Mary:

With the final touches to my outfit complete, I take a tentative sip of my coffee, careful not to burn my tongue. A gentle smile forming on my lips as I retrieve a letter from the growing pile of bills on my counter. A loving sense of home washing over me as I read it. The words in the letter could only belong to one man:

Dear Mary,

I'M BEING RELEASE TOMORROW!

Love, Jermaine

I laugh, tears leaking from my eyes as I read the letter over and over again, growing more overjoyed each time. My walls crumbling to reveal the person I use to be. Genuine happiness is a nice vacation away from the broken trust and unforgiving anger. I leap to my feet with a joyous hop. Grinning, I destroy my tightly done bun and let my hair drop to my shoulders. Getting into a my black SUV, I call Julie.

Julie:

My phone vibrates from the cup holder of my car. Answering it, I know it's Mary. Only she would call me now. Only she stayed by my side. I am greeted with a pleasant surprise; instead hearing anger I can hear joy. I instantly knew the subject of this conversation; Jermaine. He always could do something I couldn't... Remind her of home.

"Julie, guess what!" she exclaims.

"You have a boyfriend," I guess teasingly.

"In what life time?" Mary laughs. "Jermaine being released tomorrow!"

"That's great," I reply, just as excited. "But...how will he handle Night?"

"Do you really want the answer to that question?" she answers grimly, with a chilling tone in her voice.

Then Mary hangs up, leaving me with only silence.

Shane:

Mary walks into the room, Julie following behind her. My eyes widen to see her brown hair flowing to her shoulders, making her even more beautiful. Her unapproachable aura seems less intimidating and her lips acred in an almost smile. The light in her chocolate brown eyes shone brighter, making her look more friendly. Dare I say, she looks like the kind, generous girl from the past.

Night's furious gaze breaks me from my fantasies. Remembering my mentor's teaching, I muster the courage to smile. Her keen eyes see though my facade, clawing at my bloodiest wounds. My heart still yearns for Nights affection, but now it is opening for Mary. Something my mentor taught me never to do. She said never have anything more than allies, never show weakness, and never show your true feeling. But the most important lesson: always put others first. The first lesson, about only having allies; I am about to break that rule a second time. When will I learn?

Summer:

I watch the love triangle attentively. Night's haunted past and Shane's regrets were very amusing. Of course I know a quick look at their memories could relieve me of my questions, but I'm willing to wait. It would be much more entertaining if it were a surprise. Call me cruel, but it's what Physics do; analyze. Something I'm very good at.

Mary's positive mood intrigues me. Noticing the piece of paper awkwardly poking out of her pocket, I can't help, but put my criminal skills to work. I realize its a letter. From a secret admirer, or maybe it's just from Shane? Safely in her blind spot, I read quickly. I smile slyly. Whats this? Who's Jermaine? A boyfriend being released from prison? How interesting. I sense drama.

Before being caught, I slip it back in her pocket. Memories of the past come flooding back as I day dream. Mostly thoughts of my sister back home. Jealous anger, not hate, boils my blood. Believing in the blood that runs through my veins, I can't hate her. It is my moral that you cannot truly hate a family member. But that does not stop my anger.

Night:

As he drools over Mary, my stinging past comes into speculation. A simple, cliche love story. Nothing more than puppy love. So why did it have to end in my imprisonment? His actions stole 6 years of my life and soon the rest of it. Revenge and anger are the only things I'm good at.

"Good morning everyone," greets a calm voice. Stepping from the shadows, is man no older than his late 20's, sporting priest attire. His strange aura, noticed only by me, places my hair on end. His baby blue eyes notices me instantly, his smile turning to smirk, but only for a moment. Quite attractive I must admit, with his black hair and tan skin. An expensive cross necklace dangles from his neck.

"Everyone this is James," Julie says cheerfully, her gaze lingering on his body. "He's a priest with an extensive knowledge of demons!" she flatters.

"I'm not that impressive, just doing my best to help." he say modestly.

"I do not trust this man. His aura is...strange," Moon growls within my mind.

"Neither do I," I agree telepathically.

"You should probably know what your up against. From what I have seen, I can almost guarantee that we're dealing with a siren, succubus, wolf demon, animalia, and an encantado. I'm guessing they're the ring leaders," the priest explains. His confidence only increased my suspicion. I don't like this guy.

"How do we stop them?" Mary asks blatantly.

"If we can take out the leaders, their army will likely go into anarchy and self-destruct," James answers smoothly.

"How do we do that?" Julie questions, looking a little defeated.

"I haven't figured that out yet," he confesses. I watch as Mary's mood turns sour, her almost smile going make back to her signature frown. As she fishes out a hair tie from her pocket, a envelope falls out. A letter? I quickly pick up the letter before Mary can react. She's looks furious as I read the letter. My blood goes cold as read the signature. Jermaine! He's being released..?

"How do you know him?" I demand. Suddenly Mary is not a stranger, but another skeleton in my closet. Memories of our past together come rushing back. "Answer me! How do you know Jermaine?"

"He's my brother."