Bella's Point of View

As much as I had enjoyed my alone time with Edward, I was mentally preparing myself for our upcoming battle. I couldn't stop thinking about how great everything would be… if we could kill Caius. We wouldn't have to run and hide anymore. I wouldn't have to constantly worry about the constant fear of death that seemed to follow me. It all ended today. I just hope that everyone would make it through the battle safely. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone getting hurt.

Edward stirred from beside me, shifting under the blankets to pull me close to his bare chest. I relaxed into him, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking about love?" He wondered, watching me with a content gaze.

"Just thinking about what we are about to do." I said quietly. "I'm worried that someone may get hurt during this battle. I would do anything to stop that from happening."

Edward's calm expression seemed to change almost instantly. As if he had forgotten completely about the situation that we are in. He nodded slowly, a serious look on his face now.

"We will get through this. Even if Caius had a huge newborn army, we still have the upper hand. We have the knowledge and experience that newborns just don't have."

"It is a little bit sad isn't it?" I muttered.

"What is sad?"

"The newborns… they were human. Now they are pawns to Caius' game. I just can't help but wonder if we could possibly spare those that truly aren't loyal to Caius."

"Well, it's definitely something we can talk with Carlisle about, if you think that's for the best." Edward said with a small smile coming to his face.

Edward and I continued to lay in peaceful silence. Until a horrifying sound caught both of our attention. The sound of a mattress squeaking rhythmically and the heavy breathing of both Alice and Darius.

Quickly I covered my ears, trying desperately not to hear my son, having sex for the first time. This was something I could never prepare myself for. I wasn't ready for it. He was still my little boy. And Alice was my best friend. This situation was beyond weird for me. But I had no right to judge, or get in the middle of their relationship.

Darius was old enough to start dating and having serious relationships. He was a bright kid, he knew what he wanted. I would have faith that he would make the right choice. And I would be there if he ever wanted advice or someone to confide in.

I groaned, letting my eyes shut as the noises coming from their room intensified.

Edward shared the same tortured expression. "Maybe we should get ready to leave. We need to meet up with Carlisle and the others… I'm sure it will distract us from… well… you know… Darius and Alice.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear a thing. I'd rather not embarrass Darius." I said quietly, with a nod.

"Alice does send her deepest apology… for not discussing this… situation with you, prior."

I shook my head, with a weak chuckle. "Honestly, it's not my business, who my son decides to sleep with. As long as he is happy. I don't care."

With that being said, Edward and I went to work packing our things. It didn't take us very long. I hadn't brought anything with me at all. On the other hand, Edward brought a few things with him. A few sets of clothes for himself and he had picked up a few different clothes for me as well.

We just had to wait for Demetri to return from disposing of Casey's body. Thankfully Alice and Darius were… finished with their intimate time together. We all were waiting outside the hotel. I knew that it was a big risk for us to be out in the open like this, but Demetri was the one that had rented the car and he had the keys.

It was still dark outside, but I knew that the sun would be starting to rise soon. I hoped that Demetri would hurry.

I wasn't sure how long it was, that we stood there outside of the hotel, but as the minutes went by I could feel anxiety pulling at my thoughts. What if Tidus didn't believe he was really talking to Casey? What if he found Demetri disposing Casey's body and decided to avenge her? Demetri could already be dead.

Edward noticed my expression, and gently rubbed a soothing circle on my back. "It's going to be alright, don't worry love." He whispered to me.

I clung to his words, trying as hard as I could to believe them. I felt a little better, but I wouldn't completely until I saw Demetri return safely. With the keys to our rental.

Finally I could let out a breath of relief, as I saw Demetri walking briskly towards us. The look on his face was concerning. I wanted to instantly ask what happened, but he held up his hand, before anyone could speak.

He motioned for us to keep silent, and gestured for us to follow him. Alice and Darius moved closely behind him, while Edward and I walked at a further away distance to keep an ear out for anyone following us from behind.

I didn't hear or sense anything, but Edward on the other hand, had the same expression that Demetri had. Something was going on.

The second that we made it to the rental car, everyone piled in and without any hesitation Demetri pressed down on the gas and had us flying down the road.

"Okay, so what's going on?" Darius was the first to break the silence.

"I caught Tidus' scent. He is here. We need to get as far away from this area as possible. Before he picks up on our trail." Demetri said with a hard look on his face. "It looks like that little text message that you guys sent to him didn't fool him. He must have known it wasn't Casey that was messaging him."

Panic struck me, but I pushed the feelings away. We couldn't focus on Tidus, we needed to get to Italy. The others would be meeting us there. It was going to be a full blown war once we made it to the old Voluturi castle. I just hoped that everyone would make it out safely.

Time skip

Darius' Point of View

My heart was pounding in my chest. The world around me seemed to fade away. All I could see was the front entrance of the Volturi castle. My mind was empty of all thoughts apart from my part of the mission.

It felt like it only took us an hour to make it to Italy. Luckily, Tidus appeared to have lost our trail. But it was only a matter of time before he would figure out where we all were heading.

Suddenly Casey's image popped into my head. The way that she had looked before… before she turned out to be a monster. Before my father brutally murdered her.

Shivers rolled down my spine. I never wanted to see something like that again. But today would be the exception.

Alice placed her hand delicately on my back. Her touch sent a wave of calmness to me. I felt my shoulders relax and I was about to gather a breath.

"Thanks," I whispered quietly to her.

She was directly behind me, along with my mother.

"It's going to be okay, we won't leave your side for a moment." Alice whispered back.

I nodded, and with another breath, I took a few cautious steps near the entrance of the castle.

Edward was hanging back from us, he would be meeting with the second string of fighters to lead them in from behind us. The second string consists of the physical attackers, such as Carlisle, Emmett, Tanya, Irena, Demetri and Amun. After we make it into the castle our third string would come next. The third string is our fighters with abilities, such as Kate, Benjamin, Eleazar, Zafrina and a few others that recently joined in on our fight.

But this entire thing would start with me. The pressure was insurmountable. What if I messed something up and got everyone killed?

No, I can't think like that, everyone is counting on me, I need to calm down and focus. I was the shield, I would be the one to protect everyone, as best I could.

"Here they come, get ready Darius." My mother said quietly from behind me.

Quickly I closed my eyes, and concentrated on my breathing. This was something Edward had taught me to do. He explained that concentration was key to mastering my ability. I lifted my hands up, I could feel the energy pouring down from my shoulders, down to my forearms and finally through my hands. With a long exhale I pushed the energy outward, creating the strongest barrier I had ever managed to create.

I wrapped the barrier completely around the three of us, just in time for the first few newborn vampires exited the caste.

I could tell they were really new, their eyes were bright crimson, their movements were jerky and lacking any quality of refinement. The moment they spotted us, they came charging forward. Snares pierced through the air and a loud crashing sound exploded as they ran into my barrier.

Their strength was staggering, but I held firm.

"Alright, let's just keep heading towards the entrance." Alice said, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

I nodded, and slowly began to walk forward, carefully checking over my barrier, while keeping myself completely focused.

Once we made it halfway to the door we paused. This was where we are going to be for the most part of this fight. Positioned right in the middle, between the enemy and our troops.

"Alright, let me out for a second. I'll take care of these two." Alice said, giving me a smile.

"Are you sure? Don't you want to wait for the first string to come?" I asked with a frown.

I didn't like the idea of leaving Alice unprotected.

"It will be fine, don't worry, if things are looking bad I'll come right back into the barrier."

Reluctantly I did as she asked, and opened the barrier for her to step out. The moment she left, I felt significantly more tense.

But as I watched Alice fight, I realized that she had been right. She could handle herself. She seemed to dance around the two savages, avoiding all their attacks. She did it with such grace, yet when she attacked it was so wild and exotic. She easily twisted both of their heads from their body in less than ten seconds. It was amazing.

However, as she was torching the remains, I watched in horror as six more newborns appeared.

"Alice, get back in the barrier." I shouted.

She turned and threw me a wink, before diving back into battle.

"She is going to get herself killed."

My mother quickly rested her hand on my shoulder. "Have some trust in her Darius, she can see the future. She wouldn't risk her life, if she wasn't sure she was going to win."

She had a point, but I still couldn't help but worry. I wouldn't be able to relax until she was back in this barrier.

Alice could predict all of their attacks and avoid them perfectly each time. But we all knew that more would be on the way.

Luckily, when the first string arrived, they didn't hesitate to join Alice. And right on time for ten more newborns to come out.

Emmett seemed to stand out among the others, he was fighting like a gladiator, he picked up the newborns, two or three at a time, and just squeezed as hard as he could. Those newborns basically exploded into pieces in his arms. He was an absolute beast. Edward on the other hand, liked to keep the enemy one on one. With his speed the newborns couldn't keep up with him, before they could bat an eye, he would have their heads ripped from their body. Fighting just seemed to come so naturally to them.

But with the amount of newborns, still coming out, we soon would be outnumbered. It never seemed to end, as many as they killed, twice the amount showed up.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a really young looking newborn. He looked like he was ten years old. He appeared terrified. Quickly I looked around for the nearest person. Which unfortunately was my father. I wasn't sure if I could trust him not to kill this newborn. But someone needed to get him to safety.

"Demet- Dad," I called out to him.

He turned around, with a curious look on his face. "What is it Darius?" He had a newborn by the throat.

I pointed over to the scared little boy. "That kid needs help. Bring him over to the barrier."

My father glanced at the boy, then back to me. His expression revealed confliction on my request.

My mother must have noticed our exchange, and spoke up. "Please, this is a child." Her tone was calm.

Demetri finished off the newborn in his hands and jogged over to the both of us. "Look, I know that he looks innocent, but what if it is just an act? What if he attacks the both of you as soon as he gets inside the barrier?"

I shook my head. "We have to try… not all of these newborns deserve to die. I doubt most of them wanted this life. If anything happens I'll take full responsibility."

Demetri gave me a serious look, before looking at my mother. She returned the gaze, not even one emotion on her face.

"Alright, but if he makes any wrong moves, I'm counting on you to protect your mother." Demetri sighed, before quickly running over to the young boy.

The boy flinched away from Demetri. I could hear his stuttering pleads from here.

"Please don't hurt me mister." He choked out.

"If you do anything to hurt my family, I'll personally make sure you will die an agonizing death." Demetri snapped at him, before picking the kid up and returning him to the barrier.

I allowed some of the barrier open for the boy to sit inside. He still looked afraid, so I offered him a warm smile.

"No need to worry now. I will keep you safe."

The boy didn't move a muscle. He just stared at my mother and I. It appeared that he was in some kind of shock.

"Do you have a name?" My mother asked, keeping her voice light and gentle.

"Owen," He said quietly. To both of our surprise we watched as Own cried, real human tears.

Does this mean that he is half vampire as well?

"Owen, are you… half vampire?" My mother asked with a look of disbelief.

He nodded his head. "Of course, all of us are…"

"So, let me get this straight. All of you… were born… from human women. So your father is…"

"Caius, yes… we were all born for one reason… to destroy our father's enemies, so he can regain control over all other vampires." Owen said with a sad look on his face.

"We won't lie to you, we are here to stop your father. He has hurt and killed many people that we love. He must be stopped." I said with a serious look.

Owen sniffed, wiping his eyes. "I don't care. Caius killed my mother. She was the only human woman that survived childbirth… and I watched as he killed her, for no reason. He is a monster. I hate him."

"Are there others… that feel the same way that you do?" My mother asked, watching Owen with sadness on her face.

"Yes, but they are all kept in the dungeon. My father had scheduled to have them all killed today." Owen said, taking another step closer to us. He appeared to look as though he was getting a bit more relaxed with us.

"There's no question about it. We need to save the rest of the half breeds." I said turning to my mother.

She nodded in agreement. "As soon as our third sting arrives, we need to have a short meeting before we enter the castle."

This battle was turning out much differently than I had expected. The battle field in front of us was full of fire and smoke. You could smell the burning skin. You could hear the cries and the breaking of bones. Everything was moving so fast around us that it was hard to follow the movements between the newborns and us.

But it appeared, thankfully that we were winning. All of these newborns were part human. So fighting them wasn't hard, it was just the pure amount of them. There were so many that the others had to fight them in groups.

Edward and Emmett worked together, which seemed to be the team that has killed the most.

While Carlisle and Demetri worked together, which they most likely killed the least amount. Carlisle tried to speak and reason with them, before killing them. While Demetri kept getting distracted and watching my mother and I. He was still nervous about Owen and his intentions.

By the time all the newborns were taken care of outside, our third string of fighters made it on the scene. This would be the hard part. Now everyone would have to come inside the barrier while we have a quick meeting.

I had to close my eyes again and pull all the strength I had to widen the barrier, yet keep it just as strong. This would be the biggest barrier I've ever created, but if I moved a muscle I would lose it. So I just kept still and stayed quiet. I let the others do what they needed to do.

"I'm sure you heard what Owen had to say. This means that this mission will also include a rescue." I heard my mother's voice.

"Can we really trust him? I mean, look what happened when we trusted Casey?" Emmett spoke up.

"Casey, well… she was the most loyal to father. She was his prized possession. She was the only one of us that had abilities. He treated her like a princess. While the rest of us… not so much. Most of his children are loyal to him out of fear. Casey was loyal to him out of love. There are a few others that feel the same way as Casey. But most of us don't." Owen said. I could hear the nervousness in his voice.

"Even if he is lying… all we have to do is kill them all. We could at the very least give this kid the benefit of doubt. Our real goal here is to kill Caius." Tanya said now, sounding as strong and beautiful as ever.

"Let's just make sure, how about it Alice? Do you see any problems come up in the future if we free these kids?" I recognized my father's voice. He sounded tense.

I opened one eye, just to get a glimpse of Alice. There was a long pause as Alice concentrated on the future. I was close enough to lightly touch her hand. I always worried a little bit about her when she would search for the future. In this state she was completely unable to protect herself.

Finally she snapped out of her thoughts, and greeted the group with a smile. "I don't see anything happening in the future that's going to harm anyone." I noticed that she was choosing her words carefully.

She looked at me with a wider smile as she squeezed my hand.

"Alright, so what's the next play? Do we go for Caius or save the kids?" Edward said, with a calmness in his voice. Surely he must have seen Alice's vision as well. He knows what will happen.

"How many kids are there Owen?" My mother asked.

"I don't know for sure. There were always several babies born everyday. And a handful would get sent down to the dungeon weekly. I think… there are seven."

"It's best to take care of Caius now, it will make it easier to get these kids out of danger." Carlisle said for the first time since coming into the barrier.

"Alright, let's do this."

I quickly dropped the barrier completely, so only my mother and I were still protected. I was finally able to open my eyes. I noticed that Owen was now with my mother, wrapped in her arms.

I pushed the jarring envy I felt away from me. I knew Owen didn't have a mother anymore, but that didn't mean that mine would replace her. I had enough siblings, I didn't want another.

"It's going to be okay, this whole nightmare will be over soon." My mother said quietly to Owen.

He held onto her, looking less afraid. "Thank you, for not letting them hurt me." He said, his face buried in her chest.

The image of them together, reminded me of my childhood. I was really close with my mother and she always comforted me like that.

"Are you alright Darius?" She asked, turning her sights to me. She must have sensed my discomfort.

I nodded, offering her the best smile I could muster. "Of course I am."

She smiled brightly at me. "Good, you are doing really well, your father and I are very proud of you."

Her words brought a sting of tears to my eyes, but I pushed them back. It's no time to get emotional. We are in the middle of a battle.

"Thanks, well… let's get going before the others leave us completely behind." I said as we began to follow the rest of the troops inside the castle.

We were lucky so far, no one has gotten hurt. But it was only a matter of time. Now that we are inside, there is no doubt that the more skilled fighters were inside. And of course, Caius is ready for us.

Our second string of fighters were going to charge in the throne room entrance, while the third string was going around the castle to enter behind the throne room. So all exits would be blocked off. That leaves us, we will be waiting outside the room, until it is only Caius left. My mother would be delivering the final blow.

Everyone was into position. I could hear the battle waging on the other side of the throne room doors. I couldn't tell how things were going, I could only hope everyone was okay.

"Well look who we have here…" A burly voice called from behind us. I didn't recognize the voice.

I turned to see a guy stomping towards us, he was just as big as Emmett. His muscles were huge. This guy would be a real threat to my barrier. This isn't good.

"Felix, is that you?" My mother spoke quietly, watching the man with mild surprise.

She knew this guy?

"Long time no see. Don't tell me this is little Darius." He gave me a huge grin.

He knew who I was to? Is he a friend or foe?

"Yes it is." She turned to give me a proud look. "He has grown so fast."

"It's good to see you again Bella." Felix continued, walking towards us, only to bounce off the barrier.

He looked at us with confusion. "The kid can create a physical shield. That's impressive." He said, poking at the shield, using different levels of pressure. I couldn't feel his pushing until he gave it one hard shove. I braced against the impact. He couldn't get through. I didn't know this guy and I wasn't about to let him into this barrier.

"What brings you here Felix?" My mother said, changing the subject. I could see the suspicion in her eyes. Her body looked tense. Could she sense an unseen threat that I couldn't?

"I heard that you guys were making a move against Caius, I wanted to be a part of that. Give you guys some help." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"The others are already in the throne room, why don't you go ahead?" I said, keeping my eyes trained on Felix.

"You know I would have loved nothing more than to join in on this fight. But we have a little problem." Felix said, now circling around the barrier.

"And what problem do we have?" My mother asked tensely.

"One of your people, killed my mate." Felix continued, a growl sliding off his lips. "And I demand answers."

"Your mate, who was your mate?" I asked with a raised brow. "We haven't killed anyone."

"Her name was Jennifer. She was human… the girl that you had been trapped in the dungeon with. When she was freed, she ran away with me. But one night she disappeared. I couldn't find her. I went to Caius, I had a feeling that he would know where she was. That's when he told me that one of the Cullens killed her."

"Think Felix, why would we ever kill an innocent girl? Especially a girl that has gone through what I've gone through. That would never happen." My mother pleaded.

"I was told Jennifer had caught one of the Cullen's in an affair. So, to keep the affair a secret, she was murdered." Felix hissed, throwing a hard punch into the barrier.

"That didn't happen." I yelled at him.

He paused, now marching to tower over me on the other side of the barrier. "Then start explaining." His voice was ominous.

"Caius kidnapped Jennifer. They had a daughter together, named Casey. Jennifer died during childbirth." I said, not showing an ounce of fear.

The words I said only seemed to anger Felix even further. "So you're telling me, that bastard screwed my mate and had a kid… where is the kid?" He looked furious.

"She killed Demetri's mate… so he killed her." My mother spoke up.

Felix looked like he was losing complete control over himself. He was hurt, and ready to lash out on anyone that stands in his way.

"This is all Caius' fault. It's always been his fault. He ruins everything he touches. He has stolen enough from me." Felix now turned his back to us. "He is dead."

With that he went running into the throne room.

That was a close call. I thought for a minute that we would be in some serious danger.

It felt like the fighting had lasted for hours, until Edward came walking out the throne room entrance.

"It's time." He said looking between the two of us.

My mother smiled, appearing relieved that Edward had made it out alright.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said reaching out to him.

He reached out at the same time, but my barrier prevented them from making contact.

"We did… lose some. I just wanted you both to be prepared for that… before you go in." Edward continued with sadness in his eyes.

I felt my heart drop at his words. "Alice?"

"She is alright, she is waiting for you inside." Edward said calmly.

"Then… who have we lost?"

"Amun, Irene, and C-carlisle." Edward's voice broke at the mention of Carlisle.

I felt the wind getting knocked out of me, my barrier broke almost instantly. I didn't even know that I had gone running inside, until I stumbled upon the smoke and ash that filled the room. Tears slid down my cheeks as I searched for his body.

I felt my mother race to my side, wrapping her arms around me as I found the pile of ash that held Carlisle's watch sitting on top.

"No!" I screamed. "Grandpa!"

Everyone was quiet in the room. Some had migrated to other spots in the room, where they had their goodbyes to the others that had fallen.

My mother held me close, whispering in my ear. "It's going to be alright. I promise. He will always be with us. Just think, now he is with grandma Esme, they will finally be reunited."

Her words soothed me a little bit, but the pain was too much for me to handle. I buried my face in her shoulder, and let the tears fly. I didn't care how I looked at that moment. Like some lost kid, clinging desperately to his mother.

If she hadn't been here, I don't know how I could have handled all of this.

Alice bounced over, to take over for my mother. I knew that it was her turn to do her part now. I couldn't make myself watch. There have been too many deaths today. I didn't want to see anymore of it.

Bella's Point of View

This was it. The day that I've been waiting for, for so long. It was hard to believe that we finally made it. The day Caius would die. He would no longer haunt my thoughts. We all could be free.

Emmett, Felix and Demetri had Caius pinned to the floor. Caius struggled against them, but the three of them wouldn't let him move an inch.

"Isabella, I've been waiting a long time to set my eyes on you. Although, not in this manner. I must say I preferred you chained to the walls of the dungeon. Human. Soft and much more breakable." His voice was full of malice.

"Shut your filthy mouth." Demetri growled at him.

"What was the point of all this Caius? All this death and destruction. What was your goal?" I glared down at him.

"The idea struck me, when I found out humans could give birth to an interesting new race of beings. Your son inspired me. I wanted to have children of my own. And use them to grow an empire of loyal subjects. I would finally rule as king." Caius grinned widely.

"Why come after me? Why hunt me down?" I continued my line of questioning. I wanted to understand this monster, before ending all this madness.

"A king needs a queen at his side, doesn't he? You would be the perfect queen. Of course I wanted Monica as well. She was a target for a long time, until she was viciously killed." Caius shot a death glare in Demetri's direction.

"You are completely insane." I growled at him.

"Maybe so, but there was a bigger point to this story. See, I didn't want the two of you as vampires. No, I much prefer my queens to be human." He prattled on, with a devious grin.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Felix asked with annoyance on his face. "Are you just trying to distract us long enough to think of a way out of this situation?"

"Not at all. I've come to accept my fate. I'm just passing on some wisdom. It's something Aro had been searching for. In legend, there is a cure for vampirism. Aro may have stumbled upon a lead. A lead that I've been researching. It's out there." Caius said and slowly closed his eyes. "The cure exists, I know it."

His words made me pause.

If something really did exist… it would change everything.

"Bella, it's time. End it." Emmett said calmly.

"Wait, if he is telling the truth… he might know where this cure is." Tanya ran over to his with a pleading look on her face. "This could save us."

The crowd all bursted into conversation and fighting. There were so many people throwing out ideas, and physical fights started between them.

Edward was able to get everyone quiet. He strode to the center of the group. "Today, I lost my father, to this man. I've lost siblings, my mother, and countless others. Even if he has knowledge of something… that may or may not be real… his life can't be spared. If this cure does exist, we could potentially find it, without him."

It took some time, but eventually was in agreement. It was now, again my time, to end it.

I stood over him and took a hold of him by the neck. Demetri did as well, and Edward. On the count of three we all twisted and snapped his head from his shoulders.

The moment his head hit the ground applause started. The Volturi was finally dead. We set fire to Caius' body quickly and I watched as many of the others danced around the ashes.

I turned to see Darius and Alice, still hanging over Carlisle's ashes. I could see the pain on Darius' face. He needed me.

Edward came to my side, wrapping his arm around my waist as we walked over to Darius and Alice. Digging in my bag, I pulled out a zip lock bag, I had made Darius a sandwich earlier and forgot to throw the bag again. I handed it to him.

"Let's take Carlisle with us." I said gently.

Darius' eyes watered, but he smiled just slightly. "Yeah, that's a great idea." He nodded and began to scoop up Carlisle's ashes and put them in the zip lock bag.

Edward picked up Carlisle's watch and slid it onto his wrist. Carlisle had been the closest thing to a father to Edward, for a very long time. I knew he was hurting as well.

"We still need to rescue those kids." I nodded, glancing over to where Owen stood. He was in the doorway to the throne room. Covering his eyes, refusing to look at the scene in front of him.

He reminded me so much of Darius when he was that age. All I wanted was to help this little guy.

Edward, and I headed towards the dungeon. A few others followed behind, just in case this was a trap. I knew that not everyone loved the idea of doing this. But it was the right thing to do. Owen tagged along, so he could explain to the other kids that we were safe to leave with.

As we approached the dungeon doors, I felt a shiver roll down my spine. I remembered this place too well. I felt uncomfortable being here, but I was here to free these kids. It was my turn to save someone from this hell.

I opened the doors slowly, allowing light to slowly sweep into the room. Inside, sat twelve newborns, the ages ranged from infants to young adolescents. The oldest one in there looked to be my age.

The oldest one, moved first, walking in front of the rest of the kids. "Whoever you are, don't hurt the kids. If you need something, take it from me." Her voice was strong willed.

Once she was in the light, I realized that this girl was human. Her scent was nothing but blood, her heart was beating a little too fast in her chest. She seemed very familiar.

"I know you…" I said slowly approaching the girl.

Her hair was thinned down to nearly nothing, but the curls on her head reminded me of someone. They were such a pure shade of red.

"No, you don't miss." She backed away from me in fear.

"Kathy?" I asked, following her slowly.

At my words she seemed to pause. Tears started to slide down her cheeks. "Kathy was my sister, how did you know her?" Her voice trembled thick with emotion.

"I was here… with her… when it happened. I was chained to the wall right across from her." I stuttered, forcing myself not to look towards that particular wall. I wasn't sure if I was strong enough to look at it.

The girl was sobbing now. She came closer to me. I could now see her fully in the light.

A thin piece of material hung on her body, loosely. She looked so much like Kathy. It was overwhelming. But I moved forward and gave her a gentle embrace.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to save her… but I'm here now, to save everyone here. You are all free. Caius is dead." I said.

She hugged me back, crying, but there was now hope in her eyes as we pulled apart.

"Come on everyone. It's time to leave." She said turning back to the rest of the kids.

The teenagers all went to the younger children, some taking their hands and others needed to carry the infants out of the dungeons.

They all smelled of urine and feces. Most of the conditions of their skin was horrifying. Their skin was breaking down, some had infections, others appeared malnourished, just skin and bones. It was a miracle that they were still alive.

At the very back of the dungeon, I covered my mouth as I saw bones. There was a fully formed, human skeleton in the very back. I prayed that it wasn't… Kathy's remains.

"That skeleton was here when we first arrived at the dungeon. I was the first one down here. I don't know who it is… but I do have suspicions." The girl spoke up.

She hasn't left my side yet.

I nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Should we move her out?"

"If this really is Kathy… she deserves to finally leave this place." She nodded, tears still sliding down her cheeks.

I couldn't say that I was thrilled about picking up human bones, but this action held a lot of weight. Finally all the girls from the dungeon were free. We all made it. Didn't we Kathy, I'm just sorry that it took so long for me to get back to you.

The girl and I decided to bury the bones in a flower garden just on the outside of Italy. It wasn't much, but we found a nice sized rock and placed it on top of the grave.

"What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked, giving the girl a warm smile.

"Victoria, but my friends call me Tori." She offered me her hand. "And you?"

I shook her hand. "Bella."

"We are offering the other kids a place to live, with us in our community. You're free to come along as well."

She shook her head, causing the very scant amount of hair on her head to bounce. You could tell at one point she had large, curly red hair. It was most likely beautiful. She had a fox-like look to her.

"No, that's alright. I do have a family to get back to. I'm sure they are worried about me…. And would like to know what happened to Kathy." Her expression was full of sorrow. "I can't thank you enough for everything, Bella."

"Any time, just let me know if you ever need anyone to talk to… or really anything at all. I'm just a phone call away." I said as I passed over a piece of paper with my cell phone number on it.

She took it with a smile and nodded.

"I guess this is where we part ways." She said with a wave.

I nodded, and waved as I watched Victoria slink away.

I could only hope that this would mean, there would be peace now and forever.

After this chapter there is only ONE more Chapter for this story and it is finally over.

Keep your eyes out for the squeal! Thank you all for reading!