Prologue: Present. She longed to taste the crisp fresh air that she knew waited outside for her, but her fear of getting caught always overcame her urge to breath in that first clean breath. Clean hah! What did she know about clean? Her hands were stained red with blood and she knew no matter how hard she scrubbed at them it would never wash away. Funny how the freedom she longed for was no more than one door away. Courage was something she lacked. Shyla gently pulled the covers up to her chin to help calm her shivering body. He would come soon and then it would all start again. Another day filled with pain and more regrets then she could face. Or so she thought. Chapter One: Minds Eye Jarod sat silently watching his class as they finished their exam. This wasnÕt the first time that he had chosen to be a Professor and it wasnÕt going to be his last. He often found it rewarding to teach others rather than finding someone to punish. Not that he saw it as just punishing. He helped people find the truth as well as closure, something that Jarod knew he would never truly find. The Bell rang and his students dropped off the semi finished papers as they found the nearest exit. A few smiled and called out their, "Goodbye's" and "See you Monday" as they left. This wasn't one of his usual save the day and solve the crime week, no this was in a way a vacation for him. Jarod was just teaching and nothing else. He smiled as he sat back in his chair looking at the growing pile of papers he would need to grade before Monday. Yes this was the life he loved to enjoy. Two years ago. "Kill or be Killed. Why do you find it so hard to make this choice?" Lyle stared at the girl in front of him as if she were nothing more than a toy for him to play with. Which was exactly how he saw her. Sometimes he wanted nothing more than to throw her out and find someone else more appealing to spend his evenings with, but no matter how much he wanted to do it she could not be replaced. It wasn't that she was too difficult, it was the fact that she was such a scared wretched waste. Lyle hated fear it was the reason he had lost many chances to catch Jarod or better yet chances to pay people back for all they had done to him. Lyle had made it his personal goal to never let fear interfere ever again. Some people just never learned though. Shyla was the next best thing to Jared. She had all his smarts and all she ever did was sit in that damn corner and cry. "I give you the gun and tell you to make a choice. Kill the little boy or eat the bullet. Which do you choose?" Shyla felt her throat tighten as she tried hard to shout her answer, instead it came out as a croak. "Shoot myself." Lyle pulled back his hand and slapped her with such force that Shyla's body bounced against the wall and a crunching noise could be heard as bones broke. "You are a pathetic waste of time. Who is the boy to you? Why is he life worth more than yours? Listen to yourself!" Lyle shouted at Shyla as he pulled her to her feet. He ignored the cry of pain that came from the girl as he half pulled half dragged her into the other room. "Once again you failed, you remember what happens when you fail don't you." Lyle said it more as a statement then a question. One thing he had taught her so far was never to talk back. Lyle Chained her hands together and pushed her face forward against the wall. The back of her shirt ripped and hot fire burned her flesh. He beat her over and over again with the rope until she finally dropped to the floor unconscious. Lyle left her there and went into his kitchen to get a cold drink. Sooner or later he knew his hard work would pay off. Please R&R!