I only took this AN out since the story it was advertising doesn't exist any more.


Shad's room, Boston, Morning, Shad's PoV

I woke up to my alarm clock blaring in my ear. The damn thing woke me up from a dream I was having about my team's latest job. I have to take Sapphire out on another one, it was fun for her to be out there with me. That, and I want her to be safe at night. I Trust the people in this city about as far as I can throw them, and Splicers could attack her at any moment when left alone. I made up my mind about what to do with her during the day too. I would send her to the elementary school close by to my high school. Might as well, she needs an education anyway.

I went into the kitchen to see my mom and Sapphire eating their breakfast, scrambled eggs. I got myself a bagel to eat. Not all too fond of eggs. "Shad," my mom said. "Where is Sapphire going, because I have to go to work?" She worked as a banker, but she was new to her job and didn't get paid much yet. I'd probably still be robbing people blind either way though.

"I'm sending her to the elementary school near my school," I explained. "As long as nobody knows she's my daughter it'll be fi-"

"I GET TO GO TO SCHOOL?!" my daughter screamed in excitement. She was never sent to school? Who the hell raised this girl before me?

After recovering from her outburst (sensitive ears are a bitch sometimes) I replied, "Yes sweetie, you do. You get out not long after I do, so wait in front of the school for me to pick you up alright?"

"OK daddy." she smiled, happier than I've ever seen her before. Never thought I'd see a little kid excited to go to school before, but I guess there's a first time for everything.

After getting dressed in my usual cloths and mom helped Sapphire get dressed in the clothes I got her last night, a new dark blue dress and shoes, I dropped her off at her school on the way to mine. On the way there, three kids came up to me with a menacing glint in their eye. 'Well fuck,' I thought as my usual bullies came up to me. I get ignored by most people because of my eyes, but these guys gave me a hard time over them whenever they can. Frankly, I'm seriously thinking of striking back one of these times.

"Hey demon freak," one of them said. I never bothered to learn their names, but they were burly, one was blond, one was a brunette, one had black hair, and all three of them were brothers. Weird genes huh? "You know the toll," another one said. They demanded pay so that they didn't attack me, which they still did anyway. Assholes. I paid the toll; $15, enough to buy lunch for the three of them. I hated all of them, but they were the sons of my mom's boss. She'd probably get fired if I hurt them. So when one of them tried to punch me, just so my already boiling rage wouldn't get the best of me and make me lash out, I dodged and ran like hell for my classroom. I made it there safely, but they'd be waiting after school. They always do. If they found out about Sapphire though, they'd use her as ammo to torture me. I needed to protect her, no matter the cost.


Boston Middle school, Downtown Boston, Afternoon, Shad's PoV

I left school only to be punched down to the pavement and dragged deep into an alley. "Not a smart idea avoiding your punishment for being a freak," the leader chided as he crouched down and looked me in the eye. "Now it will just be worse," he added taking out a pocket knife. "The payments and the beatings both." Before he made a cut, one of them said, "If you had kids, they'd be ugly freaks just like you." That made me pissed beyond all belief. "Probably not even good enough to be a prostitute, if the doctors don't put the bastard down first!" the last one quipped, getting a laugh out of his brothers. As for me though… I was fuming on the inside and I swear my blood was boiling.

They could criticize me for my eyes, abuse me till I bleed out, and insult me all they wanted, I'd brush it off. But when you insult my friends and kin, blood or not, you are going to pay. Or in this case, die a horrible and painful death. "Hey did your eyes just turn red?" the leader asked in fear. While he was off guard, I punched him in the nose and pushed him off, making him drop his knife. I picked it up and leapt up, ready to fight. At this point, his brothers had snapped out of their surprise and got out their own knives, a switch blade each. One came at me with a slash of his knife, so I ducked and darted around him with a stab to his back. He fell in pain and the other one tried to surprise me with a blow to my neck, but I kicked backwards and caught him in the gut. While he was out of breath, I slit his throat and left him to bleed out. The leader grabbed his brother's forlorn switchblade and tried to shank my stomach, but I beat him to it with a quick dodge and a flash of steel. I sliced upwards with a horrific grin on my face and relished in the organs and blood that spewed forth from the gaping hole in his torso. I left him die in agony as well. With the blood in his mouth and the pain he was in I couldn't make his last words out, but I assume they were, "Fuck you... you demon asshole." Finally, I waltzed over to the crippled and pulled his head up by his hair, ignoring his pleas for mercy and shouts of pain.

"Please... let me live..." he mumbled faintly. Guess I did more damage than I thought. "I swear... I'll pay you back in full..."

"Money?" I laughed, high on my own blood lust and the pleasure of tormenting my bullies to death. "You've tormented and stole from me for years, and that I let slide because I didn't want any more trouble. No. What got me, was suggesting that my daughter should've been killed at birth." His eyes widened at my words and he began to blubber about how it was a joke. "How about this then. You make me laugh, and I let you go, OK?" I grew tired of his mumbling and begging pretty quickly. With a smile to rival the Joker's I cut the sides of his mouth open into a permanent gape and started to butcher him mercilessly. Any screams that would've escaped his throat were drowned out by him choking on his own gore.

When I finally came out of my rage and madness a few moments later, I was horrified at what I'd done to them. Then I remembered Sapphire was waiting for me. She comes first, all other things I'll deal with later. I cleaned most of the mess up, burned the jacket I was wearing in a trashcan, and tried to make it look like some muggers were killed. After I finished, I took their money, the money I gave them this morning I noted, and went to pick up Sapphire. I was already screwed if the cops found out about my job, I'm done for if this came out into the open.