Being home schooled sucked. Her parents didn't care enough to have gotten her a good teacher, so she was left with this strange alternative woman who believed that learning came from experiences and not sitting doing sums or whatever it is they do in real schools. Putting the bow down, Amethyst stretched out her arm. She'd been shooting arrows at targets all afternoon, with the promise that if she did really well, they'd head out to the hills in the morning to shoot some deer or something. So naturally, Am had been missing every single shot on purpose. As weird as it sounded for someone of her age, all she wanted to do was sit in a classroom and learn something boring for once. She had such a weird skill-set because of this woman; she had no idea how she'd survive in the real world. Throwing the bow down on the floor, she ignored the protests of the instructor and stormed out of the building. She was done with this.

"Mon dieu, is there no escaping this woman?" She asked herself as Ms Powers let herself out of the town car her father had given her as payment for her services. Looking at her, Ms Powers looked almost exactly the definition of a crazy cat lady. She'd clearly given up on caring about her looks around forty years ago if her crazy mane of grey hair was anything to go by. Her long skirts were some of the ugliest pieces of fashion that had ever entered the household, and that was saying something considering her mother's history with terrible couture.

"En Español hoy por favor" The older woman chided, wagging her finger at her. Am considered cursing her out in several different languages, but thought better of it. She'd just make her life hell tomorrow and take her out into the countryside despite failing to prove she could actually shoot the damn bow.

"I'd rather speak in English now the day is over."

"Did you not enjoy the lesson?" Enule She thought to herself as Ms Powers opened the car door.

"Of course, Ms Powers. I'm just tired from my lessons. Can we please go home now?" She smiled as sweetly as she could muster as she was ushered into the car, pretending not to notice the way Ms Powers double-checked the area before following her. It was the same any time they went out into Stilwater together. She had some idea what her father did for a living, even though he tried to keep it from her. She knew he worked with the gangs, and she knew he made a lot of money doing it. She didn't doubt that Ms Powers had a gun in her purse, curtesy of her father.

The only good part of her day was the fact that she was about to seriously wind him up. Dating older drove him wild, dating women made him even madder, but dating someone with gang colours? That made him seethe like nothing else could. Lately, it was the only way of getting any kind of conversation out of him. She'd gotten a belly ring and he'd barely flinched, so it had snowballed from there into a game of what could drive him up the wall the best. Messing with gang members was making him angrier than she could've ever hoped for.

Tyler's car came to a screeching halt at the bottom of the drive, making her look up from her book. The gaudy yellow of the vehicle was already making the neighbours twitch their curtains, and she could imagine her father stood in his office watching this guy climb out of the driver's seat. It wasn't like she'd be seeing him for much longer after tonight. They'd already been together a week and the game she was playing with her father was getting staler the longer this "relationship" continued. Closing the book and throwing it down, she checked that she'd put her fake id in her purse before pulling off her jumper. Another way to piss her father off was the way she dressed, and she made sure that she was showing as much skin as possible before practically skipping her way to the door.

Her father was coming down the stairs as she headed outside, frowning down at her. She turned for a moment, daring him to say something, but he just shook his head and ignored her. She hadn't done enough tonight to wind him up, and she was wishing she'd picked the other top. It was the middle of winter, and she could feel the temperature rapidly dropping as the evening drew closer. She wouldn't be surprised if it snowed for the first time that year.

Slamming the door behind her so her parents would both definitely hear her leave, she stormed over to Tyler's car, wrapping her arms around his neck. He attacked her lips with far too much force, one of his hands grabbing her ass and pulling her up to him. When he finally pulled away, he smirked.

"Babe, you'll never guess where we're going tonight." He opened the door for her, more out of obligation than him actually wanting to be a gentleman. She slid into the passenger seat and looked up at him through the open window.

"It better be good." She played with his shirt as she spoke, smiling coyly. Tyler liked street racing, so she had already assumed that he'd be taking her to one from the choice of car alone.

"Some people heard of a race going on tonight down in Chinatown. They say that it's gonna be huge." She let go of his shirt as he pulled away. Races were probably a lot more fun if you were driving in them, and seeing as she never knew anyone when she was left waiting for them to finish, she always found herself alone during them.

Getting out of the car, Tyler handed her a cigarette. There was a pretty big crowd tonight, and she figured this was probably the last race before the weather got too dangerous to put the event on. For people who spent all their time shooting at each other, they took their racing very seriously. They weren't representing their gangs here, they were here as individuals, all focused on their cars and what they could do. There were strict rules on picking fights, and for tonight, this car park would be the only safe area in Stilwater. She hopped up on the hood as she scanned the area. She recognised a couple of the racers from the other times she'd been brought along to these events, and she watched Tyler walk towards the main group as she lit the cigarette in her hand. Tucking her curls behind her ear, she cursed the strands of blonde hair that were falling into her face. She wished that she'd tied it up before she'd come out, the bitter wind blowing her hair into her eyes. The cigarette went out and she reached for her lighter once again.

From her position on the hood of the car, she could hear the conversation between the couple in the next spot over.

"Where's Johnny?"

"Fuck if I know, Dex. Like I keep tabs on him." The woman took a drag of her cigarette and turned to the man next to her. "He's a big boy, he can take care of himself."

"Do you know the shit Julius is having him-" The woman shushed him with a sudden wave of her hand.

"Are you fucking- Not. Here." Am risked another glance over her shoulder at the pair, and the woman was scowling at the man. The man was fidgeting like he wanted to say something else, but he seemed to know that she wouldn't be saying any more on the toipc.

"It's your funeral, Lin." He said eventually, slamming the door closed as he got out of the car.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The man, Dex, looked around towards Am and she turned her head away from the pair, taking a drag off of her own cigarette, pretending that she wasn't listening. She heard another door open, and the woman stepped out, following the man. She shrugged on a jacket as she made her way over to him, and he shuffled his feet, avoiding eye contact with her.

"If you guys want to fuck around with the Saints then-" He mumbled at the floor, but she shushed him again.

"Are you seriously trying to get us both fucking killed?" The Saints? What the hell was that? She thought to herself. She finished the cigarette and threw the end onto the floor. Lin was looking around, but it was only them and Am even close to the cars. Everyone else was too busy placing bets and drinking beer at the other end of the car park.

"I know they want to clean up the Row, but you're not even-"

"Dex, shut the fuck up." Lin opened the boot and pulled out a bag, throwing it at him and Am could see Tyler heading back over to her. Dex made a frustrated noise and walked toward the main group with the bag. Am hopped off the hood just as Tyler opened the door, ready to start the race.

"I can't believe you got your ass handed to you by that girl!" Someone shouted and Tyler growled again. He wouldn't hear the end of this for a long time. Am took a sip of the drink that was pressed into her hands and leaned into Tyler's side. He hadn't even come close to that woman; Lin. She'd left them all in the dust, and Tyler had lost a lot of money that night. She kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry babe, there's always next time." She whispered into his ear and he pushed her off of him. She shrugged and stood, unfazed by his behaviour. This wasn't the first time a guy had treated her like this, and it wouldn't be the last. Leaving him there to sulk, she made her way into the kitchen.

The house they were using for this party was clearly a safe house and not used to live in. The place was run down and desperately needed redecorating. The fridge door was almost hanging off, and she wondered why they had even bothered using it in the first place. Looking through the bottles that had been left out, she took a swig out of one, shrugging off the bitter taste and mixing up a drink with it.

"You ever bring your own booze to these things, or do you just bum off everyone else?" A voice said from behind her. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it. She had a feeling that she'd met the guy before at a party, but couldn't remember his name.

"My ID is good, but not that good." She turned to face him and he stepped toward her.

"How old are you?" He asked, and now she remembered who he was. They'd fucked a few months ago. She still didn't know his name though.

"Does it matter?" She asked, and he looked her up and down. Her age never mattered to any of them. She figured they knew that she was underage, but if they never talked about it, then they weren't doing anything wrong. He stepped toward her, pushing her into the counter. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a little bag filled with pills. She smiled and reached for her purse, slipping out a twenty and pressing it into his other hand. He tipped out two pills and offered her one. Swallowing it with a swig of her drink, she watched as he did the same. For a few moments, they just looked at each other. Then he grabbed her waist, trapping her against the counter.

"Tyler's gonna be pissed…" She whispered and he just nudged her legs apart with his knee, kissing her roughly.

She woke up to gunshots. Not that that wasn't normal to hear in Stilwater, but it was uncommon in this neighbourhood. Reaching out in the darkness, she tried to find Tyler, but he wasn't in the bed. Her head was much clearer than it had been when she'd passed out with him, and she could remember him driving her home, so that meant that that guy had sold her shitty drugs.

Slipping out of bed, she grabbed her dressing gown and tied it around herself as she crept to her bedroom door. It was ajar, and she could hear voices coming from downstairs. She could make out Tyler's voice, but she couldn't quite hear what he was saying from her position behind the door. She had a horrible feeling that something was wrong. Why were there men in her house, and why had she heard gunshots?

Her blood ran cold as she stepped out of her bedroom, as quietly as she possibly could.

As she approached her parent's room, her heart was beating a million miles an hour. She could hear a commotion downstairs and the voices got louder, which made her press against the wall, hoping that whoever was down there wouldn't see her. Opening the door, she peered into the room, able to make out the shapes of her parents in the bed. There was no sound from their bed, and she froze in her tracks.

Her father snored. Comically loud. She could hear it from the other side of the house at night, and that's how she knew that he'd come home when he went to do his work in the middle of the night.

But there was silence.

She rushed over to the bed, but it was too late. The blood was already soaking into the bed sheets, staining the pillows a deep red colour.

She stepped back, horrified. They were dead, she could see that much. The door opened behind her and she could hear footsteps. Arms slid around her waist, and Tyler tried to turn her around to face him. She looked up into his face, but she couldn't read the emotion in his eyes. She was still in shock, having to remind herself where she was and what was happening.

"Babe, come with me." He tugged her arm, trying to pull her to the door. She was still rooted to the floor, unable to move. "I'll protect you, babe. Just come with me."

She saw red. How dare they do this? How dare they come into her house and kill her parents? She might not like them, but they didn't deserve to be murdered in their sleep. Tyler was stood in front of her, still waiting for her answer, and that made her even more angry.

She didn't realise her hands had wrapped around his neck until he started clawing at her, trying to escape her grasp.

Adrenaline was coursing through her body, giving her strength that she didn't even know she had. She jerked his head, something she'd only ever seen in the movies and a sickening crack echoed through the room, surprising her.

He shuddered and fell to the floor with a loud thud as she let his body go. Stepping back, she stared at Tyler, trying to catch her breath. He was dead. She had killed him.

Voices snapped her out of her shock, and she remembered that there were still people downstairs. Glancing down at his body, she reached down for the gun attached to his belt. She'd used one before, but never at actual living targets.

She'd made up her mind as she decended the stairs. These guys needed to die for what they had done. She didn't even know why they were in her house. Her best guess would be something to do with the collection of expensive art that her father kept. It had been pretty obvious that she had money, so of course they would want to rob her.

There was one guy in the hall, and she shot without thinking. The bullet ripped through the front of his chest as he gurgled, choking on his own blood. He dropped to his knees, coughing. A sick, wet sound came out of his mouth as blood dripped onto the carpet, staining it a deep, dark red.

"Did you hear that?" A voice asked, and she heard footsteps approaching her. She shot again, almost blindly as a figure appeared from the kitchen. He stumbled backwards at the force of the bullet as it hit his shoulder. She backed off, emptying the gun into his chest. He fell, just like the last two had. Two more guys came out of the kitchen, and she quickly grabbed the guy's gun, hiding behind a cabinet. They had seen her though, and had obviously noticed the bodies. She peeked out and quickly shot another round, hitting one of the two men between the eyes. She closed her eyes and darted to the other side of the room, trying not to look at the way his skull exploded against the white walls of her living room. The last guy tried to grab her, forgetting that he had a gun on him. She ducked under his arm, and quickly turned around, shooting him in the back. He went down, and she shot him again to be sure that he was dead.

Falling to her knees, she took a shaky breath and counted to sixty. The men had all gone silent, and she slowly looked up at them.

The strange thing about the bodies was the stillness of them. She hadn't expected them to be so still. She didn't even feel bad about killing them. She felt a lot calmer than she had expected while she was actually doing it. In the movies people always made a huge fuss about killing a person, but she felt… Good. Better than a person who had just seen the dead bodies of their parents was probably supposed to feel.

Then she panicked. Someone will have heard the gunshots, and she wouldn't be surprised if the cops showed up soon. Running up the stairs, she threw on some clothes. Grabbing a bag she started frantically packing. Throwing as many jeans and hoodies in her bag as possible, she freed Tyler of his wallet and threw that into her bag. Picking up her backpack, she remembered the safe in the other room. Rushing into the office, she wrenched the door open, emptying the money into the bag in her hands. She could hear sirens in the distance, and froze in her tracks. She needed to hurry up before they got here. Stilwater might've had a corrupt police department and everybody knew that, but she doubted that there was much they could do for someone who had just murdered five people.

Practically jumping down the stairs, she ran back into the kitchen, taking the weapons and ammo from the corpses of the Vice Kings. She could see blue lights approaching the house, and her hand was trembling as she zipped up the backpack. She'd have to go out the back. Deciding to take their wallets for good measure, she stuffed them into her pockets and quietly slipped out of the backdoor.

The fence backed onto a field of overgrown bushes, and the police only seemed to be at the front of the house for now. She scrambled over the fence, ducking below the brush to be sure that she hadn't been seen.

Peeking out over the branches, she watched as a police officer approached the house. She took that as her cue to leave.

She ran off into the night, never looking back.