The big city.

Lance wraped his arms around his bare chest, as he watch Heather. They were at a water park, one of his favorite places, he loved water. he glance at some 14 year old boys, that was stareing at Heather, his glare made them back up a little ways, but they didn't take their eyes off his sister. He wanted to punch one of them, instead he pointed to a slide. "You should go that one." He said.

Older Lance closed his eyes, he knew these seen well, and tears were forming in his eye.

A few moments later Alex and a few other men stepped out of the shadows. "Both of the Saporrws." She said quickly.

Everthing went fast.

Fighting. A gun going off. A sceam. Blood. Heather's body falling into the pool. Lance freezing. The knife in the eye.

The sence changed.

Blake was siting by his hosptail bed.

"Who are you!?" Lance demaned.

Blake smriked. "Your gurdain angel."

It change again.

Jerry, another one of his cousins, looked at him. "Mason died today. They examined the body, they can't be postice what killed him. The cancer apparntly relasped, his a1c was through the roof, and there was tons of other things too. But they also found out that he been taking his medachine again.

Lancee's face fell, Mason was like a brother to him. "Where was he found."

"A girl had let him stay with her, he died there." Jerry, the cop said.

"Ashlynn." He mumabled, Jerry didn't hear him.

It changed again.

Lance tookonce last look at Mason's body, before they closed the castket. He rarely cried in public, but the tears were staining his face.

~!!~
Jade didn't say anything yet. That strange look was on her face again. The look of love and confustion.

~!!~
He laughed and buried his face in her hair. "Maybe if we're lukey, we can disapper."

"I only wish," Hymn mumbled, burying her face in his chest.
~!~!~!
Sable finally looked up, and saw Jade. His eyes widened, then were sad again. He didn't know that she remembered yet.
~!~!~
Laurinda's eyes widened when she saw his sister die, shot in the forehead, then him lose his eye. Then Blake. Guardian angel? That would explain why he could do what he did. But she didn't really know that they existed until now. And then Mason, dead. Lance crying.

She shook her head and looked away, looking at Lee, tears in her eyes.

"No more," She whispered. Lee nodded, and they disappeaered. Laurinda relaxed, until she realized where they were. Her home. Her old home. She was a little girl, running around her house as her father chased her. Soon he scooped her up in his arms. She was 4 years old, and laughed a high pitched laugh.

"We are allowed to dream, aren't we?" He joked, his voice mulfed by her hair.

~!!~
Jade smiled. "Hello Sable, Raven."

~!!~
Lance smiled slightly, when he heard the liitle her laugh.

Hymn nodded, and hugged him even tigher if that was possible.
~!~!~
"Jade...you remember?" Sable asked, practically tripping as he jumped to his feet. Raven smiled slightly.
~!~!~
Laurinda was smiling as well. Soon, however, the scene changed. Her parents were sick in bed, and a younger her, only 7, was carrying a tray of soup to them, spilling along the way.

"Mommy, daddy, I brought you---" She started, but her eyes widened and the tray fell to the floor, the bowls smashing. She ran to their bed, but they were gone. Dead. The younger her called the cops with shaking fingers, and the 15 year old her was shaking.

Lance sighed. So she lost her parnets too, but somehow he knew he haven't lost as meny loved ones as he did.

~!!~
Jade nodded. As far as she knew she did.

~!!~
Chris sighed happily. But their happy moment was ruined by Leon appering.

Sable laughed, then ran up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Raven stayed where she was.
~!!~!~!~
Hymn jumped when she heard someone. She looked up and saw Leon.
~!~!~
Laurinda watched as the scene changed. It was the next day. The younger her stood on the front porch, tears in her eyes and bags at her feet. A car drove up, and a man and a woman stepped out. The man was smiling, but it wasn't a welcoming smile. It was almost sinister, scary, strange. The wife smiled at the young girl.

"We're your Aunt and Uncle. We're here to take you home," The man said. The little girl nodded. Laurinda had been too trusting then. The girl got into the car with them, and then the scene changed once more.

Laurinda watched as the younger her stepped out of the car, and was shown a room. After setting her things down, she went downstairs and helped clean something up, but she knocked down a vase on the way. She apologized, but he hit her. Hard. She cried for him to stop, but that only made him hit her harder. The young girl fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, unmoving. The man who had hit her moments before picked her up and layed her in her bed upstairs. The girl woke hours later, bruises slowly showing on her arms and legs, and cried.

Lee stood silently, while Laurinda, on her left, was shaking terribly, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

Lance flinched. This reminded him of all the times he seen Mason beaten. He was right when he asumed she been beaten.

~!!~
Jade gasped.

Her heart was yelling at her to hugged him back, to say she loved him. Her mind, and the tricks Aden had put in her yelled louder. 'You don't love him! You love Aden! He has no right to hold you like this.' It yelled. She was so confused, she didn't even move.

~!!~
Chris sighed.

"Am I introruteing something?" Leon asked, smileing.

Hymn shook her head quickly.

"N--no," She said quickly, not realizing that she was still sitting in his lap.
~!~!~
Sable pulled back, not even realizing that she hadn't hugged him back.

"You remember me, right?" He whispered. His smile was genuine. Raven was frowning; something wasn't right here.
~!~!~
The scene changed. It showed several more beatings, each one more brutal than the last. Throughout this, Laurinda grew older. Each night she looked at a picture of her parents for strength; but she never told anyone. Not a soul.

Finally, it stopped on a scene when she was 10. She figured out that he was drunk every night, and that was why he hit her so often. It stopped one night at dinner. Her Aunt was gone at work, working late, and they were alone. Soon, he had hit her again.

It then showed her at school, all the looks she was getting. She would brush her long, red hair over her face to hide the tears during class while she pulled her sleeves down further to hide the bruises on her wrists. People often wondered why she wore turtleneck sweaters, even in winter.

Then it showed her at lunch, with a few friends. All were too afraid to ask.

Then the scene changed once more. It showed her at age 13, coming home from school. He was there waiting for her, and she didn't even fight back as he began to beat her once more.

Laurinda watched this, her face impassive. She flinched each time she was hit, as if she could feel the pain once more.

Lance was frowning.

~!!~
"Of course." Jade said smileing. "Your my best friend, right?"

~!!~
Chris said nothing, and didn't remove his arms from around her.

"Really?" He was smriking.

Sable's smile slowly faded. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Is that...all you think I am?" He asked quietly. Raven looked furious, at Aden, that is.
~!~!~!
Hymn's cheeks turned bright red from embarrasment.
~!~!~
Laurinda watched as the scene changed once more.

It showed many more beatings, each one worse than the last. She was covered in bruises. She didn't even fight back.

Then, it changed once more. It showd her at age 14, in her room. She was sitting by the phone, eyes closed, holding the phone in one hand. There were bruises up and down her arms and wrists, and she dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

"Rachel," she whispered. "I need to tell you something." Her voice was urgent. "My Uncle. He---" As she spoke, the door was opened and her uncle unplugged the phone. Laurinda closed her eyes, and heard her own cries of pain. Then it chanegd once more.

It showed her at age 15, the same age she was now, only her hair was longer and she looked younger.

Her Uncle went to hit her again, and she grabbed his arm.

"No," She said simply, her voice low and even.

"What did you say to me?!" He growled.

"I said no !" Laurinda yelled at him. "No more!!! I won't let you!!"

He laughed, and she looked at her Aunt for help. She was silent, crying. It was then that Laurinda realized that she must have been abused by him as well, perhaps even worse than her. No, she doubted that. And at that moment, and still today, she hated her. Hated her for not helping, not doing a thing, and just watching.

He reached back a hand and hit her across the cheek. She stumbled back, but then came at him with all she had. A few moments later, she lay broken again on the ground, holding her cheek and glaring at him. Then she passed out.

Laurinda closed her eyes, and when she opened them the scene had changed again. She was laying in bed that night, bruised and broken. Suddenly, she sat up and turned on her light. She stuffed a bag full of a few of her belongings, and then ran into the bathroom, grabbed a pair of scissors, and cut off her long, beautiful hair so that it was down to her chin. Then she went back into her room and took a photo and a journal out from under her pillow carefully, placing them in her bag. She then snuck downstairs, stole some cash from her Uncle's drawer, and went back upstairs. She threw her bag out the window and then climbed out carefully, lowering herself to the ground by the tree. Then she ran.

That strange look was onb her face. It was a mix of love, and cofustion. Her heart was hurting. And she didn't understand what she was feeling.

"Isn't it?"

~!!~
Chris frowned, and kissed her cheek, finally he let her go.

~!!~
Lance lookled down, he hated that man, the man he never met. How could any one beat someone like that!?

"Jade--" Sable said quietly, looking down at her. "I love you." He didn't know what was happening. Raven watched, still looking furious, but also hopeful.
~!~!!~!~
Hymn quickly stood up, and looked at her brother, yet said nothing.
~!~!!~!~
The scene showed her running, and getting on a bus. She ignored the looks she got, and then got off at the next stop. Payed for another ticket. Got on another bus.

This went on, and then the scenes changed to show her slowly growing up on the streets. It had only been a few months since then, but she had grown much, both physically and emotionally. Then the scene changed, and showed her stealing from a store. Sleeping in an alley.

Then they were back in front of Link's house. Laurinda was staring forward at the sidewalk, breathing heavily, her face a mixture of confusion, hatred, fear, and determination. Lee disappeared.

Jade's heart twisted, it was hurting so bad, she loved him. But she no longer remebered how that felt. Her feelings confused her. "But I love Aden, right?" She said. Oh how she hated him, to bad she didn't not iif that feeling was love of hate.

~!!~
Leon smriked. "Well, I wasn't going to bug you today, but I peered in here and saw this, I had to."

~!!~
Lance grabed her arm and draged her inside, slaming the door closed behind him. He pulled her in thye kicthen, where his anut Betty, Peter's mother, was.

~!!~
Blake didn't move from her side.

Raven disappeared right then, furious. She reappeared in heaven, finding Aden easily. She stormed right up to him.

Meanwhile, Sable looked at Jade, his face showing his heartbreak.

"......Do you?" He whispered.
~!~!~!~
Hymn glared at him.

"What did you want?" She asked.
~!~!~!~
Ava still did not wake.
~!~!~!
Laurinda was pulled out of her state of shock when he grabbed her arm, and she glared at him, attempting to pull away. She hated to be touched, for obvious reasons.

"Let. Me. Go!" She shouted, just as they entered the kitchen. She looked up at the woman there, blinking in surprise.

"Another stray?" She asked, remebering when brought Lenora in here, and called her a stray.

"Yup." Lance said, opening the cupbroads.

"When's the last time you ate?" She asked. One could see where Peter got his looks from.

~!!~
Aden smiled at her. "Yes?"

~!!~
Jade frowned. She looked so confused, and her heart, it hurt so bad, oh so bad. "That's what I remeber." She said.

"This morning," Laurinda mumbled. She didn't say that she had eaten only a sandwich, and that was the first time in almost a week that she had eaten. She had been saving his money for emergencies. She was starving, and she looked quite dirty and young, standing there, yet it was her birthday in a few days. She didn't even realize this. She would be 16.

It was then that she recognized her; she lookedl ike Peter, from Lance's memories! She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but still said nothing.
~!~!~!~!~!
"What did you do??" Raven yelled at him, skipping right to the point.
~!~!~
Sable nodded silently, and took a step back.

Jade started to cry. "Aden gave them back to me, I can only remeber him being nice to me!"

~!!~
"You have to eat something else!" She said, it's almost dinner. She pushed Lance out of her kicthen. "I'll make you something."

~!!~
"I did as I was asked." Aden said.

"No you didn't!" Raven yelled. "You gave her the wrong memories, didn't you?!"
~~!~~
Sable's heart hurt when she began to cry, but he couldn't bring himself to comfort her. He didn't know how, when he couldn't even comfort himself.
~!~!~!~!
Laurinda watched helplessly as Lance was pushed out of the kitchen. She was torn between her normal attitude, believing that everyone was against her, and one that this place almost felt like a home.

"I really have to get home," Laurinda lied, taking a step back. She had no home to go back to.

"It's okay, Anna" Carlisle muttered to his sister, "He can't hurt you."

"I'll be fine." Annabell said through gasps and tears. Any childish nature was now covered by her fear of her brother.

"You have no home." Lance almost said. Instead he said; "No stay here; your anut and unkle won't miss you for another night."

~!!~
Jade looked about, still cring, her heart hurting.

~!!~
"So?" Aden asked.

Laurinda glared at him.

"What do you mean? You want me to stay here?" She asked. For a moment, she saw her father in him again.
~!~!~
"You.....you...." Raven stuttered, unable to find the words. "She's confused. She's hurt. You're hurting her!! She doesn't really love you! Do you want love from someone who doesn't mean it?!" She demanded.
~!~!~
Sable looked away, unable to watch her tears.
~!~!~
Cora flinched as Annabell continued to cry. She looked away for a moment, unsurre of what to do. She thought it was more of a family moment.

"Yes." Lance said simply.

Betty was cooking.

~!!~
Aden frowned. "But-" He couldn't believe it, this girl was right.

Carlisle sat on the couch, Annabell still crying in his chest. He stayed there until her crying ceased.

"Thank you Charlie" Annabell said after a few moments.

"I'm your brother, it's my job." Carlisle told her.

"I- I should go." Annabell decided.

"Okay, I'll see you later Anna." he said and the small girl disappeared from his lap, "Sorry, Cora." he said over his shoulder.

"Until when?" Laurinda asked slowly. She was confused; that much was obvious.
~!~
Cora shook her head.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," she said quietly. She stayed where she was standing, unmoving.
~!~!~
Raven glared at him.

"But what?" she demanded.

Lance shruged. "Donno."

~!!~
"I love you." Blake whispbered, the words felt so right.

~!!~
Aden shrugged. "I don't care." But he sounded thought ful.