When Beth noticed that Rosie and Charlie had been gone for a long time, she decided to step out the cabaret to see if they would be coming back soon. She got up from her chair at the table and went out the front door, looking over the lit streets for any sign of her friends. She didn't see them.

"Hi Billie!"

Beth flinched when she heard the voice of Yvonne call her by the wrong name again. No that one day at school had not been the only time Yvonne had bullied Beth. Almost everyday she had gone to class, Yvonne would just tease her and call her names. She even got other girls to join in.

"You're scrawny!"

"Your hair is ratty!"

"Your clothes look like trash!"

"You're ugly! Why don't you just go away?!"

Beth had done a good job at ignoring them and trying not to let their words get to her. Also she wasn't in class seven days a week, so she saw no reason to make a big fuss over it. But low and behold, Yvonne just had to be at the cabaret tonight. As a special treat, Yvonne's mother had brought her here and allowed her to bring her friends. Poor Beth had prayed from the bottom of her heart that none of them would notice her, and yet they did.

"It's Beth!" She said turning to face Yvonne and her four friends. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Don't get angry." She said. "I just came out to tell you that your brother is a really good."

"Oh...Thanks."

"And handsome too."

"Thanks."

"I guess that means you get your ugly looks from your father."

Yvonne and the other girls laughed. Beth did her best to remain strong.

"I wouldn't know." She said. "I don't remember my father."

"Oh he's gone? What happened to him?" Yvonne asked mockingly. "Let me guess, he abandoned you because he couldn't stand how ugly you looked."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Beth said.

"Well that's why men leave. Because they don't want kids and they don't like their kids. Your dad didn't want you so he left you."

"Okay I'm out of here."

Beth turned around and started to walk back into the cabaret. But the comb in Beth's hair shimmered in the light and it caught Yvonne's attention. She yanked the comb right out of her red locks.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Oh this is pretty." Yvonne said looking at it with her friends.

"Give it back! It's mine!" Beth demanded.

"This is way too pretty to be worn by someone like you. It would look much better in my hair."

"Please give it back! It was my mom's!"

"Fine."

Yvonne extended her arm and it looked like she was going to return the comb. But when Beth reached for it, Yvonne slammed it down on the ground and stamped on it as hard as she could, breaking it. Beth screamed and crumbled to the ground desperately trying to save all the pieces. Yvonne and two of the girls laughed like three wicked witches but the other two girls in the group looked uncomfortable and slightly guilty. They were probably thinking that Yvonne had gone too far.

"You're wasting your time wearing things like combs or dresses or jewelry because no matter what you do, you'll always be ugly. You'll never be beautiful like your mom. Never."

"Hey! What's going on out here?!" Husk could see the five girls closing in on Beth from the window and sensed trouble. "You kids get out of here! Go on back inside to your parents before I tell them what you've been doing!"

"You don't scare us old man!" Yvonne said defiantly.

"Oh I don't, do I?!" Husk took off his belt and gripped it tightly. "How about this, get lost or I'll give you brats a well deserved whippin! I'm not afraid to hit kids or girls when they have it coming!"

The girls screamed and ran as Husk chased them around with his belt, and he didn't stop until they had all gone back into the cabaret.

"Hmmph! If you ask me corporal punishment would do a lot more good in this world. It would teach kids to be more respectful." Husk huffed as he put his belt back on.

Then he heard a sniff and looked down at Beth who was weeping quietly over the ruined keepsake. Husk softened and bent down next to her.

"What happened here?" He asked softly.

"It was Mom's." She sobbed. "This comb belonged to my mother and she ruined it."

"I'm sure it can be fixed."

"No it can't!" She cried. "Look at it! It's in pieces and it's hundreds of years old! There was no way anyone can fix it!"

Blinded by anger and sadness, Beth just stood up and took off running.

"Hey where do you think you're going?! You can't just run around town at night!"

But Beth didn't listen. She didn't care where she was going or what she was doing. She just kept running and screaming and crying. All she could think about were what Yvonne had said and what she had done.

Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! She was ugly! She was ugly and that's all she'd ever be. Those were the thoughts filling her mind in that moment, and it was at that same moment when Rosie and Charlie were coming back from the beach.

"Beth?" Charlie said when she saw the girl running away. "What is she doing?"

"I don't know." Rosie said getting concerned.

They hurried after her. Husk was chasing Beth too and in a moment of terror, she ran blindly into the street, in front of an oncoming car.

"Beth!" Charlie and Rosie both screamed.

Husk grabbed the child and pulled her out of the way just when the vehicle was only mere inches from hitting her.

"Kid are you crazy?!" Husk scolded. "Are you trying to kill yourself?!"

But he ceased reprimanding her for now when she instinctively clung to him and started crying even harder. Rosie ran over to them panting and threw her arms around them both, giving most of her affection to Beth.

"Beth are you alright?" She asked with frightened tears in her eyes. "Look at me! Look at me Beth!"

She turned the girl's face toward her and carefully inspected her for any injuries she may have sustained.

"Charlie go back to the cabaret and get Alastor! Now!" Rosie ordered.

Charlie ran to the cabaret as fast as she could and in no time at all, she and Alastor were both rushing back. The poor man had turned white as a ghost when Charlie told what happened and she could swear that he was holding his breath until he saw that his sister was safe. There was no smile or calmness, no attempt to hide his distress. It was just like that time she had found him at the beach late at night, on the anniversary of his mother's death. Except this time he was more angry and scared than sad and depressed.

"Beth what the hell were you doing?!" He shouted in a tone mixed with fury and fear. "Beth you know better than to run out in the street ever! What if Husk hadn't of been here?! Do you understand that you could have died?! Beth you can't do this anymore! You can't just keep doing whatever you want just because you feel like it!"

"Well you can't keep telling me what to do anymore! You're my brother! Not my father!"

"What is that supposed to mean?! Are you saying that you don't want to live with me anymore?"

"No!"

"I'm doing the best I can okay?! What do you want from me?!"

"I want my mom!"

"Well sometimes I want her too! But she's gone and she's not coming back! So don't you ever do anything like that again or you won't come back either! Do you understand me?!"

Beth couldn't speak anymore. She just cried harder. Crying and bawling in a manner that she had not done since she was a tiny-little girl.

"Alright let's just all calm down." Rosie said hugging Beth. "We're all very upset by what's happened and I think we should take this time to go home and sleep this off. With your permission Alastor, I'd like Beth to spend the night with me."

"I beg your pardon?" He said.

"I think you need a break. You can come get her first thing in the morning but tonight you need some time to yourself."

Alastor wanted to protest but reason told him that Rosie was right. He was in no condition to calmly discuss things with Beth now. He needed time to recover from his fear and anger before he said something that he would regret.

"This doesn't make you bad or irresponsible." Rosie whispered to him. "Even good parents need a time to cool off."

With that said, Alastor allowed Beth to go with Rosie and he went back to the house with Charlie. During the car ride they didn't say a word, nor did they speak when they first went inside the house and got ready for bed. Finally when Alastor went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, he suddenly threw the cup against the wall and broke down crying with his hands buried in his face.

"I'm trying!" He wept. "You know I'm trying, right?! I'm trying so hard! But it's still not enough, is it?!"

He felt Charlie's gentle arms hold him close, resting his head on her shoulder and cried.

"It's enough." She assured him. "If she was here, she'd say that it was enough. More than enough."

"I wish she was here."

"But she is." Charlie said. "Her body maybe dust but her soul is immortal. She's always with you and she's always with Beth. Neither one of you can see her but she's always been there I'm sure."

"How do you know?" He choked out.

"I just do."

He clung to her tighter, but not tight enough to hurt her. For several hours she held him and let him cry on her shoulder, then she helped him get into bed and slept by his side. They just slept all through the remainder of the night.