Once the bodies had been cleared from the manor and everything was back to normal, I sat on my bed, and my father stood by my window.

"So how have you been the last two years?" Sebastian asked me.

"Not so good," I admitted. "I got lonely back home, so I started looking for you. I didn't think you'd be gone for two years."

"I'm sorry for leaving you for so long. Now that I know its you, Selena, I feel horrible about letting all of this happen. You were almost killed on my watch. Your mother would never forgive me for something like that."

I stood and walked over to my father, gazing out the window. I turned and hugged him. "I'm okay with that, because I forgive you. That's all that matters now."

My father hugged me back, smoothing the hair on the back of my head.

"I missed you," I said, tightening my grip around him. "And I'm sorry for leaving home when you had told me not to. I hated being all alone and so I left, trying to find you. Then those hunters saw my wings and starting hunting me, and-" my voice broke, and I cried with my head on his shoulder, like I had the day my mother was murdered.

Dad hugged me tighter and let me cry. Eventually, he pushed me away and looked me in the eyes. "They saw your wings?" he asked.

I nodded, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry, Daddy..." I mumbled, holding back more sobs.

"Did anything else happen?" he asked, and I could hear the concern in his voice.

I thought for a moment. "Some scientists saved me from hunters in exchange for me allowing them to experiment a little. And one of them had to remove some poison that her husband had put in my black wing-"

"Poison?" my father asked. "Scientists? Experiments?"

I nodded, looking back up at him. "But Maria was super nice to me. We're allies now. I can go back to her any time I need her help. And she promised me that she wouldn't share the results of her experiments with anyone else. And she kept me alive and removed the poison from my wing."

My father didn't say anything. He was lost in thought.

"I was glad to hear that you were the one that saved me a few night ago," I said.

He looked up and smiled. "I only wish it hadn't been you that needed saving."

I changed the subject. "Who helped me after the hunters came the first time? Who bandaged me and removed the bullets?"

"I was going to, because you were a half demon and I didn't know if you could maintain a human form while unconscious. But Mey-Rin insisted that she do it, to keep you from total embarrassment about a guy undressing you and taking bullets from your body. I wasn't going to fight with her logic, so she's the one that helped you. Why do you ask?"

I turned away from him and unbuttoned the top of my dress. I pulled it down far enough so he could see my wings. I extended the black one, while the white was still bandaged.

I heard my father walk toward me. He touched my black wing, like he used to when I was little, while mom had gently pet the white one.

He touched my angel wing, and pain shot through it. I instinctively tried to fold it up farther, but the bandage held it in place.

"I guess Mey-Rin can be trusted if she didn't tell anyone about my wings," I said through the pain.

"She's very trustworthy. She risked her life to help you today." My dad kept his hand on my angel wing, and I eventually got used to the pain from him keeping it out. I felt him removing the bandage, and I didn't fight him.

"Really?"

"She was outside your room with her gun."

These people care about me now, but when the rest of them find out, I'll be kicked to the curb. Ciel can't know that I'm his butler's daughter, or else I don't know what'll happen!

Suddenly, I felt him tugging on it, trying to get me to extend it. I felt another sharp pain, and pulled away, folding my wing back into place and pulling my dress back over them both.

"Dad!" I said, turning to face him.

He chuckled. "Forgive me. I thought that stretching it would help. Your mother always did that when her wings were sore."

"I do that too, Dad. But this is more than just a little cramp or strain. This is a bullet hole in my wing!"

"It'll heal," he reassured me. "I just thought stretching it out would help the pain go away faster. I'm only trying to help, Selena."

"Fine," I sighed. I took off the maid dress and was left in the underdress. It didn't have a back, which was perfect for relaxing in if I wanted to give my wings some space.

I turned my back to my father and spread my black wing with ease. I stretched my white wing halfway on my own, but then the pain became too much and I quit. Then Dad grabbed the tip and helped me stretch it to its full length.

I groaned in pain for a moment, and then I got used to the pain that was in it and was able to move it a little on my own.

"Wow, Dad. It worked!"

He smiled. "I have to go prepare dinner for the others now. Why don't you go and help Finnian in the garden again."

I saluted. "Yes, sir!" Then I quickly put the maid dress back on.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell Ciel."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

I smiled at him, and then quickly ran down to the garden.