Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Revenge, I Just Love It

A/N Thanks to those who ready my previous chapter. Please comment if you are interested in me continuing this story.

Chapter 15: Subjective At Best

"Sit down" Nolan pressed as he watched Amanda Clarke pace the floor of his living room back and forth briskly in agitation.

It had been a few hours after Daniel's exclusive interview on Amanda Clarke had aired and she was still fuming. She'd stormed up to her room after it had ended and slammed the door with such finality, that he figured he'd let her calm down before he even attempted to talk to her. But now she was back in his orbit, as he sat on the barstool by his kitchen island nursing a strong margarita in his hand. It had been a challenging day for him too. He had watched Amanda Clarke on the live feed of his phone, publicly outing the Grayson's and defending her late father's innocence. Maybe he should feel proud and invigorated by her confidence, or relieved by her admittance, but other than his initial shock, all he felt was fear. She just put herself directly in the Grayson's line of fire before they had even figured out the best course of action and the best way to protect her. She was strong, but she was still so young, and her anger and emotions made her reckless which made her vulnerable. Nolan hadn't known Amanda for long, but he felt an immediate kinship to his fellow blonde-haired counterpart. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her in her quest for Revenge.

"No", Amanda shouted in defiance as she continued pacing. "Did you hear what he said about me, Nolan? How could he? He looked me in the face today and said we were friends".

She was angry, feeling wounded by Daniel's words in his interview. He had told her own story in his own warped words, painting the picture that she was some weak and troubled girl who had been saved by the Grayson's only to vindictively lie about them. And what's worse, is that he had exposed things about her that she had told him in quiet confidence. He had betrayed her, but what stung most was the realization of what she knew all along but had wanted so badly to deny. Daniel was a Grayson.

Nolan sighed, as he propped his elbows on the table, itching to top up his drink. "Well what did you expect? He's a Grayson, of course, he's going to protect his family".

Amanda shook her head, "He didn't even ask me, Nolan? Ask me if what I said was true?"

Nolan cocked his head to the side, as he set his eyes on her. "Maybe if you had spoken to him first?" he couldn't help but suggest. He hated playing devil's advocate, especially for a Grayson, but Amanda had such tunnel vision. She had been avoiding Daniel ever since Nolan had told her the truth. She'd had time to talk to Daniel privately and tell him the truth, but had avoided that. Maybe if the news hadn't been such a shock to Daniel, he wouldn't have reacted so defensively. "you outed his parents publicly in front of him, how did you expect him to react?"

"I expected to have a chance", Amanda retorted, as she whipped herself around to face Nolan, her eyes narrowing as they fell on his blue ones. Of course, she had expected Daniel to be angry with her. She had even expected them fighting. But she had at least thought that before Daniel retaliated against her that he would have asked her if her statement held any truth. She had thought that he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't such a vindictive person to lie about something so catastrophic. "Why are you even defending him, Nolan?"

"Trust me, I am not." He was not a fan of the Grayson heir at the moment. Thanks to Daniel his social status had taken a nosedive, another reason he was nursing his wounds with tequila. Of all things to be accused of though, a predator really stung. His intentions with Amanda were always pure. She was a pretty young girl, and he was a young man, but she was a child still and he would never disrespect her or her father by even entertaining that thought. There was no grey area between that. She was living with him because she needed a safe place, and he was taking care of her financially because he had promised her father to take care of her. " But what you did was reckless Amanda? You…"

"I told the truth!" Amanda retorted sharply, her tone automatically rising, "something you never had the guts to do".

"That's not fair!" Nolan replied firmly, trying not to raise his voice like she had, even as her words cut into him sharply. His father had called him a coward his whole life, and it was something he had worked hard on not being. "The truth isn't enough without proof and we don't have that yet. Congratulations Amanda, you just showed the Grayson's our only hand".

Crossing her arms in defiance, Amanda cast her eyes away from his. She didn't agree with him, but her words had been unfairly harsh and she didn't want to face the hurt she saw so clearly flashing in his eyes. He was right, it wasn't fair. He had always been on her father's side. She was angry though and try as she might, she didn't think she could push an apology out of her lips right now.

"I saw the interview" Jack's steady voice cut across the room as he stepped into the living room between them, sensing the immediate tension in the air. Both heads turned to face him, but not one hello escaped either of their pursed lips, so he continued to talk, "your's" he added turning his gaze towards Amanda as his lips pulled up into a smirk, "and Daniel's stupid one….. You were brave up there Amanda".

Amanda shook her head dismissively at his compliment, despite his words warming her cold exterior, if only for a moment. "Nolan doesn't seem to think so. He thinks I was reckless"

"It was too hasty," Nolan added pointedly.

Jack sighed, clearing his throat, his eyes flicking from Nolan's and then back to Amanda's, "You were that too, Amanda" he admitted softly, as if his tone would soften the blow of his thoughts. Watching Amanda's interview had given him chills, both the good and the bad kind. He was proud of her; he'd watched her almost in awe of her strength and defiance. She had stood up there alone, and told the world that they were all wrong about her father; that David Clarke was innocent, and that the Grayson's were guilty. Although the truth, it was a magnanimous statement, but she had stood there confidently and said it unwaveringly despite knowing that everyone would try and rip her apart for it. He was proud, but he was scared, she had knowingly put a huge red target on her small back and he'd be lying if he said that didn't worry him.

"You too Jack" Amanda accused cuttingly, her voice rising in exasperation, "I thought you would be on my side".

"I am" Jack replied firmly, unaccustomed to this hardened side of Amanda, "and so is Nolan, but I thought there was a plan".

"There was until she went rogue" Nolan murmured as he took the last gulp of his cocktail and pushed the empty glass away from him to not tempt himself with another.

"It was never a real plan" Amanda replied defensively, "you wanted me to play on the defensive, to keep the truth hidden while you tried to dig up dirt on the people that helped the Grayson's until one of them cracked and revealed something of sustenance that we could use as proof. But who knows how long that would take or if it would even work. I play on the offence. I'm not holding back. All I've done so far is piss off Victoria by staying in the Hampton's and showing her that she has no financial power over me anymore. That's not enough, if my goal was just to piss off Victoria, then I would just date Daniel!"

"I get it" Nolan replied fiercely, holding her stubborn gaze, "but you have to play smarter than that. You just outed the truth, but now what? Did you even think in advance about what our next move is? Because it took the Grayson's all but three hours to retaliate, and Victoria or Conrad didn't even feel the need to show their faces to do it."

Amanda sighed, exhaling loudly in frustration as she uncrossed her arms and continued to pace the living room floor. She knew he was right, but she couldn't admit that because at the time speaking up is what had felt right to her. "I did what I had to do in the moment, I've spent too many years thinking my father was guilty, and I'm not pretending for another second that he was. The reporters kept throwing me questions about him so all I did was tell the truth" she responded stubbornly.

"Well it's done now" Jack murmured tentatively, "What should our next move be?"

'Well, I have no choice but to release a statement, ' Nolan replied. "I was practically accused of being a pedophile on tv. And what's worse, that little Grayson clone said I was like 30! I am only 25, and you know full well that I don't look a day past 20. I need to clear that reputation pronto."

"How did they even know about you?" Amanda questioned in agitation, "We were careful to keep your secret".

"Did you ever mention Nolan to Daniel?" Jack asked hesitatingly. He didn't know the extent of the contact she had spent with him after the truth had been revealed to her, although he was hoping very little.

"I'm not stupid Jack, no" Amanda responded curtly. Annoyed by even the suggestion that she would be so naive as to trust Daniel with that information.

"Well, you two were close" Jack couldn't help but snap back, feeling affronted by her tone of voice. "Closer than I thought".

Averting her eyes from his, Amanda shook her head in denial. She could see it in his eyes, his accusation. "You kissed him" they were saying. That wasn't something she had wanted him to know though, not that she was trying to hide it. It was just none of his concern.

"No we weren't" she blatantly lied, knowing it wasn't true but wishing it was. That way Daniel's betrayal wouldn't wound so much.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jack could feel his frustration rising. Why wouldn't she admit it? Did she think he would get jealous, that he couldn't take it? He knew they were close he had sensed it the first time he'd seen them hang out together. They had quickly become friends, and maybe instinctively he had never liked Daniel because he had intuitively known that Daniel would eventually want more from her. It wasn't Daniel's desire for Amanda that came as a surprise. It was what their kiss implied; that Amanda maybe felt something for Daniel, and that was the thought he kept struggling with. It frustrated him, and he didn't want to feel so bitter about it but he cared for her and the thought of them together stung, especially if she was hiding her feelings for Daniel from him. "Then why did you kiss him?" Jack questioned boldly.

Amanda froze at his question, her amber-brown eyes staring tentatively into his blue eyes before narrowing in provocation. She didn't know what to say. She had anticipated this question, but yet she had hoped he wouldn't breach that topic. She didn't know when Daniel and Jack had talked, or why they had felt the need to discuss her and their private moments in their conversation but it wasn't fair to her and neither was the accusation in Jack's voice and the disappointment behind his eyes, or the way Daniel had thrown Jack at her in one of their last arguments. Just like their kisses, their words and questions put pressure on her and it wasn't fair….she wasn't equipped to handle matters of the heart right now….or ever. But yet she felt this twinge of guilt as Jack stared at her. Like she messed up, like she made a mistake.

"He kissed me" she countered, her fidgeting hands angrily raking through her blond curls. It was a lame justification but it was the truth. Daniel had taken her off guard and kissed her. She hadn't had time to think; to say yes or no, to wonder if she wanted it. His lips hadn't felt bad, maybe even good, but she hadn't asked for it and she hadn't thought about his lips until they were pressed against hers. "and it's none of your concern. Why do you even care?"

"You know why Amanda", Jack asserted as he exhaled the breath he'd been holding. His blue eyes penetrating hers, daring her to look away from him in all his earnest. He had told Amanda how he felt so she knew exactly why he cared. It was Amanda who needed to sort through her feelings.

Nolan watched them intrigued. He had never known Amanda to fall silent in the short time he'd known her and if she did then it was usually accompanied by such a deadly look in her eyes that it felt like you had lost anyway. In her stubbornness, she won all her arguments….but this, Jack had her in a standstill. But then again, it felt more like a lover's quarrel than an argument. He had wondered about those two. He knew that they were reconnected childhood friends, and he could immediately sense that kinship whenever they were in the room together. The way they interacted felt as though they had known each other for a long time. He liked Jack and appreciated his presence, he was steady and reliable which was much-needed in Amanda's tumultuous life.

It was Amanda's friendship with Daniel that Nolan didn't understand. She had told him on the surface-level about how they had met and became friends, but she had glossed over it, probably in her desire not to think about anything Grayson. He had sensed there was more to the story though and that they were closer friends than she had let on, especially given her reaction to Daniel's betrayal. But who knows where Amanda and Daniel stood now. Daniel definitely wasn't in his good books, although his inquiring mind would love to see those two in a room together.

Amanda was stuck in a love triangle. If it wasn't for all the angst he knew that came with two potential lovers, without the whole added business of Revenge, he might have applauded her. God knows he'd love to be entangled with two men vying after his attention. But then again men were different than boys, and they were all still young. He just hoped she wouldn't get hurt. He wasn't team anyone except Amanda, and right now she looked like she needed saving.

Clearing his throat, Nolan's voice cut across the room, "Spotlight back on me…..S'il vous plaît" he sarcastically requested.

Amanda was the first to turn her head away from Jack and towards Nolan, with what might have been a brief flash of gratitude between her jaded eyes. With a quiet sigh, Jack also brought his attention back to Nolan's.

"Look it doesn't matter how the Grayson's know about my connection, although I would probably bet my money on them having hired a private investigator. All that matters is how we deal with it."

"And how's that?" Amanda and Jack questioned in almost unison.

"The truth", Nolan replied boldly, "I think that's the only explanation for our living arrangements. And you're right Amanda, it's time I buck up and show public support for David Clarke and his daughter. Your announcement is getting overshadowed by Daniel's interview in which he paints you as a troubled and confused teenager. I'm a business mogul in the technology industry and a self-made millionaire, if I show support for you and David Clarke and explain his innocence and his connection to me, surely that should spark more speculation within the public."

"What are you doing here?" Amanda hissed, as she opened the front door to see Daniel Grayson standing on Nolan's front porch. The cool summer night breeze swept past her, and she found herself shivering ever so slightly, as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Daniel. It was late, nearly midnight; Nolan was asleep in his den, and she would have been asleep if not for her muddled thoughts. Daniel had been persistently calling and texting her since his interview had aired, but she had been purposely ignoring him. She had everything to say to him, and yet at the same time, felt like saying nothing. Did he even deserve the truth anymore? Would it really change anything? It couldn't change who he was that was for sure. But still, she knew Daniel could be stubborn, and if he wanted to talk to her, then he would keep trying until he had. So when she had received his text that he was outside Nolan's house, she had reluctantly thrown on a sweater and leggings and met him downstairs. "How did you even know where this house was?"

Daniel looked down sheepishly, "Look can we talk?" he insisted, purposely ignoring her question. She wouldn't like the answer. He had asked Frank, his parent's head of security who had discovered Amanda's connection to Nolan Ross. Frank had refused at first, telling him that he worked for his parents and didn't take requests from children, but Daniel had made a deal with him. He had told Frank that he only wanted to find Amanda so that he could question her and try and get her to slip up and say something they could use against her as intel. He must have been convincing because Frank then agreed. He wasn't here for that though, he just needed to see Amanda, to clear things up. Right now everything was so messy between them.

Looking at her he felt as though they were light-years apart when just about a week ago they had been so close to one another that he'd been able to lean in and steal a kiss from her soft lips. Now it felt like she didn't even want to look at him, let alone be close to him. Unexpectedly, a crack had formed in their foundation, and it seemed like no matter how much he tried to patch it up, it kept getting bigger and bigger. He knew he should just let it crumble, let their foundation fall. It was all so twisted….her allegations against his parents. Had it been anyone else he would have cut them out of his life for that. There was no denying that she had hurt him, but despite his confusion, and despite his anger, he still cared about her, and he couldn't help feeling afraid to lose her. He liked her….a lot. Amanda challenged him as a person, which he had come to appreciate, and she saw him for who he really was; not the Grayson heir, or the popular jock, but just a teenage boy….a dreamer at heart who was still trying to figure out who he wanted to be.

"Or get over the gate?", Amanda continued to question with suspicion.

"Look, I climbed over which was no easy task," Daniel replied honestly, trying not to wince as his left ankle throbbed in pain, reminding him of his stupidity. He had landed heavily on the wrong foot. That wasn't his concern right now though. "You've been ignoring all my calls and we really need to talk, can I come in?"

Amanda shook her head, "What so you can snoop around and report back to your mother or the press? No you can't Daniel".

"I would never do that to you," Daniel insisted firmly, with a heavy sigh, as he took the liberty of sitting down on the porch steps instead. "I still care about you".

Staring at him apprehensively as if trying to catch the lies in his words, Amanda shut the front door behind her and reluctantly sat down beside him, making sure to leave a huge gap between them. It felt like they were back at square one again, like they were strangers, unsure of the other's motives and reluctant to get too close.

"What, even though I'm troubled, and confused, and a malicious liar?" Amanda retorted caustically her eyes seeped with such malice that Daniel averted his eyes away from hers.

"That's not what I meant," Daniel denied adamantly.

"You used those words".

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Daniel pressed his eyes shut momentarily as if trying to replay the interview in his head. Did he really use those words? She was muddling his words away from the context he had spoken them in. Anyone who listened to her life story would agree that she had lived a troubled life. It wasn't meant as an insult or an attack, it was just the sad truth. And she was confused about her father and her wild accusation against his parents. It didn't make her malicious, but the lie in itself was malicious, and in this instance, made her a liar. "I didn't mean it like that, you're more than that to me".

"I'm not that at all!", Amanda snapped back indignantly, "How could you say all that on TV?"

"I just told the truth".

Amanda laughed spitefully. Did he really believe that? "No, you told my story, Daniel, in your family's own twisted words. Making it seem like all you Grayson's were saviours and I was just some messed up vulnerable girl".

"That's not what I meant," Daniel tried to defend himself, "and what lies did I tell? We did help you Emily, and I can't help how the public perceives my words". It was what he had been telling himself to try and get rid of the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach that had grown the longer the interview had gone on. When he had started the interview, he had felt anxious, but he had felt sure that it was the right course of action. But after he had ended the interview, suddenly it had all felt like a big mistake.

Amanda scoffed, "Yeah you really sound like a Grayson, you used me and my story to make it seem like your family was innocent how can you not see that? You told the whole world, I was physically abused. That's something private I told you in confidence because I thought I could trust you as a friend. You betrayed me, Daniel.".

"I'm sorry" Daniel breathed, his eyes looking earnestly in her brown eyes facing the fire he saw dancing around in them. Her words stung, but she was right, he had betrayed her. He'd crossed the line when he'd discussed her abuse during the interview. It was the truth, and it was an essential part of the story, but he should have thought about how him revealing that would make her feel. "I crossed the line, and I was mad about what you said but I never intended to hurt you, I just wanted to tell the truth".

Amanda shook her head angrily, it was too late for his apology. She didn't care that he looked genuinely sorry; forgiveness was not in her plans. Why was he even here? And why couldn't he just leave her alone? "You're full of bullshit" she spat.

"No, I mean it!" Daniel responded adamantly, a hardness latching onto his voice as he continued, "but you can't just stand there and play victim Emily, I'm sorry I hurt you, but you hurt me too, you attacked my family on live tv. Did you really expect me to not try and defend my parents? What the hell would make you even say such damn lies? You're angry I get it, but I'm angry too and you haven't even tried to apologize to me. I'm not the bad guy, stop trying to make me out to be."

"You are though!" Emily retorted coldly, it's what she'd been telling herself over and over again when she started to get doubts about Daniel and think of all the genuine moments she had shared with him. "And what's worse...you're a coward. I keep asking myself why you haven't even asked me if what I've said is true but then I realized, you're just scared because deep down you know it could be."

"No!", Daniel instantly denied, his jaw clenched in anger as his voice rose in outrage. "I haven't asked because it's ridiculous, my parents are not terrorists! Your father was the terrorist and he faced a fair trial and was charged for his crimes. I don't know why now all of a sudden you're so desperate to believe otherwise but wake up, you're delusional".

"And you're a coward", Amanda shouted, reiterating her previous insult. She meant it and it was truly disappointing. How could she have trusted him? "You don't want to believe it and so you won't. You haven't even asked me how I know and I bet you didn't ask your parents for the truth either. Your corrupt parents framed him, that's the truth, Daniel. My father was innocent".

Daniel breathed in deeply, his heart pounding heavily against his chest. His fists were clenched like he wanted to lash out at someone or something which he did. Standing up, wincing as his weight momentarily shifted on his swollen ankle. Daniel took a few steps away from Amanda and leant instead against the metal railing. He just couldn't stand to be sitting so close to her, even if there were inches between him. She knew how to hurt him most, when all he had ever done was try and be a friend to her. He hated it, but try as he might he still couldn't hate her which made him all the angrier. At least it all made sense now. Her going MIA, her avoiding him, her acting so fucking cold towards him. He had thought he had done something wrong….but no his only blunder was being born a Grayson and that was outside his control. She really hated them, she really thought they did this. Why?

"How do you know this?" Daniel finally asked, his voice tense and quiet in his utmost restraint to avoid shouting back at her. "And if that's the case why did my parents help you return to the Hamptons?

"My father wrote me journals in prison. He detailed everything in them; the people involved in framing him and how he suspects your parents did it. He wanted me to know the truth…... And I don't know Daniel, ask them. Maybe guilt, maybe just as some sick form of entertainment for them."

Daniel shook his head slowly. It wasn't enough to turn against his own parents. They by all means were not perfect human beings. His mother was pretentious and obsessed with privilege and status, and his father was narcissistic and obsessed with power and money. They were not monsters though. How could they be? "Your father was a madman just because he wrote it, it doesn't make it true. It's subjective at best, and a fictitious story at worst, it's just his own imagination. If he knew all this, why wasn't he released from prison?"

"I dare you to call him that again?" Amanda fiercely challenged, her eyes cutting into him like the sharp edge of a stone. "Your parents made sure he had no physical proof and they coerced the people who could have exonerated him to keep silent".

"That's a tall tale" Daniel scoffed, "I get it though, you're desperate to believe your father was innocent so you'd believe anything".

"Don't patronize me, Daniel, you're the desperate one, desperate to believe you're not the offspring of monsters?"

"Is that all you see me as now?... A monster by default" Daniel questioned hotly, his usually transparent dark brown eyes surprisingly jaded, as he stared at her intently waiting for her answer. But Amanda didn't have one. She didn't know what she saw him as anymore. That's why she'd been avoiding him.

Averting her eyes away from his, Amanda bit down hard on her lower lip and pursed them together with a cold shrug of her shoulders.

"What about Charlotte?" Daniel challenged.

"What about her?" Amanda responded defensively. She had a soft spot for the youngest Grayson and Daniel knew it.

"Is Charlotte a monster now too? She misses you…cares about you. Do you even care about her? You haven't responded to any of her texts. Who blows off a 13-year-old so harshly?"

Amanda winced at Daniel's words, Charlotte was the last person she had wanted to hurt. But what could she say to her? She was a child, she wouldn't understand and even if she did how could she talk to her while plotting to turn her whole family life upside down. It was better this way. "I care" Amanda murmured, "but it's complicated".

"It doesn't have to be" Daniel pressed.

"No, you're not listening to me!" Amanda insisted sharply, hurling her next words at him in a flurry. "Your parents did this and I can't drop this. Just leave me alone, you obviously don't believe me".

Daniel sighed heavily, he would leave, they were clearly at a standstill, but first he had one more question, "How does Nolan Ross fit in?"

"Why do you care?" Amanda bitterly questioned.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders heavily. Maybe because he worried about her. "Do you even know him? You're living with a man you barely know".

"He was a friend of my father's," Amanda replied stiffly, pausing briefly in her uncertainty of whether to say more. "My father entrusted him with the journals to give to me when I was older. It was by chance that he found me here in the Hampton's and told me the truth".

Daniel nodded his head slowly, that explained a lot but didn't answer his full question. "But do you even know him?" he repeated firmly. He'd never met Nolan Ross but he didn't trust him. Why randomly seek out Amanda Clarke now? And why would he invite her to stay in his house when he had plenty of money to rent her a nice apartment like his parents had done for her?"

Amanda narrowed her eyes at Daniel. She knew what Daniel was insinuating and she didn't like it. She hadn't known Nolan for long, but she was working on trusting him more and more with each day that passed. She believed his words, and she believed his intentions which was more than she could say for Daniel right now. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been apprehensive when Nolan had first asked her if she would want to stay with him. At the time all she had wanted was to get out of the apartment the Grayson's had rented for her, and so she had hastily agreed. She had kept telling herself that any friend of her fathers was a friend of her's, and the fact that Jack seemed to trust him, certainly helped. But she had been nervous, the first few nights she had even locked her bedroom door at night, just as a precaution. She hadn't had good experiences with men, but Nolan didn't seem so much like a grown man, and certainly not like the questionable ones she had come in contact with within the foster system. He was only in his mid-20s ….he didn't feel so far apart from her in age that it was too weird. Daniel had certainly made it seem so in his interview though.

"I trust him", Amanda responded rigidly, "He's helping me". Already he had proved how committed he was to clearing her father's name.

"Okay, but how long until he expects….or wants something from you in return?" Daniel cautiously questioned, his voice laced in hidden concern.

Amanda shook her head, a heavy feeling settling onto her heart at his uncomfortable thought. It wasn't like that. She refused to believe Nolan was like that, and she hated Daniel even more for trying to sow that seed of doubt in her already tortured mind. "I think you should go" she replied coldly, as she forced her stiff legs to stand up from the porch steps.

Daniel just didn't understand. He didn't understand any of it.

Daniel sighed deeply, an overwhelming sense of sadness washing over him. He could feel it... him losing her. As he descended the porch steps while she walked up towards the front door, brushing past her on the middle step he had to fight the urge to reach out for her. If he had he wasn't sure if he would have pulled her into a tight hug or shaken her so hard she snapped out of all this.

Pausing at the bottom step, Daniel turned his head up to face her. "Just be careful, I don't want to see you get hurt".

With one hand on the door handle, Amanda turned back around, a piercing glare forming in her beautiful brown eyes. Was that genuine concern, or was that a hidden Grayson threat laced between his words. "I'll tell you right now, I'm not dropping this Daniel, so you can report that back to your parents".

"Emily"

Amanda winced as he spoke her name….her fake name with such affliction. Why did he still insist on calling her Emily? It aggravated her to no ends. Was it because that's who he wished she could be? She hated it, but the few times he had called her Amanda, it had also felt off, like the discordant shrill of a faulty piano note. He didn't deserve to say the name her father had given her, not when his family was the reason her's had been so viciously tarnished. No, she thought angrily, feeling her body tense as she stepped into the house. He needed to leave her the hell alone. Turning one last time that night to look at him, as Daniel opened his mouth to continue speaking, Amanda sharply cut him off, her next words giving him chills.

"They'll have to kill me".

A/N Thanks for reading! Please comment if you are still interested in me finishing this story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.