As her mother approached with fury, Danielle sunk in her skin. She had always been intimidated by one of her mother's 'looks', she couldn't imagine what a full on scolding would feel like.

What allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief was the sight of her father, almost tripping over himself, to catch up with her infuriated mother. She knew that he wouldn't be pleased with her, but he would at least get her out of some severe punishment. Her dad was always had a soft spot for her daughters.

"Danielle!", her mother repeated angrily for the second time, "This is not how I'd expect you to behave! What have you got to say for yourself?". She was now standing over her daughter.

"I...I...ha...", she stuttered, before being cut off by her mother.

"I expect you to behave and act in a proper manner, not...", this time Lady was cut off by Tramp.

"Woah! Pidge' calm down for a second, let's hear what Danielle has to say", he looked at her expectantly.

She gave her father a grateful look and then proceeded to explain, "All I want to do is be around my new friend, but Aunt Sarah wouldn't let me, so I tried getting her trust and her meanie cats tricked me and then Aunt Sarah was bullying my friend and I kinda', sorta' bit her and...", she trailed off, out of breath.

"And Jim Dear put that muzzle on you", Tramp finished for her.

"Yup", she said, still exasperated.

"Wow. Looks like I'll just have to take you down to the zoo!", Tramp laughed. No one else joined in. Danielle had no idea what he was talking about and Lady was now looking at him with that motherly 'look'. As soon as he noticed, he awkwardly stopped laughing.

Lady then asked her daughter, "What do you see in that boy?"

Danielle was at a loss for words. This was the second time that she had been asked this question and she still had no answer. Try as she might, she just couldn't get the words together in her mouth.

"Jim Dear is rather angry at you", her mother changed the subject after a long moment.

Danielle defended herself, "I wasn't trying to make him mad"

"I know, but you'll have to make it up to him", she said back.

"But how?", she asked with a dumbfounded expression.

Just as Lady was about to answer her daughter's question, Tramp put on a playful grin and interjected, "I know! Why don't you..."

"Tramp! Don't even think of suggesting that!", Lady stopped him in the nick of time.

He looked down and mumbled, "It's not a bad idea."

"Suggest what?", Danielle asked.

"Oh, nothing dear, your father was just going inside for some more rest", she said, while looking at him.

"Nah. I feel pretty well rested, ya' know? I slept for...", he began.

"Tramp!"

He backed down with a sheepish grin, "Message recieved". And with that he walked away.

Lady now sat next to her daughter, "They can't hear us. It's what you do, not what you say"

"That didn't help with Aunt Sarah", she said sulkily.

"I think you'll find that Aunt Sarah and Jim Dear are rather different", Lady stood up and began walking away. "The newspaper would be a good place to start"

He lied in the darkness. It was coming. He could tell.

Ever since he was aware of his own existence it came by. He didn't understand it at first, but eventually realised that it came around to mock and hurt him.

Nothing could stop it. He tried hiding away one time, but it found him easily and seemed to be extra harsh with him.

There was nothing he could do about it, he had accepted that this thing was stronger and more powerful than he would ever be. Rather than keep fighting it, he simply chose to allow it to hurt him. And it really did hurt him. Every single time. But he knew that taking the pain was easier and safer than trying to avoid it.

As these thoughts went through his fragile mind, he felt it creeping up next to him. He held his breath and waited in fear.

For the longest time nothing happened. He was too afraid to look next to him, so instead he stayed frozen, barely allowing himself to even breath.

Then he made a big mistake. He looked quickly at what was next to him and regreted it immediately. He had only a second to see it before the pain came flooding in.

In the second that he had to look at this demon, he saw the world that he feared so much. He saw his parents disappointment and doubt in him. He saw things that he couldn't even begin to describe, things that supposedly no one else could see.

Eventually the pain subsided and he collapsed on the floor, sweaty and exhausted.