A/N: Back with another chapter, and I didn't take like three months this time! Haha, progress progress xD The next chapter will be double the length of my usual chapters, so look forward to that :D

I just wanted to let you all know that I've started a poll on my profile page, asking which of my OCs you like the most. If you have a minute to spare, I would really appreciate it if you'd vote! Thank you :D Please enjoy the chapter!

Serena's laughter resounded through the forest. "Your friends at the school sound very amiable!"

"Indeed," Daniel chuckled, "Afterwards Timmy said he would rather be a soldier instead. I don't think he actually knows what he wants to do. He just has his head up in the clouds."

"But it's endearing. He'll find out eventually," Serena said, smiling. On their way towards Daniel's surprise, the anger he had felt before had completely disappeared. When Serena smiled at him, laughed, giggled, when her eyes sparkled like that in the small bits of sunlight that made their way through the trees, he just couldn't stay mad at her.

Her laughter died down as they continued walking through the Blean towards their destination. Her smile faded as she looked up at him, "But if all of your friends are planning on going to Oxford… Then, will you go there, too?"

Daniel shrugged and said, "Right at this moment, I'm not sure what I will do… But I have another year to decide."

Serena nodded and looked down at her cream and light blue, beautiful dress. "Oh. I see."

He pursed his lips. He knew why she was bothered. He had once made a promise to her; a promise of going to London and attend the university so they could see each other every day. Now, that promise seemed to be faltering. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her that he had to stay in Canterbury and take over his father's business. It was too embarrassing. The education of the fine gentlemen of London that Serena socialised with was one that Daniel would never be able to have. He closed his eyes, his eyebrows knitted tight together.

"So…" Daniel looked up at the sound of Serena's voice. She hesitated a bit before continuing, "Why are you even home this early? You don't usually return until right before your birthday."

He had hoped that he could avoid having to explain everything to her. He moved his gaze to his feet, trying to find a delicate way to let her know. "No… Um… I was sent home."

Serena looked at him with a frown. "What? Why?"

Daniel tried not to sigh too heavily. Did he really have to go through this? This was somehow even worse than when he had to face his father upon returning home after the incident; perhaps because Serena's reaction meant more to him than his father's. "There was a fire."

Serena's eyes widened in a shocked expression as she halted slightly. She brought her small hands up to her mouth, "Oh my God!"

"In the stables," he hurriedly added to calm her down, "But everyone is all right, the horses included!"

"Oh, that's a relief!" Serena said, lowering her hands again to rest them against her chest. "But then, why were you sent home?"

Daniel tried not to grimace as he closed his eyes. He pushed the rather disturbing memories away and settled on his embarrassment instead. "I, uh... I started the fire."

Serena stopped. It took him a few more steps to realise that she wasn't by his side any more; he halted as well and turned around to look at her. "What?" was all she said.

He realised how it may have sounded and quickly explained, "It was an accident." He put his hands in his pockets and looked away, offering a casual shrug. "We just wanted to pull a harmless prank, and it went awry… So my friend and I were suspended."

Serena looked incredulous. "You were suspended? What did your father say?"

Daniel scoffed in return. "What do you think? My father rarely uses his words as opposed to so much else."

"Were you hurt?" she said.

He still didn't bother to look at her, merely shrugging again. "I can handle it."

"I meant in the fire."

Daniel licked his teeth, then finally moved his gaze to her. Her expression was hard to read, and it was completely alien to him; usually he could always guess her feelings by a glance, simply due to her emotional nature. He hesitated shortly, then said, "… I've recovered."

Finally a bit of familiar emotion returned to her beautiful face. She frowned, "Are you sure? That must have been…"

"I'm fine, Serena," he said, his voice a bit more firm this time, "Don't worry."

She looked at him with her almond eyes, her mouth hanging slightly open with the lingering ghost of the sentence she didn't get to finish. She closed her mouth, pressing her lips together as her frown deepened. Then she looked away and nodded, "… All right."

Daniel watched her with an attentive eye for a little while, until she began walking again and came up to his side. He shrugged it off and started moving himself, leading her further into the forest.

They continued for a while in silence. The birds chirped happily in the treetops. He glanced at Serena. She looked exceptionally pretty today; her long hair cascaded down her shoulders and back in soft waves, the thick bangs swept aside to allow for her beautiful, brown eyes to see the world. Her face looked even more mature and elegant than it had the previous year, a faint blush on the high, defined cheekbones, and small, plump lips quivering slightly in anticipation. The dress hugged her waist and chest, and it only served to compliment her growing female curves. She wasn't a small girl any more.

And just like that, the butterflies came alive again. He moistened his lips, suddenly feeling very nervous – and slightly nauseous, but he wasn't going to let that ruin this evening.

"Tell me, Daniel, will we be there soon? It feels like we have been wandering through the forest for an eternity!"

Serena's voice suddenly grabbed his attention. He looked at her with slight surprise, and she only smiled gently back at him. For some reason it made him more nervous – but in a good way. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Yes. As a matter of fact, you will have to close your eyes now."

She blinked. "Oh!" she said, "Well, all right. But you will have to lead me by hand, then!" She smiled even wider and offered her small, elegant hand to him.

He gave her a wry smile. "Of course," he said and brought his hands up to cover her eyes, "Now, don't look." As he removed his hands, she had closed her eyes. He took a deep breath, then grabbed her hand and carefully lead her further through the forest, behind some trees and bushes. Serena bit her lip while she kept her eyes closed. He saw how her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily. She was excited.

Just behind the trees was the clearing, and the small house came to sight. It still looked beautiful. Daniel lead Serena in front of it. He quickly bent down and opened the door to see if anything was amiss inside – in case Henry had been there to ruin things for him – but no, everything was exactly as he had left it.

Silently he closed the door again, then placed himself behind Serena and covered her eyes once more, even though they were still closed. She giggled, "Daniel, when can I look?"

Daniel removed his hands. "Now."

Serena's lashes fluttered open. She fell silent.

He bit his lip, trying to read into her facial expression, but he just couldn't tell what she was thinking. She brought a hand up to her mouth. "Oh my God…" she whispered.

"Do you like it?" Daniel said, scratching the back of his head, "I… I remembered that you said it would be nice if we had our own clubhouse, like the one I built for … eh, that friend. A place where we could be left alone… "

Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck. He was a bit overwhelmed, but nonetheless quick to embrace her tightly despite the pain in his ribs. "Oh, Daniel!" she gushed, "Did you really do all this for me?"

He chuckled, "Well, I did get some help…" He pulled away from her, and looked into her eyes, "I did it for us."

Serena was on the verge to tears yet again – but this time, it was of mere happiness. She swallowed her sobs. "This is amazing… This is so perfect… Thank you, Daniel, this is the best surprise I could ever get…"

"Come, look inside," he smiled and crouched down beside the door, pushing it open.

She knelt down beside him, glancing inside. She gaped once again, her wide eyes scanning the interior. "Oh my..."

The inside was large enough to fit them both, and the floor was covered with soft pillows and blankets. All around the small cabin, candles were placed, waiting to be lit to create a relaxing atmosphere. In a small spot in the mid of the house, where no blankets nor pillows were occupying the space, were a bottle of fine wine and two glasses. It was all so incredibly cosy and romantic.

Serena looked at Daniel, and he merely smiled back at her, "You can go inside."

She hesitated shortly, but then crawled into the house, making herself comfortable on the soft covers. Daniel followed her, closing the door behind them to grant them a little bit of privacy. Although hesitating quite a bit at first, he eventually lit the candles with the tinderbox, then grabbed the corkscrew and bottle, "Wine?"

Serena nodded coyly. "Um... I'm not so used to drinking yet... But yes, please."

Daniel averted his gaze to what he was doing, unable to stop smiling. "It is very relaxing. It will get us in the right mood."

Serena raised an eyebrow, her cheeks a bright pink colour. "The right mood for what, exactly?" she said.

He looked at her, not completely sure how to answer her question. Then he said, "Just... You know, it will get us to loosen up a bit."

She watched him as he poured the glasses. When he offered her her glass, she accepted it and said in a soft voice, "But are you nervous?"

Daniel pursed his lips, looking down at the dark red liquid. He took a sip of it, feeling the bitter-sweet taste spread on his tongue and make its way down his throat. He swallowed it down, trying to gather the courage. It was time he manned up and told her. He just had to figure out how.

But when he looked at her again – her round, slanted eyes resting on him, plump, pink lips falling half-open in a questioning expression, perfectly sculpted soft cheekbones and a small, slightly curved nose – he suddenly didn't know what to say. She was so beautiful, and he was just a mere boy grasping for her affection. With that sudden fact so deeply imprinted in his mind, he couldn't manage anything other than a sheepish chuckle and awkward shrug.

Fortunately she seemed to take it lightly. She offered a soft giggle in response, albeit a bit hesitant. Then she went on to look around the tiny cabin, studying the woodwork and craftsmanship behind it. She couldn't help but be amazed by the result; more than anything, the effort put into building it was obvious. "Daniel, why did you do ... all this?"

He looked away from her again, his mind working on full throttle and causing the headache to return. He really needed to just tell her already, and preferably before he became really sick, for that was what he had set out to do; but apparently that was much harder done in practise than theory. Even in spite of the struggle to find the perfect words, he ended up not saying anything at all and instead merely scraped the wooden floor with the toe of his boots.

The thick silence was becoming too much, even for Serena. She tilted her head, furrowing her thin, well-shaped eyebrows, "Please… Say something, Daniel."

She was right. It was about time he spoke up. "You see… I'm just…" Daniel looked at her again, unable to stop the words from escaping his lips before considering what he actually wanted them to convey – much to his regret, since they turned out to be pointless and didn't get him anywhere at all. "Um…"

"What is it?" Her look of worry had changed into one of scepticism. He couldn't blame her for thinking that he was acting strange.

"I find you very pleasant, Serena." No sooner were the words out than he regretted them. It seemed he had barely, if any, self-control right at this moment. He closed his eyes, mentally berating himself for his careless outburst. Oh well, he just had to work with it as best as he could.

Serena blinked. "What?"

"Um, to look at." Now Daniel just wanted to slap himself. It was getting worse and worse.

She didn't respond right away. Long lashes fluttered down as her gaze slowly lowered while she ingested what he just now had told her. He didn't know if that was a good sign or the opposite. "You find me pleasant?" she spoke in a soft tone.

Daniel lingered shortly, before taking action, "Also to look at." By now he was certain he might have had the handsome looks, but he sure had no charm to compliment it.

It didn't seem like that further point affected Serena at all. She merely let out an almost imperceptible sigh and nodded without looking at him. "Thank you, Daniel."

He wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, she didn't seem very excited about his attempt to woo her; on the other, she didn't seem to take it as negatively as he had feared she would. This was probably good. Maybe things were going the right direction, and now he could recover from his blunder. The thought of this gave him the courage to smile at her, "You're welcome."

Once again the silence dominated. The birds crooned in the treetops, singing a happy love song about summer and flowers and bees, but inside the small clubhouse those concepts felt oddly far away, and Daniel couldn't for the life of him figure out why. The mood seemed to deteriorate by the minute; he needed to stop it. He tried to weigh his options, but he was as devoid of ideas as he was of words.

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could cross his lips, Serena broke the silence instead, "Last summer..."

Seeing a possible chance of escaping the strained atmosphere, Daniel eagerly beckoned for her to continue, "Yes?"

She hesitated, her gaze fixed on her small delicate hands. They were like pale golden marble, completely free of any bruises, scars and imperfections at all; just as would be expected of a young girl of the upper class. Her chest rose and fell ever so slightly, the lines of her clavicle clearly defined beneath the choker, she had come to wear so much, every time she took a breath. "I… I thought you, um… I thought you regretted ... it…"

"I didn't!" Daniel quickly said, shaking his head vigorously so that the message was crystal clear. "Well, unless…" He immediately stopped himself, overruling his lingering doubt, "I mean, no, I didn't."

"Then why didn't you answer my letters? Any of them?" She tilted her head with a slight furrow between her eyebrows.

Daniel's jaw tightened, his lips forming a stiff, straight line. He looked away, resting his elbow on his raised knee, "I have my reasons, Serena..."

Serena scoffed. "Of course you do. Why won't you tell me? Aren't we friends?"

"Of course- !"

"Or am I just a pretty thing for you to look at?"

Daniel blinked. "What?"

She turned towards him, her tawny golden eyes burning right into his emerald green, cheeks flushed, those flawless hands fisted tight. "Is that all I am to you? Wouldn't it all just be easier if I had no personality at all, so I could just stand and smile while you kiss me all that you want?" Her eyes squinted, "That's what all the others seem to think!"

Even despite all the thoroughly harsh words that might have been worth considering, Daniel seemed to forget all about her actual point as only the last line stayed with him. "Others?" he said, his voice meek, "Are there others?"

Serena's eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that really all you can think about? I wrote several letters to you! I needed your support, and all you can say in regards to that is 'I have my reasons'?"

"Serena-"

"My brother died, Daniel!" Serena continued without paying any mind to what Daniel could possibly have to say in his defence; honestly she really didn't care. "What if Hazel died? How would you like me ignoring your letters then, for reasons!"

There was no response. Daniel had opened his mouth to try and interrupt Serena's flow of speech, but now he pressed his lips hard together and stared at her blankly.

Serena immediately understood the effect and insensitivity of her words. Her flushed cheeks paled, her eyes softening a bit as she looked at him with an apologetic expression. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm just... I don't understand why you're treating me this way..." She looked down at her folded legs, her hands covering part of her face, "You're being so unfair, Daniel! You're not even wearing the locket I gave you, are you?"

Daniel tilted his head with a pained expression. "Serena, listen-"

"No!" she yelled and turned towards him again with glinting, wet eyes. "It's time that you listen, for in spite of the past few years of me speaking a whole lot and you not at all, you don't seem to have heard anything!"

He immediately shut his mouth, simply staring at her.

"My family is broken, Daniel! The people we socialise with, the people my parents call our 'friends', they talk horribly behind our backs – they say such cruel, condescending things about my mother, and I'm supposed to not care and act like it's all fine even though it's clear to me that Mama isn't! They're merciless, Daniel! My parents are struggling to keep up our good name, but my father blames Mum every time we're dragged down again! He is devastated; Aaron was the sole heir to his business, and now he is gone and the fights are endless! I don't know what will happen now, and no one talks to me about it, no one tells me anything at all." She choked down a stifled sob. Her gaze lowered, dark lashes coated in dew pearls fluttering down as she clutched her hands against her chest. "It's… It's been almost two years since I last saw him, and I didn't even get to say goodbye. I just miss him so much my heart can't bear it, but no one lets me cry, Daniel!"

Other than a small twitch in his lower lip, Daniel didn't move. His Adam's apple slowly went up and then down again as he swallowed.

It appeared there wasn't anything left to say. While they sat in all other than peaceful quiet, the clouds had covered the sky outside and cast a dim, grey light into the small wooden house. They sat like that while the rain began to pour and thunder against the roof, he staring at her, she refusing to look at him; even if she did, she probably wouldn't be able to see him, for the tears would blur out his face.

She inhaled deeply in a forced attempt to gather herself and looked up at him again, this time with a determined mien. "London isn't as great as you think," she said as a last acidic remark.

She stood up to leave, but didn't get very far before a strong hand grabbed around her wrist. "No!" She struggled to wriggle free of his grip, but it proved useless as he was much stronger than her from years of physical labour. He pulled her closer, enclosing her small form in his arms to pacify her like one would an upset pet, while she lashed out and hit him in the chest to make him let go. Her wine glass was just within reach, and in the heat of her anger she grabbed it in a last, desperate attempt to get her way. But as soon as the liquid splashed on his face and stained his tailored white shirt with red, she regretted her actions and stopped fighting him. "Oh no, I'm- ! Daniel, I'm so sorry! Oh God, your shirt!"

But the young man didn't seem to pay it any thought as he shook his head and took advantage of the opportunity to pull her closer. "It doesn't matter." He gently stroked the top of her head over her silky black hair as he shushed her and attempted to calm her down.

Finally it seemed to take effect; she relaxed little by little and let her tears flow freely. Only half-strangled, muffled sobs escaped her now as she buried her face in his chest. "He's gone… Just like that… So suddenly…"

Daniel merely hummed. "I know."

They didn't say any more. He didn't try to offer her words of comfort or stop her crying – on the contrary, he let her cry all she wanted. She needed to mourn the loss of her brother, and if no one else was going to let her, Daniel certainly would. There was no use trying to make someone feel better who hadn't had time to be sad yet; he knew this from experience.

Minutes ticked by, and eventually her weeping was reduced to feeble, half-hearted snivels. Her breathing was very slow, her hands grasped tightly onto his shirt. Her eyes, swollen and red, fell upon it. Without moving an inch, she spoke with a small, husky voice, "I've ruined your shirt..."

Daniel cast a glance down himself. He momentarily let go of her, only to unbutton both his fancy, green waistcoat and the poor, damaged shirt and pull it off himself so that he was left bare-chested. He curled the pieces of fabric to a ball and threw it into a corner. "Now that's not our problem any more."

Serena's face flushed at the sight of his naked torso, but when he turned around to assemble a few pillows to create a soft nest, her face paled again and she let out a gasp at the sight of several deep, red, very fresh scars as well as a large, purple bruise on his left side. "Daniel! Your back!"

"Come, lie down."

He had successfully managed to create a small bedding area and grabbed her again to lay her down on the pillows, placing himself beside her and pulling her into his embrace again. She sighed in exhaustion, gladly welcoming the warmth of his hard chest. "Did he hurt you again?" She closed her eyes, her brows furrowing into a pained, guilt-ridden expression. "Was it my fault …?"

Daniel merely shushed her, planting a gentle kiss on her head in between the strands of her thick, dark hair. "Just relax. You're with a friend now."

She paused shortly, just wishing away the whole unfair world that hurt everyone she cared about. But she knew that he was right in that she was too tired to blame herself right now, so she turned towards him and pressed herself tighter into his body, deciding to let it go for now. "I know."

They fell silent, listening to the constant humdrum of the falling rain banging against the small house. The humid air escaped into the house through the windows, but it was all right; they had all the warmth they needed from the proximity of the other. They were finally at peace.

"I remember times we spent," Serena mumbled quietly, staring up into the ceiling, "I rarely even met him throughout my entire life, but I've been with Father to Iceland a few times before, and Aaron also sometimes came to visit us here in England. The time we had together was precious. When he was done talking business with my father and their other friends, Aaron would take me out hunting. It was nothing challenging, of course, but it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed."

Her fingers grazed lightly above Daniel's clavicle. "He taught me how to handle his rifle, though he made me promise never to tell Dad. We had many secrets like that, him and I. He didn't care what men or women were respectively resigned to do; he was a truly modern man." She paused for a bit. "Much like you, actually... You never cared about the fact that I was a girl, either. You taught me about everything that you were taught yourself, you let me read your books." She seemed to sink further into his embrace, "I suppose you two remind me of each other a bit..."

"You never told me," Daniel said, tousling her hair.

"There are many things I don't tell," was all she said in response.

Daniel let out a half-hearted, low chuckle. "Well, that makes me very depressed."

Serena stayed quiet for a short while, her gaze locked on the sky on the other side of the rooftop that separated them. "There are many things you don't tell as well."

It would eventually come to this. Even though he hadn't anticipated it, he was no less surprised; after all they had been through, all he had sacrificed for her without her even knowing, he figured it was about time he told her – and he actually wanted to. He took a deep breath followed by a heavy sigh and ceased his fondling. Serena seemed a bit taken aback by this sudden change of mood and finally moved her gaze from the ceiling to look at him.

Daniel remained silent a little bit longer, but then he resumed his caressing of her and said, "It happened before Hazel was born. A winter evening many years ago, my father sent me out into the cold to fetch his toolbox in his old studio. I clearly recall the thick snow that was so difficult to wade through, and the biting cold… A storm was overhead."

The small boy walked as fast as his small feet could carry him, his lantern held high above his head. Even though it wasn't even dinnertime yet, the sky was completely black already. The couch in the living room had broken its leg, and John wanted to fix it immediately, so his four year old son had been sent to gather the tools from the studio.

Even with his mother's thick wool shawl wrapped around him, he was freezing. The wind was violent today, howling loudly. The distance to the studio was a far walk for a little boy. Finally, he could see the dreary building. He fumbled with the bunch of keys, he had been strictly told not to lose on his way, looking for the one his father had showed him.

The studio was completely dark. He was quick to light the candles around the room with his tinderbox. It was stuffed, to say the least. All of his father's sculptures, furniture, jars and vases stood crammed together in a mess all over the place, making it impossible to see if it was a studio or a bazaar.

He put one of his father's works in progress in front of the main door, so that it would remain open and let a little bit of light inside. He went over to the door to the basement, opened it and peaked down the stairs. It was pitch dark; not even the light from the candles could penetrate it.

"I already wasn't particularly fond of the dark, but I assume that no child is at that age. I knew that I had to hurry, or else my father would get angry... I was very scared of my father back then."

The stairs creaked with every step that he took as he carefully made his way down the staircase. He held the lantern outstretched in front of him; he didn't want anything to suddenly jump out of the darkness and surprise him.

As he reached the end of the stairs and started looking around for the toolbox, he suddenly heard a loud bang. A strong gust of wind had caused the door to the basement to bang shut behind him. The light of the lantern suddenly seemed very weak, unable to compete with the dense darkness.

"I panicked. I feared that no one would discover that I was gone, and that I would die down there. It was … a very hard thing to face as a small child. The fear of dying."

He hammered his fist against the door. "PLEASE, HELP ME! LET ME OUT! I AM TRAPPED!"

Of course, no one heard him. Everyone was sitting comfortably at home, shielded from the stormy night. The tears streamed down his chubby cheeks, his breathing picked up. In his panic he dropped the lantern onto the stairs. It shattered, and his last source of light was gone.

The little boy stiffened. He quickly turned around, staring down into the twilight. The anxiety sneaked up on him as a million thoughts developed in his mind. What if his parents forgot about him? What if they thought he had gotten lost, and didn't realise that he was locked in the basement till it was too late? What if he ended up dying of starvation, all alone, down here in the darkness?

It was too much stress for a small child. He hiccuped in his sobbing. He didn't want to die. He wanted his mum. He continued hitting his fists against the door, even kicking it in hopes that it would break down, or that at least someone would hear him.

He was tired and hungry. The small amount of energy, he had left after a hard day of work, was quickly used up. The dehydration and irregular breathing soon made him dizzy. He sat down on the stairs with a severe headache, feeling exhausted. He cried his heart out, fearing that his nightmare was about to become a reality.

As he started to accept that no one would hear him, his crying died down a bit. He tugged his knees up against his chest and rested his head on them, sniffling silently.

It felt as if he sat there for an eternity. Even though nothing happened, he felt uneasy. He felt like he wasn't alone; as if the darkness itself was watching him.

The boy picked himself up, his small, fragile heart still beating furiously, and began to move down the stairs. His steps resounded throughout the whole basement, echoing back against the hollow walls. The wind was howling loudly outside.

He missed a step in the darkness. He let out a yelp in shock as he fell down the stairs, landing hard on his back. He could already feel the bruises forming. It hurt so bad; he wanted to cry loudly and call for Mum, but he knew it wouldn't make a difference.

"I didn't get hurt too bad, but I was very shocked. It was an incredibly stupid idea..."

He was trapped in the midst of it. He couldn't see anything. He felt around the floor, looking for some sort of guidance – a wall, the stairs, or even a table or a chair – but there was nothing. It was as if the whole room had disappeared, and only the concrete floor and darkness were left.

The tears welled up again. He cried something incomprehensible in frustration and hammered his tiny fist against the floor, only to regret it right after when the pain shot up through his arm. He sat up straight, afraid to move around in fear of becoming even more lost. He couldn't even find the stairs.

The darkness was incredibly dense. It seemed menacing. Threatening. It wanted to devour him.

With every passing moment, everything got blacker. The silence was suffocating. He heard nothing but his own frantic breathing and the wind. He began to wonder if this was a nightmare. Or if the world outside had been a dream. Had he always been trapped in here, and merely fantasised about a life full of light and colour? Was the real world shrouded in darkness?

Black claws reached for him. They inched closer. He dodged them, terrified of getting caught by the dark, and started blindly running around the basement in panic, unable to calm down.

The shadows were everywhere. Monstrous faces showed themselves in the dark. They laughed at him, and their laughter sounded like ghostly howls. They chased him around, amused by their little devil game, and he kept running, running for his dear life. Tears streamed down his face, but he merely focused on escaping. He wanted to escape the darkness.

Suddenly he saw two luminous eyes in front of him. They stared at him with a furious hunger. The monster's large claw reached for him. There was no escape. He screamed.

"Daniel?!"

"My father showed up at the last moment."

A light. Daniel looked up with wide, anxious eyes from his seat on the floor in the middle of the basement. Up by the top of the staircase stood John. He was saved.

Daniel bit his lip. His eyes didn't focus, he merely stared out into the blue air. Small pearls of cold sweat had started to form on his forehead. It wasn't easy to talk about that incident; he had never actually talked about it to anyone. Hazel knew about it due to the comments their father had made about his irrational fear of the dark, but he had never ever shared his version of the story with anyone. "Of course, he was very angry that I had taken so long," he continued, "and that I had been foolish enough to lock myself up in the basement. He punished me severely. Now I see those shadows everywhere… If I stay in a dark room for too long, a place where I am concealed from the outside world, they will start chasing me again."

"This fire is rapid!"

A light flashed before his eyes, a light much too bright. His eyes watered, but he closed them quickly. The headache was back, thundering inside his head as if someone was hitting it with a hammer. It made him dizzy; his hands started trembling ever so slightly, and he fisted them to make it stop.

Serena noticed a change in her friend's breathing. She brushed her fingers through his chocolate locks affectionately in an attempt to offer him some comfort. She was shaken by the story. It sounded utterly traumatising; it was no wonder he didn't like the darkness. An incident like that did not seem like something, a child could just grow out of.

Daniel swallowed a lump in his throat. Images haunted him, images of burning white and menacing black, and he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe once again. He kept his eyes shut tightly, a deep frown furrowing his eyebrows together.

Wild flames licked the walls and floor. The shadows became even darker and bigger, dancing their devil dance and reaching out for him to join them. He couldn't escape.

NO ESCAPE.

He opened his eyes wide, jolting at a sudden touch. He looked down to his side; Serena had put a hand on his chest, her large brown eyes filled with worry. "Daniel?" she said quietly.

He tried to still his breathing, moving his gaze from hers and further down her small figure. He placed his own hand above hers, finding comfort in the heat of her body next to his. "I've never actually been afraid of the dark in particular," he mumbled at last, "I'm just … afraid of never being able to escape it."

Serena kept her eyes on him. He didn't notice; he seemed completely lost within himself. It was painful to see him like this. She wanted to make him feel better and forget, so she placed a hand on the side of his face. He let out a heavy breath, then looked at her with his bright green eyes.

She wasn't prepared. She lowered her gaze and blinked, shock striking her as she saw the scars hidden inside him, the demons that he battled. But she had something to tell him, so she gathered the courage and locked eyes with him again, determination keeping her strong. "Daniel, no matter where you are or how dark it is, I want you to remember the light you always carry with you that doesn't need neither fire nor oil to work."

He merely frowned. "What kind of light is that?"

Serena bit her lip, then gave him a brave smile. "The light you carry in your heart, Daniel," she said, "Your heart is filled with kindness and love and empathy for others. Your sister and your mother live there, and they will light up the path for you whenever you feel lost and alone…" She lingered a bit, but then finally added in a silent whisper, "… and unable to escape."

The words touched him in a way he had never experienced before. Suddenly she had gotten so far beneath his skin he almost couldn't bear it, and he knew it was time to tell her. He wanted to, he really did – to tell her how she lived deep within his heart as well and had always done so, how he felt love for her like he had never felt before – but as he parted his lips to let his true feelings be known, the only words that came out were, "Can I kiss you?"

She seemed a bit taken aback. Her red eyes flickered from his gaze, delicate thin eyebrows twitching into a slight frown by the sound of those exact same words she had heard one year earlier. Her hesitation was short-lived though; she soon looked him in the eyes again with her own brown orbs and, much unlike the reaction from that aforementioned year, said, "Yes."

There was no need for her to say it again. He leaned down, hovering over her lips shortly. The excitement was unbearable. The butterflies fluttered aggressively. He gently pressed his lips against hers.

Daniel could feel her sighing into him. He grabbed tighter around her waist, pressing his body against hers. She trembled a bit, but he figured it was in pleasure. He himself definitely didn't feel anything but ecstasy at this moment. He had longed for this for a year.

He leaned further into the kiss, nipping at her full, lush lips. Her breathing became irregular, and he noticed his speeded up as well. His heart was beating like mad; something was bubbling inside of him. He placed a hand underneath her jaw and felt how her pulse was racing.

Serena grabbed onto his neck with her delicate hands, her fingers tangling with his long hair and cupping the back of his head. He took it as her way of telling him to take a step further. He found his way past her lips, inviting her to a dance. She tensed up a bit, but he knew that it was only due to the mere excitement. She accepted his offer, letting him in.

She was so gentle and careful, with a taste so sweet and slightly salty due to the prior rather upsetting event, but he didn't mind, for she was warm and moist all the same; very inviting, very welcoming, and he deepened the kiss. He wanted to taste every little part of her, every inch, every small corner. It was as if she was made for him. It was the perfect fit.

She caressed his defined jaw, his neck, his collarbone. It was unreal how just the slightest, most gentle touch she offered made him spiral into a rapture. The hair on his arms stood up, his nerves exploding in small fireworks. A warm burning sensation spread in his abdomen. His hands moved further down her hips, eager to explore. Unfortunately, there was a long skirt in the way.

He tugged a bit at the fancy light-coloured dress. She didn't react. He continued pulling at the fabric discreetly, finally getting a hold of the hem of the skirt. He did not hesitate to pull it up and reach a hand underneath – but suddenly a small hand grabbed around his wrist.

Serena broke the kiss and looked at him. He saw the doubt in her eyes. "Daniel… What are you doing?"

"Do you trust me, Serena?" he merely asked. He looked deep into her eyes, letting her see him for all that he was, nothing concealed, nothing held back.

She hesitated. Her lashes fluttered down as she lost herself in her contemplation. Different voices shouted at her within, conflicting against each other, telling her what she was obligated to, but then what she really wanted, and yet again what she was afraid of. In that instant it was her biggest fears that took over, and she made a decision. She looked at him again with her wide, doe-like eyes and nodded. "I do."

Her fingers loosened the grip around his wrist. She surrendered herself to him and let him do whatever he wanted.

All had been in vain. All his efforts. It had all been for nothing.

Henry trembled. He had gotten her the medicine, just like she had asked him to. She said that the opium would help her. She said that she needed it to survive. How come she was dead, then?

She lay lifeless on the broken couch, looking as grey and sick as when she was alive. Right until the end, she had told him that he didn't love her, and he had struggled to prove that he did. But he wasn't strong enough to save her. He wasn't ever able to make her believe him.

His nose was red. His eyes bloodshot. His lashes dry, his cheeks moist with salt tears. He trembled violently. He felt like he was about to explode. It was horrible. He hated this feeling. It physically hurt within him. He didn't know how to make it go away. He just wanted to feel better.

Then his face appeared in his mind, that handsome face with those nice green eyes and that straight brown hair. Yes, it was Daniel, that stupid, good-for-nothing, perfect Daniel, who always got everything he wanted. Money. Better education. Delicious food. And a beautiful girl. And he wasn't even generous enough to share any of his treasures. He was such a selfish bastard.

Henry wanted to make him pay for this. It was all his fault. If Daniel would have been a bit more helpful, Henry's mother might have lived. He could've provided her with a doctor, like he did for his scrawny sister. But he only ever cared about himself. Only his own family was important to him, or those stupid friends he had acquired from that high-class school he went to. That jerk.

It was time to end it. If Henry couldn't be happy, Daniel certainly didn't deserve to be either. There was no reason to keep the secret any more.

The sun was lowering. The white mansion looked quite exquisite, orange light of the sun reflecting and bouncing off those smooth, clean stonewalls that made up the building. But Henry took note of the accumulating grey clouds in the distance, and he knew that it was going to rain soon here as well.

He would probably never have been allowed onto the lot under normal circumstances, but he had information for the family, and he was sure that they would appreciate that very much.

The hatred boiled inside him. It was time to come clean.

He knocked on the door. It opened. After a bit of arguing, he was let in. The family was gathered in the fireplace room.

"I know where your daughter is," Henry said.