Faeroe Islands, Denmark

Lennox Manor

Two Years Later

Age Thirteen

Summer Vacation, Evening

Ace lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. She was once again in her contemplative mood. Wincing in pain, Ace thought about current events.

Gabriel really did hate her, just as he had promised when she was eleven. And she did get slapped for the owls he received. But, unlike his promises, he did not starve her. He said it was inhumane, which Ace found amusing. Gabriel Lennox would get drunk and beat his daughter until blood stained the floor, but he would not starve her.

In the middle of a particularly bad beating, Ace's thoughts had once turned towards suicide. But Ace knew her life was worth something. What it was worth, she didn't know, but it was worth more than Gabriel thought it was. She was on the earth for a reason. And she wasn't going to waste her existence on something as stupid as suicide. Suicide was for quitters, not her.

Ace touched her cheek cautiously. A long, ugly cut was across her otherwise perfect cheek. Gabriel had been fencing with her, and had forgotten to blunt his sabre. And Ace had ended up with a horrible cut, which she knew would eventually become a scar.

There was only a month until school started again. She wondered if Gabriel would keep up his ritual- slap her the first week back, and then ignore her the rest of the time. Sometimes Ace preferred it when he was hitting her, at least he acknowledged she was alive then. But Gabriel wasn't a cruel man. He hated blood and violence. So one week was enough, and then he ignored her all over again. Now and then he would punish her with his a quick slap on the face. It was only when he was extremely drunk that he made her bleed, or even bruise. Otherwise she was ignored. Always ignored.

Agony... her body hurt. Her face, mostly, but Gabriel had apparently been drunk when they were fencing. When she had fallen to the ground, holding her cut, Gabriel hadn't stopped. He had stabbed at her several times. He missed most of the times, but one had gone right through her arm.

Kirby, her house elf, had healed her, but the pain was still there. Gabriel had later apologized for not stopping when he had seen she had fallen. But in his eyes, Ace saw cold indifference.

Oh yes, Ace was alone. Roger had taken over the group she had belonged to. Roger had hated her since the incident with Hannah. He hated the very sight of her. It was somewhat painful, but she learned to accept it.

Ace was learning the hard way. She had put her heart on a line, tried to feel again, only to be rebuked. Frustrated and angry, Ace had made the decision that night to never even attempt to feel again. Ace made the decision to remain nasty, and then nothing could touch her. She also decided that she needed power.

Of course, that decision had been made years earlier, by her cousin. Mary had invited a strange man over. She had explained that he was something called a Death Eater. Mary had lovingly explained that she wanted Ace to join the strange man when she was seventeen. Only six-years-old, Ace had been confused. Why would she join someone she didn't even know?

Mary had just chuckled, saying she would know when she was older. And Ace did know now.

Ace had longed for power since she had begun to live with Gabriel again. She wanted to destroy her father, wanted him to bow before her. Wanted to repay him for everything he had ever done to her. The Death Eater could give her power.

She would be a Death Eater on her seventeenth birthday. She would be free of her father, free of restraining commands, free of everything. And then Ace would be happy.

Rolling over, Ace counted the years until her seventeenth birthday.

Faeroe Islands, Denmark

Lennox Manor

Two Years Later

Age Fifteen

Middle of the school year

Ace screamed as her father slammed the door to her room. Her fists pounded against the door, and her voice began to grow hoarse. Desperate, she kicked the wall.

She had been expelled. Expelled. For hexing a professor. It was ridiculous in her head.

But it wasn't the expulsion that she minded so much. It was Gabriel.

He had been furious, absolutely furious. And also very drunk. The mix hadn't been a good one. He had beat her severally, for the fourth time in her entire life. Later, she had been healed by Kirby. Then he had locked her in her room. He promised to starve her. He said he would starve her until she died. Even Sarah, his fiancee, couldn't convince him to change his mind. He was in a horrible rage, and would have killed Ace right there and then if he hadn't decided that it would be too humane. Gabriel had told Ace he wanted her death to be drawn out.

Ace was terrified. Gabriel had beat her seven times over fifteen years. And only four had caused her to bleed. Other times they had just been a hard slap to the face, and that was it. They had never been drawn out, and the pain had gone away almost instantly.

But this time Gabriel was beyond reason. He was fifty-eight, and much harder to handle. Sarah had tried to tell him he was being unreasonable. Gabriel had just looked at her, and she had shut-up.

Ace crawled into a corner of her room and began fiddling with her decks of cards. They had become an obsession with her. Right now, she just wanted to be free. She wished she had windows.

She wished her mother was there.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Ace turned to look at what her father had told her years ago. Mary tolerated her, and Gabriel hated her. It had been a hard fact of life to learn, but she had learned it. She was bitter, angry, violent... but she was intelligent, which worked in her favor. She knew how to handle herself. The fact that she didn't try never occurred to her.

Ace was beyond caring at the moment. If Gabriel starved her, so be it. Her existence on the planet was pointless, anyway. She was bored.

She was prepared for the possibility of death. But she wasn't going to take it with ease. She was intelligent, resourceful, ambitious, hard to kill, and a fighter. She wasn't going to give up just yet. There was a chance that she could enjoy life. It wasn't going to leave Ace.

One week later...

She was starving to death, and Ace knew it. But Ace continued to beat the wall, scream, and basically cause a racket. It didn't matter if she died anymore. Ace wasn't going without a fight. She was going to annoy Gabriel until her dying breath.

It had been unbearable the past week. Her already thin form had slowly become nothing more than a stick figure. She was repulsive to look at. Scratches covered her face and hands. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her clothes were dirty. Ace could barely even stand, she was so hungry.

Kirby had been given clothes, to prevent her from feeding Ace. The servants were told to stay away from that section of the house. Sarah had been dismissed.

Gabriel was the only one ruling her fate now. And Ace wouldn't allow that. Couldn't allow that. She controlled her self, and nobody controlled her. Ace was not a conformist and fought viciously against anything that would ever try to harness her. And right now, Gabriel was who she was fighting.

Rage, horror, pain, and hunger wracked every inch of her body as she flung herself against the weakened door. Her hands started to bleed again as she clawed at the splintery wood. They had already been bleeding from clawing at the cemented, bricked, and boarded up windows. Ace snapped one of her nails, and she didn't give a damn.

"This is my LIFE, Gabriel! MINE! You cannot control me! I swear, I'll kill you if I get out of this room! You'd better run, old man!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs. Beyond desperation, Ace drew back her fist. Closing her eyes, she slammed her fist into the door- and was surprised as her hand went through the wood. An angry smile came across her face, and she grasped the door handle and turned.

The door fell open, and Ace fell with it. She was surprised once more as she saw her cousin Mary standing there. Her cousin was now twenty-five, and Ace had completely forgotten about her. Blinking, Ace dragged her bleeding form up from off the ground.

"Hello Ace," Mary greeted. Ace looked at her cousin suspiciously.

"Mary," was her only response. Mary surveyed Ace, and then grasped her wand. Instantly, all her cuts were healed.

"I see that you no longer trust people," Mary said blandly. Ace shrugged.

"Habit."

"Good."

"Isn't it, though?"

"Trust is horrible. You new lesson: trust no one."

"It's better than never cry or show emotion."

"Quite."

And so, Ace left Lennox Manor for the final time of her life.

Joy. Now I only have about ten more pages to type... ugh.