A.N. chapter 7 already. It's a little dark; you've been warned.

Summary: Magenta tells her "greatest moment" while watching a sunrise and almost burns down the castle.

I awoke the next morning before the sun came up. I headed down to the kitchen to get breakfast underway and then walked strait out the back door into the courtyard. There was a small table out there so I sat down. I got lucky that morning, the courtyard faces east, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Sunrises and sunsets were a novelty to me, back on my home planet they were next to non-existent. I loved to watch either one, but I could only watch a sunrise without interruption. They were something special, they held a sense of freedom that I longed for. I didn't hear the door open and close. I did sense that someone was outside with me and when I turned, I was surprised to see Columbia. She was never up this early. She was holding a mug of some steaming liquid that smelled wonderful.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the mug. I was surprised by her reaction. She looked down and blushed slightly.

"This? Oh, coffee, it's a good thing to drink in the mornings. We didn't have it here before but I picked some up the last time we went into town. It really helps if you have to be up this early. Caffeine boost."

I raised an eyebrow, and I thought earth people would never have thought of such a thing. "Is there any left?" I asked. She nodded and got up to go get me some but she stopped on the grass in front of me.

"Umm, what do you want in it? Milk, sugar, or you can drink it black. That's how I have mine."

"Black sounds good." She returned a few moments later with another steaming mug. I took it and took a sip. It was hot and had this awful bitter aftertaste but I liked it. We sat on the table as the sun began to rise. We were lost in our own thoughts when she asked me what my greatest moment was. I sat, watching the sky grow pink and thinking back to what I called my "greatest" moment.

It was getting late and I started to get worried. Riff was never this late, not on a Friday. I sat in my window seat watching the waves lap at the shore below. I've always loved the view; I could sit for hours watching the moons reflecting on the water. Today, even the view couldn't calm my inner storm. I had a feeling something wasn't right. At that moment the front door opened and slammed shut. I ran to the stairs and there was my brother, soaking wet and shivering. I ran to him. He told me that Mom had never come to pick him up after school and he had to walk home. I hugged him, and I didn't even notice that I was getting wet. I was glad he had gotten home. Later upstairs he told me to pack some of my things in a bag and hide the bag in the closet. Then he told me to hide. I didn't want too, but we heard the front door open again and slam shut. Then we heard Mom shouting up the stairs. Riff went pale, he was Mom's favorite target when she came home drunk or stoned, but tonight I wasn't going to watch another violent scene.

"Don't move, don't make a sound. If you can do that she won't bother to look for you." Riff said as he went to meet Mom in the hallway. I could see out the door from my hiding place behind the bed. She was a mess; her hair was wild and her face dirty. She shoved Riff aside saying that she wanted a heart to heart with me.

"Genta, my darling where are you? You don't have to hide, I don't want to hurt you." Her voice was calm and she looked as if she was going to cry. I stood up. I saw Riff squeeze his eyes shut, but she didn't strike me. Instead she sat me beside her on the bed and told me:

"Genta, I know I haven't been a good mother to you. I'm just a sorry bitch for an excuse of a mother. I've hurt you and I don't want to hurt you anymore. He was a bastard your father was; he led me into some bad bad habits. I didn't want to hurt him, but I couldn't make him leave." At this point she did begin to cry. Then she continued, " He wouldn't go, I didn't know how to make him leave, I couldn't make him leave. Then he died Genta, I lied to you all these years, and I've caused you so much pain. You don't have to hurt anymore. You need to sleep, forever. It won't hurt ever again. I'm a miserable, sorry, bitch. You can hate me, I won't mind. That's why you both have to go too, I can't keep doing this to you." She pulled a small vial of poison from her pocket. Suddenly I understood what was going on. My mother was going to kill us both because she thought she was going to do us a favor. She reached for me but I leaped of the bed. She began to sob. She fell to her knees on the floor sobbing. Riff grabbed my hand and we ran. On the way out I grabbed my bag, he already had his and we fled. I looked back in time to see my mother drink the entire vial and collapse on my bedroom floor. A single drop of that poison was enough to kill."

Columbia was staring at me with a look of utmost horror. When she recovered, she leant across the table and put her arms around me. I didn't shrug her off.

"Oh, Mags, I'm so sorry. That's awful, you so young having to watch something like that. Why though, is that your greatest moment?" She still had her arm around me.

"That wasn't it. The moment came after that. Riff and I headed to the beach, where there are several "date shelters". We sat inside one of them, staring out at the water. The shock from my mother's death was wearing off, and once again I was able to truly appreciate the beauty of the reflections on the ocean. Staring out at the water still holds something special inside me. That moment was a moment of total freedom. I have never felt so good, so unrestricted in my entire life. It was only for one night and since then I've never felt that same freedom again. We slept there; Riff holding onto me of course until we were awoken by the sounds of people on the beach. We were taken to the Royal Court. Surprisingly we were both allowed to finish our education and Riff was given a job in the Court's Biological Studies lab. We were treated as any court member, but we were held by the crown, we were no longer free. When we got here, our freedom was diminished even more. It was not my intention to hate Frank. In the beginning I liked him, but his selfishness took over his charm and I began to turn cold to him. When he started taking credit for my brother's work, I disliked him. When he started to beat Riff for whatever reason, that's when I began to hate him. Every now and then you get the chance to see his charming youthful side, but it's hidden so well and now I can't stop myself from hating him. Riff's always hated him, he has his reasons." I stopped.

"Mags? Riff, he's older than you isn't he?"

"Yes, by four years. It's funny, until my mother's death it was always me who took care of him. After that night he's always there. He can almost read my thoughts by now." Screaming coming from the house interrupted us. My already pale face went even lighter and Columbia's did too.

"Breakfast." I choked on the word. Without another moment we both dashed back to the castle in time to see smoke billowing out the kitchen window.