OMG, HIIIII! Okay, so I know that I have been out for, what, three, four months? But trust me, I have been seriously busy this summer. I haven't even gotten a proper vacation yet! I've been signed up for so many things, I haven't gotten much free time AT ALL. You guys probably thought that I abandoned the story or something. But I'm saying right now: I'M SO SORRYYYY! T.T I especially apologize to CHiKa-RoXy, to whom I broke my promise that I would update by the end of June. I hate breaking promises... Anyway, I can't promise fast updates anymore 'cause I got into a really good high school, but apparently, if I manage my time well and work quickly and efficiently, I'll "only" get about 3 hours of homework a night. T.T Don't get me wrong, I want to update as fast as you guys want me to, but my schedule is packed. So I've sort of made it up to you guys, cause this is a pretty long chapter by my standards, and it's got a LOT of stuff.

Chapter Ten: The Vespers

Amy's POV

I woke up with a splitting headache. I rubbed my temples as I tried to sort things out. There had been a boy, Eriol. He'd had a man with him, most likely a bodyguard. He'd given me some kind of sleeping drug and knocked me out. But why-?

Oh, right. He was a Vesper. The single word sent chills down my spine. The mysterious Vespers had finally made their appearance.

I sat up and looked around the room. It looked surprisingly luxurious for a captive's cell. Actually, it didn't look like a cell at all, although I noticed an absence of windows. I was sitting on a soft mattress on a queen-sized bed. It was one of those pink canopy beds with princess veils on the sides. Ugh. I was grateful that I was not in a jail cell underground, but this was a little too much.

On the opposite wall hung a giant portrait of a wealthy middle-aged man. He looks a little like Eriol, I suddenly realized. I wondered if he was Damien Vesper, the first and founder of the Vespers, which would mean that Eriol was his direct descendent.

Through an open door on the left of the room, I saw a large bathroom. Next to it was a walk-in closet that looked like it held a lot of clothes and a full-length mirror. On the right, there were several bookshelves filled with colorful books.

Suddenly, a voice that I didn't recognize came from the ceiling. "Good morning, Miss Cahill," the voice said. "Master Eriol has requested that you get dressed and meet him for breakfast. Someone will be sent in ten minutes to direct you to the dining room. And don't worry; there are no hidden cameras in your room."

Gideon forbid there should be a camera watching me get dressed, I thought, annoyed. Was it a trap? Maybe I should just stay. But they're sending someone down, I reasoned. Better to do what they say.

I got out of the bed and went into the closet. The wardrobe consisted mostly of dresses and gowns, but luckily, there were some normal shirts and jeans in a corner. I picked a plain green long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans.

I was about to walk out when something caught my eye. It was a silver headband with a single, delicate silver flower. I didn't normally wear hair accessories; I just kept my hair down loose. But the headband was captivating. I put it on and looked in the mirror. My ordinary hair couldn't do it any justice. But I smiled. It looked so beautiful, even my plain hair looked somewhat attractive.

It wasn't long before I heard a knock on the door. "Yes?" I called.

The door opened to reveal a tall man with gray hair streaks dressed as a butler. He gave a slight bow. "Hello, Miss Cahill," he greeted formally. "My name is Harold Von. I will be your primary guide during the extension of your stay." The extension of my stay? He made it sound like I was staying at a 5-star hotel instead of being held by enemy ranks! But at least he wasn't trying to rope me up or something like that.

"I trust that you are prepared to meet the young master?" Harold continued. "This way, please."

I swallowed hard and followed the man. He led me through several corridors until we reached marbled double doors. Harold opened them and nodded at me to enter. I nervously stepped into a room that was definitely larger than my own and looked around.

This chamber looked resembled a ballroom, but a bit smaller than the average size. In the middle sat a long wooden table, the kind you would expect to find politicians arguing around or royal businesspeople having a meeting at. Eriol sat at the left head, reading a book.

When I entered the room, Eriol looked up. He held my gaze for a second, then smiled and put his book aside.

"Hello, Amy," he said pleasantly. He stood up and pulled out a chair on his left. "Please, sit down."

I went over, and Eriol sat back down. He gave Harold a nod, and he left.

A few seconds passed before Eriol said anything else. "So, tell me," he finally started. "How do you like it here so far?"

I was tempted to ask him why I was being treated like I was when I was virtually a prisoner. But I decided not to. Better to stay on the safe side. I was pretty sure that I didn't want to offend the person who had probably been the one to arrange my "stay", whatever the reason. Especially if he was a Vesper. So I just replied politely, "It's...n-nice, thank you."

"Would you like some French croissants with New England clam chowder soup?" he offered. "Or would you rather have some Japanese sushi rolls? We have the finest chefs from around the world."

How was I supposed to respond to something like that? "Um, I-I'll have the c-croissants with soup, p-please?" I replied uncertainly. Stupid stutter.

Eriol gave a nod to another butler standing in the corner who I hadn't noticed before. "I shall have the same," he added before he dismissed the butler.

"So," Eriol started abruptly, "I am sure that you have questions about all of this. I would like to ask you a few questions as well. Agreed?"

Obviously, this boy held great power within the Vespers. It would probably be best if I just agreed to what he said, as long as he stayed reasonable. So I nodded.

Eriol smiled again and folded his hands neatly on the table. "All right, then. You've probably already figured out that we - all - are known as the Vespers. You, as a Cahill, most likely have a...sinister feeling about us, correct?" He chuckled. "Well, your ideas of us are not completely true."

This caught me completely off-guard. Not completely true? I didn't know what to think. So I stayed silent as he continued.

"Centuries ago, before the feud between Gideon Cahill and Damien Vesper first started, they were the best of friends. Then, Gideon Cahill discovered the master serum. He ingested it. He gained extraordinary powers. Heightened senses. Cunning. Strength. Speed. Intelligence. When Master Vesper saw him in this state, he was intrigued. He also wanted that serum. When Gideon Cahill left his home, destroying it along with his papers on the master serum, Master Vesper was infuriated. He set out to destroy him and get complete revenge."

I swallowed hard. This was not going in the most peaceful way possible.

"But...this is all you Cahills know. The true story continues further. After years of searching, Master Vesper had not a single lead. And by this time, the four Cahill children had gone their separate ways and a full-fledged war had broken out between Cahills and Vespers. But one day, Master Vesper asked himself, Why am I doing this? After months of pondering, he had decided that unfulfilled revenge was not the real reason that he felt so empty. Then he realized.

"He missed his friend.

"He wanted to rebuild the friendship that had been so dear to the two of them. When Gideon Cahill ingested the master serum, Master Vesper had unconsciously began to think that he was no longer on the same level as his friend, that he was no longer worthy to be his friend, and he hated that feeling. He had mistaken that anger as a thirst for revenge against Gideon Cahill, but he now understood, and he redoubled his efforts to find his long-lost friend. Of course, he was devastated when he discovered that Gideon Cahill had perished in the fire along with his house and research. So he decided that if he couldn't make up with Gideon Cahill himself, he would instead reestablish the friendship between their families."

My eyes were wide. I had never seen this side of the Vespers before. I had always thought that they were the typical bad guys, having no reason to doubt the story that I had been told. But there were still a few things that I didn't quite understand.

"So why have the Vespers been attacking the Cahills all this time? Why haven't you told them the real story yet?" I asked.

"To reunite the Cahill family, of course," Eriol answered. "After Master Vesper had reached his big conclusion, he decided that he owed his friend quite a few favors. So he set out to make up for his errors. And what better way to do this than to put together the pieces of Gideon Cahill's broken family?

"At first, Master Vesper had no idea how to bring together the feuding branches. Finally, he decided that the best way would be to give them a common enemy to fight against. Thus, he set it up so that for decades, centuries even, the Cahills would continue to believe their side of the story and wage war against the Vespers until they came together as one family again. At that point, the Vespers would make peace and establish his long-awaited friendship."

After a short silence, I said quietly," That's...so brave."

Eriol smiled gently. "That's nice of you to say so."

We ate our breakfast in silence as Eriol gave me some more time to let it sink in.

All this time, I had thought that the Vespers were the bad guys. But now they were the good guys.

When we had finished eating and our plates had been cleared, I thanked Eriol for the meal.

"It's no problem. After all, we would be barbarians if we kept you locked up with no food," he assured with his ever-present smile.

"Actually, that's the last thing that I don't understand," I said. "Why did you bring me here? What do you need me for?"

Eriol's smile faded, and he looked down. "Well," he started, "the details are a bit...hazy. The Cahill family has been united, more or less, and the first part of Master Vesper's plan has been fulfilled."

"And the next part is to rebuild the friendship between the Cahills and the Vespers," I finished.

"Exactly," Eriol confirmed. "The leader of the Vespers has always been a direct descendant of Damien Vesper. For centuries, the leadership has been passed down from father to son. My father met a somewhat early end, leaving the Vespers in my care."

I was filled with sympathy for Eriol. He was the same age as me, yet he was in charge of the Vespers. Of course, I was in charge of the Madrigals, but being the leader of a single branch was probably different from being the leader of the entire family. Not to mention that his father was dead...

"It was Damien Vesper's will for the leader to always decide which path to take when reuniting the Cahills or reestablishing the friendship between the Cahills and the Vespers. It was, for the most part, simple when the leader was only maintaining the war. But thanks to recent events, the Cahill family has come together, and it is now time for the more delicate plan to come into play. And it has been my responsibility to create that plan. After much planning, I have decided on a route that is very risky and highly dangerous, but will be completely effective if things turn out right. Amy, this is where you come in. This is why I have told you everything that I have.

"Everything depends on you."

I was completely mystified. "What...what do I have to do?" I asked cautiously.

Eriol looked straight at me. I was surprised at the intensity in his eyes. The fire, the hope... and something else.

"Amy...we need you to join the Vespers."

Woot! Hope you like cliffies! :3 I'm hoping to have another chapter up by the end of summer, but once again, I can't make any promises. But please, please, please review! Reviews are like fuel for my stories. More reviews=faster update. And better story. And what about Eriol? Love? Hate? Bring in another character to make it even more confusing? Also, as a last thing, PLEASE keep checking my profile. I'll put up polls related to my stories, and their results will most likely affect the storyline. I'll also keep updating and talk about how I'm coming along with the next chapter and stuff. I've also moved my disclaimer for my stories to my profile. Well, another chapter finally out. I feel so accomplished! XD

Lovely Out! ~`'~