A/N: Hi!! Once again, I won't be surprised if you all lynch me for the delay of this update. I apologize, really, really I do!!! Just that last week all my term papers piled up and I wrote the equivalent of about 30 pages in that week!!! (One involved writing a science fiction original story, which I may post even tho there's more science in it that fiction cause it was for an assignment.) Plus regular homework, overbearing parents, typing over a part of this chapter cause it mysteriously disappeared (shoots look at guilty looking little brother…) I'll try to keep posting sooner, and try to make the chappies shorter to post earlier. I hate making u wait more than u do!!!!!! Sorry!!! * looks pleadingly for forgiveness*

By the way, have any of u seen the Matrix movie? Can u explain to me what the hell was going on???? Sorry, I'm not fluent in science fiction geek. (although I still loved the first movie and this one too)

In this chapter: A few confrontations, all involving Ginny, Draco, and Hermione. Hope its good.

Thanks to my readers:

B-Chan and Syaorons Angel: You'll find out how Draco actually feels about Ginny in this chapter. I actually don't read Dr/Ginny that much either, I like Dr/herm much better, and I've also read a really good Ginny/Tom scene, so that can be really good too. Never really read Hr/ Tom, and Hr/Snape I might find weird, yet perhaps intriguing? Don't know.

D/H fanatic: I kinda regret making Ron look so dense, he really isn't, and I actually planned on using that in a future chapter. Dr/Herm do discuss the whole thing w/ Ginny, u'll see. I agree, I am not forgetting the Herm/Dr angle, I planned on making it one of the most imp aspects of this fic! Will Ginny keep on becoming more and more evil? Or will she come to her senses? Read to find out! Thank u (and ur basilisk) for reading and caring about this story. You rock!

Very Interested Reader: I'm glad u like the Dr/Ginny angle so much, and u make a lot of good points, but there's one thing: the stories aren't finished yet, and only I know what's going to happen! I just wanted the Dr/Ginny thing to complicate his relationship w/ Hermione. As for the Dr/herm action in my other story, Fallen Angel, are you sure they'll end up together??? (Even I'm not sure at this moment, it's a lot more minor in the plot than in this story.) Anyways, I think the opposite things will happen between them in my two stories.

Also, I do agree that there are a lot of clear similarities between Eve in FA and Ginny, and I slightly regret that. I want my characters to be original, and the similarities were actually quite accidental. But, yeah, if I were reading both stories and not writing them, I'd say the same thing, like I was reading the same character in two diff stories. But, u also don't know how either of the stories will turn out, and actually, they'll be a few key differences, esp at the very end of both stories. I don't want to give anything away, but I can tell you that Ginny isn't as completely powerful (sigh, I can't deny Eve is a lot like a Mary-Sue, but if u only read 1 Mary Sue in ur whole life, let it be Fallen Angel, its why people attempt Mary Sues in the first place!!!lol) Also. Ginny won't be so strong in terms of character and willpower (I think her personality isn't really strong in the books so far)

As for Hary being related to the Weasleys: again, u'll see y in the future! There is a point! Also, I wanted to show that coincidences like Lily's red hair are never "just coincidences" in the Rowling universe. Thank you for reading!

Lucy: Thank you so much!

Trillium: Ron won't be so thick in future chapters. Yes, I love sneaky Draco, its what he's best at.  Oh! I found a possible origin for Crookshanks' name. (The perks of being an English major…) Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote his famous supernatural poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" based on a dream of his friend named Cruikshank. Also, Coleridge was born in a place called Ottery St. Mary, which echoes the address of the Durselys, Ottery St. Catchpole.

Sir-Writes-A-Lot: Yes! I did sneak in the last names of the actors in the hp movie. The first names of the two characters are those of my sisters, who both have a crush on them and were begging to be put in the story. Ah, creative license….Yes, I do have it all worked out, hope its original enough. Hope ur story is coming along well. Tell me when you post it.

Iarejedi: Thanks so much! I'm flattered. I'm trying to update as soon as possible, unfortunately, "as possible" is the part with problems….

ElfinChild: Yes, it would be scary, and I'm not sure if Ginny will end up w/Harry. Depends on how evil she gets….

JediAmoira: That's exactly how I wanted that chapter to be! Emotional and intense. I really, really, hope I'm getting better at this writing thing, hopefully Ill get good enough to make money out of it.

Note: I love how William Blake can be so short and sweet and still speak volumes. O love it when people do that. Once a group of writers made a little contest over who could write the most profound story in the fewest number of words. The winner was a chap called Hemingway. (Ever heard of him?) He wrote: For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never used.

All I can say is—wow.

The Sick Rose

O Rose, thou art sick.

The invisible worm

That flies in the night

In the howling storm

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy,

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

                        William Blake

Chapter Ten: The Sick Rose

            It was as if Ginny's face had frozen—locked into that look of horror and disbelief and indecision: she wanted to come near him and at the same time it seemed like she was too terrified to touch him.

            "Oh my God….Are you alright?" she whimpered, half in tears.

            Draco managed to get up, one hand still on his chest, and his hair tumbled all over his face. "I'm fine," he gasped.

            She finally collected enough courage to come near him.

            "Are you sure? Are you positive I didn't hurt you?"

            He gave a weak smile. "Don't flatter yourself."

            "What…What just happened?"

            "You now fully possess all your Slytherin powers. Congratulations. Welcome to the Dark Side," he said, although his tone had no congratulation or even any amusement.

            "Are you sure?" She repeated.

            "You just bewitched the very air itself to slowly choke the life out of me. Only the most advanced Dark Wizards can do anything remotely like that—and you did it unconsciously. So yeah, I'm pretty damn sure."

            "But…But when I tried to make it stop, I couldn't. I had to use my wand."

            "Maybe the only wandless magic you can perform is Dark Magic."

 She sat limply on his bed, trying to even begin to take it all in.

            "I can't believe I just did that," she whispered.

            "What, kill me? Don't worry about that. Knowing me, I suppose I have to get used to that."

            "No," she smiled. "I can't believe I almost slept with you."

            "Ah, that," he said, unperturbed. "I suppose I have to get used to people trying to do that to me as well."

            Ginny was shaking her head. "Honestly, I have no idea what's coming over me. I mean, I  never even kissed anyone before."

            "Yeah, right. Some of the stuff you pulled back there was the work of a seasoned professional."

She smiled. "I guess us Slytherins just have a natural talent for these things." She looked deeply into his eyes again.

 Draco looked away. Her shirt was still unbuttoned, her stockings still lying on the floor.   
"Do you always try to murder those you also want to seduce?"

"Only if I really like them," she said with a wry smile. But it quickly vanished at his silence. "So all that,…you just did all that to give me my powers, didn't you?"

"Well, that was the initial motive, yes."

"But you could have just gone along, let me have my way. I'm sure it would have been

an amazing conquest, bragging about how you shagged Slytherin's daughter, how she literally threw herself to you."

            "Yeah, I could have. And it probably would have worked at getting your powers just as well."

            "Then why didn't you?"

            "Honestly, I really appreciate the total confidence in my morals." But then he oddly closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. "And, I just couldn't do that to you, alright? Don't ask me why, but I couldn't hurt you like that."

            Ginny stared at him. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly. This came as a minor shock. Then he realized why—he had never been hugged by anyone before.

            "Thank you," she said, although her voice was a bit muffled. She looked up and smiled at him. "Thank you, for turning me on…for pissing me off…"

"Once you see the stuff you can do, I'm not sure you'll still want to thank me."

She shook her head. "I know everything's happening too fast, but I still mean what I said before."

"About what?"

"About wanting everything to do with you. What do you think about that?"

"I feel the same way."

"So you'll…?"

"No. I feel the same way about everything happening too fast. Way too fast."

She closed her eyes, squeezing out the tears. "What's wrong with that?" she gulped.

"I just don't know whether its me you want, or a consolation over your life being torn apart; or worse yet, a consolation over not being able to get who you really want."

She shook her head, "No, you can't still believe that I--"

"You said it yourself. You don't know what's going on with you. So maybe you should wait…until you do. Trust me—Malfoys are not the people you want to make mistakes with."

Ginny gave him a piercing stare that gradually chilled. "I guess not."

Draco looked down. "Maybe this whole—thing—was a mistake."

Suddenly she had the slightest hint of a smirk. "If mistakes feel that good, maybe I should make them more often." She looked up at him. "Don't worry. I'm really thankful, and I'm in your debt. Which is a good thing to have over the daughter of Salazar Slytherin." He chuckled softly at this. She went on. "What you did today…it was anything but a mistake."  She leaned in and gave him a slow kiss on the cheek, and then looked into his eyes, her hand resting on the side of his chin longer than it should have. She bit her lip. "I'd better go, then."

"Yeah, I think you should," he whispered hoarsely. She let go of him, grabbed her shoes and stockings with a bit of a smile, and walked out the door, but not before giving him one last look, the kind that stays with you after the person has left.

After she left, he let out a huge sigh. He just had a wildly hot encounter with Slytherin's daughter, nearly died, and then rejected her, all in minutes. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Jesus," he muttered.

                        _________________________________

The boys had already left Hermione's room leaving her wondering what in the name of Merlin they were possibly planning for tomorrow's trip to Hogsmeade. Then her wondering led her to a new, more intriguing topic: who the girl was in Draco's room. Almost immediately after the boys left she had rushed to the wall herself, ear pressed eagerly against the glass. Why she was doing this she had no idea: she knew it couldn't possibly be jealousy (of course not, hell would freeze over before that). Perhaps it was just a sort of morbid curiosity to see what girl had such  disgustingly awful taste.

Then the yelling had become so loud she scarcely needed the cup to hear anything. Draco must have been insulting her (how typical, she thought), and the girl was practically screaming for him to stop it. But when the walls started shaking, she backed away, frightened, holding her breath for something devastating to happen—but nothing did. The walls suddenly stopped moving as soon as they started. How odd, she thought. She remembered Draco's voice saying something about her parents, her family…And in an instant a horrible, awful thought popped in her head. 'No, it couldn't possibly be…No!' she denied. It couldn't have possibly been true, she felt ashamed for even considering it. 'Ginny liked people like Harry, and you couldn't get farther from Harry than Draco, I mean Malfoy,' she corrected herself. Ginny would never, ever…then again, the voice did sound remarkably familiar, she mused. 'No!' she screamed in her head. 'What kind of friend are you?' She thought, 'Don't you believe in her judgment at all?'

'No, I don't,' another voice nastily answered, 'Not after all that's happening with her.'

She hesitantly went to the wall again, and heard the door being opened. 'Bingo!' she thought. She ran to her own door, and opened it the tiniest crack to catch a glimpse of the mystery girl.

Her heart stopped. She couldn't see the face, but the hair was enough to give it away. She turned, and her worst fears were confirmed; she saw Ginny, her freckled face slightly ruddy and shiny with tears, and she was hastily buttoning up her shirt. Hermione closed the door slowly and stood with her back against the wall for a long while. She agonized over whether or not to tell Ron.

A sudden knock on the door made her heart seem to jump out of its ribcage. Dreading who it was, she opened the door very slowly.

It was Ginny, her arms crossed and her eyes slightly narrowed—she looked strikingly older and even a little dangerous.

"Ginny, is there something wrong?" she tried controlling her voice that was shaking quite uncontrollably.

"Cut the bullshit, Hermione. We both know what just happened. I don't appreciate being spied on." Oddly enough, Hermione found her so intimidating she felt like panicking. Why?

"I…I…" her nerve failed her—she knew she couldn't deny anything and sound credible. "Ginny, I won't tell Ron, I promise."

"You know what? I don't care. Go ahead and tell him. Go ahead. It doesn't matter anymore. It doesn't matter. Do you know why?"

 Hermione could barely speak. "Why?"

"Because for once in my life I'm going to do what I want to do, and not what my teachers want me to do, not what my brothers want me to do, not what my so-called parents want me to do."

"Ginny you're going to hurt yourself if you keep on acting like this. You're going to hurt those who love you."

"You know, I've realized that everybody I end up loving or falling in love with has never truly loved me back. And I'm sick of it."

"Ginny you know that's not true."

"It's not? Don't you think if they loved me, they'd love me enough to think I deserved to know the truth?"

"What about Ron, Ginny? He had no idea about all this, and he loves you so much."

Ginny tried choking back tears. Possibly hurting Ron would have been the only thing keeping her from doing anything—the only thing that would truly wrench her. "That's true. But I never said there wouldn't be any innocent victims. Look at what happened to me. However, unlike everybody else, I love him enough to not hide anything." She paused. "That's right. So if you're not going to tell him, I'm going to myself."

"But Ginny, he'll…I don't know what he'll do. Not to you, but to Malfoy..."

"I'm going to tell him that he helped me get my powers—and that's all."

"That's all?"

This time the tears dropped—she couldn't help it. "I told you. Everybody I care about never really loves me, remember?"

"So you and Malfoy….."

"No. Not anytime soon, anyway." She had a faraway look on her face. "Maybe I should stop caring about people. Then that way they'll care about me." 

"Oh Ginny--"

"But I can tell you one thing, Herm," she said, oddly smiling.

"What?"

"He's an amazing kisser. God, he just--"

Hermione held up a hand. "Ginny, spare me the gory details. I have a very passionate affliction for Malfoy. Just thinking about you and him…it's going to disturb my sleep."

Ginny's smile widened. "At least its passionate, whatever it is." Her smile turned even more wicked. "Even though I don't believe you."

"What, you think I fancy that disgusting, foul, pompous, self-absorbed--"

"Destructively hot…"

"Destructively hoooo……No!"

"C'mon, you were gonna say it, admit it."
            "No I wasn't you caught me off guard."

"No, I caught you in a Freudian slip."

"Listen, I have a boyfriend. What could I possibly find attractive in him? I absolutely hate Malfoy!"

"Then why were you so keen on spying on him?"

"The walls were shaking! I wanted to know what the hell was happening!"

"Oh, and I'm sure you weren't using that," Ginny said, pointing to the glass on the table. "You told me you were ordering one a few weeks ago, remember?"

Hermione was angrily silent for a while before she said, "I know his Death Eater initiations should be starting soon. So I wanted to get something on that awful git to get him in trouble. Stone me, why don't you?"

"Alright, Hermione. Whatever you say. I don't blame you actually, if you put it that way, especially all the crap he's put you guys through."

Hermione softened. "I'm sorry for what I said. You're old enough to do what you want, and you deserve to be with whoever you please." An odd silence followed. Hermione wondered if she should continue. "After what happened…Do you think you're going to be alright?"

Ginny smiled. "I've never been better."

            ___________________________________

Hermione was simply dumbfounded by the whole thing. At this time, she knew Ginny was very vulnerable—it would be the perfect time for a creep like Malfoy to take advantage of her. She wondered what he had in store for her in his evil, twisted little plans. She only knew it somehow involved him giving her powers (obviously), and making her fancy him; but then why would he reject her? Thinking about it all made her head hurt. She figured it would be no use for her to try and think like Malfoy. If only she could somehow find out…have him tell her…Yeah right, she might as well try to get Snape to adopt Neville.

Snape…potions…A light bulb flashed in her head. If she could somehow get Malfoy to drink a truth potion, if she asked him, he would have no choice but to tell her!

A wave of despondency came over her. The last thing she wanted was to go near Malfoy again. But Ginny's safety depended on it. She pulled out the tiny vial of Veriteserum from her desk, the one she had made in case of emergencies (she had acquired a lot of little potions and things for "just in case." She figured it was an inevitable side effect of being friends with Harry Potter.) 

Her mind was racing for ideas on how to trick Malfoy…she figured she could start now, go to his room, study him, on the pretense of being mad at him for being with Ginny.

But then another knock on the door made her jump, causing her to drop the vial.

                                    __________________________

"Who is it?" she breathlessly called out, while she bent over to pick the vial—fortunately it had fallen on the rug and hadn't broken. There was no answer, just another knock.

She took a few steps, opened the door and couldn't believe her eyes—fate had delivered Malfoy right to her doorstep. She was so shocked she slammed the door in his face, muffling his outcry of "Hey!"

The door opened by itself, and she saw that this time his smile had vanished, and that he clutched his wand in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Are you Gryffindors always this nice to visitors?"

"Only when they're evil dark wizards."

"Of course. In fact, I just came back from a nice ritual sacrifice of baby lambs. Perhaps you should come with me next time," he drawled as if he were inviting her to the governor's ball. Then his casual tone turned nasty. "I'm sure the Death-Eaters will have a spiffing good time with you."

Hermione stared at him, her teeth clenched. "I know where you were just now, and I also know about your sick ideas of what having a good time means."

"Spying on me, are you? I didn't know you cared." His smile instantly disappeared. "Actually, I did. And I came to warn you to stay out of other people's business."

"Ginny is my friend—therefore she is very much my own business. Stay away from her—she's had enough people take advantage of her."

"Or what? You'll unleash her big, strong brother on me? You know I could kill him in an instant, if I wanted to."

"Oh, are you simply waiting until graduation so you won't be expelled?"

"Yes, actually. But don't worry, he means too much to Ginny. So your boyfriend's safe."

"Stop pretending to care about her."

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that I just might not be pretending?"

"You never paid much attention to her before. And now that she's suddenly Slytherin's daughter, you so conveniently care about her. You can't wait to turn your charms on her."

"Actually, she couldn't wait to jump into bed with me. And yes, I could have done anything I wanted with her. But I didn't."

"Why not?"
            "Well, I don't know Ginny very well, but is it in her usual nature to barge into a room, rip her clothes off, and start snogging a boy she's barely even spoken to before?"

"No," then the slightest upward curl twisted her lips. "Usually there's two guys in there with her." She became serious. " No, of course not. Which means I don't believe a word you're saying. You probably tricked her into it somehow. I've noticed how you've asked Snape about love potions after classes."

His mind flashed back to the potion he had dropped to the floor in front of his father. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're a liar," she spat. "And don't think I won't tell Dumbledore. What happened right now with the walls shaking? You brought out her full powers, didn't you? I'm telling him you're up to something. I wouldn't be surprised if he expelled you for doing something he's been trying to prevent for years."

She had a point. " Listen, I had to do that to her, alright? Trust me, I don't want to hurt her, okay? In fact, I'm trying to do the opposite."
            "Stop insulting my intelligence. You're a bloody liar, and you know it. And you're going to pay for it."

"For once your intelligence has failed you, Granger. You're horribly mistaken, and its just too bad there's no way I can convince you."

She inwardly smiled. "Yes, there is. You could take a truth potion."

His eyes flashed. "No way. I'm not stupid."

"What are you hiding, Malfoy?"

"C'mon, Granger. Don't tell me you would take a Veritaserum potion with me asking you anything I want."

"I will if you will. We'll make it fair, you answer one question, I'll answer another one. If not, I'm going straight to Dumbledore and you'll have to try and save your ass in front of him."

She knew it was slightly crazy, then again, what did she have to hide from Malfoy? Dumbledore already knew everything about Harry, and she couldn't remember the last time she broke a major rule he'd be suspicious about.

            Draco had no idea what to do. The truth was, he was trying to save Ginny, and he did care for her. But he also knew too much about Voldemort's--and his father's—plans.  Then again, he would have to take a truth potion from Dumbledore, and he was much more likely to ask more probing questions about his father. Besides, he would be able to get some juicy secrets from Granger in the meantime.

            "Alright," he said, doubting his sanity. Sex, liquor, and death could really addle a person's brains, he thought.

            She took out the vial. "You first," she said. He grabbed it, dropped a few drops into his mouth, handed it to her. She did the same. She felt a strange sensation come over her mouth, somehow directly connecting it to her heart, as if clamping it open, waiting for everything to pour out once it had the chance.

            "What do you plan on doing with Ginny?"

            "I want to save her from Voldemort," he plainly said. Her mouth dropped open.

            "The night Sirius Black escaped, did you have anything to do with it?"

            Shit, she thought. "Yes," she murmured.

            "Ha! Looks like I'll be the one getting you expelled, Granger."

            She smiled. "He knows about it already." She fought to keep out the words 'It was his idea.' Instead, she said, "He didn't expel us because Sirius is innocent."

He was silent. She took advantage of the moment. "Do you love Ginny?"

            "No," he said, regretfully, "but I do care about her. I'm not sure why."

            " Cause she's Slytherin's daughter?"

            "That's part of the reason. The other part is I simply don't want to see her hurt more."

            This was all so strange to Hermione. He surprised her by asking, "Would you ever shag Weasley?"

            Her eyes widened and she blushed incredibly. "Not anytime soon, at least. Although I know I could easily fall in love with him." She was surprised at her own words, and let herself continue. "He's incredibly kind and sweet. And he makes me laugh." She took a deep breath. "And I know he'll never hurt me." She smiled, "So, in short, everything about him that's the exact opposite of you."

            He wasn't surprised. She said, smiling, "Alright, you're not the only person who can ask questions about love lives." He internally smiled—switching the topic of the questions away from Voldemort had hopefully worked. Good.

            "Malfoy….Are you a virgin?"

            Shit, not good. He closed his eyes, as if it would help him clench in the answer.

            "No, please don't make me answer that."

            "You have to." She smiled. "Are you a virgin?"

            "That's evil, that is."

            "Exactly. Well, are you?"

"Y-Yyess," he said through gritted teeth. She laughed out loud.

            He looked at her disdainfully. "Sorry, but not anyone is good enough for a Malfoy."

"It's just that I was sure you would have…you know…."

            He stared at her.  She became much more uncomfortable. "I mean all the Slytherin girls are insane over you…not too mention a substantial number of the girls in all the other houses,"

she said shiftily.

            "Even Gryffindor?"

            "Y-yes…I mean you are rich and mysterious and deceptively suave …and…and…attractive…to some at least," she murmured.

            An extremely narcissistic smile crossed his face. "Alright, now for my question."

            "No, you just asked me one. You asked if girls in Gryffindor fancy you, and I answered. Now its my turn."

            "But you asked two questions in a row. You asked if I love Ginny, then you asked if I care about her only because she's Slytherin's daughter: that's two. It's only fair I get two questions. And you know what I'm saying is true cause I'm saying it under the influence of this potion."

            "Alright. Go on, then."

            Obviously, he was relishing what he was about to ask. "Do you find me attractive?"

            Her brain was screaming to her lips, 'No!" but they wouldn't form the word. She gulped. "I…guess…so. It's your hair. I have a thing for blondes." 'And gray eyes. And muscles,' she thought, and wanted to slap herself.

            His smile was utterly unbearable. "Wait 'till I tell Weasley."

            "That doesn't mean anything, Malfoy. I would never in my right mind, ever, want to have to do anything with you. Just because I'm more inclined to have a physical attraction to blondes doesn't mean I like you in a romantic way." He froze for a split second, but covered it up.

            Now it was time for her revenge. "How do you really feel about me, Malfoy?"

            Uh oh, the one question he was dreading almost as much as a question about Voldemort's or his father's plans. His mouth was ready to spill everything—how he envied her intelligence, her work ethic, her loyalty, how beautiful he thought she was.

            "I know….I know you're more than just a Mudblood. And sometimes….sometimes I wish I had people I could rely on like the way Potter and Weasley have you," he choked out.

            Her face softened into a curious look of disbelief. She was silent— it was obviously not the answer she had expected.

Draco's cheeks were tinged with pink. "Can we stop with the questions, now?" She nodded, but distractedly. He wondered what she was thinking in reaction to her answer. He felt like his insides, which were squirming a second before, had completely vanished. Was she actually intrigued? The thought and all its consequences, was harrowing.

                        _____________________________________

            Ginny was crouching in the dark, a small lamp shaking in her hand. She was in the library, praying that Filch would not catch her—but this could not wait. She had to know for sure, immediately. Her fingers leafed through pages and pages of old daily prophets, about sixteen years old. She trailed her finger across various headlines, her eyes scanning the pages. Then all the motion in her brain halted, her heart seemed to skip a beat. She found what she was looking for.

                                    Charges Against Malfoy Family Cleared

            Accusations and charges that Lucius Malfoy had deliberately served You-Know-Who in the days of his power have officially been dropped. Malfoy contended that he had been acting under the infamous Imperius Curse, against his own will, and to prove that he has recently released a number of items previously belonging to You-Know-Who to the Ministry of Magic. The items, who are currently in possession of Albus Dumbledore, include….(her eyes scanned the long list of cursed items, deadly poisons, and such. Listed at the very end, she read: )

And finally, a one-of-a-kind TimeTurner once belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw herself, which has the ability to go back thousands of years.

            She tried fighting the tears, but this time nothing could be denied. It was true. Malfoy had been right. Suddenly her despair turned to anger, an anger that ran all throughout her like poison.

                                    ______________________________