Dislaimer: Don't own...anything...

Second Chapy! My two reviews inspired me to write and update, lol.

Just for clarification I want to say that Vincent's mother , Eris, is not named after THE Aeris. She's named after the goddess of discord in ancient Greek mythology. Reasons for such a name will be revealed later in the story.

Also Cristal's name is pronounced like the champagne, and her last name was taken from an old Nazi concentration camp. Haha

Well... read on!

You said you hate my suffering,

That you understood

And you'd take care of me

You'd always be there,

Well where are you now?

Bright Eyes; Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh

---666---

Eris was in a panic. She paced back and forth, sometimes stopping to glance out the window, then resuming her pacing. Her breath came in in quick, shallow gasps as her handstwitched inadvertently.

"Where could he be?" She said aloud, her voice cracking.

Eyes darting back and forth, she immediately came up with an explanation for the reason Vincent wasn't home yet.

He'd left her.

She'd always dreaded it, and knew it was bound to happen one day.

Vincent had finally deserted this godforsaken place and left her alone.

He'd left her all alone

Eris's shoulders quivered with trepidation, and her breathing became more and more irregular. The woman's hands forcefully grabbed her sleek, black hair and pulled as hard as they could.

Tears sprang out of the corners of her eyes, as she systematically ripped out chunks of her luxurious locks.

Just as she was ready to inflict even worse punishment on herself, there was a loud knock at the door.

"It's him!"

She cried, her peridot eyes brimming with sudden cheer. She joyously sprinted down the magnificent halls of the Ariface manor, in an attempt to beat the maid to the door.

Her brilliant smile grew even bigger when she realized she had won the race and she slid to a stop, throwing the doors wide open.

Eris was greeted by a truly horrific sight.

Her little boy, her little angel, stood the doorway; blood dripping down his hands and face. Eyes rimmed in purple, the beginnings of violent bruises, he gazed at his mother with a look of sheer horror on his face.

Eris flew forward and swept the bloodied cherub deep into the recesses of her embrace. She stroked his dark hair and whispered, "Oh poor baby, what happened to you? Who did this to you? Who?"

She attempted to suppress her rage, but it was impossible to hide her ire.

Vincent turned his sad, red eyes to his mother's. She was pained by the suffering she saw in them, and she thought, 'Please, oh please God. Don't let him follow the same path I have. Don't let him sin as I have.'

Ripping off the hem of her skirt Eris began to rub the blood off his face, each wipe revealing more and more of the little boy's ivory skin.

Examining his face, Eris decided he must be the most beautiful child in the world.

His large, expressive eyes…his satin smooth skin. He was as perfect as she was imperfect.

An angel.

Vincent suddenly began to sob, hiccupping his story to his mother.

" Mommy, I… I… J-J-Jared, from next door… he said he'd meet me, but he didn't. I saw him and he was saying bad things about me. And I got so mad! I w-w-went to yell at him, and he he knocked me to the floor. He kept on punching and punching and punching me….. I thought I was gonna die!"

At that he sobbed so hard he couldn't continue. Eris held him close and kissed him until he was able to speak again.

" Then.. Something happened… I.. Don't know…I knocked him off me and just… I just went crazy…. I kept on stomping and stomping on him… 'till you couldn't even see his face! Then Then I realized what I was doing… and his friend carried him away…. I think he's really hurt mommy! I think I hurt him really bad!"

He burrowed his face into his mother's bosom and whispered, "Now I've shown them I really am dangerous."

Eris was in shock. She clung to her shivering child and stood, her eyes shimmering with an eerie light.

"So it's happening to you already."She murmured in an indecipherable tone, nuzzling the back of Vincent's neck.

"What?"

The little brunette queried.

" I love you, Vincent."

Was the reply.

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Counselor Butch T. Nelson had a migraine.

He sat behind the judge stand rubbing his temples and taking in the chaotic scene before him. It was nearly five o' clock in the morning, and the Counselor happened to be very annoyed to be called out of bed at such an ungodly hour.

Cristal Auschwitz had come to his door imploring him to call together an emergency trial, and since she was the goddamn queen of this whole town he was inclined to obey.

Not that Butch T. Nelson could ever be ordered around, he just didn't feel like an argument with such a stuck up bitch so early in the morning.

The courtroom was engulfed in chaos at what had just been said by Jared Auschwitz, who was currently seated at the witness stand. The boy's face was swathed in bandages and only his eyes and mouth were visible. Even beneath his wrappings the counselor could detect the hint of a smirk on the boy's face.

Butch T. Nelson scowled. Even after being beat to a bloody pulp, the boy still had the worst attitude he'd ever seen.

"Rotten to the core" The Counselor muttered recollecting the boy's testimony, completely ignoring the commotion surrounding him.

Jared had recounted all that had occurred last night, when he was allegedly assaulted by eight year old Vincent Ariface.

Snickers had flitted around the room when the word "assault" was used, since it was simply ludicrous that an eight year old boy of Vincent's small stature could possibly injure a strapping thirteen year old.

Jared had snorted in disdain and spoke of how he had done nothing but say he would meet Vincent at the park and when he had regrettably forgotten his obligation, Vincent flew into a wild rage.

"It was like he was possessed by a demon" Jared proclaimed dramatically, a malevolent look gracing his features, "He's evil! Look what he did! I will never look the same again, and it's all that kid's fault. I'll never…never…"

Unable to contain his "grief" any longer the bruised boy had finally burst into very loud and obnoxious sobs, which in turn threw the members of the courtroom into a frenzy.

"Poor child!" They cried. "That horrid Ariface boy, must be punished!"

Their indignantpleas continued to go unnoticed by Butch T. Nelson as he made a point to glare as viciously as he could at Jared.

The boy was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, and kept on stealing nervous glances at the Counselor. The Counselor grinned with malicious glee and turned his death stare up a notch.

Butch T. Nelson was an intimidating man.

He was short in stature, only around 5 foot 8, but made up for his height with attitude. Nearly everyone in town dreaded ever seeing the Counselor's bloodshot blue eyes and weathered face scrutinizing him as he was doing to Jared now.

More than anything the Counselor hated liars, and it was obvious that the Auschwitz kid was a liar.With much regret he pulled his eyes away from the disgruntled teen, and turned his attention to the courtroom.

He sighed at the complete disarray surrounding him and lifted his large hammer, slamming it with a deafening crack on the podium.

"I will have order in this courtroom"

That sardonic whisper leaving Butch T. Nelson's lips caused the entire courtroom to fall silent, looking down sheepishly at their shoes. The Counselor's frown deepened at seeing them behave in such a fashion, just like a bunch of unruly kids.

"Now," The Counselor stated, his gaze roaming over the guilty faces of the citizens of Sherybine,"Now, I think it is time for Mr. Mitchner to come to the stand"

The inaptly named, Mitch Mitchner, gave one look at his mother Clara, and walked up to the stand.

His mother was the very same kindly housewife that had been present the night the Ariface's had first arrived, and was well known for being the sweetest little lady in the whole town.

She waskind toeveryone and her rosy red checks coupled with graying curls beneath a lacy bonnet, attributed to her overall pleasant appearance. Many wondered why such a benign woman would name her son, Mitch Mitchner.

Her countenance revealed nothing as she folded her arms across her buxom chest, preparing to listen to her son's testimony.

Mitch looked extremely nervous; pulling at his chin length blond hair and biting his full lips as he sat himself down.

The young boy had a Grecian look to him, his hair twisting into soft curls that framed chiseled cheekbones. His limbs were long and lithe, yet did not have their usual sculpted appearance, since he was slouching as far down as possible on the witness chair.

How unfortunate that such a delicately featured boy should have such a brutish name, was the thought that crossed the Counselor's mind when the boy began to speak.

"Well…. You see…" He began in a quavering voice but then, glancing at his mother, he continued in a more self assured tone."All that Jared said was a lie. He did promise to meet Vincent at the park, but he did not merely forget his obligation. He purposely didn't show up and left Vincent there, alone."

Cristal Ariface stood up at this statement and insisted the boy must be lying, but was immediately silent when a withering glare from Butch T. Nelson.

"Continue, my dear boy" He said warmly, smiling at Mitch."I have reason to believe, as should the members of this courtroom, that you would have no reason to lie since there is nothing for you to gain and much for you to lose. Unlike your friend Mr. Auschwitz."

Mitch nodded, gulping, and continued,"Jared and I were walking and he was telling me how he tricked Vincent, and laughed, calling him a freak. I… I laughed too, and I must say that I am so sorry Vincent since it was a cruel and unfounded action."

He paused, looking at the little boy sitting in the "Accused" stool at the center of the room, and gave a hesitant smile when the pale child inclined his head.

Butch T. Nelson's glance was drawn to the boy too and was still shocked by the figure he presented. The purplish bruises and cuts served to heighten the child's overall ethreal look.

His porcelein features and glossy hair could be attributed to his mother, who had been escorted from the courtroom after trying to chuck her shoe at Cristal, but his eyes were his own. They glowed with a lurid light, and gave him a cherubic yet, at the same time, demonic appearance.

His reverie was broken when Mitch continued his testimony.

"Then, Vincent must have been near enough to hear what we said and he ran towards us and shoved Jared. He was saying something about how it was mean of Jared to do something like that, and Jared punched him in the face. Vincent was then bleeding and continued to say how everyone was cruel to him for no reason at all, and that Jared was the freak. Jared got really mad at that and surprised Vincent, jumping on his chest. Jared punched and punched him until I was sure that Vincent was going to die, when suddenly Vincent threw Jared off him. Vincent threw himself at Jared, and beat him until suddenly he stopped and threw up. I took this chance to rescue Jared, and pulled him back to his house, while Vincent didn't move an inch."

"A very different account than that of Mr. Auschwitz"Counselor Butch T. Nelson stated, and then asked, "Do you, Mr. Mitchner, believe that young Mr. Ariface was acting out of maliciousness or in his own defense?"

Mitch's fair features gleamed as he said,"Sir, I believe that Jared would have ended up killing Vincent if he had been allowed to continue punching him, and even though Vincent's retaliation was violent, it was not unfounded. Vincent's attack was one of self-defense."

The Counselor smiled and gestured for Mitch to return to his seat next to his mother.

She proudly wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he came back, as he hung his head in relief.

Commotion again overtook the room, mostly instigated by Cristal, but was immediately hushed by the evilest of looks from Counselor Butch T. Nelson. He stood up, which was the signal that he had reached a verdict so the rest of the court stood up in unison.

" I have reached a verdict."

The Counselor said, rubbing his eyelids.

"And I think it is obvious who is at fault here, but still there was incredible ferocity directed towards each of the involved parties."

He glanced at Vincent, at his almost too perfect face and said,

"My verdict is…"

My! A Cliffhanger! I should be writing a new chappy but all I did was a rewrite, lol.

I'm seriously in love witht he characters in this story. Just as a warning there will be many random, quirky peeps I'm gonna add into this angsty fic just for my own amusement

I love the inaptly named Mitch Mitchner, and...

COUNSELOR BUTCH T. NELSON!

Read and review as always, I need the reviews to spur the update process!