The Fire Didn't Stop Her

This Is Insanity!!!

Levana knew she had to keep up her glamour even more so than usual. Because everything that was happening now, she couldn't help but smile like a carefree, little girl.

To start, Selene was now out of the picture. Who ever kidnapped her was only helping her master plan into action. Now, all she had to do was change a few of the details for her objective to be completed.

In the beginning, Levana was going to have her niece marry the prince, and then use her own linkage to the throne to become Empress after Selene and Kaito were taken care of. But now, since Selene was out of the picture, Levana had an even easier way to get the throne for herself.

Her first plan was to make the prince and the princess wed before the coronation. Giving her almost half of the governmental power of the Eastern Commonwealth. Then, using a special tactic to drive the two royals out of their minds, she would be given complete control over the country.

It wasn't easy to find a way to tamper with the brains of both the princess and the prince without making it obvious to others. Still, it didn't take long before she remembered something that plagued her in her youth as well.

Night Terrors.

Oh, the idea of cursing Selene with the same mental ailment her sister had given her was like a dream. Just like the fire Levana had ... helped along. Now, Levana was given sweet dreams after she contorted the thoughts of the young royals as they slept.

A bonus to this plan was the two of them finding a likeness in each other, and bonding over it. Though Levana hadn't expected for the two to really fall in love, it was a welcomed element.

Her final part of the plan had been to keep the horrible dreams going until they two were declared insane, and thrown into Mental Institutions. And since they would have to be separated, Selene on Luna and Kaito on Earth, their conditions would only worsen, making it nearly impossible for them to leave. While making it easy as pie to become the supreme ruler of both Luna and the E.C.

Now, Levana didn't even have to think about Selene anymore. Levana herself could marry Kaito, and keep feeding him thoughts of pain, misery, and torture. And once he was out of the way, she would rule over the E.C.

Since Selene was gone as well, and might not ever turn up again, Luna would also be hers. Even if Selene was freed, Levana knew her better that she thought. She knew that if Selene was given the chance to make a choice, she would keep running. After all, that child never wanted the throne, and certainly not to be married at age sixteen. No matter how much she loved the prince. If she was set free, she would run for her freedom, and leave everything else behind.

So there was almost nothing standing in Levana's way to power.

..............

Cinder could hardly stand to watch what she was seeing.

The girl she'd just met a few minutes ago was crying over a dead woman. And Cinder bet it was Michelle Benoit, the woman she'd wanted to protect after she tried to save her from her aunt.

Cinder couldn't bring herself to speak, or to say the dreaded words, "I'm so sorry for your loss." She knew all too well how empty those words were, or how little they did to help someone.

"Those lunars are going to pay," Scarlet growled. "Every last tone of them."

Before Cinder could speak, Thorne came running in. "Okay, I don't know how many of those soldiers know this place or how many might be coming now. So we need to get out of here."

Just as he said it, a siren blasted through the air around the house. Scarlet wiped away her tears and got off her hands and knees. "They must have heard the gunshots," she mumbled.