Clara Cullen-Taylor

I couldn't help the tears as they fell from my eyes watching Axton in such pain. He was sobbing over his sister whilst the rest of my family were gleefully embracing Anelie and Lidiya. I knew he had betrayed us but I couldnt bring myself to be happy.

I looked up to see one of the twins trying to get out of Tony Black's embrace. I assumed it was Anelie but I couldn't tell the difference between them. She must have seen the heartbreak on my face because she made it over to me.

"ill try, but my ability didnt work on her last time," she said to me softly.

"why would you help? Ive done nothing but betray you all," Axton said, his face tear stained.

"because you just sacrificed your twin sister to save me. Everything you've done is to save her and that I can relate to," she said looking at her twin sister being held by their father. Axton didnt say anything else, his tears halted and he laid his sister on the ground. Anelie reached her hand out for her sister and Lidiya appeared at her side. They both closed their eyes and reached out for her body. I walked over to Axton and took his hand in mine as we waited.

"come on!" Anelie prayed but nothing was happening. "why?" she asked and suddenly I saw emotion in her face, tears were coming out of her eyes.

"calm down Annie," Esther warned.

"No! She needs to wake up!" Anelie shouted, her tears were coming out white down her cheeks. Axton pulled me back slightly and I stepped with him.

"I'm so sorry," Anelie sobbed, her tears bright on her cheeks as she looked up at Axton. "I'm so sorry," she repeated. Axton stared at her.

"You tried," he said before bending down and picking up his sister.

"Where are you going with her?" I asked him.

"To Cain," he said.

"You mean your father?" Esther asked.

"I think so. I want to find him, I need answers… after all I have nothing left," he said.

"You have me", the words slipped out. I didnt know I meant it until I said it. He smiled softly.

"Then it is you I will live for when I bury my sister," he said, tears falling from his cheeks and he kissed my forehead before he was gone from the room in a blink of an eye.

I stood there, in shock and in silence. It was Edward's arms that appeared around me. I let him hug me as I decided what I was going to do.

"Call Elijah. Go have some fun. We'll let you know if we hear anything from him," Edward whispered to me. Would he? I looked up at him. "I will, I promise you Clara," he said not breaking eye contact. I sighed. Okay. I stepped out from his embrace and went over to Anelie who had managed to calm down.

"Thank you," I said to her. She smiled at me.

"I didn't do anything."

"Doesn't matter. You tried." I said before turning away. It opened my eyes to the selflessness of this family. I had originally thought they were unforgiving, especiallly the Volturi half of the family but Anelie and Lidiya were the centre of the Volturi and they had just tried to save someone who betrayed them. It meant a lot to me and I wouldnt forget it and I'd make sure Axton didnt either.

I made my way down the street, the warnings were on red and I was coughing into my shirt.

"Clara!" I heard Bella call after me, "we just turned on the tv and noticed the red warning. Quick," she said and took my hand. She pulled me onto her back and we were going faster than the wind. It was exhilarating going as fast as a vampire. I was grateful she didn't turn back and take me home, she actually took me to Elijahs.

"Call me when you want to come home. Ok?" she asked when we got inside his porch. I nodded and thanked her just as his mom came out to meet us.

"Oh girls! Why were you outside?" she asked shocked. "No no dont go, you cant go out there!" Elijahs mom said when Bella went to open the door. She didn't understand that no level of pollution would affect Bella but Bella couldnt walk out now. She was stuck. I smiled apologetically to her.

"Come in, both of you, this door isnt air tight," she said ushering us into the actual house. Elijah was standing at the top of the stairs. He smiled at me and came down to greet me. I wrapped my arms around him tightly and hugged him, I wanted to burst into tears and rant all at the same time.

Bella was getting out her phone behind me and Elijah led me upstairs away from his mom. I hated leaving Bella but I was an emotional mess, I needed to rant to my best friend.

For the next half an hour Elijah just let me cry, let me rant and just listened to me. I admitted to him that I loved Axton, something I had kept from him, unintentionally or intentionally I really didnt know.

"I understand why he did it," Elijah said softly after he allowed me to calm down. I was curled up in his bed, under his bedcovers and soaking his pillow with my tears. "I'd do the same to save you," he said to me. I smiled at him trying to be sweet but it didnt really change much.

"For me to die anyway in a selfless act? She didn't deserve that," I said to him. I just couldnt get the image of Alena's lifeless body out of my mind.

"No she didn't, and we may have just lost our most powerful weapon," Elijah sighed.

"Axton will save her. I know he will," I said with a sure nod. Elijah looked at me sceptically.

"I hope so." he said and stroked my hair from my face. I managed to sit up, wiping away any evidence of my emotional break.

"I think we should go save Bella from your mother," I smiled. he laughed.

"Yes we probably should," he said holding out his hand for me. I took it and stood up with him before falling into his arms.

"Thank you," I whispered into his shoulder.

"For what Clara?" he asked holding me tightly.

"For everything, for being here for me, for loving me," I said softly.

"Always Clara. Always," he whispered kissing the top of my head. I pulled away, this time keeping hold of his hand as we walked down the stairs. We found Bella with Elijah's mom in the kitchen. They were laughing. I raised my eyebrows at my grandmother and she winked at me before continuing her conversation.

"Oh Clara you didn't tell me your aunt was so wonderful. We've just been reminiscing about our little ones," she giggled eyeing Elijah. He rolled his eyes.

"Great mom, embarrassing me already?" he asked.

"Oh it's always fun telling stories about you and Clara," she smiled. "And three year olds getting into stuff they shouldn't," she added.

"My eldest daughter kissed a frog last week because she thought it would turn into a prince," Bella laughed. I knew Renesmee hadn't done that last week but I guess she couldn't really tell Elijah's mom her daughter was actually older than herself and her son put together.

"Oh my god! Did you sanitise her mouth after?" Elijah's mom laughed.

"No she then used the pond water to wash her mouth," Bella laughed. Elijah's mom found this hysterical.

I don't know how much time passed listening to Bella's stories of her children but I enjoyed it just as much as Elijah's mother. Hearing what Bella's children got up to when they were younger made them seem so much more real to me. I knew Eddie was here now but I still hadn't had a chance to meet him properly yet. He had more things to worry about right now than meeting one of his distant nieces.

"The air has cleared," Elijah said from the window. "It's amber now,"

"We best be getting home then," Bella said looking at me. I nodded just as my phone went off, it was a text from Edward.

He's back.


Axton Tilden

I felt like i weighed a thousand pounds as i carried my sister in my arms towards our house. I had teleported out of the Cullen house but the house i shared with my aunt was spelled. I couldnt get in there now. It blocked me, which told me Liana was there, or someone at least. I carried Alena, curled into my body as i reached the house i kicked it open. Cain stood there on the opposite end of the hall way. His face dropped to the girl in my arms. I went into the living area and rested my sister on the couch. I fell by her side and tried to control my sobs.

Since we were children we always stuck by each other. She was my twin, my other half. She was my world for as long as i could remember. She was funny, she was sweet, she was the most maternal person i had ever met. She would protect anything and anyone. She was the most selfless person i knew and i was the complete opposite. Why had she died and not me?

"What happened?" Cain asked, his hand fell on my shoulder.

"I want answers," I said in anger. "Everything I've ever known is a lie isnt it? I want to know why my life is a mess. I want to know where my mother is, I want to know who you are," i said to him in a rant.

"I am your father Axton," he said softly.

"Who else have you been in my life? You and Liana can change faces can't you? Liana was taunting Esther. She changed into who ever she wanted. What is your real face?" I asked him, tears still streaming down my face.

"Sit, my son. I will tell you everything," he said softly. I sat but on the couch Alena was. I sat next to her and held her cold hand in mine.

"I shall start at the beginning. Lilim does not wish me to tell you this but you are my son and you deserve to know." Cain started. His face changed. He wasnt the middleaged man with purple eyes anymore he was a young boy, maybe 16 years old with dark blue eyes, not far off the purple.

"The face i wear is an aged version of the boy i was when i was made into what we are. Lilim made me with the power of the moon and i was the first ever created Immortal Warlock. Nearly 6000 years ago Lilim and I were inseparable from the start. She had made me into this god like creature that was indestructible. From then on we travelled and we aged together. I dont remember when we learnt to change our face but eventually we did. As we aged we got aesthetically younger. Over time we each met people that would come in and out of our lives but the one thing that never changed was each other.

"Over time I got to know what Lilim was really like, she was ruthless, she created me out of boredom and loneliness and misunderstanding from her original family who she refused to ever talk to me about. She was different than most witches or warlocks, she was greedy, she was dark and she was powerful. Witches and warlocks are born from the earth, they are the purest creatures around and can control anything under the sun with proper training and affinities. Lilim posessed them all. Even I myself will never be as powerful as Lilim. I was created, not even Lilim herself knows how she was made. As the years and centuaries past i grew impatient with Lilim, i was bored and fed up of her constant anger and recklessness when it came to creatures that got on her bad side. As the supernatural creatures began to grow, as more came out of hiding, as vampires and luna creazione were created. Or sorry Luna Bambini i believe they are called officially now, i noticed how hungry she was for power, for equality. This is still a part of her now, she demands equality between species, she doesn't believe in anyone being in charge or handing out punishments for being yourself. She believes we're all superior to humans, that they should know of what we are and fear us, that the supernatural should be the superior species, not living in hiding from the rest of the world.

"Since we were a rare species, only three known to us, including ourselves. Lilim tried to create more, through reproduction, through spells as she created me but she couldnt, no matter what she tried. Over the years Lilim had many children, just as i did. Her children had her wicked side, even generations down the line you know a Lilim descendant from a regular witch. Its just too strong inside them to fight. Many have killed themselves to rid themselves of the demon passed on by Lilim. Some of her descendants created Esther, at first it was just a myth we had heard throughout the witches of the world but then I saw her, when she was only a child running for her life. I wanted to stop her, to save her and help her but i knew if i intervened with that young girls life, Lilim would want to be a part of it, she would corrupt such a perfect creature and so i directed the young Esther to a village where she met another like us. The only other one i knew. Grace. Lilim insisted we had nothing to do with her, she was clearly older than myself, whether Lilim knew her before me i will probably never know but the one time i met Grace i was in awe, she was beautiful, she was light, and she was a goddess. I knew she was having a family of her own, they were dying of plagues and illnesses and accidents and she was losing her strength as they died. I knew that someone as special as Esther could revive Grace, could make her happy again and so i made sure Esther got there. Over the years Lilim and i of course heard about Esther, i never confirmed to Lilim she was real though. I kept that quiet. Millennia later, The Volturi came and went and then came the Cullen's. The Cullen's made such noise in the supernatural world. Word spread of their powers, their children, rumours of their weaknesses but praises of their strengths and of course... of Esther Josephson. As the Cullens got louder and louder Lilim got angrier. Her long efforts of keeping the supernatural equal, of making sure any less powerful than her had no hand in what she did changed. Someone was becoming better than her, even if it was a family of vampires, she couldn't stand it. And so she learnt about them, she built an army, she created the wolves to scare them, she tried to track down more Luna Bambini, she sent nomad vampires out to try and test them, she did everything but they were all stopped by Esther and so now shes decided thats who she wants." Cain explained it all to me but he still hadn't answered my question.

"So who am i? how did you create me? if you had children before why arent all witches and warlocks immortal?"

"Our children arent what we are, whether we mate with humans or witches theyre never born immortal. Until you and Alena." He began nodding to my sister lying next to me. I waited for him to continue. "I think your mother was nephilim. I can never be sure. She died giving birth to you but she was godly. There was something about her, i could never put my finger on it. She drew me in the moment i met her. She was entirely too beautiful for this plain."

"Are you serious?" I tried to not to laugh.

"Yes Axton i am serious. I understand the myth of half human half angel beings but arent we all myths? Back when i was a young man, thousands of years ago nephilim walked the earth as humans. They arent much different. No special powers, no strength, immortality or anything. Just insanely beautiful and alluring. As mine and Lilim's children grew and spread across the world they eventually wiped the nephilim out. They were viewed as a threat, something i never quite understood myself. Twenty years ago i met your mother and i knew she had to be one, the instant i saw her. I dont know how the bloodline survived. I dont know where she came from, years after her death i searched for anyone like her but when we were together she refused to talk about her family, she refused to admit what she was to me but i couldnt get in her mind. I couldn't use magic on her. She was protected i just didnt know by who. After your mother fell pregnant i wondered what the child she carried would be. I was there when you were born, birthing your sister merely a minute later was too much and your mother died from blood loss, it was like Alena couldnt be without you. With her immune to my powers i was helpless and couldnt save her. I just had two tiny babies screaming in my arms.

"I contacted Lilim. We hadnt spoken in a few years but i just couldnt do this alone. I couldn't raise you both without a woman in your life. I hadn't raised a child in over a hundred years. I needed help. Lilim became obsessed with you both. She found out my theories about your mother from my mind and insisted she would be your mother herself. I knew i had made a mistake but i hoped that Lilim would care for you as your own. Perhaps being with her would help teach you about who you were, about your powers. As you grew we fashioned ourselves as your mother and father however when you were about three years old she asked for me to find Grace. She wanted her to help bring you up and to teach you and so i went to find her. I didnt know the friendship between Grace and Lilim at the time i just did as i was told for the sake of you and your sister. I couldnt find her, when i returned a year and a half later she was gone. I couldnt find her anywhere and i realised she had kidnapped my own children. I didnt see you again until four years ago.

"Lilim told me you had grown up with a father but he had died when a vampire had taken a particular interest in Alena. Lilim had to fake her death as your mother when the vampire informed the Volturi Cullen's. She changed her face to that of your birth mother and pretended to be her twin sister instead."

I felt anger boil up inside me. So my Aunt Caroline had been Liana this whole time.

"She raised you as her nephew from then on. Four years ago she finally allowed me to track her and i found you. I knew she had removed the spell for a reason though. She needed me for something but i was just happy to see you again. You were sixteen years old but you were so willfull, so strong and handsome and your sister was just perfect, so beautiful, so alluring. So much like your mother," he said, pausing as his eyes dropped to Alena lying next to me. "Lilim introduced me to you as Cain and i knew she wasnt letting me back to be your father. She wanted me to teach you. She had a theory about the moon pool. The power in it could unlock your powers you were showing potentcial for. She and I took you and your sister there and as you know we unlocked your powers, making you immortal. Lilim was overjoyed with you both.

"She immediately recognised the pure power in Alena but also the weakness in her. She allowed me to stay in your life on the promise i would not tell you who i was. She didnt want to lose your loyalty to her. I agreed, after all i hadnt seen you in years. She came to me with her plan to destroy the Cullen's power and i had to agree to protect you and your sister." He said before pausing and coming over to me. He knelt at my feet and his hand lay over mine and Alena's. "I have only done the things I've done to protect you." He said. I watched his face, his aged face he had changed to midway through his long story. The face of my father.

"Can you save her?" i choked out. His bright eyes dulled slightly. His head dropped.

"No I can't," he said sadly.

"why not?" I asked.

"I may know someone, we could take her to the moon pool however there is no guarantee." he answered avoiding eye contact.

"Take her please. I need her to be ok," I begged him.

"I will find a way my son. I will gain your trust again I promise you" he said before he disappeared from the room. I stood there for a moment staring my sister on the couch. There was a flicker of light as the atmosphere changed around me. Suddenly my father was back.

"There is something i need to ask of you whilst I'm gone" he said coming over to me.

"What? Did you find a way to save my sister?" I asked momentarily frantic. I wasn't sure how much longer we could leave her on the couch, she was going to start to rot. The thought made me feel sick. He had to hurry.

"Yes I found someone to help me but I forgot to ask something of you." He said before motioning up stairs. "There is someone I need you to look after for me," he said and motioned for me to follow. We entered Alena's old bedroom to see a girl maybe fourteen on the bed. She looked up and it momentarily shocked me how much she looked like my sister. How much she looked like me.

"This is your sister." Cain said. "Her name is Amari," he began to say something to the girl in a language I didn't understand. I did catch my name though.

"Sister?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"After I was cut off from you and your sister I went to find your mother's family. I found another like her. I didn't know I got the girl pregnant but I did. Amari was raised by her mother, however as she began to show her magic her mother disowned her. She found me and I brought her here. I have been keeping her from Liana. I need you to watch over her whilst I'm gone," he explained. It almost infuriated me, it felt like he was trying to give me a replacement for the sister I already had.

"I don't want a new sister Cain. I want my sister. I want Alena." I said to him with glare.

"And I will do my best to return her to you. For now I need you to protect your new sister. Will you do that for me?" he asked. I looked to the girl on the bed, she was looking between us in confusion. Like she didn't understand. She looked so vulnerable, so much like Alena. I sighed and nodded to my father.

"Thank you my son. She doesn't speak English, only Greek," he said before leaving the room. I sighed. I didn't know Greek. This would be fun. I followed my father down the stairs to see him lift Alena in his arms.

"I will bring her back, I promise you," he said before he disappeared from the room. Something was different though this time he disappeared. I couldn't put my finger on it.

I didn't know how long he would be so my only option was to wait. I went back up stairs to see Amari curled up on the bed. What was I supposed to do with her? I couldn't even understand her. I went to leave but suddenly I heard a sob, I turned to see her crying into the pillow. I couldn't stop my feet as I walked over to her. I sat next to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I wanted to reach out to her but I daren't. "Amari?" I asked. She lifted her tear stained face to look at me for a moment but she didn't say a word. "Come with me," I said holding out my hand. She shook her head. "Amari, please." I begged but she cried harder. I knew she wouldn't appreciate this but I reached out and touched her arm and within a moment we were gone from my sisters bed room and we were in the hall of the Cullen mansion.

"Axton! You're back!" Esme called rushing to the girl crying. She did a momentary pause when she realised it wasn't Alena.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"My other sister. I've never met her before. Cain just left her with me, only she doesn't speak English, only Greek and I have no idea what is wrong with her," I said to Esme, her worried eyes were watching me. No sense of hostility, no hatred, no betrayal, only warmth.

"Esther is not here right now. I shall ask my husband but his Greek isn't very strong," she said before lifting the girl. Amari shook and screamed out at Esme's cold touch. Esme was quick though, she put her on the couch in blink of an eye before stepping away from her. A flash of hurt went over Esme's face but she had to realise Amari had never met a vampire before, or if she had, only had bad connotations to them. She was gone in a flash and I sat next to Amari apologising to her.

"They can help. I don't know what to do," I told her but I knew she didn't understand. She was muttering something to herself in the foreign language.

"I want my mother. Give me my mother. Why have you brought me to the house of the dead?" Pancrazio's voice filled the room. I almost shot out of there in a flash but I remained still. He was translating?

"Excuse me?" I asked in a whisper.

"That's what she's saying. She wants her mother," he said entering the room. Chantelle was just behind him.

"His father taught him Greek when he was a child," she explained for me.

"Can you tell her I only brought her here to help her?" I asked him in slight fear of the man before me. I had just betrayed him, I didn't expect him to be here, that's why I made she I teleported to Esme and Carlisle's house, not his.

"Do not fear me Axton. I understand why you did what you did. I forgive you. Esther is safe. That's what matters," he said before turning to the girl on the couch and kneeling beside her. He said something in Greek to her and her tears halted immediately. She raised her head and sat up. She spoke back to him. Over the next few minutes they exchanged a small conversation. Chantelle and I stood there watching them in silence.

"She says a witch kidnapped her. That she still hears her mother screaming after her as she took her away. She wants to go home," Zio translated.

"That can't be right, Cain said her mother disowned her, that she tracked him down." I said with a shake of my head.

"Are you sure the man you went to see was Cain Axton?" Pancrazio asked me.

"He said he would save Alena. He took her to the moon pool to save her," I said defeated. "He told me everything. My history, his, everything," I said as I tried to defend myself and the man who called himself my father.

"Axton!" I heard shouting. I turned to see Cain at the door. "Where is Alena?" he asked, his eyes frantic, searching. "Axton where is your sister?" he asked.

The realisation hit me like a tonne of bricks and the anger boiled up inside me.

Liana. She had tricked me. And now she had my sister again.