"Why are you up so early?" I looked up at Luna, who was leaning against the kitchen door frame.

"I'm working." I simply answered her and went back to the papers Killian had given me.

"It's seven o'clock in the morning."

"And?"

"I guess I'll never understand you." She pushed herself away from the door and walked over to the kitchen counter, watering her coffee with the water I had set up for myself. It doesn't matter. "What are you even working on?" She sat down across from me and picked up a few photos that she started looking at.

"Just a little research, you know how it goes." Yes, I told Luna about working with Killian. It was either that or a conversation about panic attacks, that's what Luna calls it.

"I know this place." She placed one of the photos in front of me.

There was a guy named Bradley Whitlock on it, at least it was on the back of the photo. He was surrounded by a few other people in some dirty part of town. It looked like the illegal sale of weapons or drugs.

"It's near one of the docks here in New York. The city's gangs used to hang out there until the mob-bribed police took it over."

"Can you tell me the exact address?" Before I could even pick up my pen, Luna started dictating the address. "Thanks, I hope this helps."

"But I wouldn't go there if I were you." She took a sip of coffee.

"Why?" I frowned.

"It's not safe there. And before you can remind me that you can take care of yourself, this is different. I don't know all the people in that photo, but I just know this one." She pointed to some guy in the background. "Don't mess with these people. They're psychopaths."

"I'll take your advice to heart." Probably not, but Luna will sleep better after hearing those words. "You said it was seven already, huh? I must go." I put all the photos and my notes back in the folder and closed the laptop next to me.

"Where are you going?"

"I have a meeting." Technically, that's true. I have an appointment with a therapist.

I told Killian that I would visit him twice a week. I don't know how he could find someone so quickly in one day and make an appointment for me. I have no plans to burden Luna with this.

"Mysterious." She laughed. "But before you go...I'm leaving."

"Fine? I'll meet you later?" I frowned.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I have a job to do because this is not out of thin air." She pointed to her apartment. "And I have work commitments in Europe for the next two weeks. So I'm leaving."

"Today?" She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I got a call late at night and I didn't want to wake you up." A phone call at night? "I'm not excited about leaving you here alone in our apartment, but I'm counting on you, that it'll be standing when I get back." The corners of my mouth began to lift into a smile. "What?"

"You said in our apartment."

"Shut up." She snorted, but smiled. "I'll probably be gone by the time you get back. I'll leave the instructions on the fridge, and if I forget something I'll call you."

"Okay. Okay." I stood up and put the folder behind the flower pot on the top shelf in the kitchen. When I turned around, Luna was standing behind me and hugged me. "Wow." I laughed and tried to get my balance as she almost knocked me to the ground.

"Don't set the apartment on fire." She said in my ear.

"I promise nothing."

*****

"You must be Eris." I looked up from the magazine to the door across from me.

A man in his late thirties was standing in them. Black hair that was shorter on the sides, slightly dark stubble, a sharp sled, beautiful brown eyes, and a body I didn't expect a therapist to have.

A few tattoos on his arms were visible under his white, tight shirt, and black pants wrapped around his legs, and I'm sure his but looked good.

This is really not the person I thought I would be spending time with today. I imagined the complete opposite of this. Life will never cease to surprise me.

"Yes." I put the magazine back on the table from which I took it and stood up.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

It will be about ten minutes since I sat here, but overall I didn't mind. At least I found out what's going on in the world. I don't know who the people in the magazines are, but they have interesting lives.

"Please." He motioned for me to enter and I obeyed. He followed me and closed the door behind us.

A room with light shades of gray appeared in front of me. A single chair with a table where I assumed he would be sitting was in the middle of the room and across from it was a comfortable looking brown couch.

There were also some flowers that Luna would have liked, windows for lighting, and a small library. It looked...therapeutic here.

"Would you like coffee or tea?" He walked past me to his seat but didn't sit down yet.

"No, thanks." I said while I was still looking at his workstation.

I don't plan on being here long enough to be parched.

"Please sit down." He pointed to the couch and waited for me to sit down before he sat down. "My name is Collin Beckett."

He reached for a notebook with a pen and professionally crossed one leg over the other.

"Can we start?" I nodded. "The first thing I have to ask you will probably be your full name. That means I would be happy if you could give me your last name."

"I don't have it." I leaned comfortably on the couch.

"You don't have it?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know if Killian has told you about my situation, but it looks like he hasn't, so I think our session is pointless, you can't help me because it's not necessary. There's nothing wrong with me." Before I could even finish, he started writing something in his notebook.

"Killian initiated me, don't worry." He laughed. "And you're not the first person to think they don't need this, even though they do."

"Killian has told you I killed quite a few people." I leaned my elbows on my knees and leaned a little closer to him.

"Also, you're not the first person here from the mob."

"I'm not from the mafia."

"That from whatever you are. Whatever you say stays in this room. Nothing will make me call the authorities on you, I promise."

"Then I don't know if I should trust such a therapist." I leaned back.

"We both have to be here for at least forty-five minutes, it's up to you whether you say anything to me or not. I won't force you to do anything."

"What about Killian?"

"What about him?" He frowned. "I have a work ethic, so nothing gets to him either."

"So we can sit in silence the whole time and he won't find out?" I'm starting to like this session more and more.

"It's up to you what we do, but while we're here, we could take care of a few of your problems."

"I don't have any."

"That's what the people who have the most say. So Eris," he played with my name on his lips "is there something you'd like to tell me or something you'd like to confide in?"

I don't have to tell him anything. He is a stranger who has shown me no reason why I should trust him with information about my life.

I just need to sit here for forty-five minutes in silence, twice a week. Do nothing but rest.

But there is something in his look and attitude towards me that makes me want to tell him everything he wants and more. Maybe it's the atmosphere, who knows. I just know that this is a place where I feel safe.

"I've been called Eris since I was eleven." I started. What the hell am I even doing?

"So you had a common name before that?" I nodded. "Who changed it for you?"

"People in the place I got to as a child." I don't even know why I'm starting to open up about these things to a person I don't know. It's probably easier than talking to Luna about it.

"How did you get to those people?" I noticed that he gave me his full attention, since he wasn't writing anything down.

"Wrong place, wrong time."

He exhaled heavily. "Are we talking about human trafficking?" He asked cautiously.

"Not really, it was...." I noticed that my leg started to jump.

"We don't have to talk about it if it's hard for you now. We can talk about your life before. The happy memories before we get to the less happy ones."

"My life was pretty normal before that. I had a normal family." My gaze dropped to the bandana on my wrist and I began to play with the edge of it. "I was homeschooled so I didn't have many friends. We lived away from people because my..." I stopped before finishing my sentence. I can't bring myself to finish the story.

"You don't have to say what you don't want to. Killian told me about your panic attack."

"It wasn't a panic attack." I clenched my jaw.

"What do you think it was then?"

"I was just upset."

"Okay. You say it wasn't a panic attack, well then wasn't. But let's say you had one, what would cause it?"

"I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe the past."

"With those people?"

"Probably yes."

"I'll tell you what I think, but you don't have to say anything to me, okay? You don't have to agree or anything." I nodded. "From what you've told me, I'm guessing that those used..."

"No." I interrupted him. "I wasn't used. At least not in the way you think. It's an organization full of girls and women. They trained us there."

"For what reason?"

"They had their own agendas and I guess their own reasons."

"Stop me if I go too far. Did it involve any experiments?"

"They were trying to improve us, so they tried different serums that they developed, but none of them were permanent. All the stuff made us sick, and as each one went through it, certain stuff made us infertile. They realized that if everyone is infertile, everything would be easier. So, over time, they developed something for infertility as well. That's the only permanent one."

"I'm sorry." His look was understanding and regretful.

"I'm not. I'm glad they did. I would never want to bring a child into such a world. Look out the window. There is no good, only suffering."

"Maybe you're right, maybe not. But they still took away your choice."

I guess he was right about that. They took away my choice. And the worst part is that it is already too late to change it.

"You are right that there is a lot of suffering in the world. Life has not been kind to you and played with you. But even after all that, you are still here. A fighter. If you can't find the good in the world, at least try to find it in yourself. "



I stopped the treadmill when I heard my cell phone ring. I threw a white towel over my shoulders and wiped the sweat from my face before walking to the phone and picking it up.

"Collin." I said breathlessly. "Let me guess, she didn't show up." I checked the time and found it was just after nine.

"You're wrong again, my friend." I heard him smile over the phone. "She came, that's why I'm calling you. She showed up for our session, you wanted me to inform you, so I'm informing you."

"And? What did she say?" It comes off him like a furry blanket.

"I have ethics, Killian. I can't say anything and you know it."

"Are you serious?" I snorted. "I paid you."

"Yes, for sitting with her. And if she says to me to not tell you anything, I won't tell you anything. It doesn't matter how long we've known each other, I won't say anything without her permission. And maybe even with that, I wouldn't tell you anything."

"Fine, then at least tell me if she's capable of going into the field."

"We had one, forty-five minute session, but I would say that even if someone forbids her, she would do her own thing."

"This is something I knew before. Don't tell me I paid you for this."

"Give it time. I have another client so I have to go, but I can tell you that your past and hers aren't that different."

It was just after twelve in the afternoon when I returned home from work. I stopped in front of the door when I found it ajar. I burst in, worried that I would find my father here. Everyone was at home today, since it is Saturday.

I flew into the living room to find everyone there and the kitchen as well. Simon was sitting next to Finn and Val on the couch while Kai and Sebastian stood in the kitchen.

I noticed a broken table and chairs scattered. The curtains were on the floor and all possible scenarios were playing in my head.

"What the hell happened here?" I drew all the attention to myself.

When Val turned her little head and saw me, she immediately started running towards me. I bent down to her and let her wrap her arms around my neck. I noticed that her eyes were slightly red in color as if she had been crying. I stood up and held her tightly.

"It's okay Val. I'm here." I calmed her down.

I shifted my gaze to Simon, looking at him confused.

"Dad came to get his things and wanted to take Val." I heard Sebastian.

"Why didn't anyone call me?" I said angrily.

"Kai called me and I came right away before anything serious happened."

"We'll talk about this later." I said through gritted teeth and turned my back on them. I started walking to my room with Val in my arms and heard her sobs. "Shhh." I stroked her back as I entered the room. I sat her on the bed and wiped away the tears that flowed down her red cheeks and pushed the strands of hair away from her face. "It's okay now. I'm here."

"I was scared." She said between sobs. "He wanted to take me away."

"He won't take you anywhere, don't worry. I won't let him."

"He said...he said you can't take care of us."

"Oh Val. I can and will. You don't have to be scared of him anymore. You'll never see him again, I promise."

Another tear rolled down her cheek and I knew what I had to do. I won't let him hurt anyone. Whatever it takes.

*****

Poor Val. I really hate their dad.

But Killian is the best big brother.

Hope you enjoyed. <3