My foot puts all of it's weight on the pedal, speeding my car through the empty street. I blinked at the mirror and found a sadistic grimace glance back. The dashboard read 4:57 as buildings began to slow beside me as I turned to streets with cars in them. My blood boiled as I wickedly sang:

"That bitch, foul bitch.

"Elizabitch. Oh, the fucking witch.

"Why steal my pitch?

"Elizabitch. Oh, the damn whore.

"Why do the boys want more?

"Elizabitch. Oh, the insane hoe.

"Why can't you just go?

"Eliza-fucking-bitch, just leave me alone.

"Or I'll break your bone."

I grin to myself, complementing my wonderful tune and my choice of words. Soon an impatient glare covered my successful smirk as my fist punched the center of the steering wheel. "Move it!" I hissed over the horn, the car in front of me finally moving as the green light ordered.

However, once my wheels rolled to the end of the intersection, the light had gone to red. Releasing an enraged yell, I slammed my hand down before sighing defeated. That day I was called up to play a role in a skit while I was in the bathroom and Elizabeth took the role. Once I came back, she 'apologized' and pleaded for some mercy. Heh, it's funny because I was already wanted to shoot her.

Now she didn't do this once, no. She did this three damn times. THREE. How a person can do that, how they can fucking manage to do that, is unbelievable. With Vega, she didn't mean to I supposed, I mean she did try desperately to be my friend... I felt my face soften as I drove straight once green flashed my eyes.

But Elizabeth, no, she was doing it on purpose.

Once seeing the Vega house roll up towards my car, I hopped out and slammed the car door as hard as I could, cringing slightly at the sound of cracking. 'I will check it later', I nodded to myself as I strolled up to the door nervously. For a minute or two, I stalled myself as I thought about Tori. This is her house, so she could have been inside.

Too late now.

I shrug anxiously, the idea of getting something out of this beginning to set on my shoulders. Three loud, heavy knocks and there's no immediate answer. For a brief moment, I stand their, swaying, and just look around their porch. "Nice small porch..." I mutter to myself, "Wonder if they'll put a small bench here so I can wait comfortably when I end up coming."

The door swings open and Trina nods her head, granting me inside. I walk in a few steps and just stand around, not really wanting to mingle. "So... Where's Tori?" I asked, eyes glaring at the heavy thumps coming from the wall of the kitchen.

"Punching bag," Trina mumbled, pointing towards the organized racket. Bum, bum. Bum. Bum. Bum, bum. Bum. Bum. My body digested it, etching the sound in my memory.

"So, what are you going to tell me?"

"Here," she indicates as a small slip of paper is put into my hands, "That's the website and the key to login... Just be careful with it, I would throw the paper away right after."

"Okay," I draw out. I frown slightly, my ears straining for the hypnotic background noise; it wasn't there. "How long does she punch at the bag?"

"Most of the time it's for a couple of hours. Sometimes it's 'till her knuckles bleed." Right as the sentence was left in the air, the door in the kitchen was kicked open and Vega emerged, a small, breathy gasp escaping me. She wore the black jeans with a belt, and a black tank-top tucked in. White bandages with pale red on the knuckles were worn on her hands which, in turn, held a grey punching bag. The half-Latina strode to the couches and threw the bag on the furniture with a dull thud. She stood up straighter as she glanced at Trina. Then, her eyes shifted over to mine, glaring questionably.

"Trina, need the vacuum cleaner for the second time this week. Where is it?" she murmured softly. We continued to strengthen our stare, rather than breaking it. My eyes follow the defined muscles from what skin did show, and a small fire began to brew, sending excited adrenaline throughout. I noticed that my breathes became slightly shallow, though not enough to be heard.

"It's in the closet upstairs," Trina answered as I continued to further study Tori. Her long hair tumbled down, passed the collarbone that drove me nearly off the walls at that moment. She nodded, and began to unwrap her hands, letting the white cloth fall to the floor once off.

"Why is she here?" her voice etches in my ears, full of empty bitterness.

"Trina has something of mine and I need it for a project in class," I said flatly before adding, "You don't want me to fail a class now do you?"

Tori gives a hint of a smirk and began to stalk over towards me, "I suppose not. But you better watch it West, use that tone again and I will have to make you find me another punching bag. You won't like what it would be." Her threat didn't sound promising, though the dead emotion in her vocals didn't say that she would either.

"How so?" I quipped, testing my luck.

She stands there for a few seconds, drawing out my apprehension before her body perked suddenly, sending my back towards the door. "See?" she began as her steps drew closer to me. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her, heart pounding against my ribs while I itched for something in between my legs, that or someone. "Don't even have to move an inch closer and you'll back off. What," her finger traces the edge of my jaw as her eyes stare a few inches away from mine, "Are you scared of me?"

I felt the goosebumps crawl on my back and jawline as she stepped back, glaring at me sourly. My mind went haywire, I answered yes, no, maybe, in your dreams, in realty all at once. I needed her to be herself, to laugh as we spent our days close together. I wanted her to go away with her too positive attitude. I needed her, how she is right now or Tori, to touch me and make me feel a rush of pleasure. I wanted this predator to leave before it pounced.

Before I could answer, maybe the silence already had, Tori whipped around and started to walk over to the stairs, a quiet bounce in her step. My eyes widen as I see her back, defined with muscles. My heart skipped a few beats once I saw the scars that showed, not many but they were deep. But what sent waves upon waves of tremors down my spin was her right shoulder.

I stared at the tribal marking in black ink, resembling a creature that made my shoulder tingle at the gash; it had long legs that attached to a lean body with a great wolf head. It held a dangerous beauty to it, flashing white eyes staring down at me intimidatingly while holding a light posture. The claws on the ends showed that the stature was only for show, and the green smoke, or mist, radiated off of it. This was a mark of underrated power, speed and agility. This was the mark of Tori Vega.

I gulped slightly, feeling the hairs on my neck prickle, not wanting it to be true. I didn't want my weak conclusion to be false. But, it was. This was the mark of the 'Maned Wolf.' For a second, my mind quit. While there was a small feeling that Vega was the street fighter, seeing the tangible evidence was another story. It was a bit surreal.

Once we heard the bedroom door close, Trina mumbled, "Jade. I think you may want to leave before she comes back."

"Yeah, but what else can you tell me than this?" I asked, raising the paper slightly.

She glanced at my hand before closing her eyes and breathing in deeply, "Well... This had happened before. What you're holding right there is Tori when she was fourteen, fifteen." The half-Latina's head shook slightly, "Look, I don't like recalling these memories but I'll give you this: the bullying started out small and Tori kept on telling us about it and we didn't do much of anything. As it got worse, her voice got smaller and eventually we got half truths... I don't even think we have all of it now-" Trina chokes a bit.

"Imagine you have this gentle, kind girl as your sister and, and you're studying for a test and she comes from home and she-she's gone. Just an empty shell..." A tear rolled down her cheek and I put my hand on her shoulder. "Jade, I think you're the only one who can help her. I really do. For one, she actually touched you and it wasn't violent, but gentle even though it wasn't very sweet... And, before all of this happened again, she used to talk about you, bring you up in conversations. Never had I heard anything really bad of you coming from her mouth."

I nod as she opens the door. Once I step outside, Trina mutters, "Just, just do whatever you can. You obviously care enough to stand up to her without cowering like your other friends... Be carful though, that was the second punching bag she beat open in a week. She's not happy at all, and she's dangerous... I've, I've seen her and-"

"I'll do the best I can," I interrupt, saving her the trouble of spilling anymore memories. She smiles slightly, bows her head and closes the door. I sway on the balls of my heels before jogging back to the car. "I need her back too Trina," I whisper under my breath before the engine starts and I'm off.

-o0o-

I shake slightly, blue neon letters displaying 11:47. My worries of waking the others consumed me and I didn't want to be distracted while doing this; it was too important to me. Nevertheless, I sat in my desk chair in front of a screen, typing in the address. Immediately, the site popped up and I gulped a knot in my throat once I realized it was for the Trojan Juvenile Prison some miles away. Checking the slip of paper, I decided to not throw it away but burn it as I typed in Mr. Vega's password and account information.

I huffed impatiently as I look at red letters before fixing a one letter mistake in the password. Once fixed, I was in.

Trina had also put in a date as well, so I typed it in to see what I would get and a few files were pulled up. After going through some videos that had nothing to do with Vega, I slightly gasped when I saw Vega, Tori- interrogation. The mouse clicked on the video and I watched with the volume low; part of the reason why I was doing this so late was because I couldn't find my headphones.

The video started, and I cocked my head while my eyes squinted slightly at the sight of a younger Tori sitting in a chair, momentarily alone. Her hair was straight like it was when she first went to Hollywood Arts, and it went down to her shoulders. She sighed heavily, the same leather jacket with the patches moving and the slight noise of the handcuffs jingled in my ears.

My body jumped slightly with Tori's as the door opened, and two officers walked in, one holding some papers. "Well Miss Vega, your father isn't too pleased to be arresting his own daughter. So cough up and we'll send you to were you need to go."

"And where is that?" a low husk asked the bigger police officer. Even as I heard the younger teen voice through it, I still felt chills race down my spine.

"Probably prison to be honest, sending four kids to the hospital isn't going to sit well on your shoulders." All Vega did was nod politely as her answer, and the second officer began to ask the questions.

"Why did you attack the kids?" he snarled at Vega. She glared at him momentarily before answering in a low voice.

"I didn't."

"Didn't you send four kids to the emergency room?" he asked, arms folded.

"Yes."

"Didn't you send at least one of them a ticket to the mental infirmary for a few months."

"With a concussion?" she sat forward, asking for the damage she had caused.

"He can't remember shit from the past three months."

"Then, I-I suppose so..."

"Then why did you attack them?"

"I said 'I didn't'." Both of the officers shook their heads and the smaller one leaned back onto the wall, looking board.

"So you managed to send three boys, one girl to the local hospital without laying a finger on them?"

"Didn't say that."

I paused the video, breathing heavily. After a moment of no change, I click on the website, continuing it with eyes threatening tears.

"Then what did you do?"

"Fought them back."

"Wha-?"

The first officer nodded slightly and asked in his loud voice politely, "So what you're saying Miss Vega is that they threw the first punch and you defended yourself?"

"Along the lines of that... It was a rock that hit me a few feet away from them initially," she started as she lowered her shirt slightly, exposing raging skin surrounding a nasty mark, "then a few other sentences that pissed me off."

"Whoa. So that's the mark," the bigger one gazed. As he went back to his notes, he muttered, "I'm sorry miss, but the witness explained that you jumped the girl and the boys protected her."

"What witness?"

"Elizabeth Stalk-"

"What?" Tori suddenly hissed, body tensing and twitching angrily, "Of course that bitch said that. She has lied for years after getting away with bullying me!"

"History with the witness," the second nearly laughed, "Gonna be interesting in the court room. But with the amount of money her family's got, Vega won't pull through to just a fine."

"No, that isn't my goal," Tori muttered with a bitter grimace plastered on her face, "I don't mind going to prison because I plead guilty of my case sending the four to the hospital when they didn't have to. But that has to be the reason, not that I jumped them." For a moment, the video fell silent as the officers stared at Vega with bemused expressions.

"What do you mean by that Miss Vega?" the bigger officer asked, sounding more like for himself than the notes.

"I could have stopped when they began to beg for me to stop but I didn't now did I? Still was throwing punches as you pulled up Officer Parkinson, didn't stop until I couldn't." Officer Parkinson, the bigger one, nodded solemnly.

Having enough with the video, I found a link to the rest of Vega's profile and clicked on it eagerly. The was a dashboard camera of a police car from her arrest, and I clicked on it hesitantly. The car rolled up and I saw none other than Mr. Vega stroll out. IN front of the car, a group of policemen, and some women, were attempting to restrain Tori as she knocked the last of the four down unconscious. Her eyes glared at the rest of the police officer and swung a few punches at them until she saw her father. Once freezing, Mr. Vega handcuffed her and whispered into her ear before going to the car. Vega didn't look happy at all.

The worst part of that video was looking in the background as it ended. There, in the shadows, was Elizabeth who had her eyes wide and face pale. It looked as if she just saw a ghost, which rampaged angrily through.

Another click and I saw Tori's picture with the iconic white sigh. Another and she was in an orange onezie among others. A third click lead me to her court case which I couldn't watch because my heart beat to harshly. After several clicks, I watched as Vega beat another prisoner after she was hit with a rock; the prisoner was twice her size yet she went down quickly. I gazed at the screen, padding it slightly as Vega played cards with another raven haired girl. In fact, the two were together for the half of the year, maybe year that Tori was there. Then Vega got out of jail, a few months after her 15th birthday.

Still, there were videos of Vega smiling like she used to, though it was cracked. It wasn't the same. Though as she visited he other girl for months, it looked almost whole. But, one day, she came to the room and the camera showed as she broke down, sinking to her knees once an officer told her 'she's gone since last night'. I couldn't take it anymore, I pushed my chair away and went to my knees, clutching my chest. My breathing eventually slowed with my chokes; several times my body had tried to scream out.

So, I ended up as a mass of trembling bones and muscles on my bed for several hours, replaying the videos and pictures once I logged out and burned the paper with my cigarette lighter. I couldn't believe my eyes, Vega... how was that her? It looked like her and she sounded alike the Vega that spoke to me now but...

"Tori, what did you do?" I whispered to myself as I fell into a sinister nightmare.

-o0o-

The next morning was going to be a rough one and I just needed to feel something that wouldn't degrade my energy so harshly. I walked to school paler than I ever did and immediately found Beck, who waited by my locker. I kissed his roughly, wanting to feel something other than the throbbing pain in my heart. Throughout the day that was how it worked, whenever I though about Tori too much I went to Beck. Eventually, Elizabeth's glares and private taunts, school work and Tori's unnatural presence slipped by and I found myself in the RV. I lay on Beck's chair as he went to the drug store for some protection. I sat up, my eye catching something on the floor.

I bend down, realizing it was a picture of Tori that was torn from the original. I remember that day, I took the picture hesitantly as I watched Beck put his arm around her in a casual way. Now that I saw her alone in the picture, I remember why I acted a bit funny after that because of the small warmth in my stomach. Once hearing Beck walk up to the door, I quickly stuff the picture in my pocket before he walked in.

He smiled warmly at me and I returned it, feeling a slight, unexplained betrayal. Then I felt hard warm lips on mine and we started. Though, I wasn't really there. My mind was fogged and I heard the belt loosen and pants drop from a distance. My body acted as I banged my head on a wall, wanting none of this. And then, I saw Tori.

Or rather, the 'Maned Wolf'. She stalked around me teasingly, smirking as I itched to touch her. As Beck increased his speed, I felt Tori kiss me roughly, and I gave back with equal force.

My eyes closed as I hissed at myself for thinking of Vega while having sex with Beck, who would think it was something deeper. But I wanted to get off, so I continued. She reached down my pants that was on the floor in reality, and I began to moan. A bit quick if you ask me for my inner thoughts, but applying Tori to what was really going on did wonders. Soon I collapsed on to the bed and Beck pulled out, pleased with something he didn't really do much.

'This isn't right... I can't do this to him,' I thought with a heavy heart.

Then you know what to do...

"Beck?" I started with a lump in my throat.

"Yeah? What's up?"

I cringed slightly at his concern, and muttered, "I don't think this is going to work... I feel like this is half-assed, on my part."

His face fell slightly as I sat up. "How come?"

"I-I'm just confused. There's a lot going on."

"With Tori?" he asked sourly. "Forget about her, she's not going to be the one she once was."

I stopped for a second and glare at him, "What? Didn't you have feelings for her? Didn't you always want to help her?"

"Yeah, but she's changed to a total gank..."

"SO WHAT? YOU"RE JUST GOING TO LEAVE HER?" I snapped loudly, jumping with Beck at my outburst.

"Why are you defending her? She snapped at Andre and Cat today, then at me yesterday. She slapped me Jade!"

"What?" I asked, confused at his bitter anger.

"I asked her what was wrong and followed her around then reached for her hand. Then she slapped me!"

Low, sarcastic chuckles big in to rattle out as I began to dress myself. "What are you doing now Jade?"

"Leaving," I snapped, "Leaving because you're leaving Vega even though there is something obviously wrong. People don't act bitchy because of nothing" I stopped for a second, realizing that she acted like me. Some people who are hurt will crawl away, while others lash out.

"Yeah, I know that but- Tori's changed for the worse and there isn't any hope for her..."

"Really? Says the one who believes that I won't be a bitch all my life. Tell me Oliver why you help me out when I have shown no side of gentle and care while Tori manages to flip on the dime? Something's wrong and I'm going to help her, with or without you and I don't want to do it with you."

"So... we're through? Wait a second, don't tell me you like Tori?" I look at him with eyes that I couldn't control, eyes that set him off. "Just my fucking luck, my girlfriend falls for the one person she hates most in the world."

"Fuck you, this isn't my fault. You even did the same too! Don't act all damn innocent Beck, I'm not the only one. Just the only one hoping to reach out to her now, me and Trina."

"Then get out, I'm not having someone who goes behind my back and begins to look at someone else..." he sourly mutters under his breath.

"Fuck you," I hiss before I storm out. As I strode over to the sidewalk, I kicked a tree, allowing some leaves to fall. While walking home, I sniffed and dried my eyes, playing one final thought in my mind.'The den flooded and the black tabby had to flee, not wanting to go back once it dried.'

"Guess I'll have to find the other tabby," I mutter, smiling slightly at the picture of my journal. The walk home was long, tiring, chilled but I was pleased all the same.

YAY! Another chapter done. And guess what? My eight year old computer is having issues now... Jeez my luck, oh well. Hope you liked it and I don't know when the next one will be up. Until then, Happy Holidays! :)