Having water around me always makes me feel better.

I remember one time, not much after we had landed on Earth, when Adelina – she was called Emmalina back then - and I weren't so desperate to find shelter or food that we actually allowed ourselves some freetime. It was winter and almost freezing outside, but I still insisted on going to the lake we lived near to, and after days of begging Emmalina finally gave in.

I couldn't swim back then, but I still wanted to try it out. Except for a shower, I had never been in water before. In the beginning it was really cold inside the lake, but after a couple of minutes my body got used to it and from then it wasn't so bad at all. I waded around for a while, not paying attention to the time passing, until Emmalina suddenly rushed in the lake and dove for me. She pulled me out by the shoulder and dragged me back to our car. I had fallen asleep inside the water, it had been so comfortable.

Back then I didn't have my legacy to breathe underwater, who knows what would have happened if she hadn't rescued me. As the charm was still up back then, it might have protected me, but I'm not sure about that. I remember something about the charm only protecting you from enemies, not from your own stupidity.

Maybe it would have made an exception for me. My stupidity is my biggest enemy.

So, Emmalina probably saved my life there.

Once more I don't know how to make it up to her. Looking back, I wish I had shown her more how much she meant to me. I'd like to tell her a lot of things, like how happy I am that from all the people on Lorien it was her to be my Cêpan. Or that I have forgiven her for not teaching and training me. Or that I miss her so much, I don't know how I will be able to take another breath, knowing she won't be here with me anymore.

I shift my weight to the left and let out a ring of bubbles. I watch it disappear towards the surface, then close my eyes again.

Would Adelina be proud of what I've done? What the six of us have accomplished? How I have proven myself, how I didn't give up, even when I was sure we would all die inside that US military base. I try to imagine what she would tell me, now that we have safely made it out of New Mexico. She would probably smile or stroke my hair, maybe pet my shoulder like she had done so many times before. She would definitely give me one of those long hugs I miss so much.

I almost feel like she's with me here now. I can almost see her beautiful, caring face hovering in front of mine, winking at me. I can almost hear her voice, calling out my name, that it's time to go.

But she's dead. Dead. Because of me.

I know, Six told me not to blame myself. But the truth is, I am the only one to blame. When the Mogadorians had come for us in Santa Teresa, I should have insisted on leaving. I should have just taken Adelina by the shoulders and shaken her until she remembered who she really was. Or maybe I should have just packed my things and run away, lead them away from her. It was me they were after, after all.

Instead, she sacrificed herself so that I could live. How will I ever even make it up to the memory of her?

It's hard to imagine what life was like, just a couple of weeks ago. I know it sounds stupid, but even though I've been waiting to reunite with the other Garde for practically my whole life, I wish Ella and Crayton had never arrived, the Mogadorians had never found me and I would still wake up every morning, knowing that Adelina would always be there to catch me.

I sob.

Crying is okay underwater. No one notices your tears, until they have completely mixed with the surrounding water. In the end, only a soft salty taste remains.

A distant voice rings through to me, but I decide to ignore it. It can't reach me here, in my own bubble of water. My last stand of privacy.

A knock on the door and again the voice calling my name. "SEVEN! I'm not going to say this again, GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!"

I sigh, then I slowly sit up and rub my face.

"Just a second," I shout back and get out of the bath tub. I quickly dry myself with a towel and put on the new clothes Six bought for me earlier. She said that we would go shopping together next time, and I'm actually really excited towards it. I've never gone shopping before, and Six is such a great person to hang out with. It will be nice to do something together that didn't involve killing aliens.

I open the door and Nine storms past me, jumping from one foot to the other.

"Damn it, Seven what the hell have you been doing in there? I'm waiting for like half an hour, and a man's got to do what he's got to do," he says.

"Sorry," I quickly say before rushing out to let him do what a man's got to do. When I close the door behind me I hear him release a relieved sigh.

"Count yourself lucky this time, Seven," he shouts back, and Ella, who has been watching the whole time from the living room, snickers.

I blush and go to the kitchen. The sweet smell of pancakes is in the air, and when I enter, I find John and Sarah in the middle of a kiss. They notice me and Sarah quickly turns back to the pancakes. John nods in my direction. He seems disappointed, though, so I close the door to give them their privacy. I understand him. I know how much they have both missed each other.

I check the clock. Six and Eight should be back in about half an hour. They're the only ones who have been outside the flat for the past two days. Six has her invisibility and Eight can change his form into looking like someone totally else.

Of course it's reasonable that they go together; in case something happens it's best if they are two. But the fact that he's there with her…

After that kiss we had, I thought Eight and I would be more than just the friends we are now. I hoped we could have something like Sarah and John. Having them around while Eight keeps treating me like that kiss never happened hurts.

I sit down on the couch next to Ella. She's drawing a perfect picture of the living room, illuminating every single detail, things I haven't even noticed before. Her view of the world.

I still wonder where she learned to draw like that. I had always thought myself as a good painter, but compared to Ella, My drawings look like a kindergartner's.

"Mind if I watch TV?" I ask, and she nods, then looks up as if I had just ripped her out of a deep thought and quickly shakes her head.

"No, I don't. I mean, I don't mind. I mean, just go on."

I smile and turn the TV on.

After watching a woman advertise for an Ultimate Vacuum 3000 for a while, I start zapping through the channels until I get to a show where some guy is trying to convince another guy to 'suit up'.

Ella looks up just when I want to switch the channel. "Ooooh, I love that show," she yells, so I leave it on.

It is supposed to be a comedy show, but I don't get half of the jokes and Ella has to explain everything to me. Apparently it's about a man telling his kids how he met their mother. And there seems to be eight seasons of it. I don't get how anyone can watch more than half an hour of this, but Ella seems to like it. We never had TVs in Santa Teresa, so I don't mind watching this, even though it's not really interesting and I'm too tired to pay too much attention.

I haven't even realized I have fallen asleep, but I somehow wake up with my head hanging down the back of the armrest. I rub my eyes and yawn, just as the TV shows a close-up of two kids sitting on a couch, quite like the one I'm sitting on. A voice says "And, kids, all this time, your mother was right in front of me."

Ella leans forward, gaping at the TV. I guess this is some sort of a highlight or something.

"All this time, it was…" The voice slowly says, and just then all the lights– And the TV - go out.

Ella raises her arm in a disappointed gesture. "What, that's it?"

Then there's a knock on the main door.

I am stunned. Ella and I exchange a look and I gulp. I hear the kitchen door open and John rushing down the hall, keeping Sarah right behind him. He reaches into the back of his Jeans and produces a dagger out of it. Nine comes rumbling down the stares to the bedrooms and positions himself next to John with a grunt. Ella and I stand up from the couch and run over to them, then John rips the door open.

Leaning against the doorframe stands Eight. He has a deep cut on his forehead that connects his two eyebrows. A stream of think blood runs down his shirt from a bullet hole in his shoulder, and his left arm looks dislocated.

Our eyes meet and he gives me a crooked smile, then he collapses on the door mat.

Hey again everybody.

Thanks a LOOOOOOOOOT for the reviews on the prolog, it made my day :)

It also encouraged me to write this. Again, please let me know what you think.