A/N: Thank you everyone for the lovely comments about this! Glad to see that everyone else is enjoying this idea as much as me! Here's the chapter from Marianne's POV that you're waiting for and I know you will like this! Don't forget to review please!

Chapter 2

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Whacking her hand against her forehead, Violet Wings wondered what in the world had possessed her to kiss her mortal enemy. What the Hell was she thinking?! And secondly, where in the world did that even come from?

Groaning to herself, she lightly flapped her wings until she approached her secluded balcony. Landing on her feet, her wings folded into themselves as she walked up to the glass backdoor.

Resting her hand and forehead against the cool pane, Violet shook her head trying to get her thoughts in order.

Everything had been normal-ish. She was on patrol looking out for bad guys and she came across the worse one of all, and naturally engaged in battle with The Goblin. The only difference was that she really needed something to fight and seeing him only enflamed the fire in her blood because he was a man and she was currently pissed off at all of the male species. And while it would be frowned upon for someone of her hero status to beat up every man in her eyesight… she had to settle on those of the criminal persuasion. At least no one would bat an eye at them.

And, as a result, she broke one of her own rules: don't make it personal.

What kind of hero would allow their own personal issues get the best of them? None as far as she knew! Yet, one look at The Goblin and she saw red. To her own disgust, it wasn't even The Goblin she was fighting at first… but near the end…

No! Get back on track. You saw The Goblin and think! What was he up to?

Therein, laid the problem. So intently focused she was on the fight that she hardly noticed what the villain was doing. The hero was supposed to know these things! That's why she got into the hero work in the first place. She wanted to put an end to the crime in Midsummer City and give justice to those who were afraid to take a stand. And she allowed her own personal feelings to get mixed into the job that she had no idea if he stole something or kidnap someone or whatever.

Violet Wings failed.

And worse of all… she kissed him! She kissed The Goblin! What excuse did she have for doing that?

It was the adrenaline. Yes, that was it! She was feeling the high of a very good fight and having the satisfaction at finally knocking that slimy bastard on the ground flat out on his back. And he was helpless against her hold. His weapon was nowhere in reach and he didn't have his minions at his beck and call to get him out of this one. He was all hers. He was going to jail for the rest of his miserable existence because she had done it. She had captured him and saved Midsummer City from whatever evil plan he was cooking. She wanted to throw her head back and laugh victoriously at her win.

Then… something happened.

She had him pinned, her body was pressing against his scaly and sharp one, but she never had been this close before… In fact, his outfit wasn't as sharp or rough like she thought it would be. The Goblin's look was meant to inspire fear all right, and on some level, she knew the exterior of the exoskeleton look was part of his costume just like her wings were a part of hers. It maintained that illusion he was something different from the human race. However, she could feel the soft latex between her thighs and her hands too. She felt the rock hard planes of his chest and abdomen, and the muscles in his arms twitching as she squeezed them.

And his eyes…

They were that deep, bottomless pit of blackness and somehow she couldn't look away from their mesmerizing trance…

They were both panting out loud, not as harshly, but just enough to know that the other was also affected by that fight as well. And his mouth… that infuriating raspy voice with its foreign accent, always jumping from one to another and never staying on one for her to pinpoint its origin. He just had to open it and taunt her, daring her to do it.

Of course, he probably didn't mean "it" as what she did next. God, she didn't know what the Hell "it" was she wanted to do to him other than make sure she lock up that slimy scumbag for good. But her hands and body were moving on their fruition and before neither one knew what was happening… she was kissing him.

Not a peck or a condescending one or even a diversion… It was a full-blown hot and passionate kiss where teeth and tongue were involved and she was pretty sure she bit his lower lip before the sirens interrupted them, waking her up to the reality of the situation and the horror that she was making out with her arch-nemesis.

Of course she was stunned and mortified! She couldn't believe that it even happened, so she wasn't surprised when he seized the opportunity to escape from her. At this point… she didn't think she could go after him again. Not after what she did.

Oh my God… what was I thinking?!

With another groan, she smacked her forehead on the glass.

A second later the twin door opened and a blonde head popped out. Turning to see the hero in the midst of her self-deprecating mood, she let out a concerned gasp.

"Marianne! What are you doing?"

Wincing, Violet Wings looked up and sighed. "Hey Dawn. Look… I'll be inside in a moment. I just have to—"

"Oh no you're not! Come inside now." Taking the hero's arm, the girl led her inside the safe and warm confines of their home. She closed the door just as Violet pulled off her eye mask.

"There's a reason why I picked this apartment. No one can see the balcony so I can land there or…"

"Bang your head on the glass? Wanna tell me what happened?" Dawn asked.

"Um, well, you know—patrol was a little slow. Not much action out there." Marianne chuckled nervously as she walked to her bedroom. Slipping off the brown straps from her shoulders, Marianne held up her wings and hit the button on the outside where they met in the center for them to fold and detract into their own compartment. Now, the gigantic butterfly wings were a cube with straps attached. She touched the corner screw of the light-switch plate causing it to lift. Punching in the three digit code, the device activated her secret closet where she kept her Violet Wings costume and gear. She opened the drawer and set the cube next to her five spares. The tunic came off next and she hung it on a hanger, and her boots joined the other two pairs, and her sword and sheath was placed in its own drawer.

Leaving the leggings on for the moment, Marianne stepped out of the secret closet to grab her robe that was thrown over her desk chair and slipped it on. She turned to find Dawn leaning in the doorway, one hand on her hip.

"Slow, huh?" she repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah. Like I said. It was crazy slow." Marianne crossed over to her vanity and picked up her hairbrush to brush the wind-blown tendrils of her short, brown hair. She cringed at the couple of knots that already formed, but she got the rest of it tamed for the time being.

"If it was crazy slow, then how come you're looking kind of flushed?" Dawn teased, coming up to stand behind her. "Something did happen, didn't it? Come on now! Spill!"

A light pink blush stained Marianne's cheeks, which she hated. Blushing was not her style and yet she couldn't prevent it from stealing across her nose and down her neck. "Nothing happened Dawn. But if you must know… I had a run-in with The Goblin and he got away. Again. Happy?"

Dawn frowned. Usually, whenever her older sister spoke about her enemy, there was a lot more hand gestures and language that made her ears burn. However, she was rather subdued and downplayed the encounter like it had been nothing. Marianne didn't look like she gained any injuries so it couldn't have been that bad of a fight. But if The Goblin did something to her sister… Dawn's fists clenched as she bristled angrily, her fair brows knotted together.

"What did that awful Goblin do?"

While it was endearing Dawn would get protective over her, Marianne couldn't help the smile. Dawn wasn't exactly what you called "threatening" and even at her angriest… she wasn't scary.

Standing a few inches shorter than Marianne, Dawn was the epitome of the girly-girl: the perfect curled blonde hair, pert blue eyes, and a smile that could light up an entire room. She adored fashion and was always wearing the latest trends, and of course, she was boy-crazy. Not boy-crazy boy-crazy, but boy-crazy. Since puberty hit her, Dawn would get a lot of attention from the boys and she loved it. She loved the idea of being in love and everything it entailed from the flirting to the cutesy nicknames to the dating. Every couple of weeks she would have a new guy in her sights and as soon as he was reeled in… they would be together for a short time before Dawn would end it for another guy.

It was never malicious or to be mean. Dawn couldn't help herself. And pretty much none of her former "boyfriends" took it personally. Dawn was too likeable of a person, too sweet and kind and caring. No one could ever stay mad at her for long.

And now that she was going to college, Dawn couldn't decide which boy she liked more to even think about pursuing one in particular. So she had been lining up date after date each week to see who might be the lucky one.

Marianne had been hoping she would already be gone for one of her dates, but since that wasn't the case… she really didn't feel like talking about IT. And knowing Dawn and her lovesick ways… She would no doubtingly take it the wrong way and eww gross she was thinking of The Goblin in that way and it was not okay!

"He didn't do anything. I had him and he managed to escape. Really, Dawn, I'm fine. I'm one egg he can't crack." For her benefit, Marianne gave her a genuine smile to show all was well. "I did get some good punches in. I bet he's sporting a nasty bruise and probably thinking how he is going to avenge himself next time."

"Oh." Dawn relaxed, loosening her rigid stance. "I'm glad to hear it. Not about the avenging part because you're probably right about that, but that you did get him good. But I can tell something else is bothering you. What was he doing?"

"I'm not sure," Marianne admitted. "I was so focused on our fight… I didn't notice what he was doing in the first place. Hence the head banging."

"You're not perfect Marianne. People make mistakes."

"Yeah but heroes don't," she emphasized.

"Okay, so you didn't notice what your adversary was doing. Eventually he'll make it public and then you can kick his butt some more."

"Well, it might be too late at that point. But I'm going to find out what it was and make sure he pays for it. You can count on it!" To reiterate her point, Marianne slammed her fist into her opened palm.

"You know," Dawn said. "You don't have to be so hard on yourself. You know you're a great hero. Everyone in Midsummer City loves Violet Wings. Heck, Dad's a fan and he doesn't even know it's you! But you don't have to go at it all alone. It might be good if you took a break now and then, especially since you're beating yourself up over what happened with The Goblin—"

"No Dawn," Marianne interrupted. "You're not joining me on patrol. I told you already. Fighting crime isn't a game and it's not like the movies or what you see on TV. Besides, you have school and that comes first."

"You became Violet Wings after high school and you fought throughout college. How is that different?"

"Because I'm the oldest and I have more fighting experience than you. Remember, you were the one who wanted to take dance lessons instead of karate."

"But—" she started.

Marianne shook her head. "No 'buts' Dawn. Once you graduate, then maybe I'll consider it, but since this is my call—you will not patrol and that's final. Anyways, don't you have an exam tomorrow morning?"

Dawn groaned. "Don't remind me."

The elder girl smirked. "Go and study. I have to take a shower."

"Good. I was afraid you didn't realize how you were stinking up the place."

Marianne's jaw dropped in mock-anger. "Oh, am I? Maybe I won't. Crime fighting is a dirty job and what's the point in cleaning up when I'll have to do it all over again? Don't forget Dawn. If you decide to become a hero too, then this is what you will be expected to come home back as."

"You would like that, I bet," Dawn said, giggling. "But you have that very important meeting tomorrow with Bog King of Dark Forest, Inc. Dad called earlier while you were out to remind you about it. Eight o'clock sharp."

"Bog? Gah… my morning is already ruined. Thanks Dad," Marianne muttered. "Guess that shower is going to happen after all."

"And one more thing," Dawn said as she paused in the doorway. "Roland called too. He left a message on the machine. Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you guys? That engagement was called off really quickly—"

"I'll tell you one of these days, Dawn. I promise. Right now, I just want to get this grime off me."

The blonde wanted to say more but hearing the underlying plea in her sister's tone, she decided to keep her comments to herself. She trusted Marianne to tell her the truth, but she wished she wouldn't hold these things inside.

Meanwhile, as soon as Dawn left to her bedroom, Marianne closed her door and pressed her back to it as she closed her eyes painfully. She hated feeling like this. Like she was some weak-willed girl who hadn't had her heart broken before, but it was more than that… this was soul crushing. Dawn couldn't ever find out because if she knew, then that might make her look at all men the same way and she will never find one she could trust. Despite her flirtatious ways, Dawn was still very much an innocent and naïve about the real world. Marianne hoped college might open her up to what to expect, but everything was still sunshine and moonbeams to Dawn Fairwood and Marianne felt a little guilty that she sheltered her sister far more than she should have.

Unbeknownst to Dawn, Marianne harbored a good many secrets; some of which, she stumbled upon by accident. For one, Dawn never knew what really happened to their mother, but Marianne did. It was her first introduction to the adult world at the young age of five. Dawn had been three at the time and she was at home sick with their father, while Marianne and her mother went out to get Dawn medicine. They were leaving the pharmacy and were walking back when Marianne was grabbed and taken into an alley.

Immediately, her mother went after her kidnapper, but the guy had other plans. He only lured her mother because of her. He wanted her purse and the bag of groceries where Dawn's medicine was in. Looking back, he obviously had a drug problem as he was so pale and couldn't stop shaking even when he jabbed his gun into Marianne's side. Even the way he spoke was incomprehensible but his directions were loud and clear:

Hand them over.

Marianne's mother carefully and slowly removed her purse and set it on the ground; the grocery bag… the real prize, she kept clutched in her hand. She tried placating him, telling him she would buy whatever he wanted as long as she can take the medicine back to her sick daughter. She begged him to let Marianne go and that she promised she wouldn't call the police or report this, but the crook wouldn't hear of it. The purse was something additional—he wanted the meds.

At the time, Marianne's young mind couldn't process why he wanted Dawn's medicine so bad. Was he sick too and his mommy couldn't afford it? Her Mommy offered to help him so why wasn't he accepting it? But one thing for certain… Marianne knew he shouldn't take what was rightfully Dawn's.

His other hand was squeezing her shoulder and his fingers were awfully close for her to move her head and…

She bit his finger hard and felt a smug, giddy glee at the man's howling scream and then there was a loud bang. Marianne looked up in time to see her mother holding her stomach and collapsing.

The guy shoved Marianne and took off running, grabbing the grocery bag, leaving the child alone with her dying mother. Her wailing sobs and screams alerted some nearby passersby and the authorities were notified. But it was too late. Her mother died and Marianne was to blame. If she hadn't bit the guy… then he wouldn't have shot her mother and she would be alive. Even though, no one, including her father, ever said Marianne shouldn't have done what she did, she knew she was at fault. And if Dawn knew… she would blame herself for being sick that night. As it was, Dawn didn't remember much about their mother and so the official story for her was that Mom got into an accident.

After all, an accident couldn't inspire guilt. And it was easy for her father to explain it to Dawn since their mother's killer was never found. Yet, Marianne learned over the years that The Goblin controlled the underworld of the undesirables and criminals. Her mother's murderer sought protection from his "king" and it must have been good since no one had seen the man matching Marianne's description ever since. But Marianne wanted closure and as The Goblin was helping him… he was just as guilty too.

Thankfully, The Goblin was captured by Green Leaf a few years later; however, the eight-year-old felt robbed from enacting her own revenge. Yet, it didn't stop her from wanting to make sure she was never used again so people she cared for would never get hurt. Hence her relentless pursuit in sports and activities that would allow her to build up her self-defense and fighting skills. Her father never questioned it and only supported her interests because a child psychologist told him that it was the best outlet for her. Honestly, he didn't know what to make of Marianne's inexplicable need to fight, and since she was expressing it positively and not at school, he allowed it. Besides karate, Marianne engaged in kickboxing and fencing. The latter became her favorite and at eleven she mastered the use of a blade.

Of course, there wasn't much a pre-teen could do, especially with a curfew and a watchful father. So Marianne bided her time until she could make something of herself. It took some years, but her patience paid off in the long-run.

Her father's company, Light Fields, had been in the family for generations and was a successful electrical one. Their motto was to shine the brightest of lights to those in darkness and it had been doing that for at least the last three generations of Fairwoods. Now, that she was fourth to run the company, Marianne was exploring other alternative means of energy since electricity wasn't the only sole source to keep the world running. This was her baby project, and of course, that good for nothing, arrogant Bog King had to step in and ruin it with his own capital greed… but she was getting ahead of herself.

While the Light Fields Co. involved in providing electricity to those in Midsummer City and the surrounding regions, the company had branched out in other ways to stay afloat for as long as it has. Agriculture was another innovation of Light Fields' and their team of scientists and farmers worked side-by-side to improve growing crops and protecting them, especially in areas where winter is the harshest, to provide pesticide-free and nutritional foods for everyone, even in third-world countries. Stopping world hunger had been a passion of her late grandfather's and living during the Great Depression really was the motivator.

The point was… the company drew in young and brilliant minds. There was even an internship for high school juniors and seniors that would allow them to work with mentor scientists and researchers to learn the tools of the trade and scholarships would be awarded to those who prove to be exceptional.

Case in point, Sunny Elfin—Marianne and Dawn's best friend. If the former wanted to be honest, he was more Dawn's friend than hers, but they all got along and used to play together as children.

He was extremely smart and was good with building things, which made him a laughingstock among bullies, but generally, he had the last laugh outsmarting them. But it didn't help much that his name was part of the taunting's. Ironically, as his name suggested, Sunny was short for his age and always had been. He was barely past five feet and Dawn had at least two inches over him. However, that didn't matter to the three friends. Height had nothing to do with whom or what a person is but the character inside, and Sunny had a lot of character. He was honest, loyal, and kind and he could be a big goofball when he wanted to be. Bottom line, Sunny had a lot of potential to do well in life.

Unlike the Fairwoods, though, Sunny didn't have the means that they had growing up. His parents couldn't afford to send him to schools with programs that would allow his talents to nurture and grow. However, when he was a freshman he signed up for the internship, making him the youngest to apply. His parents weren't happy about it. His Dad was hoping Sunny would follow in his footsteps to become a plumber, but Sunny had other ideas. He wanted to work for the Fairwoods and contribute to the greater good with his inventions. Also, he had other personal reasons too, but he never disclosed them.

Anyways, Marianne knew how brilliant Sunny was and she knew her family's company would benefit from his ideas. Her father liked Sunny, even considered him as the son he never had, and welcomed him with open arms with the internship despite falling below the age requirement. And as to be expected, he took to his responsibilities as a fish in water, and began experimenting with various fibers and polymers. He wanted to design a net or a tent of some kind that would allow farmers to protect their crops in the winter by keeping the temperature acceptable for the crops to grow even when they were out of season. The idea was that time would eventually have no constraints over fruits and vegetables, and they could flourish whenever during the growing season without the weather being detrimental. This way food costs could stay low and there would not be a shortage if conditions get to be too bad.

It was a daunting task to take upon and even his mentor didn't think it was possible.

Regardless of the naysayers, Sunny worked on his project. In the end, he wasn't able to make it do what he wanted, but he found a sturdy blend of materials that would allow them to withstand strong winds and rain. So that counted for something, although it wasn't anything new.

"If someone wanted to build an older airplane or ship, then this would be a good quality for wings and sails," he joked one evening to the sisters. Then he added sadly, "Of course, it's not like there is a high demand for that these days."

But it woke something in Marianne. She had been toying with the idea for some time, but listening to Sunny described his first failure in the world of science… She knew this was perfect.

She went to his lab when he was alone and told him her idea. At first, he thought it was some kind of joke but he soon realized she was dead serious. And the more she talked about it… the more he became interested and even excited. Before she was done, he was already grabbing some blank papers and was sketching a design for her. Within minutes he had a plan to allow a person to take flight.

Naturally, like any great invention, the first prototype wasn't a success. Neither was the second or third. Sunny implemented the use of different designs and wing patterns that would allow Marianne to not only fly but also have control. He tried using simulations of different species of birds, but as soon as they were attached to a Marianne-sized mannequin… it would ultimately crash.

In the end, it was Dawn who came up with the solution. The three were hanging in a park, lying in the grass and staring at the clouds, when a butterfly flew over Dawn's face.

"Wouldn't it be cool to fly like one?" she commented casually.

And Sunny and Marianne knew they had it. With the structure and size of the wingspan, it was possible to make one with the enlarged measurements that would fit a human. Sunny was very meticulous to copy the prototype as if it was a butterfly with the same membranes and sections. When he finished, the flying motion test in the lab passed and when he tried it on the mannequin—it passed with flying colors.

Now that they had an official model, Sunny began the next phrase by adding additional wires and sensors that would allow the wings to read Marianne's body language so it would know how to respond in various flight patterns and while she was in combat. Again, it took some time before they found a solution and Marianne finally tested it herself.

The straps were modified to read the electrical impulses sent from Marianne's brain to her body so it was like the wings were an extension of herself. It took some time getting used to the foreign feeling, but Marianne became a quick natural as she dived and looped through the air. Once they had what they were looking for, Sunny put the final touches on the wings by painting them the deep violet color per Marianne's request. It had been her mother's favorite color and hers too. This way… all the bad guys would know who she was.

The rest of her costume was chosen based on the simplicity of acquiring it and she felt it tied in really well with the image she presented. As for her weapon of choice? It was obvious for Marianne it would have to be a sword, so she had one custom-made (anonymously) and it was a real beauty. It was light, not too heavy, with an easy to control grip that would allow her to fight on land and in the air. The design and pattern on the hilt had a vine and thorn-like appearance, which suited the rest of her outfit. The blade in itself wasn't too sharp like a Samurai's but just sharp enough to inflict enough pain to make a bad guy compliant. The last thing she wanted was for a criminal to be missing a limb or bleeding to death.

Afterwards, the hard part came her name. What should she call herself?

Sunny and Marianne had everything else figured out for her hero identity, but not the name. There was no way she was going to be called Fairy Girl (or Woman) and Butterfly Girl wasn't intimidating sounding. But Sunny, the genius that he is, thought why not choose the obvious? Her wings were violet so why not use the word as part of her name? Thus, after a year of conception, Violet Wings was born.

Marianne intended to keep her identity a secret from the rest of her family and friends (except Sunny since he helped her), but Sunny didn't like the idea that Dawn was kept in the dark. He insisted she should know since she inadvertently helped them with the wing design. Reluctantly, Marianne agreed. Not that she didn't trust her sister, but it was the fact that Dawn sometimes had a big mouth. To her surprise, Dawn kept her alter ego a secret and was ecstatic that her older sister was going to be a superhero. Apparently, this was no problem keeping quiet on, but finding and blurting out Marianne's crush on her classmate Steve was okay (especially when he already had a girlfriend).

Of course, Marianne's expediency to become Violet Wings also came about when The Goblin returned. It wasn't the same Goblin that was now imprisoned, but a younger and ambitious one. A dangerous combination in Marianne's opinion and she could only assume that this new Goblin had connections with the former one. In her mind, he was also just as guilty for shielding her mother's killer.

As soon as she was ready, Marianne set off as Violet Wings to show the rest of the world that while villains roamed the earth… heroes will also be there to stop them.

Her induction to the hero lifestyle was rewarding and frustrating at the same time. She found The Goblin robbing a bank and while he was quick to dismiss her… she proved to him that she was no foe to dismiss. It had been a good fight and she did get a few good licks in, but she made some mistakes too. The Goblin didn't realize it because she hid it well, but his staff did catch her a couple times and she had some good sized bruises on her hips and legs. It didn't help that he was antagonizing her too and she should have known he might try something to psyche her out. In the end, she realized he was messing with her by holding back. She was too, but that was beside the point. As the villain, he should have given it his all to teach her a lesson, but he hadn't.

Then he went ahead got away with that stupid smoke bomb, but she vowed that their next encounter would have different results.

Before she knew it, the years passed and she wasn't a step closer to bringing him to justice as he was with defeating her. Begrudgingly, she knew if he was arrested, there wouldn't be another person like him to challenge her. He was that good of a fighter and the other criminal masterminds couldn't compare. Perhaps, they both knew there would never be another opponent like the other so that was why she couldn't always catch him and he couldn't always destroy her.

Of course, that was stupid and silly and didn't make any sense for a hero and a villain to let the other be free purposely. But Marianne was determined to capture him and bring some closure to what happened to her mother. Maybe… just maybe… she would be able to let her guilt go free too.

On the other side, Marianne Fairwood wasn't just a superhero. She was CEO now after her father decided to retire. And one of the last things he did before handing the reins to her was to reach a working relationship with their competitor—Dark Forest, Inc. Why be rivals when they can work together as a team since they have the same goal in regards to alternative energy? her father had said and now she had no choice but to play nice.

But for what it was worth, she knew the CEO for Dark Forest wasn't thrilled with the partnership either. It was agreed by both boards and both CEOs had their hands tied over the matter.

So, why did she hate Bog King so much?

She met him while in college. He was seven years older than her, but he already had accomplished so much in his lifetime by creating the Dark Forest. She had to admit she admired his tenacity and his objective to find a way to stop biological warfare from taking so many casualties. Considering the state of this world, it wasn't too farfetched of a stretch to think that a terrorist group would actually unleash some virus or gas on unsuspected civilians.

Marianne hoped to score a meeting with him and actually strike a deal about both their companies possibly working together in the future. (This was irony in its finest as she would find out later on.) Her phone calls were unreturned and her emails ignored. Deciding to grab the bull by its horns, she made a trip to their headquarters to meet with Bog King personally. She told the secretary who she was and demanded to seek an audience with him. The woman, who was quite skittish, fled to her boss's office to tell him about Marianne. She could hear his curt response in his guttural tone that the secretary should "tell her to be a good little princess and take a hint and leave."

Well, that squashed any future ideas of working together. So before she left, Marianne made a point to barge into his office anyways, unscrewed the cap off her water bottle, and flung the water at his face. She gave him a satisfied smirk and retorted, "Thank you for not seeing me but I believe I have a horse and carriage to catch. Buh-bye!"

He clearly hadn't forgiven her for the impromptu shower she given him, but it was his fault for being a jerk. He should have learned proper manners if he didn't want to piss off the wrong person.

Since that moment onward, Bog and Marianne have gone out of their ways to make a mockery of the other person at social gatherings where they were attending. Of course, her father had to make it end by not bringing Marianne to these events. It was fine by her since it was usually boring, but their rivalry was still simmering and he was apparently waiting for that right moment to strike.

And he did right when she took over Light Fields and began making advancements in the field, and then he decided to join the bandwagon.

On top of that, she had to deal with Roland and what happened between them.

How did her life get to be so complicated?

Eventually, Marianne dragged herself into the shower. As she washed away her earlier fight, she felt the initial sadness become replaced with anger. How dare he call her? After what he had done?! The nerve of him to try and contact her and no doubt try to make nice.

Well… too bad. She wanted nothing to do with him.

Once her shower was done, Marianne changed into her pajamas and walked out into the kitchen to the answer machine. She clicked the "play" button, and before his sickeningly sweet Southern accent could be heard, Marianne hit "erase."

There, she thought with a smirk. At least I can delete you this way.

TBC…