Things change, life goes on, the world continues to spin no matter how hard you will it to stop. I believe we all have both good and bad in us, but everyone has a natural inclination one way or the other. It's the pull that comes from somewhere deep inside you, a feeling that's nearly impossible to suppress. For as long as I can remember I had an understanding of this, but only now as I look back can I really comprehend it.

Hate me, judge me, it doesn't much matter anymore. We are born into a society that tells us we must live a good life, constantly striving to do whats right, only to eventually be forgotten. Have my decisions really had much of an effect in the over all scheme of things? Where does being a good person actually get you? The people that surround us everyday; the ones with all the power, prestige, beauty and money will at some point be nothing more than an etching on a piece of stone. Although, there are always those few who, like me, refuse to let time turn them to dust. They make a mark that will continue to endure. Whether you choose to view my actions as positive or negative is purely up to you.

Lets start from the beginning...

Katharine Krueger, Maggie, had moved far away from Springwood, far away from everything that happened. She didn't want to remember any more of her past than what she'd already been forced to. Years had passed now and denial seemed like the best option for a happy life. No one knew her real name was Katharine or that she'd been adopted, not even her family. Somewhere in her determination to escape she found herself part of the same suburban Hell her father had worked so hard to destroy.

She sat in her living room exhausted from a full days work. It was nearly six, time for Andy to be getting home. Sluggishly, she got up from her chair and made her way to the kitchen to get started on dinner. With a slam of the back door Maggie knew her husband was home.

"Hello, dear. How was your day?" He looked extremely worn out, his short brown hair a mess, and all his words seemed to come out monotone.

"I'm fine. What's wrong? Did you have a bad day at the office?" Maggie said, trying to sound more cheerful than she actually was.

"Not really, just have a lot on my mind. The company is doing some shifting and I'm hoping we wont be involved."

"What would it mean if we were? Is your job in jeopardy?"

"No, no, it'd just mean my position could be moved to another location. All the same, I don't feel like uprooting our lives and moving. Lakeview is our home, I grew up here, and it's where I intend to raise our family... Never mind, I'm only being paranoid."

Maggie sighed heavily as she tossed some pasta into a bowl. "I'd hope they wouldn't do something like that to you, you've been with that place for ages. Anyway, lets not worry about it now. We'll take things as they come. Do you mind going upstairs and calling Virginia? I'm almost ready here."

"No problem." His mood had improved greatly after the talk with his wife. In the back of his mind there were still some worries about work, but knowing she was ready to deal with it should the worst happen took a huge load off his shoulders.

A few minutes later Andy returned to the kitchen followed by their only daughter Virginia. Virginia was a pretty young girl, not much older than 13. She had long red hair, cherry lips, and brown eyes that sparkled with a glint of gold. She was of average height and had an extremely thin frame that bordered on emaciated. She almost looked a bit unhealthy as she sat down to the dinner table. You could count the bones in her spine through the tight fitting green shirt she wore. Maggie and Andy had been worried about her physical state for quite some time but whenever they brought it up she only got defensive.

There wasn't much conversation at the dinner table that night, not that there ever was. Individually, they all got along, but as a group, there was constant tension. Virginia remained quiet shifting the pasta around with her fork not actually intending to eat it. She was a little ray of sunshine as always.

"Virginia, what happened to your arm?" Maggie questioned, noticing several gashes lacing up her forearm.

"Ahhh! Oh my God! How did that happen!?!" Virginia screamed with a panicked look on her face. Of course, this was complete and total sarcasm. "Seriously mother, how the fuck do you think it happened?"

Maggie's eyes narrowed, not at all amused by her daughters sick sense of humor. "I guess I'll be calling your doctor in the morning."

"Go ahead. You think I give a shit?"

"I've had just about enough of this!" Maggie was beginning to lose her patience with the arrogant child and they had only been together a matter of minutes. "Go to your room and stay there. I can't deal with your attitude tonight."

Virginia shot her a patronizing half smile and trotted up stairs pleased in the fact that she'd be spending the rest of the evening with no disturbances.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Andy had received a phone call. "Hey, Andy, this is Joe." The voice on the other end was that of Joe Peterson, Andy's supervisor. His deep southern accent alone would have easily let Andy know who it was. "I have some good news and bad news for you. The bad news is it looks like your job is being transferred out of state, but the good news is you'll be getting a substantial raise."

Andy was not happy at all. The possibility of being transferred was exactly what had been keeping him a ball of nerves for the past week and a half. Almost all the color had drained out of his face by the time he managed to choke out a few words, "So, where will we be going?"

"You'll be going to the main department in Springwood, Ohio. It's nice there, the wife and I have gone on a few business trips in the area. I'll tell ya' somethin,' it's TV land if I ever saw it! The land of white picket fences and dinner parties! I think you'll like it."

"Well, thanks Joe. I'll see you tomorrow." He couldn't fake being pleasant, not now. He hung up the phone and turned to Maggie who'd already figured out what the call was about. He didn't say a word.

She spoke first simply asking "Where?"

"Springwood, Ohio... but the boss said its just as nice as Lakeview..." He was trying to soften the blow even though he himself didn't believe it.

"Springwood?!" She was completely mortified at the thought of returning to the place that held so many bad memories. A million thoughts raced through her mind as she tried to regain her composure. She couldn't let him think anything was wrong.

Authors notes: The standard, "I do not own NOES or any of the tradmark characters," would apply here.