//EDITED//

Grandpa and I walk back to the cabin house after a while. Sadly I haven't managed to get any more information that would make all this clearer.

"I am going to go get some candy from the store before kids come running up here demanding it," Grandpa said once we reached the cabin.

"You get kids here?" I ask, surprised.

We're pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The cabin is surrounded by trees and nature. Living here would be great for people who wanted to keep to themselves, so I'm not surprised Grandpa moved here after he faked his death.

"Let's just say kids are crazy for free candy."

I laugh quietly at his response.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's fine. Stay here and rest."

I nod my head, but I'm still bothered that he is going alone. I walk up the stairs leading to the house and open the front door.

"We need to keep her somewhere safe," I hear Caleb say.

"She will interfere with our plans and complicate everything," Raph states.

"Which is exactly why we need to keep her somewhere safe," Caleb says, raising his voice.

"Why are you acting all soft around her Caleb?" Raph snaps back.

"Because Ben is right, we can't let another innocent soul get hurt because of this!"

How do they know my Grandpa?Is he a part of this mess too?

"She got herself into this mess. No one brought her into this, and she is far from innocent," Raph snaps back.

"You guys are fighting like an old married couple," Leo says, rubbing his head.

"We cannot bring her with us. She stays here, and that's final," Raph replies.

"Why the hell did we save her if we were just going to leave her for dead afterwards?" Caleb roars.

"She will be with Ben—"

"No! She needs to stay with us so we can keep an eye on her!"

"That will just complicate things even more!"

"Leo, what do you think?" Caleb asks.

"Well, you're both right. If we leave her here the chances of her surviving are pretty low—and the risk is the same if we bring her with us. Plus, I don't think Asher will be too fond of the little girl tagging along."

I'm angry now.

Who do they think they are to determine where the hell I stay?

"Look, Caleb, I know why you're feeling overprotective, but she is not a part of all this. She is just a New York girl who also happens to be a journalist, and she accidentally got tied up with Walker. Bringing her with us will only complicate things for us, and we need to find the plans before Walker does," Leo said.

Again with 'the plans'. What the fuck are these 'plans' everyone keeps talking about?

"I don't know for sure, Leo, but I have this feeling she's more than just a girl. What if she's the missing key?"

Raph scoffs. "Her last name is Woods, Caleb. No one from the group was named Woods."

"That we know of," Caleb shoots back.

Raph lets out a slow breath. "We will talk about this with Ben when he comes back."

"Where is he anyway?" Leo asked.

"He went on a walk with Thea. For some reason, they seem to be pretty close."

Taking this as my cue to enter, I step out of the corner and walk into the kitchen where the boys are standing. Caleb sees me first and smiles. Raph and Leo quickly take the papers that cover the table, but before they can collect them all, I catch a glimpse of a familiar symbol.

"How are you, Thea?" Caleb asks.

"A little sore, but better," I answer truthfully.

"That's good to hear."

Sensing that it is getting a bit awkward, I leave and walk to my old room. Everything is still the way it used to be. It's like no one has been in here for years, and that's probably the case.

I sit down on my bed which still has my pink and white bed covers. One of my pillows even has my name on it—the one my mother stitched for me. My hands brush past my name and set the pillow down gently, like it is made of glass. A bunch of my toys and stuffed animals are still in shape and kept safely. I open my closet to see dresses and outfits starting from when I was a baby. I spot my album in one of the shelves covered in dust. I wipe it clean with my sleeve and open it up. Photos and memories cover the pages of me and my family. I hug the book to my chest as tears start to flow.

"Thea."

The soft voice makes me jump and I quickly wipe away the tears. I put the album back in the shelf and turn around to see who called my name. Leo stands there looking uncomfortable. I mentally laughed at how flustered he looks.

"Raph, Caleb and I are going out to take care of something. Ben is asleep so we're, um, you know wondering if you would give out the candy?" Leo asks with a red face.

A wide smile appears on my face and I laugh out loud. "Of course I will, Leo"

"Okay, thanks!"

Huh, guess he can be nice after all.

***

Grandpa was right. The kids really are crazy for candy.

The candy is almost gone and it hasn't even been an hour. Kids dressed in costumes knock on the door with little smiles on their faces and bags held up high.

They are just so adorable.

The night is coming to an end I walk up the stairs to go to sleep when I hear a loud thump in the kitchen. I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen, curious as to what the sound could be. The boys haven't come back yet, so it is just me and Grandpa, but he is asleep in his room.

I walk into the kitchen and can't see anything out of place. Everything seems fine, but when I walk back out I notice the back door is open. My heart skips a beat as I take in the situation.

I shut the door and run up the stairs to Grandpa, but someone pulls me down and I fly into the coffee table.

I don't think my body is ever going to heal at this rate.

I groan and roll over to the ground.

"Thea!" Grandpa appears by my side. He helps me sit up but every part of me is hesitating.

"Grandpa," I mutter.

"Thea, are you alright?"

The soft but deadly sound of a gun cocking fills the room and I freeze. The man is dressed in all black and has a mask on that hides his face. He points his gun towards Grandpa. The intruder is a couple of steps away from me so I move my legs quickly and kick him, hard, making him fall down. I grab his wrists and try to wrestle the gun out of his hands, but it isn't working well.

The gun fires into the air but I don't pay attention. Finally, I punched him square in the face, hitting a nerve and he rolls back in pain. I get up off the ground and stretch my muscles. I can feel the blood running down my back and the sharp glass sticking into my body.

I am like an accident magnet.

I look behind me and see Grandpa laying on the floor, bleeding. My face turns pale and I rush towards him.

God, not him too. Please, not him.

"Grandpa," I whisper as tears run down my face. "This is my fault...all mine...please don't...please."

"Shh. It's not your fault...Thea, you hear me? It's not your fault...but I need to tell you something before...before it's too late."

"No! Please don't talk like that. You're not leaving me too. I just got you back."

"Thea...Black...Black, make sure he doesn't...make sure he doesn't get...them...you're the key...you're the key, Thea. Stay with Martinez...stay by his side...Thea...Cahill."

"Grandpa!" I cry out.

"I am sorry."

He goes limp in my arms and I let out a scream.

Just like that, I have lost the last person that I could ever call family.