Aradia was asleep. Her room was not the best it could be. Paint was chipping off the walls and the only furniture she had was a bed and a small nightstand with three drawers. One door to the closet was warped and had been set aside, the hinges rusty. She couldn't afford to fix it up.

There was no one to help her fix up her house, or even to split the bills with. She was alone. Her mom, who had been sweet and caring, had died in a house fire. Right in front of Aradia's eyes.

Her dad, her horrible dad, had gotten what he deserved and was in jail. It was a life sentence for sexually and physically abusing his daughter. In Aradia's mind, there was no worse scum in this world.

In her dream, she saw fire. Not just any fire, but the one that had burned her mother to nothing but bones. Her bed creaked as she rolled and thrashed about. It was suprising the metal frame was still standing, given the nightmare beatings it received frequently.

Tears began streaming down from Aradia's grimy face and into her pillow. Lost in her dream, she could hear herself screaming out her mother's name and crawling desperately towards the still figure. There was blood pooling from a wound on her mother's head, where she had fallen and hit it against the edge of a counter.

Fire caught the edge of the little blue apron her mother had treasured so much, spreading quickly over the grease-stained fabric. Then the dark swallowed her as her six-year-old self passed out, and several years fast-forwarded.

Dirty hands groping at her, tearing through fabric. The sounds of her own harsh breath and hoarse screams through rough fabric. The accusations falling from her own father's lips as he commited the atrocity. Blaming her for his wife's death, blaming her for his drinking and gambling debts.

Her pillows hit the ground, followed by her blanket, thrown in a frenzy to get away from her dream molestor. A calm voice penetrated her mind, and her flailing stopped as she woke up. The horrible dream faded as her eyes, an almost rust-red brown opened to peer into calm green ones.

"Hush, child. You are fine. No one can hurt you now." The calm voice lulled any memory of the dream away.

"Kanaya?" Aradia asked in a shaky voice.

The Virgo nodded slowly, not once letting her eyes stray from Aradia's.

Aradia looked about her room, "How did you get in here?"

Aradia sat up slowly, taking in the mess she had made. She pinched her arm to ensure that she was, in fact, awake.

"You gave me a key, to assure that I may help you in emergencies." Kanaya said in a steady voice.

"Oh yeah.." Aradia said slowly.

She remembered when Kanaya had broken her door down one time to get into her room because she had been screaming during another nightmare episode. Not wanting her door or windows damaged, she had given the caring friend a key.

She slapped herself mentally for even thinking of a silly question like that. But she was half asleep so you couldn't really blame her.

Sighing, She asked, "So, why are you here?"

Kanaya sat on the edge of her bed, back straight and head up. Aradia always felt awkward next to such a nice and clean person.

"We are going to Gamzees. Equius told us to attend. I am sure you remember?" Kanaya said matter of factly.

She had paused in the middle of repainting her lip stick on. Now she continued, putting the pretty rose colored pink lipstick on. When she finished she stood in one graceful motion and waltzed out to the tacky living room that Aradia kept stuff she had found, or cherished, in.

Kanaya paused at the doorway, "Hurry now, we shouldn't be too late."

Aradia hopped up from bed and put on her cleanest outfit. Well, actually, it was her only outfit. Any of the others were child clothes that she had rd herself of long ago. Her long black skirt was torn as well as her black FOB T-shirt that Gamzee gave her as a gift.

A knee-length skirt that was meant to be white, but was now a stained color went next. She pulled her white-ish and red knee high socks up and quickly tied her gray converse on her feet last. Then she hurried from her room to the living room. Seeing that Kanaya wasn't there, she dashed out the front door.

"Ready!" She said breathlessly.

Kanaya silently scanned her clothing but held her tongue. "Perfect." Was the simple word she gave.

Then she dragged Aradia to her Black sport's car and they rode off.

Hey guys. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter in our fanfic.

-KillerAce