Blood.

Sticky and red; it's everything.

Life…

Death…

Everything in between courses through our veins.

That was how he remembered her, sticky and red but it was so very far from his first memory of her.

Jonathan had been sat in the study of the small cottage, waiting patiently for his father to return from tending to 'the others' as the young boy had come to call them.

The other Jonathan, his mirror in all but blood, and then there was the girl, the center piece of his father's experiment.

About her he knew little, her mother's name was Florence Hallow, her name had the word 'willing' marked on the page Jonathan had read, and beneath that was a question mark where her father's name was surely meant to be written. Besides that, his father never kept much information loose about the girl, but she existed, that was enough to annoy him.

Valentine had returned to the cabin as the sun began to fall and pull all the colors from the sky, Jonathan all but rushed to the door, falling short only as his eyes fell on an unfamiliar creature in his father's arms, a small ivory skinned girl with chocolate curls in a white, doll like dress, her eyes so big and bright and blue, they at once made him want to peel them from the sockets like an onion, layer by layer.

"Jonathan." Valentine smiled at the seven-year-old boy who just stood there, watching him. He set the tiny child before his son like you would place rabbit near a dog; curiously "I'd like you to meet your sister, Scarlett."

"Scarlett, this is your brother, Jonathan." Valentine took a step back, watching them both intently.

Jonathan sneered at the small girl, anger and jealousy bubbling to the surface, had his father brought her here to gloat about how she had succeeded at something where he had failed, to simply flaunt his affection for a child was not even his own; His eyes darkening to a harsh black.

All the while a smile curled at the corners of Scarlett's rosy lips, her head tilting slightly to the side as her small hand came to graze lightly over Jonathan's ebony gaze, soft fingers brushing against the arch of his brow as a simple, innocent word left the five-year-olds lips "pretty…"

The days passed and still, she remained at the cabin, continuing to annoy Jonathan because apparently, that was her goal in life.

The first day he'd woken up before the sun, the first sight that met him was bright blue doe like eyes watching him sleep. Scarlett's neck was now sporting a necklace of bruises from his reflex action.

Valentine had locked her in her room the coming night.

The second day Scarlett had broken two of Jonathan's beakers from his chemistry set. The sound of her screaming echoed through the cabin in the early hours, her hair had been twisted into tiny braids and tied to the headboard.

Valentine had treated Jonathan to three cracked ribs as Scarlett ate pancakes that morning.

The third day Scarlett had talked and talked, about how she'd learned thing Jonathan had known for years, asked how he did things, how did he throw his first punch? Did it hurt when their father beat him? Did he cry?

He'd almost struck her, only for his father to grip his wrist midair; Scarlett giggled.

It was the fourth day and Valentine had taken the two children outside to train "Jonathan, mind your foot work."

He almost kicked the boy's feet out from under him to correct his stance, then turned and knelt beside Scarlett "Now, Scarlett I want you to show your brother what we learned last week, can you do that for me?"

The alien gentleness in his father's voice made Jonathan squirm as the girl smiled, nodding eagerly "Yes Daddy."

Scarlett glanced down to her feet, making sure they were right before Jonathan took a step forward, only for her to punch him in the jaw, making the boy stumble back "wait, you never said we'd started."

"I shouldn't have to; do you think our enemies will warn you before an attack? No, always be prepared Jonathan, always be ready… Again."

The fair haired boy glared at Scarlett, waiting with her seemingly frail fists held up high… he hated her.

Jonathan took his stance and punched the child hard in the stomach with all the power his small frame possessed, sending her flying a few feet back, Valentine stood, waiting… after a moment the brown haired girl rushed back, jumping high and tackling Jonathan to the ground, pinning the boy until his fist smashed into her jaw, throwing her off him in the same punch.

Jonathan came to his feet to see Scarlett smiling, blood painting her pearly whites and making her seem almost forsaken "You left his arms loose, you should know better Scarlett. Again."

The fight continued until both children were almost spent, and the evening sky had begun to blend into a wash of colors. After they had cleaned up, their wounds treated, bloody clothes burned, Valentine had allowed them some time to work on their studies, Jonathan was sat in a large antique leather chair with an old text on angelic law, memorizing every word as Scarlett was huddled with a fluffy blanket on the hard oak floor, her back facing the unlit fire, mouthing the words she was trying so hard to read, but Jonathan didn't recognize the cover of the book "do you have to do that?"

"Do what?" Scarlett never pulled her baby blues from the page.

"Mumble, it's annoying!"

"Sorry, I'm still learning." She said it so innocently like she actually meant it. My god, he wanted nothing more than to slit the stupid brat's throat "Clearly, what are you even reading?"

"Charlotte's Web."

He didn't know it, hadn't been one of his father's he was sure "where did you get it?"

"A girl where I used to live. But daddy said I could keep it if I wasn't naughty anymore." Her eyes never left the book as she turned the page, thankfully understanding the next few words enough to not have to mumble them.

"Naughty?" the word struck a chord with Jonathan, ever since Scarlett had arrived she'd been nothing but perfect, the dutiful daughter, even now as she sat with her small body littered sore and bruised.

For the first time she looked up from the pages of her book, the blank stare she offered only making her seem like more of a porcelain doll "She was mean, called me names, so I was mean back… Daddy didn't like that."

That sparked his interest, putting the book aside for just a moment "what did you do to her?"

A dark smile that had no place on such a sweet, innocent face flickered into life as her bright blue eyes sparkled with a new sort of shine "not telling."

"Why not?"

"What do I get, if I tell?" Scarlett set aside her book and strolled over to Jonathan gleefully "Your tongue still in your head."

He watched the girl, her smug presence angering him more by the minute. Scarlett laughed with a shake of her head, making her chestnut curls bounce over so slightly "don't be silly, how about I tell you about Lucy if you give me a cuddle?"

"What?" her request was random and foreign to the boy, what exactly had Valentine be teaching the inane child.

"A cuddle; you know, a hug?"

"I know what a cuddle is. Why do you want one?"

Scarlett couldn't have seemed more innocent if she tried; big doe eyes and a small pout as she ground her toe into the rug with a light shrug "I just do. Please, Jonny, I promise it's a good story."

Jonathan sighed heavily with a roll of his opal green orbs and spoke through gritted teeth "fine and don't call me that."

He slid off the chair and stood before the small brunette, he watched her wearily, waiting for her to do… something. That is until his impatience wore out "well, let's get this over with!"

Scarlett took a small step forward, her skinny arms snaked around Jonathan's waist, while his remained still at his side.

It felt strange, he was still sore from the sparring earlier, but her touch was warm, soft… Scarlett nuzzled lightly into his chest, it was hard and bony, but warm as she squeezed him just a little "you have to cuddle me back!"

Jonathan's arms rose hesitantly before they closed around Scarlett. One hand found its way into her silky curls, the other resting between her shoulder blades. A warm feeling began to swell in Jonathan's chest, it was strange, it reminded him of that sensation he'd have on the few occasions his father would show him praise.

He wanted to sink into that feeling, be swallowed whole by it.

Then Scarlett pulled away, taking that feeling with her; leaving him cold and empty once more.

"Dinner is served…" Valentine spoke from the arch of the kitchen, watching his children as he dried his hands.

Scarlett headed for the kitchen but was pulled back slightly at Jonathan's deceivingly strong grip on her upper arm "You promised to tell me."

Scarlett rolled her eyes slightly before standing on the tips of her toes to whisper in her brother's ear "I left the head of her cat on her doorstep… and fed the rest to her dogs."

Jonathan couldn't fight back the smirk as Scarlett giggled with a bite of her thumb and skipping into the kitchen.

"Jonathan, what was all that about?" Valentine stood between his son and the kitchen, hands on hips as the fair haired boy did the something new for the first time in his young life; he lied to the man that had raised him "Nothing father."

On the sixth day, Valentine took his leave of the two children, it wasn't unexpected, in fact, the only reason he had stayed so long was to ensure Scarlett was settled in.

Jonathan stood on the front porch with Henry, a caramel skinned, standoffish man with black hair and jade tinted brown eyes. Henry would look after Jonathan during the times his father abandoned him for his non-children, he was trusted…

Jonathan suspected it was because the man had no tongue. He often wondered if his father had cut it out to ensure secrecy, or had Henry done it himself to prove loyalty.

Scarlett emerged from the cottage in one of her many bright pretty little dresses; her blue eyes scanned the three figures that turned to her "Scarlett…"

Valentine didn't have a chance to bid his adoptive child farewell as she strolled off, her face stone, perfectly porcelain once more as she wondering into the pasture.

Valentine watched her as he took a knee to meet his son's eye level, resting a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder "Jonathan, do you know why I brought Scarlett here?"

"She misbehaved" it was a simple answer, void of detail but still…

Valentine shook his head lightly, cold eyes warming in one of those rear moments as he caught his son's gaze fervidly "your sister has passion, unfortunately too much it would seem. She's driven by her emotions, and you my boy will teach her to control them. Protect her from herself. Can you do this?"

"I will father, I promise."

There it was, that proud smile that created such a fleeting feeling of joy. Still, Jonathan savored it, savored them all.

His father left without another word; left to tend to the other boy…

Jonathan headed out into the fields; it was far too easy to spot the dark curls and pink lace amongst the vibrant summer greenery.

"You didn't say goodbye."

"He'll come back, always does." Scarlett was absently picking at shards of grass.

Jonathan stood beside her; they could hear the rustle of the summer air against the trees and could slightly taste the sweet saltiness of Lake Lyn just beyond the woods, it was so quiet.

It wasn't gauche though, no, in fact, it was almost comforting… Jonathan had never felt actual comfort with another living creature, doubted he ever would, his father made him tense, always on his toes, his minions made him feel watched and weary.

He wasn't sure how Scarlett made him feel; jealous, annoyed, angry, confused.

He glanced down at the girl, so small and frail in appearance, like the perfect doll. Then he noticed the rise of her dress, the harsh red marks from where her fingernails had bit into the tender flesh.

Ice blue eyes met opal green orbs; Jonathan tilted his head ever so slightly in question; why had she done it? Did she need to be punished and father had failed to do so, that seemed unlikely, perhaps it was for the look of it, the bright rosy red against milky flesh was quite pretty.

Scarlett liked pretty things.

It was then they heard it, a low mewing coming from the edge of the wood, hidden by the long grass that boarded it.

Scarlett stood and took a step towards the sound "No, we're not supposed to go near the woods."

"Do you do everything you're told? Come on Jonny, I want to see." Her small hand grabbed his and if he'd wanted he could have very easily tugged her kicking and screaming back to the cabin, but he didn't.

Her words made his back ache from the still healing marks of his father's lesson, not two weeks prior; the perils of obedience.

So with that in mind, he followed her.

Scarlett stopped in her tracks at the image they found amongst the long grass, it was a dog, white and gray and unnaturally red.

"It's just a stupid dog; one of the wolves must have got it." Jonathan was instantly bored, the savage wolves leaving their scraps around wasn't anything new, what confused and almost shocked the boy was the quiet sobs not of the animal but of the five-year-old girl still clutching his hand.

Slowly her fingers slipped from Jonathan's as she fell to her knees beside the creature "poor thing…"

Jonathan watched Scarlett tenderly stroke at the blood mattered fur, tears pouring from her eyes and making the blue sparkle. The blonde boy was very puzzled by her reaction; why did she care? Hadn't she gleefully whispered the night before of her own cruel acts towards animals? Why was this random stray mutt any different?

"Jonathan… he's hurting."

"So, let's go back." What Jonathan hadn't expected with his icy words was Scarlett's quick hand stinging across his cheek.

"Don't be so mean!"

Jonathan's hand gripped her small already bruised neck and lifted her slightly from the floor, his eyes black coal "if father hadn't made me promise to help you, I'd snap your neck like a twig. What do you even care about some mutt?"

Scarlett's small blunt nails bit angrily into the skin of her brother's wrist, drawing blood as she twists it, forcing his grip to lack and an ever so quiet wince from the boy as her small body fell, the soft grass thankfully cushioning her knees. Jonathan, his eyes still black, was about to rip her jaw from her skull when he saw her own eyes looking back at him. Gone was that sparkling blue and in their place was a glittering silver and gold, the whites of her eyes washed over with a familiar blackness "it's pointless… they didn't eat him, can't turn him, it's not even like they did it for fun, they did it because they could… he's dying, in so much pain and it means nothing and that's not fair!"

Black faded to green as he watched her sob almost violently; he understood why it upset her now, the pointlessness of the creature's pain. Jonathan couldn't find it in him to give a damn about it but something at the sight of the annoying girl tugged at him.

*SNAP*

The sound echoed through the dry summer breeze and forced Scarlett's head spin round. Her tear washed baby blues found Jonathan stood with a booted foot still pressed against the dog's neck, it's pleading over as his head twisted unnaturally where the boy had snapped its neck.

Jonathan was stone faced, his head tilting slightly as he turned to his meet his sisters gaze "better?"

Scarlett stood all too mechanically, taking slow steps towards the blond haired boy and Jonathan wasn't sure if she would slap him again.

What he didn't expect was for her to stand on the tips of her toes and lay a small, ghost of a kiss that tingled against his cheek. Jonathan stood shell shocked before looking her in the eye for some sort of explanation.

She just smiled sweetly, tear tracks drying on her rosy cheeks, eyes glittering blue… then she pushed him "you're it! First one back's a rotten egg!"

It was annoyed anger that replaced the curiosity as Jonathan picked himself up from the mud and growled, following after pink lace and chocolate curls "Who do you think you're pushing? I'm going to gut you!"

"Got to catch me first!"

Yes, Jonathan defiantly hated Scarlett