Chapter V: The Sinful Child

Dys: okay, a Creed song inspired this chapter, though I keep forgetting the title of it.

Dartz: It's some Christian song from their Greatest Hits CD, isn't it? The second song?

Dys: Yeah, I think so. It's a good song, but nowhere as good as "Arms Wide Open."

Dartz: She's as much of a Creed fan as she is for Evanescence and KORN.

Dys: Shush!

Dartz: Anyways, what she really means is that she hopes you like this chapter. I'm not quite sure if she put any song lyrics in it, but be on the alert through out the story because she has some bad habits of doing that.

FD eventually snapped back to her normal self, still making the most unusual fashion statements, and eventually got started on decorating the building. She started in the bottom level, Varon and Amelda aiding her. It was on the second day after they started decorating, and FD and the boys were painting along the walls to make it resemble the very beach her own home was on. FD dragged the paintbrush with crimson paint along the black branches of trees to make it resemble the leaves of the oak tree during this season. FD was really happy by her job of this. The way she stroked the paint over the walls brought a sweet smile to her face. It was a type of smile you rarely see on someone's face. This type of smile was pure and innocent, she seemed so happy painting her art over the walls. Varon couldn't help but watch how elegant and graceful she seemed at that moment.

"That's very beautiful," came a voice. They looked up to see Dartz approaching them from the elevator. He took a look at what they had done so far. It was mostly of the scene of FD's house and the area surrounding there. The trees reached from the tiled floor to the high ceiling, the branches stretching in elegant knots across the walls. FD's house was just visible near the well-painted shore, but it still added beauty and originality to it. What surprised Dartz the most was the bright sunset painted along the horizon. FD was still trying to cover the crimson light, but she kept staring at it strangely.

"You like it, Mr. Dartz?" she asked him innocently. He smiled at her, and then looked at Amelda and Varon.

"Would you boys mind leaving us for a bit?"

Varon and Amelda exchanged looks, but then shook their heads and dropped their brushes and raced out the front door. Dartz then approached the young woman.

"Your imagination is quite vivid. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was on the beach right now," he spoke. His tone then turned serious and cold. "Do you remember that night?"

"What night?" she asked him, curious.

"I came over to your house one night. Do you remember it?" he asked. She shook her head. She then started rubbing her neck viciously. She didn't remember it clearly, but it left a scar.

"I…I don't think you ever came to my home," she explained. "I surely would have remembered."

"Unless you forced yourself to forget. Like how you did years ago," Dartz spoke calmly, yet his voice was low and medieval. FD stopped in her movements, frozen in fear. "I know what happened. I know how your parents died."

"No…" her voice was gone, trembling, and low in a whisper. Then she broke out in a shout and swung her arm at him. "No! No, you don't know! You will never know what happened!"

Dartz, whom stricken and surprised by the young girl's actions, quickly dodged the first blow, and then caught the second by the wrist. He had struck a nerve really hard. Why else would she break out in rage? He also saw the most painful tears in her eyes, fighting to stay in. He was hurting her, yet she wasn't remembering anything. Only bits, images that came flooding in, but never formed an actual memory. This was getting nowhere. He had to force her to remember everything, not just bits. He tightened his grip on her wrist and stared coldly into her eyes. Then he felt it again. A sharp, painful jolt, but this time, instead of in his mind, it came strictly from his chest, his heart. Then he sensed that power again. It was strong and rising, like it was being angered, tempted, and provoked. Where was it coming from?

He released his grip on her, and she fell back towards the tile floor. She whimpered slightly out of pain from her legs crushing against the tile, but the aura around them relaxed and, with a solemn sigh, FD was back to her normal mood. Dartz was a little frustrated by this, especially when he sensed that energy. It wasn't coming from her, he knew that now. So where could it be coming from? Was it inside the building still? He made sure to evacuate the place so FD could get her work done and not interfere with the others' work. He had the strange feeling someone was watching them. Was it Amelda or Varon? He did tell them to leave so he could talk to FD, but were they watching?

His head was starting to hurt from all of this. He quickly brushed off the feeling and approached the young woman. He held out a hand and helped her up. However, her hands were shaking violently, but not from rage. More of fear.

"I'm…so sorry, Mr. Dartz. Please, forgive me," she begged in a tearful voice. He waved his hand before her just to show her reassurance. Her face grew red and she walked from there towards another door. She was so embarrassed now, she had to hide from him. Nevertheless, as she walked away, he noticed, running along her under wrist, was a rather visible scar. It was red and looked fresh. Did it just appear now?

The brunette young man couldn't believe what he had just seen, let alone heard. Beside him, his redhead colleague (A/N: Varon had actually once called Amelda and Rafael his "colleagues" in the English version, so forgive me.) just stared in horror. Why did she react like that? Moreover, what did Dartz mean by that, he "knew" how her parents died? When Varon looked up at Amelda, he saw a few tears in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Amelda didn't answer. He just stared through the glass towards where Dartz stood, staring down at where FD had once stood before running off.

Amelda had not only heard and saw all of that, but he felt something, too. Something strange, yet strong. He felt it first in his head, and then in his heart. Why? He knew what that feeling was, but why did he….

That night the sand on the beach became soaked and muddy as it began to rain. FD raced across the dunes towards her home and sighed as she reached the front door before she became soaked like the sand. She quickly got inside and was greeted strongly by her pets. They crowded around her feet affectionately, and she fell onto the couch as they pounced on top of her. Their behavior had changed extremely. At first, they seemed normal, than they rejected her, and now they wanted her on her back so they could lick her face. She loved it when they showed her affection and love, but something strange was going on. She felt it, but how? And what?

She got up and walked upstairs to her room. She walked into the bathroom to take a nice warm shower, and was followed closely by the Abyssinian, Maggie. The kitten pounced onto the closed toilet lid and looked up at FD curiously. Something about this beautiful kitten caught FD's attention as she got on her knees and started the water. It always took a minute to warm up. FD removed her blouse and looked at the kitten. Its eyes were brilliantly green, almost bright emerald. Where had she seen that color before? Matter of fact, where had she seen those emerald eyes before?

A faint image of Dartz came to mind, and then she figured it out. Dartz had one eye gold and one eye emerald. Why was that? Did something happen? She kept questioning herself about that as she removed her clothing and stepped into the running warm water, the tips of her long black hair immediately becoming soaked. She turned her bare back to the water and allowed it flow down it painfully. Her hands fell along her arms comfortingly, but the pain didn't vanish. It remained, and wouldn't leave her. As she stood beneath the running warm water, she closed her silver eyes and an image came to her mind's eye. An image of a symbol in total blackness. It was an emerald sphere with a six-point-star in the center, reaching from all sides. This symbol glowed a brilliant, emerald light in the darkness.

I know I've seen that symbol before, but where? FD thought to herself. Everything felt weird at that moment. A strange sensation ran through her body, and it felt so familiar to her. She felt this before, but where? She fell to her knees, her soaked black hair falling over her body, which was trembling. She wasn't scared, she wasn't excited. So, why was she shaking?

Once out of the shower, FD was immediately wrapped in a perfectly white robe and drying her hair with the black towel, the one she favored. She quickly retired to her room and sat on the foot of her bed, a few of her pets staring up at her with curiosity and concern. She smiled sweetly at them, and then fell back onto the bed, her knees bent on the end, her shins and feet dangling to the ceiling. She immediately felt that sensation again, it was cool, relaxing, new, yet familiar. It was like how she felt getting into a spa. Relaxing, yet strangely weird.

She was falling through darkness, eternally floating through it. She heard the distant sounds of the rain and thunder, but it sounded so far away. She was falling through black water, falling, drowning in the rain. Suddenly, she was standing up again, but not in where she should be. Instead, she was standing in a beautiful room, almost like the dance hall of a palace, standing before a mirror. The mirror showed her reflection, but she wasn't dressed in normal clothes she would wear. Her outfit was a beautiful, flowing white gown with pearls along the neck of it, low cut, but only enough to reveal above her cleavage, her arms were covered by gorgeous white gloves reaching up to her shoulders, the hem of the dress parted in the front to reveal her long, slender thighs, wearing gorgeous, white heels. Her black hair was pulled back into a lovely, long ponytail. Along her forehead and bangs was a gorgeous string of beads and pearls that wrapped around her head. How did she get like this? She looked like a princess.

"You look beautiful," said a voice. In the mirror, she saw the reflection of Dartz approaching her from behind. He reached forward and pulled back a few stray strands behind her ears. "I had never seen such a beautiful woman in my life."

Surprised by his sudden words, FD turned around to look into his discolored eyes.

"Sir…I'm…I'm not beautiful," she spoke softly. He smiled and cupped her chin between his forefinger and thumb, and tilted her head back.

"Don't say that. Right now, do you think I would say something like that if you weren't as beautiful as an actual princess right now?" he asked. "You look like the princess of Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" FD was confused. When did Atlantis come up before to her? She didn't remember, but she knew she heard more about it than she realized.

"Yes, my dear Rika, Atlantis. You don't remember anything, do you? How sad, yet beauty like this can't be natural. Is this your true desire? Is this what you want more than life itself?" Dartz asked. FD looked at him, and then realized the answer. No, she didn't want to be beautiful. She wanted something else. Something that bothered her inside, something that hurt her heart dearly.

"No…" FD spoke gently.

"Then what is it? Power? Strength? Revenge?" Dartz asked. Revenge? What the….

"No," FD spoke.

"Then, show me what it is you desire, little raven. Show me," Dartz pleaded. FD broke from his hold and looked in the mirror almost instinctively. What did she want? She knew there was something, but what was it? Even she herself wanted to know. She imagined herself long ago as a small child. She imagined the comfort and warmth she gained from someone. An eternal love, binding and strong, it kept her alive. However, eventually, that love died, and with it, her life. FD imagined someone holding her in their arms, giving her strength and aide when she needed it. What she wanted was….

At that moment, a strange sensation ran through her body, and she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back, closer into another's solid form. She felt someone place their chin on her shoulder, and embrace her in a loving way. FD's face glowed red, but she welcomed this feeling. She already had someone to love her…. The faint image of Amelda came to mind. He loved her, she could tell. Moreover, she had to confess, she loved him. However, she didn't have someone to care for her, to take care of her, to hold her and keep her safe, to give her strength. She didn't have someone to hold her like a child. Nevertheless, the way Dartz held her now…reminded her of her own father.

That's what she needed now. Her father…or someone to love her like a father. Someone to care for her like a parent, someone to know…to share her pain. Amelda was someone to share memories with, but he couldn't be someone to care for her like a parent. She had been alone for so long, she had forgotten that feeling to have someone care for her. That feeling she's been wanting since she was little. Her memories may be gone, but the scars left behind from them never vanished. Both the emotional scars…and the physical scars….

Dys: He's going to kill me for that little scene, I just know it!

Dartz: You're right I am!

Dys: I wasn't talking about you; I was talking about my own father. Anyways, as an FYI, today was my last day of school, so I have three months of summer vacation! I'll be starting another school year next September. Therefore, that means major updating and plans. In a couple of weeks, I'm going to a family reunion in New Mexico, so I won't be updating during that time, plus I've got summer school, but now I've got more free time to write and update all of my stories, and put in a few new ones. Oh, and in case I don't update by next weekend, I want to wish all of you guys a Happy Father's Day! I'm spending that day with my daddy, so I hope you people have fun! Peace! (Starts running as Dartz chases her with an axe! Lol!)