Later that night when Mira was asleep and all was quiet I heard a car pull up by the door. I looked out of my window to see it was Voltaire's limo. My blood boiled when he had the nerve to enter the house with Mira still in it.

It came as no surprise to me when Voltaire's butler came in to my room. "Your grandfather requests your presence master Kai." I hated this old git, but I hated Voltaire even more. I got up and stormed to his office shutting out the old git as I went in. He was standing by the window not moving a muscle. It was only then did I realise it had started to rain with thunder and lightening cracking overhead. 'Great, I won't be getting much sleep tonight either.'

But then my attention was caught when the bastard of my life spoke. "Sit down Kai."

"I'd rather stand!" I growled through clenched teeth. He still didn't turn to look at me and heaved a heavy sigh. "How's Mira?" I would've leapt at him for even saying her name right there and then. But the truth is I wanted to know what reason he had for doing this. "In a sorry state thanks to you and Creed!" Was all I came out with. He sighed again before finally turning to look at me. I held back a gasp and sneer at the same time. His left arm was in a sling and he had a black eye. "Sit down." He said in a stern tone but I refused to move. "Why did you-"

"SIT DOWN!" He yelled but I still didn't move. "Sit down and I'll explain everything." That was when I obeyed and took a seat in front of him. I felt something in my pocket and took out Mira's drawing. "She asked me to show you this." I gave him the drawing and he sighed. "She's quite the little artist." He lowered himself slowly and painfully in to the chair facing me. Looks like some work was done on him around the sides too. I waited patiently for him to begin.

"Some years ago there was a project involving Ebony's uncle-"

"Ebony already told me about that." Voltaire looked annoyed about being interrupted but I wanted to get on with the explanation. "I see. Well after the unfortunate mishap of the fatality there were some people very interested in her uncle's work. They were angry he closed down his experiments after I showed them his research. They wanted to continue with it to make an army to control the world after Boris's little mishap." You could say that again. "No free will, no disobedience, absolute co-operation and loyalty. I tried to retrieve her uncles work but I found out he destroyed his lab and everything in it after saving Ebony. It took several years to track down a scientist he had fired a couple of years before I joined the project."

"Dr. Creed."

"Exactly. Everything was going well until Creed became worried about his control crown experiment. He said he wanted to try it out on someone that was already in the final process of her uncle's experiment. They found it impossible to track down the other children. But then Creed recognised Mira from a photo in my sister's house when we had a meeting there. I was told to get her here for the test of the crown. I couldn't disobey them, I had gone in too deep and they are very dangerous men. This is what they did just by you interfering in their plans. I wasn't found at fault to blame apparently. But for some reason they won't do anything to either you or Ebony." They'd better not or I'll kill them. That was when Voltaire stopped and asked for me to leave but that didn't satisfy me. "Why did you subject Mira to such pain and suffering?" He looked at me with tired eyes showing his true age. "I didn't want this but I had no choice."

"NO CHOICE? SHE'S PART OF WHAT'S LEFT OF OUR FAMILY! OUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD!" I just lost it hoping for some sort of relief but it only made me angrier. "You think I wanted her to get hurt?"

"WELL YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT HER!"

"DAMMIT KAI! WHY DO YOU THINK I KEPT TELLING YOU TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON HER?" What the hell was this? "DON'T'T YOU DARE TRY TO PIN THIS ON ME YOU OLD BASTARD! THIS IS NO ONE'S FAULT BUT YOUR OWN! I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY DO TO YOU. BUT IF YOU EVER DO ANYTHING TO ENDANGER THE LIVES OF MY FRIENDS OR MIRA AGAIN I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!" God that felt good to get off my chest. For the first time in my life Voltaire looked lost for words. "You've already fucked up my life, don't do the same to Mira."

"I'm sorry for the pain I've caused both you and Mira. But I can't back out now…"

"Why?" My anger was still not played out but I felt a bit better. "They'll kill me…you too. Then maybe they'll go after Ebony, Mira and then my sister." I sighed and felt as tired as he looked. "Was she involved in it too?"

"Good lord no. She may be sadistic but she's not stupid enough to get involved with people like these. I admit I was a little foolhardy to even agree to help them." A little foolhardy? Bloody moron more like it. "But back then I was greedy and their offer was more than tempting."

"You mean to tell me all this was over a big fat deposit in your bank account?" It was then I left too disgusted to look at him. I knew he loved money but this was just too much. Why did I have to be related to him of all people, why?

I opened the door to Mira's room to see she was sat up in bed with silent tears rolling down her eyes. She looked angrier than words could ever say. I sat down at the end of her bed not taking my eyes off her. One tear rolled down her cheek after the next, but still she made no sound. "I take it you heard the conversation?" I couldn't think of what else to say. She nodded making more tears fall off her face. She wiped them away furiously before coming over to me. "I hate him." Was all she came out with before becoming silent again. "Me too." I don't know how long we sat there listening to the storm. It felt like hours had passed and we hadn't moved.

"Did you show him my picture?" Mira asked finally breaking this unbearable silence. I nodded and turned my head to see her angry look was replaced by an evil grin. "Good." I told her about Voltaire's state of health and her smile increased in size making the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

MIRA

I was numb. All I felt was hate for the man residing in his office half beaten and so guilt ridden I could almost smell it from underneath the floor boards. I knew Kai was there, but it was as though he were invisible to me. My heart was closed to pity and I wanted something that I hadn't felt before. The feeling of blood lust and revenge took me totally off guard making me cry to feel such a thing. Only after it had finally sunk in did I stop crying.

The storm really became violent and I felt Kai jump beside me after a particularly loud thunder crack. I was used to thunder and lightening at night so I just slept through them. I wondered how Kai could have so much self restraint from killing his grandfather more than once. But if Kai could restrain himself from such a thing then so could I. "How…I…" What was I actually trying to say? I think I was just trying to break the silence. "Hmm?" I found Kai looking me straight in the eyes. "How I wonder what it would be like if we weren't related to him." Kai nodded looking thoughtful. I think he was trying to imagine it but failed miserably when a scowl spread over his face a moment later. "I feel sick." I didn't mean the ill kind of sick and Kai seemed to understand completely. It made me sick to my stomach to think that some part of Voltaire's blood floats through mine.

The storm had ended and the night became silent. Kai got up to go to bed for school tomorrow, I wonder if he'll actually get to sleep. Look's like I'm not the only one who won't get much sleep tonight.