I'm back. Oops. It's been too long.

Read and review.

Thatcher

I breeze through the doors and halt immediately. My mother stands like a great Michelangelo marble statue, larger than life, biting and immobilizing. Her tattooed fingers grip her opposing arms, threatening puncture wounds in her own flesh.

"Mom, I'm so—" I begin.

A silent hand forces my next words to flee. She steps forward and motions for the doors behind me to slam in a frightening crash. I haven't felt this afraid since I was five and I had lost Alden while we were playing in the park… He had fallen and broken his arm and I knew it was my fault. I walked towards her, just as I did that day, ashamed and fearful, hiding my broken brother behind me.

"Thatcher what type of oath have you taken to remain in my service?" She asks, eyes flinty.

"The oath of protection, ma'am," I respond in my military tone.

"Yes and in those oaths does it ever demand blessing children in their desires to drunkenness?"

"No."

"Oh, so you have no arguments?" She asks, eyebrows pointed.

"No."

My mother takes an echoing step towards me. "So you willingly allowed my students to bring down judgment upon the House of Night but also place their lives in danger. Not only did you allow them to partake in activities that are detrimental to their already feeble health, but you joined in the festivities."

"Mom," I allow my eyes to find hers. "I was at the bar on my own. They arrived and yes, I should have removed them. But there were so many of them, so I figured I should stick around and make sure things were under control. I admit, this decision was not the correct one." Her eyes soften. "So, I resign as Warrior Standard. I will ask to be readmitted into the Academy and relearn my oaths and all that pertains to them."

I feel her hands before I hear her words. "Baby, I just needed you to see your error. I don't need you to be reborn." She smiles and kisses my forehead. "Just because you are a full fledged Vampyre now does not mean perfection. You are growing. But, I will have to publicly punish you…" Her eyes flutter up as she thinks of my punishment. "Why don't you take Erik Night security detail?"

My mind explodes. Not only is it such a step down, but also it's Erik Night, Finley's father, my own father's nemesis, and generally known conceited blow-hard and philanderer.

"Sure, that would be the least I could do."

Finley

I'm soaked through with paint. I mean, it looks like I've swum in it.

I'm back in the tiny sweatbox of a room painting the most gruesome painting I've ever even thought about.

Crimson covers my body. I change my mind, it doesn't look like I went swimming… I look like I've been shot.

I don't care, now my outsides match my insides. It feels strangely apropos.

The canvas is nearly six feet long, a panoramic view of a tortured woman. The people crowd about her and each inflicting their own punishments and her blood runs like river water.

"Love?" My father's voice cracks in pain at my back.

I turn and take in his petrified face. It is as if his entire face has been removed and another, tragic mask as been pasted onto his head. And finally, the tears come; I melt into a human bag of emotions. I'm suddenly no longer muscles, bones, and organs, but just tears. I run to my daddy. I sprint like the tiny child I feel like in my heart.

"Love, darling, are you alright? What is the matter? Please, tell me!" He's sobbing now, crying because I am, because when I hurt his heart is also maimed.

I can't tell him so I sit and sob as he rocks me and grieves my pain. Dad brushes my hair back, wipes the red paint from my face and hands as I cry. Doing all of the things he did when I was younger and had gone into a toddler tirade.

After a long time I can form words: "I lost it, Dad."

His eyes are hard and disoriented. "Lost what?"

"Love. I know it sounds so silly, but I did it. And it hurts. You never told me how badly this hurts. It feels like someone burned up everything inside of me. Why did you never tell me what this feels like?" I don't realize I am hitting my own chest violently until my father stays my hand.

He draws me in a hard embrace. "Love, my heart, because I hoped you'd never, ever feel this way. Never." I feel a tear roll down my back.

"Daddy, it hurts, it hurts so badly." I whimper and he nods and rocks me for what seems like forever.

We sat until morning, covered in vermillion, streaks down our faces and creases where my face has fallen asleep against his shoulder. I am five years old again. I wake up and I see that daddy's eyes have not closed longer than a fleeting wink. He has sat staring at my painting. The woman's painful likeness to me is terrifying. He says little, only to check my state. My father walks me back to my dorm room and shields me from every sideways glance. By the end of the funeral of my old life, my dad knows everything. Every word that was a painful arrow to my heart, every sin I committed myself, every bit of the hatred that had incinerated my organs. He tells me to sleep. He promises me he'll take care of it all.

I allow him to be my daddy. I concede to his way of doing things, knowing full well what that means.

Alden

I awake tangled in every bit of Selene and sheets. Strangled, feeling as if I have fallen asleep with a python, I struggle violently to free myself. She hardly wakes. Her peaceful smile is painted on her face.

The smiling face makes me nauseated.

A knock sounds once again and I realize why I have woken.

Knowing the knocker to be one of my own friends, I don't rush to clothe myself; I just pull on boxers as I swing open the door. "Loch, I don't want to go to cla-"

As the door swings open my blood runs cold and then freezes completely.

"Hello," echoes a sinister voice. "I don't believe we've ever met, I'm Erik Night. Finely's father." His dark suited arms are folded behind his back. They are flexing in strength, as I am sure he is wringing his hands. Obviously, struggling to maintain his calm. His pale eyes are red and puffy, it's obvious his night has been long and strenuous.

"Hello sir." I mock his tone. "This isn't really a good time, I am about to head to class," I answer as I begin to close my door, hoping I can head of whatever fatherly duty he thinks he is about to do.

His hand moves faster than my eyes can perceive the movement. It clutches the door like his hand is cemented to it. I follow the arm to his face and his strong jaw is cutting through his chin like glass as he grinds his teeth. "I think now will be perfectly acceptable." He throws the door back and it slams against the wall with a thunderous bang, sending papers flying, paintings to crash to the floor, and finally, most inconveniently, awaking Selene who sits straight up in bed alerting the world to her debaucherous presence.

I hope Erik cannot see her. But of course luck is not mine this morning.

"Ah, well my apologies. It's incredibly rude to break up a business transaction. I can step out whilst you get your full money's worth." His words were silky but tasted like candied poison.

Selene was aghast. Her mouth began to form a word when I cut her off. "Mr. Night, this is all uncalled for. I did not elicit your opinion, nor do I think my mother would find these insults savory."

"Shut your mouth, boy." I take a step back as his words pelt me like daggers. "I assure you, my insults are the least of your worries. I would kill you right now if that would not murder your mother. Instead, I plan to torture you in the way that you have tormented my daughter." Erik Night's entire body goes calm and for the first time I feel genuinely fearful. "Your mother may think the world of you, but I promise that world is going to shatter before she can even blink. It will disintegrate and you will have no one. You think this precious legacy passed down from your parents will always protect you." He laughs a derisive chuckle. "But after I am finished, no one will want to touch you. A leper among family. Good day. " He nods to me and then peeks his head towards Selene. "Oh, and I'd just make the speech count for you also. Selling your body will kill you, you know." He winks once and exits.