Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries

Epilogue: Successfully

Successfully - suc·cess·ful·ly - /səkˈsesfəlē/

1. in a way that accomplishes a desired aim or result

Odessa walked beside Jane and chatted idly with her as they made their way to the throne room. She bounced with every step she took and giggled a lot more than she usually did. Alec gave her a knowing look and chuckled. As the door came into view, Felix grabbed both her shoulders from behind and squeezed them, shaking her as if she needed encouragement or extra support. She was silently grateful for it. Alec opened the door and gestured for the girls to go in as Demetri rolled his eyes and pried Felix's hands off of Odessa's shoulders. Just before Felix and Demetri could enter, Alec let the door go and watched as they scrambled to cross the threshold before it closed on them.

"Real mature," Felix scoffed.

"Yes. You are certainly showing your age," Demetri retorted sarcastically.

Alec smirked but said nothing as all his attention was on Odessa. He could tell she was excited yet nervous. He knew she would be fine, though. She'd already successfully completed a mission alone. Having four others with her was beneficial and should be reassuring. She'd do fine, and if she needed help or guidance, he would be there to provide it.

The guard stepped in front of the leaders and bowed their heads respectfully. Aro stood up, causing the five vampires to straighten out, and said, "It is so good to see you with them, Odessa."

Caius scoffed and snipped, "It may look good, but it needs to work well."

"Come now, Caius," Aro said slyly, "you cannot expect us to believe you truly dislike our dear Odessa, not after you admitted to Marcus and me how useful she is. What were your precise words?"

"She is not half bad," Marcus filled in with a small smile on his face and amusement in his tone.

"That was told in private," Caius hissed. "I thought you two were my confidants."

Marcus and Aro chuckled as Odessa couldn't help but let a smile overtake her face. She liked that she was able to win over one of, if not, the most stubborn and private member of the Volturi. Caius was a hard person to impress and an even harder person to please. He was the type of person to seldomly give out compliments and show respect. Who would have thought there would be a day when Caius actually admitted to liking her. She chalked it up to her helping them win the battle and being less bratty. She'd live with knowing from someone else that he thought she had a place and worth within the Volturi.

"Regardless," Aro said, "now that you are up to speed with our standards and now that you have shown tremendous loyalty, it is time for you to officially start team missions. You did so well on your individual mission months ago that I have no doubt in my mind you will succeed."

"She has no choice," Caius said. Odessa gave him a blank, deadpanned look. She raised an eyebrow, then she shot him a heart with her hands. He rolled his eyes at her antics but smiled nevertheless. "What?" he questioned. "Just because the cat's out of the bag doesn't mean I can't still have my fun."

"What is our mission, Master?" Jane asked, putting a stop to their banter.

"I am glad you asked, Jane," Aro said. "Unfortunately, knowledge is power, and with power comes great responsibility. We've caught wind of rumors of a small coven creating hybrids."

"What is so wrong with that?" Odessa asked, getting slightly defensive.

"It is the rate at which they are creating them," Marcus said. "Too many humans are disappearing and dying in one area."

"We are unaware of their intentions, but they cannot be good," Aro told her with a frown. "Find out what they are doing and their motives. If they are being heinous, do what you must. We aren't taking any chances."