Hedgesville, West Virginia
Caspian Residence
Sunday, August 25, 1996
4:55 PM

Sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of water in both her hands, Jennie stared at the tabletop then looked up when she heard someone walk into the room. Her eyes were glued on the man who had been with Nick.
With a slip of her hand off the cup, she ran her fingers across the photograph then picked it up. “Can I ask you something?” she questioned, glancing over toward the blue haired fellow.
When he didn’t respond, she flicked up the photo swiftly, but dropped her head downward while her hair hide her eyes from view. “Is this you?”
“Does it matter?” the man asked as Jennie looked up immediately.
“Yes, it does,” she said in a clear voice.
The man gritted his teeth while a grim look of annoyance was on his face. Cocking his head to the side while shifting his weight to one foot, he looked back at her.
“Yeah, so what?” he asked.
“My mom and dad said that this picture is of my real dad,” Jennie said, turning the photo around so she could look at it.
“What‘s your point?” he asked as he picked at his teeth with his fingernails.
“I want to know why you left,” she whispered.
The guy stopped in his actions and chuckled to himself. “That’s easy,“ he replied with a shrug, “because I didn’t give a shit.”
He leaned down, eyeing her with a callous gaze. “And I still don’t.”
Jennie’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the man who didn’t deny being her real father. Tears began to form as she continue a vacant stare at the man before her. “Why?”
“What?” he questioned.
“Why don’t you care?” she questioned, hoping to find some kind of answer. It was something that had haunted her for some time. Something she had always pretended to not care about in front of others, but silently prayed to find answers to.
“Were you scared?” she asked, “Were not ready to have a kid?”
Biting at her lip, she gave him a pleading stare. Her eyes filled with questions as he just gave her a blank gaze.
“Did I not turn out to be what you wanted?” she whispered.
“Look, kid,” he replied with a grunt. “I left after I fucked your mother, okay? I didn’t give a shit what she had.”
He began to walk past her when Jennie jut out her hand, grabbing a hold of his sleeve. Fear rushed through her. It was the first time in her life that she had actually touched the man who had created her. He was truly real.
“Then why?!” she screamed loudly. “Why…? How…? How could…?”
“You’re not making any sense,” he muttered, shaking her hand from his clothes. “Go cry to Nick if you have a problem. Let that fucker pat you on the back.”
“NO!” she shouted, clutching her hands tightly. “I want answers.”
“There isn’t anything that I can tell you,” he replied. “You should just ask Nick. It’s all his fucking fault anyway.”
“Quit blaming your stupidity on someone else,” Jennie growled.
“What’s your name, kid?” he asked with a hot tone.
“Jennifer,” she said as she stood tall, trying to make herself feel proud. “My real mother named me Jennifer Marie Schaffer.”
“Whatever,” he mumbled. “Look, ‘Jennifer’, I don’t care for you. And I never will. Sanction could come in right now and slit your throat and I wouldn’t give a shit.”
A smile formed on his lips as he leaned down toward Jennie. His teeth showed as she could only stare at the fangs in the corners of his mouth.
“You look just like that bitch. Bet it‘s a slap in the face for Nick,” he said. “And it felt so good to…”
Falling to her knees while clutching her hands to her ears, she cringed. “No more!”
A horrific scream escaped her, filling the house. Cori backed away from her, pressing himself against the wall.
“I don’t want to hear your voice anymore!” the girl shouted.
Shaking her head wildly while her hair fluttered around aimlessly, she let out a wailing cry as her body shivered. Tears were flowing down her face.
“I don’t need to be reminded about how useless I am,” she wailed.
“Yeah, useless,” Cori said with a smirk.
“Shut up!” she screamed. “I find my parents murdered on my birthday. I get sent here!”
Jennie dropped her hands to the floor in order to keep her balance as everything around her felt as if it was spinning. The world appeared warped and her stomach felt nauseous.
“I get attacked and hurt. I’m laughed at. I’m fucked up in the head! And to top it all off…”
She gritted her teeth together. Then slammed her fists into the ground.
“…Rowen Aramaki puts some mark on me. I watch my friends suffer for me. For me!”
Whipping her head up, staring at the man who was still leaning at the wall. “And now! You! You come here to annoy Nick. To laugh at me, too.”
Pain swelled in her chest as Jennie’s breathing became harsh. Jennie felt like choking. “Mr. Byrant,” she snapped. “I just wanted you to accept who I was. Just wanted to know that you cared a little about me.”
“Well, I don’t,” he said as he looked down at her, kicking his shoe toward her.
Swallowing hard, Jennie felt her back burn as her chest became heavy. With an eruption of flesh and blood, large appendages broke through her skin from her shoulder blades and filled the air above her head.
One resembled that of an angel’s wing with redden feathers that were stained with blood and the other seemed to look like a dragon’s wing. Collapsing to the ground, she didn’t move while the wings flopped to the ground and twitched uneasily.
“What the hell is going on in here?!”
Nick hurriedly bounded into the kitchen and paused in horror at the sight. Cori stepped past the fallen girl and reached for his guitar case. He picked it up, trying to wipe off the blood that had drenched the casing.
“Hope it doesn’t stain,“ he whispered, flashing Nick a cruel smile.
He then headed toward the door that lead to the garage soaked in his own child’s blood while Jennie laid motionless on the ground with the quivering wings. Nick’s eyes broadened in alarm as he dropped to his knees, staring at Jennie.
“What the fuck did you do?”
The door opened as Nick looked up abruptly to find Cori leaving. His eyes widened in panic.
“Wait!” he screamed as Cori turned to look back at Nick. “Where are you going?!”
“I’ve overstayed my welcome,” Cori said with a grin. “See you around, Nick.”
“Fucking asshole,” Nick growled as he turned his attention back to Jennie. “Jennie…”
The older man stared at the area in her back where the wings were protruding from as blood continued to ooze from the torn skin. He ran his fingers over the tattered flesh then flinched.
“Fuck! No! Not now! Not now!” he snapped
“What’s going on?”
Nick turned to find Riley standing in the doorway with a can of soda. At the sight, the can fell to the ground where the contents splattered.
“Call Lucia! Jennie’s going to fucking bleed to death.”