"My daughter would not have wanted her death to be used as a way to tear us apart," Mayor Brock intoned from his place behind a podium. "We are a small town and as such, we are more a family than simple neighbors. We must stand together or we will crumble to ash and dust."

Not that she knew a whole lot about grief and trying to stay afloat after losing a loved one, but the Mayor's speech lacked a little something. She was all for the "united we stand" theme, but that didn't mean it would actually ring true the way it should.

It was Saturday morning, Regina's memorial service. She was set to be laid to rest after the ceremony among the hundreds gathered in attendance to pay their respects.

But Collins got to watch the televised production from her seat in the school's front office while the lady at the front desk glared ferociously at her.

"We must believe that the truth will come to light, that the system our forefathers put in place will ensure justice is served."

It would be helpful to know a little bit about what had happened to Regina. Maybe then she could put her faith in a man made system. But despite Collins' constant questions to her brother for details, she knew as much as the rest of Sailor's Port did.

Regina's body had been pulled out of a water canal when it was noticed floating on the surface.

The Mayor and Sheriff Tills had then disclosed that Collins Estrada was no longer a suspect due to a concrete alibi. She also suspected that it helped to have an insane paranoia of water that everyone knew about. It made it clear that she would have never gone near that canal.

That still didn't explain why the case wasn't being looked over with more consideration. It all seemed too calm.

"What a sin," the woman behind the front desk muttered. "Such a lovely young girl, torn away by the hands of evil."

She couldn't possibly be referring to Collins.

"Not my hands," Collins explained, lifting her open palms to show the woman. "The only thing my hands have brutalized are the huge cafeteria burritos."

The woman's hard hazel eyes narrowed.

"It gets messy," Collins added with a wink.

She opened her mouth to say something harsh to put Collins in her place but was interrupted by the ringing of the desk phone.

Collins returned her attention to the television screen. The Mayor looked as sharp as always, his hair slicked back into a somber style to match the overall set of the ceremony. The cameras focused on the portrait of Regina in a red dress that brought out the fire behind her green eyes. She'd been beauty and grace until the past year which was why Collins would always think of her as she had been before. A lost sister with too much heart.

"Estrada," the woman snapped.

Collins turned her attention back to the frowning woman with the everpresent scowl on her sagging face. "Yes?"

"I have to step out. My husband's at the ceremony and the plumbers just called that they're on their way to fix a leak at my house." She began rummaging through papers on her desk until she located her keys. "Stay out of trouble until I get back."

"Yes, ma'am."

That was how Collins was left alone in the front office, watching the memorial service of one of her oldest friends while trying to complete a paper on why she shouldn't skip school.

She hadn't wanted to go to the service at all. It would have been too much to have to sit through the speeches and tears and feel the eyes of everyone present on her. She could almost imagine the whispers that would have followed her as she took a seat in one of the church pews, could almost hear the things they were saying now through the screen. They were probably no different from what the school's receptionist had told her either.

But the choice to attend was literally taken from her when she decided to ditch Friday's classes for a stroll in the woods just beyond her house. It had been so easy, too, since Jonah had left for work early that morning. All she'd wanted was a break from the constant torture the high school's population dealt her every time her back was turned.

Principal Flannigan blew the entire thing out of proportion. He'd phoned Jonah and asked for Collins' whereabouts. When Jonah clarified that he didn't know where Collins was, Sheriff Tills had been sent out to look for her like a dog on her trail.

It hadn't taken him long to find her. She hadn't gone very far. Collins was propped up against a huge pine tree, reading from Mrs. Ruben's book when he found her.

He'd given her the whole guilt tripping speech. That the school and her brother were worried sick about her. That it was enough two people had disappeared in the past month or so, they didn't need another scare.

But besides Jonah, she didn't think anyone would really miss her if she did take off.

She'd kept her mouth shut about that and willingly followed the sheriff to his patrol car to be escorted to school. Once there, Principal Flannigan had fed her more of that worrisome crap and the irresponsibility she continued to display.

She was used to the hypocrisy by now. That didn't mean she wasn't still outraged by it. They spoke of justice for Regina like they believed it would magically overlook the injustices they made towards Collins.

It didn't work that way.

She sighed and returned her attention to the stupid paper she was required to write by way of punishment. She was only three paragraphs in, and already she'd run out of fake things to say. She'd learned her lesson, but it wasn't the one they wanted her to learn. She'd learned that no matter how hard she wanted to believe in things like justice, family, unity, human nature was to destroy rather than conserve. To wage war and conquer rather than embrace what was already there.

That lesson had nothing to do with ditching classes.

Collins shook her head to clear it, wondering how she always managed to think dark, sobering thoughts at her age. Perhaps it was because her reality didn't afford her the chance to live without thinking them.

The door to the adjoining office burst open. The flinch was automatic, a reflex after thinking she was all alone in the room.

It had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that she was now face to face with Principal Flannigan's poorly blended face. Or the fact that his hair looked like a bunch of corkscrew carrot curls on his head.

Okay, sugar.

"Well, if it isn't the troublesome Miss Estrada," he chided. His face was made even less appealing with the wolffish smile that suddenly curved his thin lips. "Lovely Saturday morning and you have to share it with me."

She wanted to gag at the words but refrained. "Actually, my punishment was to write a paper on a lesson I didn't learn. There was no mention of having to be tortured with your presence as well."

Well, snap. You just don't care today, do you?

She was digging herself into a deeper hole. She could see the angry gleam in the man's glassy eyes. He had easily removed her from her advanced placement courses. Collins was afraid to find out just what else he'd do if she crossed him.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" he asked, moving into the room with purposeful strides. "Just because your brother is close friends with the Mayor doesn't mean you are above the consequences for your actions."

"What the hell have I done that's so bad?" Collins demanded. She was so tired of being attacked for things she couldn't understand, of being hated and ridiculed for things she couldn't change.

"What happened to Regina, Collins?"

She slammed her hands onto the desk she was utilizing. "I don't know!"

"Is that what you told the sheriff? Is that lost look the same one you show your brother so he doesn't see the truth in your lies?"

"I don't answer to you about anything outside of school."

He nodded but the movement seemed more a spasm than a sign of his agreement. "You're lucky about that, Miss." It might have been her imagination, but there was an underlying threat to what he said.

"That's funny," she replied, not nearly amused. "You're so quick to play the righteous adult, but the way you antagonize me would cost you your job anywhere outside of town."

Principal Flannigan laughed, the sound sending shivers up her spine. Then he took another step into the room as he rounded the front desk to stand before her.

"Why is it that you use every opportunity to tell people how you're going to leave town?" the man wondered. He tapped a fat finger against his rounded chin. "What's the rush to leave your home, Collins?"

"Like you and everyone else in town wouldn't be happy to see me finally leave," she grumbled. "Sailor's Port has been a prison for me, never home."

"And that's my fault?"

"Well, you certainly haven't helped matters."

"All this because I replaced your advanced classes," he murmured as if the issue was of little consequence. "If you'd like to discuss options to try to persuade me to give you some of those courses back, I'm all ears."

"What?" Surely he wasn't suggesting what she thought he was. The man couldn't be that depraved.

He smoothed his hands together. "Don't look so surprised. I'm a reasonable man."

"A reasonable man would not be making such an offer to a minor right now."

"I haven't said anything inappropriate," he countered.

"Trust me, you don't have to say the words for me to understand. The meaning is clear." And she was disgusted. "You're a sick man to think being in your position gives you the right to intimidate others. That you can abuse your power to suggest something so wrong."

"You have quite the imagination."

And you're a nauseating joke! Collins shook with the effort to hold back her fury. It didn't take a genius to know what the man with the smug smile on his face was asking for. And no matter how much she'd needed those courses, she wasn't someone he could manipulate that way.

Quickly, Collins grabbed her binder paper and pencil and began shoving both into her book bag. "I'm sorry, but if you'd like me to finish making up the time I owe for skipping classes on Friday, I'll come back when there is an appropriate chaperone."

She'd taken three steps towards the door, her hand just barely closing over the doorknob, when he slammed a fist into the heavy wood.

The inner Collins was not having it. Oh heck no! the voice in her head bellowed even as she cowered against the door. Like so much else about her, the overwhelming fear she felt when faced with Principal Flannigan's force and anger was inexplicable.

And damning.

So while every neuron in her brain screamed for her to push back, her body shut down. An automatic response that didn't fit, but it plagued her just the same.

"Not so fast, little missy," he told her, his breath fanning the loose strands of hair beside her ear. "I won't have you going around town putting words in my mouth."

He didn't even give her the chance to run. His hands closed like vices over her arms and pulled her around to face the sinister gleam in his eyes. The curve of his thin, pale lips was a sneer, cruel and cold.

"Let's see how much you really want those courses," he challenged before he yanked her to her toes.

She watched in a state of shock as his mouth lowered threateningly to hers.

The assault never came.

She blinked, suddenly free of the man's death grip. Her hands were pressed against the cool wall at her back, her book bag on the floor by her feet. Her ears rang with a shrill sound as her eyes focused on Principal Flannigan's bloodied lip, and her mind scurried to catch up.

It was then she noticed the third figure in the room clothed in a black button down shirt and matching ripped jeans.

His hands were balled into fists. His stance was defensive, like a predator ready to pounce at the first sign of movement.

Vance.

"You sorry excuse of a man!" he shouted, watching as Flannigan rose to his feet. "Was once not enough? You had to go and try to force yourself on another girl even after my father warned you?"

Collins had never seen this version of him before. He was so tense, so violently furious, it seemed very likely he'd pounce on the older man again.

"I don't know what you thought you saw, but-"

Vance's fist punched the man's nose, effectively making him choke back his flimsy lie. "I'd really like to kill you and spare the Sheriff the trouble of locking you up."

Principal Flannigan sputtered.

She must have made some small sound because suddenly Vance's attention was on her and all she saw in the depth of his eyes was concern. "I just wanted to leave," she offered, her voice shaky.

"Are you okay?"

"She came onto me!" Flannigan burst out.

Vance only spared him a glance. "Do you want a broken nose?" he asked with a meaningful look at the man's bloody face. "Cause that can be arranged."

"You can't threaten me!"

A laugh was his response. "There's a lot I can do, though the law assures me it's frowned upon."

Collins shook her head. As much as Flannigan deserved a sound beating for the way he'd treated her, she didn't think he was worth the trouble. Besides, if Vance did pummel him the way he seemed to want to, the news of it would only come back to haunt her. She'd never been comfortable with others' attention on her, and she didn't want to give folks another reason to single her out.

"Please don't," she whispered, watching the way Flannigan's pale, bruising face broke into a smile. "Please don't hit him again."

Gray eyes flashed to her, resembling hard stone. "He was going to force himself on you."

"I can't be at the center of more. It's too much. I wasn't actually hurt, and that's all that matters."

"That's what I thought," Flannigan grumbled. "She wanted it."

Vance swore angrily. In two seconds he'd spun around and hauled Flannigan to his toes with a yank of the other man's shirt collar. "Shut your stupid mouth before I decide to start knocking out some teeth," he growled.

Good Lord. "Vance."

The sound of his name from her lips was all it took for him to take a calming breath and release the bastard. "What do you want then?" he asked her.

She thought that was the greatest thing anyone had ever asked her in recent memory. Rather than assuming or taking charge over something that directly affected her, he gave her the choice. The power was hers.

"I want him to rot, of course, but that'll happen over time," Collins said. She blushed when Vance gave her a tiny smile, looking impressed. So she turned her attention to Flannigan. "I want you to keep quiet about what you did today, not to protect you, but to spare me the shame of being associated with you. I also want all of my advanced courses back."

"You can't-" Flannigan's retort was cut off when Vance took one step forward. "Fine."

She nodded. Then, not wanting to spend another moment having to look at his offending face, Collins turned towards the door, book bag in hand.

Over her shoulder she heard shuffling. "One wrong move on your part, Flannigan, and you'll wish you'd never been born," Vance promised.

Once outside in the empty hallway, Collins' head cleared of the foggy mist she'd been under. She breathed as she worked through what she'd witnessed. It didn't make sense, now that she could think clearly, how the same guy who'd made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her had been the one to save her from Flannigan's clutches.

She jumped when the door slammed shut behind her. Warm hands closed over her goosebump covered arms and turned her into his chest. She stood there, breathing in the clean, minty male scent she'd come to associate as purely belonging to him, trying to process the change in him from Wednesday.

Because the version of him she'd seen then had been the one she remembered. The one that had tormented her dreams for a year.

"What are you doing here?" she murmured against his chest.

His fingers stopped tracing their pattern on the skin of her arms. "You weren't at the service. Sheriff Tills told me where you were, and when I realized who-" a shudder ran through him. "Flannigan is bad news, Collins. Your brother should know better than to leave you alone in his presence."

She didn't see how Jonah was a part of this. "I wasn't alone with him originally. The lady at the front desk just had to do something at home and left."

Collins pulled away from him. His answer still didn't explain why he was here rather than at his sister's service. Whatever Vance knew about Flannigan, she thought it would have mattered very little what happened to her if he thought she was responsible for what happened to Regina.

Unless...

His eyes were on her face, taking in the emotions she didn't know how to hide. "I know you didn't have anything to do with Regina's death."

"But how?"

A shadow crossed his face. "I saw her." The torment she witnessed in those lovely gray depths of his pulled at her with the same intensity that had existed between them before. "Only a monster could have done that to her and walked away."

And though Collins remembered quite a few of the names he'd used to break her heart that long ago night, monster had never been one of them.

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