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time to process the events of the night.  In less than twelve hours I’d learned that Daemon is my long lost friend; that my parents have been lying to me for the past fourteen years; and that, apparently, we can add arsonist to the ever growing list of Chris’ criminal behaviors.  I don’t care who you are…that’s a lot to deal with in a handful of hours.
    “Damsel…”
    “No! Don’t you ‘Damsel’ me!  All of you acted like you had to tiptoe around me. ‘We should sit down, Paige’.  ‘You need to calm down, Paige’. Yet, in all the explanations of why I needed to calm down , nobody has yet told me what happened when we were younger.  So fess up, already… it’s irritating as hell to not be able to confront whatever issue it is that makes you think I’m a nutcase!” Without realizing what I was doing, I pressed the alcohol swab down a little bit harder than usual, causing Daemon’s body to tense.  I immediately removed it and threw the swab in the trash before rinsing my hands in the sink.
    My hands came down hard on the counter and I my head hung down.  I took deep, soothing breaths in an attempt to calm my jagged nerves.  The instinct to run was pulsing within my body.  Forcing it aside, I continued, “Just tell me what happened that everyone thinks is so bad.”  My head came up and I looked pleadingly at Daemon.  I placed my hands on his chest and his forehead came down and rested upon mine.  “Please, just tell me Daemon so I don’t feel like I’m being kept in the dark.”
    Daemon barely shook his head in protest and hesitated before finally answering. “First off, and most importantly, I don’t think you are a nutcase, Damsel, and neither do your parents.  There are bits and pieces you seem to have forgotten, which, in all honesty, shocked me.  After speaking to your parents in the hospital and hearing their explanation of what happened when we were younger, I understood a little better.  They told me that you cried for weeks after…after I was taken.”  His voice dropped to a whisper on those last words and I could tell it pained him to talk about that day.
    “So then what are the bits and pieces that I’m missing?  My parents told me that you hurt me.  What did you do that was so bad?”  I moved over to the bathtub and busied myself by turning off the water.  Although I was being torn apart inside by not knowing parts of my own life, I was nervous to learn about events nobody was quick to talk about.
    It was apparent that our conversation was affecting something deep within Daemon by the look on his face.  His brows furrowed just before he opened his eyes and locked his stare to mine. “Your mom started seeing little things happen between us.  It wasn’t every day, just when I had to talk about…things.  I would get angry, Paige, and for whatever reason, it made me jealous of you.  I thought you had it easy with two parents that didn’t argue with each other or hurt you. 
    “So, the dreams were true.”  My words came out as a statement rather than a question.  My mind flashed back to the night Daemon woke me.  It occurred to me that what I thought was concern on his face that night had actually been guilt.  He knew I was starting to remember things that had happened between us when we were children.   “That’s why you told me to take it out on you in the shower.  You knew some of those memories were coming back to me.”
    Daemon pushed himself off the counter and slowly walked over to me.  Without even thinking about it, I took a step back from him.  I wasn’t afraid of him, but the weight of his disclosure was enough that I needed to be physically apart in order to process what I was being told.
    “Damsel, it wasn’t always bad.  You were my best friend…the only friend I’ve ever really had.  I would hate myself after something like that happened, but it just kept happening.  That’s why I’m not angry that your parents separated