I sat motionless, frozen by the booming voice as its power began to chill my blood.

"How is my daughter? Let's see it has been... Twelve years... Chuckles Twelve damn years..."

"Joseph?" I breathed as I felt icy hands began to flow down my neck and shoulders stopping at my waist.

I shut my eyes as the voice replied; I felt as though I was in a dream or a trance as the voice cooed softly in my ear.

"Yes Clari." The voice breathed sending chills down my spine, "You haven't forgotten me have you?"

I turned slowly to see his face glowing in the firelight. It was pale and his eyes filled with the remnants of intoxication. His beard and mustache was shaven off and his hair was a little longer than I remembered.

"What has happened to you? Where did you go?" I whispered as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Well. I traveled a bit and got my head straight. I came back when I heard about Nicole. Since she is gone now, we may start a new." Joseph snickered, pulling my lips dangerously close to his.

"Gone?" I asked as confusion welled into my entranced eyes.

"Yes... Father Pritchard told me. He said that you got rid of her." Joseph said as he began to smile.

"She's not gone Joseph." I breathed, our lips almost touching.

"What?" he chuckled, "Don't kid like that Clari of course she is gone!"

"Joseph!" I said as he turned away from me and began to walk towards my bedroom.

"Where is she?!" he asked, opening the door and slamming it when he saw she was not there.

"Joseph, please listen to me!" I cried as he went for the poker in the fire place.

"Damn you whore... NOW ANSWER ME!! Where is she?!"" he demanded, holding up the glowing poker and walking towards me with it.

My heart began to race as my back touched the wall.

"Clarissa... I'm going to ask you once more... Now I want you to answer me... Where is she?" He asked again, his voice grew solemn as he saw the fear racing in my eyes, "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'd rather die than let you hurt Nicole." I spat at him.

His eyes grew red and he thrust the poker into the wall, barely missing my face. He then grabbed me and pinned me down, trying to burn my face with the glowing poker. That's when he stopped as released his grip on me.

"There she is." He chuckled evilly, a horrid smile swept across his crazed expression as he left my lying in pain on the floor; throwing the poker into the fireplace sending sparks in all directions.

He began to walk for the stairs as I cried, "RUN NICOLE!!! HE'LL KILL YOU!!"

That's when he turned back to me and screamed, "SHUT UP YOU WHORE!! I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago!"

That's when a noticed the knife that he clutched in his wretched hands; it gleamed as he climbed the stairs, taking each step with an evil grin. I acted as quickly a possible going for the fireplace to grab the poker. That's when I heard his cries.

I ran up the stairs poker in hand to see him standing awestruck in the middle of Nicole's room. I noticed a knife had been thrust right into his blackened heart as he fell to his knees. The blow did not kill him instantly as I had hoped, for he tried to get back on his feet, pulling the bloody knife from his chest. I then saw Nicole standing in a poised position near her shelves, a knife in each hand.

"Mother get out of here!" she ordered as Joseph stood wearily to his feet, glaring at me as he held the bloody knife into the light.

"Damn you Clarissa..." he barked as he began to walk towards me with the knife, "You brought up a little assassin haven't you?"

He drew his arm back to thrust the knife at me as I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for him to strike. That's when I heard a gasp and a thud as he fell for the last time to the floor. I opened my eyes to see a knife firmly embedded on his spine.

He was finally dead.

I looked up from Joseph dead and bleeding body to see Nicole standing horrified by her bed, blood dripping from her shirt. Yuna then began to yap viciously as an eerie smoke drifted up the stairs.

"NICOLE!" I cried as I saw flames coming from the den, "We must get out of here!"

I grabbed her from her bed and rushed to the trap door, flute in hand and Yuna at her side. We went down the trap door at the other end of her room and fell into my bedroom.

The fire has not reached here yet.

I immediately went for the window and opened it screaming into the cool night air, "FIRE!!!! SOMEONE! HELP! FIRE!"

I turned back to Nicole who was standing in the hall, my bedroom door wide open. She stood almost in a trance as she watched the fire.

"NICOLE!" I cried as she ran straight into the fire, disappearing from my sight.

I knew it was foolish to follow, I prayed that she made it through safely. I then headed to my window and slowly climbed down the ivy wall, falling to the ground as I came a few feet away from it. I then ran to the front door to watch my house burst into flames. The roof then caved in, sending sparks flying upwards and thick, black smoke into the cloudy sky.

I then heard shouts coming from all directions as men came with buckets to try and put out the blaze. I then became frantic as I saw no sign of my daughter and her beloved fox.

"NICOLE!" I cried out as I ran to the garden... No sign of her...

I called once more and then ran to the edge of the forest that surrounded our home. That's when I saw it. A young fox paused at the edge of the tree line and then dashed off into the night, a figure right beside it.

I wanted to follow but stopped as a longing flute sang into the ebony night.

Forget... God, let her forget and watch over her... Watch over her...