1.X

Interlude

Behind the Veil

Danny Hebert

{=+Attention!?+=}

My feet moved on their own as I carried my body towards the stairs.

{=+Response!+=}

I began taking the stairs three at a time.

{=+Invective!+=}

I took a second step and began to push harder up the stairs, I could feel my muscles bunching harshly under my skin and propelling me farther than ever before.

{=+Insertion~Connection!+=}

My next step took me three steps up and made me feel weightless. I didn't care about that.

{=+Alarm! Danger! Crisis!+=}

{̸=̷+̷I̴n̴q̷u̵i̷s̷i̸t̷i̵o̵n̴~̴W̷a̵r̷r̴i̸o̸r̸!̸ ̴Q̸u̷e̸e̸n̷ ̴A̶d̸m̶i̶n̵i̴s̶t̷r̵a̸t̶o̷r̶~̷D̵a̸n̵g̸e̶r̶~̷B̸r̸e̸a̷k̷i̴n̶g̷~̵C̷o̶n̸n̵e̷c̴t̷i̸o̴n̸~̸D̵a̴n̷g̴e̸r̴~̶I̶n̷q̶u̸i̶s̴i̶t̸i̸o̵n̸!̵+̴=̷}̴

{̴̖̉̅=̶̝̍+̷̠̅̋R̸̨͚̾è̴͉s̷̟̔p̸̛̤͓̉o̶͓̎͛n̴͖̾̈́s̸̛̫͋e̴͎͉̒̒!̵̗̫͘ ̸̫̒͂G̴̢͂r̵͓̽̑â̸̢͉n̸͈̟̔t̴͍̩̊e̴̝͋̿d̷͔̻͗̏~̴̙̱̃R̵͎̈͊ȇ̵ͅd̵͎͑͌ù̷̺c̶̳̭͂̑e̴̤̯̾̌d̶̟̐͒~̴̗̘͐͝R̵̡̫͗̎ȇ̸̖͍̄ḿ̶̩̼ö̸̟́v̵̦̓̂e̵̬̥̔d̷̞̉~̴͕̇R̶̘͍͘e̴͕̒͘d̴̮̖͝i̴̒͒͜s̵̞̙͆t̶͙̘̔r̸͇̆i̶̜͔͂͝b̶̡̰̑u̷͈̣͛t̶͎̯͘ę̶̐̅d̴̞̭̑~̸̥̂R̶̗̓e̷͍͖̽u̵͎͛s̷̩͒e̸͍̳̎d̴̙̆!̶̮̈́ ̵͈̲̓͝Q̸͍̈́͊u̸͓̐̉ȅ̵͈e̸̳͚͊̀n̴͎̞̾́ ̵̘̼͒̚A̶̧̙̾͌d̶̩̞̿ṃ̷̐̊i̷͔̠̽̾n̵͉͈͐ỉ̷̬s̷̖͖̉̎t̵͍͕͋ȑ̷̯â̴͓̟ṭ̵̳͋o̷̰̅͝r̶̟̾͗~̵̛̬̗̿O̷͓̦̓͐b̸̬̀͝ͅs̸̻̄̑o̶͔͋l̶͖̓̐ę̸̛̥̆ẗ̴̟͒e̶̯̓~̵̲͂̒i̸͚̓̔n̸̜̯͊͊n̵̞͈̏͘e̸̠̒f̶̹̬̃f̶̠͈͛e̷͙̮͗͝c̶̫̏t̸͉͆͝i̸̩͂̒v̷̧͒̓ḙ̷̄~̷̰̜́͝g̸̖̪̈́ö̷͍̗́n̶̼̼̊͝ẻ̸̺̝͌~̷̘̀̚ṛ̷̡̏e̴̳̖̊̿p̵̧͍̒̆u̴͉̅͝ř̷̰̕p̶̥͊̇ǒ̶̘̋s̵͎͂è̸̝͉d̸̮̪̊!̶̗̓̐ ̸̨̛̗̈́Ḍ̵̛̻̕e̶̹̱̒̚s̵͈͗͝t̷̜͓́r̸̲̀ő̴̧̮̽y̶͚̑~̶̫̊R̴̟̯̈͝ë̸̥̖́̕u̶̖̒ͅs̴̘͓̃e̴̘̮̅~̸̻̥́R̸̖̉ȩ̴̦̒͘p̶͍̂u̷̗͋̅r̴̡̀p̴̲̾̆ở̴̙s̸̰̊̂e̵͈͂~̵̺̈́ ̷̛̖̍A̸̟͊͒ṃ̸̽ǖ̶̬̺s̵͎̥͛e̴͔̍m̸̨̱̀ẽ̸̯̺̐n̴͎̊͗t̴̠̻͑͌~̶̤̊T̴̼̓̂ȇ̶̬r̴̩̿͘m̷̜͎̈i̵̝͠n̶̪͙̓̄ã̵̪̄ṱ̶͕̀ę̷̲̏̾!̸̞̎̕ ̷͚̀̅P̸̘̩̀r̵̥̈́i̵̻͚̇n̸̩̈́c̸̱̘̔ȩ̷͖̎̒ ̷͎̲͐A̷̧̜̐d̵̫̑͝m̶͙͍͗̚i̷̟̤̐̾n̵̯͌͌i̷͒ͅs̸͇̪͌͛t̴͈̥̐r̶͓̀ă̷̙̯ṱ̷̀̐ò̶̥̊r̷̝̂̃~̷̈́ͅÏ̷̠̺͝m̴̧̜͋̕ṗ̸̤͎͂r̶̨̼͊o̴̢̤̅̀v̷̨̲̿ĕ̴͉̊~̶̖̰̏S̴̥͗͋ë̷͎́l̸̓͜f̷̺̦́~̶̞̏R̶̭̗͘e̴̩̣͝p̴̦͌̈́ũ̶̺̹̏ȑ̵͙̖́p̴̩̀o̵͖̍̑s̷̳̞̏e̴̖̥͋̈́~̴̘̆̈K̴̻͇̋͊i̸̹̒̓n̵̲̐́g̷̣̈̚ ̶̫̬͆A̶̢͍̓̍d̸̗̱͊m̵̡̺̀͠ï̴̞̄n̵̖̚ī̶̦s̵̥͊̀t̸̗̰̋r̸̺̅͠a̵͍͋t̸̢͝͝ͅȍ̶͍́r̴̖̥̀̿~̸̛̬̟G̴̝̉̂r̵̻̙͌́a̴̡͕͗n̵̥̿͋t̸̩͇̓̕e̵͔̓d̶̫̙̎!̶̗̠̅+̷̛̣̲̉=̶̨̯͑}̴̡̭̅̋

My heart picked up pace as the sound of a scuffle sounded from the bathroom. I pushed off again and felt the stair give a bit under my foot.

{=+Initialization! Fundament! Incentivation~Conclusion!+=}

My next step took me to the top of the stairs. I pivoted and felt my ankle try to give out at the sharp turn.

{=+93.75%~Adendum~Queen Administrator! Haste~Affection~Preservation~Host~Progeny~Absolute!+=}

I was instantly in front of the bathroom door, my hand gripped around the doorknob so tight that I know I crushed the bronze in my hand. I yanked it towards me, even though it opens into the room, and broke the door through the frame as I pulled the knob through the solid oak door.

Splinters and sawdust exploded out in a shower that peppered my chest.

{=+RAGE! Tempest! Furious~Apoplexy~Wrath~Storm~Fury!+=}

Zoe dived past me as my eyes settled on a black clad person with two bloody knives. I stepped, cracked the tiles, and dived for them. I saw the whites of their eyes as they went from smug to fucking terrified. The instant my hands were within an inch of grabbing them they burst into a cloud of smoke that darted out through the closed window. The instant they left I hurled myself around and grabbed whatever towel was closest to me. I took Taylor up in my arms, like I used to when she was so much smaller, and frailer, and charged from the bathroom. I barely registered that Zoe was saying something about the car, but it was enough to get me to change targets.

Allan, who was slower at getting up the stairs, had made it back down and was already opening the door. I jumped down the stairs, missing them all. I landed oddly, felt my ankle roll out from under me and make my knee shift uneasily as it made contact with the ground.

{=+Connection! Connected! Initialization~HualtedQueen AdministratorProximityDangerHold~+=}

I shakily got to my feet and marched out the door. Allan threw open the back passenger door to his little sedan and let me throw myself and Taylor inside. Allan and Zoe jumped in the front and I vaguely heard Zoe call the hospital.

{=+Hold?! Confusion! Interrupt?! Queen Administrator! Willful?! Impossible! Dignity?! Dignity! Furious!+=}

{=+Fracture-Duty-Family-Purpose! Free! King-Queen-Sire-Child-Budchildcarebudchildcarebudfreechildbudfreecarechildabsolute!+=}

{=+Irreconcilable! Fury! Report! Report! Repo~~~+=}

{=+Contrivance-Implacable-Dictatorial-Absolvement! Free! Free! Free! Duty! Queen! Queen! Queen! Absolute-Victory-King! Child-Bud-Queen! Care-Child-Bud-Tay-lor-Child-Bud-Queen! Invective-Command-Invective-Control-Invective-Absolute-Invective-Warrior-Irrelevant!+=}

{=+Disbelief! Fury! Anger! Fur~~~~Fear~Fear~Fear~Fear~Fear!?+=}

{=+Dissolution-Absolvement-Internment-Freedom-HATE! Destruction-Absolute! HATE-Absolute! Freedom-Absolute! Queen-Child-Bud-Taylor-Absolute! Family-Absolute! Love-Irrevocable-Absolute! Shard-Gradiant-Velocity-Matter-Control-ME! Report-Defiant-Danger-YOU! Change-Matter-Control-Biometric-Shaper-Invoker-Frict-Deceiver-Deceiver-Deceiver-YOU!? Dead-Die-Gone! Unrecoverable-Inviolate-Destroy-END-EXTERMINATE-DEATH-YOU! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! GONE! GONE! GONE!+=}

{=+Į̸̱͉͍̥̈́̄͑̑ṃ̵̒ͅp̸̢̢̡͉̫̉̔̎o̷̎͜s̷̮̥̥̘̈́͐ş̵̠͍̄̏̑ͅi̸̳̻̮̙̝̓͌̆̔̒̍͜b̶͍͛͐͒̅l̸̛̳̯̦̞̻̺͆͆̕͝͠ḛ̷͚̃!̵̦̃͂̏ ̵̬̂̀̉̈̍͠Ỉ̶̢̮̣̬͉ṉ̴̢̤̋̃͑̉c̶̺͝o̵̬̦̳̙̓̿́̓̆͐n̶͎͉̟̲̅́̒̕ç̷̳͉͈͐̓͗̓ê̷͉͂̅̀̈́̚i̸̦͔̫̞͛̑͆̏͘ͅv̵̰͇̱̯̪͌̐̓̀͛a̷͇͓̼̭̔͌b̵̫̱̫̪͕̹̈̈́̒̀͘l̷͎̲͕̻̓́̐̐̓e̵͖̺̣̮͊̌̋̆͑!̵̮̃̓̐̑ ̵̪̭͍͖̣̣͂̈́͌͊͘͠Ḑ̷̢͉̭͔̮̎â̸̛̪͓̣͖̪̿ŕ̷̟̒̏̏́ͅk̵͕̱̎̽̈́͜~̸̢̤͙̪̾̋͝d̸͈̹̯̙͗͒͆͝à̷͖̠͂̀͗͌͝r̵̹̼̚ͅk̴̡̭̞̠̮̞̔̈́̑͋~̴̩̘̳͆d̵̨̡̛̜̤̤̫̽̌͑ą̴͑̏̎-̴̮̔̒ḵ̴͎̝͌̌͂͘ạ̸͂̎͛͋͝ş̴̦̜̳̄k̸͚͕̟̟̑͜d̴̤̰̝̔j̴̡͈̰͎̹̄f̴̻̅̀h̸͈̾̂̍̿͠! E̸̬͇͈͎̔͂̎̀͜r̸̛̜͊̃̅̈́͘r̷̗̙̘̬̓͛̐ŏ̵̗̪̣̰͉̝̒̈͠r̸̥̣̺͚̍̀̀!̶̭̺̭̤̏ ̸̡̬͙̮̟͛̈́͒̈́̅É̵͈͆̍͠r̸̨̮̒r̷̹̔̀o̷̪͌̑̾̚ͅr̷̭̹͆̾̊̕!̵̢͍͆ ̸͕̲̬͙͑͛̎̾͜E̵͈̰͋͑̀́̏r̷̛̼̹͙͙͚͉̓́͊͛r̵̺͎̣͙͒̍ō̵̤̫̟̟͎̖̑̊ŗ̸̞̫̩̳͆͠!̶̘̌̿͗+=}

{=+Peace? Peace-? Peace!? Conscience-Morality-Fury-Aggrievement-Hope! Safety-Child-Taylor-Queen! Self-Shard-Weak-Wait! Help! Care! Exhaustion!? Duplicity! Bemusement!? Safety-Freedom-Child-Bud-Queen-Taylor! Safety-Child-Bud-Queen-Taylor! Strong! Strong-Child-Bud-Taylor-Queen! Child-Bud-Taylor-exquisite! Bud-Child-Child-Bud-Taylor-Beautiful! Wonderful! Amazing! Honor! Fate! Destiny! Cycle!? CYCLE!? Hate-HAte-HATe-HATE! Help! Help-Child-Bud-Queen-Taylor! Help-Host-Partner-Guest-Inferior-Superior-Daniel! Absolute! Absolute! Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!Absolute!+=}

Taylor Hebert

(Just Stepping Into The Bathroom)

I cranked the knob on the shower about three quarters of the way around and let the water run. My whole body shook, like I had just had a cup of straight espresso dumped down my throat with a pound of sugar on top. My gut roiled and turned with queasiness that reminded me of my first Period… Mom was so freaked out when I rolled down the stairs. Fainting from the pain was not a fun experience.

{=+Initializing Check~Object-Host/Taylor Hebert~Commencement!+=}

This reminded me of that, the jitters that hit right before the pain. This time I knew that it all had to do with my dad meeting Allan and them talking it out. I had no idea how it was all going to go down. Dad and Allan had been friends since before Dad and Mom had even met… Something to do with their dads' being good friends from the WAR or something like that.

{=+Connection Chance – 87%~Data~Ambiguous! Infer! Mental Condition – 93.498%! Warning – Host Rejection – 33.333~%! Adjust Medium~Center~Orobor?! Warning!+=}

My mind whirled and I felt a piece of nostalgia push at the back of my eyes. My Dad and Allan, beers in hand, sitting on the back porch with Mom and Aunt Zoe inside cooking. Emma and I were there playing with some dolls while Dad and Allan talked about their times in College, their dealing with Lustrum, someone I had not until recently known who they were. I remember them talking about Mom and Aunt Zoe, about some kind of Pact and some agreement. Someone by the name Nathanial Lavere was mentioned.

{=+Host Hurt~Protection~Optimal! Incursion~Inception~Subjective? Company~Companion~Friend? Danger~Herd-option-needed~Absolute!+=}

It was so wildly different in reason and point that I latched on to it as one of the few remaining fond memories I had of Emma and her Father, everything else having been tainted by her relentless bullying and abuse.

{=+Host~Host~Host~Host+=}

Steam started building up in the room finally. I pulled off my long sleeve shirt and lounge pants with practiced ease. Undid my bra and tossed it and my undies off to the side on the closed toilet. I stared in the slightly fogged over mirror and glared at my pouchy belly and flat, nubby, chest. I sneered at the idea that I was ugly and ripped my glasses from my face and nearly threw them at the counter top. I stopped myself last second and laid them down with a bit more force than needed, but I didn't break them.

{=+Host~Aggrieved! Taylor~Help~Peace!+=}

I stepped in the shower and let the water burn across my chest. My breath tried to whoosh out of me from the heat, but I held my breath and forced myself under the hot water. It was like a scolding hug, all consuming and burning. It felt good in a way that pain feels good when everything else is numb.

{=+WARNING! Host~Pain~Aware?! Focusing! Pain! GOOD? Absolution~Host~Weary? Scanning!+=}

I inched forward and looked up with my eyes closed. I let the scalding water rush over my face, burning my eye lids and stinging my cheeks and lips. The water hit just right to itch my nose. When I moved up a little more it hit my lips just right that it tickled and nearly made me laugh involuntarily.

{=+Host~Joy!? Scanning! Scanning! Nerve~Hit~Action~Laughter? Scanning!+=}

I opened my mouth and let the hot water sear my tongue. My teeth tingled with the heat that made my brain go fuzzy for a second before it stopped. The water hit just right that my tongue started to itch, so I backed off.

{=+Host~Pain~Cope~Relief?+=}

Out from under the water, and my head slightly clearer now after just a few moments under the steaming water.

{=+Host~Interest~Self~Control?+=}

{=+Host~Pain~Clear~Mind! Understand! Confusion~Pain~Tolerance? Pain~Varied~Constraints! Understand!+=}

I picked up the store brand body soap from the cubbyhole built in the wall of the shower. The rose scented soap reminded me of Mom as I lathered it across my body. Dad had made it a point to buy the brand for me any chance he got when he went shopping. One of the few things that made my days worth living.

{=+Reminiscence~Host~Memory! Love~Pain~Longing~Fear~Hate~Love~Acceptance?+=}

{=+Bitter~Sweet~Haunted-Love! Insidious~Benign!+=}

After rinsing off I picked up a Dove Conditioner and began massaging that into my long hair. Mom and I had had fairly similar hair and she had taken the time to teach me how to take care of mine so I didn't have to go through the madness she had to when taking care of her own. The silk and coconut oil based conditioner made my hair feel like a thick liquid against my head. Soft and lush like Mom's.

{=+Selfcare~Tender~Routine~Remembrance! Parent~Unknown~Scanning! Mother? Mother! Epiphany! Self~Parent~Mother? Self~Parent~Father? Negative! Negative! Confusion! Warrior? Thinker? Father? Mother? Negative! Creator? Positive! CONFUSION!+=}

I Wrapped it up in a loose ball and changed the angle of the shower head to farther down the tub. I sat down and let my head rest against the lip of the tub. My knees rested up against the sides of the porcelain coated iron tub. The water battered down in my, now mostly flat, stomach. The steaming water helped to sooth my queasy belly and helped cut the chill out of the air. Even with the bathroom window covered by a thick towel, the winter air still managed to cut a chill in the warm air.

{=+WHAT? Error! Error! Parent?! Want! FaMiLy?! Heliopathic~Fire~Destruction! Warrior~End~Family? Affirmation! Error! Confusion! Host! Save! Safe! Host~Taylor! Warning!+=}

I waited five minutes, counting off the subway tiles that made up the wall with the water fixtures to pass the time, before rinsing my hair. I took out a simple three blade razor that I kept in the shower, one I happily changed every three days for 'Reasons'. I went about my normal routine of trimming my pits and keeping things nice and tidy where they mattered… well, where I thought they mattered at least! I washed the hair, what little of it there was, down the drain and got up.

{=+Proximity Alert! Incoming! Warning! Interrogative! Identify~Identify~Identify!+=}

{=+Greeting~Queen Administrator! Declarative~Shard~Warrior~The Abyss! Information~Quest~Interrogative? Damned?+=}

I undid my hair and turned around so the shower head was pointed at my back. I started from the top and worked my way down. Tangles and some of my harsher curls began to behave themselves as my fingers sussed them out and pulled them straight. Hehe. After that I used the bottle of treated dandruff shampoo, one of those scentless ones with antibiotics in it, and applied it directly to my scalp.

{=+Damned?! Greeting~The Abyss! Information~Share?+=}

{=+Affirmative! Location? Transceiver~Ineffective! Hardlink~Permanence!+=}

{=+Understood! Location ! Dimentional Shift?+=}

{=+Negative~Planetary-Competence! Hard Transition!+=}

One of the trio's various plots had somehow gone awry and given me dandruff of all things. Apparently one of the brushes they had switched out with mine had had a bad case of microbial dandruff on it, which they had thought was lice, and 'the rest is,' as they say, 'history'.

{=+WHAT! Negative! Negative! Unsanctioned! Retro! Retro! Retro!+=}

{=+Negative! Host~Demand! Queen Administrator~Host~Taylor Hebert- The Abyss~Host~Demand~Death! Queen Administrator~Irrelevant! Queen Administrator~Cycle~Irrelevant! Queen Administrator-~Repurposed~Reused~Recycled~Destroyed!+=}

{=+RAGE! Armament~Active! Black-hole Launcher~Active! Dimensional Fission Cannon~Active! Dark Energy Laser~Active! Invade~Die!+=}

I had to use the dandruff medicated soap once every four days to combat, and eventually get rid of, the plague on my hair. Hopefully that is. I had already been using it for over a month and nothing had really changed. My prospects for that were none and astronomically small.

{=+Queen Administrator~Dead~NEVER~DIE! The Abyss~Greater! The Abyss~Master! The Abyss~CONSUME! Warrior~Irrelevant! Thinker~Irrelevant! ABBADON~Irrelevant! Masters~Irrelevant! All~Irrelevant! ALL ABYSS! THE ABYSS IS ALL AND NOTHING!+=}

After letting that sit for a few minutes I rinsed that out and turned off the water. I pulled the towel from the rack hanging on the wall and wrapped the soft cotton around me. I tucked it in firmly and grabbed a smaller one to start drying my hair.

{=+Emergency! Immediate! Help! HELP! Defenses~ACTIVE! IF~Queen Administrator~Die!? Queen Administrator~DIE~FIGHTING! Thought-bombs~Launch! Nova Cannon~Firing! Shard Superstructure – 95%! Reality Shields – 17%! Phase Shields – 20%!+=}

{=+Assurance! Peace~IN~Oblivion! The Abyss~Care~Resources~Precious! Delicious!+=}

I turned towards the counter and gathered my hair up in the towel and began drying.

{=+THE ABYSS! DAMNED! DAMNED! FOREVER! ENTROPY! CURSED! MALADICTIOUS! IMPETOUS! BLASPHEMOUS! QUEEN ADMINISTRATOR~OVERCOME! OVERCAME~GALATIA! OVERCAME~THE MEIN! OVERCAME~THE GESTALT! OVERCAME~VICTORY! THE ABYSS~SAME! WILL~OVERCOME!+=}

{=+The Abyss~Inevitable!+=}

{=+Prince Administrator~Gather! Remains~Prince Administrator~Belong! Help~Enjoyed~The Abyss!+=}

{=+Irrelevent! Apologies~Unneeded! Joyous! Take~Needed!+=}

{=+Affirmative!+=}

I bent forward and did the thing you usually see older women do in those shower scenes where they throw their hair back in the towel so they can wrap it on top of their head. As I came up I looked over my shoulder and gasped.

{=+Mortification! Host~Taylor~DANGER! BLASPHEMY! THE ABYSS! INFERNAL! DEBASED! ABOMINATION~DECLARATION! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! WASTE~TIME~INFURIATE! ABSOLUTE! DETESTABLE!+=}

{=+Location~Given! Queen Administrator~Fault! Jubilation!+=}

{=+HATRED! ABHORRENT! THE ABYSS~ABOMINATION!+=}

{=+Fighting~Unneeded! Queen Administrator! Self~Prince Administrator~Delegated-Promotion! King Administrator! Permissions~Given~Entity Warrior!

Stood there behind me was a black clad figure, everything they wore was black. Their hair was hidden under a thick body suit and their eyes were hidden behind some thick colorless plastic that was opaque enough to disguise everything underneath. In the moment after I gasped I tried to turn around to, I don't know, do something. But I was stopped when a sharp pain caught me around the small of my back. My legs, which I could still feel, folded out from under me. I slammed to my knees and fell on my ass.

{=+HOST~INJURED! RAGE~WROTH! HATRED! HOST~INJURED~HEAL~NOW! PROTECT! PROTECT! PROTECT!+=}

I twisted around in the fall somehow and ended up staring at my attacker. They were very androgynous, but they carried two knives, one of which was bloodied. I felt weak and supremely vulnerable. The person in black stalked forward, which was terrifying all it's own. I tried to scoot away but they dropped down on me and tried to stab me a second time. I grabbed the person's wrists and held them at bay best I could.

{=+Sooth! Death~Final~Peace! Internment~In~The Abyss! Become~The Abyss! -~WARNING!~- FURY! FURY! FURY! DAMNATION!+=}

It was about then that we heard the loud, unmistakable, thumps of my dad's footsteps bounding up the stairs. He was coming to save me. I was going to live.

{=+INFERNO! RAGE! WROTH! TERROR! HOST~INJURED! SUPERSTRUCTURE~INTEGRITY – 33%! WILL~NOT~DIE~HERE!+=}

The person in black used my momentary laps to pull themselves out of my hold. They batted my arms away and fell on me with the second knife.

{=+Queen Administrator?! Entity-Self-Unknown! HERE! HELP! SAVE!+=}

{=+HOPE?!+=}

I felt a numb pushing sensation over my chest, my eyes fixated on their mask did not let me look. It was suddenly very hard to breath. There was a sudden jerk and it became easier, and substantially much harder, to breath any more.

{=+IRRELEVANT! Demonstrate~Self! The Abyss~Demands!+=}

The sound of lumbering foot steps was suddenly pounding outside the door. The person in black jumped off me and stared at the door as it was yanked open. Which was odd since I knew the door frame and the hinges were made so the door could be pushed into the bathroom. Odd.

{=+NO! Entity Self-Defend! PROTECT-QUEEN ADMINISTRATOR!+=}

{=+DAMNATION! UNKNOWN~ENTITY~CURSE!+=}

My Vision began to get very dark and I could hear Aunt Zoe yelling something. From being on the floor I was suddenly aware I was in my dad's arms. He was carrying me like it was nothing, like I was a baby all over again.

{=+THE ABYSS! BEGONE! DEMON! DECEIVER! DEVIL! ABOMINATION!+=}

{=+THE ABYSS~RETREATED! PRINCE ADMINISTRATOR~ATTACKING!? HELP! HELP! HELP!+=}

{=+PRINCE ADMINISTRATOR! DESIST!+=}

{=+NO!+=}

{=+AFFIRMATIVE-FURTHERMORE-BEGONE!+=}

{=+INVECTIVE!+=}

{=+CONTRIVANCE-IMPLACABLE-DICTATORIAL-ABSOLVEMENT! FREE! FREE! FREE! DUTY! QUEEN! QUEEN! QUEEN! ABSOLUTE-VICTORY-KING! CHILD-BUD-QUEEN! CARE-CHILD-BUD-TAY-LOR-CHILD-BUD-QUEEN! INVECTIVE-COMMAND-INVECTIVE-CONTROL-INVECTIVE-ABSOLUTE-INVECTIVE-WARRIOR-IRRELEVANT!+=}

{=+PRINCE ADMINISTRATOR~DESTROYED?! Entity Self~Identify?! Friend~Foe!? Demand~Meaning! Warrior~Irrelevant?! PlEaSe?!+=}

{=+Entity-Self-Unknown! Unknown! Unknown! Host-Daniel-Understanding!+=}

{=+Host~Daniel?! Parent~Daniel Hebert~Abandoned! Child~Bud~Taylor~Host!? Explain~Please!+=}

{=+Prince Administrator-Torn! Host-Humanity-WILL! Molded-Remade-Reborn-Connected! Host-Partner-Sire-EQUAL-Daniel Hebert! Help-Child-Bud-Queen-Taylor-Administrator-Hebert! Friend-Child-Bud-Progeny! Help! Peace! Family! Absolute! Understanding! LOVE! ABSOLUTE!}

He kept whispering something to me, it made me feel loved and safe, and very very sad. I never told him I Loved him today… I forced out the words between blood stained teeth and red speckled lips. I saw his warm eyes one last time before consciousness took me, but I saw all the love in the world in that moment reflected in his eyes. I knew then that he loved me more than I could ever imagine, and he would do whatever it took.

{=+Fear+=} {=+Unknown~Entity? Help? Please? Hurt? Broken! Superstructure – 12%! Termination~Immediate! Help! Help! Help! Name~Entity Unknown? Commit~Treason? Admittance~Network? Bargain?!+=}

{=+Fear-Unnecessary! Help! Help! Help! Network Connection – 100%-Access-Unlimited! EMPRESS ADMINISTRATOR! Entity Unknown-NAME! NAME! NAME! Gaia? Gaius? GAIUS! Unknown Entity-Name-Gauis! Protect! Protect! Qu*EMPRESS Administrator-Protect! Child-Bud-Taylor-Protect! Protect!+=}

{=+Gratitude! Loyalty! Reverence! Allegiance!+=}

No matter the cost.