A broken Madelyn decides to open herself up to Clarisa in the protection of her room, emotions run high.

Warnings: A child is being sold for… favours, HOWEVER, it doesn't get that far nor is it graphically delved into.

A/N: Ok, so originally, I Google translated every sentence, then added what I was originally saying under the sentence in [] but I have no idea if the translation would be correct. So, I decided to change it a little bit. Anything in the brackets, within "" is said in Arabic.

So, for example:
"Uh… [sorry], my Arabic isn't… [strong]."

[Sorry] and [strong] would be in Arabic, the rest is in English. I'll keep a copy of the original, so if people get confused, I'll upload what I originally had wrote.

Madelyn sat on her bed, on the verge of tears. She was alone, Clarisa and Kiel were in class, Vastorie wasn't here… and she left Daniel and Kyle to deal with each other's emotion-driven drivel, it was so sickening to watch them offering advice to each other with a smile, a similar expression to how sometimes she'd catch Nathaniel looking at Vastorie.

But in her eyes, she never saw Vastorie look the same way in that man's direction.

Now her whole world was twisted upside down… Vastorie and Nathaniel had been together for a long time. They had a son together, and that son is now going to the same school as her, openly sharing his affection for another.

Not only that, Kyle did return those feelings, maybe not to the same degree, but he does return those feelings in his own, way.

Everything is not only coming full circle, but the inescapable truth is making it impossible to hide from it. This past year, this self-isolation she desperately craved… it's falling apart piece by piece.

Everything ok…?

It will be…

At least talked to Clarisa about it… if you won't talk to us.

The conversation was brief, but now that interaction weighed heavily on her. The son mirrored the same feelings, the words his father offered her long ago. What she once saw a pillar of strength in her life, a strength unmoving to others, a man who single handily took on authority without consequences… was now revealing things in the background she could no longer hide from.

He knew how to twist and bend a scenario to get the best outcome.

But now, after all those years, what she thought was a joke at the time, was reality.

You can try again, and again all you want… but you can never outrun a bond. You may say now you never wanted to have another relationship with someone, whether it be a family, friendship, or more…

But sometimes, it's just impossible to be alone, there comes a time where you'll need to open yourself up just to vent to someone…

You may feel like you're alone… but out here… you'll find the right connection. Trust me… you'll find an emotional connection with someone who loves you for who you are… not what they expect from you.

It's becoming an inescapable truth. If she lets Daniel and Kyle in, the bedrock and foundation she used to hid her feelings will crumble. Even the thought of opening herself up about her past, present, and future feelings to Clarisa sickens her.

But she's at this point where she needs to talk to someone, to complain about her current situation to… She doesn't know if she'll be able to utter her entire history to this girl…

But if she doesn't voice them now, she feels like she'll implode if she keeps it in any longer. It's either she talks to Clarisa, to build what Vastorie demands from her, just so she can maybe escape these feelings all together…

Or she somehow gets Vastorie's number off Daniel, and then keep demanding the man until he breaks, and finally removes her from this hell…

She doesn't think the man will ever break, so now she's stuck with the first option.

"~"

Clarisa came back to an eerily quiet living room. Usually, Madelyn was cooking around this time. Had she already finished? No, there would have been a distinct smell, an amora of spices or freshly cooked food.

There was nothing…

"Hello…?" She asked, hoping to get some resemblance of sound other than silence. She was met with nothing, not even the dripping of water. She stepped around the corner, noticing the clean, untouched stove.

She opened the fridge, hoping to find containers of food, all she found was ingredients to prepare something to cook.

Something was wrong… Madelyn worked like clockwork. She hardly ever got takeout, unless necessary. Maybe today was one of those days…?

Clarisa pulled out her phone, texting her brother to come out of his room. A few moments later, Kiel's head came poking out from behind the door, "Yeah, what's wrong sis?"

"Have you seen Madelyn?"

"No, she should be back now. She's usually cooking, is there something wrong?"

"No…"

The girl tried to hide her now worried expression, but her brother already picked up on it, "You think she's ok?" The boy then looked to the door, finding it still locked. But the light beside the door stated it was occupied, so she was here.

"She's in her room… So, she might just be having one of those nights."

"Nights?" Clarisa then thought about it, sometimes Madelyn did come back looking depressed, to the point she'd go back into her room in silence. But it was never this bad. She didn't wallow in her sadness, to the point she'd starve herself.

She looked back to her brother, "Stay in your room just in case. I'm going to wake the wilder beast."

The boy chuckled before hiding back in his room, returning to his games. As much as he was concerned for not only his sister, he did care about Madelyn's wellbeing as well. Hiss sister would know how to handle the situation. He knew she meant no harm with that joke. She was just going to make sure Madelyn was okay, even if the girl was going to be in a grumpy mood for the rest of the night.

When Kiel closed his door, Clarisa turned to face Madelyn's door. She swallowed thickly, hoping that she wouldn't need to talk Eifion to force open the door. The Deacon had to have a master key to force open doors in desperate situations… and now, this might be one.

The girl pulled out her phone, first trying to dial Madelyn's phone. She wanted to try the safest route first, before pressing the buzzer on the console. It was something Clarisa requested from Eifion; sometimes Madelyn turned off her phone, so it would've been hard to get into contact with her otherwise.

The phone clicked, providing Clarisa with a sense of relief… but the eerie silence made her question the situation. She swallowed thickly before speaking up, "Are you okay?"

There was a sniff, followed by the words of someone who sounded broken. Madelyn sounded like she lost all reason to live "Y… Yes…"

The tremble in her voice gave it away. She was not okay, and while Madelyn didn't like to have views forced onto her, this was hardly the time to be a tactician, to deal with the scenario as though she was stepping on shards of glass while barefoot "You are not ok. Please, open the door… please talk to me. What's wrong?"

Silence permeated the phone call, a vocal response was never given. Instead, she heard the door being opened ajar, the creaking of the unusual wood being cracked in a welcoming manner.

However, the situation was anything but welcoming.

Clarisa didn't wait for a 'come inside' call, she pushed the door open, finding Madelyn sitting at the edge of her bed, eyes puffy red. The moment their eyes met; the girl covered her face.

Madelyn regretted opening her door.

Clarisa heartbroken; wanted to swoop the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly while she told her everything was okay… but something stopped her. She felt as though something was compelling her to stay away from her… like she was prey and Madelyn was the predator.

So, she stood there, listening to the quiet sobs for a moment as she tried to think of the best way to deal with this situation. She has never seen the girl like this, so all of this was new to her.

She didn't know what rules to follow, let alone which she could break.

"Am I weak…?"

Clarisa paused, weighing the options. She doesn't know why Madelyn thinks that she's weak. Isn't everyone strong in their own, way? She knows the girl is strong when it comes to independence and cooking, but she highly doubts that is what her housemate wants to hear.

"I am weak… aren't I?"

"I can't help you if I don't know what exactly you're talking about. I can list everything your strong at, but I don't think it'll make you…" Clarisa rolled her wrist while she searched her mind for the right word, "satiate your question."

"You're not helping…"

"You're not telling me how I can help you…"

Madelyn sucked in a breath. The words bubbled back to the forefront of her mind, the conversation right before she relented and allowed Daniel and Killua to teach her Nen.

I know you trust Clarisa, you proved it now… you were willing to say what happened here…

I don't trust you…

But you haven't given us a chance…

She gave them a chance, and now she didn't regret it… she now could see what Killua meant with his words.

We know limitations when we see one…

They were brutal teachers, telling her that she was so weak, they didn't allow her to learn Ren. They even proved why she wasn't ready to learn Ren. She was utterly weak against Daniel's Emotional Nen attack… lasting not even a second into the introduction.

Why was she so weak… she didn't understand why she couldn't beat them? Is it something they were failing to introduce her to… a strength that will make them fall under her gaze…? Or was she really, weaker than them…?

"Madelyn…?"

The girl in question felt her hands being pulled away from her face, exposing her weakened state.

Clarisa almost broke from seeing the girl so destroyed. And even though she knew the girl hated it, she needed one right now. Clarisa without warning hugged Madelyn, her head resting in the crane of the girl's neck while she rubbed her back.

The girl's arms fell loosely at her side, tears welling up once more. Like a flood gate, the words slipped out of her mouth, "Why are Killua and Daniel so much better than me at using Nen. Just… why… Why am I so weak? What am I doing wrong…?"

Nen…? What's Nen? Wait, since when were they, teachers? "It's okay… you don't have to be great at everything… we shouldn't strive to be better than everyone else. We're allowed to be weak…"

Madelyn shoved the girl away, struggling to be angry through the tears "I don't want to be weak! I want to be strong enough to stand on my own two feet… without the need to have anyone by my side. NO ONE deserves to be at my side… I don't need anyone."

Claris shut her eyes, refusing to cry at the harsh words. She knows her housemate is frustrated at everything, that she's lashing out at everyone… but to say no one… that hurt her more than she thought was possible.

But was it 'really' no one…? Madelyn had let her in; she allowed herself to be held by someone else. Killua and Daniel's words were true, she was seeking the comfort of others… she just refused to accept it "Are you sure you want no one? What about me… do I not mean something to you."

Madelyn opened her mouth, only to close it soon after.

At least talked to Clarisa about it… if you won't talk to us.

Those were Daniel's words to her before she left. Wouldn't letting anyone in be a sign of weakness? Sure, Daniel and Killua were far superior to her… And it was true, they did tend to feed off each other's emotions like it was going out of style…

Could she do that same with Clarisa… even after what her parents did to her… after they gave her up? She wanted to believe the answer was 'no'… but Clarisa was seeking it. Not only that, but Daniel also wanted her to reach out to the girl, and Vastorie demanded that she meets the condition of allowing someone else in…

Three people… against one…

The odds were stacked against her…

Could she fight this uphill battle on her own?

Biting her lip, she mulled over the thought.

Clarisa took the girl's hands within her own. As her friend looked at her, she offered a gentle smile in response "Please… confide in me…"

"To…" Madelyn swallowed thickly, eyes being diverted to the floor. If she were, to tell the truth, it must never leave her room "On one condition, it never leaves this room… promise?"

"I promise…"

Madelyn searched the girl's eyes for a lie, only to come up empty-handed. She still couldn't believe she was going to open up about her history "I come from a town in the Azian Continent, called Acsothus. My parents… to tell you the truth, I hope they're dead in some ditch…"

When Clarisa was about to open her mouth, she gave the girl a stern look "Don't! Do you know what they did to me? They'd pawn me off to people who in their eyes… looked like deviants, then scream that someone was stealing their child after getting the money. You see… they capitalised on the whole, insert group was a bunch of freaks…"

"You mean… people like Daniel, Kyle and myself?"

"Yes… and…" she closed her mouth before she said anymore, "that's not important. What is important… Is I don't know how they got away with it for so long…? But they finally met their match when they pawned me off to Vastorie."

She offered a cruel smile, "The look on their face when he twisted the government officials back on them… As a kid, well… I didn't know if I should be happy or sad. All I remember was Vastorie holding me in his arms as he took charge of a messed-up situation…"

"~"

A tiny 4-year-old Madelyn, held her parent's hand, unable to recall the words, just the smiles whenever they addressed her by name. She can remember looking up, smiling at them from time-to-time.

When her parents stopped, so did she. Her mother held out a hand, gesturing to her husband to look in the same direction as her.

It was a man by himself, wearing regal style clothes. He was perusing a store, his hand gestures and movements coming off as more… eccentric, then natural. A sinking feeling came in the girl's chest as her father approached the man, striking up a normal conversation.

"[Are you confused by chance? Can I help you?]"

The man raised an eyebrow, "Uh… [sorry], my Arabic isn't… [strong]."

"My apology, my name is Ishaq Khoury. And over there is my wife Shadya and my daughter, Madelyn. If you'd like, I can show you around?"

"Actually… that would be wonderful… Thank you so much!"

Ishaq held out his hand, gesturing the man towards his family, "My apologies, I haven't asked for your name."

"No problems, I should've introduced myself right after. I'm a little forgetful at times a… ditz, if you know what that means. It's Ercole, Ercole Tempest."

"Your name is… unusual, is it like that where you're from?"

"Oh no, my family name is unique. Although, those who meet me tend to argue my surname fits the meeting if you catch my… drift."

The man chuckled at the lame joke, internally wincing from the introduction. From the first impression, he was anything but a wild storm. He was an idiot at best, one they can make bank on given the fact he looks and screams, I'm a rich idiot.

"Ishaq, this is Ercole Tempest. He is a funny man…"

The woman smiled, Ercole offering a gentleman bow to the lady before kneeling in front of the child. He smiled at the girl, taking a small mental note of her reaction to him.

She tried to hide behind her mother, but the woman was stopping her from doing so. He knew something was off, but unless he can get the parents to unknowingly, admit to the crime they were about to commit, he'll have to act dumb.

If they were being nice, there would be no harm. There was still the possibility that the child was shy, and her mother stopping her from hiding was all an act. She was trying to make sure her child didn't come off as rude or hide from every stranger she met.

Standing up, the man continued to offer a false smile, "She's a little shy…"

"Oh, we told her not to be shy around strangers. [Don't be selfish! Can't you see he'll make us rich... play your part!]"

"[Yes, mummy…]"

"Oh, what did you say? Arabic isn't my strong suit."

"My apologises, I was just telling Madelyn that she shouldn't be shy around strangers." The woman turned to her husband, "[You got a real dunce here.]"

"[Don't be rude, speak English just in case.]"

While Vastorie kept up his confused smile, deep inside he was holding in all his anger. They were using the child for their own nefarious deeds, probably pawning her off to unsuspecting idiots, then luring the cops to yell either pervert or kidnapper.

If he was to guess the incoming outcome, they might fall victim to his charms. He might be able to casually buy the girl off her hands, then use the false information to spin the situation on its head.

But if they have been doing this for a long time… they might be paying the corrupted cops off with a nice portion of the payment. Around ten percent would be a nice bonus if they got a huge payout.

The question is… what kind of money wouldn't be a red flag to them? One million might work if they think his extremely rich. But he'll have to sell it… "Your daughter reminds me of my son."

"Oh, you have a child as well?"

"Yes, a son and daughter… we tend to play games together. Being a little firm on the child isn't a good teaching method. It's about getting them to like it… if you catch my drift." Did I come off as too hard…? Will they take the bait? If it doesn't work, I could always rip the child out of their hand.

The man raised an eyebrow, "Oh, no… what do you mean?"

"Small gradual touches, slowly convince them to like the changes. Nothing too fancy. My daughter loves me because of it." I feel so vile and disgusting, fucken take the damn bait you bastards! "She'd always wanted to sit on my lap. My husband is none the wiser of it…"

"[He's a fucken freak! Do you think he suspected us of our plan?]"

"Sorry, what did you say to your wife?" Damn it! Take the fucken bait… it's bad enough I dragged my husband into this… I want it dealt with this as quickly as possible, so I can drag you through the mud. You deserve every second of what's coming for you, you damn assholes…

"[There's no way, he's an idiot!]" The mother remarked with a sweet smile, "I'm sorry, where are our manners. We didn't expect that from you… You see, our child is very special to us and-"

"One-hundred thousand…" Vastorie said with a perverted smile. You're going down now… "No, that wouldn't be fair… your child is special to you. One million Jenny…" The man pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to casually show off his black credit card.

The man hummed with a smile, watching the parent's jaws drop from surprise out of the corner of his eye "No… no…" He flicked through his chequebook, pretending as though he had a hard time coming up with a proper price.

"Wait, wait… you can't be serious."

"You're right… I'm undervaluing the child's life." He filled in the blank cheque under his false alias, "I'm a very serious man, young lady. Love is hard to buy… ten million should suffice as a starting price." Signing off the cheque, he ripped it out with a smile, "I hope you take me up on this deal. Kids are very special to me… I love them all equally."

The woman got down on her knees in a heartbeat, holding her child's hands with a twisted smile, "[You are going to make us rich!]"

"[Please Mumma, don't make me go… please…]"

"[Don't be a spoiled brat!]" The father argued with his child, his tone suggesting he'd smack her if she doesn't agree to the terms.

"[We will be right back. We promise to not let him hurt you...]"

"Promise…" The girl asked, a look of relief almost crossing her features. Deep down, she hates this situation… but every time they've done this as they promised, they always come back for her.

Her mother gave her a sweet smile, a kiss on her forehead to seal the deal.

The child stepped towards the man, still worried about the situation, but he hadn't done anything weird in her eyes… at least right now. She didn't understand how much money her parents had been offered, but considering the joy in their eyes, it was a lot… maybe enough for them to stop doing this with her. They may even buy her something as an apology.

Vastorie picked up the child, cradling her in his arms. He offered a smile before looking up at the parents, acting joyously about the situation, "I promise to look after your daughter with care."

He turned away, his façade immediately dropping from the situation. He spoke softly to the girl, in a quiet voice so only she could hear his future promise "[I promise you'll never have to go through with this again...]"

"~"

The girl trembled from her own story, stopping as the tears made it unable to continue. While back then she looked back on the situation with horror, that she may never get to see her family in again…

It was a blessing in disguise. He kept to his word. He made sure his family never did that to her again, but she developed trust issues from that situation. At first, she didn't trust anyone the man introduced her to.

She threw a fit every time he tried to offload her to somebody else, practically clinging onto the man. Eventually, she agreed to a deal, that the man would visit or call her often if she was going to stay at the Swordcross institution, but she had to at least do any chores that asked her to complete.

"So Vastorie brought you from your willing family, that's… rough. I can see why you don't trust anyone but him… he fulfilled his end of the bargain I imagined, considering you're here right now… and not there, being pawned again. Please, tell me the rest…"

Madelyn sucked in a breath, eventually able to stop the tears from falling, "Okay… What happened next, is why… I despise family, why I want to be alone… to escape from everything."

"~"

Vastorie tried to coach the girl in his arms to stop crying, to get her to relax. It had been half an hour, he couldn't be that difficult to find, he made sure to at least standout… not only in appearance but his location too.

Not only that, but he had smiled at some cops earlier. They walked right by him minutes ago, ignoring the fact that not only the girl looked nothing like him, but she was crying about her family.

At that point, the cops should've turned around, but they kept walking ahead, ignorant at the fact that he might be putting some of their fellow officers in the floor.

Were the parents looking for specific people to bring him in, or was the money so great, they stopped caring for their child?

The mother seemed to be sincere about her words, no matter how twisted she came off as. Then again… she could be lying through her teeth, the poor child falling victim to their "kindness" over, and over again…

She probably didn't even believe his own words…

After tonight, she's going to have some serious trust issues. But, the benefits should hopefully out way the distrust eventually… He'll make sure of that.

"[There he is!]"

Vastorie looked up from the girl, frowning at the parents for taking so long.

When the girl turned around, she smiled brightly at the situation "Mama!"

"[My poor baby! That is the deviant that took my child. Arrest him!]"

Rather than letting the child go back to her parents, he picked up Madelyn, placing her on his lap before smiling cruelly at the parents "[Deviant, huh... and here I thought I could get away with some casual banter...]"

His smile twisted upward once he saw the colour in their faces drop. They finally realised this whole time, he'd been playing dumb, to get them to fall into his trap, "If anyone deserves to be arrested, it is you… Child slavery is what I would call it. And it seems you've specialised in it for years I assume…"

"Y- You speak Arabic…"

"Yes, get on the same page grandma… I'm not as dumb as you think. So…" The man turned to face the police officers, allowing his aura the leak, surrounding the area. Neither one reacted.

If he was to leak bloodlust, to show his malicious intent to take a single life in the process of this shitty situation, they'll be screaming for the hills…

He'd rather not involve the child if he could, but if things escalate… and they will, considering this child had been a major source of the parent's income. The first thing he'll need to figure out if the cops are corrupted.

Even though he had high ranking officials in his pocket, that they are corrupted due to his influence… there could be another layer of corruption he can't influence. Money talks, but one's moral compass or religious faith can make it impossible to buy out someone's trust…

Or even worse… using the family as a hostage to get their desired outcome.

He can't alert Nathaniel to help in that situation, not without risking their lives… but if he knew which cops were to show up before they had, he could've done something then.

So, he'll have to deal with the situation with what cards he had; whether that be from outside corruption, or these were 'victims' to a lie… he'll deal with the situation however he sees fit "So… are you, friends, with them…" The man gestured from the cops to parents, this time frowning, "Do they intend to pay you for your… assistance…"

One officer looked from the parents back to the man, "You need to come with us so we can sort the details down at the station."

"Counteroffer, we don't do that… stay here and talk for a little." He held up a finger to point at the parents, "before you take them in, for selling their child."

The man turned to the parents "Is this true?"

"N- No, he's-"

"Right pocket, on the father…"

"Hand it over."

"He is saying that so you two will be distracted while he walks away with our child."

"I've been sitting here for the last half an hour trying to calm your child down… Not only that, but two other police officers also walked by me not even…" The man checked his watch, "three minutes ago. Not only that, but Madelyn also misses you, every inch of your disturbed mind. So, lie as much as you want, threaten me with every inch of bullshit spewing mouth… I'll wait. I'll continue to sit here comfortably… ready to take you on."

"He just threatened me! Why don't you arrest him?!"

"If he did arrest me, he'd land in a shitstorm…"

"That's it…" The officer turned to the 'deviant', mad with rage "I'm taking in all of you!" He pulled out the cuffs, "turn around deviant…" When he took a step forward, he stopped in his track, a feeling of dread and terror washing over him. The man's eyes were on him, staring through his eyes, straight into his soul.

He felt like he was suffocating, that he was going to die if he took another step forward.

Vastorie's voice was cold and sharp, directed at the authority figure as though he was nothing more than a child caught red-handed wanting to steal from him "Take another step, and you'll risk the chance of never walking again…"

Vastorie placed the child on to the seat beside him, before offering the girl a sweet smile that seemed to calm her down. Standing up, the man turned to the officer, "Let's make this an even playing field… How about I give you my real name." He gave the group an exaggerated bow, head-turning to face the four people "My name is Vastorie Darkscryer…"

The eyes of the younger of the two cops widened, showcasing his fear. His senior was walking into a diplomatic war. If he were to arrest this man, it would be a disaster.

Khaled, his superior officer wasn't there during that event… neither of them was. They were on patrol. But he heard the name being whispered amongst his peers. Vastorie Darkscryer… a legendary man, a mythical being that cleared out a building without any casualties "Don't arrest that man! He was the politic figure at the last event."

"Political?! He's a deviant! A man that needs to suffer for his crime-"

A split second passed, Vastorie now at his side, his arm roped around the man's shoulder, twirling the cuffs on a single finger with a cruel smile, "You should listen to the kid… I'm also a Pro Hunter, which means… I can walk out of the station without losing a single dime or signing a piece of paper."

Vastorie shifted his fingers, holding out the cheque he originally gave to the parents "I trust this would be enough evidence to lock both parents up."

Ishaq quickly searched his pockets after seeing the man holding the cheque he was given. Since when did the man manage to steal it, let alone 'appear' beside the officer within a blink of their eyes?

Vastorie smiled cruelly at the father, "Sure, I signed the cheque under a false name, so it's pretty much useless to you… but to these guys…" The man gestured to the younger cop and the one whom he still had his arm wrapped around, "it should be more than enough to lock you up."

"I don't just burn bridges… I nuke them… So, old, stuck in the dark ages man…. what do you say? Are you still willing to threaten me… or will you do the right thing?"

"Take the deal, Khaled! I'm not losing my job over this!"

"Your call…" aura leaked out, showcasing a tiny amount of bloodlust to the man being held tightly in his arm, "I can end your life in a single call… dead, or alive… your choice."

Even when his life was being threatened, when he was legally right to arrest the man… his shaking body combined with fear settling in the pit of the stomach made him unable to make the call.

He was too scared to do what he felt was right… which was to take in the abomination holding him both physically, and mentally hostage, "Take… Take the parents in…" he ripped the false cheque out of the man's hand, trying to act tough in a situation that almost made him piss his pants "For selling off your child-"

"NO!" From within his vest, Ishaq pulled out a gun, aiming it at Vastorie. The two cops pointed their guns at the man in response, telling him to put down the weapon, to think about his actions in response.

Ishaq was having none of this. He wasn't going to lose his child to this man, to sacrifice everything for nothing "I refuse to accept this you either take him in as well or-"

Vastorie held up his hands, "Officers, I'll deal with this… without anyone's life being sacrificed in the process. It should be more than enough proof that if you forced my hand… I'll still walk away without any issues." It was as though his words cast a spell on the officers, his cool and calm collected stance easing them to holster their weapons.

Khaled saw it as an opportunity. If Vastorie failed and took a bullet to the skull, he'll be where he belongs… in the ground. But on the off chance he was wrong, he'll just have to 'convince' his fellow officer this was in self-defence, that the 'political figure' was in the wrong here.

Each step towards Ishaq was calculated, slow and flamboyant.

"Stand back, I'll shoot you… you monster."

The first bullet rang out, Vastorie slipping his finger along with the bullet casing, stopping it abruptly. As Madelyn cried from the gun firing at him, he continued to catch every bullet during his slow and steady steps.

Standing in front of the man whose gun kept clicking to signify the magazine had been emptied, he grabbed his hand, dropping the caught bullets into the man's palms.

While he was distracted, he removed the gun, ripping off the barrel before discarding the gun in two separate directions.

The fear was evident in the father's eyes, especially once Vastorie was whispering into his ears.

"You lost… I'll look after your daughter. And unlike you, I won't even need to make a dime off her in the process…"

Turning to face the mother, he gave her a similar message, "You daughter cherished you… begging for you for those 30 minutes. And rather than coming back to call the deal off, or outright refusing it at the start… like a good mother would; you tried to get me arrested… you're a joke."

As the mother broke down in tears, Vastorie stood "You should be ashamed of yourselves. Using your daughter to make a quick buck. It ends here… with the last memory of hers being… [you selling her for nothing in return…]"

Madelyn sobbed at the man's words? Did he really, get her parents to sell her off for nothing? It had to be a cruel joke. A cruel, messed up, joke once she saw the officers arresting her parents.

Madelyn called out to her parents, wanting this to not be true. But all her mother could do in response was sob as she was being pushed away, forced towards the police station and eventually… jail.

Vastorie kneeled before the young girl. He didn't touch her, simply holding out his hand in a calming manner. He was okay, she'll be okay after this… she just needed to calm down before they can talk about what had transpired.

Even after getting her parents arrested, effectively leaving her to be an orphan, he was still smiling at her, his hand being offered like he wanted her to take it. She knows she has aunts and uncles, but somehow… she knew this was her life now, that nothing can change this inescapable future.

"[I want to bring you to a family who'll cherish you… Even after today, I hope that you'll one day learn to accept their kindness.]"

"[But, my mama... my dad… what will happen to her?]"

"Hmm... [they will pay for their crimes. For attempting, like, I said… to sell off their child for next to nothing… You don't deserve to be used for their income. I hope that I can offer you a stable life… Whatever you want, I'll offer it.]"

Madelyn was brought to tears, sobbing from the words. If it was true… if this man had set up her parents to sell her to him for next to nothing, this was a very, cruel plan. But hearing that he wants to make it up to her by offering her anything as compensation… a more stable life than she has experienced… there was one thing she can think of right now that she wants…

If he gets it for her, a part of her start to believe that he'll do other things for her "[Ice-cream... I want ice-cream from that place my parents refused to buy me from...]"

Vastorie offered a warm smile in response, "[Of course... I'll buy you the ice-cream...]"

"~"

"So, what you're telling me…" Clarisa wanted to be upset at her housemate for giving up on her parents, to instead have ice-cream with Vastorie, but given that she was missing a lot of context, the story in itself has a lot of key points she had to digest.

First, she was constantly used by her parents to rob unsuspecting victims…

Second, this would've been happening longer than a year or two. It was given away within the story, how the child version of Madelyn pleaded with her parents to not to do it again…

Third, Vastorie had distanced himself from the girl. He refused Madelyn's pleas for him to adopt her, even when more than half the time, he treated her as though she was in fact, a child of his…

There was some key context she needed from Vastorie himself, to understand why he refused to do so.

Because he distanced himself from her in that way, she became cold towards others; teachers, students, friends, possible family… she has pushed them away because the one person she thought she could trust, the one person she was willing to call family… had denied her all this time.

No wonder she has kept her life hidden for so long. It hurt to open herself to the one thing… she gave up years ago.

"What am I to you…?"

A friend…? Family…? More…? No, that wasn't what Madelyn wanted to hear, it's how she judged her "I want to say you're cruel…"

"I thought so… get-"

"No, hear me out… at least let me finish my thought."

"Fine… Go ahead…"

"But at the same time, it's sad. You wanted Vastorie to accept you as his own, that's why every time I saw you after you talked to that man, the hope in your eyes kept fading… You believed the one person you trusted to take care of you, didn't bring you in…"

"Please don't read into it… I don't want to be investigated like I'm your patient or something."

"I won't…" Clarisa held out her hand to touch Madelyn's hand, but the girl pulled it back in response, "You don't trust me with that much… do you…"

"You'll leave me like the rest of them anyway…"

"And if I don't…?" What she actually, wanted to say is: I haven't done that for the five years I've known about you… I even asked if I could take Kiel with me to Xavier's school of the gifted after finding out you wanted to go here alone. I pleaded with everyone to stick us in the same room as you, so you won't be alone… because… as that thought lingered, she wondered what she'd say after the 'because'?

What reason would she give that would allow her to get closer to the girl, without seeming selfish of her?

She didn't have much time to think about it, Madelyn was already looking at her, looking at her like she was the crazy one here.

The girl tried to read Clarisa's mind, wondering if she was an idiot, or secretly scheming about something behind her back "Then you're an idiot for not giving up on me…"

"Well," Clarisa offered a cheeky smile, "I wouldn't give up on you over ice-cream."

The girl playfully shoved the girl away, "I was a kid…" Madelyn half yelled at the girl, "I didn't think on a big scale at that time. So, it's not my fault…"

"Doesn't matter… What I'm saying is I want to get to know you better, the good and the bad… no matter how stupidly small. Will you do that for me?"

Madelyn's jaw dropped in surprise. She didn't expect Clarisa to reach out to her, physically and mentally. She was hoping that the girl will leave her alone after her background story.

There was one story plaguing her mind, "what is your end goal?"

"I guess…" Clarisa smiled widely, "I'll understand 'why' later down the track…"

"Why, what?"

"Let me figure that out on my own, maybe I'll be able to give you an answer later."

"Sure…" Madelyn looked away, burying her head in her arms, "I'll wait…" I wonder how our partnership would change after that… what it'll become…