"Finally," said the man who had been leaning against the lamp post. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kieran."

"Hi," I said glaring at him. "Who might you be?"

He lowered the hood of his cloak and smiled at me. I recognized him from the vision I had a few weeks ago of my Father speaking to Nix. His dark hair and eyes told me that the man before me was the man from the vision, Nix. He looked uglier in person then in the vision—he was ugly because he was so evil. If he had been good I might have gone as far to say that he was handsome. He had black straight hair and full beard and mustache. He looked rugged and lean, physically fit, tall…like I said if it weren't for the evil glint in his brown eyes he would have been handsome. He was dressed completely in black, which gave him a very forbidding appearance. His hands were crossed at the wrist in front of him and he wore black gloves.

I assumed that he was sent by my Father to collect me, and if that was the case then it was going to be an interesting night…because I wasn't going anywhere with out a fight.

"My name is Thomas Nix," he said bowing his head to me. "I'm honored to be in your presents."

"Well I'm not staying for very long, so taking in my presents as much as possible," I shot back.

Nix smirked at me. "You're feisty, and I'm very sorry Kieran but you will be staying for a while…I think we're making the permanent move to your Father."

"He sent you to get me, then?"

Nix nodded his head.

"You know what happened to the last man who tried to hold me captive?"

"You burned him alive," Nix said with a grin. "I must say, Kieran, that is very ruthless of you."

"Stop calling me Kieran," I hissed. I glanced around, constantly taking in my surroundings.

"Then what should I call you?"

"Use you're imagination," I snapped. He was still smiling at me, making me feel uneasy. His smile said that he knew something I didn't, and that's why I was uneasy. Was my Father here?

"Is my Father here?" I asked Nix.

"He might be," he shrugged. "He might see it necessary to over see you being captured, as the last two attempts have been embarrassing."

"I'm just that good at escaping," I said with a shrug and smile.

"Quintin faking his death for you is hardly an escape at your doing. It would have been more impressive if you had actually stabbed him yourself."

"Yea well I didn't want to kill him."

"Why?" he asked with a quizzical look. "He had served his purpose."

"Gabriel's purpose isn't clear to me, nor am I one to decide what his purpose is."

"And Dumbledore is?"

"Gabriel makes his own destiny," I said viciously.

"He's weak," Nix laughed. "To follow you."

I pulled his leg out from under him with my mind and knocked him down to the cobblestone. He grunted with frustration and jumped up as I swung my leg to kick him. He grabbed my leg and twisted it. I had learned from Gabriel how to jump and move with the twist of the leg so that it didn't hurt you. I landed on the ground on my back though, which was not expected and Nix kicked me in the side. I groaned as he grabbed me and pulled me up from the ground, holding my arms tightly with his hands.

"There is nothing you could do to surprise me," he said. "I know all of Gabriel's tricks that he would have taught you."

"And how is that?" I asked.

"I'm the one who made Gabriel who he is," he said. "Well, who he was…until you came along."

I was surprised to hear such a confession. So, this is the man that trained Gabriel to be a ruthless killer?

I broke free from Nix's grasp and kicked him in the balls, then elbowed him in the face. I lifted my knee into his stomach and he fell to his knees before me, I shoved him over onto his stomach and grabbed one of his arms, twisting it behind him and then pinching just above the elbow so he couldn't move it at all.

"I'll dislocate your shoulder if you move at all," I whispered. "Did you teach Gabriel this arm lock?"

"Yes," Nix said.

"So, you know how to get out of it?"

"Yes."

To my surprise Nix dislocated his own shoulder, causing me to lose the grasp on him. He threw me off his back and slapped me harshly across the face. I fell to the ground and looked up as he forced his shoulder back into its socket. The sound was disgusting.

"Your Father certainly wouldn't be disappointed with your training," said Nix grabbing me and forcing me onto my stomach. "He'll be even more pleased when I've trained with you…gotten rid of all the good in you and made you into the Death Eater you were meant to be."

"Is my Father here or not? You must know!" I screamed at Nix as he pinned me to the ground.

"I'm right here, Kieran," said Voldemort appearing out of a cloud of grey. The mist swirled around him, like smoke clinging to his cloak, as he walked forward down the street to stand next to Nix.

Nix released me and jumped up, stepping away from my bruised body on the cobblestone.

"Get up, Kieran," my Father said.

I moved slowly, mostly because I didn't want to listen to him, but I knew I'd be better standing up then lying on the ground. I stood to my full height and crossed my arms in front of me, glaring at Nix with dark eyes. Voldemort smiled at me then looked at his follower.

"Hello, my Lord," Nix said bowing his head.

"Thank you for watching her, Nix," my Father said patting his shoulder. "You'll be rewarded."

Nix glanced at me and then back at his leader. "Thank you, very much, Sir."

"Now, Kieran you shouldn't be rude to Nix he was just watching over you here in the village," said Voldemort putting his eyes on me. I didn't look away from his stare, I glared at him with the nastiest look I could muster, hoping that I could burn him right through.

"Why would I need him to watch me?"

"You're young," Voldemort said stepping forward. "And as my daughter I want you protected."

"I don't need protection," I snapped. "I'm very capable of protecting myself."

"Yes," Voldemort hissed like a snake. "I noticed. I'll have to thank Gabriel before I kill him for training you so well."

"You have him?" I questioned with fear. My Father's lips curled into a cruel smile and I saw his pleasure at seeing me squirm shine in his eyes.

"No," said Voldemort shaking his head. "He's managed to escape me every time I corner him. But that's going to change, because you're going to help me find him."

"No," I shook my head and stepped back. Voldemort appeared behind me and grabbed my arm.

"No, is not an answer I like to hear from you, Kieran," he said viciously. "You're my daughter and you will do as I say."

Before I could scream or object there was a pull on my body. I knew we were Apparating, but to where I could only guess. When my feet hit he ground Voldemort released me and I fell over.

"I see you haven't learned how to properly Apparate yet," he said walking away from me. Nix appeared next to me with a crack. I looked up at him, but didn't move, I was taking in my surroundings. I was in a cellar, it was dark with the exception of two candles hanging from the ceiling. There was also a small window in the far corner of the room and sunlight barely shined in. The room was empty, only dirty on the floor and some hay in a far corner.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Our home," Voldemort said. "You won't have to sleep down here forever, Kieran, I just can't let you into the rest of the house until I trust you. You understand…"

I didn't say anything to him, just glared as I tried to think of what to do.

"Now, Gabriel said he'd come for you if you needed him," said Nix lifting my head.

"No he won't," I snipped jerking my head away from his grasp.

"And why not?"

"Because I don't need him."

Nix kicked me in the stomach and I cringed with pain. He kicked me in the same spot that he had before, inflicting more pain then was necessary.

"Are you sure, Kieran?" my Father asked. He pulled out his wand and I looked at him with little fear in my eyes.

"You can torture me into insanity and I still won't need him," I hissed.

Voldemort took my words as an invitation and flicked his wand at me with a stomp of his foot. Pain shot through my body, like I was being crushed from every angle. A red hot poker was being pressed against my lower back, causing me to scream and squirm as the pressure built, squishing my very bones. I couldn't think of anything but the pain, the pressure and the screaming I heard in my head—it was not my own, but that of a woman. I couldn't stop the screaming and I wanted it to so bad. The pain was nothing compared to the screaming of the woman because I recognized it, I knew the woman who was screaming and I couldn't save her. Was she screaming in pain, like me, or for me? Was she trying to save me?

And then it stopped.

There was a ringing in my eyes as a tingle of pain withered up and down my body. I couldn't see past the blurry fuzz in front of my eyes but I knew my Father was still looming over me, with Nix standing close by. They were probably laughing, or sneering at me, seeing me crimple on the ground like a defenseless flower, and crying like a child.

I couldn't help but cry, everything I felt was so horrible….the pain and agony inflicted on my body and then the shrill cries of the woman who I knew, but couldn't save. I had never in my life heard a woman scream that way and yet I felt like I would be haunted by it for the rest of my life.

"Do you feel like you need him now?" asked my Father in a cruel, heartless voice. He didn't care that I was in pain, because he was the one inflicting it. I imagined if anyone else tried to hurt me with out his permission he would have been angered, but I could have been wrong. Perhaps he wanted me to die…

"No," I muttered to his question but inside I was screaming for someone to come and save me. I would never let Voldemort know it though, I blocked my mind from him and even felt him trying to penetrate it.

He smiled with pleasure. "It's good to see that you've been practicing, Kieran."

He looked over to Nix. "Keep it up, but don't destroy her. She needs to be alive and perfectly sane for when Gabriel does come."

Nix nodded his head as my Father headed to a corner of the room. He opened and door and disappeared into the light. The light was gone as fast as he was, and I was left alone in the dark with Nix. His eyes were wondering over me, weak and still shaking. I could see the way he looked at me and I could read what he was thinking through the look. He wondered how easily he could take advantage of me as I lay there. I was far too weak to defend myself against any attack he made. I moved slightly, to try and sit up; before my shoulder even left the ground Nix slammed me back to my lying position with his foot. I moaned and tried to shove his foot away from me.

"You don't stand to torture very long," he said. "We'll have to toughen you up."

"I can stand it just find," I whispered.

"Call for Gabriel and it won't be as bad," he said.

I said nothing and glared at him. He accepted my silence as an answer and lifted his wand…at least this time I was able to prepare myself for the pain that was coming.

"We're going to get to know each other very well," Nix said before he flicked his wand. The last thing I saw before I closed my eyes in pain was Thomas Nix's jeer over me.