We had walked quite a ways to a part of the castle that in the years I had been here, I had never seen. It was a tad warmer than the rest of the halls, and I soon realized why. Up ahead was a brilliant beam of sunlight, and I could not help but have the biggest smile I could manage. It had been ages since I was allowed outside. I looked up at Demetri, and he released my arm, nodding that it was alright to go ahead. I ran as fast as I could into the sun's warmth.

I took a few more steps out the wide open doors, but I did not get far before there was a hand placed over my eyes. "What, there's something else?"

"There's always something else, my dear," Aro's tranquil voice was like beautiful music, and it never ceased to amaze me how he spoke so elegantly at times.

He guided me to what I could tell was a shaded area of the small inner courtyard before releasing me and allowing me to look. My eyes scanned the white bench in front of me to see a gorgeously crafted wooden box. "What's that?" Curiosity was starting to get the best of me.

Aro stepped in front, grabbed the box, and handed it to me in one fluid motion. He was always so graceful, so perfect and refined. It was his next words that shook me out of my daze. "It's a gift. Happy birthday, love."

I blinked a few times. How could I have forgotten? Of course, there were not any calendars in this place for me to keep track of the date the way it was, but I had known what month it was, hadn't I? The one thing I hated most about this place. Being what they were, they had no need for time as time was eternity for them, but for a human, time meant everything. I learned to tell time by watching the sun as it moved across the sky and as the moon rose and set. It was not something I was to be concerned with.

There was always routine, without a doubt, there was routine, but time stood still for everyone but me. In that instant, I had a range of emotions flow over me, and even though I had the urge to cry from anger and sadness and worry, I didn't. I was truthfully happy, wasn't I? How could I really know? Humans go through so many emotions daily, I wasn't an exception.

Demetri led me down a corridor with many other rooms or cells like the one I had been placed in. We went up a tall flight of stairs and continued through many twists and turns. By the time we arrived at our destination, I was out of breath and completely lost. Maybe that was the point.

He opened the door in front of us and inside was the most beautiful room I had ever seen. The walls were painted a fernwood green and the furniture had a style all its own. I had never seen anything like it before. A fireplace was lit on the far wall, and I wanted so badly to sit in front of it to warm myself. I also noticed a window covered by thick, soft white drapes. I wondered what time of day it was or even what day it was.

Time was short at the moment though as Demetri brought me to the door on the other side and opened it to a small bathroom. "Clean yourself up. When you're done, I'll have a set of clothes waiting on the bed." I wanted to ask him what was going on, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he had evaporated into thin air.

I shut the bathroom door and locked it for comfort. The tub was old with clawed feet, but the surrounding wall had recently been remodeled to add in the joys of a showerhead. I found a large, white towel in the cabinet, the fluffiest towel I had ever held, and hung it over the shower rack. Someone had already put a small bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap in a small recess of the wall. I had guessed it was Demetri.

Looking around and feeling safe enough, I turned on the shower, stripped off my clothes and stepped inside. For the longest time, all I wanted to do was let the hot water run over my back and the steam clog my senses, but I also knew that I did not want Demetri to become impatient and walk in on me. I had no idea where he had gone or how long it would take him to find me these clothes he would bring. I let the shampoo soak through my hair before rinsing it out and taking the bar of soap to my skin.

The concrete had been wet and dirty, so my usually pale skin was now covered in streaks of brown and gray. When I was sure the water had rinsed it all off properly, I turned the knob, grabbed my towel and stepped out, wrapping it around me. The shower had been so warm, but thankfully the steam still helped a bit. I opened the cabinet alongside the mirror and found a comb which I used to remove the knots and tangles from my hair as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste which I was grateful for.

I made my way to the door and pressed my ear against it listening for any sign that there may be someone in the room. I heard nothing. Very carefully, I opened it just a crack to take a peek. The room was empty but sure enough, a new set of clothing had been laid out on the bed for me just like Demetri had said. I quickly threw it on and noticed how it all hung off of me. The lavender top looked two sizes too big and the denim pants were not that much different. I was a small girl to begin with, very petite like my mother, but the lack of proper nourishment over who knows how long made matters worse. I wondered who they belonged to.

Not much more than a minute later, I heard a knock on the door. "Dressed?"

It was Demetri again. "Yes." When had my voice become so timid?

He stepped inside and gave me a disapproving once over look. "It's time."

"Time for what?" No answers had been given to me since he brought me there, and it was getting to be too much. I did not like being kept in the dark in any sense. They say people fear most what is unknown to them, and right now, I had no idea who these people were, why they looked the way they did, why they were keeping me there, what they wanted with me, or anything. I was mentally drained, physically exhausted, and at that moment, he could have told me he was leading me to my death, and I would have gladly welcomed it.

"What is wrong, my love?" Aro looked at me genuinely concerned it seemed. I thought my emotions ran wild, but his moods were erratic.

Braving it, I smiled up at him. "Nothing. I had forgotten, that's all."

His fingers ran through my hair giving the calming effect I know he had hoped for. I was an open book to him as was everyone else. I hated feeling so vulnerable to him. It was something that I would never fully accept. "What a thing to forget," he commented casually. "A pretty girl becoming a beautiful young woman is not something we can take lightly. It is a wonderful day."

His sentiment to the fact that I was officially an adult was not something that I took to heart. It was only another day to me, but to him, I knew it meant something else. It meant I was ready.

I took a deep breath before sliding the closure on the box open. As I lifted the lid, my eyes widened at the most exquisite necklace I could ever imagine. It was, from what I could tell, an Edwardian style garland necklace with a tear drop diamond to set. I could not take my eyes off of it until I felt Aro pulling my hair to the side. He took the necklace from the box and fastened it carefully around my neck. I looked down at it on me. I definitely did not deserve this. "It's beautiful."

"It suits you."

Demetri had led me back to the circular room with the three thrones, however this time, they were empty. I felt Demetri's presence leave mine, and I turned to see him standing across the room next to a man that must have been over half his size with a grand, muscular physique. I recognized him as the other man from the first time I had seen the red eyes.

I had not to wait long in the center of the room before doors behind the thrones glided open and the three men from before stepped out, Aro in front. As the other two took their respective places, Aro continued his way to me. It was around then that I realized how bad off I must have been to start seeing things that could not possibly be real for when Aro crossed a beam of sunlight that fell inside the cathedral windows, it hit off of his skin like prismatic shards and cast a million tiny reflections across the room.

It had happened so fast, that I put it in the back of my mind, but my face must have shown something because Aro reacted. He was already close and offered his hand. I knew he wanted mine after the happenings of the last time I was there. Although I was still oblivious to what exactly he was playing at, I gave him my hand seeing I had no other choice. He stepped in towards me this time before leaning down to my ear and whispering, "It was real."

My breath hitched in my chest in utter shock due to the impossibilities of it. Skin does not reflect light like diamonds, it just doesn't.

He let go of my hand, his own coming to my chin and guiding me to look at him. The gentle smile of his was back, but it did nothing to soothe my nerves. My arms were wrapped around my self perhaps as a form of protection. At that moment, I wished I could have been invisible.

Aro released me again with a quiet laugh more to himself than anyone I assumed. "But don't you see, little one? You are."

I had not heard them coming, but Aro's glance up made me aware that we were not alone anymore. "Brothers, how nice of you to join us."

I turned to see Marcus and Caius standing behind us. It was rare for me to be amongst all three of them when we were not in the throne room, but due to the occasion, I supposed I should have expected as much. I managed a small smile, but what I did not expect was for Marcus to return any sort of expression like he did. Although his lips never moved, his eyes definitely lit. Caius was unnerved by something as he always seemed to be. He was calm on the exterior, but seeing as how I had known him long enough to realize that that meant he was less than that, I turned away from him.

"I am sure you understand why we have all gathered here, do you not, my love?"

Of course there was something more on hand than a special birthday surprise. I shook my head honestly not knowing but having an inkling of an idea.

Aro sat on the pristine bench and waved me over. I sat next to him as still as I could, waiting for him to speak, but it was not him who spoke. It was Marcus.

Marcus had a voice with only one tone, never raising or lowering pitch. It was drawn and eerie like he had seen a lifetime of warfare and his only wish was to stop reliving the pain every single day. I had been told the story of why he was the way he was as well as being told to never mention it to him. Who would want to relive that pain? I had never been in love, but to lose your only reason to live when you could never die would be worse than death itself.

He took a couple of steps toward Aro and me as he spoke. "You have come of age."

It dawned on me that my suspicion had been correct. It was a grand occasion in their minds. I looked at the ground before me as a cloud moved in front of the sun and the entire courtyard was covered in the shadow, making it even darker where we congregated. "Right." I was feeling edgy at this point not knowing if I should be preparing myself for the worst when Aro caught my attention once more. He had probably sensed the hesitancy in my voice.

"It does not have to be right now. When you are ready."

"Of course, we will not wait forever." The sharp voice which had interjected was belittling as ever, but I took in his warning. I knew they would not, especially if Caius had his way. He had always thought it was a risk keeping me around in the first place, but Aro would not listen. Aro always found a way to get what he prized.

"I know," and I did know very well that they would not.

I saw him and Marcus turn to leave but not before Marcus lent me what he probably thought were words of comfort. If I had not been wise to see right through it, the words may have had that effect, but I knew the truth behind them. "It is, however, your choice." Then they were gone.

It was my choice, but it was not a choice at all. I knew what the wrong choice meant, but I also was not accepting of the fact that the right choice was the right one. There was no right choice, and it really was not ever my choice. It was all an illusion, and they would always have the upper hand. This I knew better than anything else.

My mind wandered into a dark space. I had many fears that still haunted me to that day, and to that day, I had never believed anything else. It made no sense to me, and what if I did go along with it? What if I was not what they had hoped or expected?

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Aro. I could tell he was fighting the urge to reach for my hand, so I took my own and placed a finger on top his. His expression was as if he had let out a soft sigh. He brushed away a thin strand of hair that the breeze had caused to linger across my face and leaned in before gently kissing my forehead.

"Is that what truly troubles you? You fear our acceptance?" A simple smile crossed his features as the most honest words came from his lips. "You know, what you are running from is what you want the most." I could not stop the tear that fell down my cheek, and he wiped it away. "Forgive me, my dear." As he left, the darkness crept over me again, and I was lost in the not so distant past.

I was twelve when I had gone to live with him, the man who I was told was my uncle on my father's side. I had never met him before let alone heard my father talk about him, but a family friend did introduce us at the funeral. He seemed like he desired nothing more than to leave immediately, paying no respect to his brother's memory.

The arrangements had been made a couple of nights before that I would be taken into his care, something I could tell he was not thrilled about. He said that as family, it was his obligation to take in his dead brother's child. I was nothing else to him than that. I became more and more aware of it as the days grew on.

In return for this, I took care of the house when I was not being taught. He believed in a solid education and therefore hired a private tutor to give me lessons on a daily basis. My Italian was less than perfect, so this became the only option he found appropriate. I was left alone most of the day and sent to my room at night where I would sometimes read into the early hours of the morning. His only rule was that I was to not be around where he was. He made it clear that he did not want to see me and that I should keep myself busy unless he requested my presence.

Certain nights I would cry myself to sleep wanting nothing more than to go home and see my parents again. I knew that was impossible as they were no longer alive, but it did not stop me from wishing things were the way they used to be. Even the crying stopped soon enough. On the one occasion he heard me while passing, he came into the room and told me the flat out truth, they were never coming back, so crying was pointless. It was not worth wasting tears over corpses.

He was right of course. My tears would not bring them back, nothing would. I only had the memories to keep them alive in my heart.

The night I left was the first time he had ever come home drunk. I was in the sitting room reading a book by the fireplace. I heard him come in but ignored it. He had somehow made his way into the room, but I paid him no attention. I wanted to blend in the best I could and hoped he would not notice me, but he did. He came over to where I was sitting and roughly grabbed the book from my hands. "Why do you read this nonsense?"

I did not reply. I did not look up at him at all. I stared at the ground waiting for him to throw the book back at me and stumble out to his study.

"I asked you a question."

I took a deep breath before replying quietly. "It's not nonsense."

"Huh? What was that?" He moved closer to me and with his free hand grabbed my face so I was forced to look up at him.

"I said it's not nonsense."

He paused for a moment. I did not know what to expect from him with my comment. I watched him carefully as he mulled over my words in his head. A smirk appeared across his features as he released me. I pushed myself back into my chair as far as I could. I did not think he would actually harm me, but his expression was frightening at best. Before I could say anything, he began ripping pages from the book and tossing them into the flame.

I wanted to speak, to tell him to stop, but I could not. My mouth was dry with no words capable of forming. Every page he tore and ripped ached at my core. To anyone else it was only a book, but to me, it was an escape to a place far away where I was loved and wanted. Now it was gone. Reality was upon me, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I did not even cry. Tears could not express the agony I had felt at that particular moment.

When he had finished, he walked out of the room as if nothing had even happened. I sat there doing what I could to control myself. It was only minutes before I heard the door upstairs open and close, and I stood, making my way down the hall to the foyer. I had only wanted some fresh air to gather myself again, but the moment I stepped out the front door, I knew I could never go back.