Chapter 12 - Finally Getting Older

  A couple days after the festival we were sitting in our tiny kitchen, after going out for breakfast. It was time for us all to start putting together lists of things we would need to start buying pretty soon.

"Hey guys, lets go!" Silvana shouted, causing us to jump as the door slammed shut. "Come on, hurry!"

"Silvana? What's wrong, is everything okay?"

"Yes yes. I just have a surprise for you guys. Come on, get your stuff in the car and lets go," She said, with a big smile.

  It was a pretty long drive from the apartment to where ever we were headed but the scenery was beautiful. The houses were all amazing and a good distance away from each other. Looked like a great neighborhood to raise a family. As we all stared at the ocean, Silvana came to a stop outside a massive modern house.

"Welcome to your new home," Silvana said, as we all go out of the car.

"No way!" Mika shouted.

"This is our home?" I said, tears forming in my eyes. "It's beautiful!"

  Aside from the house being empty of course, it was stunning. There was more than enough room for all of us plus some. There was a huge basement as well but it was far from being finished. The kids immediately picked out their rooms and then joined us downstairs, we wanted to start our shopping right away.

  We all went shopping for new furniture and food to fill our new fridge and cabinets. It took us about half the day to arrange the furniture how we wanted but by the time we were done the new house was feeling like home.

"Hey mom, can we go to the beach before we finish shopping?" Mira asked, as we were getting ready to go back out.

"Sure, daddy and I wanted to go check out downtown anyways," I said, before handing them their new bank cards we just got. "Please be responsible with these."

Mira and Mika went to the beach for a few hours, met up with some friends, and hung out in the sun. Then they finished their school and clothes shopping, managed to secure jobs at the spa, and then finished arranging their rooms.

  Colton and I did some window shopping, saw a movie, and then bought some nice outdoor stuff. To close out our packed day we made a fantastic dinner and sat down as a family in our new dining room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Over the next 10 months we had finally gotten back to our old selves again. The kids were doing really good in school and never missed a day of work. Silvana had earned our trust back and we were getting updates from Nick every once in awhile.

  A few days before Mira and Mikas birthday Colton and I went to see our lawyer. It was time to have our wills made up, especially since we would become elders soon enough. Even though it took us a long time we finally decided who would become the new heir. We spent time watching our kids, which helped us decide who would be better at taking on this huge responsibility. We agreed to talk to the kids soon but not until after their birthday party on Sunday. Since they would be graduating on Monday and we still didn't know how much longer Colton would be with us (he was only getting sicker by the day,) it would be best to do it now before anything happened.

  Sunday had finally arrived and it was time for the kids big party. We all arrived at the local hangout we booked a few hours before their friends would be showing up to get everything set up. Mira, Mika, and all their friends seemed to have an awesome time. Hanging out, playing lots of games, and eating a ton of food. It was so nice to see them having fun with their friends and joking around.

  By the time we brought out the cakes, everyone was beginning to wind down and relax. Mika turned into a handsome man and Mira was beautiful! We said goodbye to everyone, cleaned up, and went home. It was time to get into comfy clothes, relax, and have a long talk.

  Their graduation was on Monday and as they threw theirs caps and diplomas in the air, I felt so happy. I was not sure if we would ever see this day.

  That night I made a very nice dinner and our kids told us their plans now that high school was over.

"I want to take some time off and travel for a little while," Mika said "Then I will find a career and settle down. I have enough money saved up from working to afford this."

"I like that, you need to be able to see other places and learn from those cultures."

"I received a scholarship for my biology degree," Mira said, beaming "It's at our local college, so I wont be far from you guys."

"That's amazing hunny, congratulations! You guys have both earned these opportunities. We will be going to an island with some friends for a week. They want us to have one final "big party" before we become elders. Mira, you can still call us if there is an emergency and Mika be sure to stay in touch."

  Mira didn't mind that we would be leaving so soon. She would be busy getting ready for college and starting classes.

Chapter 11.9 - Summers End

"There is something else I need to talk to you about," Silvana said, as we all sat in a private car of a train. Unsure where we were headed but didn't really care right now. "I understand that your family has moved a lot through the years and they have always longed for a permanent home. Moonlight Falls should have been that place but it isn't and none of us will ever be able to go back gain."

"Huh?" I said, unsure I heard her right "Why is that? That is our home, such a nice place?"

"There is no Moonlight Falls anymore," Nick responded "After Ricardo and Kore disappeared they went there. They raided your home and every other building there, searching for anything relating to your family. When nothing could be found he had the entire city destroyed. Everything and everyone is gone."

"Due to my connection with Ricardo being restored I am able to see everything he is going to do or is planning to do," Silvana said, before adding "I have put up a shield though to block him from seeing into my mind. Now, i'm sure you are curious where we are going. There is a place called Isla Paradiso and we are having a brand new home built there for you. This place is sunny, tropical, very friendly, and one place Ricardo will never be able to go due to the multiple shields that I have placed around every inch of it."

  We thanked them but honestly we didn't care to much right now, we were still very upset about Ando. Thankfully the kids were still on break and wouldn't be missing any school and for now we were not expecting them to find jobs. After getting us settled into an apartment until our house was done, Nick left to be with friends. They were working on a way to free the slaves from the Underworld. Silvana had promised to stay with us and help us through our mourning time. But after 3 months she couldn't take it anymore. We never left the apartment, never met anyone, nothing. We just couldn't get over Ando. She had to get us out of this apartment, get us to meet people, and socialize. She made us clean up and get into the car. She knew where to take us to close out the summer.

"Seasonal festivals are a tradition here. At the end of the summer everyone is off work for Leisure Day. Lots of yummy food, a skating rink, soccer, contests, and laying in the sun before watching fireworks darting across the night sky." Silvana said, as we entered the park, trying to get us excited but then gave up and watched from afar.

  Mira and Mika eventually began having fun, after walking around and not seeing anyone their age. They played soccer for awhile before deciding to take part in the hot dog eating contest.

"You want to enter an eating contest? That's surprising!" Mika said, trying not to laugh.

"Sure, why not?" Mira said "It sounds like fun."

"Okay lets go but your gonna loose."

"We'll see."

  It was more food than Mira and Mika had ever had at one time and they both pushed through it. But in the end Mira won and walked away with the bragging rights.

"That was fun," Mika said, after collecting his tickets.

"Yea it was but I don't want to see anymore hot dogs for a long time," Mira said laughing.

  After skating for awhile they got some ice cream. Colton and I had enjoyed some really good ice cream and skated around. Then we took a family photo, had a water balloon fight, watched the fireworks and then headed home.

We were tired from such a long day but we were all in a much better mood. We went to bed happy and slept all night long, the first time in 3 months.

Chapter 11.8 - Fatally Wounded

"Someone do something, please!" I shouted

  Silvana quickly came over and used her magic as best as she could to try to help.

"I'm sorry," She said, stepping back "My magic isn't helping at all."

"Lexi, I can try something," Nick said, bending down next to me "But there is a pretty big consequence."

"Do whatever you need to do! We cannot loose him, we just can't!" I sobbed.

  Even though he wold end up regretting this, Nick leaned over and prepared to do something he vowed he would never do again. But at the last minute he stopped, the scent was not right.

"I can't do it, his blood has already been compromised, they were already in the process of changing him," Nick said, unsure of how this would turn out.

  Within minutes Colton died and I began crying uncontrollably as I laid over his cold body. Everyone tried to pull me away but I wouldn't budge. I was not ready to say goodbye yet.

  Suddenly Coltons hand twitched and then slowly closed around mine. As he began coughing, trying to breath, I sat straight up in shock. After catching his breath he tried his hardest to talk but couldn't get any words out.

"Why...why can't he talk?" I asked, still trying to stop crying.

  As Colton opened his mouth Nick and I looked to see what was wrong and gasped with fear. Ricardo had mutilated Colton by having his tongue removed.

"They use to do this in the old days as a form of punishment for not cooperating," Silvana explained "But the vampire blood should have healed it."

  Silvana then tried to use her magic again but, like before, it would not work.

"This is some very dark magic and he is not immortal either, I am so sorry," Silvana said, "I don't...I don't know how long he has."

"I'm so sorry babe...I will...we will," I stammered, as Colton looked at me, nodding his head once and giving me a small kiss.

"Guys, I am really sorry, but we need to figure out how we are going to get out of here. We need to go now before the Guardians get here. We will be punished if they see us among this...this massacre," Nick said.

  Up until now Ando had not said anything to anyone, he just sat back. He was trying to hide something but didn't want anyone to start worrying over him again. Not wanting to make their situation worse than it already was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Over the next few hours we slowly made our way to a different abandoned house in the slums, in the opposite direction we had originally came from. It was time to figure out how we were finally going to leave the Underworld. We needed to hurry to because we could faintly hear the Hellhounds, which meant the Anubis and Guardians would be at the Coven house very soon.

"Now, I need you guys to understand something, something I didn't get to explain before we entered the Demon Gate," Nick said, after we formed our escape plan. "As you know we have been here, in the Underworld, for four days. But time here is different than time in the mortal world. In the four days we have been here, a whole year has gone past n the mortal world."

"One year?! We have been gone for a year? What about school and work?" Mika asked, wondering how this absence would seem to the neighbors.

"All of that has already been taken care of, we will talk about it in detail after we get out of here," Silvana answered, Nick nodded in agreement.

"Alright, we know what our plan is, so lets all get changed. We have to leave within minutes," Nick said, standing up.

  All of us changed into black clothes again, duplicates of the others but clean, and we left our creepy contacts in. We continued our long journey to a different gate, called the Orphs Gate, hiding and sneaking in and out of the shadows along the way. We all threw random potions around to distract any Anubis we came across. We managed to stay away from the Guardians, that were headed to the Coven house, and our helpful Hellhound was keeping all the other Hellhounds away from us.


  Silvana used her powers to get us across the blood river to the portal. As soon as we came through the portal, Silvana stunned the gate keeper, in order for us to go out the gate to the mortal world. The second we were outside the gate we ran for our cars (that Silvana had summoned to this area) and sped through the desert land for over two hours. We finally stopped at a small, run down grocery store to stretch and change back into our normal everyday clothes. It was hard to relax after everything we had been through and all of us were still paranoid. Constantly looking around to make sure we weren't being followed.

  Ando was the first one to quickly change but then hurried back towards the car. Before he got back to our car Colton and I stopped him.

"Hunny, we have missed you so much!" I said, as we cried and hugged him "We love you!"

  Ando returned the feelings before asking to go back to the car. Little did we know he wasn't only tired but in severe pain.

"Silvana! Why didn't you tell us?" I shouted, stepping up to her, wanting to slap her," How could I have possibly trusted you?!"

"Lexi, I am really very sorry. I have been under that spell for so many centuries that I forgot who I was before. I have been here for your family all this time and I never meant to hurt any of you. When we stepped into the Coven house all of my memories of who I was came flying back. At that some time my connection with Ricardo was instantly restored. I am..." Silvana answered.

  Before I could respond we heard a loud gasp come from Mira and Mika started yelling for help. We all ran over to Mikas car to see what was going on. Ando was propped up against the car, paler than normal, very weak, and his lips were tinted blue.

"Mum, dad," Ando began, trying so hard to keep breathing "I am so sorry, I should have listened, I should have known better. How could I have been so stupid?

"Oh hunny, no no. We really do understand, even though we weren't happy about it. I loathe Ricardo for all he has done but you needed to do this, you needed to find out everything for yourself," I said, crying once again, before looking to Nick. "What is happening to him?"

"I'm not sure, let me see him," Nick said, bending down to Ando. He began looking over Ando and then came across the huge gashes on his torso and cuts on his upper arms. "Oh Ando, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"How did this happen?" I said, looking at Andos nasty wounds in disgust.

"These are werewolf bites and cuts, it must have happened during the fight. You all need to prepare yourselves, he is going to end up dying and very soon. There is nothing Silvana and I can do." Nick said, looking down with tears in his eyes.

  We all crowded around Ando, talking to him and hugging him.

"I am sorry everyone, I screwed up big time. I love you all....so much," Ando said, wincing in pain before closing his eyes.

  Ando stopped breathing then and we all began crying like crazy. After everything we had been through to save Ando, we lost him once again, for good.

Chapter 11.7 - The Massacre

  Ricardo was sitting in his throne room, two "slave" girls on either side of him just staring at Ando.

"You have learned a lot my son, you are a lot stronger than before. I told you that it would be good for you to be here with me and my Coven." Ricardo said, knowing his training would transform Ando into a killing machine.

"You have only taught me how to be an evil monster. At least Nick could have taught me how to be good, not how to treat mortals like dirt and for self gain."

"Are you really still going on about that? That family is no good for you and their vampire friends are a bad influence on you, not me. They are also the ones that screwed you up, not me."

"No, you are the one that screwed up. You have done nothing but terrorize their whole blood line, stole everything from them, and kill nearly all of them. You don't deserve anything you have, if anything you should be our slave!" Ando said, raising his voice.

"You worthless little shit! I didn't even want you in the first place, I am only using you so we can kill your whole family. Once everyone of you is gone I will have complete control of everything."

"That will never happen, I will not let you do that! This has gone way to far!"

"What, and you think you are going to stop me? Think again!" Ricardo said, standing up and forcing Ando to stay seated.

  Suddenly the door to the throne room burst open and Kore, Ricardos best witch, came running in.

"Kore, darling, slow down. What's the rush?" Ricardo asked, stepping away from Ando.

"I don't know how but they have found a way in," Kore said, talking a little to fast.

"Easy my love, they who?" Ricardo asked, trying to calm her down.

"The vampire and that woman, they found a way into the cell room. They have three others with them too, two are teenagers." Kore explained.

"Mira, Mika," Ando thought to himself, becoming scared for his brother and sister. He had not seen them since they were little and since he didn't know what they were now, he didn't think they would make it out of here.

"What! Get everyone together and release all of the Hellhounds. They will not escape, they all die tonight!" Ricardo shouted, looking pissed off.

"What do we do with him?" Kore asked, nodding her head towards Ando.

"Teleport him to the cell room, he will not go towards those people either! Make him stay in place, along with the others, until I saw so."

"Yes master," Kore said, making Ando disappear before walking out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nick, why wont they move and why couldn't we go to them?" I asked in a whisper.

  Everyone was still standing far apart and it was becoming freaky.

"Something is wrong, they don't seem to be themselves. Almost as if they are waiting for orders," Nick answered.

  Suddenly, with a puff of smoke and bright lights, Ando was standing next to Loka, Ino, and Colton. He did not move an inch, standing just as still as the others.

"Ando!!" Mira and Mika shouted.

"Nick, something needs to be done. What can we do?" Mika asked, scared because now Ando was acting like the others.

"They need to be snapped out of this...but how," Calypso said, before Nick could say anything.

  Before any of us could suggest anything, Ricardo and his Coven members ran in.

"How dare you enter my house! You have all lived for long enough. It is time for you all to die, you worthless wastes of space!" Ricardo said.

"Release them all to us and we will leave," I said, trying to be strong.

"No, you will be leaving one way," Ricardo said, snapping his fingers. Werewolves came up to him and Loka, Ino, Colton, and Ando snapped out of their trance. He looked at the werewolves and added "Kill them!"

"Calypso, Mira, Mika," Nick yelled in a rush "NOW!"

  Immediately the three of them began chanting a spell, in a language I had never heard before. The werewolves went down instantly, screaming in pain, and then they began tearing each other apart.

"You bastards! What did you d..." Ricardo began and then suddenly stopped. He had his head tilted, like he was listening to something. But then his attention became focused on Calypso, a look of shock and confusion coming over his face.

  Kore came over at that moment and Ricardo whispered something to her. Kore stepped away from him and began reciting a spell.

  A stream of flames bolted towards Calypso, surrounding her and lifting her off the ground. She began twisting around before coming back down in a cloud of smoke. She looked completely different....she was stunning (aside from the black contacts still in place!)

"Silvana!! How is it...but...but where.." Ricardo stammered, trying to think of what to say. "I...I thought you were dead dear sister. Our connection was lost and I was so worried. But now here you are....and with them too! Why would you...."

"Oh shut up little brother! We didn't loose each other on accident, I purposely got away from you. I hate being around you and what you were doing. You had changed to much and yes I can still read minds, including yours. I am still a vampire, as you can see, but I also have the same abilities that a witch does. I am a hybrid now. I learned a spell to change me appearance in hopes that you would never find me and I also cloaked our connection  as an extra precaution. I had orders to help them get here and defeat you, which I was more than happy to do. My spell slipped as soon as we entered this house, causing our connection to come back even stronger," Silvana explained.

  We were all stunned, trying to wrap our heads around what was being said and how different she looked now. She had lied to me and my family for years!

"You bitch! How could you turn on me, what ever happened to being family?" Ricardo asked, clearly feeling betrayed.

"We are not family anymore, go to hell brother!" Silvana yelled before shooting a stream of power at Ricardo.

  But her attack was deflected by Kore, who had jumped in front of Ricardo at the last second, in an attempt to defend him.

  Silvana immediately noticed that Kore had to use a wand to perform spells and she took that opportunity to fling the wand out of Kores hand with one small burst of power. Then she used her powers to lift Kore into the air, causing Ricardo to take a couple steps forward.

"Stop now or else I will hurt her," Silvana warned "Let us all go, now!"

"Fine Silvana, fine! Just put her down first, please!" Ricardo said, pretending to be worried about what his sister would do to Kore.

  As soon as Kore was back on the ground she ran to Ricardo, grabbing her wand on the way.

"Attaccarli ora! Ucciderli tutti! (Attack them now! Kill them all!)" Ricardo shouted, as he and Kore teleported away.

"Nick, abbiamo bisogno uscire diqui. Ucciderli tutti lore e l'unico modo! (Nick, we need to get out of here. Killing them all is the only way!)" Silvana said, in a rush.

  Nick nodded and turned towards Mira and Mika, as Silvana put up a temporary shield to protect us all.

"We need you guys to be very strong during this fight. We will fail if you guys don't help us as best as you can," Nick said.

  Mira and Mika agreed and they all stood next to Silvana, as she moved the shield so that it only protected me. Within seconds of her doing this a huge bloodbath ensued.

  Streams of power where shooting back and forth like a fireworks display. Vampires where being thrown across the room like bean bags, crushing everything they hit. The werewolves were trying to attack anyone they could before being dropped to the ground by Silvana, Mira, and Mika. Suddenly there was a loud, bright explosion of white light, blinding anyone that was still standing and throwing them across the room.

  As my vision slowly came back I began to look around. Blood was beginning to seep into the cracks of the floors and walls, debris everywhere, and bodies and pieces of bodies were scattered all over the room. It was a massacre. Tears began welling in my eyes as I saw Ino, Loka, Anika, Kaylas lifeless bodies among the carnage. It was then that I heard Miras cry for help, causing me to quickly look for her. As soon as I found her a scream escaped my throat and I bolted to her side, dropping to my knees the second I reached them both.