I wasn't automatically sure what was going on but then everything flooded back to me, anger and hate toward Nathan surged. "You idiotic moron kid who's mouth runs faster than his mind!" he shouted and grabbed hold of my wrist, yanked me out of bed and was whisking me down the hall before I had time to protest. We ran past a mass of doors, past frantic looking faces, crying babies, Lavender who was carrying Sunny, and down the stairs where I saw three V.F.D. members holding onto two people who were trying to break free.

"Let us go you overprotective, over exaggerating, over-over-OVER PEOPLE!" shouted Narantha trying to push past the guards. Violet was next to her screaming too, but much louder, "LET ME GO! THEY'RE MY FAMILY! I DEMAND TO SEE THEM!"

Hearing my sister's cries I too tried to pull away from my holder, but he jerked me toward him and led me from the room. "VIOLET!" I cried, pulling harder, behind me hearing the continuous screams of Violet and now the shrieking of baby Sunny trying to pull away from Lavender. Finally we reached a small room that was empty except for the dozens of people the room hardly had the room to hold, and Nathan let me go, but afterward I bet he was sorry he did because I didn't hesitate to punch him hard in the jaw.


"YOU BASTARD!" I screamed as he held his jaw, heads turning to see what was going on. He looked back at me and sighed, "Klaus-." But I didn't give him a chance to explain. I had heard enough from him, so I swung at him again this time knocking him to the floor. I hated him! I would never forgive him, NEVER... He rose, anger now filling his calm expressionless face as he punched my nose. I grunted and wobbled but regained my balance and jumped at him, knocking his back down.

My knees sat on his chest as I took continuous punches at his face, him returning the favor each time. Soon I was the one on the floor getting my face beet in. I saw the blood running down his mouth and nose and figures I probably looked no better. There were three V.F.D. members trying to pull him off, but then I realized, it wasn't just his anger toward me that made him punch like that, but everything he had kept bottled up inside for 14 years. For the first time, I saw Nathan cry.

Finally they managed to pull him off me and I jumped up, but instead of lunging at him I hugged him. I felt his chest heaving in silent sobs that only made my break into tears too. We stood there and hugged for a minute and finally the door opened again showing a sight that made everyone gasp, fear filling their hearts knowing that what I had done had exposed what we had really had been hiding for.

Lavender hobbled in, her white dress scorched and bloody, Sunny still in one arm that was bitten and swollen. She limped farther into the room and I ran up grabbing Sunny. The second I did Lavender wobbled dizzily and fell over, sending everyone in the room into a panic. Lavenders legs were cut and burnt, her arms looked the same. Her nose bled and her cheeks were cut. I gave Sunny to one of the women in the crowd and ran over to Lavender, Nathan at my heels.

I bent down and put her head in my lap, Nathan looking her over. "They've gotten in," he finally said, "don't open the door for anyone, not even other V.F.D. members!" I looked at him wide eyed. What he was doing could be homicide! Then I thought of Violet and Narantha. "No!" I shouted opening the door and running out. I heard Nathan call after me and pound frustrated on the door. The halls were all burning, pictures, plants, the stairwell, everything.

"Violet," I choked under the smoke, "Narantha, where are you?" No reply came so I wandered farther into the flame. Then I saw something that made my stomach lurcg, my heart break, and fear run down my body.

"Well," said a voice I knew too well, the evil in it making it seem out of character, "looks like Olaf isn't the only one who takes in 'dead' people."