Thomas and victoria are late. He looks in the rearview mirror at Victoria who is sprawled out in the backseat of his white cadillac. Victoria had been too hung over to move, so he had gotten her dressed, scrub off her makeup and braided her hair. Then he put her in the back seat and drove off. He glanced at the time, it was 6:30, they still had a couple more miles to go. He ran a hand through his messy hair and thought back to how he even got started in this business....

He was living with his parents who were both drug addicts. He often went out during the day since that was the time when they would have parties and get high. He would get home late at night, he new it was safe when he could hear classical music through the open window, if he didn't hear it then he would sleep in the park a couple blocks down. In the morning, he would return to find them passed out in the living room, he would clean the house and make breakfast which aroused them from their crash potions.

It all went down when he was fourteen, he walked down the stairs, a plate came flying and hit the wall, he dove to the ground and then heard a scream, he rushed in and saw his father choking his mother, she saw him, her eyes widened, she struggled and got free

"Th-Thomas go back to your room." He shook his head no.

"Please." Again he said no. That set his dad off, he smacked him hard against the face, he cried out and kicked his dad which made him madder. His dad grabbed him by the ear and pulled him up the stairs, he threw him into his room then slammed the door and locked it. Thomas had run to the door, and from downstairs, he heard classical music being played loudly to drown out the sound of fighting. When he thought it was all good, he went out the door that connected to the bathroom, he slipped silently down the stairs, rounding the corner was a sight a fourteen year old should never see. His mother lay on the tile floor, one leg bent and an arm up and at an angle. Blood dripping from her lips, he rushed to her and tried to stop the blood that was pouring from her side. A soft hand touched his cheek

"Be brave Tommy." And then her hand fell back. There Thomas sat clinging to his mom, the classical music loud and all around him. He flew out of that house and never looked back.....

"Thomas! Thomas!" The urgent voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up just in time to slam on his breaks and swerve narrowly missing a slow car. Cars honked at him as he got himself adjusted, and slowed down. He looked at the clock 7:00. He made a sharp left turn down a beat up road, they arrived at the warehouse. He knew that Victoria would get punished since she had made them late. They rushed inside, armed guards grab them by the bicep, their nails digging into their flesh. They were ushered into a cool room, the walls were painted white and had faint stains of blood, the floor was nothing but dirt. Out of the shadows came a voice

"Your late. I said 7:00 sharp to be in here."

"I know Blade. He glanced at Victoria "I made us late." He replied after pausing a bit. There was no way he would let her get punished. It wouldn't hurt him as much as it would hurt her. She looked at him shocked. He nodded her head at her. Blade came out of the shadows a toothpick in between his teeth, he wore a gray suit, his dirty blond hair combed down the middle, his steel gray eyes boring into them. Thomas was ushered into a room for his punishment, a whip echoed behind the closed door making Victoria jump.

(*)-Devin

I thought back to the guy last night. I felt so dumb down I should have said something, but his sexiness had stopped all speech from coming out of my mouth.

"Devin." I look up at my sister, she's looking at me worridley

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"You sure because your chewing your lip." It's something I've always done when I'm thinking hard.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. So I snuck into the Gala so that I could hear you play. You were terrific!"

"Thank you. How did you sneak in?"

"I disguised myself as an elegant lady." I rolled my eyes at her. She had perfect tan skin, curly red hair and gorgeous eyes. She had one green eye one blue eye. It's called Heterochromia iridium. She has perfect round lips that were always painted red. She has a bull nose piercing. She didn't have to disguise herself, she would have fit in, unlike me. I'm a plain jane, with straight auburn hair and grey green eyes. I have porcelain skin, I didn't mind it, but I also wished that I wasn't so white. Sometimes people jokingly ask me if I'm alive because I am so white. I only have my bottom earlobes pierced for now. That's where Lyric and I were headed, to get my Helix pierced with a gold hoop. We joke that I should have been named Lyric since I'm into music, but it's what the foster home that we were in named us. Lyric and I didn't have parents, when we were born. After we came out, we were immediately placed into a foster home because our mother didn't want us. At least that's what they all say. The social workers, our foster parents, the police. Sometimes I wonder if it's all a lie. We arrive at the sketchy piercing place, the one that's close to our run down "Shack". We call it the shack because it's a two bedroom house. One bathroom and a teeny tiny kitchen and living room.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"Yes, it's where I got mine." We walk in, I was shocked. The outside looked like trash, but the inside was beautiful. With purple stone walls and black floor. Dim lights were hung throughout. Curse words were spray painted throught the walls, along with the some innapropriate quotes about sex. The chairs for doing the piercings were giant throne like chairs, all in different colors of the rainbow. Loud pop music blared from the stereos. My sister guided me to a blue chair, then disappeared back behind a yellow curtain. She came out dragging a african american man behind her. He has long dreadlocks, he wears no shirt, his muscles ripple as he walks. His sweatpants swish wish as he walks. He's got the darkest greenest eyes I've ever seen. He has tattoos up his biceps and on his belly.

"Good morning Ms. Devin. How are you today?" He speaks in a british accent that makes me blink twice.

"I-I'm good thanks."

"Let me get what I need and I'll be right back." He leaves and I look over at my sister. She's got a smirk on her lips.

"What?" I ask.

"You were totally checking him out!."

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were. And I can tell."

"How?"

"Your eyes turn sexier."

"What do you mean by that?" They seem to get darker, more grey than green." I shake my head at her. Only she would notice. The man comes back,

"My names Diego by the way." He sets his try down, he cleans her ear then marks it. He pulls out the "Gun" and places it to her ear. He counts to three. It makes a crunching sound. Her ear begins to burn, she blinked back tears. He hands her a mirror she looks at it

"Thanks. I love it."

"Your welcome. You want anything Lyric?"

"Nah I'm good. How much do I owe you."

"It's one the house. Seeing as it's her first one with us."

"Thanks babe." That's when they go into full make out mode. He sweeps her through the curtain. I sit down in shock.

"Don't see that everyday huh?" I look up to see a guy with medium length blonde hair sitting across the aisle. He's got the most dazzling pair of liquid blue eyes.

"No. I don't." He smiles

"I'm Max by the way. I heard you were Devin."

"Yes." He smiles at her, flashing grilled teeth." Ugh she thought. I hate when people do that. SHe immediately lost interest for him.

"It's nice to meet you. She replied. Thinking of a way to get out. An idea popped into her head "I just remembered, we didn't lock the car. Let my sister know where I am."

"I will." He answered. She grabbed her bag and exited. She breathed in the fresh air and drank in the sunshine. She unlocked the car and climbed in, she locked it again after some sketchy guys passed by giving her looks. What seemed like an eternity, her sister finally came rolling out wearing nothing but a red lace bra and undie and her hot pink boot heels.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked. Covering my mouth because I had accidentally cursed. That was the old me, the new me didn't do that.

"What it's what I always do. She replied innocently revving the engine.

"Are you guys dating?"

"No, just sleeping together. He already has two wives." My eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets. I had no idea my sister was into this kind of stuff. We had been separated for three years and since we are old enough now, they let us move into a house. Our foster parents paid the rent on it, but only because the government was paying them to do it. We went home after and vegged out infront of the T.V watching dumb Cartoons. I was glad to have my sister back.

(*)-Thomas

He staggered out of the room, his shirt was stained with blood, he had endured the beating without flinching one little bit. His dad taught him one thing, never flinch in the face of pain or fear. So that's what he did. He saw that Victoria wanted to run to him and help him, but he just walked towards her, a scowl on his face, then faced blade who had sat their calmly.

"Don't ever be late again. Or you may never wake up again." He said his threat cooly without raising his voice. It rocked Thomas to his core. Sure Blade had saved him and taken care of him and was like a dad to him. But Thomas still got scared of him ever so often.

"Yes sir."

"Now we have a new task for you to do. There's a new bank opening up. All the money has been already transferred over from the bank that's going out of business. I want you and victoria to go and get that money. If you do it quickly and quietly, you may just get a heavy amount in your pockets." He spat out the last word.

"Yes sir."

"We'll send you the other information tonight. You have the day off so get out of here." The guards grabbed them and pushed them out the door.

"Baby are you okay? I"m so sorry. Thanks for sticking up for me." Victoria gushed as soon as the door slammed shut.

"Yes Victoria i'm fine." He growled as she had touched his back that was still stinging from the whip. That shut her down, she got into the car and sat quietly as they drove back to the apartment. Once inside, she went into their room and he went into the bathroom to shower.

(*)-Victoria

I was grateful that he had stuck up for me, but also it pained me to see him hurting. When he growled at me, I could see he was in pain so I decided to shut up. I retreated to my room because I was scared of what was going to happen next. That's the third time he's stuck up for me. He doesn't seem to mind the pain. Or he does and he just doesn't want me to do. I was in my bra and undies when my door opened. It was Thomas, he stood their in his boxers, I went to him, he pulled me into the bathroom and pinned me against the wall. I stayed still as he kissed me up and down, as he put his hands into pants, tiny prickles of pleasure tickled through out my body. We got into the shower, he turned on the water, we stood making out, the water turning red from his bloody welts. He squirmed from the pain, but continued to kiss me. I shut off the water, he stopped and looked at me, water dripped down in front of his face, he let me lead him to the bedroom. I snagged a towel on the way way out, I dried myself off then threw on my silk pajama dress. I motioned for him to come closer, I dried him off. He put on his boxers then lay on his tummy. I carefully dab his welts, it was only here that he flinched, losing his toughness. With that done, we go downstairs, I make us some Mac N cheese and we sit and we it, making ourselves feel better

(*)-Devin

My sister is begging me to go to a party with her. I keep telling her no. The old me would be all over it, but the new me, the boring me says no. She finally gives up as she realizes she's going to be late. She leaves and the house is silent. I think back to the old me.

It all started when we were twelve We were on our fourth foster home, Lyric was always getting us kicked out because of her behavior. I kept asking her why she was doing it and she said that it was the only way she could forget that she was a foster kid. That's what got me

started too. We would sneak out at night, go to parties. Yes at age twelve we were going to parties. We got into the alcohol at age fourteen when we started to hang out with the wrong crowd. That's when we picked up the curse words. At age eighteen, Lyric got moved to a different house, I was seventeen. After she left, I had no one to guide me, so I left all my old patterns behind and became the good one. I left all my drinking and swearing behind. All my risque clothes except for a couple. I substituted dancing for my Cello and have been playing ever since. Now at twenty and twenty one, we were at the legal age to take care of ourselves. I made some hard boiled eggs and toast. I ate while sight reading my music sheet. We had a performance coming up and I was pretty excited. Partly why I started the Cello was because my foster mom hated that I was home all the time. So she signed me up for lessons, why the cello, I couldn't tell ya. But ever since that first lesson, I instantly fell in love with the sound it makes. My phone dings, it's fron Lyric

"Come pick me up." I sigh and stuff the rest of my egg into my mouth. Grabbing my purse and keys, I head out to my beat up blue Sedan. I ask her where she is and she tells me. I put it into my GPS. It's a ten minute drive. I crack down my windows and turn up my music. I get to the bar and see my sister crying on the side of the sidewalk, her head buried into her hands.

"What's wrong?" She looked up and sniffled

"He left me..." And then she bawled her eyes out again