Valentina paced behind the line of trees just outside the gates of the Tchkovsky manor.
A serious debate was being held between her head and her head. It was split right in the middle.
'Isn't it too late now to be having this conversation with yourself?' She said.

She felt the strong pull towards the Manor. An with every time she wasted, she felt herself unconsciously drifting towards the manor.
She hadn't even executed her plan and she was already regretting her return.
It was as though fate had conspired against her to bring her back here.

It was only then, when she looked over at the iron wrought gates that she got the idea of having Semi just ask for her gift back.
Nicholae wouldn't have minded, surely. And if he would have, Osei could always do the asking. Along with Malaki and Loki.
She laughed at her own little joke.

If she could smack herself for acting rashly. So the harm was done. So what?
All she had to do now, was get in there, grab the journal and then hitch a ride out of there.

With her mind made up, she went unnoticed on the farthest side of the perimeter.
Valentina wasn't taking any chances.
She hid herself when she saw a guard coming her way.
Although she'd made herself invisible, she wasn't sure what kind of wards she'd me tripping over this time.

It was only when she was close enough to view the open window into Nicholae's room that she decide to dematerialize.

It looked like she'd given Niko ample time to place the picture where she told him to put it.
And the boy had followed her every word.
Yet when she materialized, it wasn't in the large room.

A cold darkness greeted her on arrival. She was in the dungeon-tomb place once more.
She didn't fall asleep, did she?

And this time she was still a spirit.
There, in the center of the room was the body she possessed a number of times.
She could only assume it was.

This was her opportunity to have a closer look at the body. Maybe she knew the person.

As she edged closer, a chilling hand stroked her spine sending the ripple effect along her entire body.
With each inch covered, the twisted realization of just what she was seeing was made more real.
It was impossible!
Valentina stared directly at her peaceful face lying right in front of her.

Flames leapt up from candles which had been dormant until a second ago. Valentina leapt back in surprise. Even more to her alarm, a dark shadowy figure stepped forward.
It had its hands stretched towards her body... she meant the body that looked like her.
Disoriented was an understatement of just how she was feeling.

'What are you doing!' She couldn't conceal the fear in her voice. Not like she was even trying. She was terrified!
The figure pointedly ignored her, giving the task at hand all its attention.

If it wouldn't listen she'd make it listen.
She rushed at the shadow pushing all her will on making contact with it.
She made contact, just not with the demon.
She'd decided it was a demon, or at least a demonic entity. Valentina decided that when she ran through it and ran straight into the wall.
She tried a couple more time without success then she settled on trying to get it distract.

'Do you think you're honestly doing any damage here?' She started.
'I'm already dead! That body is useless.'
She couldn't admit to the body truly belonging to her, because she wasn't sure it was.
Her body was supposed to be maggot food after all these years.

'You're wasting your time...' Her voice trailed off when her eyes beheld the item now in the demons possession.
It was the picture of Aaron. The very same one she was tethered to.

All of a sudden, Valentina felt cold all over, her body gradually turned numb all around. Soon her feet turned to jelly and she fell to the ground.

'Please stop!' She tried once again.
As a ghost she usually felt nothing. But this time she felt as if she didn't even exist, as if her existence had been a lie or a dream.
In that moment... In the lowest moment, she saw her life flashing before her life. The entirety of it all, the whole truth.

She helplessly recalled her life at North point, the good and the bad. Her moments with Aaron and the days without him.
Her mind showed her the moments before her untimely death. She'd blindly taken the cup from him. She should have known something was wrong when he wouldn't meet her eyes.
He'd betrayed her trust and taken away the new love of her life.
Valentina sobbed because she knew why hed done it, and though she hated Cole for stealing her memories, she understood why he thought he was doing the right thing. But his actions had been the reason why she had died.
She remembered the discovery she'd made on the day of her death. Nicholae was right, someone was trying to turn the hierarchy of the Valley on its head. And she knew who.

But who would she be able to tell as she laid here on the floor dying?

The room spun until darkness swallowed her vision.  

           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sharp intake of breath poured the much needed oxygen into the air starved lungs.
It was so quiet... and so dark.
Had she even opened her eyes?
She touched her face to make sure.

She sat up on the comfortable support which had been her resting place for over a century.
Rubbing her eyes didn't allow them to adjust to the darkness fast enough.

Curiosity led her bare feet from her bed on to the cold floor.
'Hello?'
She took one tentative step at a time with her hands stretched out before her, reaching and touching for any obstacle in her path.
Her fingers only touched slippery cold stone.
To her present knowledge there was nothing else in the room.

There, in the corner of the room, something moved.
'Hello? I know you're there.'
She could sense someone's eyes on her. There it was again.
So why wouldn't he or she speak.

The circumstances she'd found herself in weren't one she liked. Her heart was laced with fear and goosebumps ran across her skin.
Sensibly, she stepped away from the figure who deliberately made its way towards her.

The small of her back bumped into the bed of stone she woke from, then she ran to the other side of it ducking behind it.
Her body violently trembled and she shut her eyes tightly, praying for a savior to rescue her.

But Where was she? How did she get here and would anyone find her? Why was this thing after her? Yet those weren't the biggest question that plagued her. The most important one yet, who was she?

She tucked her head between her knees at loud grating sound coming from the behind her.
Her dress muffled her terrified screams.
Footsteps grew louder as they got closer. With each step, she shifted farther away until she was blindly crawling in the other direction.

Two small hands grabbed her shoulders causing her to scream some more.

'It's okay. You're safe now.'
It was the voice of a female.
Gradually, she opened her eyes and discovered the room was brightly lit. Moreover her previous pursuer was replaced by a red haired woman.

'You don't know me, but I'm Fauna.'
Fauna was correct, she had no knowledge of her.

'Do you know where we are?'

Fauna smiled at her but didn't reply. Instead she helped her to her feet and steered her out of the drab prison cell into a much nicer room.

'I'm sure you're hungry and tired. You can freshen up here.'
Fauna turned to leave, but she stopped her.
'Where are you going? Are you leaving me here alone?'
Fauna shook her head.
'I just need to make a quick phone call and I'll be right back. I'm right outside. Now Miss, if you'll release my arm...'
She quickly let Fauna go.

Fauna closed the door behind her and dealt with her present dilemma.
How the hell did she tell His Lordship that Valentina was awake when she had no clue where he was!