When I came too, my head was pounding like a bitch. My eyes struggled to focus on the ceiling. Cracks webbed out from smack dab in the center and some sort of substance was spattered directly above me. If I squinted hard enough I could make it out as-

"Looks like sleeping beauty has finally awoken from her eternal slumber."

The man from before stood in the doorway of the room. His face was shielded by shadows. I struggled to get up, to get away from him, but my body jerked. I glanced down and saw iron cuffs around my wrist, ankles, and waist. I also noticed that I was stripped down to my undies and bra. I tried again to get free, but it was all in vain.

"Come closer so I can strangle you, you pathetic psychopathic fucker."

The man stepped out from his curtain of darkness, his shoulders slightly trembling as he chuckled. "You certainly didn't get that tongue from your father."

I curled my lips and sneered at him, "I'm almost positive I didn't get it from the tooth fairy either. What the fuck is going on?"

Lines on his face deepened as his leathery face darkened. "One of my pupils has been temporarily lost, and while I wait for him to come back, I need a way to . . . practice my lessons. And you, darling, are the lucky monkey, and frankly," he shrugged, "I hate your family."

Looks like someones kuku for coco puffs.

"What the hell are you?"

The man sauntered over to a metal cart that was next to me, and picked up a scary looking turkey carver. "Some call me Picasso with a razor," his eyes held mine and rolled back to reveal milk white eyeballs. "But you can call me Alastair."

He's a demon. What the hell? There is no such thing as demons. Oh crap, this is probably the burger messing with me. I knew I shouldn't have left it out for three days. Maybe if I just- White hot pain flared up from my ribs to my collarbone. I bit my lip to keep from screaming out. The fucking little bitch sunk the knife into my side and glided it skillfully up to my shoulder, scrapping the bones of my ribs.

"You know, you don't seem like your fathers daughter."

Gritting my teeth, I rolled my head to glare at him, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, for starters, he would never ink his skin." The tip of his knife traced my a tattoo that curled along my waist. He started applying more pressure as he followed the intricate twists and turns, causing me to gasp in pain. "And he would never dye his hair." Alastair pressed his nose to my scalp and took in a breath. I didn't bother to waste my energy to uselessly try to get away from him. My lilac colored hair clung to my sweaty throat and tugged at my head painfully when I squirmed.

"What is your fascination with my dad about? I'm pretty sure he doesn't swing that way."

CRACK! Tears sprung to my eyes as he snapped my shin with his fingers. A piece of my bone protruded out from my split skin.

"Maybe you take after your mommy."

"Shut up and answer the goddamn question, you motherfucker." I hissed out. Alastair smiled, amused at my weak displays of will.

"For a mortal, your father was a hard egg to crack. Once he died, he was on the rack for quite awhile. I did everything to him, broke all the bones in his body, skinned him alive, even chopped off some limbs he wasn't going to use again. But he didn't lose it. He kept mumbling about getting out and not disappointing HER again." Alastair stripped off a strip of my skin from my side. Fire exploded throughout my right side of my body. But I held it in. "And I wondered, who could be so important to this pathetic creature that he would go through endless torture to see again. So I started asking. But all he would say was a name, Calla,"

My head jerked up.

"Calla, my sweet Calla, daddy won't miss another birthday again, he promised. It was such a . . . wasted act. No one gets out of Hell, its a one way ticket. But somehow he slipped right through the gates and BAM!" I heaved as he crushed one of my ribs. "He was free from the tight clutches of the pit. And I have been sort of searching for him ever since." I spat out blood and grinned at him."Well, your just a little too late amigo."

"Not quite, see," Alastair dug his fingers into the muscles of my side where he flayed the skin off. "I have you, and it would be interesting to see if you really are your fathers daughter or just a piece of shit." Swallowing down bile, I struggled to stay awake. "And what does your pupil have to do with me?" Alastair shrugged, "I'm pretty upset that he left and I just wanted to let my feelings out," he tossed a mallet lightly between his hands, like a child playing with his toy. "Because it is not healthy to bottle it up inside."

Then he swung.