August of 1924. Sicily, Italy.

"You must speak to Barnabas at once. This is not an option, Benedict. If you wait to be sought out for your misdeeds, both Karina and yourself will suffer for it."

Benedict Rosselini looks to the ghoul, expression sullen and petulant as he swirls the liquid in his half empty glass. "Who is to say they would come seek us out at all?"

Vincenzo scowls at the man. "To think you can avoid punishment is to portray yourself as a fool. Admit your crime to the Anziani, and perhaps your daughter can escape impending destruction."

Benedict finishes his drink as Vincenzo's last statement seems to catch his attention. "Bene. I will go." He places his glass onto the table. "And what if they come after Karina? If they come into my home and try to take her? Will you protect her, old man?"

The ghoul's voice is hard and certain as he meets the Kindred's eyes with an unwavering gaze. "I will defend Karina with my life, not because you request it of me, but because she is an innocent in this plague of immorality." The two gentleman continue to stare each other down, at an impasse. After several moments, the younger appearing of the pair turns on his heel and stalks from the room.

Vincenzo's voice echoes down the hallway, his tone authoritative and instructive. Karina's voice responds, tentatively. In one of the mansion's rooms, the ghoul teaches the basics of Necromancy to the freshly sired young vampire. Noting the girl's trepidation, Vincenzo turns to the manifested wraith before them. "Marietta, you may leave." He puts his hand on Karina's shoulder, looking down at the young girl. "I think we need a recess."

Karina turns her gaze to the ghoul, expression grateful as she sinks down into the nearest chair. "Grazie, Vincenzo." She says in a weary voice, as her mother's spirit un-manifests, disappearing from Karina's view, into the Shadowlands.

The old man seats himself across from Karina, his attention focused on her. "It is still difficult for you?"

She nods, primly crossing her hands in her lap. "It is not physically difficult." She drops her gaze to her folded hands. "It is difficult to see her. My mother, with what I did to her."

Unseen by the young girl, Vincenzo's face appears almost angry. "You did what comes natural for what you are, now. And your mother was a..." he bites his comment off as her blue eyes meet his. "You will grow accustomed to it. The feeding, your power, it will take time."

Karina rises from her chair, her youthful visage already reflecting austerity beyond her years. She walks over to the window, glancing at her reflection, rather at the view of the grounds shrouded in darkness. "What will happen to Papa?"

Vincenzo remains seated, responding almost formally. "Benedict violated a decree in the most severe manner. He will be punished in a manner equivalent to the severity of his crime."

Karina drops her gaze to her feet, turning her head to keep her doleful expression from the ghoul's view. "And what will happen to the product of his transgression?"

Vincenzo frowns, reflecting on his earlier conversation with her father. He hesitates in his response. "Non mentire a me, Vincenzo."

The old man sighs, standing to join Karina at the window. "If the Anziani decide so, you will be destroyed." The young girl's shoulders sag. She keeps silent, but her expression seems to harden. Vincenzo places his hands on her forearms, gently turn her to face him. He doesn't command her attention, he simply waits for her eyes to meet his. "Do not think on it, Miss Karina. We will see you become a powerful Necromancer, deserving of respect. We will allow nothing to impede your potential."

Karina's blue eyes stare up at the ghoul. "I'm just a child."

He places a hand to her cheek. "No, signorina. Non mai più."

Placing her hand over his, Karina's expression changes slightly. Feeling the warmth of the ghoul's flesh, the light pulse of blood through veins, she pulls away abruptly. Pressing her lips together, she turns away from Vincenzo without a word. Ever vigilant, Vincenzo notices her behavior and moves to remove his suit jacket from the back of a chair, slipping it on. "Come, Miss Karina. It would be detrimental to us both, should you refrain from feeding any longer."

Unseen, Karina expression is one of revulsion. "I would prefer to go on my own, if I must."

The ghoul opens his mouth to refuse, before thinking better of it. His response sounds stiff. "If that is your intention."

"I will be prudent, Vincenzo." Karina notes his obvious misgivings. "Are you opposed to my request?"

"I am opposed to the possibility of you being in danger. However, I do not wish to hinder your independence."

Karina nods, and for a moment the ghoul seems relieved. She rises onto her toes to graze his weathered cheek with a kiss. "I will return before dawn." Before Vincenzo can remark, she is out of the room. He stands at the window for a few minutes, a concerned expression on his face as he watches Karina exit the house.

Within an hour, the young girl is walking quietly through the darkened streets of Modica. The hour is late, and the avenue is deserted save for the random late night wanderer. Karina keeps her head down, attempting to be as innocuous as an unattended young girl can be at this time of night. Her blue eyes dart back and forth, her expression torn between hunger and unease as she searches for a victim. With each passing Kine, she tenses, her beast clawing at her frail control. Just the same, each Kine passes by unscathed. Her brow furrows as she grows more and more distraught. Managing to fight down her hunger, she changes her route, commencing the trek back to her home. She crosses a collection of empty, run down apartments. Passing a shadowed alleyway, the young girl is yanked off her feet and dragged between buildings. A dirty hand covers her mouth, forcing a silence that was already present. "Hello there, pretty one." The voice rasping in her ear is harsh, the breath smelling of cheap brown bagged liquor. "Little girls shouldn't be alone so late, something bad might happen to em." He whips her around by the arm, swinging her into a brick wall. Karina stays, kneeling on the asphalt, breathing in the scent of her assailant.

She squeezes her eyes shut, indifferent to the potential threat the Kine has to offer. She hears the click of a switchblade or pocket knife and wraps her arms around herself. "Please," she whispers "Please." The unknown assailant chuckles, low in his throat, stepping closer to the young girl crumpled at his feet. "Begging for your life, pretty one?" Unseen by the man, Karina's face changes, her voice inhuman as she responds. "No." She rises to her feet, her eyes teeming with hunger. "Begging for yours." She pounces, knocking the inebriated man into the adjacent wall and sinking her teeth into the soft meat of his throat. Her fangs deep in his flesh, his attempted screams are reduced to a gurgling squawk. The young girl feeds until she is sated, almost gorged. Pushing the body away from her, she backs away, appearing horrified. Raising a hand to her face, she continues to stare at the corpse, as if trying to will it away. Her other hand twitches at her side, and she gasps as the corpse disintegrates before her eyes. Tearing her gaze from where her victim laid, Karina's expression becomes astonished. Peering around, Karina's eyes widen as she views her surroundings. Shadowy, moldering buildings seem superimposed over the existing structures. The young girl almost seems gratified until she looks to the wall across from her. Standing near where his body was, a shimmering apparition of the recently deceased man appears to the the young girl. His form seems to be coated in some sort of clear plasma, almost like lamination. A small sound of fear escapes Karina's lips. The figure reaches out towards her, and eyes wide, she flees the alley.

Rushing past the few stragglers here and there in the street, oblivious to their bewildered looks, Karina continues running until she reaches her home. She pauses in the foyer, once again seeing across the shroud, finally seeing her mother without the wraith manifesting. Marietta stares back at her daughter, her beautiful face cold and inexpressive. The wound on her throat gapes open, the edges raw and bloodless. Karina whispers,"Mama." The woman turns from her, moving further into the bleak surroundings in the Shadowlands. Vincenzo steps into the hall, only long enough to see Karina escape to her bedroom, the door shutting and locking with a sense of finality.