ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏ ꜱᴏʀʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ. ʟᴏᴛꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴅɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴘʟᴏᴛ ᴛᴡɪꜱᴛꜱ ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ. ꜱᴏʀʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙꜱᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ.

Maeve's POV

It was the dead of night when I slipped myself out of Anna's mind. Finally able to have some peace and quiet after weeks upon weeks of worry and suffrage on my part. And yet absence is the only way to save my dear Anna. Who would have guessed.

Passing through the gateway once more, I am met with familiar faces. Dear Didyme was finally joining us today, it seemed, and she brought Arcadia and Calliope with her.

"You're late," Arcadia snapped.

"Like always," I quipped, running a hand through my brown hair. "Do you have it?"

"Obviously." My daughter's nose flared as she handed me the object I required. "Will this really work?"

"Maybe, maybe not." They all frowned. "I won't lie to you."

"We know," Didyme said, looking down at the misty ground below. "You've never lied to us before."

"And I don't plan to anytime soon," I added. "I'll take this to her and see if my suspicions were correct. Years of research and collection of knowledge has led us to this fateful point. Everything is on the line, do you understand?"

"History made and history kept."

____________________________________________

Anna's POV

Hanging up the wet towel I'd previously used to dry myself off, I notice the small shift in my mind. Maeve's presence was with me once again, lurking like some stalker in my mind. I suspect that's what she's become. No longer speaking, simply listening. We'd switched roles during the past few months. I hope my ramblings amuse her.

Aro stood at my side, running a hand through my half-dried hair. I'd forced everyone to take a shower after our trip down to the beach. There was no way I would risk having sand in the bed tonight. No, that would be awful. Terrible. Horrific. Sand should be on the beach, not in my comfy vacation bed. Even if I don't sleep the idea sends shivers down my spine. Who even likes sand anyways? It gets absolutely everywhere. Greece sure does have a lot of it. I wonder how they keep the beaches here so nice.

It wasn't always so difficult. Humans and climate change. You know how they are.

I took in a deep breath. Aro hummed in confusion, kissing the top of my head.

"You fucking bitch," I seethed in anger.

"Pardon?" Aro questioned.

"No, not you honey." My mate looked relieved to know that I hadn't called him a bitch. "Just- Gimme a moment to conduct my response."

You realize I can hear you, Anna. You little bitch. You little fucking bitch. You show up out of the blue and all you have to say is Humans and climate change? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK YOU DUMB BEING INSIDE MY HEAD. Nice to know I'm still loved. If I could kill you, I would. Mhm.

I wasn't kidding when I said I would have killed her if she weren't a voice inside my head. Lord, does she think I'm just some random vampire she can fuck with? Worried sick for months and the first thing she talks about is climate change. I think I should get you a human body just to kill you.

That could be arranged, dear Anna. Now, I have some exciting information that I should share with you before I finish my ultimate project. Ultimate.... What? Project. You know, the things you work on for a long time and eventually get paired up with other people you don't particularly like to complete them? I'm doing one of those right now. My partners demanded more of my time so I couldn't come and see you. Just busy, don't worry. Hope I didn't stress you too much.

Maybe it wasn't Maeve's 'partners' that were the unlikable ones. Perhaps it was just her.

You can't just leave for months on end with no warning or explanation. I thought that I was crazy enough for having a voice in my head, let alone a voice that leaves randomly and-

What I wasn't expecting was for a higher pitch voice to cut me off. Sorry for mother's absence, we've been busy trying to fix what we broke. Although it was mother who broke it in the first place. She should apologize for the inconvenience.

Calliope what have I said about trying to contact the queen!? I'm sorry for my daughter's rude entrance. I swear I was going to introduce you two sometime. You know how things get. Busy bees have to tend to the hive!

Sometimes I actually think she's trying to kill me. Can shock kill a vampire? Well, Maeve here sure wants to find out. Sometimes I want to kill you. Can I kill you?

I was met with two different answers:

Yes. Not again.

It was what Maeve said that baffled me. Again? Are you daft? You don't just die twice. Unless... Wait a minute... Are you mental, Calliope? She's not supposed to find out until AFTER I put the stone into her memory! She could run away! She could jump off a cliff and tell me in person what an awful friend I am! You don't have friends. Of course I have bloody friends child! Are you not a part of my coven of FRIENDS? A coven? Never heard of that. I'll kill you someday.

"Is everything alright, il mio amore?" Aro asked, nipping my neck with his venom-coated teeth. "You seem to be in deep focus. Or shock."

"Shock. Definitely shock," was all I could say. You have a coven. A coven. You're a vampire and you never told me. Shit shit shit shit she's figured me out. Calliope I swear I'll get the sándalon when we get back- Please don't get the sándalon- Mental image of the sándalon already in my mind. Accept your fate. The sándalon is your fate. Whatever the sándalon is I'll be using it to whoop your ass, Maeve.

"What is shocking, amore?" I shook my head, giving him my hand. Even if he couldn't hear Maeve or this Calliope person, he could hear what I'd said to them. Aro's eyes glazed over as he shifted through my most recent thoughts and memories. My mate had to take a step back after witnessing what I'd experienced as if it was he who'd talked to Maeve. "I can't believe this. A vampire, il mio amore? How does a vampire have such a gift? To live inside of another's mind. Did she get trapped?"

Bold of him to assume I'd trap myself in Anna. I'm not trapped. I can get out whenever I please, Mister maniacal giggle. Fuck you. Time and place, bitch. Wait but am I gifted? That's what you care about? Did I stutter? Well then.... Yes, you're gifted, but I myself am not your gift. Yes I am knowledgeable and share that knowledge, but a person inside of your head cannot be a gift for a vampire. I have to say, you're more talented than that.

"She says that she's not trapped and that I'm a gifted vampire." Aro nodded, listening in. "I don't know what she's on about but I assume she's going to be a stubborn bitch and make me figure it out on my own. Oh yeah, there's two voices now. Calliope and Maeve. Calliope claims to be her daughter."

She pushed me out. Sometimes I wish I hadn't. I should have kept you inside to keep tabs on what you say to my vampire queen. That's weird. So are you.

"If you thought Maeve was chaotic with me..." I trailed, putting a new towel over my naked body. "You still can't hear them, can you?"

NOBODY LIKES A CREEPER! Mother-

"Alas, I cannot, but I know that she's a fickle. These... developments... they could help us in the future. Multiple voices. I never thought I'd see the day."

I'm not a fickle! Yes you are. Stop going against me, child! My own flesh and venom. How could you betray me like this? You're a fickle. FICKLE. That's what you are, mother. Fickle fickle fickle- STOP SAYING THE WORD!

"I wish I hadn't. Ooh, can you pass me my hairbrush?"