As we reached the hospital, Georgie linked her arm through mine, while her brothers were ahead of us. The quick strides they had kept me trying hard to catch up, what with me being much shorter than them.

"Where's the room again?" Georgie asked.

Gabriel glanced at her over his shoulder, and turned left in the hall, muttering something like, "It's been the family's room for years now, and still, you don't remember," but I was not quite sure, then he went another left.

We entered the elevator, leading us to the biggest and most private rooms of the hospital. I wondered who we were going to see, other than Axel and Alistair. Or maybe one of the two brothers inside the room had an accident, which I hoped to God didn't happen.

Every wall of the top, elegant floor of the hospital was in rich mahogany woodwork, not painted at all, compared to the bland white walls in the downstairs area. The floors were made of dark marble, and there were fancy yellow lights. The siblings must have paid a fortune staying here. If I were confined in this place, just for a day, I thought the hospital would charge me half a million dollars already.

As we took another hall on the right, we finally reached the room. The front door was the same color as the walls, and if it were not for the shining gold doorknob, I thought I would never notice that it was an actual door. What was up with this hospital? Sure, it looked like a complete five-star hotel, but if it was like a total try-to-find-the-door-over-these-walls thing, I'd prefer the old-fashioned one anytime.

Until, of course, Romanopened the door without much care in the world, that is.

I was gaping like a fish, I knew. There was a crystal chandelier up above the cream-coloured oval ceiling. The carpet was made of plush crimson and the furniture were all carved magnificently from the finest wood. There was a big lounge, a marble fireplace (but the Van Allens had an even bigger one at home), and there was a floor-to-ceiling window placed in the center of the room, where a great view of the forest, and the gardens of the hospital, were in perfect sight.

Axel didn't see me because he was looking out the window, his tall, lean frame standing there, just watching the beautiful view before his very own eyes. Georgie let go of my arm, and she surged forward to the hospital -- née, queen-sized -- bed and kissed the patient's forehead. I couldn't get a good view of the person, but I heard her laugh.

So it was a woman, after all. Alistair smiled at his little sister, then he sat back down on a chair that was beside the bed. He saw me and gave a nod and a smile. I never thought he'd do that, but he seemed to be in a really good mood today.

"Nice to see you again,Venise," he said in his baritone voice.

"Thanks," I replied, my voice very small. I mean, I was totally awed, you know.

And with that, I heard someone call out my name in such a happy voice, that I had to turn to the direction of that owner of that voice -- which led me to Axel. He walked toward me in six long strides, munching up the whole carpeted floor, heading to my side, and giving me a tight hug. My eyes grew round, and I gave a little puff of breath at the shock he gave me. I slowly led my hands and arms to snake around his back, and I did a little shaky pat. He let go of me, giving me that alluring smile of his, and his turquoise eyes were twinkling brightly, as if he had seen something wonderful. Really.

"I missed you," he said simply.

I looked all around the room, and they were all staring at us. I gave a little shaky laugh, turning my head to look at him. "I...I missed you, too. In fact, I missed all of you guys." Which was true, anyway. Axel gave a thoughtful nod at that.

"How are you feeling?" Georgie asked the patient on the bed. "I hope you're feeling much better."

The girl released a croaky laugh. She held Alistair's hand in her own pale, dainty ones and gripped it. "I couldn't have been much improved, if it weren't for your brother."

Alistair lifted her hand and kissed it. "I love you," he said with meaning in his words. I gaped.

"I love you, too," she replied in her croaky, English voice. It seemed that she had just woken up, and so that was why her voice was like that, I believed.

"Oh!" Georgie gushed. "I want you to meet someone."

She began to pull my hand and I reluctantly went to the bedside. And there I saw a very beautiful woman. She had long brown hair, and when she lifted her eyes to look at me more clearly, they were big and brown. Her nose was straight and patrician, with lips that were rosy and full. It didn't look like she was even sick at all. Although, she did look like she lost a lot of weight -- but that did not hold back her stunning beauty. The corners of her lips tugged and she gave me a bright smile.

"Hello," she started.

I fidgeted with my fingers. "Hi..."

"I'm Liz." So she was Liz.

But why was she held in the hospital? I wondered what happened to her.

"So, you must be Venise," she continued without hesitation, her eyes glimmering. "Axel couldn't stop talking about you, I thought I was going to go completely mad!"

I laughed.

"Not that it's not really adorable that you were all he could talk about. But he just couldn't slow down yapping, that's all," she added with a little giggle.

"Hey," Axel said in mock-hurt. "I don't talk about Venise all the time."

"You're right," Liz said thoughtfully. "You just talk about her every twenty minutes," she teased.

And once again, I heard Axel's laugh. It was full of mirth and his eyes glowed. Alistair couldn't help but roll his own eyes and chuckle.

"Oh, Roman," Liz called out. We all looked at the guy in question, who was sitting by the lounge, his arms stretched out on the back of the plush sofa. He turned his head to meet her gaze, and raised one sardonic brow.

"Oh come on," she urged. "Smile! It's not like I see you do some smiling everyday, you know."

He looked at the carpet, then lifted his gaze to Liz and gave a devastating smile. Again, I gaped.

"That's better," she said with an approving nod. "Oh Alistair, darling, could you please help me up?" Alistair raised her massive pillows for her, and Georgie fluffed them. "Thank you, darling," she said sweetly to her. Then, she turned to Alistair. "And thank you, too."

All of us were huddling around Liz's bed, while Roman was lounging apart from us.

"Goodness!" Liz trilled, eyeing all of us around her. "All of you are surrounding me!" We all started to inch away, but she raised her hand. "But I rather like it. Now," she began again, "are you fine, Venise?"

Why was she asking me? Not that I was not happy about that or anything, but because she was the one in the hospital bed in a freaking hospital gown, a dextrose needle injected in her vain at the back of her small, right hand.

"Um..." I muttered. "I'm fine."

She gave me a knowing grin. "Seems like you're a little shocked to the bone."

I glanced at Gabriel, who shot me a rueful smile.

"Er...a little, I guess." At this, she gave me a skeptical look. "Okay, so I'm not that fine. I'm really shocked as you say."

"Well," she hedged, "I think that's natural. Considering you've discovered that you're one of us." She knew! As if my expression was readable, she gave a laugh. "Oh, Venise! It's understandable, really. If I were in your boots, I'd probably have the same shock, my dear."

"Um..."

Her big brown eyes glowed. "Darling, I have been a Daevas for two hundred and nineteen years! Born in Northumberland, England, in 1795, and lived then on, up to now. It's been a crazy ride, seeing everything change around me these past two centuries."

That was why she spoke like she was in one of those romance novels I read a lot. I couldn't believe I met one such as her! I was excited and scared at the same time. Moreover, terrified, because I was actually meeting a person who ought to have been gone now, but was still alive.

"What's, um, your ability?" I asked shyly.

"I am skilled with many things. Once I touch an object, I can learn it in two seconds flat without needing any tutor," she said brightly. "And -- not that I am boasting -- I have excellent skills when using a saber or a pistol. Poppa always said that I was marvelous when fencing or shooting -- which is quite a dread for my mother -- since I was supposed to act like a proper lady in the eyes of the Quality, if I wanted to fit in London's polite society...even though she knew that I would be very good with those skills, when she was still carrying me in her belly!" We all laughed at that, but I realised Liz was even more talkative than Georgie.

Gabriel, I noticed, was smirking at me. I pointedly ignored him.

"Where are they?" I asked Liz slowly, measuring my words. "Your parents, I mean."

"Oh," she exclaimed happily. "They're back in Northumberland, staying in the quiet solitude of the countryside."

I wanted to sigh in relief. I mean, what if I asked her that, and then I got the saddest answer? I would probably smack my head then and there.

"All's still too awkward for you," Alistair observed. I looked at him; he was smiling. I always thought he didn't like me that much. Guess I was wrong. Kind of. "You'll get used to it. We have answers to most of your questions about your being like us, but it's much better if you wait a little until our old friend meets you and --"

"Once we talk to Donny!" his sister said, giving me a gorgeous smile.

"Yes," Alistair said with a chuckle. "Once we talk to Matteo about this situation. Liz will be home by tomorrow, so I guess we can go to him by then."

Gabriel nodded. "I think that's probably right," he responded, speaking for the first time, ever since we reached the room. "He'll know everything."

"Axel, darling," Liz said lightly. He looked at her and waited. "Could you please look for Matilda? She told me that there are quite a lot of people downstairs, at the nurses' station. Could you kindly look for her for me?" She looked at me with a little grin. "Matilda's my little sister. I'm only three years her senior. Both of you will get a long splendidly, I believe!"

I smiled at her. "I hope so."

"In that case," Axel announced, placing a hand on my waist, "you should come with me to meet her now."

"Oh, do!" Liz cooed excitedly.

"Okay," I mumbled, looking at her, then at Axel . He took my hand and led me to the door.

I turned around, seeing them all looking at us again. But when I looked at Roman, he was glaring. He groaned and looked away, staring at the fire. He gave one more glance, though, sighing in annoyance. What was up with him? I scrunched my brows down.

The twins saw our little interaction, however. Georgie gave me a wink and Gabriel...well...he was smiling at me. But it wasn't a very happy one. It seemed that it lacked mirth. He looked...crestfallen. And I didn't know why.

"You first," Axel said, as he opened the door for me. He gave me a dashing grin, making me hesitantly. I turned one last look at the two brothers: Roman still looked irritated (probably, because I had hit his chest and had yelled at him), and at Gabriel, who was still smiling, but looked like he wanted to frown. I turned away, walking out of the room, while Axel held my hand in his large warm ones. He stopped as he saw my head hanging low and my face all confused.

"Venise..." he began slowly. He placed two fingers on my chin, and gently raised my face to meet his gaze. "Why are you sad?"

I bit my lip. "I really don't know why."

And the most shocking thing of all, he leaned down and brushed his soft, gentle lips on mine. He raised his head and searched my olivine eyes with his beautiful turquoise ones. "Everything will be fine."

I just stared at him, my eyes saucerwide and unblinking. Axel laughed at my expression, and we started walking again.

I tried very hard not to melt like a pool of butter on the expensive carpet.