The Thin Man gave a loud gasp and ducked as a bowl of Spaghettios flew past his left
cheek. "YOU ASS! I HATE YOU!", Dylan screeched while knocking him to the floor in a
flurry of pinstripe and red. The Thin Man's senses immediately switched to killer mode and
her turned himself over forcefully, placing himself on top of Dylan while straddling her. Dylan
pounded on his rock-hard stomach while he grimaced and flinched slightly, but showed no
sign of getting off of her. She groaned whiled trying to get out from under him, but it was no
use...he was bigger. She scratched him hard on his left cheek and said, "I wish that you died
when Mary Ortiz hit you with her car." The Thin Man looked at her, his mouth hanging open
slightly as he slowly got off of her. She grabbed a piece of paper from the inside of his
jacket pocket and stomped out of the room, absolutely fuming. The Thin Man noticed
something fall off of her cheek and land on the table. He slowly approached it and studied it.
It looked like a tiny diamond, beautiful and perfect. He slowly touched it and a watery film
formed around his fingertip. It was a tear. Dylan was crying. Alex and Natalie stepped out of
the shadows that concealed them as they watched the scene unfold. He turned around
quickly at the sounds of their stilettos scuffling against the carpet. They looked at him with half-
raised heads and he pulled a pad of paper and pen out of his jacket and scratched out the
word, "WHY?", and jabbed at it with his pen. Natalie looked at Alex as she started to speak
softly and slowly. "You found that picture in her drawers didn't you? Just kind of thrown
carelessly in her clothes?" The Thin Man nodded. "Well that man...", Natalie hesitated and
looked at Alex. Alex looked at her nervously and said, "Go on." Natalie's eyes darted back
to the Thin Man and said solemnly, "that was her ex." The Thin Man sighed and rolled his
eyes. Alex looked back at Natalie and said, "And....?". Natalie started again, "Well, Dylan....
She didn't trust many guys when she was younger...", Natalie said gesturing with a slight
smile to the picture of Dylan smiling and flipping off the camera. Natalie smiled and said,
staring at nowhere in particular, "Maybe it was because she is so attractive.... you know?
Gee, I bet she got more catcalls and compliments than any other girl. But one day.... a
beautiful stranger showed up on a motorcycle.... She'd seen him around before but never
thought to talk to him. Well, they hit it off right away. He was her prince in shinning leather...he
smoked, she smoked...he drank, so did she. They listened to all of the same bands.... I
really envied her. For the first time in her life she was smiling and laughing around a man, I'd
never seen her like that. She really trusted him. But I'm warning you...this story doesn't have
a happy ending. They were out one night and her prince went to get food to take home and
she heard it.... a gunshot. She was so scared...she expected to see him dead on the
ground, blood coming out of his mouth, but she looked and he was coming back towards the
car with a gun in his hand. Well she got out and ran. She ran all the way to the police she told
them and from then on, the only man she'd ever trusted made a vow.... A vow to hunt her
down and kill her even if took a hundred years." "One-hundred," Alex interrupted, annoyed
with Natalie's misuse of words. "Quiet," Natalie said to her, eyes flashing like an ignored five-
year-old. "Anyway, she was put in the Witness Protection program, and Helen Zass
became Dylan Saunders. So you see...that picture that you used for target practice is the
reminder of a time when she was truly in love." The Thin Man's features contorted into a slight
smirk and he made odd gasping sounds, a laugh. Natalie smiled too and said, "I know Zass,
ass." The Thin Man took out a piece of paper and scribbled out, "No....Saunders reminds
me chicken." Natalie started to go into hysterics. "I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT!
Ohmigod...you're smart. Hah.... That's a new one." But in the other room, despite the
laughter, Dylan Sanders was shoving all of her prize possessions into a small leather
suitcase.