RockScars

The Rev found Lark about an hour later running across the yard with a panicked look on her face. He knelt down in front of her and caught her in his arms. “Hey, where you off to in such a hurry?”

She wriggled her way out of his arms “You’re in my way!” When she took off running again, he followed her all the way back to the manor. Lark ran right into the living room. Gates, Christ, Shadows and Vengeance were all there and neither seemed happy. Not that their happiness was going to stop her.

“Something’s up with the lil princess, dude.” The Rev said to Shadows as he stood out of breath behind Lark. She too was out of breath and her body was shaking. Shadows knelt down in front of her.

“What’s going on?”

“Where is she?”

“Your sister? She’s still sleeping I think.”

“NO!” Lark shouted and shook her head. “Where is Daisy?”

Shadows sighed and took her little hand in his. “Daisy went home with her mommy and daddy.”

Lark pulled away and turned her head towards Gates. “No, she didn’t.” She balled her hands into fists and ran towards the couch where Gates was sitting. She attacked him as hard as her little hands could muster. Over and over again she punched him in his chest. “I HATE YOU!” She yelled. “STUPID!!”

Shadows grabbed her off Gates who didn’t dare lay a hand on her. Lark kicked her legs and wouldn’t stop. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. “LET ME DOWN!”

Shadows grabbed her face and made her look at him. “Stop it. What the hell has gotten in to you?”

“You don’t listen to me, you’re a bad daddy. I hate you!” She cried and kicked him again.

“If she does that one more time, she’s going to answer to me.” Vengeance warned Shadows.

“Lark, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I TOLD YOU SHE WAS GONNA DIE! I TOLD YOU THE MAN IN THE ALLEY WANTED TO HURT HER!!”

“I know you did, calm down. Daisy is fine. Jimmy and Brian got her away from the man in the alley.”

“Then why did they make her go with him?”

“What?” Gates asked leaning forward.

“Lark what are you saying? Did you have another dream?”

“Put me down!” She cried. “I hate you, daddy!”

Shadows looked at Gates and put Lark down on the floor. She ran straight to Vengeance who knelt down and scooped her up in his arms. Lark cried with her arms around his neck and her face hidden in his shoulder.

“Didn’t anyone see Daisy’s parents?” Shadows asked.

“Only me,” Vengeance said rubbing Lark’s back to comfort her. “But I never saw the guy in the alley.”

Gates looked like he was going to throw up. Christ stood up from his chair and grabbed his jacket. “Where are you going?” Shadows asked.

“Nix,” was all he said in response.

“Good idea,” Vengeance nodded. “Daisy’s parents contacted her first, she what she can find out.”

“Will do,” Christ nodded and left the house.

“In the mean time, Gates, time to buck up. You and The Rev go back to the alley and see if you can find any clues. If Lark is right, and Daisy isn’t actually with her parents, we’ll need all the help we can get to bring her back.” Vengeance had started rocking Lark in his arms and it seemed to be calming her down. Her incessant sobbing was reduced to light whimpers and her body was no longer shaking.

Gates got up off the couch and followed The Rev out of the living room leaving only Shadows and Vengeance. “You go home, you have enough to deal with. I’ll bring Lark to you when she’s calm enough.”

Shadows nodded and left the living room, but the words “I hate you,” echoed on and on in his mind.

Vengeance tapped Lark on her shoulder and she lifted her head to look at him. “How about some cookies?” Lark shook her head no in response. “No? You must really be upset if you’re saying no to cookies.” She nodded and put her head back down on his shoulder. He kissed her head and carried her back to his office with him.

In his office, Vengeance set Lark down in a chair and gave her some paper and pens to color with while he sat behind his desk and called Christ to see if there was any word from Nix yet.

According to Christ, Nix was working on tracking down the addresses of the two people who claimed to be Daisy’s parents. That wasn’t enough. For all Vengeance knew, Daisy could be dead right now. He had a better idea.

He colored with Lark for about an hour and then brought her back to the guesthouse. He carried her inside and found Shadows in the living room. Shadows took her out of Vengeance’s arms and set her down on the couch. “Zacky, I wanna stay at your house.”

Vengeance knelt down in front of her and set his hand on her knee. “I have to go out, but maybe tomorrow ok?”

Lark frowned and nodded her head. Vengeance placed a finger under her chin and tipped her face back up to look at him. “No being sad, if you’re sad, I won’t let you sleep over tomorrow. OK? Where’s my big girl?”

Lark pointed at herself.

“That’s right, she’s right there. I have to go. Do you have a kiss for me?”

She nodded and slid down to the edge of the couch and put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow. Ok?”

“Ok.” She slid back on the couch and Vengeance stood up and turned to face Shadows so that Lark couldn’t see their lips move.

“When she is asleep, I want you to see what’s going on in her dreams.”

“Why?” Shadows asked standing there with his hands on his hips.

“Because she can see Daisy.”

Shadows nodded. “Ok, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Just let me know what you see.”

“I will.”

“I gotta go,” he turned back one last time and looked at Lark. She was sitting on the couch looking at the pictures the two of them drew together. “Call me soon as you have something.”

“I will.” Shadows nodded and when Vengeance left, he walked over to the couch and Larked looked up at him. “Will some cookies cheer you up?”

She nodded. “Can I have milk too?”

“Yep. I’ll be right back.” He went into the kitchen and left her sitting on the couch. While in the kitchen, he took the milk out of the refrigerator and set it down on the counter. As he reached up to take a glass from the cabinet the kitchen door opened.

“I see you.”

He smiled to himself and turned around to see Twyla standing there having just gotten up from her sleep. Shadows set the glass down on the counter and walked right over to her. “I see you, too.” Her hair was a tangled mess and he gently swept it off her shoulder with his hand. “Trust me?” he whispered.

“Yes,” she answered with a smile. With that being said, he smiled just before his lips lightly bushed over hers. It wasn’t so much a kiss filled with passion, but it was far from innocent.

“STOP IT!”

The outburst that interrupted their kiss came from neither of the participants. “GET AWAY!” Lark screamed and lunged at Twyla knocking her down to the ground. There was so much rage pent up in the little girl that she had charged at Twyla like a raging bull. Her fists were flying wildly while Twyla was on the ground.

“STAY AWAY FROM HIM!” She shouted again while Twyla blocked her face. Shadows was beyond pissed. He grabbed Lark off of Twyla and helped Twyla up, but Lark wasn’t going to let up. While Shadows was helping Twyla she started punching his legs.

“You ok?”

“Yeah,” Twyla nodded as he helped her into a chair.

“Wait here.” He turned and grabbed Lark and dragged her out of the kitchen kicking and screaming and carried her all the way up to her room.

He dropped her on her bed and stood there looking down at her. “What is wrong with you? You hurt your sister!”

Lark stood up on the bed and started punching him. He grabbed her fists in his hands and yelled at her. “KNOCK IT OFF!”

“I HATE YOU!!” She screamed. “GET OUT OF MY ROOM!! I’M GETTING A NEW DADDY!!”

He spoke to her through gritted teeth. “I said knock it off!”

“NO! YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO ANYMORE!!”

“FINE!” he shouted. “HAVE IT YOUR WAY!!” He shoved her down on the bed. “I don’t know what the hell has gotten it to you lately LITTLE GIRL, but you want to be a grown up so bad, then fine. You’re on your own from now on. I’m not gonna be your daddy. I’m not gonna make you dinner. You can eat cookies all day long if you want. Go to bed whenever you want. Wear whatever you want. I don’t care! You hate me? Now, you have a reason to hate me.”

He left her room and slammed the door behind him. He was so angry at everything that was happening that night that his own hands were shaking. Never did he ever speak to Lark the way he just did. Things were certainly going to get interesting.

Shadows found Twyla sitting in the kitchen where he left her. “Is everything ok?”

“I don’t know. I have no idea what is going on with that little brat right now. This morning she attacked Gates because Daisy left and she told me she hates me like a million times.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

He knelt down in front of her. “Nothing to say just let it play out. You hungry?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.

“Ok. I’ll order a pizza.”

Half-hour later they were eating together in silence. “What’s wrong?” Shadows asked.

“What if she’s hungry?”

“If she’s hungry, she knows where the cookie jar is. She has to be accountable for her actions today.”

Twyla nodded and picked up her pizza and took another bite. That fact that she didn’t argue with him made him a little more at ease. “What did it mean?” she asked.

“What did what mean?”

“When you kissed me.”

Shadows put his slice of pizza down. “It could mean what ever you want. Did you like it?”

“Yes.”

He felt like a boy in high school. “So, say I did it again? You’d like be ok with that.”

“I think so.”

“Well, maybe we could just keep doing it here and there and see what happens.” Why don’t you tell her what you’re really thinking, perv!

“Ok,” she agreed.

“I mean, well, I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

“Oh, I know.” She nodded.

Awkward!

“So, you gonna finish your pizza?”

Twyla got up from the chair. “I’m kinda full. I think I’m gonna go try the new tub.”

“Ok. I’ll clean up down here. I could bring you some dessert later or tea or something. I think there’s even ice cream in the freezer.”

“I like ice cream.”

“Ok,” he smiled. “Ice cream then. I’ll see you later.”

She nodded and made her way out of the kitchen. That seemed to be the most difficult conversation that either one of them had ever had with each other.

The night went on and Shadows as promised, brought Twyla ice cream. He spent the rest of the night with her in her room just eating ice cream and talking about random little things in between stolen kisses. When the automatic shutters closed signaling daybreak, she asked him to stay with her and he did. They slept side by side while his arm draped over her waist.

Someone was asked to do something and forgot to do it…Vengeance isn’t going to be a very happy man. When Vengeance isn’t happy, nobody’s happy.