I couldn't sleep.

Dad had tried to convince me to when he returned home. He saw me sitting silently in the living room, clutching onto the picture frame that held the beautiful memory of Louis and I. His eyes were wide as he inspected the damage the cabin had sustained, the back yard completely destroyed by Louis. The Nox henchmen had been taken care of by Dad, their unconscious bodies dumped in the dark corners of the forest. He had only held me tight as I mumbled what happened, not saying anything as I told him my rescue plan. He had only said if we were to truly follow through with my idea, I would need rest.

Believe me, I wanted to go to sleep and just forget everything that happened. However, every time I tried, I would see terrible things, concoctions of my imagination torturing me.

I would see Louis beaten up and thrown into a prison cell, his body too weak to even sit up. I would see him being tortured by Marissa with her strange pain talent, screaming in pain and screaming in vain as he could do nothing to help himself. I saw him being shocked by dangerous volts of electricity, his strong heart stuttering and faltering afterwards. I saw as strong hands held his head underwater, trying to drown him.

I could feel the current overpowering his talent, my heart too familiar with the scary stutters he faced, the pain of Marissa's gaze too much to bear. I could feel my lungs clenching as if I were underwater, I could feel it all. I could feel all of Louis' pain, which scared me more than anything.

That meant the dreams weren't imaginary. The dreams were actually happening to Louis.

I woke up too many times during the course of the night, tears pouring from my eyes or my body aching with his pain. I just wanted Louis back, safe and sound in my arms, free from any pain or suffering.

All I wanted was to hold him tight in my embrace, be able to hug him and protect him from any danger. I would keep him warm, run my fingers through his hair, kiss him until both of our lips were red and swollen. I would look into his sparkling eyes and see my whole world inside them, see the soul that completes mine.

I had gotten out of bed when the nightmares had become too much to bear, my bare feet padding over to the glass doors and stepping on the balcony that overlooked the back yard.

My already puffy eyes cried more, my sobs muffled and broken as I placed a hand over my mouth. My tears dropped onto the wooden railing, my hands gripping it tight as I tried to keep myself from crumbling.

I was broken in half. I could feel the broken shards of my now incomplete soul within me. Call me over dramatic or emotional, but I felt like something was missing from me. And it was the absolute worst feeling I could ever experience.

It was the unknown that killed me. Was Louis being tortured right now? Had Allister done something to him? Was he seriously hurt? All of the questions rebounded around inside my skull and drove me crazy.

I'm going to bring you home, Lou. Don't worry. I promised as I stared up at the stars on my balcony, my fists clenching tighter onto the railing.

~*~

The truck's tires screeched against the paved roads as Dad sped towards the destination I saw in my head the next afternoon. Our morning was spent devising a plan to rescue Louis, as well as training my talents that we would without a doubt need. We had decided that we would drive to Nox's hideout in Seattle and use my invisibility to stealthily try to get inside and find Louis, busting him out and running for the Rift where he could rest. I didn't say much during the drive, only helping Dad navigate the busy Seattle streets towards the hideout.

It was like a switch had miraculously flipped inside of me: I felt stronger, my talents becoming more enhanced and more powerful. I could feel more with my telekinetic senses, my runes glowing brighter and my anger getting stronger as we got closer and closer to the hideout.

The hideout turned out to be an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city, doors locked shut and windows boarded with old wooden planks. Dad had parked a bit down the road so Nox couldn't destroy our getaway vehicle.

Dad had sighed in frustration when he saw the heavy metal lock on the door, my mind focusing on something else while he tried looking for a busted window to jump through.

"Dad, there's a door on the side." I informed him, leading him over to the place my mind saw.

I led him to a secret door my telekinetic senses discovered to the side of the warehouse, easily lifting the hatch door hidden by grass with my mind. I slipped down the secret door first, Dad following behind me.

Once we entered the hideout, we were faced with a metal hallway with a single door at the end. Dad took my hand and I used my invisibility to hide us as we cautiously made our way towards the door. We opened it slowly, checking to make sure the coast was clear. All the door led to was a hallway with more doors to the side, Dad and I closing the door behind us as we explored what the doors led to. All I saw was Nox members doing what I guess was their work, building armor and weapons, while Dad said he saw some housing quarters for the henchmen. The door at the end of the hall was locked though, my mind easily breaking the lock. I sensed a Nox member coming to exit the room, my hand reaching for Dad's to render us invisible. We vanished just as the blank-faced henchman left, both of us slipping inside the room as the door shut.

What I saw inside made my jaw drop.

Multiple Nox members were wrestling a shirtless Louis into some sort of machine, his tired eyes narrowed in anger and his mouth yelling curse words at them. He managed to kick several henchmen off of him before Marissa stepped up, only giving him one look in the eye to render him helpless in pain. Her lips curled into a smirk, her dark eyes drinking in the sight of Louis' body frozen with hurt.

My teeth gritted as I stepped towards her to land a punch on her face, Dad's hands holding me back.

"I didn't know Marissa could induce pain on others, I thought her only talent was shape shifting." Dad whispered in awe, all the while my anger was boiling over as Louis was fastened into some sort of chair, his hands and feet being strapped down and wires and electrodes being taped onto his shirtless chest. I kept fighting against Dad's grip keeping me back, my fight similar to Louis' struggle to get free from his restraints.

"Get me out of here!" He yelled, eyes glaring at my aunt.

"I will, once you answer some of my questions." Marissa assured him, the black outfit she wore seeming like armor as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Where is the Rift, Louis?" Marissa started, Louis biting his lip.

"I don't know." He answered quickly, Marissa not believing him. She took a glance to a man working at a machine the wires taped onto Louis connected to, the man turning some dials and pressing buttons. I watched in horror as Louis was shocked with massive amounts of electricity, his eyes glowing neon and his voice screaming at the top of his lungs as the torture continued. The charge stopped soon after, Louis' head falling back and his panting being heard as he struggled to recover.

"I'll give you another chance." Marissa toyed with him, Louis' weak body still shaking with electricity. Marissa stepped closer to my boyfriend, harshly gripping his hair and pulling his head forward to look her in the eyes. "Where is the Rift? I know you know where it is."

Louis' retaliation was to spit in Marissa's eye, a weak smirk on his face as Marissa screeched and tried to wipe it away. She spouted curse words as she grabbed a towel and wiped at her face, her free hand slapping Louis' cheek with a loud smack.

"Maybe I wasn't threatening enough." She muttered to him. She raised her hand, closing it into a fist and turning it quickly to the side. Louis' shoulder suddenly made a popping sound, terrible cries of pain being heard from my soul mate. Marissa stood a little taller as she relished in Louis being hurt before turning to the man working the machine again. "Teach him some respect. Knock him out."

"No!" I screamed as the man went to press the button that would launch deadly sparks into Louis' body, releasing myself from Dad's grip. I ran over to Louis and hugged him tight, my eyes scrunching closed as I waited for the electricity to shock us both.

It never came.

My eyes opened to see my golden runes had moved and spread onto Louis' skin, my protective bubble encasing us both as the electricity crackled and died around us.

"M-Mira?" Louis weakly smiled at me, his breathing ragged but eyes still sparkling.

"It's alright, I'm here." I mumbled before racing to get Louis out of his restraints. He winced when I accidentally moved his left arm, his hurt shoulder looking a bit strange with the movement. I hurriedly apologized, noticing Dad casting a sleeping spell on everyone in the room besides us out of the corner of my eye. Everyone, including Marissa, dropped fast asleep as I freed Louis. Dad helped him get back on his feet, Louis having to lean most of his weight on Dad just to barely walk. His legs were shaky and weak, and he looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.

I slammed the door open as Dad practically carried Louis out of the room, being faced with many Nox henchmen in the halls as an alarm sounded, loud and obnoxious in my ears. I huffed in annoyance as they all came running at us, my hands lifting up almost instinctively. With an easy command from my mind, they all went soaring towards the walls, all of them falling unconscious as their heads hit the hard metal. I didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt as we pushed past their bodies, hurrying through halls and fighting off Nox bad guys.

We reached the outside world easily enough, Louis having passed out from exhaustion as Dad carried him. I was happy we had managed to get in and out of Nox's hideout so easily, but I had spoken too soon.

Just as we exited the hatch door, we were face to face with a huge number of Nox soldiers, all of them armed and dangerous to us. One man stood out to me though, and not just because I had seen his face before.

Allister sat in a chair in the middle of his men, looking like a king as he stared us down. He had aged quite a bit, light eyes looking a bit dull and hair getting flecks of grey. His skin had greyed and his posture was more of a curvature, but he still seemed threatening.

"Nice to see you again, Mark." Allister smiled, but Dad didn't return it. The smirk never left my uncle's face.

"Why don't we go back inside and have a chat? It's been so long an-" His eyes caught sight of me.

"No..." He mumbled, his eyes focused completely on me. He stood from his chair on shaky legs, my eyes widening when I saw him hastily grip a cane and begin walking towards me. His walk was more of a trudge, one of his legs shaking and strangely mangled. "It can't be, I thought..."

I stood frozen where I was, my hand clutching Dad's tightly to protect him and Louis.

"Mira? My niece, is that you?" Allister was amazed, hands reaching out to me. I bit my lip as Allister came closer, my feet unconsciously taking a step back that didn't go unnoticed by my uncle.

"You're all grown up, goodness you look just like Amelie." Allister mumbled, a grin appearing on his thin lips as he turned to my father. "She must pain you everyday, the way she looks just like her."

Dad didn't say anything, only squeezed my hand tighter. Allister's gaze turned to Louis' unconscious body.

"You came for him?" Allister asked, the happy look changing into one of delirium as he chuckled. "I'm sorry, but I can't have that. I've been wanting him for a while."

Allister snapped his fingers, my eyes widening as a girl no older than me rushed up to his side. Her eyes were grey, the irises having been devoid of any color for a long time. Allister patted her head like she was no more than a beloved pet, her blank expression staring straight at us. I felt disgusted as Allister smiled at her.

"Theresa, be a dear and kill my brother. Keep the other two alive, especially the boy. He knows where Minerva is." Allister ordered, fear flooding my senses as the girl nodded.

"Yes, Master." She said in her monotone voice, stepping closer to us. Her hands began to burn with hot flames, one of them raising towards Dad as she came closer. My eyes widened as the ground she stood on began to...melt?

Her body was glowing with a fiery red light, her feet leaving molten footprints in the grass. Her hair was turning into molten lava, her body becoming a human torch. Dad and I took steps back in fear, our hearts racing as she came closer.

She raised her hand, lava pooling between her fingers, and with one throw launched the burning molten rock towards us.

"No!" I screamed as my eyes closed and my own hand reached towards the lava. I heard a cracking sound, my eyes opening to see my golden barrier protecting Dad, Louis, and I, the lava having cooled immediately into a rock that dropped to the ground.

The girl was expressionless as always, but Allister's jaw had dropped.

"The greatest talent you will never have...a protector." He mumbled before laughing maniacally. "How twisted Fate is! To have my own niece be the greatest obstacle in my path."

I telekinetically pushed Theresa out of the way, knocking her into the old warehouse where she dropped like a lead weight. When I looked at my uncle again, he was smiling at me.

"You will be the greatest of my pawns." He said before turning to the rest of his lifeless henchmen. "Kill my brother. Keep the girl and boy alive. I have great plans for them."

Allister's fingers snapped, and suddenly all of the Nox army was coming for us.

I was prepared to use telekinesis to take most of them out, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

My head turned to see Louis leaning on me, his shaky legs keeping most of his weight up. His eyes were hardened with determination, his hand was raised to the sky, and I watched as he commanded the dark clouds to pour rain down on all who weren't protected in my bubble. I wondered what he was doing until I saw the sparks I had witnessed just a few days ago return, Louis' body lighting up in electricity. With one motion of his arm, the sparks were launched, electrocuting anyone who was wet with rain. The sparks acted like falling dominoes, bouncing off of raindrops and shocking Nox members. Screams of pain were heard, Allister's face dropping as he watched his formerly strong army fall by the hand of one man.

My uncle glared at my boyfriend, dark shadows beginning to tremble and shake around him, his figure becoming clouded in dark smoke. His eyes seemed to bore into my soul, glittering and ominous.

"You will never have Mira as a pawn." Louis mumbled before his electricity stopped, my eyes staring as Nox henchmen still trembled and shook from the voltages running through their bodies. Louis used his earth talent to blow up dust as a smoke screen, Dad taking the chance to run. He grabbed both Louis and my hand, tugging us towards the truck. My head turned to no longer see my evil uncle, but my heart nearly stuttered when I heard something.

You have no idea how wrong Louis is, Mira. You will be the greatest pawn on my chess board, Allister's voice echoed in my head as we escaped from the awful nightmare of Nox, my head shaking to rid myself of him as we piled into the truck and raced off towards Briarwood.

A/N: So summer hasn't started very well since I'm sick and idk if this chapter was as good as many of you hoped it would be. *sobs*

Dedication goes to @cloudsalmighty for their hilarious comment regarding Nox that made me laugh in the last chapter.

P.S. THANK YOU ALL FOR GETTING SORCERY TO #82 IN THE FANFIC RANKS THAT WAS UNBELIEVEABLE IM STILL IN SHOCK AHHHHHHH

Vote and comment your thoughts! -Maddie