Ok, so from this point onwards, there's a lot of swearing and violence. There will also be mentions of rape and murder. Don't you just l-o-v-e BLI? *sarcasm*

There was silence for what seemed like forever. No one dared to speak or even move. I could feel Party's eyes burning through me as I stared at my lap. I didn't know if he was waiting for me to speak or if he was glaring at me in anger. Finally, Jet broke through the silence.

"That's what Party and I were discussing when you walked in."

Again, no one said anything and probably avoided looking at Party like I did.

"Can I help?" I blurted out, looking up for the first time in what felt like forever. I glanced at Party's eyes and found myself transfixed by them. Where I had expected fury directed at me for reminding him of the situation with Fun Ghoul, that was not the case. There was sorrow and pain, heart wrenching pain in his hazel orbs. The emotions were only there for a split second before Party's face became blank.

"You've just woken up from nearly a three day recovery and you can almost barely walk let alone fire a gun," he hissed, stalking right up to me and glaring into my eyes. The fury was there this time. "Besides, you're just a child. You'll get yourself killed the minute you walk through their doors." He turned and began walking away. How dare he call me a mere child like I knew nothing at all!

"Hey!" That got his attention. "So what if I'm just fourteen years old? Does that instantly make me immature in your eyes?" I got off the chair and strode up to him. "But who the Hell are you to decide whether I'm mature enough or not? None of you in this entire bloody Diner know who the Hell I am, where I'm from or the shit that no fourteen year old should've gone through. Let me ask you something Party Poison," I sneered his name as I poked his chest hard. "Have you ever had to witness a member of your family being executed right in front of you? I guess you probably have, but was it because they were trying to protect you?"

Party opened his mouth to speak but I cut across him.

"Did you have to watch someone get their soul destroyed while they looked into your eyes, begging for you to look away and run? Because I did! I had to watch my damn brother get raped by those fucking Scarecrows before they put a bullet put through his head! And all that time I had to hide behind a damn wall while he screamed and screamed." My voice had now risen to shouting and I gazed at the man in front of me with loathing. My clenched fists were shaking with anger and I was struggling to keep my voice from shaking and my eyes from crying. When I opened my mouth again, I spoke quietly but the anger was still there. "All of that was two months ago and only now I've stopped seeing my brother getting murdered wherever I turn."

"Kid, I'm sorry but –"

"Shut up!" I shouted and, as if it had a mind of its own, the back of my clenched fist stuck across Party's face. The impact sent him flying into the counter and onto the floor with an very loud, "shit!" I didn't however, stay to apologise or help the Killjoy to his feet. Instead, I turned on my heels and ran out of the Diner into the baking heat. Behind me I could hear Kobra Kid shouting for me to come back but I ignored him. He would only take me back to that damn Killjoy and make me say I was sorry. Why should I be? I thought as I carried on jogging. I didn't know how far it was until the nearest Killjoy hide-out but I didn't care; the further away from Party, Jet and Kobra I was, the better. I continued cursing Party's name, until I couldn't run anymore.

I wasn't sure how long I walked for then after that, but the heat from the sun was becoming too much for me and I fell to my knees. I probably had another couple of miles to go before I had any chance of finding civilisation. I had to continue if I was going to survive. My throat burned every time I breathed, gasping for even the tiniest drop of water. The sun continued to burn brightly in the sky as I staggered to my feet and began dragging them across the sand. Then, all of a sudden, I saw her. It was a tall woman with midnight black hair which flowed gracefully to her elbows. She wore skin tight jeans and a long sleeved shirt. I'd never seen her dressed like that before yet I knew who she was.

"Mom?"

She nodded, her celery green eyes holding a dim spark beneath them. When she spoke my name, it was exactly how I remembered it before she and Jordan died; soft and inviting. I wanted to rush into her arms and sob whilst begging for her to take me away from Earth, to be with her and Jordan and Nick. Instead, I stayed rooted to the spot and shook my head a tiny bit.

"I'm not her anymore," I whispered, trying not to cause anymore pain in my throat. "I'm a Killjoy now Mom."

She gave me a happy smile, as if me telling her that made her the happiest person in the world. I think being a Killjoy was what she always wanted me to be. Nick had told me that once but I'd never believed it; I did now. Mom kept my eyes glued to hers, so much so that I barely noticed collapsing to my knees. The heat kept on rising as I wiped the little beads of sweat off my forehead and tried forming the little amount of saliva I had left in my mouth to moisten my throat.

"What is your name?" Mom asked.

"Da… Dark-k… Sta… r…" I rasped. I jumped slightly when a hand was placed on my shoulder and saw Mom kneeling in front of me. How did she come near me so fast?

"Don't worry angel, someone is on their way." Angel. That was her nickname for me when I was younger. She shifted slightly and for a split second there were two of her.

"Wh…?"

I heard the rumbling of an engine but didn't bother turning around to look. I turned back to Mom but she had disappeared and instead there were a pair of hands, larger than Mom's small ones, underneath my arms. They lifted me into the air so that my heels were skimming across the ground. I gave into whoever they were, not having the strength to fight them off. The stranger dragged me backwards and I found myself in the backseat of a car.

"Sshh…" the person said softly, running a hand through my matted hair. "It'll all be over soon."

I finally looked up, straight into the familiar face of a Scarecrow agent