[One really long chapter. I tried breaking it up, but couldn't find a good place to do that. Don't expect all chapters to be this long, this is the longest]

Chapter One

The Beginning

Jane sat on the bed; a layer of blood soaked into it and stained everything red. It ran into her clothes, her hair and the sheets around her. It gathered in a pool around her apart from the few drops that got through the mattress and dripped onto the floor. The blood was caused by her but the reason behind it was her father, a small pudgy man who was scared of the world and made himself feel big by beating up his daughters and his wife. He did not tell anyone about this however because it was not exactly a thing you bragged about, but it still gave him the satisfaction.

Jane shivered, she felt cold as the blood from her wrists ran out in a plentiful amount but it was not just the loss of blood that made her feel cold. An unnaturally cold bite was in the air, one that belonged to the heart of winter, not the eve of summer as it was, and such strange weather had been around for three years now. Jane thought it was an important point - if summer didn't come, the plants would die and the bees would not come and if there were no plants and then there would be less oxygen and more Carbon in the air, which would be bad for people as a whole. She laughed softly and then cringed in pain as her wrists protested against the movement by shooting fiery pain all across her body, it was amazing what things she thought of when lying half dead on her bed, but then she had had even more abstract thought patterns.

Tears escaped her deep green eyes, not that she wanted them to; they simply appeared and ran down her face, like small, salty drops of water. Which, thinking about it for a second, was exactly what they were. Not that Jane could think properly right now, she didn't have enough blood to think properly and so things that were meant to be obvious were not really such.

The reason she had cut her wrists - again, it was a regular thing for her- was a result of her father's actions, and that was also why she ached, and was covered in more blood than just her wrists. Some dark part of her mind did at least note that he had 'waited' till her eighteenth birthday, but it was of little consolation to her at the present time, and quite possibly for all time. Jane knew he was going to punish her for trying to kill herself but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. She was too busy bleeding and worrying about the weather. It annoyed her that no matter how she cut her wrists or how much blood came out she never passed on, there was several times when she bled so much that a normal person would not have a drop left in their body but she still awoke the next day. She would still collapse from blood loss and still feel the great amount of pain that was associated with slashing any part of your body open with a sharp Implement, but never die, a fact that irked her a lot - what was the point of not dying if you were still going to collapse and shiver from the other side effects of slashing your wrists wide open and watching the red river run out onto whatever you happened to be around at the time?

She never knew why she had such a thin frame either, it was not like she was underfed - her father tried but she always got plenty of food to eat, mainly through Eliot's adventures in the kitchen - but no matter how much she ate she always stayed thin and weak, it was like the world was taunting her with a combination of weakness and an inability to die and she did not like being taunted in the slightest, it was one of her peeves, along with her dad's continued existence and broccoli, whoever discovered broccoli must have really hated everyone with a taste-bud. But then, Mr Broccoli Discoverer might not have had taste buds.

The things the mind thinks of when laid in a pool of blood and nearly in the grasp of unconsciousness are far beyond the control of the person whose mind it is - not that Jane had much control over her mind to begin with. She just had to go along with the ride and hope it was not too bad. This time she thought of her second father - not an official father but one who had adopted the mantle none the less - and his friend. She thought of Eliot and Silverfang’s tomfoolery, and his strange ability. Silverfang could do some pseudo werewolf thing, not quite fully wolf but different to human. it was quite freaky the first time she had seen it, but Jane quickly got used to it. As she had had gotten used to him.

She thought of times when Eliot cooked a plethora of different foods. She thought of times when she watched a movie, using Silverfang or Eliot as a cushion to lay her head on. She also thought of times when her sisters, Beth and Nehvna, would come round and they would have a party. These were the happy days away from this drab and dreary household. It was better than thinking about where she was. She also remembered - too much lesser delight, not that she had the energy to complain about it right now, being so far into the grip of unconsciousness - days with her mother, they were nice but she had left Jane all alone with her father and for that Jane eternally disliked her mother. Or at least wished to, but she knew if her mother turned up tomorrow, she would throw her arms around her and leave with her. The blood had managed to get through the mattress in a much larger amount and was now pooling on the ground, despite her strange inability to die she was in no way immune to unconsciousness, something that happened to her in the middle of her memory of happy days.

Jane woke the following day, and sat up, her body still ached from last night, and her wrists still had ugly slashes on them, but they had stopped bleeding at least. Jane ran her fingers through her hair, matted and marred by blood, sweat and dirt. However, despite the blood she had leaked out earlier, her hair was not as stained as she thought it would be.

"Heh, so I got blood-proof hair now" she muttered to herself, before stripping out of her blood stained clothes. "Good job there's no P.E today" She further commented. Jane then looked over at the wardrobe, and sighed. Another day of school was not necessarily a good thing. Sure it got her away from the house, but the kids at her school where assholes all the same. She did have a few friends there, but they were few and held no sway over the popular kids, and where basically friends to have friends rather than any meshing of personalities. Throughout the course of dressing, Jane wondered how the school day was going to turn out, until she came to the skirt. She always thought that the skirt was far too small to be practical, since it barely covered her ass, and any stray gust of wind made it reveal everything. But then that was probably why her dad had bought it, for that amusing thought. Never the less, it was the only skirt she had, and so she put it on, and finished with a set of socks, and her shoes. All the clothing she had was tatty and ragged, since her dad never replaced anything, even when it was falling apart, and there were holes in it. Jane tried not to think about it, since it was pointless to complain or moan about it. Jane then looped the tie around her muggy white shirt and wondered who thought it was a good idea to tie a noose around their neck for whatever reason.

Lacking a better option, and without the ability to jump out of the window - something she had thought about, but they were stiff and she couldn't get them open however hard she tried - Jane headed down stairs, and immediately saw her father, Mark. He was all fat and no brain, but that wasn't why Jane hated him. He was dressed smart, as if he was going out to a high class work, or probably just to taunt Jane, which was his favourite pass time. Jane flicked her eyes to the clock, which read just past eight, plenty of time to get to school.

"What are you doing in that getup?" Mark asked, his tone slurred as if he had been drinking already, which would not be surprising.

"I am going to school, dad" She told him, politely and formal, but with a distinct monotone; something that always irritated Mark. Probably because it was how her mother talked to him

"What'tha 'ell you going there for on a Sunday?" He asked, or rather demanded. Mark never asked anything of Jane.

"It's Monday, dad" she replied, in the same tone, picking up her school bag, if the dilapidated mass of fabric she was using could be called that. When she turned back, however, Mark was right in front of her, which made her flinch and then he slapped her, a rough crack across her face.

"Dun ya call me a liar, ya lil bitch" He ordered, before grabbing her chin and dragging it to meet his eyes. "Na ya get 'ome time-like today. Got summat ta do" he slurred, the smell of his breath making Jane want to throw up, or at least grimace, but that would just have gotten her into more trouble.

"Yes, dad" she told him, and got slapped again, more roughly this time, the blow leaving a harsh red mark on her face.

"An’ don ya be usin' that tone!" he growled. Jane lowered her head, keeping her eyes to the ground and kept silent, but the drunken Mark took offensive even to that.

"An’ don ya be lookin' so bad!" He exclaimed, raising his hand to slap her, however, it never came, and the only sound that Jane heard was Mark's confused grunt, and then an acknowledging grunt, before waddling back off to the kitchen. Jane looked up, and met the soft smile of Shadow, Mark's strange, more-than-human 'friend'. Or thug, or whatever he was. Somehow, he managed to make that smile look warm, and menacing at the same time. Jane would have preferred to be slapped by Mark all day, than be saved by Shadow. He was wearing his usual black overcoat, frayed at the edges, and looking much in the same condition as Jane's clothing. He never seemed to bothered about it though.

"I hate it when he does that to you. Nothing worse than bruised fruit" He muttered. The scar down one eye moved softly as he spoke, and Shadow absently raised a finger to scratch it, before moving to stroke Jane's slapped face.

"Shadow, I...” she started, before the black-clad humanoid placed a finger on her lips.

"Save your words, dear. They are not needed here. Now go to your place of learning, and return as Mark ordered, he is taking you to work again tonight" Shadow told Jane, his tone soft, and his words harsh. Jane knew exactly what he meant, and knew that it entitled, but somehow she just didn't care.

"Ok. I’m going now" she muttered, in her standard tone. There was no reason to use anything else for Shadow.

"Learn well, and save your energy, you know how he hates it when you drop to soon" Shadow told Jane, opening the door for her with that weird smile of his, and then shutting it behind her, not even mentioning her lack of words as she walked down the path to the gate.

It took Jane a good half-hour to get to the school, mainly because of the cold - she always shuffled when it was cold - but also because she was pondering why she didn't see anyone else, walking towards the school. When she arrived, however, the question was answered by the large clock. It read '7:32am' or there about. Analogue hands were hard to read precisely. But it was clear the clocks at her house where set forward an hour, another one of Mark's schemes - Shadow was never so childish and surreptitious, when he did something, it was out in the open - just to get her out of the house. Or even just so she had an hour to wait at school for things to start. Seeing no reason in standing around in the cold, Jane headed inside, and was greeted with the noise of a Buffer, polishing the floors before the children came in, stomping their boots all over the floor. The Caretaker at the helm of the Buffer seemed as if Jane knew him, and not in a 'seen him around school' kind of way. But, Jane could not put a name to the face, before he turned around, letting out a soft sound of surprise.

"Ahh, didn't expect to see anyone else here so soon. You really that eager?" he asked, switching off the Buffer to have a conversation.

"No, my clocks where just set forward an hour, something else my dad thought would be funny, or some such. Never really been able to keep up with him" She replied, causing the man to lean on the buffer. His clothes looked rather expensive - if well worn - for a Caretaker, but she didn't bring it up.

"Sounds like you and your dad don't get along" He commented, a fatherly tone, as if he had raised more than one child in his time. Jane laughed at his comment, and took a breath.

"Well, put it this way. You don't randomly hand out super powers that let me pull peoples arms off, do you?" She asked. The man stroked his chin a few times in a classical thinking pose.

"Hmm, I did. But then I got in trouble for it, and so I am currently suspended from randomly handing out super powers that let people pull off other peoples arms" He told Jane, which made her smile in amusement. "Hehay. A smile, we are getting somewhere" The Caretaker continued, fluidly moving from behind the Buffer and appearing in front of Jane. "So, this odd red mark that is rather out of place with the rest of your cold-flushed cheeks. Did your father think that would be funny?" He asked, his tone suddenly turning icy, and deadly serious. Jane knew there was no point trying to avoid the subject, and so she shook her head.

"No, that was because I told him it was Monday, when he claimed it was Sunday. And then because I sound like my mother. My mum and being told he is wrong are two things that he really doesn't like" Jane told the Caretaker, with a sad, but relegated tone. The Caretaker, who had been listening intently, nodded.

“Right. So, kind of guy you’d wish would fall down the stairs into a pool of acid, with acid-breathing piranhas in it?” he offered, to which Jane laughed, it was a very amusing idea.

“Where are you going to find acid-breathing piranhas?” She asked.

“Hmm, possibly Generia. They have some great tea, and some weird wildlife. Full of assholes though” He commented.

“Right….So, what’s your name? I feel bad calling you ‘The Caretaker’ all the time.” Jane admitted.

“Ohh, names. Right. I’m Kaben Saal, nice to meet ya” He said, holding out a hand, rather well-manicured, considering he was pushing a Buffer all day.

“Lovely to meet you, Mr Saal. My name is Jane, Jane Everwood” She told Kaben, shaking his hand, before shivering. She hadn’t really noticed the temperature before, but now it was really getting to her. “Do they not switch on the heater or something?” She asked, rubbing her arms.

“Na, they don’t do that till about eight or so. Saves money. If you want, I can show ya a place I like, when the school is being all cold and shit” He told Jane, who contemplated it for a while. It couldn’t exactly be any worse than being in here, so she nodded, and followed Kaben to this ‘place’.

She was led down a few hallways, and took a couple of turns to a part of the school she had never been to before. It was old, there wasn’t any classrooms around, and there was a basic feel of neglect. However, viewable through the window was a beautiful, luscious garden. It was amazing that the garden could flourish in such cold, there were even a few tropical trees, where the country never got hot enough to grow. Jane stared at the garden in wonder, and Kaben picked up on this.

"Lovely place, no?" He asked, grinning as they approached the door.

"Yea, it is. How do you even get it like that?" she asked, expecting some sort of greenhouse idea.

"Ahh, I just ask it nicely" he replied, to which Jane scoffed.

"Yea, like that ever worked" she said sceptically.

"Well, maybe they just didn't ask the right questions" He told her, before opening the door to the garden. It was very warm, warm enough to make Jane forget about the biting cold of a few seconds ago. "Ok, I’m impressed" She exclaimed, sitting down on a chair, fashioned in the shape of a log stump. It had a high back, enough for Jane to lean back comfortably.

"Yep, it's pretty cool. So, just chill here for a while, I gotta get back to work" He said before waving. "Don't be late for class" He cooed on the way out.

"Tsk, how could I be late? I got nearly an hour" she muttered, before leaning back. It was very relaxing, and didn't take long for Jane to fall asleep.

Nearly an hour later, Jane was woken by a loud bell echoing through the school. It always rang ten minutes before the start of every class, to give students enough time to get where they were going, but it was still a shock.

"Sleep?" she asked herself, still not quite believing that she had pulled it off. Most nights took her hours to drift off, and other nights it never happened at all. So, to be taken so quickly, in such a short time, was a miracle. As the sound of the bell died away, Jane could hear...whispers around her. Mostly incoherent muttering, but there was one thing she heard, repeated throughout the entire garden, by whatever it was that was talking. 'She's here'. Suddenly the garden felt a lot less relaxing and comfortable, taking on a more ominous aura to it, which made Jane very uneasy. Hastily wiping away the drool from her sleep, Jane made a quick departure from the garden, with the whispers following her down the hall, and until she got to the main part of the school. There, she saw people milling about, getting to their classes and groaning about the day ahead. Jane didn't recognize must of them, and some she wished she hadn't made eye-contact with, because that would lead to some problems later on in the day. However, one girl - rather down cast, with her eyes on the floor - did spark a slight smile in Jane, and so she walked over to the down-cast girl.

"Hey Emily! Good to see you" She said, snaffling the girl in a hug before she could react. She let out a sharp 'eep' before Emily relaxed, and returned the hug.

"O..ohh, h-hi Jane" Emily stammered, always being a shy, retiring sort of girl with Jane.

"So, I wasn’t in Friday, anything happen?" She asked, to which Emily nodded.

“Catherine did. And her friends" she mumbled, to which Jane sighed.

Right. I’ll deal with that at lunch, or so. But, can't let that bother us. We got class to get to. So, let’s get to it" She exclaimed, Emily gave her a look - that look that wondered if the person was all there, or even there at all - but followed her down the hall way, talking about the girls of today, and how they look as if they put on make-up with a shovel, about guys who have more fingernails than brain-cells, and about general life. Eventually they got to the tutor room, and there they all had an annoying twenty minutes before school actually began to see who was in and who wasn't. Both Jane and Emily had the same opinion of it, and that opinion would have been used to allow the garden Jane was briefly in to grow more than it already had.

Entering the room, Jane saw that her and Emily where the last ones in, the tutor was giving them the look of annoyance, since they were so late - not late exactly, but they were the last - but it was ignored. Jane found her place and Emily sat next to her, prompting the tutor to start blathering about stuff that was supposedly important. However, ten minutes into this, when the tutor was reeling off up-coming events that no one was going to go to, something clattered into the room. Of course, everyone leant over to see what it was, and were all blinded by the ensuing flash that emitted from it. There were many cries of surprise, some of pain, and then sight began to clear again, but, there were two men, big and ugly looking in the room as well.

"Glad I got your attention. Now, we are looking for someone. Someone special. Shouldn't be too hard to find her, but I do need your attention here" The man in the front said, before pulling a pistol - with silencer - from his jacket and killing the tutor, spilling her brains all over the wall. The ensuing pandemonium did not hinder either man, as they grinned and headed through the sea of students, pushing over whoever got it there way, until they made it to Jane's seat. "Well hidden" he muttered, ignoring Jane's look of confusion - her and Emily didn't seem to be running around screaming like the others, just staring - before pointing the gun at Jane and pulling the trigger, but the gun never fired. "A jam? Now?!" He asked generally, but clearly annoyed. The click seemed to bring Jane out of her haze, and so she flipped her desk in the man's direction, who made an incoherent curse as the desk flew towards him. She then turned to Emily, so they could run together. Emily was the one person in this school Jane wanted to protect, and she would do anything for that opportunity. However, behind her, there was the muffled sound of two silenced gunshots, and then Emily was covered in blood. Jane's first thought was that Emily had been shot, and this made her extremely angry, but her vision started to gray, and her legs felt so weak. Realization dawned on her, just as she fell forward, into Emily's lap, to die.

"Going to sleep the day away, or something?" A voice asked, to which Jane slowly opened her eyes, and frowned. She was in the reception, Silverfang's grinning face looking down at her. All she could do was stare, and mutter 'wha' a lot, so Silverfang took the initiative.

"Apparently you and a few of your classmates just suddenly collapsed in Tutor, so they brought you down here, and called the people listed to come get you - of which I am very happy it was me and not him" Silver explained, the last word dripping with venom. "I was at home when the call came in, Eliot had gone to do some Eliot stuff, so I had a free moment to come get you" he explained, but Jane simply shook her head softly some more.

"But...no...Emily, she...” Jane said, trying to explain what she had just seen.

"Ohh, Emily is fine, she wasn't one of the ones that took an unplanned nap" Silverfang joked, but Jane was still shaking her head.

"I...died in her lap...” Jane uttered softly, plastering a confused, but rather worried look onto Silverfang's face.

"Sounds like one 'ell of a vivid dream" a man said from behind them, as Jane looked around, she saw it was the Head Teacher, rather exotically named 'Laas Nebak'. A very friendly tone, but also a great disdain for the letter 'h'. She wondered how this man had ever gotten such a high position with his informal tone, but maybe he had a different tone for more important stuff. He was, amazingly, making a pristine suit, perfectly ironed, look scruffy. Oddly enough, he looked a lot like the caretaker she had seen around; to the point they could be twins. "But, don't worry, no matter what you saw there, it didn't 'appen" he explained, before looking to Silverfang. "So, your 'er guardian, right?" he asked, to which Silverfang nodded. Silverfang had a look on his face, like He knew him from somewhere, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Well, take 'er 'ome then. Don't do anything to rough for a while. Just, chill" He suggested.

"Ok" Jane replied, still groggy but awake enough to stand. "Right, then let’s get back to the house" she exclaimed, slurring a word or two but remaining steady. Silverfang stayed at her side to keep her stable. Jane still had a strange, confused look plastered on her face, but she managed to keep her thoughts on the road ahead, instead of on her very confused mind.

It took them a lot less time than she thought to amble back to Eliot's place, but that was probably the cold giving them a great nudge. But then, the cold always gave people nudges when it came to getting somewhere. Once Silverfang had opened the door and escorted Jane to the couch, he then took off into the kitchen to get her a drink. Jane closed her eyes for a second as Silver potterd around; she was so sure it had happened, unlike any other dream, it wasn't fading from memory. She could clearly see Emily's face, so terrified.

"Here you go" Silverfang announced, snapping Jane out of her not-quite-asleep state. Jane smiled and took the drink, sipping it a few times before placing it on the nearby table.

"Thanks by the way" she said to Silver with a shy smile.

"Thanks for what?" He asked.

"Bringing me here, being supportive. Helping with my confusion and - you haven't done this one yet, but I hope you will - not telling Eliot the details" She said, reeling off each reason for thanks.

"Ohh, sure, especially the last one. You can count on me" He told Jane, who smiled and moved in close, planting her lips on Silver's. He seemed a bit shocked at first, but then let himself relax. It was a warm kiss, different from anything she had ever had before. With an odd hint of dog breath. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as they locked their lips together. This was one of the best feelings she had ever felt and knew it must be that strange emotion she never thought she would feel. Love.

However, it was cut short by a key entering into a lock, which swiftly broke up the kiss.

"Anyone home?" Eliot shouted, opening the door.

"Yea I'm here and I got a carry-on as well" Silverfang told Eliot, who laughed a bit.

"Aren't you meant to be at school?" Eliot asked Jane, keeping the door open for another girl to walk in.

"Ohh, I got this bug thing along with several other people, and so they let me go" She explained, smiling at the new girl. "Morning Beth" she said, waving rather groggily at her.

Eliot stood at an average height with an average build and average length hair. He was very average to look at but it was his heart that set him aside from everyone else, he never turned down anyone who needed help and never hesitated extend his hand to any who needed it. Beth, however, was physically Eliot's opposite; she stood a foot taller than most people in the street and had a wide chest - with equally big breasts - and broader shoulders than most girls had. She seemed to have the physique to handle herself in a fight, but Jane never found out if she had the mentality for a fight either.

"Hello Beth, how are you?" Silver asked, also grinning like a goof. Beth made everyone grin like a goof.

"I've been good thanks, work has been rather nice lately as we are fully staffed" She told him, before walking over to where Jane sat and hugging her. As much as Jane tried to hide it Beth always knew how her baby sister was feeling without her ever saying a word and right now there was something seriously bothering her but she decided not to press the point just yet.

"Where are Nehvna and Satyr?" Silverfang asked Beth as they followed Eliot into the kitchen as standby in case something he was cooking blew up, it was not easy cooking for seven people on your own especially when Eliot had a habit of experimenting with the cooking ingredients.

"Nehvna was trying to convince her little angel to come outside when we left, she told us she would catch up but she hasn't yet. Satyr is somewhere else, probably reading a book or something" Beth told Silverfang as Eliot started telling them what he was going to cook and read out the ingredients needed for the dish, he always liked help in the kitchen.

"Sorry I was a pain to everyone I really didn't mean to be" Avrion said with a sad face that looked like it was about to cry, but then every face Avrion pulled looked like it was going to cry. That and the fact that her frame was more akin to a stick than an actual person made Avrion look very weedy but that was not the case. For the most part, Nehvna would usually tell Avrion - in several different ways - to stop being so depressive and smile more. Then she would follow it with a compliment about how nice Avrion's smile was and how she would love to see it more often. Avrion herself was interesting. She could pull a bow out from absolutely nowhere, and use it with no shortage of skill. Like Silverfang's wolf trick, Jane didn't understand it, but still thought it cool.

However, this particular time, Nehvna was less interested in Avrion's depressive persona more interested in - and worried about - Jane's arms, who had gotten up from the couch and was milling around randomly. As luck would have it, Nehvna happened to glance over just as Jane was brushing some hair behind her ear, who had shown off the top part of her wrist, and looked like it carried on a lot longer than just her wrist.

"What the bloody hell happened to your arms?!" Nehvna demanded, nearly screaming as she saw how far they went up her arms, to the elbow.

"Oh nothing to worry about it" Jane said with a nervous smile, Nehvna was always kicking off about every little scrape or bruise so cuts running all the way up her arms would not put her in a good mood.

"That is some cutting Jane, what do you mean there is nothing to worry about?!" she screeched again before grabbing Jane by the hand and dragging her upstairs.

"Ow, that hurts you know" Jane said, being yanked upstairs.

Once upstairs Nehvna sat Jane down on a stool - despite her protests - and simply stared wide-eyed at the cuts for a few seconds before muttering to herself and turning to a box labelled 'Jane's Box'. Something that Eliot had been keeping around since she often came - or was brought by Silver - sporting a myriad of wounds. She picked out some disinfectant and poured it onto a cotton bud, then began to dap at the cut, ignoring Jane's sharp intake of breath that signalled it was hurting. She dapped it all the way up her arm, and then the other arm, and showed no interest in the glares she was getting as the treatment hurt, a lot.

"First I need to get you some clothes while you get a shower" She told Jane, who noticed her school outfit was now rather bloody from her wrists, and messed up with some sort of mud, from when she had lent to far on Silver without him expecting it, and fallen over.

"I have been a bit preoccupied to notice my clothing" she told Nehvna, who shook her head softly.

"Into the shower with you, I'll pick something out" she told Jane, walking into the bathroom and fiddling with the shower before getting it to a good temperature. Jane stripped off to her skin, and pretended not to see Nehvna's look of horror as she saw all the caked blood on her back, but did move more quickly to get into the Shower.

She let the water run on her body for a while before turning to the shampoo. She reached out for the bottle and squeezed some onto her hand before working it into her hair and washing it off; the soap came off an odd red with brown as the water cleaned off the tinges of blood that had soaked into her hair, as well as all the dirt that had come from months of not washing.

It took her a while to actually get some semblance of cleanliness due to her lack of being able to have a shower at her own house; her father didn't like her having any sort of luxuries that might make her life in the slightest bit easier. She repeated the lathering a few more times, cleaning her back in the process, until the water returned to its natural colour, she then grabbed the conditioner from the shelf and began to rub it into her mass of now pink hair.

When she was finished Jane turned the shower off and stepped out, rubbing herself dry with a towel before wrapping one round all the hair she could manage to fit in it. It was a good feeling to be clean and she did not get the feeling very often so every time she did she cherished it because it would be a long time before she got another chance.

Jane then headed into the bedroom to check what Nehvna was pulling out of the wardrobe.

"You are one serious mess" Nehvna said as she took off Jane's towel and began to blow dry her hair She was not bothered in the slightest by the total lack of clothes that Jane was currently showing since she had been around her and other naked women a lot so she was comfortable with female nakedness. "Come here, your arms need bandaging" She told Jane, who sat down on a stool - the same stool she had sat down on before - and waited patiently while Nehvna rubbed a cream into both cuts and all the way up her arm before wrapping the entire length up in bandage once again. Nehvna brooked no argument when it came to Jane's well-being, and so sometimes used a less than friendly tone on her, but Jane never really took offense to it. When it came to knowing Jane, everyone had a certain amount of skill in First-aid; it was required when you lived around a girl such as her.

After that was done, Nehvna ran a comb through Jane's hair as she dried it, making sure that each part was properly dried and combed before moving onto the next part and working on that.

"You could defiantly be a hair dresser or something to that extent you know" Jane told Nehvna who blushed at the complement.

"I am not that good Jane" She told her, it was not true since Nehvna was amazing with all things hair, Jane's hair was originally brown but it was Nehvna who dyed the whole length of it pink. It was extremely hard work considering how much there was but Nehvna managed to do it perfectly.

"You are better than good Nehvna, you are amazing" she said as Nehvna finished combing through Jane's hair and switched the blow dryer off, she then picked up two sets of clothes from the bed and held them up so that Jane could see them, Jane picked the plainer set of clothes - a simple t-shirt and jeans - and put them on. Nehvna preferred the brighter, flashier style of clothes and so she always wore a long dress that complimented her tall frame. After Jane had finished putting the new clothes on, being careful of her wrist and - with the help of Nehvna - gotten all her hair out of the back of her t-shirt she and Nehvna headed down the stairs, Jane's layered mass of hair swaying slightly as she walked.

Back at Jane's house, her father was very drunk, and doing his usual drunken blathering about what he was going to do when Jane came home from School. However, one of his many friends/henchmen had called him up to say he had seen Jane leaving the school early with someone else, and that he would have chased her down if he wasn't doing his job at the moment he saw her. Mark let out a few drunken mumblings, before cursing. He then turned to Shadow, and slurred drunkenly.

"Where’d ya go 'f you'd leave?" He asked, cryptically, but Shadow got it.

"Well you can always try the Library, she seems to frequent that place a lot. Failing that, I don't really know for certain where she could be, there are a lot of places around for her to be. She could even be hiding in one of the houses" He explained, sighing slightly as he spun such a tale that even someone that was not a complete idiot like Mark was might believe him. Mark grumbled for a bit about not having a definite address then headed downstairs to get his coat and shoes. His mind was filled will all the nasty things he would do when he finally got his ungrateful daughter back. He thought them just punishment for running away rather than spiteful - and pointless - violence. Even Shadow was getting bored of it and he loved to fight things. But what Mark did to Jane was not fighting and as such, he was glad that the time had finally come. It had taken a while, but it was here, at last and was well worth the wait.

Shadow nodded as Mark headed out of the door and down the road, walking at a pace that was brisk but not hurried. Shadow then left through the back door and headed down the opposite road, he knew exactly where he was going and his pace was casual. He arrived when he wanted to arrive, even if he did not want to arrive at that time he changed the time he wanted to arrive to the time he had arrived. It was a principle thing and he wouldn't let anyone change it, not even Mark, whose hold over Shadow was a lot more tenuous than what he thought it was. Shadow couldn't help smiling as he walked down the road, he was about to do all the things he enjoyed, all in one day. It was a good day. But then, all days when he got to break into somewhere, beat people up, kidnap someone, break stuff and even bring much needed pain and subsequent death to the obnoxious, nasty dislikeable man he had been forced to spent a good deal of time with was a good day. Little could ruin this day. Except the weather, Shadow's smile disappeared in a grumble and he wished it would hurry up and warm up, all this cold was not something he liked, but then he cheered himself up again by realizing he didn't have to put up with it for much longer. He didn't have to put up with much more here for much longer. Shadow's smile returned as he continued down the street. Today was going to be the best of days.

Jane sniffed the air as she walked down the stairs, Eliot had obviously gone to the kitchen and was adding the finishing touches to his cooking as it made the air smell rather nice, this does not mean the actual food was nice however, simply that it smelt good. "What you got cooking Eliot?" Nehvna asked as she walked into the Kitchen, leaving Jane to go to the front room where she quickly snuggled up against Silverfang, feeling very close to him now. She was still a bit embarrassed but tried not to make it show.

"Food. It will be done soon" Eliot said, he never gave a definite answer of what he was cooking before it was done.

"Well I hope you are not going to try that puke flavoured risotto again" Nehvna joked as she got out a collection of glasses and began filling them up with different drinks.

"Don't worry about that, I am making meat this time" he said, throwing a few more herbs in to the pan.

"Ahhhh, it has been a rough today" Jane said, not caring about proper speech as she snuggled into Silverfang who starred at her.

"Rough today? I think you need speaking lessons" Silverfang joked, earning him a punch in the arm from Jane.

"I am allowed to have crappy speaking" She told him as Eliot came into the room with a massive plate piled high with nose-caressing meat.

"Grubs up" he said setting the large plate down and putting some smaller plates next to it.

Everyone attacked the pile of meat and piled their plates high with it before sitting back, despite the large amount everyone had taken there was still a fair bit left. Jane bit into one of the chicken pieces and the flavour exploded in her mouth, the herbs went perfectly with the meat and made the whole thing beautiful.

"This is great Eliot; you really can cook well sometimes can’t you?" Jane announced loudly, backed by agreements from everyone else.

"Well I just got lucky that's all. I threw a load of leftover meat into a pot and chucked in a ton of herbs. The result was not too bad" he said with a big head, popping a piece of beef into his mouth before there was a knock at the door.

"Who are we missing?" Eliot asked himself, heading to the door and opening it. As he opened it, however, he was greeted by the sight of a fist, which quickly connected with Eliot's face, knocking him back from the door and sprawling him out on the carpet. His tattered, pitch black overcoat swaying slightly in the breeze and his one eye - the other had a large scar over it and the eyelid was shut - scanned the room, taking in each person in it calmly. Shadow then shut the door as if he had just entered a room full of friends rather than a room full of people trying to cause him serious harm.

"Hello" He said casually actually greeting the room like he wasn't about to fight half the room's inhabitants as Silverfang growled. He had gotten up from his seat and his fists where clenched, ready to fight. Nehvna, Jane and Beth had all gotten off the couch and backed against the wall, as if it would do anything when Shadow took out the ones who stood in his way and walked over as he obviously would.

Silverfang had sprouted a tail and his fingers slowly turned into claws, his teeth grew longer and sharper, till they resembled a set of wolf teeth rather than human teeth. "Sit down, pup, I have just come for Jane, you don't need to get involved" He told Silver obviously highly confident of his skills and the inevitable victory he would have if Silver tried to fight him. However, a plate of meat flew at his face and showered the room with bits of food. The plate itself was a problem though, so he battered it away, shattering it into shards as an angry Silver punched Shadow in the kidney.

As Shadow was recovering from the blow, an arrow penetrated his shoulder and forced him back, reeling in pain from the combine assault. Shadow let out a grunt of pain as Silverfang moved in to take advantage of the long-shafted distraction, dropping another powerful punch into the open side. However, Shadow was not going to let himself get beaten by some half-arsed wolf and a bow wielding whatever Avrion was. He blocked the incoming strike with his left hand - grimacing as the arrow in his shoulder painfully reminded him that it was still there. Then, with his right fist he sunk a vicious punch into Silverfang's gut, and the followed up with a cross to his jaw from the left hand. The arrow was really irritating him now, but from the way Silverfang collapsed onto the floor, it wouldn’t be a problem for much longer.

He then turned, trying to see where Avrion was in relation to him as a second arrow - obviously waiting for a clear shot - grazed his cheek. Avrion hastily drew a third arrow but Shadow was no longer there to shoot when she had nocked the arrow. Avrion frowned for a second before Shadow - who had re-appeared behind her - punched her in the side, cracking her ribs. Avrion's face contorted in pain as she collapsed, her bow clattering to the ground, now useless.

With both of them out of action Shadow sighed and gripped the arrow shaft, he then pulled it out with something that was a mix between a growl and a cry of pain as he realized the arrow was barbed and had caused more damage coming out than going in.

"Dam, that is sore" he muttered casually, not hurrying since the other two that could do anything against him where on the floor in rather large amounts of pain. He rolled his shoulder a few times and wiped away the blood before stepping over Avrion's body and turning to look at the three girls. Nehvna was looking at Avrion with a look of concern and fear, but she couldn't move with Shadow in front of her. Beth looked distracted, cursing silently for some reason but Shadow didn't bother finding out what. She also appeared to have a small look of fear, as if unsure what Shadow was going to do now, but not nearly as much as Nehvna, who was on the verge of tears. Jane, in contrast to her two sisters, was glaring at Shadow determinedly, as if she could stop his advance with a glare.

"Well, you're coming with me now Jane" Shadow said, equally as casual as he had been since entering the house and fighting Silverfang and Avrion.

"Like hell I am" she growled, swinging a rather inexperienced punch at Shadow who, a lot more experienced that Jane, swatted the punch away and returned one of his own, punching her the same way he had punched Silver. The effects were also similar, as Jane creased up, gasping for air. Shadow did not deliver a second punch though, instead he picked Jane up and there her over his shoulder before heading for the door.

"Good day" He said generally to the house hold as he reached the door, his tone was polite and had no trace of sarcasm in it. Shadow then opened the door and stepped through it; still remaining as casual as the moment he had walked in.