It's not until we have already passed through the door that I realize this wasn't really a plan.

I should have kept my cool a little longer, then I could have come up with something a little more strategic than running in guns blazing. Too late now. I survey the room, taking in all of my surroundings. It's much like I had seen in the vision. The room is dark, the only light is coming from the sun shooting rays across the space through the tiny holes that riddle the walls.

Bullet holes. Not very comforting at the moment. I swallow back my nerves. The smell is even stronger in person, only now, there is the mildew smell with the accompaniment of a burning smell. I really can't let my mind go to what that is that is burning. The only thing I can think about right now is that my loved ones are all out in front of me, just like the vision.

I share a quick glance with Derrek before I run to them. I know there is something off about this, but I can't wait another second. I run to the line of people, pulling off blindfolds and untying limbs. Everyone's eyes hold the same fear and adrenaline I suspect my own eyes hold.

My adoptive mother looks to be on the verge of tears. Her face slightly swollen on her left side, not that it was unusual for her to be roughed up there. She hugged me tightly then went to helping me free the others. Natasha was a mess. Her hair was greasy and stuck to her face, and all of her makeup was smeared away, leaving her looking like a shell of her old self. She began to sob the second I untied her. "Cadence," she whimpered weakly. "Thank god, what's going on? Where is Carrianne, and why am I here? I thought I was going to die." She cried with a pinched face.

"We all did." A woman I didn't recognize said as she stood from her chair and straightened out her pants. She gave me a half-hearted smile, but even without fulling smiling, her eyes lit up. That has to be Garrett's mom. I gave her my best smile I could muster under the circumstances.

"I hate these people. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them." The other woman said as she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked in her chair.

"Mom." Derrek said as he rushed to her side. The woman hardly looked up. Derrek carefully brushed her hair away from her eyes and shh'd her gently. "It's alright now, I'm here. It's going to be alright." He assured her over and over.

I looked over to Charles and I could see in his sunken eyes that he was thinking the same thing as me.

"Something isn't right." I said urgently to everyone. "Where are they?" I asked looking all around again. I had a creeping feeling that we were being watched, but with the room so dark, there were so many shadows that they could be lurking in. "When was the last time someone was with you all?"

"The man on the door." Garrett's mother answered. "He's always here, the others come and go, but they were here, all of them, just moments ago." She told me as her eyes cut nervously around the room as well.

I looked at the faces of my scared little group. "Everyone get out of here now!" I told them firmly. "This was too easy, there's no way they were just going to let me waltz in and set you free. Something has to be wrong. Go, now."

Charles came to stand at my side. We were standing in the dead center of the room, and the way the sun beamed through was like we were standing in a spot light. The wheels in my head began to turn. The line of chairs were positioned just out of the light, but the place I'm standing in front of them is bathed in it. I turned in a circle, looking at all of the different holes in the tin walls. They were strategic, someone put them just right for all the light they gathered to fall right into this spot.

The spot that I would be standing in.

Charles followed my eyes around the room and clearly had come to the same conclusion as me. "Everyone out right this moment!" He urged them more.

Derrek helped his mom from her chair and pulled her in the direction of the doors. "I'm getting them to the car and coming right back. Be careful." He told me as he passed.

"You too, Derrek." I smiled at him.

"I'm always careful, Cali Cade. Don't worry." He shrugged and pulled on his weeping mother a little more.

My own adoptive mother leaned in to kiss my cheek and whisper she loved me before she too followed the rest of them out the door.

Then Charles and I were alone in the room, standing facing each other and bathed in rays of light. "This isn't right." I whispered to him. "They have to know I'm here, they knew I was coming. They wouldn't just let me steal away the only leverage they had on me."

Charles opened his mouth to speak, but a booming chuckle filled the room, the echo making it impossible to pinpoint the source of the sound. "Maybe you don't know as much about us as you think you do." A deep voice called out.

I shifted on my feet. My hands in fists at my sides, ready to attack the second I find out where this guy is.

"Indeed," A second voice boomed. "Maybe we aren't the bad guys you've painted us to be. Maybe, just maybe, we are actually good people."

I forced a laugh. "I know exactly what you are."

"I told you gentleman, there'd be no talking to this one. She'll never be convinced. She must be dealt with." A third voice. A voice that made fire burn in my veins. I heard footsteps behind me and I whipped around to face the darkness. The steps grew louder and louder until a person manifested from the shadows. I recognize this one. His face would be burned into my memory for the rest of my life, however long that might be. "We finally meet." He smiled sickly at me.

He was wearing his usual fitted black suit, but this time, he had on a pair of heavy black combat boots to complete his insane character. I clenched my teeth as he continued to smile. I opened my hands at my side and began to smile back, ready to let the fury within me take him.

"Before you do anything rash," A man called out again, followed by more footsteps. A lot more footsteps. Charles and I stood back to back and turning so that we could see the men marching out of the darkness and encircling us. "We'd like to make you an offer." The man said, cutting from the crowd to stand where I could see him. I recognized his picture from one of the books Wes had showed me. He was one of the main leaders of The Order. "My name is Jameson Blackwell." He nodded his head to me curtly. "I'd shake your hand, but I think you left proof of your quick temper right outside that door, so I'm going to keep my distance."

"As if I need you to be close to kill you." I snapped. "I'm not here to make deals, I'm here to-..."

"I know, I know." Jameson said with an eye roll. "You're here to fulfil your destiny and blah blah blah." He waved his hand dismissively. "I'm going to be honest with you here, I don't find any of your abilities to be all that impressive. I mean, how much have they really helped you so far? I want to offer you a chance, all of your friends and you, a chance to live."

"How about I offer you and your friends the chance to die quickly?" I asked sarcastically.

"She's a fiery one, I'll give her that." Another man stepped out of the crowd. The second leader of The Order, I think I remember his name being Paul. He chuckled to himself and ran his hand down his black beard. "She's obviously not interested, let's just get this over with." He said to Jameson. The two exchanged a look and Darian took a step toward me and Charles.

"Hold on, now." Jameson said holding up a hand in Darian's direction. "She doesn't even know what we are offering."

"It doesn't matter." I assured him. "I want nothing from you, other than for you and your whole posy to be dead."

"You're making this quite difficult." He fired back, getting agitated. "I want you to join us." He smiled, holding onto his composure. "You don't like the way we do things, and I agree some things could have been handled better, so maybe you could make the difference. Join The Order."

"Hell no." I spat without a seconds thought. If these people ever thought I would want to be a part of their little organization, they are even more insane than I knew already.

Jameson shrugged his shoulders, giving up on me. "Very well," he said as he turned on his heels to go back behind his line of men. "Have at her Darian." He called over his shoulder.

I immediately turned my body to face Darian, expecting him to make the first move, but he stood motionless, smiling at me again.

The blow came from behind me, fast and hard, knocking me right to the ground. "Charles!" I screamed. "What are you doing?" Charles pinned me down to the ground, holding my hands down with his knees and moving his hands to grasp tightly at my neck, crushing the air out of me. I fought him, but it did no good. I was defenseless like this. I stared into his eyes above me pleadingly, but when I looked at them, all I saw was an emotionless expression. I instantly remembered what my mom and Stephen had warned me about Darian. He could control the minds of others.

I was beginning to see spots in my vision from the lack of oxygen. But I closed my eyes, channeling every bit of rage, every single instance of suffering, every little thing that The Order had done to make my life hell. I blocked out everything else. Nothing else existed but me, my power and Charles. I willed it, over and over, that I could push my protective ability onto Charles. Slowly, my resolve began to falter as more and more my lungs began to burn.

Just before I blacked out, the weight was suddenly lifted. Charles looked down on me with wide, alert eyes. "Cadence, oh my god, are you alright?" He asked sounding confused.

I shoved him away and stood to my feet, sucking in the much needed air in gulps. "Oh, I'm fine." I said hoarsely, but menacingly. I saw the worried looks on everyone's faces, but none were as furious as Darian's. I imagine this is the first time he's ever been put down. "I'll show you what happens to people who mess with the ones I love." I shouted then raised my hand out in front of me.

The look of shock on Darian's face as his body lifted up off the ground was one that I hope to always remember. It was the look of knowing that all of the bad you've done in your life is about to come back and bite you in the butt. He tried to speak, but he wasn't able to when I slowly began to draw the air from his lungs. His eyes turned bloodshot, but before he ran out of air I released him. Watching with pleasure as his body crashed down to the ground. "You'll pay for this." He grumbled against the dirty floor.

"Not today." I replied, then snapped his pathetic neck with the twitch of a finger. I turned around looking at all of the frightened eyes surrounding me. "Who wants to go next?" I called out.

The crowd began to rush me in a split second. I was swinging my hands all around, and men were flying across the room, left to right. I screamed as they converged on me, hitting the floor, then coming back for more.

Charles successfully took out three, leaving nineteen more warriors to be dealt with.

Everything was happening so fast, yet it looked like slow motion in my mind. Confusion struck me when a man who lunged for me suddenly went up in flames, crashing to the ground at my feet.

"I told you she'd need backup." Carrianne's smug voice filled the room.

I stole a glance behind me and saw all the others filling the space. The Order's henchmen were dropping like flies. Taylor and Kevin were using their strength and their speed to easily round up men and quickly dispose of them.

Carrianne stood towards the back, but I could see her picking people off with a grin.

I couldn't hold back my laughter and amazement when I saw little Joey walk in surrounded by birds. Hundreds and hundreds of birds swarmed the room and began pecking at the faces of The Order.

Despite the madness going on around me, I couldn't help scan the room for him. Our eyes met from across the room as Garrett held a man's arms back while Charles punched him. We shared a smile and went back to the task at hand.

I felt like the whole fight was taking longer than I had expected. It seemed like every time a man would go down, a new one was there to take his place. There was more than 23 people here. My mom had been wrong somehow. I could tell, looking around that the others were beginning to feel the stress as well. I knew their energy was draining like mine.

I stopped what I was doing, and closed my eyes. I held my fists at my sides and squeezed so tightly that I was sure I was going to bleed from the pressure. I let my rage run free, and soon I could hear it coming. A real, alive form of my anger.

It sounded like a mad flying train, coming closer and closer. "Everyone stand with me!" I shouted to my friends, and they all began to back into my direction.

The fighting all stopped as the sound moved closer. We were divided in two. All of my people on one side of the room, all of The Order on the other, but everyone's eyes were facing up at the ceiling.

The ground began to tremble beneath our feet and I could see the confusion and fear on the faces of the people around me.

Slowly, I outstretched my protective barrier to all of my friends and family.

The door to the back of the warehouse flung open, and at least fifteen more men rushed in screaming. "It's a tornado! It's a fire tornado!"

The screams were soon drowned out by the fiery cyclone as it ripped into the building, tearing off one side and sucking all of The Order up into its flaming blasts. The tornado continued off to the left of the building and then I blinked.

When I opened my eyes again, there was nothing but blue skies, sunshine, and a little left over smoke. I looked around, making sure we were all accounted for, and impressed to find that our half of the building was still managing to stand.

"Well," Carrianne said behind me a little breathless. "I could not have done that better myself." She giggled and I turned to wrap her in a hug.

Everyone began to smile and laugh, elated that somehow, we had all managed to pull this off and survive it. The hum of excitement filled my ears. Hugs were being given and cheers rang out.

Derrek sauntered in with his million dollar smile and gave me a quick hug. "Who is that?" He whispered as we separated and he pointed to Scarlett.

"Cadence!" Garrett said as he came over and wrapped his arms around my waist. "You are so amazing. I can't believe you just did that. I don't even know what to say other than I freaking love you so much right now." He grabbed my face and kissed me hard.

"Get a room!" Someone yelled from behind me, causing Garrett and me to separate with blushed faces. It was Charles.

He pulled Carrianne and I aside and hugged us both. "I am so proud of the both of you." He whispered over our heads.

I pulled away reluctantly. "I have to tell you both something." I told them. "I don't know how to say it though."

"My mom?" Carrianne said with a hint of a whimper in her voice. "Derrek told me already." She hung her head. "I know it was an accident."

I hugged her tight. "I'm so sorry Care."

She pulled away and smiled. "Hey, no being sad today." She sniffled. "Today we are celebrating."

"Celebration is over!" A man's voice shouted.

What happened next was no more than a flash of motion.

Dalton stood in the doorway, a gun pointed at my head, and the shot rang out.

I heard someone shouting no, and then suddenly Derrek's body was flying in front of mine.

Blood splattered across my face as the bullet ripped right through Derrek's chest and he fell at my feet with a loud thud.

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