May 2, 2006—

-10 years ago today the people I called mother and father became drunks.

5 years ago today my father started beating all 4 of us. My mother started beating me because of all the "attention" I received from my father. So I get double the beatings and triple the hate. And eight times the sadness and anger. 5 years ago yesterday my youngest brother died of pneumonia. My parents got angry and started blaming the four of us for it (even though it was their fault for letting him go in the snow barefoot) they beat my youngest sister to death 4 years ago, my older brother 2 years ago and my only other younger sister killed herself last year. Today, may 2nd, I had a child, and she died. My father was so angry that I got myself pregnant that he strangled her when we got home from the hospital. What he doesn't realize is that it was his "best friend's" baby. The second of any month, especially May, is my bad luck day…and Friday the 13th is my lucky day. Today my mother died of an overdose. My father put six sleeping pills into her bottle of vodka and she drank the whole thing. He laughed until the police came, then he acted innocent and actually cried! The only good thing left in my life is my video game. Kingdom Hearts. I lose myself in that game, I love it so much. Sometimes when the beatings are so bad I can't move afterwords I lay on my bed and pray that that world were real and there was a way for me to help Riku. He's the only "person" I truly love anymore. I haven't cried since my sister died and I haven't screamed out in pain since 8 and ½ months ago, when his best friend raped me. I have no one to love because no one loves me. I wear a mask at school and—

-sorry 'bout that….I have to go for now. Dad just had fun with me…I need to wash the cuts and bruises and then I'm going to rest…thanks for listening…goodnight.-

"Oh Shaler, come here!" screamed a drunk, male voice.

"That's not my name Dan." A teenage female voice rang like ice.

"Call me FATHER you ungrateful child!" Dan slapped the girl so hard she flew across the room and slammed into a glass cabinet that held wedding china. His burly figure crossed the room to her and stood menacingly in front of her. The girl looked at her reflection in one of the pieces of shattered glass by her leg. Her silver eyes were rimmed with red from lack of sleep and food. Her midnight hair had purple and blood red streaks and was going wherever it wanted. Her milky skinned face was cut and there was a bruise forming on her just visible cheekbone where Dan hit her.

"My name is Adrianna." She looked into Dan's eyes and saw a fire of hate.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'RE NAME IS!" fire streamed from his words. "I don't care about you! You!...I HATE YOU! You should have been dead a LONG time ago!" Dan charged at her and shoved her against the white wall as he punched her in the stomach and choked her until she was unconscious. But…it's Friday the 13th….what's going on?

"Is it alive?" A harsh male voice that seemed to quack penetrated the darkness of Adriana's world.

"Well, I duno…poke it with a stick!" The next voice was deeper, but more unintelligent.

"Don't poke her. That's not exactly nice." Said a kind boy…girl…?

"Can I eat it?" asked a very young female voice.

"NO!" Said the other….person.

As Adrianna forced her eyes to open the first thing she registered was a human face with deep blue eyes and spiky hair. "Oh my God."

"Who's God?" asked a small lion cub with green eyes.

"Oh my God."

"Are you okay?" Asked a Duck wearing a sailor suit.

"Oh my God."

"Ummmmmm." Said an awkward looking Dog.

"Oh my God."

"Who are you?" Asked the only other human there.

"Oh…my…GOD…" Adrianna stared at them in silence.

"How did you get so beat up?" the boy staring at her asked.

"They'll be fine in a few days. Nothing but scratches." She avoided his question. "You're Sora…and Donald and Goofy…and Simba's daughter?" Adrianna was in complete shock as she stared at the odd group.

"Um…yeah…how do you know all of us?" Sora asked.

"Well…in my world there's a video game about you guys. Oh my God….If you guys are real then…" She shot up and looked at the ground to hide her eyes. "Riku is real too…"She whispered in dismay. "Why, Why, WHY! Why couldn't he just kill me?! Why did he have to torture me by sending me here to have my heart broken by him!?" Adrianna screamed painfully.

"What are you talking about?" Sora looked completely confused about her entire rant.

"N…Nothing…don't worry about it…Hey, you think I could come back with you guys? Back to a hotel or something?" Adrianna asked shyly.

"Sure no prob. You can meet my girlfriend and my best friend too." Sora said carefree.

"What?...but…what?...I thought Riku wasn't found yet and Kairi was living her life trying to figure out who you were."

"Nope…we found them. I didn't know you knew them too!"

"Yeah…sort of." Adrianna said sadly. "Do you still have to fight the heartless and nobodies?"

"Yeah. But they've been really scarce lately."

"Oh…well…how long till we can go back to…where are you living?"

"The island. Actually we can go right now. I just have to drop off these two first."

"No problem." Adrianna wasn't paying all that my attention. She was more focused on standing up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Asked Goofy.

"Yeah. Positive. Don't worry your cute little head about it." Adrianna kissed Goofy's cheek and he blushed and laughed. As they left Adrianna stayed in the back and listened to the way the three in the front interacted in real life. As soon as they dropped Goofy and Donald off at the palace Adrianna spoke up. "Hey Sora?" She made him jump. He'd forgotten she was back there. "I need new clothes…but I don't have any money."

"Don't worry. You can shop with Kairi. We'll take care of it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll make Riku pay." Sora laughed but Adrianna simply went to the back and went to sleep, the sleep she so longed for.

When they got to the island Sora ran out of the ship into the awaiting arms of a tall redhead named Kairi. "Sora!" her voice dripped with love. A young man came to Sora and hugged him too.

"Good to have you back."

"There's someone I want you to meet." Sora turned back to the ship. "Adrianna!" Riku looked up confused and saw a young woman shorter than him, covered in bruises and cuts and bloody, torn clothes step into the light from the ship. Riku stepped forward and she stepped back a little with a scared, innocent look on her angelic, bloody face.

"Hello Kairi…Riku." Her voice was very strong. Stronger than what Riku assumed she would sound like.

"In her world there's a video game about us! So she knows us and what we've been through!" Kairi moved steadily towards Adrianna.

"Are you alright?" Her voice was sweet and compassionate.

"I'll be fine in a few days. These aren't the worst injuries I've woken up with. But I do need new clothes."

"Of course!" Kairi squealed and led Adrianna back onto the ship and sat in the cockpit with Sora.

Riku made his way to the back of the ship with Adrianna. "So…"His voice played deep, sweet notes in her mind. "How did you get all those cuts and bruises?"

"It's a long story." She tried to evade his question.

"I've got time." Riku's eyes bore into her.

"No you don't…we're here."

Riku looked up and saw Traverse Town below them. "Oh. Maybe if we have time later?"

"Maybe." As soon as they were on the ground Kairi grabbed Adrianna's hand and dragged her into a store filled with pink and baby blues. Sora nearly fell over laughing as he looked to see both Riku and Adrianna staring in disgust at all the girly things. "The pink…it buuurns!" Adrianna made her first real joke and Riku laughed.

"Oh…sorry." Kairi laughed too. "What do you like?"

"Chains and black." Kairi ran with her to yet another store and Adrianna immediately felt at home amidst the black clothing and metal. Adrianna wandered around the store with the boys following like puppies and ran into the dressing room to try everything on. In the end she walked out with five outfits plus the one she currently wore. Riku, Sora and Kairi all stared at her with gaping mouths. Adrianna wore a purple and black laced halter top corset, a tight black skirt with chains across it and slits to the top of her thighs and a black trench coat with many zippers and buttons and chains across the back that hugged her form until her waist, then it flared out around her legs. She accessorized with a black cross choker and black fishnet gloves that cut off at the middle of her finger and went up to her elbow. She wore boots to match the skirt that came up to her knees.

"Wow." Was all Riku could say as he stared at her.

"Now, is that a good wow or a bad one?" asked Adrianna.

"A good one." Sora answered for his dumb stricken friend.

"You really look good Adrianna! WOW! That top makes your 'D' boobs look like 'DD' and that skirt does your butt justice!" Kairi exclaimed making Adrianna blush at least five shades of red.

They went to the counter and purchased her new clothes and Adrianna didn't fail to notice that Riku was the one who paid for them. When they got outside Kairi linked arms with Adrianna and Sora talked to Riku quietly a few paces behind.

"NO!" Riku yelled angrily at his friend. Adrianna tuned her ears into what they were saying. "You CANNOT drag her into our problems." He lowered his voice.

"You seem worried and you've only known her for a half hour." Teased Sora.

"That doesn't matter. It's not right."

"I'll need weapons." They looked up to see Adrianna and Kairi facing them.

"Adrianna you don't have to take on our burdens." Riku sounded caring and it was all Adrianna could do not to cry.

"It's alright. It sounds fun."

"…Alright." Riku gave in quietly. When they walked out of the weapons shop Adrianna was stocked with a long sword, lots of knives with and without poison, and a foot long stick that turned into a four foot pole. They made their way into a forest to let her get a feel for her weapons and fighting abilities by fighting the heartless and nobodies that had accumulated there. While she fought Riku gazed on with a worried eye.

Kairi and Sora went to find something to eat and wait at the ship while Riku watched over her as Adrianna worked into her fifth hour of fighting. She had good form and knew how to fight. She didn't really need to practice but it was a safe way to take out her anger and frustration of the day and the past five years of her life. She knew she had fresh and dried blood on her face, knew that Riku watched her but it didn't matter. He didn't care anything for her and never would. That thought made her even more upset and fairly soon she dropped her weapons and started using a tree as her punching bag. "Adrianna! Adrianna!" Riku came up behind her and grabbed her arms keeping them at her chest. She dropped to her knees and Riku went to the front of her. "What's wrong?" He took her hands in his and looked at the mess she'd made of them. Adrianna couldn't look at him or answer him so she just gazed at the ground silently. Riku brought her to her feet and started to walk off with her. "Come on. Let's go back to the island so I can get you cleaned up."

"What happened?" Kairi asked as they walked towards the ship to leave.

"Nothing. Let's just go home." They left and Adrianna looked at Riku sadly. 'Thank you' she mouthed, not trusting the sound would completely flow through her pipes.

When they reached the island Riku dragged her to his room while Sora and Kairi went to theirs. Riku's room was attached to the house by a board walk that went out to a littler island with a small waterfall, and a natural hot spring. Beautiful flowers surrounded his house-like room and big luscious trees filled the island. "This is my room. It's a lot nicer out here. You can't hear those two making out." Riku smiled but soon it was lost in the seriousness of his tone. "There's a little pond of fresh water over here. Follow me." He led her to a stream made by the waterfall. Riku slowly peeled off Adrianna's bloody gloves and placed her hands in the stream. The bitter cold of it made Adrianna shiver and almost whimper in pain. After two minutes Riku pulled her hands out and poured salt over every cut. He tore a sleeve off of his own shirt and wet it in the stream. He held her chin firmly and wiped all the blood from her face. Adrianna didn't flinch even once. "How did you get so cut up? Please tell me?" Riku's voice pleaded. Adrianna looked at the ground so she wouldn't cry.

"I can't…not now…please?" Her voice shook in her whisper.

"Fine…but if you want to talk…I'll be waiting."