3.

To be told something is one thing, to see or witness it is something else entirely. In being told someone or something is great, room can be left for debate, seeing such greatness for yourself ... well. Same can go for gaining attention. Simply asking for it will only go so far, providing a shocking demonstration ...

Seeing Anna Mitchell take center stage so to speak, Tami Lester sees her opportunity and no matter what else is going on and with her sights locked on tunnel vision, she knows her time has come ... if only she really knew. Within a ballroom where the event of the century is taking place, an opening has given room for Anna to step forward.

Tami makes a lunge into that open spot; she has passed those who stood between her and that other girl then makes no more progress towards her. Another daughter of Darkness has stepped forwards and with a reach of her right hand she uses her gift to prevent Tami from moving any closer to Anna. This other girl does not need verbal instruction. A connection is such that she knows exactly what Darkness wants in the instant he wants it.

Elsewhere within the room a lady by the name of Tanya Ferguson speaks the name 'Maxene' ... for it is Maxene who now has stepped forwards and with the gift or gifts attributed to her she thwarts any attack Tami Lester intends to make and right now Tami is frozen to the spot she has come to stand in, completely unable to move or even speak. Despite the passage of time and the physical changes attributed to it, Tanya instantly recognizes Maxene, and this moment right here is the first time all evening, and the rest, Tanya has seen of the daughter that once was.

It has been twelve years since Maxene had been in the care of Tanya Ferguson and neither have been in the company of the other since an accident separated them all those years ago other than a very brief encounter two years before this moment. It took some time for Tanya to recover from this accident and if truth can be told then she has come nowhere close to a full recovery from that accident and in truth too, Maxene had vanished from the vehicle Tanya had been driving moments before disaster hit. Yeah, she had vanished in answering a call up from Darkness himself.

In Tanya's company here at this ... gathering ... there is a certain former priest; Jason Alveron, and he needs no explanation for what he sees though Tanya tells him anyway that one of the girls up ahead is Maxene. There was no way either Tanya or Jason was going to miss this event once they got wind of it.

Jason may have wanted out of the priesthood and all that comes with it, and he had even tried to get out many times, tried to get out of all he became involved within though right now he may as well see it out to a point where either it comes to an end or he does. Sure, Jason has had interactions of his own with daughters of Darkness including when a much younger Emma Osmond, otherwise known as Raven, sat in silence as her foster parents were torn apart and killed by a multitude of blackbirds entering their home.

For the moment as it is, Tanya and Jason stay right where currently are. Who knows what might come of an interaction with Maxene in the here and now? Waiting for the time being and leaving thing be, may be a wise thought to take on.

Darkness now takes a moment again to continue on a sort of introduction. '... Ladies and gentlemen meet Anna ...' is what previously had been spoken.

'I am sure that many of you know who I am whether you want to believe it or not and if you have not realized it yet then try hazard a guess. The reason why we are gathered here this evening is so I can provide an introduction, an introduction to my daughters of which there are nine with Anna here being one. A little ways behind Anna here is Maxene. Maxene has already begun our demonstration, it is Maxene's ability which is holding our intrusive guest in place ... notice how our guest is not moving ...'

The room has fallen silent in wonder, feeling fear to some degree too, and all who are present are anticipating as to what it is that is about to happen. Tami Lester is stuck, frozen to the spot she stands on. She has no control of herself whatsoever, free only to see and hear what is most likely about to come her way.

'My time has come, and the world is about to fall into darkness. It will become locked in shadow. My daughters will see to that. Each of the nine girls are special, I have gifted them all and Anna is about to show you just how special she is ... so Anna if you please ...'

Jason Alveron wants to intervene, he wants to do something but in all actuality what can he do? He knows the abilities possessed by those who Darkness calls his daughters are abilities of the deathly dangerous kind. Indeed, he had some interaction with a young Emma Osmond, formerly Emma Colt. It had been death by crow while she with the want to be known as Raven remaining the only one within a house not to lose a life.

He also ensured that the daughter of Light was returned as an infant to her biological parents. Priest, former or not, Jason is still only a man. That infant ... Cassandra White, of course, is here at this event. Moving towards her, Jason seeks possibilities. He has also been involved with other children when a previous battle had been in the makings, not coming to fruition. This right here, this is now.

'Do you know who I am?' Jason asks of Cassandra.

'I do, Father.'

'I believe you are more than whom I know you to be ... please tell me there is something you can do here ...'

'Unfortunately not, ... I do not have the power to interfere ... they are nine, or a little less than nine depending on how you see it ... and I am only one.'

This is as far as the conversation goes as the lighting in this rather large ballroom begins to dim and whispers sound out in curiosity as to what it is that is about to happen. Anna points over to the wall of windows which take up a whole side of the room. A low-level hum begins to grow and louden becoming more and more high pitched as it does louden. One of the large windowpanes begin to vibrate and in a matter of seconds ... it shatters ... imploding into the room.

There are gasps and a couple of screams and some of those closest to the windows take a dive anticipating the possibility of the glass coming their way will do so in a manner that will cause them harm though it doesn't. The shattered glass doesn't come all so far into the room, not until Anna decides that it should. Tami has been here before, not in this ballroom of course but being in a position where she is to be a victim of some incoming shards of glass.

Still trapped in position, Tami is utterly helpless. Glass rises up off the floor and many in the room properly begin to panic. There is a mix of noise and quietness so odd that many are not sure of what to make of it. People who knew not of what tonight would be and people, who only had a slight inkling, now do not want to be here. There are yelps and there is movement as there also is a strange compulsion to watch how things transpire.

Slowly, glass begins to move through the air making a way right over to Tami, taunting her as it moves, filling her with an agonizing fear. Smaller shards are the first to strike and indeed they are only intended for Tami. Those first shards make contact with her face and her pleas and screams are sickening to listen to.

Drops of blood ... tears of blood begin to emanate from and drip down Tami's face and despite pleas of 'help her ... someone help her ...' sounding out, no one actually does anything to help a helpless victim. Cassandra White can only look on. Jason Alveron sees Cassandra's eyes well up and her tears soon begin to flow. Sammy Fontaine wants to interfere, but he knows better than most the powers of Darkness and knows of some of the daughters here in attendance, so Sammy does nothing. He too is just a man ... incapable of having an immediate impact. Darkness, his time of judgement will come, judgement where he is to be judged, so Sammy would hope to envision.

It is Majella Smith who does take a step or two towards the girl who is being tortured. Maxene sees to it that Majella takes no more than a couple of steps. It all could be known in the here and now then it could be said or thought that Maxene is the strongest of the nine daughters of Darkness and if she isn't the most powerful then Majella may just be but for this moment Maxene gets the better of her sister and Majella is unable to interfere, still unaware of the levels her ability or abilities can climb.

What good is a gift of foresight if she cannot do anything to prevent what she sees and what good can it be to here in a moment such as this? Indeed, if truth can be known this gift of sight is only the beginning of what Majella is capable of, such as it is even Majella herself has no idea what she is capable of. That will soon begin to change.

Shards of glass soon move into Tami's torso. Blood, soon there is much of it and by the time Maxene lessens her hold on Tami, Tami is dead. She will be left to lay on the ground lifeless and the evening continues on ... a revenge never to come complete or even to be earnestly attempted.