Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a few characters and their lives which I spin in a dreadful mess for my own amusement…. and yours of course.

Author's Note: Dedication to Shattered Diamonds, and of course, everyone else who reviewed…. it makes me smile! (And I like to smile…. lol) So enjoy, my friends!!

"The sun'll come out—TOMORROW!! So you gotta hang on till TOMORROW!!" Castrata sang in an off-key voice at the top of her lungs. Who cared? No one could hear her, except of course, the rest of the house… and quite possibly their neighbors… "Just thinking about TOMORR—ouch!" Castrata shrieked as she lost her balance on the slippery shower floor and tumbled to the ground, using the water dial to break her fall.

The water immediately turned red-hot.

"OWWWW!!" Castrata screamed, soap in her eyes, madly scrambling for the dial to return the water to its normal temperature.

The water got hotter. (A/N: Ooooo rhyming!)

"Mother, help me!" Castrata screamed. "OWWWWW!!" She slid her hands up and down the shower wall, well aware of the fact that she would most likely be bruised and blistered from this latest venture. She had very sensitive skin.

Castrata finally reached the dial and succeeded in making the temperature of the water decrease a few degrees. Frustrated, she sat down in the shower and glowered at the shower walls. What was she supposed to do?

"Can't I have a hint?" She asked the silent, unassuming walls of the shower. The walls of her cage. She was a prisoner, a prisoner in this house. A prisoner in her life.

"Can't I have a clue? Some help? Anything?" She sobbed in frustration.

FLASHBACK:

"Sometimes, to win means you must Sheathe the Sword in your own flesh. And sometimes, the result is unexpected. Selene promises a Star."

RESUME

The talk of swords and sheathes was all very well and good, of course, but she had no idea what it was talking about. Sheathe the Sword? What sword was that? Was it real or figurative?

Selene, you better be thinking a different kind of sword than I'm thinking… please tell me I'm being stupid!

Castrata did not want to have sex.

But what else could it mean? Pulling her mind from the gutter, Castrata wracked her brain. Something about the phrase "Sheathe the Sword" seemed vaguely familiar… but what on Earth and Above could it possibly mean?

"Ugh!" She moaned, and pounded her head into the shower wall.

"Castrata?" It was Ariasti. "Are you okay?"

"Define 'okay'," Castrata grumbled, then, catching sight of Ari's hurt face, she added, "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just… you know." It wasn't much of an explanation, but it softened the blow.

"Is there anything we can do?" It was Lanya, her normally energetic face tired and weary. Behind her, Jadyn stood warily, as if expecting a blow at any moment. Castrata immediately felt bad. Her friends were suffering as much as she was.

Not as much, that little voice inside her head whispered, their father's still know them. Their father's aren't trying to kill them.

Pushing the voice to the back of her mind, Castrata attempted to concentrate on the important matters. She needed information. But… Sheathe the Sword? And what about that last bit? "Selene promises a Star"… what "Star"?

She suddenly knew what she had to do.

"Jadyn," she whispered, "I need you to get me some information."

"What do you need?" The offer wasn't resigned. If anything, Jadyn seemed glad of something to do. Something that would put them on-track.

Castrata hadn't told the other Daughters about Jimena's message. Part of her knew it was wrong, but her gut instinct screamed against sharing the information. Besides, she was the one Jimena had told. Maybe the others weren't supposed to know.

What am I thinking? I'm acting like a…a…a Follower. She was acting like a Follower. Acting like her father.

"No!" Castrata whispered, "No!"

"What?" Ariasti asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Castrata whispered. But despite this realization, she still couldn't bring herself to share the precious information.

"Jadyn—I need you to find a time when Selene's messenger, Jimena or somebody else, relays information about a 'Star'."

"Sure, no problem," Jadyn smiled, "What time period are we looking at?"

Castrata shook her head. "I have no idea."

Jadyn looked confused. "Okay… I'll give it a shot, but I can't make you any promises, Castrata. It might take awhile."

"That's okay," Castrata said, but inwardly she winced. "Just get me that information."

Jadyn nodded, and her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Lanya, you need to guard Jadyn's body until she's back. You know that whenever she searches through time she's completely vulnerable. Don't let anything happen to her." Lanya nodded, and sat down next to Jadyn, a look of concentration on her face, and lightning already sizzling at her fingertips.

"And me?" Ariasti asked.

"You?" Castrata smiled darkly. "You're coming with me. We're going hunting."

Author's Note: So... I know those of you who read this even though it's been FOREVER are probably upset with me... :( And I'm sorry! But I have a plan now... and I've even already started the next chapter... :) So review, and I'll post :) Yay! :)