Eli: Hey all! To answer the question to how Moby is alive, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that you could take out a black dragon with a boulder. That was a pitiful way to die, so in my version, he survived it and went on in life. Thanks for all the reviews! BTW, just wanted to let you all know that this story is almost complete. Here's the next chapter, Enjoy!

Dominic was exhausted. Today's training had been hard. Bethany's father had them going for four, almost five hours non-stop. By the end of it, their bodies were so sore they could barely move. At the end, when they were finally able to rest, he and Bethany had slumped onto the bench by the wall.

"And I thought my training was hard before." Dominic mumbled before he downed his whole bottle of water. Bethany smirked as she rested against the nice, cool wall.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" She asked him. Dominic nodded. "Then no complaining." She told him. "I've been doing this since I was five."

"That's when he started my training as well."

"Yeah, but it wasn't like this, now was it?" She snapped at him.

"Are you trying to say that since you have been doing this from the age of five, that you are tougher than me?" He asked coldly.

"Me? Never!" She said innocently. He rolled his eyes and went to hit her on the head with his water bottle. As she went to block it, he playfully flicked her nose. "Hey!" She yelled, as she covered her nose from further flicking attempts.

"Dominic!" He turned his head toward the door. "Your father is here."

He grabbed his backpack from the corner and got up. He winced as he stood, his legs still really sore. He walked stiffly out of the training grounds and up to his father's car.

"Hi Dad." He said weakly as he crawled into the front seat and leaned against the back of the chair.

"Good Lord, what has happened to you?" Stefen asked as he looked over Dominic's body. He had bruises, some old some new, on his arms, legs, and chest. "Will you be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Can we just go home?" He asked quietly. Stefen nodded and took off. Dominic rested most of the ride home. When they got to the house, he slowly walked into the living room, plopped onto the couch, and was out like a light.

Lily came in from the kitchen when she heard them come home. She looked at Dominic, asleep on the couch and scowled. "What the hell is that man doing to him?" She asked angrily.

Stefen eyed her sternly. "Young lady, what have I told you about using such language in this house?"

She gritted her teeth and tried not to hiss. "Fine. What is that psychotic martial arts trainer doing to my baby cousin?" She asked seriously.

Stefen sighed and sat down in his chair. "Honestly, I don't know. I'm not sure I want to know. The only thing I do know is that Dominic wants this and I have a feeling he will need it. Would you please drop it for the day?" He knew the answers wouldn't satisfy her, but he also knew telling her this whole ordeal with the witchblade wouldn't help either.

Lily really did hiss now. "All right, don't tell me anything. Let that man beat your kid up every training day and see if it improves his life any better. You know, maybe it will cure his anti-socialism to get his life put on the line-"

"Lilyth that is enough!" Stefen told her sternly. Lily stomped out of the room, slamming the door to her room behind her loudly.

Dominic woke back up with the noise. "Huh? What?" He sat up.

"It's all right, my boy. Have you finished all your homework?"

"Yeah, he had us do our homework before we started training." Dominic answered as he yawned. "Did Lily make dinner?"

"Yes, it is on the stove." He watched Dominic stretch, wince, and start to walk to the kitchen. "Your teacher called me today." He said quietly. Dominic stopped mid step and turned toward his father. "She says you are doing extremely well for a nine year old. She says the school is considering putting you up one grade, possibly two."

"No, I don't want to." Dominic said quickly. "I want to stay in the third grade."

"But Dominic, you're not challenging yourself. I know you must get bored in that class room." Stefen said seriously. "And, you know, it might help you get along with your classmates better if they were.. On the same intellectual level as you. Your teacher tells me you barely speak unless spoken to and that you stay away from everybody I class."

"I do not! I play with Nick and Chris." He interjected.

"Yes, but no one else. She says she never sees you playing at recess. She has looked around for you on the playground many times, but you are never there. She says you hide during recess."

"I don't like recess. I'm hungry, I'm getting dinner." He mumbled as he went into the kitchen to get his food. Stefen stood up and followed him.

"Dominic, you can't avoid talking about this forever." Stefen told him as Dominic grabbed his dinner and sat down at the table. He was trying to ignore what Stefen was saying and just ate his dinner. Stefen sighed and sat down in the chair next to him. "Talk to me, Dominic. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." He said before he took another bite of his dinner.

"Yes, there is."

"I said nothing's wrong."

"Dominic."

"Nothing's wrong, okay?!" Dominic snapped as he finished off the last of his dinner.

"Dominic Ryan Carver, you will not raise your voice in this matter." Stefen said sternly.

Dominic placed his plate and fork in the sink and sighed. "Yes, Dad." He said quietly. Stefen motioned for him to sit back down.

"Now, why don't you like interacting with your classmates?" He asked.

"Because they're mean." Dominic answered. "All of them except Nicky and Chris."

"Mean? Are you sure?"

Dominic nodded. "You should see them. They all have fun by hating each other and hurting each other. They're sadistic! And they are all scared of." He stopped talking.

"Scared of what?" Stefen asked.

"Scared of me." Dominic said angrily. He put his head down on the table and frowned. Stefen rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. "They have seen what I can do and it scares them, just like how Bethany scares her classmates. And all she does it help out. People have come to hurt her while she was at school and she protects her whole class. And they treat her like a monster. They're mean." He said seriously, trying not to cry.

"Your classmates wouldn't be so scared of you if you talked to them once in a while. I know you don't want to, but you need to give them a chance. Not all of them will be mean. Bethany gets along with her classmates fine, and them being scared of her doesn't stop her from playing, now does it?"

"Well, no."

"I should think that if she could do it, so could you." Stefen said, encouragingly. "How about when you go to school tomorrow, you go to recess instead of hiding? You can play with Bethany or Nicky or Chris, just as long as you play and not hide. All right?" He asked.

Dominic looked up and gave Stefen a half smile. "All right."

Stefen pulled him into a hug. "That's my boy."

Coming Attractions:

Girl to Woman