Sorry for taking so long to get this posted. However, it's the longest chapter so far, so enjoy! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Keep them coming. :)

Several cold drops of sweat tumble down Gail's forehead as she bangs back on the wall. She grips the blanket in tight and squeezes her eyes shut. She can still feel cold hands crawling on her neck. It is just a dream, just a dream. Gail repeats the mantra to herself, but her heart continues to beat rapidly. She feels so stupid and helpless. She should not be feeling like this. Technically nothing actually happened and she got away with simply being drugged and few bruises. Many girls survive in worse conditions right? As much as she hates being a Peck, she knows having Peck blood means she should be strong and be able to handle this. Then why is she feeling like there is a boogeyman coming out to get her, like a five years old?

Gail sighs and reminds herself that it is the first night she is alone in her room since she got out of hospital several days ago. Sage refuses to leave her alone in the room, especially at night.

"Tough shit, Gail. I'm staying. I got shit to do for that stupid Drug Enforcement class tomorrow. I'm on the against team on marijuana legalization for fuck's sake. Not my choice."

Gail sternly stares at Sage with frustration simmering in her stomach.

"Sage, don't you have the pride thing tonight? Just go. I'm not some poor helpless baby who need to be consoled."

Sage sighs and sits down next to Gail on the floor by the bed.

"Look, Gail. I'm not trying to baby you. I just want to be here with you, that's all. You've been through a lot recently, and I know you are not sleeping well. I can hear you, you know."

"I sleep just fine."

"Gail-"

Sage's cellphone rings, so Sage gets up and answers the call. Gail leans back on the bed and lets go a relieved breath. She knows Sage has her best interests at heart, but she really wants to be alone and prove to herself she can be alone without needing anyone.

"Yeah?… Tonight? Why the rush? Don't we usually go on Saturdays? What's going on? You sure it's fine? Okay. I'll see you outside in fifteen minutes."

Sage presses the end call button on her cellphone and rubs her forehead in frustration. She walks over to her desk and starts gathering her things together. Gail slowly gets up and loiters nearby.

"Looks like you got what you wished for," Sage grumbles as she packs.

"What do you mean?"

"I gotta head out. That was my mom on the phone. Something about needing to go and visit Brenly."

"Oh. He's okay?"

"I think so. She won't tell me what's going on though. I know it's pointless to ask, but do you want to come and see him?"

Gail looks down at the floor and shakes her head. Her throat tightens in guilt and voice fails to come out.

Sage looks at Gail for a minute before nodding in understanding. "Okay. Well, I better get going. Enjoy your night alone. I'll come back if you need me alright?"

Gail looks back at Sage. "I'll be fine, don't worry. Tell them I said hey and… yeah. See you tomorrow."

Sage nudges Gail's shoulder with her hand. "At least you're out of hospital and free to wreak havoc around here."

Gail chuckles as Sage leaves the room.

Gail is still glad she is out of hospital though. The day she had to talk with Officer Shaw is still on her mind. She feels stupid and awful for not being able to provide details on what happened and she cannot really identify who assaulted her that night. She knows she is lucky Mitchell was able to corroborate and act as a solid witness on her behalf. Sadly, that is not good enough in her mother's eyes. She can still hear her mother's voice berating her for not being able to memorize the offender's face… Ross Perik… She does not even know him in the first place and she got drugged so she does not know how she could ever burn his face in her brain. It is only after talking with Officer Shaw and her mother pushing a photo of Ross Perik in her face, that his face has become the elusive boogeyman in her dreams.

Gail smirks a little as she remembers Officer Shaw assuring her that she did great and her statement will help the case. He comforts her by telling her not to take her mother's scolding to heart and the case will be open and shut. He seems confident that Perik will go to jail for a long time with all the evidence and statements they have against him. However, her statement is important to the case, so she knows she will have to appear in the court and testify against him. She shudders when she imagines seeing him sitting across from her. Will he be all creepy and smile at her? Will he try to attack her because he has nothing to lose? Maybe he will just sit there with no emotion on his face and no remorse to be felt? She is not sure which one of these scenarios will be the worst.

Gail peeks down at the clock and sees that it is only 11:30 PM. Great, she only has an hour and half of sleep before waking up from the nightmare. She doubts she can go back to sleep anytime soon and is getting anxious due to being alone in the room. Maybe someone would be willing to come over and just keep her company for a while.

Gail picks up her cellphone and scrolls through her contact list.

Steve… ugh no way. He's busy with work anyway and she really does not want to hear his attempts at convincing her to talk with their mother. She just can't deal with that stress right now. Plus he will try to get her to stay at their parents house and they will end up fighting.

Gail pauses at Ciara's number. Things are weird between them ever since the incident. Gail can see heavy guilt in Ciara's eyes even though she keeps telling her it is none of her fault. She can understand a little though. It is hard to let go of guilt once it grows inside. She decides not to text her because she doesn't want to confront that elephant tonight.

Gail continues to scroll down until she sees Holly.

Holly.

She gazes at the photo of Holly saved in the contact. She is pretty sure Holly never knew that she taken the photo in the class. It's a side portrait of Holly studying deeply into one of those textbooks about dead bodies. Her glasses lays loosely on her nose and Gail could see her beautiful chocolate eyes. Gail actually pretended to be playing a game on her phone when she took the picture and got away with it.

Gail bites her bottom lip as she ponders if she should call Holly or not. After the heartfelt conversation they shared in Gail's hospital room, Holly talks to her and treats her just like she usually does. That makes Gail feel less like a victim and more like herself. She has not seen Holly since she shooed her out of the room along with Sage before her mother's inevitable arrival. She is glad they both avoided a confrontation with her mother, but she misses Holly because she has not seen her since then.

Maybe it would be alright to ask her to come over and work on their project. That way, Holly can sleep in Sage's bed and see Sage next day. Gail will just leave them alone as soon as Sage arrives, and comes up with an excuse. That should all work out for everyone and she still can be little selfish just for tonight.

Gail presses call button before she could change her mind. She freezes as she realizes she hasn't thought of what to say in first place.

"Hey Gail," Holly's voice, full of warmth, melts Gail's heart a little.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight? It's past 11:30 so tonight is practically half over."

"Well, it's not over yet, so what are you doing?"

Holly chuckles. "Right now, I'm just taking notes on some readings for next week. I might start an outline for a final paper, but it is getting late so maybe tomorrow."

"Final paper? The paper that is not due for at least ten weeks?"

"Yes. I like to start early."

"You are such a nerd, Holly."

Holly unleashes a fit of giggles. "Sure, that I am."

Gail closes her eyes and listens to the giggles. How is it possible that someone's laugh can make everything better in the moment?

"Gail? You there?"

Gail stands up abruptly due to being caught off guard. She really needs to learn how to not fall in her inner world, because it is getting harder and harder not to let loose of her feelings.

"Yes I'm here."

"What's going on? Not that I don't enjoy talking with you on phone, but you usually have reason behind calling."

"Oh. Yeah." Gail shakes her head to get herself together. "I'm just wondering about our project that we're supposed to work on. I can't sleep and I want to get some work done." Gail pauses. "Come over?"

Gail could practically hears Holly smiles over the phone. "Sure, Gail. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Just so you know, we got an extension on this project." Holly mentions as she sits next to Gail on the floor by Sage's bed.

Gail rolls her eyes and puts up an icy face at Holly. "Technically, I only missed a class and I'm perfectly fine to do my work. Seriously. Don't go out and ask our professor to cut me some slack on my behalf. I don't need a knight in shining armor and I definitely don't need you."

Holly simply leans her head to her left and gives Gail a "I won't take your shit" look. "Maybe you don't. I still would appreciate the extension, since I do have other assignments I need to work on. I have two lab reports due by end of this week, major exam next Monday, and few papers to do. Perhaps I should go and focus on those instead of our project?"

Gail knows she deserves that shot back at her. She swallows her instinctive snippy remark. "I don't mean it like that. I just don't want to feel like a victim. That is not me. I don't rely on others for help."

Holly's eyes soften and she puts her hand on Gail's shoulder lightly. "You are a victim of a crime. That… man hurt you. Being a victim doesn't mean being weak. I'm amazed at how quickly you recovered and are getting back on with your life. Like you said, you've only missed a class. However, something did happen to you. It is okay to need someone for whatever reason."

Gail gets up and sits on end of Sage's bed farthest from Holly. She needs some space as she processes her inner thoughts. Holly remains where she is and waits for Gail to start speaking. The air stay still between them without a hint of tension.

"I still can't sleep. I can't sleep for more than two or three hours without feeling his hands all over my throat." Gail quietly confesses.

Holly pushes her glasses back up her nose and leans against the bedpost. She remains quiet as if she knows Gail is not done talking.

Gail stares at the wall across from the bed, and afraid to look at Holly. She does not want to see Holly's face full of pity like everyone else's. Even Sage acts like she's walking over eggshells around her.

"I did ok while Sage was around. She's out with her family tonight though. I tried to sleep alone, but he got to me fast. I called you because you're the only one that still treats me almost the same as before. You don't let me get away with this lashing out shit. Well, other than Sage."

Holly hums in understanding. Gail decides to brave a look at Holly and she sees admiration in her eyes. Perhaps even adoration? No, she is reading too much into it. Gail gets up and grabs a binder off her desk.

"Let's get started on this stupid project."

Holly simply laughs and pats her hand on the floor by her side, signaling for Gail to come back and sit next to her. Gail obeys without a second thought.

Gail draws some random doodles on her notebook while Holly searches through the internet for articles on crimes against indigenous people. Holly elbows Gail to take a look at the screen.

"How about this one? It's about indigenous women disappearing in Ontario. Apparently that has happened a lot in the past ten years and the police have not done much about the cases."

Gail freezes and shuts her eyes tight. Her heart pounding and hands clench into fists. Holly looks over after not hearing from Gail.

"Gail?"

"No. Not that." Gail whispers so quiet that Holly almost doesn't catch that.

"Okay. We don't have to pick this one. It's just a suggestion. I'll look for more."

Gail remembers the conversation she had with Sage the other day about planting seeds in people to bring more awareness about this issue. Maybe this is her opportunity to make an effort in atonement. She takes a deep breath and leans her head against the bed.

"No. We should do this one. I know a lot about those cases actually."

Holly raises her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's a major problem in Sage's tribe. Many women would disappear at night as they leave work and walking on their way home. Most of them are poor and they have limited to few options for work. Its usually work nobody else wants to do. I learned about this problem from Sage when one of her cousins was taken during our sophomore year. Her family was so devastated and they contacted the police about it. The police simply recorded their statements in a report and filed it away. It was as if they have been sweeping all of them under the rug. I got so angry. My family are cops and I was raised to be a cop. I thought justice would always prevail and the police would make sure of that. That was the first time I ever saw the police as flawed people."

"That's terrible, Gail."

Gail nods and closes her eyes so the tears would not fall out. "I decided to take things in my hands and do something about it…"

Gail walks through the entrance doors of Toronto Police Headquarters building. She fixes the backpack on her shoulder as she approach the security desk. The man behind the desk smiles at her. "Hey Gail, got summoned by your mother eh?"

Gail rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulder. "What else would I be here for, Noel?"

Noel laughs and gestures at her to go ahead. Gail walk past and sneaks through the stairs instead of taking the elevator she normally does when she visits her mother. The stairs will lead her to the service door maintenance people use to get on the roof above the entrance doors. She is already aware of the security camera in the corner above the door, but she doesn't care about getting caught. In fact, she banks on it. That certainly will pisses her mother off.

Gail giggles to herself as she walks on the roof and take a look at the opaque glass windows covering nearly the whole wall. Perfect for her plan. She puts down backpack and zip open to take out couple spray paint cans she just bought earlier in the day. She contemplates on which to take for a minute before choosing red. Red represents many things: blood, fury, sacrifice. Little does she know the last meaning will stick with her forever.

She shakes the can and beings to spray on the window.

"ABANDONING THE INDIGENOUS WOMEN!"

"THEIR BLOOD ARE ON YOUR HANDS!"

She walks over to next window and is about to start spraying third sentence before noticing a figure by the door. She freezes and drops the can then realizes that it is Brenly standing there. She lets out a relieved breath. "Jesus Brenly. You scared the shit out of me."

Brenly walks over and grabs the backpack. Gail puts out her hands in the air, silently asking him what he is doing. He picks up the can from the floor and toss it back in the backpack. Gail confronts Brenly in anger. "What the hell? I'm not done with that!"

"Gail, we need to go. This isn't right."

"How did you know I'm here?"

"I saw you at that store buying those cans. Not exactly hard to figure out what you're planning on doing with them, so I followed you."

Gail tries to grabs the bag, but Brenly is too quick for her.

"Gimme and get out of here. I don't care about getting caught."

"This is not going to help anyone. This is not how we fix the problem."

"How then? Everyone's ignoring your people! Nobody's going to listen if we just whine and do nothing."

"Even so, it is not your place. All we wanted are for your people to listen to us. You already are, so that's enough."

Gail laughs in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I-"

Two police officers barge through the door and draw their guns at Brenly and Gail. Both raise their arms straight up in the air as the officers rapidly approach them.

"Hey! He's got nothing to do this. It's all me. He was just trying to stop me," Gail shouts as an officer puts her hands behind her back in the handcuffs.

Brenly remains silent and cooperates with the officer. He smiles at Gail with reassurance and Gail has never felt so terrified in her life before this moment.

"And he's been in prison ever since. They actually charged him with domestic terrorism and bullshit like that… If it was me, I would've just done some community service and deal with my mother's wrath. No… I got away with everything and I never felt so stupid or helpless since then. Not even when Perik attacked me."

Gail realizes her face is full of wet and hot tears. How long has she been crying? She wipes away as much of the tears as she could. Holly pulls out a tissue out of nowhere, and puts it in Gail's hand without saying anything. Gail brushes the tissue against her cheek and then she rubs her hands dry.

"I couldn't believe it when Sage and her family didn't want to kill me. They knew it was all my mother's doings… taking advantage of our family name and pretty much our white privilege. I hated my name ever since. I stopped wanting to be a cop on that night."

Holly lightly rubs Gail's lower back in her attempt to comfort Gail. "I don't blame you for feeling that way. You can't blame yourself though. You were just a teenager and your mother was…is powerful figure. Not much else you could do really."

"That doesn't make it any better."

"No."

Gail considers Sage's comments again.

"We should do this one. If there's one thing I've learned, it is to do it the right way. We could do the whole presentation on this issue and talk about relationship between the police and indigenous people. We can use this problem as the reason why we need to change the relationship."

Holly nods. "Okay, we can do that."

Gail is puzzled about Holly not being aware about any of this. Isn't she dating Sage? How come Sage never told her anything about this?

"Holly? I'm surprised you didn't know any of this though. Isn't Sage your girlfriend?"

Holly stares at Gail in disbelief. "Girlfriend?"

Gail nods. "Yeah, I kinda accidentally caught you guys sleeping together the other night… I don't care though. It's your business.. Just I want to know in advance so I don't have to see that… Gross. Not that I'm jealous. I just don't want to see Sage like that." Gail fakes vomiting.

Holly laughs out loud and lean toward Gail slowly, brushing her lips against Gail lightly for a second before whispering, "You're insane, you know that right?"