Gone From Daylight 06 - Revelations

So that's  what it was. That is why it is being kept so secret. Because anyone who seeks the answers to the Vampire Dawn is really seeking the truth. That the choices are ours to make from the very beginning. That the only thing that causes this insecurity, this harsh judgement of others, this double standard in everything that we think, say, and do...is created by our blindness to the other side of the coin. Our denial of the other paths that exist around us. If a homophobic person were to step into my shoes, then his theories of logic and understanding would cease to make any sense. So, the only way for that person to have any kind of stable and concrete reality...would be to NOT step into my shoes. To deny that my path is anything but insane. That's what allows people to feel comfortable and protected, agreeing on one solid reality. A standard that, if you fit into it, can help you to point the finger at everyone else marching to a different beat. But the truth is, reality is so much more vast and open than we allow ourselves to believe. "So you're telling me...that there IS no solid answer. That there never was. And since there IS no answer...then...that in itself BECOMES the answer. And nothing becomes solid until you follow that line of thinking around until you end up in the same place you started from. In a complete..."

"...Circle." Zero said, knowing that I was on the verge of understanding the concept, and yet still miles away from it. "Does your head hurt yet?" He asked.

"Whoah...ok, I think I had better sit down." I said.

"No time for that, young Mimic. It is time for you to move on."

"Move on? Wait...why? I've got questions, I need help..."

"Another time. If you stay much longer, my mind will absorb yours completely. And I am really not looking forward to having yet another level of consciousness living inside of me." I frowned up a bit and he went on, "I absorb the thoughts and experiences of every vampire I come into contact with. I was the closest thing to a Mimic that existed in our world...until you came along. Mine is merely a mind reading capability, taken to a higher level. But you my friend, are the genuine article." With a wave of his hand, Zero guided the fish to all swim to one side of the tank. It was like magic. "I can only keep in contact with vampires for so long before they become a permanent part of me for good. That is why I surround myself with humans for protection instead of my own kind. Their mins are much sipler, more contained. What I absorb from them is much less when compared to the enhanced life experience of another vampire. The voices in my head are already pushing me over the edge...more and more each day they drive me further into madness. With their collective experiences combined with my own, I've already lived 25 different lives. Each one with a different set of rules. Conflicting rules. That's when the circles began."

"So I have to go?"

"Yes. But I suspect you will return soon. Your thirst for knowledge is very strong indeed." He pointed at the large door, and I heard it start to roll away again to give me an exit. "Oh, and one more thing...the dreams you've been having...they are caused by a creature known only as 'the Beast'. His influence has touched you, and it won't go away until you've dealt with the fears that it uses against you."

"The Beast? But...what...what did I do?"

"Nothing. The Beast is not after you. It is, however, looking for your friend Comicality though. Has been for quite some time now. Always one step behind."

"But who is it? WHAT is it?"

"The Beast is a huge creature, much more powerful than you or I. More powerful than Comicality or anyone else. It lurks in shadow, hunting its targets through fear, and insecurity. It can taste your pain, Justin, that is why it knows it can use you to lead him to Comicality. It is this creature that torments you through your dreams. This creature...that is responsible for the terrible things that have been occurring recently concerning those that Comicality is linked with."

I was disturbed by the thought, "The other vampires...the ones that were...ripped to shreds. Some of them disembowled."

"Yeeessss...it seems that the Beast has been enjoying his work a bit much lately. Indulging in the torture of those who do not give him the answers he requires." Zero saw the look of horror on my face and moved closer, "Do not fret, Justin. He has no need to prey upon you physically. Not to that extent. He NEEDS you. Your pain from life, your anger, your dirty little secrets...all these things are its weapons. It feeds off of your fear and uses it to find out what it needs to know to destroy you from within. But it is Comicality that is his real target. Not you." Then, Zero wrapped a blanket over his shoulders, and began to walk away from me. "Ah...and so the headaches begin. It is time for you to depart from my presence, Mimic."

"Zero, you can't just leave me like this..."

"I am afraid I must. But do come and visit soon. You will know where to find me, I don't interact with the outside world anymore." I called after him, but he ignroed me, instead walking through another dark corner of the room. The fish in the surrounding tanks followed him until he disappeared from sight. Then they all simply went back to being, what I guess, is normal. Was I any better off than I was when I entered this place? Did anything he said really help me? Or am I just missing something. There are some seriously screwed up people in this world of ours.

When I went back out to greet Dion, he was basically staring at the ceiling and wishing I would've come back sooner. "So...? Good news? Bad news?" He asked.

"More like NO news. C'mon, let's get out of here." I mumbled under my breath, and we took the train back into town to let Gyro off the hook before him and Trevor started a two man war against each other in that place. Sigh...so much for my precious information.

The club was jumping and gyrating as always. A continuous swirl of color and sound, blended in nicely with the hundreds of people that packed the place on an almost nightly basis. But when we found Gyro, he was sitting by himself. "What...what happened? Gyro, you were supposed to be watching Trevor." I said.

"He left, what do you want me to do?" Gyro shrugged, taking a healthy gulp of his drink. I pulled the glass away from his lips and put it down on the table out of his reach.

"I thought you were going to be able to handle this?" I shouted.

"I WAS handling it. After the first two hundred insults and snide remarks, I had built up a pretty decent tolerance to it. Then...Michael showed up."

I saw the look change on Dion's face change into a frown. "Michael..."

"Yeah...Michael." Gyro said, leaning forward to stretch out and reach for his drink again. "And he's grown TWICE as protective of his blond boy toy than he was the last time I was here. He wasn't too pleased. Oh...and you're not neccesarily on his 'happy happy list' either, Justin. If you think he's not watching, he is."

"Me? What did I do?" I asked.

"You're in the same breathing space as his boyfriend. That's all it takes. I'd keep an eye out for accidents if I were you." There was NO intention on my part to muscle in on him and Trevor, I don't care what he thinks. I've hardly spoken more than ten words to Michael since I've been there. And yet, the only thing I've gotten from him have been shoulder bumps and harsh stares. Even the first night here before I crossed over, he didn't seem to want me around. And now it looks like I'm stepping on his toes and that leads to him stepping on mine in the long run.

"I don't think you have much to worry about, Justin. Michael is a jealous kid, and he's been known to have a meanstreak here and there...but outside of a few pranks and a couple of nasty comments, he's harmless. Certainly not the treacherous type." Dion replied.

"Psh! Whatever. Listen, the way I see it, Michael is a snake protecting his most prized possession. I'd keep an eye open if I were you. I don't think he's ever been in love before Trevor. I'm sure he'd be willing to go that all importan extra mile to protect his emotional investment. You get me?" Gyro's speech was beginning to slur, and as he finished the rest of what was in his glass, he was on his way to a wet and sloppy smile.

"Ok, kiddo. Time to go." Dion stepped around the table to help Gyro to his feet. "Don't mind him." Dion yelled in Gyro's ear, "I don't care how old he thinks he is, he still has the body of a 13 year old boy who can't handle his liquor!"

We walked him over to the door and outside. But not before Gyro reached in his pocket and left enough money for the bill. We walked him outside through the back door and began guiding him back to the lot. He insisted that he didn't need any help, but something told me that if we were to let him go, he wouldn't make it a block without stumbling over his own two feet. We were turning around the corner when I noticed a car pulled up partially on the sidewalk next to an alley. It was all black, inside and out, and the licence plates were blank. I heard a slight scuffling noise in the adjacent alley and couldn't help but be curious about it. Dion didn't seem to mind, and Gyro's intoxicated grin was the only thing keeping him conscious, it seems. But I knew that there was something wrong with this picture. I peeked around the corner as we were walking, and noticed two men, human, dressed in black from head to toe, and wearing sunglasses...even at night. They looked like secret service agents, but they couldn't have been. Not the way they were acting. The stoic looks on their faces were almost subhuman, robotic in appearance. And their clothes were ironed sharply, creases beyond perfection, the shoes shining like black mirrors. As I looked closer, I saw a thick pool of crimson at their feet, and something else...a body. I gasped in shock, almost letting Gyro slip from my arms, and Dion sensed it right away.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Over there! In the alley!" I said, pointing out the offensive sight.

"SHHHH!!! Keep your voice down!" Dion scolded me into being quiet and pushed my arm back down to my side.

Gyro just looked up with a stupid grin on his face and waved, "Evening fellas. Messy night tonight, is it not?" He giggled.

The two men said nothing. Tey merely looked in our direction, void of emotion, and then went back to their work. Dion tugged me on the shoulder. "Those are the slaghunters, Justin. They're just here to clean up one of our messes, that's all. They take the bodies, the dissolve them into a solution and get rid of the evidence. They're here to help us." I watched as the two men covered the body in a black plastic bag, and any pieces that didn't fit, were severed right then and there. A pocket sized, hand held device, shot out a small red beam of light that cut through the flesh, tissue, and bone like a surgical laser. And once the corpse was small enough to be wrapped up, the dragged the bag back to the car. All of this done with the smooth efficency that most people would use to pick up trash in the streets. As the two men opened up the back door of the car, I noticed wisps of smoke coming from it. Actually....not smoke...but moisture. As though they had opened the door to a giant freezer. The whole back seat of the four door car was a freezer! They tosed the bag in, used the laser to rid the allet of any blood or unpackaged 'pieces', and then they were off. Quick, easy, flawless. The only thing that kept me from being naseous was the fact that they had done it with such a monotonous precision that it didn't seem like anything more than a daily part of their job. Unreal.

"Justin...c'mon. Let's keep moving." Dion reminded me, and I went back to helping Gyro stand on his feet. "There's more to learn about them later. But for now, let's just get Gyro home and in bed. Ok?"

"Yeah, no problem. It just caught me by surprise, that's all..." Bam! I ran into something and it knocked me right back on my ass. I looked up, and saw a rather large man standing in front of me.

"Evening gentlemen. I apologize for the intrusion, but my boss would like to speak with you." He was as big and wide as a sumo wrestler, but it felt like it was all muscle when I smashed my face into it. But he spoke with such a gentle tone that basically said, 'it would be rude of me to break you into a million pieces...but I'll do it if I have to...kind sir.' Dion helped me to my feet and I still had to look up to see eye to eye with the big guy.

Just then, I noticed two large black shapes come out from behind the behemoth, and snarl wickedly in our direction. They were a hard pair to forget. Torsten and Grim...Jeremy's attack wolves. It might have been the worst timing in the world, but it looked to me that he wanted to see us, and his messengers here weren't going to take no for an answer.

"Right this way please." The man said, and he didn't have to tell us twice. He escorted us rather briskly to a van parked across the street. The wolves, huge as they were, hopped in after us. And they kept their gaze on us the entire trip back to Jeremy's shack across town. At least Gyro was tipsy enough to catch a nap on the way over. Hopefully he'll wake up with a little more sense in him.

When we got out of the van and were walking up the front steps, we saw another young man, maybe only a year older than me, being carried out by two of his friends. He was crying like crazy, and when I looked down, I saw why...his legs were broken. And when I say broken, I mean that one of them was practically on backwards, and the other looked as though it had been shattered completely. Blood was leaking all over the ground, and he left a trail behind him as his friends tried to hurry him off home. I froze in my tracks, not knowing what to do or say or think at that moment. But a second later, I heard Grim growl loudly behind me, and he used his head to ram me in the back. Pushing me forward to tell me to keep walking. "HEY!" I shouted, but the wolf's red eyes flashed in my direction, and with a vicious snarl, Grim's lips curled up to reveal a row of razor sharp teeth...dripping wet with strings of warm saliva. As the drool stretched down to the floor, the creature's breath blowing hot against my chest, I turned around and did as I was told. Let's be honest, I may have been perceived as a badass to the people watching. But my faith in my abilities wasn't quite THAT strong.

We were ushered into the shack and down into Jeremy's basement. The morgue. I could already feel my breath getting short, and my muscles tensing up. God...how I hated this place! As they pushed us further and further back, the cold sobering Gyro up pretty damn fast, I began to worry about what all of this meant. Where were we going, anyway? The huge man that had so politely accosted us on the street, opened a back door and I saw Jeremy inside, draining the blood from a fresh kill. I turned away so I wouldn't have to look at it, but the sounds of the thick liquid pouring itself out into the metal pan below was audible throughout the entire room. The man spoke. "Your guests are here, boss."

"Thank you, Tiny. I believe I can take it from here." Jeremy replied. The man, Tiny, left the room. And the two giant wolves quietly and obediently went to seperate corners of the wall behind Jeremy, sitting back on their haunches. For a moment...they almost resembled docile housepets. Somehow, I knew that the thin line between 'man's best friend' and 'the savage beast', was just a matter of Jeremy's immediate command. Which made me hope and pray that this was just a friendly visit. "Some of my friends informed me that you've been going to the club an awful lot lately these days, Justin. I thought it would be easier to catch you there. We have a few things that we need to talk about." He said, and then proceeded to go back to work on the corpse in front of us. Squeezing the leftover blood out of his body and forcing it to dop down into the bowl catching it below. It was sick.

"Jeremy, I know what this is about...and..." Dion said, but Jeremy shushed him immediately.

"Shhhhhhh.....me and the boy are talking."

Gyro spoke up, "Listen, I'm not exactly sure what this is about, but.."

"Excuse me...do I know you? I don't recall giving you permission to speak on this matter at all. So I suggest that you remain silent, before I remember that you are only here by association." This wasnot the Jeremy that I had witnessed before. He had always been sarcastic, maybe even a little offensive, but I had never seen him so...threatening. "Justin...you're looking healthy, these days. How is the dark side of life treating you, huh?"

I was a bit lost as to what to say. Not until I knew exactly how much trouble I was in here. "Uh...good...I...I guess."

"Good. Good. Happy to hear it." Jeremy's smile was warm, almost friendly, but only on the surface. He didn't bring me here for small talk. He stopped fiddling with the corpse for a moment, and wiped his bloody hands off on a towel that was sitting on a nearby desk. "You know...I don't get to indulge in nice little talks like this anymore. I'm usually so wrapped up in my business, that these things get to be a lost art in my world. I guess that's what I get for trying to be a good business man, huh?" Jeremy leaned back casually on the table in front of us, his long black lab coat wrapping around him protectively. "You know what makes me a good business man, Justin? Two things. My attention to detail...and my people skills. I'm a people person, can't help it really." Then he stood up, walking closer to look me in the eye. "But you see...sometimes, that makes me kinda soft hearted. And that, my friend, can be a biiiiig weakness." He gently added some pressure onto my shoulders with his hands, and suggested that I take a seat, asking Dion and Gyro to do the same, as he went back to lean on the table again. "Now...I seem to remember you coming to me for help not that long ago, am I right?"

"Jeremy, there is no way that we could come up with the money you asked us for that fast..." Dion said in my defense.

"Awww...it's sooo cute, the way you make it seem like that's my problem." Jeremy smiled in his direction, but it faded almost instantly. "I did you a favor, gave you your first dose for free. THEN, when you get injured, I not only supply you with another healthy dose, AND give you a discount on the price...but I even went so fas as to give you sanctuary here in my home, until you were ready to go back out into the streets. Rent free, I might add. But you are two weeks overdue my friend, and you've crossed my line of patience quite a long while ago." How in the hell did he expect me to come up with a hundred dollars??? It's not like I was working a steady job! "I need my money, and I need it now."

"We just need a little extention, Jeremy." But no matter what Dion said, Jeremy wasn't buying it.

"The two weeks WAS the extention!" Jeremy shouted. But soon returned to his charming smile and calm demeanor. "You see, JT and his vampire maffia buddies out West have decided that there is a growing market for their new 'hemo-slug' technology here in the midwest. So they'll be moving their operations to Chicago in no time. That's living blood, fellas. Do you have ANY idea what that does to the dead blood business. Things are getting rather competitive here in the city. And if I'm going to stay in the game, then I certainly can't go around giving away free blood as though this was some kind of 24 hour soup kitchen, now can I?" Even with a smile, the intensity in his eyes surfaced without any effort of holding it back. "Now, I'm only going to ask this once, and once only...do you have my money or not?" We all looked at each other, and Gyro was especially silent, not even knowing what was going on really.

"No...we don't..." Dion said. Gyro reached in his pocket and started digging madly to see how much he had left, but there was only 20 dollars or so left after being at the club all night. And the small amount of change that Dion and I had, we used to ride the train. Not that it would have all added up to 100 dollars anyway.

"I see..." Jeremy stood straight up, and walked around to the other side of the table, where the corpse was still draining the last few drops of his life liquids into the tray beneath the table. Jeremy dipped his finger into the gelatinous ooze and sucked it off of his finger. "You know, a lot of new vampires born into darkness, believe that...they've become immortal. Indestructible. They figure that if they stay away from the sunlight and stay well fed, that they will be able to live forever. And to a degree, this is true. Get stabbed, get shot, get hit by a bus...it's only a week or two before you're back on your feet again. It seems so amazing the first few times. But...I guarantee you that this belief is deceptive." Jeremy picked up a long silver skiv, hollow in the middle, used for draining the blood from his bodies, and looked at it passionately. "You see, the heart is the center of everything. Even for us vampires. If something were to happen to the heart, if it were to somehow become too damaged to pump the blood through our bodies and keep us alive...then a vampire can feed and feed and feed and never get well again. Without the heart, we'd basically 'starve' to death within a matter of days. Give or take." Jeremy waved the metallic spear around as he talked, and it more than demonstrated his point. "It looks like the old vampire movies were right, huh? A good old stake through the heart does WONDERS for us. Hehehe, and starving to death without a working heart...wow...that's gotta feel just awful. I mean, I don't know for sure myself, but it has been my experience...through some of my other clients' screams and tears...that it is, by FAR, one of the most painful things that a vampire can go through. And to think...it can last for days."

"LOOK! I said I'd get you your money, and I will! Ok?" It was the first time I had ever really seen Dion scared. And as for Gyro, he had never been so quiet! "We SWEAR, we'll get it to you in just a few weeks!!!"

"WEEKS? No, sorry...not good enough." At this point, we watched as the two wolves in the corner rose to their feet and growled at us babarically as they readied themselves to attack.

"Jeremy please! I'll find a way, and you'll get it as soon as possible! Ok?" I cried out, getting up out of my seat as the animals crept closer to us. We'll GET IT!!!"

Jeremy put his hand in the air momentarily to call off the hounds, but only momentarily. "You will pay me what you owe." He said.

"YES! YES! We'll pay it!" I shouted, not even knowing what I was saying. I couldn't get 100 dollars, how in the hell was I supposed to get 150???

"And you will deliver it here to me, by next week, yes?"

"YES!!!!!!!"

"Good. Then I suppose we can negotiate." Jeremy said with an impish grin. "Torsten, Grim...kindly go over to Justin...and tear off an appendage of choice to use as collateral."

"WHAT???" I screamed!

Dion's horror caused him to step in front of me, "What happened to the negotiations?"

"These ARE the negotiations." Jeremy said matter of factly. "You owe me money, I intend to make sure you don't forget about me this time around." Then he looked over to the wolves and gave the order. "Just the blond in the middle, got it. If Dion stands in the way, you know what to do?" He was trying to protect me, but I knew that Dion wouldn't be able to do much good at all against 'two' of these things. "And remember boys, he IS a young boy in love. So try to think about what particular appendage he'd work hardest to get back from us." This CAN'T be happening! The wolves barked loudly at all of us, and Dion shouted out my name as they charged me and knocked me off of my feet to the ground! The weight on my chest had knocked the wind completely out of me, I couldn't even stop coughing long enough to scream! Just as the wolves leaned down to snap and devour whatever part of me they wanted, I heard Gyro yell out from the corner!

"WAIT! WAIT! That's not neccessary! We can work out a new deal!" He said.

Jeremy calmed down the dogs, but still kept them perched on my chest. "A new deal...hmmm...you have my attention."

"We'll get you the money...even sooner...if you let us go unharmed."

Jeremy thought it over, "How much sooner?"

"....Tomorrow!" Gyro said, and both Dion and me looked at him with our eyes wide open.

"Gyro! What the fuck are you DOING???" Dion shouted.

"Tomorrow night, you say?" Jeremy's smile came back to his face, and he walked over to hear this plan of his. "Now how do I know that you'll do what you say you're going to do, without some form of collateral?"

"Don't worry about that. Just take my word for it." Gyro was trying to keep up a false sense of his own charm, but he was trembling too much for it to be believable this time. Jeremy was thinking it over, rubbing his finger back and forth across his lips as he contemplated the idea. "You're a business man, right? Then how about this? You let me and my friends go...and we'll get you your money tomorrow night....with interest!" I am not exactly sure what gave Gyro the balls to negotiate with that kind of a promise...but I hope it was working!

Suddenly, Jeremy's smile became genuine again, and he chuckled heartily. "Hehehe...I like the way you think." With a wave of his hand, Jeremy commanded Torsten and Grim to climb down off of me and return to their respective corners of the room. I was able to catch my breath and Dion nervously helped me back up to my feet. Jeremy walked over and put a friendly arm over Gyro's shoulder. "Ok...Gyro, is it?"

"Um...y-y-yeah."

"Gyro...I'm going to take you up on your most generous offer." He said, and they shook hands on it. Then, Jeremy leaned in closer to speak softly, but firmly, in his ear. "But...I guarantee you...if you don't have my money, with interest, by 3 AM tomorrow morning...I'm going to send Torsten and Grim, and my friend Tiny Tim out there, to pay you a visit. And you can bet it won't be as peachy as the visit they paid you tonight. Is that understood?"

"Yeah...I understand." Gyro nodded, and he let us go.

"Good, then I guess I will see you gentleman tomorrow then. And be on time, I don't like tardiness." With that, the gargantuan 'Tiny Tim' opened the door and escorted us out to the front fence. Once outside in the night air again, we started in on Gyro.

"What the hell was THAT??? HUH???! How in the hell are we going to come up with that kind of money by tomorrow???" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"How could you DO this?" Dion shouted.

"He was going to have Justin ripped to shreds! I HAD to do something!"

"So you promised him more money that we already owed him?" Dion began to actually become even more distressed. "There's no way we can come up with that kinda cash! Kid could pick pocket all night long on Michigan Avenue and still only get half."

"Listen...ok...I know how we can get the money." Gyro said.

"What?"

"I said, I know how we can get the money. All of it, maybe even more."

"And exactly how the fuck are you gonna pull that off???" I asked.

"I'M not....YOU are!" He said.

"Huh?"

"Come on, follow me. I've got someplace to show you."

I didn't know what the hell was up Gyro's sleeve, or how he expected me to somehow generate more wealth than I had ever seen in my 14 years of life in just one night...but if he knew a way out of this predicament, I was willing to hear it.

The more time I spend in this world, the further I get from my life. The deeper my search goes for a way to express myself, the more I find that needs to be hidden away. And the more I seek a safe haven in this life, the more dangerous it becomes. Things are getting more and more ferocious every single night, and as a cold wind blew through me that night, something told me that things were about to change in a big way. And there was nothing I could do about it.

Nothing.

---

 TARYN'S DIARY
Friday, October 17, 1999

He knows....

Seems Justin finally discovered us chasing him all around town, and I almost lost him because of it. Secrets, so many secrets. Some of them I protect because Bryson says he's not ready. Some I protect because I say he's not ready. The rest...I guess I keep them from him because I, myself, aren't ready. And that's a road that I dread going down again.

Not even the other people in the lot know about my past, except for Trevor. And even with all of his mischief, his trickery, his many thorns sticking out from every angle...he's kept his promise to me to forever keep the details of my human life a secret. And now...it's Justin's turn. Sigh...I can only hope that he'll still be able to look at me the same way. It took ME a long time to ever look at myself the same way again. My life...my stepfather...my mom...and Alec...oh God, Alec. So much to tell. So much to bring to the surface again. I had buried it so deep that I was able to easily pretend that I had forgotten it. Over the years, that was the best part of living in the lot with the others. The fact that everyone had their 'off limits' area for their lives and their memories, and no one ever asked us to open that door. Nor did they even come knocking. Maybe their reluctance to share their OWN stories, quenches their thirst for the need to know mine. Is it a comfort, or a stand off?

Justin is moving out on his own more and more everyday. I'm beginning to feel like most 'sires' when their partner begins to fall in to his own powers and become independent. I imagine it's much like a mother watching her only child going off to college. The need to protect Justin is still there, the desire to spend every waking moment with him is still strong. But Bryson was right, I needed to give him the space to explore and to learn as much as possible. He can't be a vampire while making goo goo eyes at me, or staring out into the lake at night. So Bryson told me to lay off a bit and let the others watch out for him. I've been spending a lot of time with Rain ever since. Somehow her abrasiveness was comforting when I was missing him beyond belief. It helped.

Rain and her brother Gyro will be approaching that touchy time soon when they begin to talk to one another, and actually have to face the fact that they miss each other. I can feel the tension increasing between them as they try to fight it more and more. My guess is that they'll be hugging by the end of the week.

I am going to go back out to the lake before bed tonight. So I'm going to end this here. Justin isn't home yet, I hope he's alright. This entry is dedicated to an old friend of ours. Tiana, I hope you found the answers you were looking for...wherever you are. You got to see the sun again...God, how I envy you.

G'night.

- Taryn