Hey, y'all! I know it's been a while since I've updated the story, but I have a very valid reason for doing so. I broke my finger! I know, I know, it's not that huge, but I fractured it 4 times in the top knuckle and dislocated it! Plus, it's the middle finger which makes pretty much everything harder and I'm a clumsy person so...

Anyway, I hope all y'all enjoy this next chapter. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with it because of writer's block.

Good reading!

Avy's POV

It was dark and cold. I couldn't see a thing nor could I move. I could only hear and feel the abuse my parents gave me as well as my raper.

"You're worthless! I don't know why I keep you around," says Mother.

"Useless, weak, ugly, abominable, horrific, cowardly, fussy, impulsive, moody," says Father.

"Defiling, fat, arrogant, boastful, pompous, defensive, cynical, belligerent, inflexible," says my raper.

I felt the pain everywhere. Every lashing, thrust, stab, claw, nail. It hurt. Oh, it hurt so bad. But, I know better for letting them know. I know better than to move or to even make a sound. That just makes it worse. Way worse. And, like always, I take the abuse knowing that I deserve it, need it to become better. Better at everything. After what seemed like forever, but yet not enough, it all faded away and in its' place, appeared the arena.

As I got used to the light I realized, this wasn't just a fight. No, this is the most significant one. It wasn't my first fight nor my last one. Not, it was my first kill.

I was only 9 years old and my opponent was the same. She was in my school class and we've been partners for several projects. Her name was Ianira Morgan Pendragon, daughter of Morgana Pendragon, the villain from Camelot. We weren't close-not as close as Calli and I, but if Calli and I weren't best girlfriends, I bet she would've been mine. But I don't know why she'd come to fight me. Everyone knows I've been Champion for a year now. When we made eye contact, she ever so slightly tilted her head towards the stands. My eyes flicked towards the direction she subtly gestured at and saw her parents sitting there. Oh. Now, I understand. Her parents were together, which is very unlikely to happen on the Isle, and they wanted her to make them proud. I sighed. I would've liked her to win, but I couldn't let her for if I did, my parents would hurt me. Way worse than her parents ever would. There's a reason why my parents are the most feared on this island. I think Ianira knew she wouldn't either, but she couldn't back out. I tried to convey a message to her without anyone else hearing it.

I'm sorry for anything that happens after. She nodded and I understood her response. Whatever happens, it's alright. I smiled, barely and I saw her do the same, but when my Father's cry called out, any sense of friendship was gone.

We ran at each other, jumped, and collided in mid-air. We punched, scratched, and kicked each other once we collided till we landed on the ground. We rolled and wrestled and then pushed each other off of ourselves. We circled each other and when Ianira heard someone call out her name, she startled and looked for the sound. I launched myself at her during her moment of distraction, kicked her right in the chest breaking a few ribs. She let out a groan but got up. The audience was silent. Everyone heard her ribs break and one of 'em might've punctured a lung And once you stand up after you get knocked down, wounded, the only way you can leave is if you are,

1) get severely injured and can't move or

2) you're dead.

I didn't know any of that, not really. All I knew was that if my opponent was standing after I knocked 'em down, I had to knock 'em down harder. We met in the middle and we did a series of hits, kicks, punches, that were either given, received, or blocked. But then I did somethin' that'll haunt me forever. I kicked her neck as hard as possible. Her neck broke and she collapsed. I waited, expecting her to get up, but she didn't move. Not even a twitch. I looked into her eyes then stumbled back. They were completely void of life. Gone, empty, dead. I heard myself make a strangled sound in my throat. I stumbled backward, tripped over my feet, and landed on my butt. I could only stare at my once friend's body. And a piece of my broke, never to be fixed.

"BW? BW, do we need to send someone in?" I heard my Father call out. I tore my eyes away and looked at his.

"Avy?" I heard him softly say. His eyes held emotions I've never seen before and ever saw again. Guilt, for not telling me what to expect when someone stands. Hope, as if she's still alive. Resignment, knowing she's not. And one more that I only understood after I went home. Worry, for me. I looked at Father, shook my head, and stumbled upwards and ran to. That was the first time and one of the only ones where he didn't punish me. He let me run and postponed the next fight to two weeks later. I learned during that time that the only empathy and kindness you'll ever get from villains is after your first kill. After your first kill, the give you time to recover then pull you back in when it's done. Those blissful two weeks free from punishment, pain, responsibility is a way to say, "I'm sorry your base innocence is gone." (Isle kids lose most of their innocence once they've figured out the world, but the base is the innocence of killings). Since the villains all understand it, no one denies the person this one thing. If anyone tries to they get take to the council and get beyond severely punished. The council is made up of all the villains with Cruella de Vil, Jafar Vizir, Evil Queen, and Maleficient Faeye as the head. The Council gets summoned at least once a year for anything that the Isle may need or change. Besides that, they only get summoned for 1st Kill Disrupters (when someone breaks the rule of giving the killer 2 weeks free), Mad Mass Killer (when someone's gone insane and starts everyone), or Cannibalism (duh). All in all, they don't get together all that much.

When I got home, I ran to the basement door where Quinn was waiting, reading a book. When he heard me running, he asked, "What're you doin' back so early?" When I didn't answer, he looked up and saw that my eyes were unfocused, wild, and glazed over. He immediately stood up and grabbed my arms as if to shake me or ground me, it was the latter. He cautiously asked, "Avy, what's wrong?" I made an undefinable noise in my throat. He put his hands on either side of my head and guided it so that I was looking into his eyes, but I wasn't looking at 'im looking at 'im. He slowly and calmly said, "Avy, look at me. Concentrate on me. Ignore everything in your head and just focus on breathing like me." I slowly pushed back the horrors from the night away and concentrated on Quinn. After what seemed like forever to me, but only 10 minutes to him, I was calm. He didn't force e to say anything and I didn't. He picked me up bridal style and carried me into bed and that's where I stayed for 2 days, sleeping and clinging onto Quinn who thought, correctly, that it might be better if we stayed close. My mother didn't torture me that night. She must've heard about it. I just lied in bed for 2 days, umb. No one could break me free of the emotional turmoil I was going through. Not Colt or Are, not Calli, not even Quinn. After 2 days, I said to Quinn was who I was lying against on my bed, "I killed Ianira." Of course, everyone heard all about it already, but Quinn knew I needed to talk about what happened. He asked about it and I told him. I told him every single dang dirty disgusting dark part.

When I finished, he said, "This doesn't change you. It doesn't change who you are." I laughed without humor.

"Yes, it does Quinn. I killed someone. I'm different now. A killer."

"No!" he insisted. I nodded my head.

"Yes, Quinn. Mal hasn't even killed anyone yet. And you know how Mother praises her." Quinn couldn't say anythin' to that.

"I'm different now. I've broken a piece of myself." Quinn grabbed my hands and said, "Well, I'll always make sure you'll never break all of you." I smiled softly. Something I didn't do since that fateful night.

"Thanks, big bro." He smiled back and replied, "No problem, little sis."

And I knew from that moment on, that if I didn't have my brother with me to keep all the pieces together, I'd be shattered. Completely and irrevocably shattered.

So how'd y'all like that?

Remember the kill took place when she was 9 so this is a memory she's reliving while she's unconscious in the real world right now. Another piece of info is, is that Avy and Quinn share a room though they don't have to because there are 6 large rooms in the basement.

1) Avy's bedroom (which she and Quinn use to sleep and dress in).
2) Quinn's bedroom (where she and Quinn use as a hangout space for homework and a space to hang with friends before they found the treehouse after they found the treehouse, it's just used for homework at times and storage for them both).
3) "Sparring Room" (where Avy can practice fighting, but Quinn uses it as well and their friends a bit as well).
4) "Work-Out Room" (where the group works out).
5) "The Torture/Beating Up Room" (where Avy and Quinn, though pretty much mainly Avy gets tortured by her mother).
6) Storage (where Maleficient stores all of her things that she doesn't want anyone to see (Her journals for Mal are kept in Quinn's bedroom)).

Remember, questions, reviews, responses, rates, comments, and critics are welcome!