I sat on the floor for some time after, but I finally made my way over to the bed, grabbing my laptop from where I left it on the side table. I woke it up and once again went to the device manager. For some crazy reason, I kept praying that my wireless driver would still be on there, though I knew it was long gone. I clicked on the properties, hoping that perhaps if I just hit reinstall… Unfortunately, all the data had been deleted. The only way now to reconnect would be to wire my laptop to a connection with an ethernet cable and reinstall it from the manufacturer's website or the like.

I laid back, setting my laptop aside and curling my knees into my chest, lying in a fetal position for some sort of comfort. My throat hurt as did my jaw. So much for promising my grandfather that they wouldn't hurt me. I touched my neck gently with my fingers, and the slightest pressure made me wince. I wondered how dark the bruises would be when they formed.

After some time, I heard a knock on the door and a woman's voice on the other side. "Lia, may I come in?"

It was Chelsea. "Aro locked the door, so unless you have the key…"

The door opened quickly enough, and I sighed. I really didn't want visitors right now, but it appeared Chelsea didn't come alone. In her hands, she held a plate of food that caused my stomach to rumble. I wasn't sure how long it had been since I had eaten, but I was starving.

"Aro thought that you might be hungry and asked me to bring you something down," Chelsea said, setting the plate down on the side table next to my laptop.

"He couldn't bring it himself?"

She frowned. "He thought it best, perhaps that I did."

Sitting up slowly, I stared at the plate of food she brought: a sandwich, fresh berries, and even yogurt with a spoon. I thought about declining it, seeing as it was supposedly Aro that wanted Chelsea to bring it, but if I was going to attempt to get out of here, I didn't need to be famished while doing it. I grabbed the yogurt, topped it with some of the berries, and took a small bite. Swallowing hurt slightly, and as I must have made some sort of expression, Chelsea frowned.

She came back over and sat on the bed next to me. "Let me see."

"I'm fine," I replied, not too eager to have another vampire touching me anytime soon.

My statement must have meant nothing, however, because Chelsea proceeded to invade my space by bringing her hands up to my throat. I didn't flinch away. I wasn't concerned about her doing anything like what Aro had just done, so I finally tilted my head slightly to the side, giving her a better view of my neck.

"Sometimes that man makes no sense to me," she commented. I looked at her curiously, and she caught it. "Aro is difficult to understand, but he does love you."

"He loves power," I scoffed.

"I can't deny that. He certainly does. Let's say he has a lot on his mind."

"Speaking of Aro, what's he doing right now besides avoiding me?"

Chelsea laughed. "I think if you truly thought about it, you might see that you're the one avoiding him. Aro is only indulging you because he knows you probably don't want to see him right now."

"Hell right, I don't," I replied, indignation in my tone.

"You know he doesn't like it when you use language like that," Chelsea added, and I rolled my eyes in response. "To answer your question, Aro is busy taking care of other matters at hand. Matters I should be getting back to myself. He likes me in the room just in case."

I had questions about that, and I assumed it had something to do with Chelsea's power, but that was something else I had never been informed of. While I was curious, I had the feeling that I wouldn't be answered honestly anyway, so I never inquired. "Can you leave the door unlocked at least?"

"If you promise not to go wandering around like before. It's crucial, especially this time, that you stay in Aro's quarters."

I bit the inside of my lip wondering about that. Would something worse happen next time? "Why's that?"

"Our visitors from Peru are on their way here now. Aro told you about them coming, didn't he?"

I nodded. "Right. I won't leave then. They'd probably mistake me for leftovers or something." Chelsea gave me a strange look, and I shook my head at her. "Nevermind."

After she departed from the room, I finished up the rest of the food that she brought, all the while knowing that the time was almost upon me to get out of here. I was nervous, yes. There was still a very good chance Aro would send Demetri after me when they returned from Bulgaria. In fact, the chance was 100%, but any time at all away from here was all I was looking for. What sort of consequences would that entail having? It didn't matter. I had to know that I tried.

I wasn't quite sure what time it was, but if I was going to leave, it would have to be during the daylight hours seeing as it was more difficult, but not impossible, for them to follow me while the sun was out. I knew about the passages and tunnels throughout the underground of the city, as well as tunnels that led further away from the city into the hills. That was probably how the coven from Peru would be arriving.

I wouldn't pack any of my belongings. Now that I had thought it through more, I could move more quickly without anything, and Emilio would make sure I had money on me to spend when I got to South America. The only crucial thing I needed was my passport, which was still at my grandparents' house. I had decided not to draw attention to it when I went back with Demetri because I knew what he would have done with it. I needed that to get out of the country. If Aro had it, I'd be stuck.

My nerves were on overdrive, my stomach turning in circles like I was going to be sick. I went to the door and checked it. Chelsea had definitely left it unlocked. I stepped out and looked around Aro's study before trying the main door. It was also left unlocked. The last thing I wanted to do was get Chelsea in trouble, but something told me that wasn't going to be the case.

I waited in the study, pacing back and forth, thinking my plan through my head. Demetri was gone, the coven from Peru were on their way right now. Chelsea had to go so she was there with Aro when they arrived. That meant they would be here anytime now, or perhaps they were already upstairs conversing. If I was caught along the way, what would I say? I would never get another chance like this again.

For one of the first times, I paid attention to this special gift Aro thought I had, and I listened to it. I didn't block it out. I just let it come, and it was amazing how quickly a sort of calm washed over me. I knew my path was clear. I couldn't say how, I just knew. I opened the main door, stepped out, and did not look back.

The elevator was not an option as it would create too much noise; they would definitely be able to hear. Instead, I climbed the stairs. When I reached the landing for the ground floor, I carefully opened the door that blocked it off from the rest of the hallway, and seeing no one around, went through and closed it silently behind me. I wouldn't be able to go out the usual way through the main wing. I didn't particularly want any humans in the front to see me. I decided instead to find my way to the main wing and exit through one of the back doors.

I felt like one of those federal agents on television or in the movies, perhaps even a spy, someone who was sneaking around, making sure not to be spotted. It was a secret mission, and if anyone saw me, I would have failed. Not only would my government deny their involvement, but they would deny the fact that they had anything to do with me. I would be left on my own. However, making it into a game, kept me focused and from freaking out too much about what I was attempting.

Creeping was never my style, but I was doing alright at it as I finally found one of the few other doors into the main wing. Besides the door outside of the mayor's office, which was in plain sight, many other doors were hidden by wooden paneling, and this was one of them. I had found it during one of my explorations, but at that time, I never attempted to go out through it. I had promised Aro that I would not leave the second wing. However, that was then, and this was now.

Slipping out, I closed the panel behind me, and more quickly than before, now that I was the human side of the building, I made my way toward where I knew the back exit was. Thankfully I ran into no one along the way, and I was pleasantly surprised as I reached the door to see that the sun was bright in the sky. I could have laughed, but there was no time for that.

It was around that time I felt a strange feeling building up inside of me. It wasn't physical, but I knew it was trying to warn me of something. If Aro had suddenly realized that I was gone, then I needed to get moving and faster than before. I wasn't far from my grandparents' house, but it wasn't like it was across the street either.

I ran. As I continued to run, the feeling dissipated inside of me, and I started to feel a little better. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe he hadn't figured it out yet. After all, he was meeting with the coven from Peru, and wouldn't that take some time? It wasn't like the rogue vampire whom he destroyed within minutes. This was more calculated from what I understood. Aro mentioned a territorial dispute. Those were never easy, at least in fantasy books.

By the time I made it to the house, I had imagined that at least 10 minutes had passed since I left the Priori. The first thing I did was grab the phone to call Emilio. Amazingly, the connection had not yet been killed, and I heard it ringing. Emilio picked up a moment later.

"Pronto?"

"Emilio, it's Lia," I said, completely out of breath from running to the house.

"Lia, where have you been? Your mom's been calling me, asking if I'd heard from you. Apparently, you haven't called her in over a week? I haven't even gotten a text from you since after your grandma passed. What is going on? You have everyone worried about you."

I shook my head, not that he could see it, but we didn't have time for this right now. "I know, I'm sorry, but listen, I need you to meet me at Maltraverso, the bus station. This is really important, and I'm so sorry, but it's an emergency, and please, can you please just meet me there?"

"Okay, yeah, I'll meet you there, but you're going to tell me what's going on first."

"I will when I see you, I promise, but please, just do this for me." I knew I was begging, but I also knew I was short on time.

"Fine. I'm on my way now. I'll see you in about forty minutes."

I almost slammed the phone down on the receiver as I got his confirmation before flying to my bedroom and reaching into the drawer where I kept my passport as well as the extra money I had on me when I came to Italy. After making sure everything was where it was supposed to be, I went back to the phone to call a local cab service for a ride. Once that was done, I grabbed one of the jackets that I had left in the closet and put it on, pulling the hood over my head. I then left the house and made my way to where I told the driver to meet me.

Figuring the first place Aro might choose to look for me would be my grandparents' house, I knew I couldn't wait there. Instead, there was a nearby park, fully lit by the sun that I decided to wait in. I hoped with the hood over my head, no one would bother me, and it would be more difficult for someone to spot me by looks only. With all the different scents in the air, I also figured it might be more difficult to catch on to mine, which meant I should be safe for the time being. I could never be too sure, however, and my legs continued to bounce in apprehension as I waited for the cab driver to arrive.

While there were plenty of taxi companies in and around Volterra due to the many tourists that visited the city, their fares did not come cheap. The trip to the Maltraverso station would cost, at minimum, 50 Euros, but it would probably come closer to 60 Euros. I had it, but it would really cut my funds short. A bus would have been cheaper, but there was no way of telling when the next bus would be at the station, the ride would be longer, and I didn't have that kind of time.

The taxi finally arrived, and I jumped in, telling the driver where to go. We were on our way within seconds. Being on the move, I thought, would calm me, but even this did nothing to shake the nerves I continued to feel. I watched as the driver glanced back at me a few times in the rearview mirror. He probably thought I was high on drugs or something, but drugs were never an issue in Volterra. I smiled at him before looking back out the window and watching the hills of Tuscany pass by as we made our way to the province of Siena.

As the drive went on, and the closer we got to Maltraverso, I did finally begin to calm. I was ready to see Emilio again. To be honest, I still couldn't believe that I had managed to leave the building without anyone stopping me, let alone the city. I wasn't going to question it, however. All I needed to focus on was getting to the airport and catching the next flight out of Italy. My only concern at this time was the layover I would have when I needed to change planes. Even though Argentina was my best bet at this moment, I would hop on whichever flight I thought would get me away from here the quickest. I could worry about everything else later.

When we finally arrived in Maltraverso, I paid the cab driver the fare plus a hefty tip for getting me here in record time. Maybe he wanted me out of the back of his car just as much as I wanted to be on another continent. I saw Emilio immediately, who must have arrived not long before, and ran up to him. Before I caught myself, my arms were around him, and I felt my eyes watering from built-up pressure that had kept the tears at bay for so long. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and just held me.

"Lia, what the hell happened?"

I sniffed, forcing back the tears that wanted to continue to fall before wiping my eyes and shaking my head. "I'll tell you on the way. We need to go."

Emilio was rightly baffled, but like I knew he would, he led me to his car and helped me in before he went around and got in himself. "Where to?"

"The airport."

He started the car next thing, and we were on our way. I wasn't sure how to ask him what I needed to next, but I didn't have a choice. There was no way I was getting out of Italy on the amount of money I had at the moment, but being in the car with Emilio right then, it was like my world completely calmed. Nothing else mattered at that moment except that we were together, and I had actually gotten away from Aro. I had done it.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now, or what?" Emilio asked. His voice was laced with concern, and I frowned. "You also plan on telling me who did that to you?"

I didn't have to think hard about what he meant. My neck had definitely bruised by now, and Emilio noticed everything. I sighed, choosing to ignore the question for now. "I need to borrow some money and your phone so I can buy a plane ticket."

Glancing over at me, he replied, "Where's your phone?"

"I lost it." I wasn't exactly a lie. I had lost it in a way. Aro had possession of it now.

He didn't question me about it anymore and immediately gave me his. I began to search for flights out of Florence to Buenos Aires. The earliest flight I could get would be in the morning at 6:30 AM. The only other option was calling the airline and seeing if they could get me on a flight tonight. I quickly did so, Emilio glancing over at me, probably wondering what I was doing. I waited on the line for a moment before someone answered, but much to my dismay as I hung up a couple minutes later, all the flights out of Florence for the night were completely booked.

I looked back at the only option I had available. It was the first flight out of the morning, but even still, that layover would be rough. It would be in Rome, close enough for Aro to easily come to me, and he could easily figure out the layover station by having Chelsea check the internet for flight statuses. There were only three usual stops for flights out of Florence: Rome, Paris, or Frankfurt, but the flights which went through Rome, were the cheapest. For someone with limited resources, it was a no brainer which flight I would choose.

"The earliest flight isn't going to be until in the morning, but it's still 725 Euros," I told Emilio.

"That's fine. Buy the ticket," he commented back. He reached into his pocket and grabbed out his wallet, handing it to me. "My credit card is in there. Use it."

I took the wallet from him and shuffled through it to find his card before putting the information down for the ticket purchase. Once I had secured the ticket and had the confirmation code emailed to me and written down on a piece of notebook paper that Emilio had in his glove box, I put his card back into the wallet and handed it and his phone back to him.

"Emilio, thank you. I know this is all sudden, but… I really appreciate you doing this for me."

While he took back his wallet, he left the phone in my hands. "You should call your mom. Tell her you're okay."

I looked down at the phone in my hands. I wanted to. I missed her voice, but I was scared as well. I did not want my parents to get involved. Aro had already taken too much from me. He wasn't going to take them next. "I can't."

The car was quiet again for a while, Emilio saying nothing in comment to my last statement. I focused my attention out the window on the countryside passing us by. It felt like I had only been back in Italy for such a short time before everything happened, and now I was leaving again. I hated it, but staying here with Aro was an even worse idea. I couldn't do it.

"What happened?" His voice stunned me out of my reverie or the daydreaming I had going on perhaps in my head, the anger I was beginning to feel at being so out of control of my own life at this moment. "You told me you would tell me."

This was not going to be easy, but I would make it work. Though I needed Emilio to get out of Florence, I did not want him involved either, at least more than he already was. "Bad relationship."

"You never told me you were dating someone, not that you needed to."

"It was after we talked last. I met someone, and he was overly controlling. I know he loves me, but it's like he doesn't get it either. It has to be his way or no way at all."

"The last we talked was over a month ago. You're telling me this person loves you, and you've only been together for about a month?"

I shrugged. "It happens. People fall in love quickly all the time."

"Lia, love doesn't leave bruises around your throat."

There was nothing I could say to that. He was right, and I knew he was right. Still, something felt so wrong. I couldn't tell if it was this stupid bond that Marcus had seen, or if it was this stupid gift that I supposedly had, or if it was simply nerves knowing exactly what might happen when Demetri did eventually find me. I wasn't stupid. Aro wouldn't have him stop tracking me until I was right back where I started. What the hell was I risking all of this for anyway? In the grand scheme of things, I knew it would be pointless.

The fifty-minute trip felt more like hours once we finally arrived at the airport. Emilio insisted on staying with me until I boarded the plane, and I figured that even if Aro did send someone to check the airport tonight, buying a plane ticket to get through security wouldn't have been a problem for them. No matter which side of the checkpoint I was on, I would be slightly on edge until the plane was up in the air.

At the airport, I printed out my boarding pass, and then Emilio and I found a place to sit further away from the main entrance. The airport in Florence was a small, regional airport with only one runway. Though it did experience heavy travel, it was much different than JFK International and DFW Airport. There were fewer people roaming about, and security, though still tightened, was often simple to breeze through.

I did not want to wait until morning to board a flight, but what choice did I have at this point? It was amazing how well Emilio could read me even after all these years. He leaned forward and turned towards me, so I looked back at him. "What about if I rent a room for the night? You can try to get some sleep. There are plenty of hotels nearby. You have your boarding pass now, and the flight isn't for another fourteen hours unless you feel like waiting at the airport the whole time. Up to you."

"Okay."

We were back in the car not long after—the benefits of a small airport, parking within walking distance. Emilio drove to the nearest hotel and parked. I followed him inside to book the room, and before I knew it, we were in a double room, Emilio sitting in the one chair it contained and me sitting on the edge of the bed. I had managed to pull my jacket up to cover my neck while we were booking. The last thing we needed was for the receptionist to question why I had bruises around my throat and why neither of us had any bags. Sex trafficking wasn't a stranger to the area, and we did not need the local police butting in and making this whole ordeal much bigger than it needed to be.

Fourteen hours could not go by fast enough, yet every time I looked at the clock, barely any time had passed at all. Emilio hopped onto the bed next to me and sat back against the headboard, which was not so oddly made from throw pillows glued to the wall, and flipped on the television. I decided to join him if only to give my mind something else to do.

It was hard not to think of the time when we were both so young. I could have imagined us together at one point, and I had very recently when we saw each other last, but now so much had changed. I shouldn't be having the thoughts at all, but I couldn't stop them from coming. Without thinking too much about it, I turned my head to face his, leaned in, and kissed him, my best friend.

When I pulled back, his eyes were slightly widened, and I thought for a second that he was upset with me for it. However, a second later, I saw his lips turn up into a gentle smile, and I knew I had been mistaken. He wrapped his arm carefully around my shoulders and pulled me into him, so I was leaning against his chest. "I've missed you, Lia. I know it's been years, but I've really missed you."

"I've missed you, too."

Pretty soon, Emilio's lips had brushed against mine, and the passion and desire were there. It wasn't the same as I had felt with Aro when I had stupidly asked him to kiss me because I didn't want him to find out what I had really been thinking. With Aro, a kiss that my mind didn't necessarily want but my soul apparently did, it was intoxicating and fully consumed me like a drug. However, with Emilio, my mind and my body wanted it more than anything. I wasn't drunk on some invisible pull we had. No, I simply craved his touch and his warmth and the connection we made when we were young, barely able to walk yet. Emilio had been my everything back then, and now Aro… What was he?

Before I knew it, Emilio's hands were unzipping my jacket, and I helped him as he helped me out of it. His shirt was the next to go and then mine. I knew where this was heading, and gods I wanted it. I wanted it so bad, but that damn feeling in my chest squeezing to the point it hurt. I wanted to scream. I put my hands on top of his, forcing him to stop where he was working his way down to my pants, and he did, immediately.

"We can't."

He nodded, no disappointment in his expression at all, just a small peck on my forehead before handing me back my top. "Okay." That was all. Both of us redressed, and I lied in his arms until I finally fell asleep.

Emilio woke me up around four and said that we should probably get ready to head back to the airport. I took a quick shower with the hotel provided toiletries, not sure when I would have the chance to do so again, and after I got out, dressed, and dried my hair with the complimentary blow dryer, Emilio and I took off downstairs to check out. It was a quick process, leaving the key with the front desk, and then finally we made it outside and on our way to the car.

What we weren't expecting was to find the spot Emilio had parked in empty. While he was left in confusion, the same sinking feeling before set over me, and I swallowed hard. I could feel him. It was still dark outside, and we were absolutely not alone. A voice came from behind us in the shadows, and I froze. "What a strange surprise to find you here, Lia. Now come with me. A car is waiting."

A/N: Title is from Robert Frost's poem of the same name. Updates to Finding You will now be posted every Friday. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter! I love reading your comments and replying to each and every one of you. Sorry, I am unable to reply to guest accounts, but I still enjoy your reviews! Thanks for reading!