didn't know if she would survive past tonight, let alone the next couple of hours.

Coach only nodded and didn't push any further. He knew he was the one who allowed her further into this mess and a small sense of guilt threatened to push at him, seeing the tell-tale signs of what the mafia does to a person (the guarded posture, half shifting half tense eyes, face taut and solemn) and she's been here barely a year—just a couple of months. It's been a hell of a time, but he too has learned to harden and not process or else he wouldn't have made it either.

"I have news for you though and it's probably crucial to get any important Need-to-know individuals to be in the know who you personally trust—specifically those who aren't double dipping in the Rogue Regime and Cinquemani." She already saw his retort before he said it and she just went ahead and answered it for him. "Yes, the distinction is important. Now more than ever seeing who is Pupetta loyal versus just Cinquemani loyal is going to make or break us tonight."

Efficient in a way that was scary even for her, shift of some eyes and tilt of his head strategically through the room Coach was flanked by three others in the Rogue Regime. She nodded them in greeting, recognizing their faces through the planning stages of everything of this coup over these months and they in turn though stoically so. But she knew it wasn't hostile, they were at war and it wasn't time for pleasantries.

"So, What's the big leak kid?"

"Pupetta is here and Don Cinquemani knows."

Shock and then understanding flashed across the faces of the men next to Coach. "That explains the sudden movement. So we need to let everyone know to plan accordingly." One of them began and Amina stopped him in his tracks. "No, that absolutely cannot happen."

"Why? it's our people." One of them replied and she knew a jibe when she heard it. She wasn't one of them, who was she to say how to handle the information flow?

"Because Don Cinquemani is behind it, he's working alongside Alphonse."

Their tepid cautiousness became outrage. "Do you understand what you are saying, bambina?! Why would Don Cinquemani do such a thing?" Disbelief clouding their faces, Coach was stoic and she knew he was holding back to see how she would clarify her information.

"Easy. There are only three things that motivate men like him: power, hunger and greed. Who do you think allowed the hit on Antonino? News flash: it wasn't Vongola. He was against the relationship because he was a small fish in an ocean that wouldn't help Don Cinquemani advance. And now that the Cinquemani-Vongola feud has been dragging on, he needed a good blanket reason to fully attack. Guess what looks good on paper and doesn't make him get slack from other families?"

Awareness was starting to light up on their faces but she still saw how they didn't want to believe that Don Cinquemani would do such a thing. She didn't either, up until this week that man had been her best friend's dad. It was like living a dream to be talking about him as such. Except it was every possible shade of nightmares and no chance of waking up anytime soon.

"Defending his daughter." She cut through, spatting it out. Jaded and disgusted with the situation. "That sounds altruistic and speaks to Italian family values. He's using her as a sacrifice. I won't go as far as saying that he doesn't care whether she lives or dies, but I don't think he's trying particularly hard to keep her safe or to care about what she wants or thinks. You guys are the mafia folks. You can tell if this is a "for the good of the famiglia" or if it's just his power-hungry age long struggle of male pride and ego. But I'm personally on the latter team."

"Point is: we don't know the degrees of loyalty so we have to be careful, because I have no doubt that if we manage to survive it's because we've figured out if the support for Pupetta is higher than Don Cinquemani. And for all our sakes I hope it's Pupetta."

They were quiet, Amina tried hard to stay firm and focused, she needed them to believe her. Finally Coach spoke up. "What does Alphonse have to do with all this?"

"He was the one who took care of the hit on Antonino and is the one who got Pupetta into the mansion."

"Why should we trust anything you say?" One of them finally exclaimed. Coach and the other two quickly hushed him so as to not draw too much attention to their conversation, he brought down his voice but it was still as vitriolic in it's direction to her. "How do you know all these things?"

She was silent for a bit, mentally waging war into how much she wanted to disclose but ultimately decided if there was anyone to tell; it was these people. "Because I was there."

Now that grabbed their attention. "What?" Coach asked, eyes widening. "Antonino and Cassandra are my best friends. Well, were. One's dead, the other blames me for his death. But it wasn't my fault. I went to Gabriella's Pizzeriafor cannoli's as it was our favorite place to go after school. Alphonse came and attacked Antonino and that's how I wound up here."

They looked at her, a mixture of shock and disbelief. But now that she started, she just kept going. That was one floodgate she couldn't stop, it was the truth and she needed them to believe her.

"I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't know anyone was mafia. We were friends for years. In fact the first friends I had made in high school." She ended softly, stopping there. Not being able to continue talking anymore, knowing she might cry. So she chose to focus on anger instead at being placed in this position by Alphonse. Anger was always an easier emotion to grapple with. It kept her moving.

The men beside Coach went silent. They were all silent except that they all turned to look at Coach, waiting to see what he had to say and they would do it. Trusting him and his judgement and that's how it felt like to Amina. It was judgement day. Were these last couple of months enough to establish her character before him? Every second that ticked by with Coach's silence made her uneasy.

He turned to the men beside him. "You know what to do, you know who to trust. Information is now locked tightly. Youse all know everybody here as much as I do. Treat the bambina like a second in command. She's earned it. Now go, and if anyone acts fishy…" The men caught the drift and before they moved with a speed that was art in motion, they acknowledged her with respect and seeing their respect made her stand firm.

"Thank you." Amina told him when the other men had left. His trust in her meant more than she could say.

He nodded at her gruffly. He wasn't one to be sappy.

She knew they needed to start moving, time waited for no man. It was just her and Coach in the kitchen. It could also be the last time she ever saw him too. As she was about to leave, he grabbed her wrist.

"Kid, you don't have to do this."

She looked at him in surprise. "You can escape, it probably won't be easy, but chaos is the best way to slip through unnoticed. Especially since you have no roots here, leave and don't turn back."

Her first thought was Federico. He too had told her to leave as she was making her way over here. Fede was dead and just holographically alive in her subconscious. But this was the second time someone tried to give her a way out. Urged her even, a part of her felt warm knowing that for all his roughness this meant Coach had a soft spot for her. The same man who once threatened to kill her if she betrayed the Rogue Regime, was now telling her to look out for herself and not get involved.

She smiled ruefully to herself, this would be the second man who has cared for her that she would not listen to his advice. But suddenly it dawned on her, this is one she could actually do something for, while he was still alive.

"Right back at you Coach, you don't have to do this."

Now it was Coach who was taken aback. "Kid-", Amina stopped him in his tracks, this time physically barring him before he mentally wrote her off.

"I don't have that much time to explain, but I can give to you in a nutshell: I do have a way out. Not necessarily getting out of the Varia mansion, but being able to get out of Italy safely and swiftly." She still had the pass her father had given her. She wasn't going to use it, but perhaps it shouldn't go to waste either. This wasn't something that wasn't bound to her name either. It was a get out of jail free card that she could transfer over.

'Florecita' Her father's right hand man beckoned her over to him, but even she didn't miss the look he first gave her father silently asking permission. All in all, this man was a man of deep confidence. Her father didn't even say anything and he knew it was okay.

She went to him and they left for a bit out of David's sight. Celeste wasn't sure what kind of face she must've had, but he only gave her a chagrined soft smile and ruffled her hair. "Hang in there. This is all almost over." And he meant it too, without a doubt. "Your father's not an easy man."

Warmth seeped inside places in her heart that had gotten cold in her father's presence. His care and empathy for her was enough to make her want to smile. But the time wasn't for that now.

"I brought you both food because there's no food nearby for miles and I also came to bring you this." Nacho handed a paper that looked highly official, she saw italian writing on it but in the background she saw such a familiar seal she couldn't believe her eyes.

"What is this?" Celeste was looking at the American seal, why did he have that, what does this paper mean?

"This is essentially your get out of jail free card." Nacho quipped but then his eyes became serious a fraction of a second later. "Bring this to the American embassy, you will immediately be put on the next flight to the US."

She didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. What could be said in the face of such a golden thing in her hand. It didn't seem real.

But her name wasn't on there.

"How will they know it's me if my name isn't here?"

"That was for security purposes." He didn't elaborate but she had been in the mafia world to know what that meant. It could mean a million things. Moles looking to do her father in, enemies she had who were still chasing her, or legitimate authorities who weren't bought who could use this opportunity to get a foothold in bringing down her big fishes, regardless they all spelled the same result.

She would be in jeopardy if she was directly linked.

Celeste looked at it again, there were technical terms she didn't fully grasp but one thing was clear the sheer amount of seals and stamps would make sure it passed any disbelieving eye.

"After you get on the plane, because you will be put on a commercial flight to avoid added attention, you will be the same as everyone else. After you land you will receive further communication. Tomorrow either I or your father will give you a bit of the details but mostly you will be waiting on what we say, the less everything is concrete beforehand the more flexibility to move you to a safe and reclusive location."

She could only nod. That's what people did to show they were listening, right? But the truth was, she couldn't be farther away.

Safe and reclusive. Basically isolation and complete dependency on her father. He didn't even mention her mother. Didn't take a brain surgeon to know that was on purpose.

"Why are you giving this to me? Why not just give it to my father?" Wasn't that the safer move?

"It's better if you have it. Between now and then who knows what may happen." He replied somberly.

She knew that better than anyone.

Coach just glared at her "Youse don't know what you are talking about. You're just a kid, now get outta my face and stop bein' a pest."

"What do you think comes after this? Huh? You think you have a future here?!"

"So then why are you still here? You if you have a 'golden ticket' why aren't you using it on yourself?"

She just looked at him placidly, too calm for Coach's taste and he swore she aged 10 years in the weathered look she gave him.

"I have bones to bury. You don't."

"You're a great cook Coach, you can do something with that. Head to New York, start fresh. As a native, I can tell you that you have the attitude to make it and the skills to make something of yourself."

"No one needs to know who you've been."

Coach looked like he wasn't sure whether to scoff or give in. And she understood his hesitation, hope was a dangerous thing: it could destroy a man.

But she couldn't think of anyone better to receive this chance. It's a far cry from ever bringing Camilla back, but if she could help the man she loved, surely Amina reasoned, that would count for something.

Because with a sob that almost threatened to spill from her gut, she would've thanked anyone who had made sure Fede had been safe and hadn't died.

"We both know that's what she would've wanted. Get out Coach."

His face was one of loss and grief at the thought of Camilla, and her heart ached too because it was like looking at her own. Coach knew looking at her that she too had lost and so they shared a look of empathy that only those who have felt the stabs of the same shards of glass could.

Amina gently touched his shoulder, a juxtaposition to the chaos and noise that was soon approaching their location. Time was running out, he had to make one of the most important decisions of his life within seconds.

He grimaced and didn't look at her as he nodded slowly and she quietly handed him the ticket. "Lay low a while and start running when you land so my father's men don't catch you." She wasn't sure if they would but better safe than sorry, she wouldn't be able to bear the pain if something happened to him because of her negligence.

Coach wanted to ask many questions, especially at her mention of family and her bitter tone surrounding it. But he stayed quiet, the less one knew, one lived. He knew that in his work, especially as he was now jumping off the cliff to leave it all behind.

In an unexpected show of affection, Amina felt his arms wrap around her and he spoke low but firmly to her. "Never stop moving, keep your eyes open at all times, never trust the flatterers and finally always remember: you are too good for this world."

And he was gone before she could ask him to unpack that last statement.


Because Coach had pointed out who she could trust early on, she leaned on them again. As a testament to the reputation Coach had built, now that she was dubbed second-in-command they did not ask where Coach was nor nothing to back it up when she told them it was just her now. Celeste was grateful for one thing that was working in her favor.

They did advise her though that she needed to command the others too, if they were divided-it only decreased their odds of success. Let alone survival.

So that's how she found herself quickly addressing prominent representatives of the Rogue Regime. They would then trickle down to everyone else. This time not as a girl formulating hypothetical war plans in what seemed a lifetime ago but has only been a matter of months. Now she steeled herself to lead and to win.

When murmurs began, she shot them down quickly.

"Coach isn't in...circulation." That was the best she could come up with. She didn't want to lie, didn't need anyone figuring out that she had and thus start questioning her. She didn't need more enemies, but allies. They all immediately thought she meant he was dead, which for all intents and purposes was for the better, as hopefully he was long gone by now and never coming back and never to be heard from again.

Now they all looked to her, and God if that wasn't a sight for sore eyes. She was a bit surprise there wasn't some people trying to take the mantle of leadership in this power vacuum, but it seems she had been selling her influence short. They had seen her enough with Coach and Esposito, they trusted her.

Especially since they already knew by now what they were all doing, Coach and Esposito had already formulated an elaborate plan from the get go with them, even if she didn't know the entire schematics of it (She didn't pry into what she didn't need to) they knew she was an ally and vice versa and that was all that mattered. She wasn't in so much leading and barking orders in so much as being a figure head, but that figure head maintain ordered and in these moments of split second decision that had domino effects, they needed that order, which is why they were all looking towards her. And that if necessary, she was the tie breaker, that was who she was.

"I know you guys have one prominent thing at your agenda, so let's talk nuts and bolts. I know you are rallying all behind Pupetta, that's your war cry. Problem is, the main Cinquemani forces here think the same-thing too. They don't realize they are being played like we know they are."

"First, any shot at getting them to back down?" She really was a diplomat at heart, no matter her personal vendetta against Alphonse she wasn't gunning for unnecessary deaths. Heck, she would've high tailed it out of here too instead of giving it to Coach if it hadn't been for what happened to Camilla and Federico.

One of them stepped forward, she had always seen him around Coach so she knew his word was good as gold. "Negative, that would only be possible if Pupetta herself gave the order. I'm sure many men would follow her."

"Even against the orders of her father?"

Some of the others nodded.

"She's the future. Many see it as the sign of the inevitable while others have personal attachments."

In essence, Amina surmised, Cassandra was covered on both sides to get majority approval. Those who would use her ascent to fuel their own power agendas, and also those who felt enough loyalty towards her out of affection. Who ever was left, who was on the side of Don Cinquemani wouldn't be enough against the wave of Pupetta supporters.

"If Pupetta would call off the attack on the Varia, or at least stand against it. it would be enough to stop the battle, saving lives and cutting losses, ideally definitively but that would depend on the inevitable diplomacy talks but that's out of my control."

"This is all fine and well," One of the others in the group chimed in, his tone not aligning with the words he was saying. "But the whole problem of why we are here in the first place is the disorder caused by Pupetta's sudden retreat into the shadows. And now the main forces think that Pupetta is held here which doesn't help matters."

Might as well give it to them straight. "Oh she is."

There was an outcry then, of shock, and part disbelief. Now all eyes were sharply on her and not in a fond light. She continued without missing a beat, shoving down any insecurities, these were men she was talking to. Couldn't afford to look skittish now. "While I was gone I uncovered some information." A lot of information that has actually ruined my life and what I thought it was. "Alphonse currently has Pupetta here somewhere and Don Cinquemani is on it, they are using her as an excuse to attack the Varia."

Before anyone could accuse her of lying she pre-emptively stopped them in her tracks. "If you don't want to trust me, fine. But I know you guys care about that girl first and foremost, and I don't trust Alphonse. Leaving her in his hands for any length of time is not a good idea, he is a relentless man with boundless ambition, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants and I have no doubt he has no loyalty towards the Cinquemani. You don't want to play around with the alternative if I'm right and you all chose to let whatever skepticism you have of me—rule over."

"But why would he use his own daughter as bait like that!?" There was always at least one critic that's for sure.

Amina's cynicism and pettiness was at an all time high by this point in the game. Her lack of fondness also fueling her retort to this man's immediate defense of Don Cinquemani's character when he didn't know him like she did. "Gee, you tell me. What drives a man to extremes? What is it always?"

Power. Money. Ambition. She didn't need to say it. They knew. They also knew their boss, which is why they had gone rogue a while back, they hadn't wanted to ever think about such a reality because it was a horrible accusation towards their boss, but this was the mafia. People didn't make it far because they had high morals or ethics. Don Cinquemani always craved power, just like other Dons did, and everyone who wasn't an ally of the Vongola was always looking towards their downfall. Now he had a reason to openly attack and would sieze it—even if it was one he artificially created.

They couldn't say their boss wasn't capable of that. None of them could. The silence spoke for itself.

"Save pupetta, disseminate the message to stop the battle, worry about talks some other time, and get out. You all know you don't have a future here in the Varia after tonight."

If they even made it alive, they could never come back. They were dead men walking.

It was done, they had a plan.

Before they exited they nodded towards her, she wasn't sure if it was reluctant respect or if they thought she was the craziest out of all of them but they wished her luck with Alphonse because she had the hardest job of all.

Toppling that man down.


Author's Note

My long absences (Goodness, where does the time go) are not indicative of my love for this story.

I will be very honest with all of you my dear readers, if any of you remain, these are the hardest chapters for me. What was a terrible writer's block evolved into another long hiatus. I have wonderful scenes, plots and developments after this arc, the Attack on the Varia arc. If you have liked what is here so far, there is even more juicy things I have written. But this arc is also the most crucial for understanding everything that happens to our protoganist and all the Varia lives that ultimately become intertwined.

So here is my new determination, well ahead of the upcoming year: to finish this story by the end of 2021. It's an ambitious goal I know but it's not like I've ever left this story. Or better yet, it's not like this story has ever let go of me. So it's time I give it again the written and public dedication it deserves, not just an eternal replay only I know.

I will also need your help too, please let me know if you are still reading , if you are a fan, or are interested in seeing what happens to our characters. I love knowing others are still invested in this story. It would give me a tremendous boost.

Being mindful of the absence I spent sometime in the beginning giving a nutshell summary. But also let me know if I should include an author's note dedicated just for that for the next chapter if it would make things easier. I am still committed to doing my best writing and story-telling, as such I have re-read my own chapters to ensure all foreshadowings and clues will be addressed. More than a writer, I am a reader and will honor all of you who are part of this journey.

Thank you all who have followed, reviewed and favorited so far and I look forward to impressing you all with what Amina has yet to do and who she has yet to become.

Cheers,

TMM