Since I came up with this insane idea, I've been nervous about pulling it off. All over the world humans are being carried to one of the theme parks that Cain has opened. All the humans in the palace were told this morning by Christian what was happening and the atmosphere was incredible. I've never seen such excitement before. One of Cain's inner circle guards carried Jackson. I made Cain stay close to him so that I wasn't too far away. Apart from the slaves that were cruel to Miles, there wasn't a single human left at the palace. Cain made a few guards stay behind to keep watch over the perimeter, just in case any unwelcome guests decided to invade while we were away for the day.

It's a beautiful day. Sunny and warm. I'm wearing denim shorts and a flowy, white shirt with sandals. We touch ground in small groups while other creatures take their humans over to the long wall of wheelchairs. There are thousands of them landing from the sky, there's so many black wings blocking the blue that it looks like evening. Once the humans are dropped, the creatures return to the air. They'll be watching over everyone discreetly, only ordered to intervene if there's any problems.

I stare at the rollercoasters and rides in the distance, creatures will be operating them and the humans will probably be safer for it. The rides haven't been in operation for eight years. Though they've been fixed and tested, there's still many things that could go wrong. Cain is aware of that and has coached them to look out for warning signs. Most of the children are already running through the park, their nannies squealing as they run after them.

Cain wraps his arm around me. "How did I do?"

"I'll let you know when they all make it out alive."

"Good then."

"Yes," I say, bumping my shoulder into his. "You did good."

We reach Jackson and Natalie and I hand them both a water bottle from my bag. "You'll be with Samson's group," I say, pointing over to them. "Blake is your assigned watcher, he'll be above you at all times, okay? So if you get into any trouble then call for him."

"Okay," Jackson says. "Can we go now?"

"What time are we meeting for lunch?"

"Two," he sighs.

"Good. Take your sunscreen." I hand him the bottle and he stares back at me in embarrassment.

"Are you serious?"

"Does it look like I'm joking, Jackson? Take it or I'll put it on you right now in front of everyone." He cringes and takes it from me, dropping it into his bag. "Natalie, make sure he's putting it on. And you too."

"I will," she says. "Bye."

"Bye. Have fun. Don't forget to keep drink-" My loud words cut out as they run away to join Samson and his friends.

Cain chuckles. "Teenagers, eh?"

"Hm."

We continue walking through the park and we approach a group of children sitting beneath a large tree. I keep looking for Christian but I can't see him anywhere, there's so many guys running around and they all look like him. Cain stops abruptly and I crash into his arm. The children are running towards us while their nannies sit at a table eating grapefruit.

"Hi, Aurora," a little girl says. "We picked these for you."

The five of them extend their hands to reveal some tiny, white flowers. I crouch down slightly and I take them softly, bringing them to my nose with a smile.

"Thank you," I say.

They bow their heads sweetly and then run back to the tree. I smile at the nanny girls watching us from the shade, still smelling the flowers as we walk away.

"How do they know my name?" I say.

"I think they all know your name," Cain says.

"Oh my god." I tighten my hand around Cain's arm as I spot some familiar faces gathered around a table up ahead. "Is that...?"

"I'll leave you to catch up. If you need me then I won't be far."

I leave Cain's side and I walk slowly towards the large group. Irene spots me first, followed by Madeline and Charlotte. I wipe my tears as they jog to embrace me. Jase is there too, I smile at him over Irene's shoulder.

"I know it's only been a few months but it feels like forever," Madeline says as she backs away. "I'm glad you're okay. I never believed that you committed suicide, I knew something else was going on."

"I'm glad you're okay too," I say, turning to the other girls that I spent years with. "All of you."

"Aurora?"

I take a deep breath as I prepare myself for this moment. My hands are shaking as I look at the small line of children staring at me with confused expressions. The children that I raised, that I taught subjects to, that I kissed goodnight before tucking them into bed. Angelica is the first to run at me and I fall to my knees as her small arms tighten around my neck. I am jumped on by so many bodies that I fall to the ground laughing. I try to hug them all but I can't even see clearly. They eventually release me and I look over their faces one-by-one, cupping their jaws in my hand.

"I missed you all so much," I whisper. "Have you been good for Charlotte?"

"They've been angels," Charlotte says.

"Are you coming back?" Troy asks me.

I shake my head. "No. But we'll see each other again. I'll visit soon."

"You promise?" Angelica says.

"I promise," I say. "Jackson is here too, he'll be pleased to see you all." I wipe Sam's tears with my finger. "Don't cry. What do we do to criers?"

"Hug them until it goes away?" Sam mumbles.

"Make them laugh until it goes away." I tickle under his chin and he grins before he breaks out into adorable laughter. "Always works."

"Kids, why don't we go on some rides while the girls have a talk?" Jase says as he straps two of his sleepy toddlers into push chairs.

"You think you can handle eight of them?" Madeline laughs. "Be my guest."

"Eight?" Jase scoffs. "Try ten. . . toddlers."

"Show off," Charlotte says.

"Go and have fun," I tell them. "I'll still be here."

"Don't go anywhere again," Angelica says. "I need to tell you about my new shirts."

"Okay," I laugh. "I wouldn't miss it."

I sit down at the table as Jase and the children disappear around a teacup ride. Irene looks at them with a secret longing.

"It's hard to believe he's only nineteen," Madeline says. "He's so mature and a natural father."

"Reuniting with them is all he ever wanted," Irene mumbles. "I'm so happy for him."

"Who watches his other children?"

"Those two are also his," I say, pointing to the table a small distance from us. I recognize the girls that are looking after them from the palace. "And they are his palace babysitters. They're besotted with them."

"Cute," Madeline says.

"And the others are with their mothers I presume," I say. "Six survived and weren't sold afterwards. They take it in turns looking after them."

"So he has four full time?" Charlotte says. "I can see why he sought out babysitters."

Irene frowns and glances down at her fingers. I know that look. I remember Irene and Jase always being close but after my departure they must have grown even closer. And now he's hundreds of miles away in a completely new nannery. This might be the last time she ever sees him.

"Strange," Madeline mumbles as her eyes flick across the sky. "Our creatures have vanished."

"That is strange," Charlotte says. "Where have they gone? Are they following the children?"

"Yeah, that's because of Cain," I sigh.

"Who's Cain?"

"The King?" I say confusingly, pointing my finger over Irene's head.

They all snap their eyes up to the sky, following the line of my finger until I hear them gasp. Cain flaps his wings gently in the air as we all stare at him, he grins down at us and then lifts himself higher out of sight.

"That's the King?" Charlotte says. "Your owner that you just walked here with?"

"Oh, I recognize him from the nannery a few weeks ago," Madeline says. "He spoke with Jackson."

"Mm-hm."

They probably haven't heard the news about a new human Queen because they're further away. I almost get the words out but I clam up and swallow them down. Irene was with me when we both watched Tyler die, I cannot justify being involved with Cain while she's sitting right in front of me.

"Well, we always knew you were special," Madeline says. "I mean, the way the creatures would hold on to you for so long until their mouths were watering was a clear indication that you were the purest among all over us. Did he steal you?"

"Not quite," I say. "We have an understanding with each other though. I was the one that convinced him to do this."

"Really?" Irene says. "Having an understanding with creatures isn't exactly common."

"It is at the palace," I say. "They're different there. The guards are different. I think it's because they've spent so long of their existence focusing on protecting Cain that they haven't had as much time to obsess over hunger."

"Well, when we're released make sure to point them in our direction," Charlotte says, laughing to herself.

"The new watcher went on a release binge," Madeline says sadly. "He sold half of the nannies a week after you left. Lucinda and Gemma are gone. He said we had to pick up the extra slack and that we were trained to handle it. There's been one nanny to three groups of children. We were lucky that other nannies from other nanneries offered to take them from us today."

"What?" I say. "That's not fair. One person cannot look after thirty children twenty-four-seven. That's insane."

"He's just power hungry," Charlotte says. "It's been like this for weeks now. He sold off half of the slaves too and refused to replace them."

"Because replacing them means he'll have to buy more," I say. "He's trying to get more powerful while you all suffer because of it."

"Basically," Irene says. "Even I'm helping take care of the children and I'm not even a nanny. I'm so exhausted." Irene yawns into the back of her hand, prompting a glare from Madeline.

"Try doing it every day," Madelina hisses. She turns back to me. "It's changed a lot since you were there. The children are happy though and that's what matters."

I lean back into the chair, staring at a carriage speeding around a large roller coaster in the distance. I wish I could help them but there's no loophole to getting around owner laws, I learned that the hard way with Natalie. Unless the watcher has committed a crime then he cannot be removed and all the nannies are owned by him. Is he going to keep selling the nannies until there's only one remaining taking care of over a hundred children? Is this happening everywhere? Maybe Raven was a lot kinder than I thought. He had a completed soul to try and bid for and he didn't sacrifice several nannies at once to get there.

I stay and talk to them for a while longer until Jase returns with eight very happy and energetic kids. Angelica jumps straight into my lap before any of the others can beat her to it.

"Have you seen Christian anywhere?" I ask Jase.

"Uh. . . I saw him about an hour ago walking over to the big rides with some of his old farming friends," he says, pointing in a direction. "But this place is big."

"I'm going to go look for him," I say. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Jase says.

Angelica clings her hands around my throat as I stand up. I unleash her grip and she slowly drops down my body.

"Don't go," she says.

"You'll see me soon. We're eating lunch together."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," I say. "Promise me you'll have fun, okay?"

"I promise."

I embrace the entire small group at once and then I struggle out of them while the girls laugh. I wave to them as I walk away. Cain drops to my side seconds later and I hold a hand to my chest as I flinch.

"Sorry," he laughs. "I never thought you'd leave."

"It was hard to leave them."

"I understand that. You spent a long time together. I've dreamed of some of their faces."

"That's not creepy at all," I say, grinning at him. "Where's Christian?"

"I'll take you to him. Or, better yet, I'll let you find him yourself."

"What? Hey!"

I squeal as Cain swipes my legs from underneath me and I fall against his arms as his body shoots up towards the sky. I close my eyes as the strange pressure makes my head spin, my head spins even more when I open them to see we've landed in a carriage at the top of a non-working Ferris wheel. I curl my hands around the steel bars as I glimpse the world far below us.

"It seemed pointless to make this work again," he says. "Did I ever tell you that I'm afraid of heights?"

I laugh out and hit his shoulder. I look across at the other carriages to see creatures flying humans up into them and securing them safely inside before leaving. "Cain, you've tested these, right?"

"Yes, they've been tested with weight. They're fine. No more than two at a time though, to be sure."

I lean my head into his shoulder as I gaze at the beautiful sight of the populated park. I hear the sounds of coasters against tracks, of people screaming with both terror and joy, of music blasting out from speakers in all directions. I see groups of girls sunbathing on the grass and groups of guys playing sports games with each other. The wheelchairs are being used for those that cannot walk or that are too far consumed to even understand what they're doing here. Paths are crowded, lines are spreading for miles for particular rides. It's so mesmerising that it's hard to believe it's a lie. Because that's what it is. One beautiful and heart-breaking lie.

I entwine one hand around his while we turn to face each other. The wind blows my hair as I grip his shoulder and lean up to kiss him. Doesn't every girl dream about being kissed at the top of the wheel? Or rather, they did. It's extraordinary that today is that day for me. I jerk him closer against me and our kiss is more passionate. We can't stop ourselves. My heart races every time he kisses me anyway but this is something entirely new. The carriage moves and I grip the side of it out of fear, he laughs to himself as our lips break apart.

He keeps his hand against my face, stroking my cheek with a look of high adoration. "What are you doing to me?" he whispers.

"I think I'm the one that should be asking that because I'm the one that is afraid of heights." I look back to the ground, swallowing fearfully.

"It's highly irrational to be afraid of the sky if we're together."

I turn to Cain with a grin. "Do you think-?" I stop as a male creature floats in the air beside the carriage, he is whispering into Cain's ear. He drops my hand and turns his head.

"How?" Cain demands.

"What's going on?" I say.

Cain holds a finger up at me as the creature continues whispering. Cain's lips purse with fury. He pushes the creature away so forcefully that he glides uncontrollably through the air before disappearing higher up. Cain clicks his fingers at the creatures above us and he gives an order with his movements.

"Stay here, Aurora."

"Stay here?" I say. "Cain, what's happening?"

He jumps out of the carriage instead of answering me. His white wings soar out and he flies across the park. The creatures from above land next to me, keeping a desirable distance as they guard me from something. I curl my fingers around the bar, suddenly feeling more afraid now that I'm alone. The height is becoming terrifying and it's making me queasy. The carriage rocks slightly as the wind pushes it, I take a seat and I bite on my nail. I wait for a long time but nothing happens.

Then, suddenly, the whole wheel starts moving. Along with the other humans, I look over the side of the carriage to see what's happening. I hear a giant squeak from the middle of the wheel and then the carriage starts moving sideways as though something on the ground is tipping it over, and us along with it.