Caeda: Enter the Black Gate
by demented20
Amaris tries to escape her fate, but after tragedy, Caeda is born. (Part 4 of 4)

It was strange to Amaris, as she knelt on the floor of the Black Gate reflecting over her life, how darkness could always exist even when surrounded by the brightest light. She had been turning away from that darkness, but she couldn't escape it. She looked in the direction of Chet, her teacher, mentor and friend, but he didn't have any answers. He couldn't, because he lived in the same darkness that had hounded and finally enveloped Amaris. She now lived in the shadowy world of the Black Gate. Amaris understood, as she sipped a second cup of tea, that the Black Gate wasn't the entrance to a building. It was the entrance to a new world, an underworld.

After finishing her eagle and unveiling it at homecoming, Amaris became a local celebrity. Everyone in town was proud of the young woman who had rebuilt her life. She spent her senior year in high school working on the project that would get the attention of schools all over the country, including a professor who was trying to save her department.

During a bad storm, the tree next to the statue of Daniel Boone in the town square was hit by a huge bolt of lightning. The fire fighters tried to save them both, but the tree split and hit the statue. The half of a tree knocked it off the pedestal and down the great explorer went. A town committee did a nationwide search for an artist to either repair or replace the statue. It had been George, the man who's cane Amaris had carved a couple of years earlier, who suggested her for the job of making a new statue. When the honor and the commission check had been presented to the 17 year old student, Amaris had been overwhelmed. It would be her first work this big, but she saw the commission as an opportunity. She had always thought the statue in town had been a little too stiff. She didn't want to overdo it, but at least she wanted to make sure the statue had the correct period firearm instead of the nondescript hunk of crap the original artists had stuck Mr. Boone with. Amaris carved the statue from Indiana limestone. She spent most of her free time working on that statue, but had just enough time left over for a social life, including being voted prom queen. Not long after prom night, she presented the statue to the town. She made the newspapers in her hometown of Pittsburgh and in the state capital of Charleston for that statue. There were waves of jealousy and pride from the people in DCS group homes where Amaris had spent more than a year of her life.

On graduation day, Amaris gave her salutatory speech to a large crowd including the Hesse's, the Broker, her cousins, and her Aunt Marlene. Chet stayed in the back of the crowd and left not long after Amaris received her diploma. She wouldn't have said much to him anyway. She was happiest to see her aunt. Marlene was still weak from her cancer treatments, but she stood at the graduation taking pictures of Annalise's pride and joy standing up strong after having gone through so much.

There was a huge party for Amaris and Ruth at the Hesse's home. During a quiet moment on that day, Ted Hesse took Amaris aside.

"I have a present for you." He handed her a white box wrapped in a red bow.

She opened it. There was a used knife inside that brought tears to her eyes. It wasn't just any knife. It was Ted Hesse's ka-bar.

"I carried that knife every day in Vietnam. It saved my life a bunch of times. Guns jam, ammo runs out..."

"But this is always loaded", they said at the same time.

"I can't take this, Mr. Hesse. What about John? He's a Marine."

"That's right, Amaris. He has his own. This is yours. You've earned it."

Amaris couldn't make herself argue with him anymore. She accepted the knife and hugged Ted Hesse tightly. He was more to her than simply a foster father. Her own father had been dead almost half her life. While she would never forget the lessons of her father, it was Ted Hesse who taught Amaris how to be an adult. She was worried about him though. She couldn't believe how thin he had become when her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He had really lost weight over the last year or so. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him, but he was sick. Everybody could see that, but no one knew why.

At the end of the summer, Amaris helped Ruth move into her dorm at Marshall. She had been accepted to UWV, which was only half an hour from home, but she had wanted to get a little further from home. The next weekend, Ruth rode with the rest of the family to Philadelphia to help move Amaris into her room at Villanova. Amaris had been accepted into the master's art program. It promised to be challenging, but she was up to it. Dr. Perlov had tried to convince Amaris to attend 'Nova when there were other schools trying to get the talented artist's attention. Amaris never told that she needn't have tried so hard. Villanova was the perfect place for Amaris, because her cousin Julia was toiling away in the pre-med program only a few miles away at the University of Pennsylvania. It didn't take long for them to become inseparable once again. They saw each other every day, and they even blended their groups of friends from their respective schools. They helped each other with work, and even screened potential boyfriends for each other. Neither of them found anybody worth it.

College life was different and fun for Amaris. It broadened her boundaries. There were so many different types of people at the school and in the city. As she immersed herself in college life, the training she'd received seemed like it had happened to another person. She got to exercise her creativity instead of her body, and she got to enjoy her anonymity. It was nice to be able to disappear into a crowd. Back in the WV town, everyone knew her. She loved that sense of community, but it was nice to just be one of the masses. She was known within the art department, but she had a lot to learn about sculpting in particular and art in general, so there was no extra pressure on her. She was just a normal girl, like all the rest in the school. She wasn't a pity case, and no one told her how special or singular she was, although people had opinions.

Amaris was extremely pretty. The guys all agreed on that, but she was also cocky, aloof, and slightly intimidating. It was bad enough approaching a beautiful woman who was dumb as a box of rocks, but with Amaris she was extremely smart and worse yet, quick witted, ready to squash a guy's ego at a moment's notice. She didn't like idle chatter, or anything she thought was frivolous, although she was the first one to play a practical joke on someone. Anyone was fair game including professors.

Everyone knew that she was in excellent shape, and that she had done gymnastics because she had beaten the head cheerleader at a contest of back flips, but the idea of Amaris Johanssen in a cheerleading outfit was ridiculous. She jogged, did body weight exercises, but she didn't do aerobics or lift weights. She also did Tai Chi every morning, which was odd, but art students were supposed to be odd. She had lots of acquaintances and friends, but no one knew more about Amaris than she wanted them to know. There was one guy though who was bound and determined to get to know this mysterious girl with the mysterious eyes.

Amaris and Paul Shelby were in the same literature class. He was an engineering major from South Carolina, and all the girls thought that he was the most gorgeous man on campus. He was built like an underwear model, and he had a smile to light up the world. He carried himself with style and an easy going flare. His confident swagger and southern drawl made the girls melt, except for one, the one he wanted. He decided to make his move one day before class.

"Do you ignore me on purpose?", he asked Amaris one day as they approached the front door to the building.

She stopped and looked at him. "No. Hello, Paul", she greeted him matter of factly, then tilted her head slightly as she thought back. "Didn't I say hello on Monday, and I do believe I said hello to you in the caff the other day." She grinned and reached for the handle, but he pulled the door open first. They stepped inside.

"You know what I mean."

Amaris shook her head as she kept walking. "No, I have no idea what you mean."

He had to rush to catch up. He finally decided to walk in front of her. "What I mean is, I have been tryin to get your attention for a while, and you just blow me off." She didn't say anything. She just let him dangle until he continued. "I mean I thought I was trying to play it right. This usually works for me." Paul scratched his head.

Amaris laughed then. "So basically what you're saying is that with you most girls ask themselves out."

He snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's it exactly. I just have to tell them what time to meet me."

Amaris nodded as he talked. "But you figured out that's not working with me."

"No, it's not."

Amaris shifted her hips. She was so sexy when she did that. "So what are you going do about that Mr. Shelby?" Amaris looked at him with a suppressed smile.

"I'm changing my tactics. I'm gonna to ask you out. There is a first time for everything" He paused and cleared his throat then leaned against the wall with exaggerated coolness. "Let's go out somewhere this weekend."

Amaris looked at him. "I like it. Straight to the point. Ok, Paul, I'll go somewhere with you this weekend. Where?"

"I'll surprise you."

Amaris started walking again. "Ok we're on, Paul, but I better be really surprised."

That Saturday, Paul drove Amaris out of the city in a borrowed Honda. They talked while he drove, but she never once asked where they were going. She even agreed to close her eyes as they approached his chosen destination. She opened her eyes when they stopped. Her mouth dropped open.

"You took me to a skeet shooting range!", she exclaimed.

"Yep! Are you surprised?"

Amaris still hadn't gathered herself. "Yeah, I am, Paul. I have to admit it takes a lot to surprise me, but you did it. I don't know if you get any points for romance, but..."

"Come on, I'll show you how to shoot." He opened the door and got one leg out.

Amaris stifled a laugh thinking back to the years of firearms instruction she'd had. "Tell ya what, let's just jump right to it."

"Are you sure? Guns can be dangerous", Paul told his date.

Amaris waved him off. "I've seen guns fired on television. How hard can it be?"

They were on the rage ten minutes later. Amaris had an over-under double barrel shotgun as did Paul. He had insisted on giving her the basics. He was so take charge as he went over the safety instructions. He carefully explained the procedure for calling for the pigeons and so forth.

Amaris patiently listened. "Can I go first?", she asked him, trying to sound at least a little nervous. He agreed, and Amaris turned towards the range. She loaded two shells into the breech just as Paul had showed her, and yelled, "Pull!", with authority. The two orange pigeons flew up. Amaris tracked them with the shotgun for a split second and fire two shots that sounded like one. The two pigeons exploded. She broke the shotgun, extracted the shells and loaded two more in one movement. "Pull!", she yelled again. Two more pigeons flew and there were two more puffs of clay in mid sky. Her four shots had come so quickly that the instructor at the other end of the range stopped in mid sentence.

"Holy shit", Paul breathed.

Amaris' smile took up her entire face. "Your turn." She rested the open shotgun over her arm and stepped aside grinning as if something amazing hadn't just happened.

"What the hell was that?"

"Oh", Amaris began after putting her hand on his shoulder. "Did I mention the man who raised me was a Marine sniper who did three tours in Vietnam?"

"No!" Paul slumped his shoulders. "That would have been something good to know before I brought you here because...." He turned towards the range. "Pull!" He fired two shots atop one another just like Amaris had done. He then repeated the feat a couple seconds later. "Because I could have brought more money with me."

Amaris' face lit up.

Paul laid his shotgun over his arm. "Did I mention that my dad was a Green Beret in 'Nam."

Amaris reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. She slapped it down on the railing. "Oohh." Paul narrowed his eyes and reached into this pocket. This was his last twenty. He put on the railing. They set a shell on the bills to cement their wager. Amaris went first once the range officials were ready to score it for them.

"Ready?", Amaris asked before she stepped up. Everyone nodded. "Shooter up", she said as she loaded her shotgun. "Pull four!", she screamed. Four pigeons flew and died in short order, littering the ground with clay dust. The other shooters, who had become spectators, cheered and clapped. "Your turn, Paul."

Amaris was pleased to see that he wasn't nervous. He shot down 4 a split second quicker than she had. The competition was on, and Amaris hated to lose. But lose she did. They were laughing about it on the way back to Philly. She didn't feel so badly about it despite Paul's gentle boasts. "Look, I barely lost and I haven't touched a gun in months. You work at the range, and didn't tell me. I want a chance to win my money back", Amaris told Paul.

"You're on", he said, but Paul wasn't confident that he'd win the next match. He had built an early lead on Amaris during that match, but she had come on strong near the end. A few more rounds and she probably would have overtaken him. She did beat him the next time out, but it didn't matter. He'd already won, because he and Amaris were an item. The untamable art student finally had boyfriend.

Everything wasn't fun for Amaris though. By the middle of her first semester, the money she'd made with Chet was running out. She had a little insurance money remaining that her parents had left her, but she didn't want to burn through it all, so after a short stint working with Julia as a model for a local department store, Amaris got a job as a waitress at a family owned joint not far from the sports stadiums. The fans came in regularly. Amaris quickly became a favorite with them because she kept up with the teams. If some guy wanted to vent about the sorry state of the Eagles or the Sixer's then Amaris was the waitress for them. It also helped that by now she was an absolutely gorgeous young woman with a million dollar smile and those exotic eyes that never lost their allure no matter how many times people saw them. She got hit on a lot. She was a good sport about their flirtations, but she wouldn't let them go too far since she was in a relationship.

Her work never got boring because she met so many different people, from big time execs to guys who worked the docks on the Delaware. She always had a smile, no matter how often the teams lost. This season was looking up for the Eagles and the Sixer's. That usually meant better tips. Amaris made sure she never mentioned that she was from Pittsburgh and pulled for the Steelers against the Eagles every time they played. Her lack of Philly loyalty aside, Amaris was just one of the gang at the restaurant until one Sunday evening.

"Order up", the cook called out.

"Its mine", Amaris said as she wove her way through the people standing near the serving window next to the bar. She smoothed out her uniform before she took the plates. Amaris' white button down blouse and black slacks were always clean and creased. She even kept her little black apron clean and straight. She took the two plates to a couple of guys from Lancaster who were in Philly for the game. She leaned over the table, one of the guys couldn't take his eyes off of her cleavage, and the other guy had his eyes glued to her ass. Both men had to fight the urge to reach out to find out if her assets felt as good as they looked.

"You guys enjoy yourselves", Amaris told them.

The two friends looked at each other. "We already have", they said at the same time.

Amaris smiled at them and went to the bar to get some beers. This bar served them in steins if the customer wanted. It was holdover, but lots of patrons liked it. Amaris took three steins in each hand.

"You sure you got that?", Rick, the bartender asked.

Amaris rolled her eyes, lifted the beers and went over to the table. "Your beers gentlemen." She set the beers down at this table.

"Hey, can I get a free fill on this beer if I guzzle it?", one of the guys at the table in a jersey asked.

Amaris winked at the guy. "I'm not supposed to, but for you... yeah you can get a fill."

"What about me?", one of the other guys asked.

Amaris turned towards him. "Sorry, he asked first." She sauntered away after the first guy failed on his guzzle attempt. Amaris had to deliver some drinks to the billiards area. The drunk guys with darts always made her nervous, but she went and dropped off the drinks. On the way back she saw Cheri, one of the other waitresses, pulling away from a guy. Cheri knew how to play the game with the guys as well as Amaris did. It helped with tips, but this was a little different. Cheri was trying to get away and this guy was holding her arm. She had been trying to laugh him off and pull away, but he was becoming insistent. Amaris looked around for one of the bouncers, but as usual they were off chatting up girls instead of doing their damn jobs. Amaris sighed and went over. Cheri was really trying to pull away now. Amaris took the guy by his middle finger and peeled it off. His other fingers quickly followed. Cheri was loose.

"Ow, that fuckin hurt!", the guy said.

Amaris could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Go get Bronk, Cheri. I'll stay here."

"Are you sure, Amaris?"

"I'll be fine", she assured the other waitress. Cheri went towards the office where the owner Bronk Lapinski was.

"You hurt my finger", the drunk said.

Amaris waved her hand in front of her nose. "If you keep talkin that's not all I'm going to hurt", Amaris warned him.

"You can't talk to me like that!", the guy slurred. Amaris wondered how Cheri had let this guy get so drunk. "I don't think I like you."

Amaris looked around impatiently. "Well, sir, I know I don't like you."

He pushed her shoulder. "Fuck you!"

Amaris took a step back. "Sir, don't start something you can't finish."

He reached out for Amaris again, but she moved away. He got mad and took a swing. Bronk, the owner, was on his way with Cheri when they saw the punch. He started running once he saw one of his waitresses getting attacked. He shouted for one of the bouncers. He shouldn't have worried.

The drunk guy threw another punch, but on his back swing, Amaris caught his wrist with her left hand. She stepped into him, bending it back. Then with no set up, her right leg flashed up. Her shin hit the guy in the forehead, and in the next instant her same leg was behind his head. The heel of her shoe struck the back of his head, hard. She kept her leg in the air and used the bend of her knee to roll him to the floor. He fell on his face with Amaris still holding his wrist.

Bronk, Cheri, and one of the bouncers ran up.

"Could you take this guy out of here, please." Amaris gave his wrist a little twist before she let him go. The bouncers dragged the guy out, while Amaris went back to the kitchen to check on her next order. Bronk looked at Amaris go back to work. He scolded the security guys. This wasn't a dangerous joint, but sometimes people could get rowdy. In the old days Bronk would have hauled people out two at a time by himself, but those days were gone. He was starting to think that he needed a new head of security though.

Amaris had to fend off questions from all the employees about what she had just done. She would have stayed in the kitchen area and bragged, but she had tips to make. It actually felt a little refreshing to knock that guy out. She hadn't done anything like that in over a year, but she didn't need anymore surprises at work. One good thing about the little disturbance though, was that the bouncers were actually paying attention.

It was late in the shift when Amaris was coming back from taking an order. She went to the serving window and clamped the ticket to the turn table. It was time for her break, but she just sighed and filled herself a glass of water. She had turned the glass up when she heard shouts coming from the bar. She looked, but didn't move. Reggie, one of the bouncers was confronting a guy at the bar. She shook her head, and kept drinking until she heard a crash then the sound of shattering glass.

"Hey put that down!", Reggie yelled. He was on his butt on the floor, a trickle of blood running from the side of his mouth, and a big red mark on his cheek. He was looking up a big guy who had just broken his beer bottle with a hard swing against the metal trim inlaid on the edge of the bar.

The guy with the bottle made one move towards Reggie before Amaris was on him. She moved faster than people would have thought a person could have. She took hold of the guy's right hand with both of hers then pushed it back and twisted using her entire body. His was big and strong, but not strong enough to resist her entire body. When he raised his chest to gain leverage to throw her off, his head spun towards her. Amaris back handed him in the jaw. Their momentum combined to make a loud smack. She reversed herself and punched him again. She raised his arm just a little, only to slam it against her rising knee, nearly dislocating his elbow. He cried out in pain and dropped the broken bottle from his weakened hand. Amaris released his arm. He stumbled forward. She kicked his leg from under him. A vicious spinning kick to the side of his head dropped him like a sack of flour.

"You okay, Reg?", Amaris asked with concern.

"Behind you!", Reggie yelled, but Amaris had already felt the other guy move.

He rushed up behind the slender waitress intending to wrap his arms around her and throw her into the bar, but instead the back of her head hit him squarely in the nose. His head went back as blood ran. Amaris kicked backwards between his legs. Her aim, as always, was right on. She caught both his balls with the heel of her shoe. His hands went to his crotch. He stumbled and staggered. Amaris hit him in the throat, causing him to gag. Then she took big handfuls of his jacket, and with a yell, she flung him over her shoulder. He hit without anything breaking his fall. She crouched over him and delivered a series of whip like punches to his face. She finally let him go, and he slumped to the floor, out cold.

"Any body else wanna fight!!!", Amaris yelled. The sweet flirty waitress was gone. In her place, the girl who had trained in the mountains stood ready to take on anything.

Everyone was silent until a couple of guys in the middle of the dining area started whistling and cheering like they were still at the game. Once those two started, the entire restaurant joined in, even folks who had only caught the tail end of the short brutal fight started clapping. Amaris' anger turned quickly to embarrassment. She headed behind the bar then out of sight in the back. She went to the locker and started putting her stuff in her bag.

Bronk came in. "You never told me that you're like a martial artists from a kung fu movie."

Amaris only came up to the 65 year old's chin. She shrugged her shoulders. "There wasn't a place for it on the waitress application."

"How long have you trained with that stuff?" In all his life, he had never seen two guys destroyed as quickly and efficiently, and he'd seen a lot of fights in his life. This slim 18 year old waitress was a like a whirlwind.

"Since I was 12", Amaris answered while looking at the floor.

Bronk shook his head. "I wish I had known that before I hired you on, cause now I'm gonna have to fire you."

Amaris was shocked. "But Mr. Lapinski! I won't do it again. I swear!"

He smiled. "I hope you will do it again, cause I want to hire you as the new head of security here at the restaurant. There's a pay raise in it too."

"Really?" She chuckled at her reaction only a moment earlier. He held out his hand. She shook it, and after that moment Amaris became the prettiest bouncer in town. Both Paul and Julia, who had become friends, were happy for her. They would even start to come to the restaurant to give her grief about being the bar's muscle, but to Amaris it wasn't a joke. She had people's safety in her hands. She needed to train. Despite wowing the people at the restaurant, Amaris knew that she was rusty, very rusty. She knew the skills, but she still needed to practice, so one afternoon, she called Chet.

She had been planning on keeping control of the conversation. She was no longer actively mad at Chet, but their relationship was strained. It turned out that Chet sounded as vulnerable on the phone as she had ever heard him. He wanted to keep her talking so he could hear her voice, and know that she was all right. That caught Amaris off guard. She didn't know how to react. She had never heard this much emotion from him, even when she joked with him. Whatever she'd had against Chet fell away after that call. Near the end of the conversation, she got the answer to her original question. He gave her the name of a hardcore gym in Philadelphia run by a former Navy Seal. Chet told Amaris that this man was a good operator. She knew that was code in the circles that Chet lived in. Operator meant a guy who had faced death, and had spit in its eye.

Amaris came to the gym, a converted warehouse, and saw a bunch of sweaty guys in various stages of combat. Some grappled while others boxed. Some rolled jujitsu, and others worked at a combination of everything. There were four full sized rings with large open areas in between. On the other side of the building were three mats laid out with men sparring on them as well. All the equipment was old, but good enough to do the job. The smell of sweat and blood assaulted Amaris' nose as soon as she came in. A few heads turned when the pretty young woman walked in, but no one went up to talk to her or to even find out why she was there. She looked at a pair of guys in a ring going at it. She had to jump back when a spray of blood came her way after a hard blow.

Amaris sighed and looked around for a locker room, but there wasn't one. There was only a bank of lockers stretching along one wall. She saw a guy open one and take something out. Those must be the ones to use. Amaris found an empty one and sat down on the hard wooden bench. She dropped her bag then sighed heavily. She knew she should have dressed before she came, but she hadn't wanted to seem presumptive. Instead she came into a gym with no locker room, but Amaris had never been shy. She shrugged and pulled her shirt over her head. That got heads to turn. She was completely oblivious to the lustful stares as she sat there in her bra for a few seconds before she stood up and pulled down her jeans. Now Amaris' gorgeous hard earned physique was only being covered by a flesh colored bra and lacy silk panties. She turned her back and her shapely ass was on full display. A guy in the clinch got thrown to the ground, and another go socked in the jaw when she'd decided to disrobe.

Amaris pulled on her tight shorts before pulling a sports bra over her head. She acted like she didn't see the guys around her, but of course she did. She crossed her legs and started taping her feet, paying special attention to padding her arches. She had a tendency to hurt her instep during fights. After taping her feet, she moved on to her hands. She had lots of practice at taping alone. With that done, she slid on athletic sandals. She was ready to face the guys.

They had regained a little composure by the time Amaris turned around, but she most definitely had their attention. A man with his hands behind his back approached. "Young lady, what are you doing, besides distracting my fighters?", he asked smugly.

This guy had his nerve. "Distracting? I was just suiting up."

"Oh? So why did you take your clothes off here?", he asked with a trace of annoyance.

"Does this place have a ladies locker room?"

"No", the man answered quickly.

"Then don't ask stupid questions. Where else was I going to change?"

A couple of fighters came towards her. "Hey, you better watch your mouth!", one of them shouted. "Show some fucking respect", another fighter yelled.

"Or what?" Amaris smiled when the fighters' faces fell. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Somebody told me this was the place in Philly to train."

"We don't train little girls. This club is for fighters."

"Do I look like I'm here for ballet practice?" Amaris hated male games and brinkmanship, but she knew how to play.

The first man crossed his arms and a couple more guys, big guys, stepped up behind him. This was fun. It had been a long time since Amaris let this side of her personality out.

"Is that supposed to intimidate me?" She laughed at their macho display. "I can see how this is going. So who's ass do I have to kick to get into this little club of yours?"

The fighters traded surprised looks and a couple whistled at this girl's tough talk.

The head guy spoke up then. "Why should I let you fight one of my fighters?"

"To make it official. Because if you refuse me a fight, I'll pick one on my own and kick the shit out of him, but that probably won't get me admitted."

"You talk really tough-"

"Cause I can back it up. Let me fight him." Amaris pointed at the biggest guy in the gym. The rest of the fighters laughed.

"She wants to fight Mongo!"

Amaris laughed with them. "Like from Blazing Saddles!" She laughed even louder. "Mongo-like-candy!", she imitated the character in her deepest voice, which wasn't deep at all.

The big blond haired Mongo stopped laughing and got angry.

"I won't have you insulting my fighters", the head man began angrily. "Get the hell out of my gym, before I have my guys throw you out. Take your tits and your ass with you." The guys laughed.

Amaris could feel the heat rush to her head, but the heat always turned to ice. Amaris bit down hard on her teeth and her face turned hard as stone. It was too bad that these guys didn't know what she looked like when she got mad. If they had, they probably would have run.

She kicked off her sandals and turned towards the lockers with the large group of men behind her still chuckling. The men hadn't even had time to relax before Amaris ran at the bank of lockers. It was only a few feet, but she ran like they were 100 yards away. Confusion was disarming, and Amaris knew it. As she got close to the lockers, she jumped, putting her feet out in front of her. Her momentum hurled her at the steel lockers. Her soles hit the doors then she ran up, one step, two steps, three steps, to the top of the lockers. With a grunt and a hard shove from her sexy legs, Amaris flew up and back. She sailed over their heads inverted until her somersault started. Her body angled over quickly. The guys below her only had time to crane their necks upward. They all did, but she was only aiming for one. Amaris skimmed over Mongo's head. She was going to land right behind him, as usual, her aim was perfect, but her feet didn't hit the ground. As she sail over his head, she opened her arms and clamped them around Mongo's thick neck. She wrapped her legs around his body, and squeezed them both. Amaris' arms were like human pincers around Mongo's bull neck. All the muscle he had built up didn't help him in the least. Amaris crushed his neck from all sides cutting off blood to his brain. He thrashed around. She twisted her face, and squeezed as hard as she possibly could. All the years of training had made Amaris' body like a human supercharger, getting every possible ounce of power from her muscles. Mongo's face turned all shades before he went to a knee then fell down, right on his face.

Amaris used Mongo like a stool to push herself up. The men turned to see this young woman standing over the biggest fighter in the gym like some sort of predator. Her chest rose and fell as she took deep breaths, and a couple of beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, but she looked ready to take on the world.

"Who else wants some", she taunted. A couple of guys took the bate. They ran at her. Amaris' right leg moved a millimeter as the first one approached then it fired four times in rapid succession. His knee, his stomach, his chest, and his chin got kicked faster than a person could count to four. The smack of her foot hitting his chin was tremendous. Each blow had been harder than the one before it. He went a knee. Amaris' loaded her right hand and punched him in the jaw. The sound was testament to her strength. In a blink she hit him again, and he fell onto his right side.

The second man was on her. He threw a punch, that barely missed the top of her head as she ducked. He crouched and moved in. Amaris hopped back while keeping her body ready to attack. As soon as she landed, her left leg came from the side. This kick was sharp and perfectly placed if not as hard. Then a slashing kick to his midsection. He lost his balance. He tried to regain it, but she planted her leg and flew at him. She bent her knee in mid air and drove it onto his chin. His neck was forced back. He stumbled, but didn't fall. Blood leaked from his busted lip, but he was a warrior. Amaris was impressed, but not merciful. A kick to the inside of his knee, but put him down. Then a spinning kick to the side of his head made his ears ring and his vision go dark. He fell to the mat, splashing in his own sweat.

No sooner had that guy fallen, than two more ran up with a third on the way. Amaris charged them all. She punched to her left and right, and put her foot out to trip the third one. They all ended up behind her, all shaking off her quick blows. Amaris ran parallel to them long enough to get some separation between the two who chased her and the third man who didn't. When the time was right, she reversed and attacked the solitary guy. She flew at him, all fists and knees. She punched and kneed as quickly and as powerfully as she could. She hit the man a dozen times before he could grunt once. He didn't fall, but he got creamed when a fellow student knocked him out trying to kick Amaris. He was way to slow. She went to the ground and spun up behind him. She wrapped her arm around his leg, and put her shoulder behind his calf. She stood up, taking his leg with her. He should have used his own weight to force her to the ground, but he hopped to keep his balance. It was already over. She swept out his one leg, and down he went. She stomped the pit of his stomach, then his chest. He curled up like a ball, coughing and wheezing. The third guy was there. She moved, but he was fast too. He didn't go for a one hit knock out of this girl. Instead he aimed at the last part of her body that could move out of his way. He kicked the back of her knee. Amaris stumbled. She tried to move away, but he lunged forward and kicked her in the small of her back. She was knocked forward. Her knee touched the ground, but she still tried to move until he reared back and punched this woman right on the side of her pretty face. The blow was hard enough to rock the slender girl. She went down face first. Blood trickled from the side of her mouth as she lay on the ground. All the furious energy and danger was gone in an instant. She was good, but she was still a girl. One punch from a guy was all it took.

Amaris squirmed and whimpered. The other guys cheered, and the man came closer, close enough for Amaris to kick him in the knee. He froze from the immediate pain and surprise, then she did something none of them had ever seen. She pushed up hard from the floor. Her entire body left the ground. She spun slowly, but as her body started back down, her leg arced forward and lanced a kicked to the fighter's jaw. She landed again, and did the same trick. The guy staggered. She hurried to her feet, and kicked him again in the side of the head. His eyes were unfocused as he fell to his knees, but he wasn't finished. He reached out and grabbed her shorts to pull her over his shoulder. Amaris stood her ground and raised her right hand. A single drop of sweat mixed with blood rolled off her knuckles before they crashed into his face with great force. Down he went.

She smiled and looked at the rest of the guys. "I was faking. You didn't think I could take a punch", she laughed then wiped some blood onto the back of her fist. She stood over her defeated opponents not really looking like she had been in a fight. Only the small trickle of blood by her lip showed that she had been touched. Her arms hung at her sides. Her legs stood apart, ready to move in any direction, and her eyes burned like natural gas flames. "Anyone else think they can draw blood?" Her challenge hit the fighters like one of her kicks.

More guys rushed at her, but the attack faltered when their teacher started laughing. "No! No! I've seen enough." He approached Amaris with a grin. "You must be the fighter Chet sent my way. He told me to look out for a fighter dangerous enough to scare you, and cocky enough to piss you off." He chuckled and shook his head. "He just didn't tell me to expect a girl." He patted Amaris on her shoulder. "Welcome to the club."

Amaris lost a little of her free time when she started training at the gym three times a week, but she had enough time for her friends. She and Paul were going strong, and she and Julia went everywhere together, but Julia wouldn't go to that hardcore gym with her cousin. One look at the brutality turned her off for good. Amaris tried to explain the feeling of power and control the training gave, but Julia wanted no part of it. Amaris immersed herself in it. Those guys trained on the edge, and it was bringing out that part of herself that she had tried to hide, that tainted dark side that used to control her, and scare her. Amaris had worked hard at rebuilding her life above the ruins of her life, but just below the surface that bottomless pit of pain and anger stayed waiting for a crack in her facade so that it could come out. When it did, Amaris became unafraid and cold. The guys loved training with a girl who was scary good and sometimes just plain scary.

Amaris tried not to let the training affect the rest of her life. She wanted to keep that part of herself away from her friends especially Paul. He knew that she could fight, but even he had no idea how good she really was. She hadn't really been trained to fight people, she had been trained to hurt them and even kill them. She didn't want many people to know just how dangerous she really was. She tapped into a little bit of that danger when she went to work. Every now and then an urge would come on her to do more damage, to hurt a guy just a little more than he needed, but she fought back. She kept herself impassive and wouldn't allow herself to enjoy her job too much.

As a waitress she was chatty and flirtatious, but she was none of that as the head of security. Her eyes were intense and focused. She stayed out of the lights, preferring to hover around the perimeter waiting to break up trouble. She was a person that looked the same and talked the same as the waitress that had been hired a few months earlier, but now she was all business. Even her movement was a little different. The only people she talked to regularly at work were some of her old regulars from waiting tables. She wouldn't talk long, just enough to be polite and to make sure that they tipped their new waitress just like they had tipped her.

On the way to work, Amaris made a transformation from the student to the bouncer. It took a while. She was almost in the right frame of mind for her shift when she got a surprise.

John Hesse was sitting at a table drinking a beer when she walked in. The twenty-one year old was wearing civilian clothes and nursing a Miller Lite. Amaris smiled and walked over. "Hey", John said and stood up to hug her.

"What are you doin' in Philly?", Amaris asked as she hugged her foster brother. They didn't used to hug, none of the Hesse's did, but Amaris wasn't a Hesse. She couldn't help herself. While the Hesse still didn't really hug or kiss each other, they occasionally did both to Amaris. "Last I heard, you were in the Persian Gulf."

"I'm stationed in Annapolis now, and I came to see you", he said with in his slow easy way.

"Well that's nice of you", Amaris said as she took a drink from his beer. She was still 18, but no one was going to hassle her.

"They told me you bounce this place."

Amaris leaned back and folded her arms trying to look tough. "That's right. Don't make trouble, John, or I'll have to bounce you right off the sidewalk."

"You'll try." They laughed together. Amaris could usually take John, but not always. "That's not the only reason I came", he admitted. "I've been talking to your cousin for a while, ever since the beginning of the school year."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, we've been talking, and I want to ask her out on a date. I only mention it to you cause, I don't want it to seem weird."

"Oh, weird? How?"

"Well, me and you kinda grew up together, and I've always thought that... well I mean, you know, I've always thought that you were pretty, but not in that way... you know what I mean." His face turned very red.

Amaris nodded. "Yes, John, I know what you mean", she said to calm him.

"When I saw Julia, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen."

"Yeah, she's beautiful. So what's weird?"

John sighed. "You two look like twins almost", he blurted. "Everybody says so. Julia's told me on the phone that sometimes her own mother got you two confused when you lived with them. If I'm so attracted to her, doesn't that mean that I'm like.. you know secretly attracted--"

"Woah! Stop right there." Amaris held up her hand. "Julia and I do look alike, but our personalities are completely different. You're attracted to her. How could we be attracted to each other?" She twisted up her face. "I've watched you pop zits in the bathroom."

John looked up. "Hey, I've watched you shave underarm hair."

It was Amaris' turn to blush. John hung his head and sighed after a little nervous laugher. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't take it the wrong way that a guy like me was after Julia. I know you're kind of protective."

Amaris leaned forward and took his hand. "You're a great guy. She's lucky. I can't think of a better guy for her to date. I mean it."

"Good, cause I'm gonna try and ask her today."

"Go get 'em tiger."

John stood up and walked out, taking one more look at the girl who had become his other sister. She was happy for him and for Julia. John wanted to make sure he didn't blow it, but he did leave her to pay for his beer.

It took some work, but by the second semester John and Julia were a couple. He would drive the two hours from Annapolis several times a week to spend time with Julia, and they were perfect for each other. John was a serious minded guy, and Julia had always been a serious minded girl. Amaris felt it was her job to inject some fun, but she gave Julia plenty of room to be with John. Amaris wasn't the jealous type. She was glad that her bag of vices didn't include that one. She had plenty to go around.

At the end of the school year, Amaris was eager to go home to West Virginia. These days Amaris feared being alone more than dying. Ruth had gotten home a week earlier, and she had done some training of her own. She'd put on at least ten pounds of lean muscle over the school year. Amaris was impressed, and it made their sparring sessions much more interesting. Mr. Hesse enjoyed watching and even instructing a little, but he didn't take part. He was much too weak. The doctors couldn't find a thing physically wrong with him. Some thought that it was a late onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but Mrs. Hesse wasn't convinced. He was often distracted and quiet, but when his family was around him, some of his fire would return, in his understated way. Chet came by the house regularly and Amaris even spent a few nights there with him. It strange not having John around, but he had taken Julia on a cruise to the Caribbean. After her birthday, Amaris traveled with her nicely tanned cousin to Bismarck so Amaris could spend some time with Marlene. She was doing better, but there was never enough time, and soon she was back to school.

Once back in Philly, she picked up where she left off with most things, her job, her friends, and even Paul. She hadn't been sure, but it turned out that he was a much more serious guy than she had thought. Only school itself was different, because she was maturing. She made a change from traditional to more modern expressions where she could use all of her emotions, mixing the ugly with beautiful and the putrid with the pristine. She was expressing herself, all of herself. The other side pulled Amaris away from happiness, even if being happy was her nature. That pushing and pulling inside was constant, and it showed up in her sculptures and her paintings. She had started painting because Dr. Perlov wanted Amaris to expand her creativity. It turned out that while she liked working in three dimensions, that she was a pretty good painter with a wonderful command of figures and a surprisingly good command of colors. For a while, she turned out a painting or two a week during fits of inspiration. Her paintings hung in the fine arts buildings on campus, but that wasn't good enough for Dr. Perlov. She had high opinions of Amaris' art, and she wanted to see what others thought. It was time for Dr. Perlov to call in a favor. She told Amaris that she was sending one of her paintings to New York. It wasn't often that a second year student had a painting make it to a gallery in the Big Apple, but Amaris did. Her work was promptly purchased by a wealthy business man from the Upper East Side. He called the artist shortly after he got the painting home.

"You let your artwork sell too cheaply", the Broker told Amaris just after she said hello.

"What do you mean?" She had been studying when the phone had rang.

"I am in my study Miss Johanssen with a wonderful piece that I just picked up from Pirrelli's Gallery on 6th. It's a black canvas that the artist painted completely white, just so she could use ominous colors and shapes over the rest of it."

Amaris closed her book and her body filled with excitement. "You bought my painting!"

"Its called Peace, right? It has your very fancy signature."

Amaris sat up in her chair. "I can't believe you bought it. Thank you! You must have known that it was there. Who told you?"

The Broker leaned back in his chair. "No one. I had a wall that looked too bare, and I went to find something. Pirrelli's always has good pieces. I saw Peace when I first walked in. I did not even look at the artist name until I had decided to buy. It just spoke of genius, but as I look though, nothing is too peaceful. Lots of activity and motion, and all of it evil like a scene from the Inferno."

Amaris just smiled as she imagined the Broker studying the canvas more closely. "Do you see it?", she asked.

"Ah", he breathed. Near the side of the painting, sat a partially obscured song bird perched on a branch, protected from the chaos by the canopy of the tree and by a ray of sun that shined only on him. Amaris had always been able to put wonderful emotion in her art, and just looking at the serenity and peace of that bird made the ugliness around the bird melt away. "I see it now. Quite subtle and mature for someone who hasn't reached 20."

"I've lived a lot in my nineteen years."

"And it shows in your works. Your paintings are not as refined as your sculptures, but its like watching a budding genius."

"Please don't flatter me Mitya. It goes straight to my head."

The both laughed. "Then how about some intimidation. Take some time off and come to New York with me."

She did take off from her job to spend a couple of days in the Big Apple. She had been there before, but this was the first time she had been to the Broker's home near Park Avenue, and the first time she had gotten to meet the art elite in the nation's biggest city. Amaris had never felt more provincial in her life. The Broker introduced her to people, but she just couldn't get over who they were. She was meeting face to face with art critics who could make or break careers and with the well heeled patrons who bought the high priced art. She had read about them all her life. While other girls were reading gossip mags, Amaris was reading boutique art journals. She was nervous, but these people welcomed her like a breath of fresh air into a normally stale world.

"I have seen some of your paintings", a critic began in French accented English. "Dimitri assures me that your sculptures are even better. From what I have seen, you have real talent unlike most of the young people that I am forced to placate."

"Thank you. I just hope that I'm not being placated", Amaris replied in French.

The critic nodded approvingly. "You are most certainly not being placated. You have passion and talent. A rare combination, and above that, you are an interesting personality. Don't let the world change you too much. It can make people like you bitter and angry, and the beauty will go away."

"That's why I sculpt and paint. That way the beauty is always with me, even in the bad times."

The critic looked at Amaris and finished his wine. "Do you know Lars Bruntland?"

Amaris shook her head.

"I think you will soon. I will talk to Edith. She's always been a reasonable woman. Pleasure to meet you, Amaris. I expect great things from you. Perhaps a showcase of only your work."

Amaris smiled ear to ear. "I'll try my best." Amaris spoke to other critics, but none spoke to her like the first one had. The rest of the night was spent talking to rich people who wondered if she would paint their portraits. She had never done a portrait, but she might one day. After returning from New York, Amaris redoubled her efforts at art. Her hard work would pay off very soon.

Before the end of the first semester, Amaris found out that she had been accepted into a prestigious exchange program. Dr. Perlov had brought the acceptance letter herself. They had jumped around the studio for a while, and the department had thrown a party for their rising star. There was always competition within the community of artists, but they were happy for Amaris. It was easy to be happy for someone who worked so hard, but it wasn't easy for Amaris to explain it to Paul.

"Don't make this harder for me", Amaris pleaded with Paul. The sun was still high in the sky illuminating the Grotto, but Paul had closed his eyes and turned his back. It had been hard enough for him to be apart over the summer, and now she was going away again.

"Man, Amaris why are you doing this to me? I've never been this serious with a girl before, but its hard."

Amaris sat next to him. "I didn't see this coming, but its a big opportunity. There were only five spots open in this program for the entire country, and I got one. Can you believe it. I'm going to work at the restoration and curation office at the Norwegian National Gallery and study at Oslo U. Please, Paul, be happy for me."

He turned towards her. "I'm really happy for you. I'm feeling sorry for myself." He leaned in and kissed his girlfriend. Her lips always tasted so sweet. "I'm supposed to be young, handsome, and shallow. What have you done to me?"

Amaris kissed him. "I have that affect on people."

"Yeah." They kissed again. "I'll be here when you get back."

It was a quick turnaround for her. Right after Christmas, Amaris dusted off her passport and got ready to leave. Since her flight was from New York, she got a chance to eat dinner at the Broker's posh pad. He gushed about Amaris to his other guests, and after dinner he invited her up to see some of his collection. The next morning, he had his personal chauffeur drive her to the airport. When she got there, she found out that he had upgraded her ticket to first class.

While Amaris was on a plane leaving New York, her name was being spoken in the city, but not at the Broker's home. Instead a German jet setter was talking about her in less than flattering terms to someone who knew Amaris quite well.

"She's a failure of monstrous proportions!", Morgen Stern railed.

"I think you expected too much", Chet replied. He took a glass of wine and sipped. "You can't just make people what you want them to be."

"Yes, I can! That is what I do, Mr. Perkins. People do whatever I tell them to do."

Chet set his glass down on the table. "Didn't work on Ted Hesse. He's been resisting your control for years, ever since he let her start carving again."

That seemed to touch a nerve. Morgen was usually amused at everything, but he had none of that charm right now. "That is the lowest level of what I can do", he hissed. "I could have forced him!"

"But you'd have to be very very close, like within ear shot", Chet began. "I know how your power works, Morgen, and I know you couldn't risk Amaris finding out about you. That is unless you wanted the first man Amaris killed. So you tried the crock pot approach. You put the suggestion in Ted Hesse's mind to kill his own family, but he's been resisting you. I know that approach usually works."

"But not with Ted Hesse. He's a strong man, and I give him that." He paced the room running his hands through his golden hair. "She is on the brink, and I know it! She has a safety net. Every time that beast wants to come out, she has her cousin, or her boyfriend, or the Hesse's, or her art to fall back on. It keeps her from losing touch. That beast needs to be let loose. When it is, she'll be the perfect weapon, and we'll have the reigns."

"You and Dimitri will have the reigns."

"Don't speak his name right now. He's been trying to sabotage our plans for this girl from early on. He believes that she can be redeemed. We've spent millions on her, and then he wants to give her away. He's behind this award to study in Europe. He put her in the path of those art people. He made sure she met who she needed to meet."

"She still had to earn that opportunity."

The man stopped and set his perfect face on Chet. "I never said that she wasn't a talented sculptor, but who cares. She should be training at being more dangerous."

"She has all the skills she needs."

The man exhaled and his face softened with a dilemma resolved. "She must have the proper motivation. You were supposed to give her that motivation, but instead you have taken the Broker's side. I had always thought that you were a heartless bastard, now I can see that you are only mostly heartless."

"Its not my fault you picked a nice kid to try and turn into a weapon." Chet finished his wine, uncrossed his legs and stood up.

"She's almost broken. I know it."

Chet pulled his jacket on. "Look, I don't care. She might yet become the weapon you want her to be, but not the way you thought. I'm not against it, but I won't push her anymore. I'm finished with that."

"I won't stop. I'll have my assassin."

Chet nodded. "Maybe so, but leave Ted Hesse alone. That ship has sailed. He better start improving, or I'll blame you, Morgen."

The blond man frowned and leaned forward. "What does that mean?"

"It means that no one is untouchable. Just remember that, Morgen." Chet opened the door and left. Morgen stood near the window for a long time, thinking. He wouldn't give up; he would plan. He had a year to get his plan together and to get his pieces in place. He knew that it had a small chance of working, but Morgen Stern would get some luck along the way.

In Norway, Amaris found a place away from her temptations. Her problems were always with her in some ways, but this chance to study and work abroad was wonderful. Working with the other students and with the curators was a once in a lifetime experience. Her fellow students were open and welcoming. It helped that most of them spoke good English and Amaris spoke excellent standard Norwegian. She started noticing that there were a lot of people here with her last name. That got her interested in her roots. Amaris rarely thought about that sort of thing. She was more of a here and now person, but in her free time, she started going through old records. She made her way to Trondheim and to some other places that she found, but she hit pay dirt when she went to Voss, Norway. That was where her father's grand father had been born. There were even some distant relatives there.

Once Amaris started traveling, she couldn't stop. She went to Sweden first and found some records about some other relatives, then she went to Europe proper, going to Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and all the way to Turkey. She spent her 20th birthday at the Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul. It was great beyond words. She had gone with some friends from Oslo University. The entire experience was wonderful, but Amaris was starting to miss home. After her exams in Oslo, it was time to head back.

Amaris smiled as the Customs guy welcomed her back to the United States. While working with Chet, her passport had been well used, even if they hadn't always stayed in the country they had traveled to. It had been fun as an expatriate for a year, but she was ready to see some familiar faces. Two were waiting.

"Amaris!", Julia yelled loudly enough to be heard over the airport's mummer. They ran up and hugged each other tightly. Amaris' next hug was for John Hesse.

"Thanks for picking me up guys. I have presents for you. Well in my bag, I have presents for you both", Amaris told them as they got into John's crew-cab Dodge Ram. Amaris didn't object to sitting in the back. It was good to be in Philly. It was quite different from Oslo, newer and older at the same time. John drove them to Julia's apartment in the Powelton area just north of Penn's campus.

"Just put the bags anywhere", Julia told her boyfriend, who was hefting Amaris' luggage.

"You could have helped carry all of this", he told her through clenched teeth.

Amaris leaned down in his ear. "Of course I could have, but why would I when you were volunteered." She scrunched her face at him, almost like she used do to her older brother Carrell all those years earlier.

"I would have thought that a year in peaceful Norway would have softened you at least a little."

Amaris crashed onto her cousin's sofa. "Not a chance."

Later that day, Amaris took John's Ram down to South Philly. Baseball season was in full swing, even if the Phillies weren't. She sauntered into the restaurant/bar where she had broken up so many fights. She had missed this place too, though no one paid any special attention to the woman walking up the bar. She didn't want them to. "Scotch neat", Amaris called out once she sat on a stool.

"Sure, just let me see some ID", the bartender called out before he turned with a big smile. "You're back." He hurried over. Amaris was already leaning across the bar. "Damn good to see you."

Amaris smiled and her eyes glinted in the light coming in through the windows. "It's damn good to be back. I missed you guys." Rick, the bartender, made sure that all the staff came out to welcome Amaris back. She handed out presents to everyone, including a bottle of Polish beer she'd bought on a two day trip to Warsaw. He drank it while Amaris told stories about things she had seen and places that she had visited while in Europe. It reminded her of high school.

She took a seat at a table while Bronk brought one of his famous cheesesteaks. While Amaris was eating, John Hesse came in. He ambled right over to Amaris' table and took half her cheesesteak.

"Hey, that's not funny. I was gonna eat that."

"That's payment for carrying your bags", John said with a mouth full of sandwich.

"How'd you get down here anyway?"

"I rode your bike."

"My baby's here?"

"I brought it from home", John told Amaris after he swallowed his half of the sandwich. "I brought it on my truck last time I was there."

"Thanks", she told him.

"Its good to see you, Amaris", he said, putting humor aside.

"You too. I was fun, but I wanted to get back with you guys."

"Thanks for the present." John fumbled with his hands for a moment then reached in his pocket. He pulled out a little white box and put it on the table next to Amaris' hand. "Tell me what you think about that."

Amaris reached out and opened the box. Shock hit her like a lightning bolt. She was face to face with an engagement ring. "Oh my God, John. When are you gonna... You know."

"Ask Julia to marry me?" John ordered a beer after saying those words. The waitress brought him a Yuengling. He quickly drank half of it. Amaris was patient while he got himself together. "I was planning on asking her this weekend. We're going to New York. I've been trying to scout places, but I don't know yet."

"I'd pick someplace high up, World Trade Center or the Empire State Building. The Statue of Liberty is too crowded. Oh, and she's a sucker for a sunset", Amaris spit out rapid fire. "But you already know that." She stood and hugged John across the table. "I am so happy for you!"

"She hasn't said yes yet."

"But she will. Julia can't talk about anything other than you. Last time I e-mailed her from Oslo, she told me that she's turning down Harvard Medical and going to Johns Hopkins, which is kind of a lateral step, but anyway she's doing it to be closer to you."

"I hope so. I'm more scared about this than I was when I got shot at the first time."

"You'll do fine", Amaris told her foster brother, and he did. He proposed to Julia at the observatory of the Empire State Building just as the sun was going down. It had caught Julia off guard, but she had been more than ready for him to ask.

Amaris personal life was a little less tidy. She had lost touch with Paul a few months after going to Norway. He was studying in Seoul at Kwangwoon University during the summer and fall. It was just as well. Amaris needed the emotional space. She had flings with guys, nothing became too serious. She devoted herself to her studies instead and got a job at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was a good thing that she had experience working at the museum in Oslo because the museum in Philly was massive. She trained at the hardcore gym everyday and bounced on the weekends, but most of her week was dedicated to her first love.

Paul returned in December during the middle of exams. He caught up with friends and was the center of attention. Once again the girls were after him, but he had his eyes on one in particular. It took him a couple of hours to build up the courage to knock on Amaris' dorm room. The roommate opened. "Hey, Paul", she'd greeted him with a flirtatious look.

Amaris sighed, but Paul convinced her to take a walk with him. At first they didn't say much. Amaris just told him about the places she had gone and the people she'd met. Paul did the same, talking about the differences between Korea and the US. While they were talking, Paul reached out and took Amaris' hand. She pulled it away.

"I have to know you're serious", she told him after they walked for a while longer.

"I am, Amaris. I told you that I'd be waiting for you. I don't want any other girl but you. Hell, I've tried. I won't lie. I mean you have me all wrapped up inside, and I went against it, but it didn't work. You're the one."

Amaris took Paul's hand gently. Their breath showed in the cold winter air and their boots crunched the snow beneath as they walked on. They were on the back side of a building when she stopped and kissed him. "You better mean what you said. Cause if you dump me, you won't like it."

Paul didn't take her bait, he just stared into Amaris' eyes. She was so beautiful. Her face was as innocent as could be, but she had body built for trouble. Deep down Amaris was the sweetest person Paul knew, but he had to navigate the brambles and thorns of her defenses to get there.

"I got you a present", Paul said as they neared her dorm. He pulled out a shiny metallic cylinder. "Here. I know it looks like a big lipstick case, but hold the handle then jerk it forward."

Amaris tested the weight of the thing. It was heavier than it looked. She looked skeptical before she pulled her arm back then whipped it forward. She heard a click as the top of the cylinder came open and a steel cable extended out about six feet. The heavy top was still attached to the cable. It fell to the snow. Amaris swung it around over her head then operated "What the hell is this?"

"That little inertial operated gyro stabilized whip got me an 'A' on my mechanics final in Korea. I was thinking about you when I designed it. It sleek; its perfectly balanced, and its dangerous without looking like it all the time."

Amaris laughed. "You should put some barbs or razors on it. Then it'd be dangerous. Right now it would just hurt really bad."

"Hmm... I'll think about that." They held hands and he walked her back to her dorm.

Over Christmas, Amaris had started to plan for her future. She had never done that, but in idle moments Amaris would imagine she and Paul in a house with kids. She would scold herself for letting her imagination get loose, but she couldn't help it. She was falling in love with Paul, and she could feel it, but that was scary. Over Christmas, Amaris got a kitten as a present from John and Julia. She kept the cat for a week before she even entertained keeping it. After a week, she started warming up to it, but the best present she got was a healthy Mr. Hesse. It turned out that over the last year, his symptoms had been getting less and less until he felt completely normal. He was even taking his morning jogs again. He had a clean bill of health.

Back in Philly, Amaris had an apartment of her own. She had to because she couldn't keep her Christmas present at a dorm. She got a place in the village around Villanova with a very special roommate.

"Move Elskede!", Paul yelled at his girlfriend's cat. He refused to claim the furry animal as his own. "Amaris what's in all these boxes?"

"Christmas decorations", she told him. "They're from my old house in Pittsburgh. They've been in storage in North Dakota for like ten years, but Aunt Marlene sent them to me now that I have a place of my own. Next year, I hope I can decorate the place with them." It wasn't to be.

That afternoon, Amaris was in St. Thomas Chapel on the campus. Tears fell onto her folded hands as she knelt in the pew. She didn't sob or whimper, but she couldn't dry her eyes. Her aunt had been doing well, then Amaris had gotten a call about Marlene going to the hospital because of stomach pain. That was Monday, and by Thursday she was dead. Amaris wondered how, and why. Then she felt an arm around her.

"Its hard at first to accept", Father Monroe said as he knelt next to Amaris. She had often sought out Father Monroe during her time at school. He had seen the hard side of life too, but survived it. Amaris wasn't so sure she would make it.

"Death is a part of life. I understand that. Why did she have to die so young? There's no fairness in it. There's no reason to it. Her ex-husband, he's the jerk who should be dead, not my aunt. Why?"

"I wish I knew", Father Monroe began. "Some days I pray for answers, and I only get more questions. Sometimes it might strain our faith in the Lord."

Amaris shook her head and wiped her eyes. "When she got sick, I came here after class for a while, just to pray. That's what Mr. Hesse and my aunt would have wanted me to do."

"What did you want to do?"

"Praying was all I could do. I mean God answers prayers all the time. When my family was murdered, I prayed... for myself". Guilt rose up, her old guilt. She wanted to push it away like she had done for so many years, but she deserved the pain. She let it wash over her. "I almost with He hadn't heard me. Sometimes I wish I had just died."

"Amaris, you've enriched the lives of others. I would be willing to bet that the your foster family is already on the way to be with you. Sometimes, we have to be careful to count our blessings and not to dwell on our hardships", Father Monroe counseled Amaris.

"It's more than that. The bad's always chasing me, Father", Amaris sobbed. "I fight it, and I run, but its always right behind me. Bad stuff comes in bunches when it comes to me. It's taken my aunt, and it won't stop there." Amaris inhaled sharply and sat up. She finally understood. "The darkness wants me. It won't stop until it has me, and I don't think I can outrun it anymore. Its going to catch me."

Father Monroe pulled the shaking girl to him. "Keep your faith, and keep fighting. You're a strong person."

Amaris knew then that it might be too late. She had never been strong enough. Amaris spoke with Father Monroe for a little while longer, when she got herself together and started out of church. She stopped and looked at the crucifix then rubbed the medal at her neck, thinking about the meaning of both symbols before she walked out the door. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff with nothing to protect her. Anything would send her over the edge.

Amaris was walking to her motorcycle when her cell phone rang. "Hello."

"How are you holding up?", Ruth asked.

"Not good", Amaris admitted.

"We're almost there. We'll meet you at Julia's apartment in about twenty minutes. We're with you, Amaris. Don't forget that."

That made Amaris smile. It was what she needed to hear. "I love you all, and be safe. I'll see you soon." But she never would.

Amaris got on her bike and started down the road towards the apartment. It was the longer way, but she wanted time to think and to hear the wind in her ears. She hoped the Hesse's weren't on the expressway. It was crazy at this time of day. She thought to call Ruth back, but she didn't. I wouldn't matter. Traffic was going to be bad one way or another. She headed towards Powelton. She was alone with her thoughts as she went down the road. Traffic started to back up, and Amaris looked for routes around it. Then she noticed a column of black smoke rising in the distance. Then the sounds of sirens, helicopters, and gunfire. She reached into the pocket of her black and yellow leather jacket and pulled out her cell phone. She called Ruth and got no answer. Then she tried Mrs. Hesse. Neither answered, then her phone rang. It was Julia. Her cousin was frantic. Amaris couldn't get anything out of her. Amaris lowered the visor on her helmet and yanked the throttle. In seconds she was zooming down the street dodging cars by mere inches. She would get there too late to save some and just in time to save others.

It was a normal day in Philly at quitting time as Ted Hess drove his station wagon down the expressway towards the exit. They had left the house soon after hearing about Amaris' aunt. The two families had grown close since Marlene had reentered her niece's life. Ruth had driven from Marshall and then they had come together to be with Amaris. Ted knew first hand how tough Amaris was, but she didn't take loss well. She had been upset for a long time when her friend Amy's grandfather had died. It was hard for her to lose anyone she had let into her heart. Ted knew that she would be low right now, but she'd pep back up.

While he was looking for his exit, Ruth was in the back seat looking at the skyline. She loved coming to the big city. She hadn't traveled around as much as Amaris, but they both promised each other that after college they would hobo their way around the world, just the two of them. While she was looking down South Street, she saw lots of blue lights all over the area. She frowned and looked closer. "Do you see that, Dad?", she asked.

"I see it", Mrs. Hesse answered.

"Yeah, I see it too. Probably some idiot robbed a bank", Mr. Hesse guessed.

He was right. A hired gang of thieves had broken into the First Savings Bank and robbed the vault. One of the tellers had managed to hit the silent alarm, and he'd lost his life for it. The gang had been after the stuff in the vault, not the life of some teller, but three tellers had died after the alarm had gone off plus four customers. Just a minute ago, one of Philadelphia's finest had also died, shot through the heart. It was turning out to be a bloody day in the City of Brotherly Love. Their getaway car was an old Caprice with a bored out supercharged engine that could accelerate between city blocks faster than the cops could. They were going to have to ditch this ride soon though. The cops would have helicopters in the air and then the speed would mean nothing. The helicopter was already in the air directing the squad cars. The driver of the getaway car smashed it, pushing the engine to the limit. The Chevy zoomed down the street with the cops in pursuit. When the police got close enough, the bank robbers stuck their guns out the windows and fired into the cop cars. Two innocent people were struck. The police thought that this was getting out of hand, but it hadn't even started yet.

There was a man in Philly who knew that this was his opportunity. Morgen Stern hadn't planned for the bank robbery, but he would use it to his advantage. He activated the control that he'd been carrying in his pocket for the last six months. It was show time.

Ted Hesse got off at his exit and turned towards Powelton just north of Penn. He turned right into the path of the chase. "Shit", he said under his breath as he tried to move out of the way. He hit the accelerator and turned the wheel hard to the left to cut into a parking lot. The car sped up, but the wheels didn't turn left. They stayed straight. Ted Hesse hit the brakes, but they went to the floor. He spun the wheel to the right, but the car stayed straight. A dump truck full of rocks pull onto the road during a break in the line of cars. The driver guessed that anyone coming up the street would have time to slow down now that his truck was more than halfway out. Ted Hesse saw the truck, but he couldn't stop. He tried to move and steer. The car kept going faster and faster right at the truck. His wife yelled for him to do something, and Ruth called out for him to stop or swerve. He did the only thing he could do; he turned off the ignition then pulled the parking brake. The engine stopped and the tires locked as the rear of the dump truck filled the windshield of the station wagon. The vehicle slowed a little just before it crashed into the back of the 20 ton truck. The impact was tremendous, but not fatal. Ted Hesse was dazed. He could feel a cut on his head and his face stung from getting hit by the airbag. He unbuckled his seat belt, and looked over at his wife. She was moaning, but alive. He looked through his shattered windshield. The engine of his ruined car was on fire. It was time to get out. He managed to unbuckle his wife as well. He called his daughter's name.

"I'm here, Daddy", Ruth moaned through the pain.

"Its going to be okay", Ted was so happy that his family was alive that nothing else mattered until he turned to his right. "Oh God! Brace yourself Ruth!", were the last words Ted Hesse would ever say.

The Caprice came down the street with the cops close behind. The driver glanced in his rearview and never saw the station wagon hit the dump truck. He heard it. He turned his head round too late. The right front of the Caprice hit the Hesse's car so hard that it split one side open like a biscuit can and flattened the other side like an accordion.

The damage that hadn't been done by the first crash was done by the second. The bank robbers got out of the car with their guns ready. Two were bleeding and the driver had a broken leg, but that didn't stop them from standing in the street and firing at the cops. Bullets ripped through the windshields as the police pursued the bank robbers. They ducked from the spray of lead and glass. One car slammed through a store front, pinning a customer against the counter. Another police car hit into the side of a parked car. Still another hit the back of the Caprice. Both cops in that car died when the men opened up on them. They died before their hands could even reached for the door handles.

The second jolt hurt Ruth badly. Her insides felt like they were on fire. Her ribs were broken, and she was bleeding internally. The hood of the car was smoking and then the gas from the Caprice made it to the hot engine and it all burst into flames beneath the station wagon.

"Somebody HELP!", Ruth yelled, but no one heard her over the gunfire. People had already called 911, but the fire trucks and the ambulances weren't on their way. They being held off by the gun battle.

Paul had been on the second floor balcony of Julia's apartment when he heard the first wreck. The sound of crumpling sheet metal was unmistakable. It was only 100 yards away on the main street. He had a clear line of sight, and after a second thought, he decided to take a look. He squinted against the glare of the late winter sun as he looked out over the roofs of the one story buildings . He gasped when he saw the getaway car hit the station wagon. That was the sort of crash no one ever wanted to see. He frowned. He had seen a station wagon like that before.

"Oh no", he breathed. "John! Come here!"

John Hesse reluctantly left his grieving fiancee's side. He ran up the stairs three at a time. "What is it?"

Paul pointed a shaky finger. "Tell me that's not your parents' car."

John looked where Paul was pointing and bolted. He ran back down the stairs. Paul was right behind him. "Stay here, Julia", John said as he threw open the door and ran out. Paul ran out too. Both of them sprinted towards the car, but they should have armed themselves. The gunshots started, but neither man even slowed. John had to get to his parents and sister, and Paul was going to help.

They made to the sidewalk when the police car had slammed into the building next to them. The bank robbers were in the middle of the street like an old west shoot-out. The police returned fire, but their weapons weren't enough. Even a cop who took refuge behind the door of his car was shot dead. The bank robbers yelled and cursed and shouted about their invincibility. They started shooting anyone they saw. They shot through shop windows and at the two guys standing on the sidewalk.

John and Paul hit the ground and rolled behind a planter. The bullets couldn't go through it so the robbers looked for another target. "There's movement in the car!", John yelled to Paul who was only a foot away.

"I saw it", Paul kept his head moving left and right. There was nowhere to run, but he kept looking anyway.

"PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!!!", the police captain yelled over his megaphone. The robbers responded by shooting up a squad car so badly that it burst into flames. The robbers started looking for ways out. None of them were in this for the glory of a last stand. They were in it for the money, and now they only had to split it six ways. One went to a parked car in front of the dump trunk. While the gun battle raged behind him, he calmly started hot wiring the car. Another took the bags of loot out of the busted up Caprice.

Inside the Hesse station wagon, Ruth was trying to rouse her mother. One look at her father told her that his neck was broken, but her mother was alive. Droplets of blood fell from her lips every time she exhaled, but at least she was exhaling. Ruth could feel her ribs moving and the jagged edges piercing her skin, but she was tough. She put her back against the seat and kicked her feet through the window. One of the robbers saw the glass fall to the ground. He turned towards the station wagon. It was John's chance. He ran from his hiding place into the open. Tears fell from Paul's eyes in the instant he thought about what he was about to do. Nothing inside of him told him to stay put even though he was full of fear. He didn't want to die, but he wasn't going to sit back and let John go alone. Paul hadn't been raised a coward. He took a deep breath and left his hiding place a second after John. After his first step, he remembered that he wasn't unarmed.

He pulled the shiny cylinder from his pocket. He had been expecting to give it to Amaris as a joke. He had made some modifications that he planned on reversing, but now he was going to use it. One gunman turned toward John. He started to point his weapon when he saw another target coming for him. He turned his body profile to the cops. Paul clicked the top of the cylinder and jerked it forward. The six foot long steel whip trailed behind him as he ran. Paul raised his arm to use his weapon, but a rookie patrolman had a shot and took it. He blew the top of the gunman's head off. Paul had seen animals die, but never a human until now. He kept moving. Staying still would mean his death.

John had made it to his family's car. Bullets were hitting the ground near him, but he kept moving. His eyes were focused on his sister's movements. He could barely see her through the smoke and flames, but he could hear her screams for help, even as she moved to save her mother. Ruth pushed open the door, but a wave of pain made her head spin. She fell out of the car, causing a broken rib to stab her liver and another press against the soft tissue of her lung, but Ruth's eyes were focused on her mother. The flames were getting close. She reached up and pulled the door handle. It was stuck. Despite the bullets and the pain, Ruth stood up, reared back, and punched her fist through the window. Her father had unbuckled his wife's seat belt. Ruth pulled the strap over her mother's shoulder, and took Mary under her shoulders. Ruth's teeth were red with blood as she bared them and pulled. It took all of Ruth's strength to pull her mother through the window. She had trained her body for the last three years, and her strength paid off. Ruth cried in pain and desperation as she pulled her mother's legs from the burning floor. Mary Hesse was halfway out of the burning car when Ruth couldn't block out the pain. Her own injuries got the better of her. Her eyes rolled into her head and she started down, but she didn't hit the ground. Her brother was there. John caught his sister and lowered softly. John took his mother then and pulled her from the car as the flames licked at her. John looked through the black smoke at his father. He had to bury the initial shock and pain of seeing his father dead. He had to safe his mother and sister. John took each by the shoulder and dragged them backwards to the police line.

The cops yelled and motioned for him to come to the sound of their voices. The bank robbers saw John and started firing at him. He didn't even flinch as the rounds came his way. The cops opened fire to give him cover, but the robbers were only deterred for a moment. One of the robbers ran forward to get a better shot at the man trying to save his family. He raised his AK and took aim. Paul ran up and flicked his wrist. The steel whip went for the barrel of the rifle. It wrapped around it, and the steel razors he'd imbedded bit into the wooden handle. He pulled back and snatched the rifle from the robber's hand. He had a look of shock on his face just before the police downed him. John pulled his mother and sister to safety, but the paramedics weren't close. His mother was having trouble breathing now as her lung filled with more blood. Her breaths were shallow. Ruth was awake. She took her mother's hand, but she couldn't talk anymore.

Paul ran for the line of police cars. The swat cops shot tear gas canisters to the group of robbers standing not far from the burning cars. That made them mad. Bullets whizzed past Paul as he ran then one caught him in the thigh. His leg locked up and he fell forward. A cop ran from the safety of his line to get the young man. John ran too. He could see the thick drops of blood drop from the exit wound in Paul's leg. His shirt billowed behind him as he ran. He could see the enemy off to his right as he ran towards the middle of the street, but Paul was focused on getting Paul who was struggling forward despite his injury.

Three guns settled on John. Bullets flew past him, but one caught a piece of his shoulder. He staggered and stumbled, but never fell. The pain didn't break his concentration. A scream did. He heard Julia off to his right, only a few dozen feet from a couple of the robbers. She had run from the alley between two buildings. She was in the open now. The new getaway car started and the guy punched the gas. Julia was in his path.

John froze with indecision and disbelief. He changed direction towards Julia. Paul jumped on one leg and moved back towards Julia too. He was closer. A gunman turned his rifle to her. The danger of it all hit Julia at once. There was no where to go. Paul pulled his whip back and sent it at the back of one of the robbers. It wouldn't matter. The car was going to hit her before the bullets did. John screamed Julia's name, but there was nothing he could do.

The sound of a motorcycle engine at full throttle echoed between the buildings. Amaris came from the tangle of cars like a warrior on a missile. She aimed her bike at the hood of the hot-wired car heading at Julia. Her body was low over the bars as she played chicken with a car. She jumped up, putting her boots on the seat as the bike continued straight at the car. In the instant the front tire of the motorcycle hit the bumper, Amaris jumped straight up. Her momentum sent her flying through the air, soaring like a bird of prey. Her bike smashed in the front of the car and sent it veering from Julia. Amaris was still in the air while this happened. Her pale eyes fixed on her target. She twisted her body in the air, extending her leg in to a flying kick. Her boot his the back of a robber in the head. He hadn't even seen her. The impact knocked him out, but Amaris rode his body all the way to the ground, her foot pushed until his face hit the asphalt. She broke every bone in his face, and blood splashed out. Amaris curled her body and rolled to her feet.

The guys got out of their second ruined getaway car. The driver started to push the door open with the butt of his rifle, but Amaris was there. She kicked the door shut and with the same leg kicked him through the window. The passenger shot at her over the roof of the car. Amaris ducked, but she wished she hadn't have.

John Hesse had gotten to Julia. He pushed her to the ground as Amaris kicked through the window. The bullets intended for Amaris, instead flew over her head and they hit John high on his chest. Four 7.62mm rounds punched big holes.

"NO!", Amaris yelled. She could feel the bullets hitting John. She turned towards him forgetting everything else. The driver hit her with the door, knocking her off balance for a moment. Another robber had her in his sights before he felt a dozen painful punctures to his back. Paul's whip had bitten into his skin. When Paul yanked back, he tore a flap of skin from the robber's back. That robber went down behind the car yelling in pain. Paul fell to the ground, but Amaris ran to him. He pulled her behind him. The guys with guns were looking for targets again, and he couldn't let Amaris get hit.

The robber getting out of the passenger side of the hot-wired getaway car reached into his bag and pulled out a homemade bomb. He had made it for the bank, but he didn't use it then. He was going to use it now. He eyed a path near the dump truck where he would have cover and be close enough to throw it over the police cars and kill as many cops as he could. The bomb was on a timer, so he armed it now. He took two steps away from the car and was shot twice in the head by a swat sniper. The homemade bomb hit and bounced beneath the full gas tank of the car.

Amaris didn't see it, but she ran towards Julia. Paul saw it. He yelled and screamed, but she couldn't hear him. He planted his injured leg and leapt forward. The pain was blinding, but he knocked Amaris over onto Julia who hit the ground really hard. A instant later the bomb exploded. Amaris felt the pressure hit her body, and heard the thump of her own head hitting the asphalt. She exhaled and lost consciousness

A few hours later, Amaris was sitting on a hospital bed holding a compress to the back of her head, alone. The cut to her scalp was her only visible injury. Her real injures had happened much much deeper.  She tended the cut on her head because that was a wound that would heal. The other injuries to her wouldn't.  Her life crashed down around her. All the good that she had tried to build over the last ten years was gone, and what little remained was meaningless, pale and repulsive after this day. Nothing could ever fill her again.  She was foolish for trying to deny fate its victory. If she had figured it out earlier then they could have all be alive. They could have been safe. Chet had tried to explain it to her, but she hadn't understood. Then the Broker had tried, but Amaris had been stubborn and righteous, no more.

Chet Perkins walked in then, and sat down next to his prized pupil. He didn't try and comfort her. He just sat down. There was nothing to say. He'd already found out what had happened. John and Paul had died at the scene, John had died before the explosion and Paul because of it. The gasoline from the car had exploded into a huge fireball that had killed two robbers, but three had gotten away. Julia, Ruth, and Mrs. Hesse were in the same emergency room where Chet now sat. The staff had been working on them when he came in. Mrs. Hesse had been sent for emergency surgery. Amaris already knew most of this. She already knew that the doctors thought that each of them were critical.

Only two more Caeda chapters left!!

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