Don't have anything to say. But hopefully you enjoy. You needed an update but I had no idea what to write. This is a filler chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own VA. Just like playing around with RM'S world.

I looked ready to face down the world, an army of soldiers filled with bloodlust, anything that would get in my way in that second. Ironically enough, I was quivering inside, wondering how I could just walk into the institution and walk out like I owned the place, like nothing major was affecting my life in that moment. My feelings could rival the emotions of an extremely timid person walking naked in front of a stage that overlooked a large audience, or the emotions of someone being sent to war without knowledge of what was to find out in the battlefield.

"I can't do this," I whispered.

"Don't be afraid. I am right here for you." The person right beside me took hold of my hand. "Breathe in, breathe out. Regardless of how you feel, we are going to do this."

I held myself from looking at my companion with disbelief but I did ask a question that was laced with skepticism. "How can you be so ready for this? I thought with how close to death you were, I thought you would be trembling by my side, walking in this place with your mother by your side, holding her hand. You seem so not afraid."

"Well, if it helps, I am freaking peeing in my pants right now." Mira gave me a humorless smile. "Now, you have to hold my hand. I can't stand that freaking lady. I hate her with my life. You know how hard it was to give up my baby? I had the baby and I barely glanced at him when Andrea stole him right out of my hands, giving me a drink of water, urging me to drink. Then this mysterious nurse showed up, injecting me with I-have-no-clue-what and I passed out, almost dying, waking up days later to find Andrea had successfully taken away my son."

"Are you mad?"

"Do you really have to ask that? But yes—I am freaking pissed off! I am thinking about digging a hole and purposefully have Andrea fall inside. She took my life away. She freaking robbed the life away from me. And why? For my mother's money, for the money she never could have because she married the crackhead rapist. If he finally decides to kill her, I would not do anything to stop him. Perhaps I can call a ceasefire, because I cannot stand him either, but perhaps I can help him out."

"No. We can't think violent." I smiled. "I think all this vengeance calls for a trip to the chemistry lab. You don't know how many destructive things you can do by combing the elements."

"I was more preoccupied with flirting with the chemistry teacher than trying to learn the elements." Mira glanced at me curiously. "Do you think you can toss up something explosive, like a bomb?"

"Not a bomb. But I can make things explode."

"Sydney, I love your nerdiness."

"Nerdiness?"

"Intelligence, I mean. Sydney, you are so intelligent. If you manage to make Andrea's head explode, I will remain loving you."

"It is possible. . ." I let my words trail off as I reached the doors of the institution. Andrea stood like a mini devil behind the glass doors, waiting for us with a cruel smile.

"She reminds me of a bat, held back by the hands of dark. An oddly formed bat, that is for sure—"

"Agreed. Now, Sydney, I love this I-hate-and-can-destroy-everyone attitude of yours, but I don't think Andrea would be excited over you running your mouth about how much you dislike her. We have to play fake for our sake."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Yes, you can. Get over you uptight, religious ways for a second—you can be a mean person. You can't go through this life without having a backbone. Andrea needs a beating from your backbone. You are going to be a bitch to the munchkin demon that, as you mentioned, largely resembles a bat with a large ass head on a chicken drumstick body."

I released a series of softs laughed that quickly faded into silence as Mira opened the door for me. For a person that claimed everyone needed to be tough and mean, she was contradicting her own words by sending me off into the lion's den first. I entered, scared for my life.

"Sydney, I am glad you did not die," the words slithered out of the serpent's mouth. Andrea did not even acknowledge Mira, not even a look. In the end, everyone was your enemy, even family stabbed you in the back. I took Mira's advice. A person could not get far without a backbone, or being a pushover.

I took my stand in the world, resorting to that backbone I knew I had, acting as if Andrea had not said anything, as if Andrea did not exist, continuing in my path. Not for the first time, I was thankful of my gender; females possessed bitchiness, a natural bitchiness, a sometimes beautiful craziness that intimidated many. And judging by how red the bat turned, I knew she did not enjoy my "natural traits". Mira and I made it safely to the bedroom I had been assigned to when I had first been imprisoned in the institution.

"In a way, I am glad she did not explode. I am wearing a white shirt today; I would not want her staining my white blouse your mother gifted me with."

Mira covered her mouth, laughing. "No. That did not come out of your mouth! I knew there was a beastly girl in you!"

I gave her a small, sad smile. I had no one to rely on, and if I wasn't strong enough for myself, how the hell was I going to get through life?

It took about millisecond for the power I had been feeling to be replaced by awe and infinite love as I glanced around the room. The room was empty of my stuff (all of the institution's stuff was where it should have been). Daddy did this for us, so we did not have to do anything stressing for us. I touched my stomach as another round of love filled me up once more. Daddy does love us, I thought, speaking to my unborn child.

Adrian had promised me I would not do anything that had to do with manual labor and he had kept his promise. He promised he would take care of everything while I prepared myself to figuratively slap Andrea in the face.

"Wow, I can see the man loves you. Well, not just because of this—but I mean, I have this thing I can tell when people are being hypocrites. I always knew that bitch bat was as fake as. . .anything, I can't think of anything. But yeah. She is a freaking hypocrite—you understand how much I dislike her."

"You're not alone," I whispered.

Before I had time to add anything else the chicken drumstick and bat mutation burst into the room, eyes ablaze with anger.

"Sydney! How dare you walk into my home without acknowledging me? I am boss here and you do what I say. You stay here until you have the baby."

I was strangely calm, acting as if I were the day and she were the thunderstorm that ruined the peace of the day. "I am free, free to do as I please."

"Sydney, you have no permission to leave here."

"You have no permission to have me here," I threw back.

"Yes, I do. You signed the paper!"

"I never signed anything."

Andrea shut up. "You need to stay here. We will take care of your baby and you. We take care of people."

"Is that why you wanted to kill me?" Mira asked, calmer than I was in that moment. To come to think of it, I was not even calm. At all. I was ready to explode by all the anger that was consuming my insides, to do something harmful to Andrea. "Because you wanted to take care of me?"

"No, no, Mira, it was not like that—"

Mira shook her head. "The killing part does not really matter, but my baby—what did you do to him? I know how my mother feels, I know how she felt when you took my sister away and did away with her."

"Don't talk to me." Like a teenager drama queen who had gotten rejected by her crowd, Andrea turned to me, with nothing else to say to Mira, realizing I was easier to shove around. "You still stay here and be committed to your sperm donor, your baby's daddy."

"I am committed to my baby's father."

"No. I never see you around Trevor."

"I don't need to be around Trevor."

"You need to be around Trevor."

"I think not."

"I think so. He is the father of your baby, is he not?"

"Do you remember that man, that man that is always with me, with the greenest eyes? Yeah, you remember him. He is the father of my baby."

Andrea turned red; she was livid. "There is a reason why we assigned you to your original sperm donor! Your genes together are spectacular. With him, the guy you drag around—your baby is most likely going to be a drug addict, good for nothing."

"I have had enough of you!—"

I did not give Mira the chance to break free from the chains of her control because I reached out and put every last part of my willpower behind the slap I gave to Andrea's cheek. I gathered up my courage and told the woman words I had never used before. "No, you bitch! Shut the hell up! My baby is going to be successful! And beautiful! And he or she is going to be mine, just mine and Adrian's, not yours! You'll see."

"If you leave, you will never be free!"

I shrugged. "At least I will have my baby."

I pushed her away from me, dragging Mira along outside, outside to the free world.

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-Melissa