Katie was startled awake by her own gasp, jarred by the pounce of her aunt's cat as it settled itself on her tummy. The feline in response hopped away from her in fear of being pushed by the young woman. Katie took a few deep breaths, a hand rising to push back dark hair that had fallen from her ponytail in the midst of her sleep. After a few calming breaths, Katie glanced at the clock. It was half past eight in the morning on a Saturday; she didn't normally wake up until at least ten.

What do we do with her? That question still rang in her ears when she closed her eyes. It had terrified her, the thought of what they could have done. For all she knew, they could have dragged her skinny butt out of that shop, murdered her, and let her body decompose in the lake. Instead, that man - the one that stared at her with eyes that seemed to pierce her even though she couldn't really see them - spared her. And what did she do?

Katherine Isabella Moretti bawled.

Like a freaking baby.

It was pathetic really. It wasn't as if Katie didn't know how to protect herself. She was very much capable of it. Sure, she was not exactly skilled with fighting. She might could possibly give one good punch and break your nose. But beside that, she wasn't the fighting type. But she could have run. Hell, she could have gotten that gun near the register. If anything, and this plagued her more than anything, she could have run! That thought alone frustrated her and Katie launched a random pillow from her bed to the opposite wall, an anguished cry floating past her lips. But she hadn't even done that.

She froze.

"Such a dumbass," she breathed. Another curse escaped her lips and Katie sat there for a second, shaking her head in frustration. It had been a long time since she froze up in fear like that. But what was worse was not the fact that she froze or that for a hot second, she was captivated by one of the stupid men that held her life at the palm of their hands. No, it was the fact that now, for her to be the girl who claimed that she didn't want to be weak and afraid or anything like that, she couldn't even fathom going back in that shop. It's a fucking shop, Katherine, she told herself. You've been in there plenty of times.

Just not when someone was trying to rob you and possibly kill you, her mind shot back.

"Screw this." Katie threw the covers off of her body and hopped out of bed. She couldn't stay in this apartment or be alone. She needed something, a distraction of sorts. And she knew the perfect person. She grabbed her cell and quickly dialed a number. "Hey, Lenny." She knew the girl would hate this name. "I know it's early, but...I really really need to talk to you. I'll make breakfast, but I'm coming over. See ya in a bit." With that said, Katie hung up and started getting ready.

Aisling awoke slowly to a pressure surrounding her body, squeezing her tight. Then she heard the heavy breathing, and the terrified gasps on after another. The pressure around her arms and back tightened until she could hardly breathe. Craning her neck up, she managed to free one of her hands to put it on Zeke's face. "Zeke, baby, wake up. You're having a nightmare, you have to wake up." She shook herself inside of Zeke's arms, not caring that he was squeezing too hard. Whatever was going on inside his head was scaring him, and Ash hated to have him feel that way.

"Zeke, honey, wake up. It's not real. Whatever you're seeing isn't real."

Ash herself had had a good share of her own nightmares, especially while she was in the hospital recovering. She didn't know what Zeke was dreaming about, but she knew it was scaring him, and that wasn't okay. Squirming out of his tight grasp, she sat up and gently shook his shoulder, kissing his forehead softly. "C'mon, Zeke, it's okay. You're safe. It's not real."

Alena had been in a deep sleep dreaming of nothing at all when she had awoken to the sound of Lady Gaga's Poker Face, Katie's ring tone. Groaning she rolled over to her side and picked up the phone. "Hello?" She had barely had time to get the words about before her friend had started. She grabbed her cell and quickly dialed a number. "Hey, Lenny." She rolled her eyes at her friends opening sentences, "Alena, cough cough." She had quickly corrected to let her friend finish. "I know it's early, but...I really really need to talk to you. I'll make breakfast, but I'm coming over. See ya in a bit." "Oh-" Beep! Before finishing Katie had already hung up the phone. "K, I'll get ready, fix my hair, take a freaking shower at this bloody hour only because I love you!" Hanging up the phone she knew her ending was not heard, but when she started a sentence she liked to finish it. "I wonder what's so important." Mumbling to herself she threw her blanket into the floor and slinkied into the floor landing on her knees. "I don't want to move!" Complaining to herself she finally got the motivation to get up and go over to her closet. Holding out her hand she hoped for once her clothes would magically fall into it; sadly today was not that day. "Ugh!" Sliding around shirts and other clothes items she pulled out a white bralet with gold studs across the bust and held it to her chest, it came right below her chest and was strapless, but would give her all the support she needed. This looks cute. Taking it off the hanger she threw it on her bed and hung the hanger back into the closet. Squatting down she eyeballed all her shoes squinting and tapping her right index finger to her lip. "You look pretty yummy." Saying so as she snatched up a pair of matte red pumps, one of her favorite pairs in fact. With them out she stood up and shut the door with left hip. "Now I need pants!" Going over to her dresser she pulled out a pair of white skin tight leggings, they were more comfortable then they sounded, and a floral design of red, purple, blue, pink, and yellow flowers with it's vine all away around the white. Laying those down on the bed along with the other things she had collected. She started to take off her white tank top and before removing her pants she remembered she needed to shower. "Crap!"

Collecting all her clothes she walked out into the hallway.
"Good morning, sweety." Running his fingers through her hair as he walked by, but stopped abruptly to completely turn around and face her. "What?" She questioned stopping to face him as well. "Did you notice you're only wearing a bra?" He asked with curiosity in his voice and a raised brow. Looking down at herself she gave a nodded and a facial expression of duh and continuously did it until they were eye to eye. "I think I did notice." "Smart ass. He chuckled as he nudged her shoulder, "You leave the house like that and I'll best you." With his last statement his voice and face turned serious causing Alena to keep laughing. "Don't worry, Dad," she reassured, "what I'm wearing with be a few inches longer." Scrunching his eyebrows together he gave a head bob and a thumbs up. "Good deal!" Going from a thumb up to an open palm they both high-fived then departures going their separate ways like nothing happened.

Entering the bathroom she shut the door behind her and laid her clothes down in the closed lidded toilet. Now lets get clean. Going over to the shower she turned the nobs to the perfect mixture of hot and cold, stripped out of her remaining clothing, then got in. As she was in the tub Poker Face managed to slip it's way back into her brain and she began singing it. Amongst the water and the close space of the shower she sounded like an international pop star.

Taking a two minute shower, which was extremely short for her, she got out and quickly dried off. Time to put on my outfit! With a dry body she quickly changed into the outfit she had brought in with her. When it came to dressing Alena had Anaya's felt like she had her own style that people started copying when they had seen her YouTube videos, for the way she dressed she had come across it by herself, not seen someone else do it and like it; she was a trend starting not follower and she would never be.

Once done she turned to look at herself in the full body mirror on the back of the door that happened to be covered in steam. Bending over she picked up her used towel from the floor and swiped it all over the mirror drying it to the best of her abilities, water ran and dripped off of it, but at least she could see herself. With a satisfied smile in the mirror she thought she looked perfect. Makeup or no? With her being a makeup guru she took such good care of her skin that it naturally looked like she was wearing makeup for the most part of the time, so she decided just to put on Covergirl red lipstain. "Finally finished!" She celebrated with herself as she walked out of the bathroom leaving her mess knowing her mom would clean it up later. When going to the living room she noticed the lack of sound, her parents had left while she was in the shower, With no goodbye! With a playful huff to herself she flopped on to the coach with mild wet hair waiting for Katie to arrive.

This is taking to long! With the thought to herself she got up and went outside to wait inside for Katie. When outside she noticed how lovely her moms flowers looked She wouldn't miss a few... With a ear to ear grin she walked down her front porch and began to pick flowers that matched her her pants and wove them into a crown and placed it on her head. It was something she could remember doing a lot with her friends in highschool when they had gotten bored, it was a good memory, very pleasant in fact to her, because in highschool was when she had met her best friend Katie and she wouldn't have changed that for the world.

He was on the ground, his heart pounding as he felt kicks to his body. Pain and fear wracked through his body, and he couldn't move from the fetal position he was in on the ground. He heard a familiar voice screaming at him... "You little bitch! You wanna steal from my family?!" A kick to the head sent a new wave of agony through his body as he pleaded with the familiar voice. "Please, have mercy!"
"You better hope god has mercy!" He looked up just as he heard the click of a gun, first seeing the gun, and then seeing the face behind the gun.... It was his own.

Zeke yelled out, his eyes snapping open as he panted, sweat cool on his brow. It took him a moment to realize that Ash was with him and in his arms. Or at least she was in his arms. She had sat up and had been attempting to wake him. After some of these nightmares, it was hard for him to realize where he was. They were always so real, that's what made them the worse. But at least he had Aisling with him now, she always helped to calm him down after these episodes.

He relaxed against the bed, then gently pulled her back into his arms so she was laying with him again, her head on his chest. "I'm sorry babe. I didn't hurt you, did I?" He looked over her with worried eyes, looking for any bruises, moving his hand to see that where he held her too tight, there were slight red marks in her skin. "Shit. I'm so sorry Ash." He moved to kiss her skin where the red marks were, moving to kiss some of her scars as well and gently holding her closer to him. "I didn't mean to hurt you..." He whispered to her, nuzzling his face into her neck. "You can always kick me out, y'know." He said with a slight chuckle, halfway joking, but knowing that she would never do that. Zeke looked at her with sleepy eyes, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear as he holds her close to him, admiring her. "You are so beautiful."

Ash kept rubbing Zeke's arm, whispering soothing words in an effort to calm him down and bring him back to reality. She hated that he suffered this way. That he was forced to suffer this way by the violence him and his family commit. As he relaxed, she smiled and curled back down in his arms, laying her head against his chest. "I'm sorry babe. I didn't hurt you, did I?" She looked up at him and smiled, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay." But he still looked and Ash sighed as he found red marks from when he had held her too tight when she had first woken up. "Shit. I'm so sorry Ash." She sighed again and shook her head, communicating silently that it wasn't a big deal. Sure, it had scared her at first, but once she realized she was with Zeke and not...not him...she was okay and trying to wake him up and help him stop suffering. She smiled as he kissed the red marks and a few of her scars as well. She cuddled into him closer, enjoying the way it felt to be in someone's arms and not be fearing for your life. "I didn't mean to hurt you...You can always kick me out, y'know." Ash chuckled and shook her head. "Z, I mean it. It's fine. I'm never going to kick you out, that's silly." She put her chin on his chest so that she could look at him. His eyes were still droppy from sleep and his hair mussed, but it was adorable and she knew she could look at him forever and never get bored. He brushed a bit of hair behind her ear and she leaned into his hand, letting it cradle her face. "You are so beautiful." Ash smiled and kissed his chest. "You're not so bad looking yourself." She sat up then and stretched her arms high above her head, yawning as she did and arching her back so the tip of her hands almost pointed directly at the wall behind her. Sitting back down and resting her head on her hands that were propped against her knees as she sat cross-legged, she smiled at Zeke.

"How about I make us some breakfast, huh?" She leaned forward and pecked him slightly on the lips before getting up off the bed and walking into the kitchen. She was wearing a tanktop and boy shorts, and she knew her small frame must have been highlighted nicely in the tight and short clothing. Walking down to the kitchen, she stopped when she came face to face with the freezer.

"Now you can freeze to death like the cold-ass bitch you are," He pushed her into the freezer then, making her back hit the wall painfully and locking the door. She banged on the door as much as she could, but soon she was too cold to do anything but crouch down and wait for death.

She shook her head to clear out the memory, taking a shaky breath in and jiggling the padlock on the freezer to make sure it was secure. She had bought it the second she moved in after getting out of the hospital and had thrown the key somewhere in woods outside of town. Deeming the lock secure, she went to the cooler that she kept instead {much too small for a person to be trapped in} and pulled out the frozen waffles that she knew Zeke loved. "Hey, Z, how many waffles do you want? And do you want eggs, too?"

Jason laid there staring up at the ceiling. He sighed. "Stop thinking about her, man." She was so scared. His fathers words were running through his head he was mad. Said they should have done something to her. "She was young!" he yelled. "She won't, I don't know how I know but she won't turn us in." Jason closed his eyes remembering the events of yesterday. He should have checked the area one more time. Then there wouldn't be a mess. All he could do now was smash his face in his pillow and think of things he could, should, have done.

It was almost 9:00 a.m., his dad would be expecting him. Jason sat up in bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He stood up slowly getting feeling back into his legs. Once he could fee them he stretched, his fingers almost meeting the ceiling. What am I to do. He staggered over to his dresser grabbing a pair of green boxers, black socks, and an white undershirt. Having that in hand he walked to the closet taking a blue button up shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. After that he walked into his personal bathroom that was located next to the closet. I'll feel better after a shower.

After Jason's shower he went down to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk. He set his milk on the table and went back in to grab something to eat. He decided upon a bagel with cream cheese. He then sat down to eat. Alone.

"You're not so bad looking yourself."

Zeke chuckled a bit at Aisling's response to his compliment. "Well gee, thanks." He said and laughed a bit again. At the mention of breakfast, Zeke's stomach growled slightly. "Yeah, that sounds great. Thank you hun." He said and kissed her back as she leaned forward. When Ash got up, he missed the feeling of her in his arms, but he did enjoy the view as she walked away. Scars or no scars, Zeke thought that she was absolutely gorgeous. The scars were only proof of how strong she was, how capable she was of handling herself. No matter how strong she was though, he would always be protective of her. That was just a simple fact.

After she had left him alone in the room for a couple of minute, he got a bit lonely and decided to follow her to the kitchen. He watched as she stopped at the freezer, and frowned a bit as she tested the lock on it as she did every morning. Zeke wished that he could take away the pain of her past and just deal with it for her. He hated the man that she had to call her father, and that was why he killed him. That man was even more of a monster than Zeke himself was. He was glad when she moved on to the small cooler and started taking out the waffles that he loved so much. "Hey, Z, how many waffles do you want? And do you want eggs, too?" Zeke walked over to Aisling, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, gently squeezing her close and burying his face in her neck. "Three waffles sound good. And eggs too." Zeke kissed softly and slowly down her neck and shoulder as he held her, wordlessly letting her know that he appreciated her and that he would always be here for her.

He was glad that he had left the engagement ring in his room last night. He hadn't planned on going to Aisling's house after everything happened, but he needed her after confronting that scared girl. It would have been hard to explain the ring had she found it in his pocket if he brought it. He didn't feel that it was the right time to do it yet. He wanted to have the best possible moment for her before he proposed. She deserved it.

{OOC: Oops accidently pressed submit}

Ash smiled as Zeke came up and wrapped his arms around her. She knew he would always be there for her, and she would always be there for him. She leaned back and leaned her head against his, appreciating him being there to comfort her. "Three waffles sound good. And eggs too." She turned to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Okie dokie. Are you feeling better?" The only thing she cared about was Zeke, her own terrors didn't concern her in the slightest. She'd learned to ignore the flashbacks, simply letting them come and go as they pleased. It terrified her at points, but it was Zeke she cared about.

Unwrapping her arms and instead choosing to put one hand in his as she popped three waffles into the toaster, listening with an open ear to everything he had to say as she always did.

Katie relaxed against the wall of her shower, letting her head lean backwards on its own volition. The steamy rain spewing from her shower head pummeled her mercilessly, as if it could somehow beat the memories of yesterday out of her. A few seconds later, she slumped to the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. All that could be heard was the sound of water hitting the hard tile surface and her own deep breathing.

After what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, Katie stood and finished washing herself. She scrubbed until her skin felt raw and tender. She turned the shower off and after securely tying the fluffy towel around her soaked body, proceeded to brush her teeth. For the next few minutes, she did everything robotically, practically detached. Her mind was too swamped, soul still back in that shop as she pondered what those men could possibly be looking for.

"Shit," she hissed when she glanced at the clock. No doubt, she had Alena waiting for her. With her hair still slightly damp, Katie ran a brush through it and tied it in a simple ponytail. She dressed in her normal fashion, grabbed her keys and jogged out. It didn't take her long to find Alena and she grinned sheepishly. "Hey, sorry about the wait. It's been interesting. Breakfast?"

Without even having to be asked, Katie hurried in the house, knowing that Alena would follow. She browsed through the kitchen, trying to figure out what she was going to make. Anything was good; it would be a welcome distraction. Without even thinking, Katie blurted out, "I was almost robbed yesterday." She thought about it for a second, talking fast as her nerves were still shot from last night. "Well, the shop was almost robbed." She turned to Alena. "So, umm...whatcha want for breakfast?"

After the flowers were arranged as wanted she took a seat down on the white porch stairs. Shutting her eyes she bathed in the warmth of the sun It's such a lovely day today, thinking so to herself she sighed, I wonder how Katie's going to ruin it. The thought to some might have sounded rude if heard, but it was the exact opposite. She was concerned of what she was going to hear from her friend, what ever the bad news was she knew it would have to be something extremely bad or wrong from the way she had been awaken this morning. Katie's voice wasn't as cheery as it should been, it was worried on the border of scared, and also Katie told her she needed to tell her something, what ever the thing was would obviously not be a good tale of heart warning quality, therefore putting a damper on the day.

Pulling out her cellphone she checked the time. It normally never takes Katie this long, I hope she's alright. Katie wasn't the type to be late, even if there was no time set it was like a mental knowledge that Katie knew when to be there. Alena had been a little worried before, but now it was growing more into concerned. Maybe she's just getting really dressed up, yeah. It takes an hour our two for most girls to get ready. Alena knew better than that when it came to Katie. She was a simple dresser, but extremely beautiful in her simple way, which was a reason Alena was find of her. Alena loved to be the center of attention and have all eyes on her and when she was with Katie she was never out shined.

Sighing as she was looking at the ground and played with her hair something moving out of the corner of her right eye caught her attention and made her look up. "Hey, girly!" Exclaiming so with a over exaggerated hand wave to her jogging friend. "You took to long!" "Hey, sorry about the wait. It's been interesting. Breakfast?" With her friend being closet she laughed, "You know I love your food!" As she talked Katie continued moving on into her home, "You know you're suppose to ask before entering my kingdom." Joking she laughed some more as she followed behind her into the house and shut the front door behind her.

Going into the kitchen she noticed the unsettling tension in the air, this was not a normal atmosphere when the two were together Must have something to do with her arrival. She didn't want to ask any questions until it was brought up by Katie so she just watched her get ready to start preparing the breakfast. "I was almost robbed yesterday." Alena's eyes grew big at the thought of her friend almost being robbed, she was speechless, something she rarely was. "Well, the shop was almost robbed." Alena didn't know how to react. She hated the thought of her friend almost being robbed, it was a horrible thought, but what did the robber want exactly? She could remember before the Foe's adopted her that she was on the run and had to steal money and even robbed places. This is sticky. "So, umm...whatcha want for breakfast?" "You are not changing the subject, missy! Tell me everything that happened!" To keep the moment less tense Alena stayed upbeat and curious, making sure she didn't seem worried about what had happened even though she was.

Zeke held Aisling's hand for a while, but let go so that she could cook with more ease, not wanting to hinder her at all. "Yeah, I'm feeling better. Thanks." He gave her a small smile, then debated whether or not he should tell Ash what had happened last night. He really wanted to, but at the same time he didn't think that it would be a very good idea. He was sure that since they let the girl go, his dad and brother would tell him not to say anything to anyone about it. But he told Aisling everything... But then again, they never let anyone go before now. Zeke resolved to stay quiet, taking his phone out to text his older brother.



Zeke put his phone away and looked at Ash as she cooked, a small smile on his face as he admired her.

Jason finished eating and was picking up laundry and cleaning the whole house. His father has had him doing so many things lately he never could get a chance to clean up. As Jason was putting the last load of clothes into the dryer his phone gave off a slight jingle, nothing extravagant. He took his Galaxy s4 out and unlocked the screen. He went into his messages and saw it was from Zeke.

From: Zeke


To: Zeke


Jason sighed and put his phone back into his pocket. He put both hands on the dryer and hung his head in between his shoulders. He had kept himself busy trying to get the girl out of his head. Nothing had worked. "Gah!" Jason in a rage punched the dryer leaving a very noticeable dent on the top.

Ash smiled as Zeke let her go. She put the finished waffles on a plate, but just the right amount of butter and syrup that she knew he liked, and set them in front of him. Looking in the fridge, completely ignoring the freezer's existence, she frowned as she realized there weren't any eggs. "Oh dear. It doesn't look like we have any eggs. I'll run by the store after work and pick some up, I'm sorry." She looked empathetically at Zeke, her gaze reading pure apology.

She looked at the clock and gasped as she realized she was already late for work. "Ah, I'm late! Katie is so going to kill me!" She kissed Zeke lightly and stole a bite of his waffles, giggling meniacly as she ran up the stairs, accidently tripping and banging her knee. She cursed, resuming her run which had turned in to sort of a hop as her knee stung and super quickly jumped in the shower. She washed as fast as she could and skipped out, sprinting to her closet and pulling out her tan miniskirt, white halter top, and brown wedges, her classic look. It showed off her scars, but at this point she didn't care. She was forced to deal with the memories, so she didn't care if they were shown to the world. It wouldn't make the memories hide of the scars were hidden.

She raced back down the stairs and gave Zeke a big hug goodbye. "Gimme a ring anytime, it'll save me from death by antique items! I'll see you later tonight!" She kissed his neck and ran out to her car, driving the few short blocks that would have taken her an hour to walk in her five inch high wedges. When she reached the store she ran up to the front, but stopped when she got to the door. Normally she would be the one unlocking the store because she was always the first one in, but when she got there, the door was wide open and the lock was smashed. Walking inside, she called out but no one answered. She saw items broken and drawers open and papers everywhere. She gasped and quickly pulled out her phone, texting Katie immediately.

[To:Katie Moretti]
[Someone broke in last night! Get here FAST! Are you okay?? Weren't you here last night????]

She breathed a deep breath and exited the store, not wanting to contaminate evidence or anything like that. Then, she texted Zeke as well. He was always the person she turned to.

[To: Zeke Lombardi]
[Oh my gosh! Someone broke in! Do you know anything about this??]

She had a sneaking suspicion that the Lombardi brothers had something to do with this. Usually that was the case when things happened in this town. She knew with all her heart that she would protect Zeke, but what if someone found out? Don't jump to conclusions, Ash. You don't even know it was him. It could have been anybody. She convinced herself of this over and over, taking out her phone again and dialing 911.

They sent police vehicles and all Ash could do was stand and wait until either Katie or Zeke responded to her texts. What on earth was going on here?

Without meaning to, Katie began pacing, biting her lower lip lightly and raking a somewhat shaky hand through her hair. She was beyond confused and still nervous and terrified. But the concerned look in Alena's eyes was a welcome sight. Despite how quiet or off she seemed to other people, she was a girl that loved family. After her Dad died, she spent almost a year in depression. Everything she did was done without emotion, a sense of detachment overwhelming any emotional instinct. The only real comfort she had - the only way she redeemed herself and learned to move on - was through Alena. They were sisters and Alena meant more to her than anything.

So, she told her everything. She explained about having to go outside. She told her about the delivery that never showed and the fact that her aunt was on vacation and left her in charge. Aisling didn't even know about that. She explained that she hadn't even realized anyone was in the shop, that it hadn't occured to her to simply lock the door because it was so late and there was no way in hell a delivery was going to happen. She had contemplated calling them today and just locking the place down. She told her about the guys and how she cowered like an idiot instead of using her resources.

"Damnit," Katie hissed and kicked the wall. Luckily, it wasn't hard enough to break anything and, to put on a brave front, she pretended as if that didn't hurt just a minute. She cut her eyes at Alena and shrugged. "I don't even know what they want. I mean, sure...it's an antique shop. Some of that stuff might be worth..." Katie did the math under her breath. "...possibly up to five thousand dollars, maybe more depending on what it was." She shrugged again, defeated and leaned against the wall while folding her arms over her chest. "However, something felt...premeditated...like there was something specific they were looking for and they chose that specific time to come. Or maybe I'm being paranoid - "

Her phone chimed with an incoming text and Katie unlocked her screen. Her eyes widened as she read Aisling's text and her eyes rose to Alena. She forgot about how she left everything last night. Things were on the floor, some broken. The front door was wide open. Poor Aisling probably thought something was wrong with her.

"Aisling's called the police. We gotta go." She raced for the door while texting Aisling that she was on her way.

After Aisling had left, Zeke had gotten dressed and made his way over to his house, where Jason was. "Hey, Jason? You here bro?" He heard a very loud bang, and he ran toward the sound. There, he found Jason in front of the dryer, and a large dent in the dryer. "Shit, Jase, you scared me. Mom's gonna be pissed that you put a dent in her dryer." Zeke went to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, sit down for a minute." He guided Jason over to the dining room table, pulling a chair out for Jason and sitting him down in it. He then sat in a chair across from him, looking at him. "What's going on man? That girl bothering you?" After a moment, he felt his phone go off and he saw a text from Aisling.



Zeke ran a hand through his hair. "Shit. Jason, Ash walked into work and found the broken window... She's starting to ask questions man." He looked to his older brother, an exasperated look on his face. "What do I tell her man?"

Ash paced back and forth in front of the store until the police arrived. Katie and her friend Alena arrived a few minutes afterwards. Aisling ran to Katie and grabbed her by the shoulders. "What happened? Are you okay? Were you here last night?" Aisling took her hands off Katie's shoulders with an apologetic glance. "Sorry. The police have been in and out for the past ten minutes," said Ash as she waved vaguely to the store. "Things are broken and we'll need to get a new lock, but nothing seems to be missing. Are you sure you're okay?"

Aisling checked her phone and bit her lip when she saw no new message from Zeke. She knew even if he didn't commit this crime that he must know something about it, but how was she going to protect him? By lying to the cops? She knew she was going to have to, and she didn't mind if it meant protecting the guy she loved. She sighed and turned back to Katie. "Come on, we better go see what's what."

Jason stared at his brother for a second then sat down. "What's going on man? That girl bothering you?" Jason put his head in his hand running his fingers through his hair. "Man, I don't know what to do! I keep seeing her eyes. I don't understand why. "

Zero looked at his phone while Jason stared at the table. "Shit. Jason, Ash walked into work and found the broken window... She's starting to ask questions man." Zeke's eyes were pleading. "What do I tell her man?"

"I don't know ,man. She'll be pissed if she finds out from someone else though." He said looking at his little brother. He really was in love with his girl. Jason was just happy that dispite all of the family's problems, he was able to find happiness. Jason knew if Zeke asked him to protect Ash he would. Just to keep insure Zeke would still have his future.

"Damnit," Katie was pretty pissed and it was obvious when she kicked the wall like and idiot. Alena knew it wasn't the best time, but she couldn't help but laugh at her friends stupidity at times. "Did that hurt?" As she asked she put her hand over her mouth to try to cal the laugh and all she receive was a sharp look and a shrug. "I don't even know what they want. I mean, sure...it's an antique shop. Some of that stuff might be worth..." She could hear the soft sound of numbers hustles under Katie's breath before she continued "...possibly up to five thousand dollars, maybe more depending on what it was."

She shrugged again, leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms. "You only cross you arms when you feel like you failed, Kitty Kat, it's not your fault-" With Katie's voice coming back in Alena let hers fade to nothing, whatever friend had to say was more important than her own. "However, something felt...premeditated...like there was something specific they were looking for and they chose that specific time to come. Or maybe I'm being paranoid - "

"Smart criminals stake out for days or even weeks. Like once I-" She quickly cut off before telling past memories of her own, Better watch it big mouth! "They might have been though... maybe you should start working somewhere else." She knew Katie loved her job, but she loved Katie and didn't want her anywhere near harms way, she couldn't loss her best friend.

When Katie's phone rang Alena watched her immediately check it, a text she assumed when all she did was read the screen. When Katie's eyes rose back to Alena she looked like a baby doe caught in headlights. "Aisling's called the police. We gotta go." As Katie rushed to the door she followed right behind her. "Why didn't you tell her too!"

There’s so much smoke. Too much, in fact, to be the common lingering type that would often hover in the air after the usual bonfires the local teenagers would have at night. It was disgusting, especially to a six-year-old. In fact, it was what awoke her. The stifling black clouds were coating her lungs with what felt like tar – and she couldn’t breathe. And when she opened her eyes, it was not to see the normal warm, comforting glow of her pink lava lamp, which had been a trust nightlight since she was four. It was not to see the glow-in-the-dark yellow stars that daddy had stuck to her ceiling, so that she could always see the sky.

It was to see nothing.

That was what scared her the most; her sudden inability to see. No, she wasn’t blind; it was the thickness of the smoke that caused it. But in the mind of a child, things are not always as clear as day.

“Mommy!”

There was no rushing figure. There were no comforting, familiar voices, as would occur when the doting parents of young Prescott were to hear their only daughter cry out in alarm or fear. No. The common reach of the young couple’s arms, who would rush to cradle the girl, did not appear through the thick smoke, which was tangible enough to cut with a butter knife; there were no soothing words, no comforting embrace, and no loving parents.

There was nothing.

“Daddy!”

A jolt and a gasp.

Prescott jerked in her bed, her fingers clenched against the pearl-colored bed-sheets beneath her, which were a tangled mess down around her legs. A single tear was making it's way down her right cheek, which pressed warmly against her feathered pillow.

Thank God she was alone.

Her hand moved as she sat up on the bed, wiping absently at the tear with the back of it, and she forced back a sniff.

Mancini's did not show weaknesses.

Mancini's did not cry.

"Stop it," she whispered, as a fresh swell of sorrow rose up, threatening to crash like a wave of pain inside of her. "Grow up, Prescott. Grow up and stop living like a little kid. It isn't 'proper' for you to break down in such a way, even in your sleep. You cannot disappoint Papa in such a way!"

It didn't do any good. It didn't banish the immense depression that had settled deep within her, and was a constant reminder of the emptiness. Oh, yes, she tried to fill it, but it was obviously never to any avail.

With a mental punch to herself, she moved lithely from the bed, years of gymnastics, ballet, and cheer-leading assisting in the easy movement of bed to closet, in merely one step.

A chirping sound caused her to glance idly at the iPhone that sat on the bedside table a few feet away from her.

"Dammit, Tyler, I thought I told you not to talk to me anymore," she muttered, glaring at the inanimate object, as though it had a mind of it's own and was trying to piss her off. "I hate you ... You ... Stalker!"

After entering her closet and dawning her outfit for the day, she made her way out of the room - making sure to toss her cell phone in her purse, and without looking at whoever texted her, might she add - and down to the entry room. With a brush in hand, she stopped before the large, gold-framed mirror that was cliche in many ways and in most rich people's homes, and made quick work with her hair. She normally left it down, so it was nothing out of the norm for her to brush it quickly and then allow it to do whatever it wished to.

Adding a dab of lip gloss, some swipes of mascara, and a bit of blush, she glanced at the clock that was reflected over her shoulder in the mirror.

Her instructor was due any minute, and she was not looking forward to this lesson.

The doorbell was like an echo of her discomfort in that moment.

I don't want to be here.

But it wasn't her choice.

Squaring her shoulders and inhaling deeply, she moved over to the door and opened it, plastering a false, bright smile on her lips. "Hello, Miss Vaudeaxun. I've been expecting you," she said, stepping back and to the side to allow the woman entrance to the mansion.

The elderly woman scoffed, making her way into the main parlor, where the family would often entertain guests.

"Sit. Ve shall start immediately," the German lady ordered, standing almost like a Nazi in World War II.

And then the conducting stick came out.

She didn't even use the stick to conduct. It was a weapon.

Not that she could complain to her Papa about it. He wouldn't do anything and would merely scold her for being 'weak'.

I don't want to be here ...

"Begin with Beethoven's Fifth."

A slight nod and her fingers were off, flying across the keys. The music echoed throughout most the large home, and was completely flawless.

Until she reached a Minor G and the abnormality rang loud and true to the fault.

The stick was brought down, smacking with a sickening slap against her right fingers. This blow even managed to break the skin across her middle knuckles. Prescott stifled a cry, tears springing to her eyes and a sob swallowing down.

And she continued to play.

When the woman finally left, Prescott sat, staring at her swollen, bleeding fingers with tears making slow trickles down her cheeks. "Bitch ..."

"I don't know ,man. She'll be pissed if she finds out from someone else though."

Zeke sighed and ran his hand through his hair, nibbling his lip as he stared at his phone, then he typed back a response to Aisling.



Zeke knew better than to tell her over text. Those things can be traced, read by the police. At the moment he just sounded like a concerned boyfriend. Hopefully she would understand. Zeke looked up at Jason, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Come with me to the store. Maybe we can get you some closure with this chick. I know dad wouldn't approve of you going back, but no one will suspect anything. I'm dating Aisling, and you're my big brother. You're there for more support for your family. It'll be fine. You ready to go now?" Zeke really hoped that Jason would come, and that this would help him instead of hurting him more.

Jason thought for a second then nodded his head. "Couldn't hurt, I guess. Dads mad and won't return my phone calls so I have nothing to do today." He stood up "Worse things could happen right?"

Jason was nervous about seeing the girl again, he was also nervous about seeing Ash. He didn't like it when she got mad.. Even though Ash seemed small and breakable he knew when she got mad everyone needed to clear the room. "Are you ready?' He asked his brother.

Zeke nodded and then walked out of the house, grabbing his car keys on the way. He got in the car and waited for Jason to get in before driving to the store, where he saw cop cars and the three girls. "Shit..." He mumbled under his breath, then parked the car on the other side of the street, then he got out. He turned to Jason when he got out of the car. "Do your best to act cool. I know this isn't our first time around cops, but this is the first time we let someone live and then came to visit them." He spoke in hushed tones as he said this. Zeke then gestured for his brother to come with him. "Let's do this."

Zeke walked with Jason over to Aisling, Alena, and Kaitie. He couldn't say that he had seen Alena before, at least not often enough to remember, but he remembered Kaitie from last night. Keeping an eye on his brother, he walked over to Ash and gently grabbed her hand and put a hand on her cheek. "Are you alright? Was there anyone here when you got here?" He knew there wasn't, but he needed to keep appearances up. He would tell Aisling all she wanted to know when they weren't around people.

Ash sighed, standing next to Katie as she talked things over with the police. The store would take at least a day to clean up and assess what they had, and Aisling sighed at the amount of work it would take. Definitely some late nights in the future. Suddenly her phoen chimed and she looked down, relieved to find a text from Zeke.

[From: Zeke Lombardi]
[Babe... We need to talk about this. I want you safe okay? Be careful. I'm coming over there, I'm gonna try to get Jason to come too.]

Ash narrowed her eyes at this, knowing that something was definitely going on. She hated it when Zeke got intro trouble like this, especially when he didn't tell her about it. She looked back up and it wasn't long before Zeke joined her. She put her hand on Katie's shoulder, "I'll be back to help clean in a bit,"

Zeke put a hand on her face and she squeezed his other one endearingly, turning her head so his hand cradled her cheek the way she liked it. "Are you alright? Was there anyone here when you got here?" She nodded, knowing he was only asking to keep up appearances. She would do everything she could to protect him and his brothers, especially in a situation like this where they could end up incarcerated. The idea of Zeke behind bars brought tears to her eyes, and she knew she would never let that happen. "I'm alright," she said at a good volume so it wouldn't look suspicious, "no, there wasn't anyone here. You didn't hear anything last night...did you?"

Jason walked up to the two. "Hey, Ash. Is there anything I could do?" He asked looking around for the mysterious girl. His eyes wondered until he found her. He took a deep breath, *She looks okay.* He closed his eyes for a minute and brought his attention back to Zeke and Aisling. *Do not keep looking at her.. You will freak her out.*

Every now and then he couldn't help but look at her. There was something about her that he was drawn too. Jason kept trying to focus on the two talking, but he couldn't remember a word they said. Katie's eyes still looked scared, yet they were angry. At the men who could have killed her or at herself he didn't know. He just got an overwhelming feeling like he had to protect her and save her from her fears.

Jason took another deep breath. Damn her, making him feel a way he has never felt before.