Chapter 7

I know that it has been a very long time since I last updated, but I have been just way too busy. I am an officer in three different clubs and end of the school year means lots of test, plus there is mock trial and studying and SATs and partying and my parents are pressuring me to start finding colleges that I wish to attend. I haven't had free time in over a month. I'm really sorry that it has been so long, I'm just so stressed out right now that I'm finding it hard to write and it's hard to find the time. My sister loves to hog the computer too. Anyways…

"Seth, do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" Julie asked her son. She had received a call from the school stating that her son was in a severe state of panic in the school bathroom after some boys had played a prank on him. All attempts to reach the boy had failed and Shane had become insistent that something more than the prank was bothering Seth. Something more dark, more sinister, something that had the boy petrified, too terrified to return to the world was affecting the boy. He had retreated to the depths of his mind and it had taken Julie some time to convince the boy that he was safe.

"No." Julie heard the soft spoken word that pulled her out of her reverie.

"Why not sweetheart?"

"Because it's nothing."

"Seth…"

"If I tell you, he'll kill Lillian."

"Who is going to hurt Lillian?"

"I can't tell you." Seth was nearly in tears at this point, his voice wavering as he attempted to retain control of his emotions. Seth was loosing the battle however, and he knew it, but he would not tell. He would not put his sister's life in danger.

"Seth, no one is going to hurt Lillian. She can take care of herself, she has for years, plus she has us to protect her. Seth, look at me… please." The hint of desperation in Julie's voice forced Seth to look into his mother's eyes. "Please tell me what is wrong. Nothing bad is going to happen. You are safe here and so is Lillian, no one can hurt you."

"He already did once."

"The mugging?" Julie guessed.

"Yes."

"Who is responsible for all this, please Seth, tell me." Seth looked at his mother, tears that he refused to let fall sparkled in his eyes. His voice wavering he answered his mother with the one word that he had come to dread, "The Lion."

Julie picked up the phone for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. Should she call the police? Seth had begged her not to tell anyone, begged her not to get anyone involved, but she couldn't let this go. She would not sit by and let her baby be hurt again. She was going to protect him and this time nothing was going to get to him. She had failed her son in the past, but she would not fail him now. No one was going to hurt her son. She would spend every dollar that she possessed to find out who the Lion was, but first she would let Shane find out who the pervert was that was threatening her baby with his sister's life. Seth had revealed to her the letters that he had been receiving. He kept them all. Julie showed them to Shane, he has promised to do what he could to find out the mysterious attacker. He would not get away. Besides Shane, Julie had one other option of helping her son. It was a last resort, but it had to be done.

"Lillian."

"Yes Mrs. Plummer."

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah sure, what is it?"

"It's about Seth."

"He told you about the Lion." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Yes. He told me that you had been looking in to it and I was wondering if you could, well…" A slight hesitation from the mother left Lillian room to interrupt.

"If I would use my connections with the crime world to find out who the Lion is."

"Well, yes, but only if you want to. You don't have to if you don't want to. I will understand if you don't want to. I shouldn't have even asked, but well…"

"You are just so worried about Seth that you're worry is overriding your good sense." Lillian interupted to stop Julie's ramblings.

"Yes."

"I understand, Mrs. Plummer. Really I do." Lillian added at the look of disbelief that floated across Julie's face. She had been expecting Lillian to refuse. "I will do anything necessary to help Seth and I know just the people that can help us."