"𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐀 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥"

XXIV/A New Dawn

Amelia's Point of View:

Four years of trying to adapt to a world that we had only ever imagined in the darkest corners of our minds. The reality of it all felt like a shock to the system—too loud, too bright, too overwhelming. Every day brought new challenges, new reminders of what we had lost, and what we were still fighting to hold on to.

After Theo's brother, Raymond, rescued us from that hell, we scattered like leaves in the wind. Each of us went our separate ways to families we barely remembered, clinging to fragments of a past life that felt more like a dream. Vinnie returned to his grandfather, the man who had once been his hero in bedtime stories. Scott and Lyra found their respective families whose arms still held the warmth of family. Theo returned to his family, to the life he might have had if everything hadn't gone so wrong.

But for me, Ares, and Taiga, there was no such reunion. The past was a blur of unanswered questions and shattered memories. DNA tests, endless paperwork, and still, nothing. It was as if we had been erased from existence. We had no family to return to, no roots to anchor us. But as time went on, we came to realize that maybe we didn't need them. Maybe we had already found our family in the bonds forged through pain and survival.

Even so, the scars ran deep—deeper than we could have ever imagined. The nightmares were a constant, haunting us in the dead of night, dragging us back to the cold, sterile rooms of the organization. The screams, the blood, the horror—it all replayed in our minds, no matter how far we ran or how hard we tried to forget.

Some nights, I would wake up drenched in sweat, my heart racing, and the shadows in my room would take the shape of old ghosts. Ares would often sit by my bed, his presence a lifeline in the dark. Taiga, would find ways to chase away the demons with his fierce determination and stubborn hope.

We had changed in those four years—hardened, sharpened by the trauma we endured. But some things, no matter how much time passed, couldn't change. The pain was a part of us now, a reminder of who we were and what we had survived. It lingered in the way we flinched at sudden noises, the way we hesitated before trusting someone new, the way we clung to each other in moments of doubt.

But we had each other. And that was enough.

Every day was a battle to reclaim our lives, to forge new identities out of the ashes of the old. We found solace in the simple things—in the warmth of a shared meal, in the sound of laughter that felt foreign at first but slowly became familiar again. We leaned on each other, drawing strength from the bonds we had formed in the crucible of the organization.

We were still those broken children, still carrying the weight of our pasts, but we were no longer alone. We had become a family—not by blood, but by choice. And in that, we found the strength to keep going, to keep fighting for a future we had once thought impossible.

Four years had passed, and though the scars would never fully fade, we had found a way to live with them. We had found a way to be free.

Theo's family became our sanctuary, a place where we were more than just survivors—we were family. Ray, Madelyn (who we lovingly call Mads), and Mia, Theo's siblings, welcomed us with open arms, making the transition from our nightmare to this new reality a little less daunting. Vinnie , Lyra, and Scott were never far, weaving in and out of Theo's mansion as if it were their own. We stuck together, not just because we wanted to, but because being apart felt like losing a piece of ourselves.

Today was supposed to be just another day in the De La Moreau house—if anything we do can even be called "normal." We're heading to Italy soon to meet Ray's new boyfriend, and it's turning out to be a much bigger deal than any of us expected. From what Ray has told us, this guy isn't just anyone—he's a member of the Italian and Spanish mafia, with his oldest brothers being dons of their respective territories.