This chapter is dedicated to Tumi77 my person and hype queen. You are the reason someone feels loved and appreciated.

"Tell me more about your family background."

"They didn't resolve the malice feelings towards each other with one another, so they made me out to be the enemy. I was an easy target for their animosity to be deflected on."

"Your father passed away when you were 3. Was your relationship with him with him just as complicated as the rest of your family members?"

"I don't remember much but he was a good man. He loved my mother and I was his little princess. From what I was told he would take me for my check up's and on late night drives when I couldn't fall asleep. I think after his death was when she started to neglect me. Perhaps looking at my face on a daily basis was a constant reminder of him and the happily ever after she couldn't have anymore."

"His death wasn't your fault."

"How ironic, the only person I ever felt connected to was ripped away from me. I should have gave up hope then instead of letting myself get crushed over and over again."

"Do you think he would have wanted this life for you?"

"No parent would, but he wasn't exactly around to object about it. What's one more person disappointed in me?"

"Your mother started dating shortly after his death, how did you feel about that?"

"If I had to recall all the men that she brought into my life one minute and the next gone, I would be able to write a book. Most treated me well and I got along with a few but things just never seemed to work out, turns out I wasn't the only one my mother couldn't show affection towards."

"Do you think all the failed relationships were all her fault?"

"It would be unfair of me to say yes, there could have been plenty of reasons but I'm sure she contributed to most of them."

"So there was no stability in your life, you got used to the unpredictability and it became a personality trait."

"Are you psychoanalyzing me? You know I can do the same to you, difference is I'm qualified to."

"Just making an observation. Let's move onto your uncle."

"What about him?"

"Why was he your first kill?"

"Is it not obvious?"

"I need to hear it from you."

"He abused me growing up- emotionally. He would often get drunk and start picking fights with me. I remember one night he came home wasted and I was asleep, he walked into my room and threw my dog at me. I didn't have anybody to comfort or protect me because they would attend to him like I was the problem and he needed to be consoled. I used to be so scared, you know the kind of scared where you want to hide inside of your closet and not even breathe? They would force me to sit with him when he would drink and wait on him hand and foot, one wrong move from my part and it was rumble time."

"Who's the 'they' you refer to and how long did this go on for?"

"My grandparents. They would tell me to be nice to him because he's suicidal and hurting like fuck how can you acknowledge that but look right through my pain? This was between the ages of 6 and 11 so yeah 5 years."

Scarlett's voice started to crack and her eyes teary. Obviously the recollection of the past brought her pain. Parker picked up on this and it didn't sit well with him.

"Let's take a break yeah?"

"No." Scarlett said in a tone trying to convince Parker that she wasn't affected by any of this.

Parker knew her pride was one of the only things she had left and he was not about to take that away from her.

"Your grandparents, what's something they taught you in life?"

"That everybody is bad for me and nobody will be capable of loving me as much as they do. 'We want and know what's best for you, the rest are snakes. "

"Love? It sure doesn't seem like love to me."

"Love means different things to each of us, sometimes it's construed as control. Throughout the years each and every single friendship I had they ruined by poisoning my mind, I was so fragile and had made them my world of course I was going to listen, as for relationships well I wasn't worthy of receiving affection from someone else. The moments I was happy were short lived. They made sure I was to feel guilty about living a normal life whether it be by sly comments on the side or sour faces to silent treatment that's when I realised they wanted me to be one dimensional."

Parker balls his hand into a fist and clenches his jaw. Hearing Scarlett's words ignited something within him. He was reminded as to why he got into journalism in the first place, there are two sides to every story each and somebody needed to give the overshadowed one a voice.

"What do you mean by one dimensional?"

"My life shouldn't revolve around anything besides my studying. No hobbies, no friends, no going out and socialising even if it's with your extended family. They're all distractions you be beige not a damn rainbow. I was to spend all my time with them faking smiles and laughing at non-existent jokes, be the perfect child from the perfect family to the outside world."

"How did you survive?" Parker looks down and whispers.

"I held onto my blanket and cried myself to sleep. Eventually you realise happily ever after doesn't come so easily. You have to stop being so damn naïve, all you have at the end of the day is yourself. So either you're going to let the bastards win or you toughen up and bet them at their own game or create one of your own."

"And that's what you did, created a game of your own."

"If you mean toying with and killing them off one by one then yes, I did exactly that. I took back the power that was stolen from me. Do you know how good it felt? Watching fear take over and paralyze their bodies? The disbelief in their eyes and pleading sound of their voices? I was in control and decided their fates."

"Why psychology? So you could manipulate and get into your preys minds?"

"Oh honey I didn't need psychology to do that. The reason I choose to specialise in psychology is because some part of me wanted answers as to why people behaved the way they did. Was there a biological cause, you know something deep rooted in genetics? I had really hoped so."

"And did you get your answers?"

Silence spread throughout the room as glances were shared between two individuals on their way to becoming more than strangers yet less than friends.