Kage helps Lyric up, his hands went across her back, sending a stinging sensation down her spine.

She yelps, Kage immediately pulls away and he looks her up and down.

"What did they do to you?"

"I'll tell you later...we need to help Ace."

Kage nods and he helps Ace up, walking outside, supporting Ace with his right shoulder, Lyric follows and steps inside the van.

Kage pulls out his phone.

"Hey Nathan...can you help us?"

"We're down the street from the pharmacy." Kage explains.

Lyric had Ace on her lap, she tucks his hair behind his ears.

"Liar."

"If you hadn't known me you wouldn't have came for me." Lyric says.

She couldn't look at him. She couldn't,  she's known Ace for a long time and she can't take seeing his face bloody and bruised up.

A couple minutes went by and Lyric heard footsteps, Ace tries to open his eyes but one was swollen shut.

"Just come in here." Kage groans.

Lyric had tensed up, her back sore from the slashes she got from the belt.

Lyric starts tearing up, she felt a limp hand wipe away her tears. She grabs his hand.

"Don't worry about me." Lyric says, sniffling.

"Lyric?!" A familiar voice calls out.

Lyric looks up to see Nathan, his mouth hung open in shock.

"What are you doing here?"

"I can say the same for you." Lyric says.

"You guys know each other?" Kage asks.

"We're cousins."

"Lyric! Do you know what can happen when you're in a gang? You can die!"

"I have no control over this." Lyric says.

"The hell do you mean?" Nathan growls.

"My father is Omar Reid." Lyric says.

Nathan massages his forehead.

"I hate to say this...but you're screwed."

"What's important is that no one got involved." Lyric says.

"You have a kid." Lyric says.

"I've been doing this Lyric, I've always helped these guys out when no one would."

Nathan is now a doctor....he quit the job at Angelo's Palace and now he's been helping by nursing several men back to health.

"How is he?" Nathan asks. Lyric scoots  away from Ace so Nathan could patch him up.

Soon as he was done with Ace, he went over to Lyric.

"Look, we have a lot to talk about." Nathan says.

"Can it wait?" Lyric asks, she shows Nathan her backside that had been bleeding for a while.

She could hear Nathan take a deep breath, Nathan had already wanted to kick some ass after he saw Lyric's back.

"I'll have to clean it....and patch it up."

Lyric faces the window.

She was still shocked, how Cris easily dominated her....and how he nearly crushed her windpipes, her gasping for breath.

How Ace just silently took the beating.

That Nathan is a secret doctor who helps recover thugs.

How she couldn't find Ember.

--

Lyric had been very silent, emotionless almost. When she returned to the trailer, Ayanna sobbed and hugged her.

Now she's sitting on the couch, watching the news.

"It appears that a new gang-"

Lyric changes the channel. Whatever people had to say about gangs or gun violence, she doesn't want to hear it.

"Lyric?" She hears Ayanna call out.

It was still night, Kage had went to sleep, Gabe had been over at a neighbor's house and Ace had been trying to pull himself together.

"I had a nightmare." Ayanna says.

"About?"

"There were a bunch of men beating me up..." Ayanna says.

"I won't let that happen." Lyric reassures her.

"Promise?"

"Promise." Lyric says, smiling. She hugs Ayanna.

"Lyric?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you hate me?" She asks. Lyric knits her eyebrows.

"No."

"I feel like that I make you mad everytime I'm near."

"Trust me Ayanna, it's not like that."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know..." Ayanna says.

"When I first met you I thought you were mean." Ayanna says.

"I would understand why." Lyric says.

"You won't hurt me right?"

"Hell no." Lyric says, Ayanna purses her lips.

"Swear."

"Sorry." Lyric says.

Ayanna yawns. Lyric takes a deep breath as Ayanna falls asleep on her. Lyric's mind had went to Ember.

Lyric's thoughts went back to Ember's birthday.

Lyric had sat on the couch, reading on Wattpad as Ember walks in.

"Do you know what today is?"

"Friday?" Lyric asks.

"No..." Ember says.

"The day you pay bills for a change?" Lyric asks, looking up from her phone. Ember bites her lip, slightly hurt.

"Happy birthday you crazy woman." Lyric says, grinning.

"Ya had me there, I was 'bout to feel some sort of way." Ember says.

"Well you are a cancer after all." Lyric says.

"Hey!"

Lyric laughs. "Well, I have some tickets  to the festival that's coming up tomorrow."

Ember dances.

"Oh Lyric you're so fine you blow my mind!" Ember sings.

"Hey Lyric!"

"Hey Lyric!" Ember sings.

"Really?" Lyric asks.

"It's my birthday, if I wanted to hump the couch I would." Ember says.

"Please don't." Lyric says.

"Aye! Stop worrying for once! Dance with me!" Ember says, standing on the couch.

Lyric laughs as Ember opens the window.

"Y'all know what today is!"

"Ember day!" She shouts.

"Crazy." Lyric says.

"You know you love me." Ember says.

"Too much." Lyric adds.

"You can never love too much." Ember says.

"Well, since it's the day, let's go somewhere." Ember says.

"Where?"

"Anywhere, far away, just you and me!" Ember says.

"You won't have to worry about your mean ass ex best friend or your crazy ass daddy, or your-"

"Okay okay." Lyric says grinning.

"What would I do without you?" Ember asks.

"More like what would I do without you."

"Well, we ain't got all day and rent ain't gettin' cheaper so let's just go somewhere." Ember says.

"Yeah." Lyric grins.

Lyric had fell asleep, Ayanna laid on her lap, Kage grins warmly as he enters the room.

"Those two..." Kage says.

Ace walks into the room. His left eye had stopped swelling and now it's just a dark bruise, he had a t-shirt on and he wore black pants.

"You can't hide the truth." Kage says to Ace.

"Tell me something I don't know." Ace shrugs.