Author's Notes:

I'm not gonna lie, this one was really, really difficult to write. But, it had to be done eventually. This chapter contains dark themes, you've been warned.

If you spot any mistakes please point them out in the comments, and thank you for reading.

Maretropolis, Rodens apartment

Octavia and Roden sat opposite each other at the black wooden dining table near the kitchen area, a cup of tea in front of Octavia and aan empty glass and bottle of hard liquor in front of Roden.

There was a tense moment of silence as neither of them spoke, Roden sat with his eyes closed while Octavia occasionally took tiny sips of her drink, waiting patiently for her friend to prepare himself for what he was about to say. After a few more moments, Octavia went to speak, only for Roden to grab the liquor bottle and pour some of its contents into his glass. With his eyes still closed, he slowly reached up and pulled his scarf down to his neck, revealing his whole face. Octavia frowned as she finally got a good look at his scar, trying hard not to imagine how painful it was to receive such a wound, especially in that specific place.

Another moment of silence passed as Roden grabbed his glass and took a large drink from it, almost downing its contents. He opened his tired emerald eyes, pain clearly present in them.

“Just take your time Roden, we're in no rush. Just start whenever you're ready.” Octavia spoke with a soft, caring tone, giving him a small, sad smile.

Roden glanced at her before sighing, trying to think of a way to start his explanation. Zerlinda was currently humming a soft, calming tune in his head to help ease his nerves while Zanny remained silent.

Finishing off his drink, Roden poured himself another glass and sighed. “Ok...” He began with a whisper, earning Octavia’s full attention. “"It...it happened five years ago, at a party my mother and father had organised for all their investors and business partners. Zerlinda, Zanny and I were brought along to join in with the celebration but...something went wrong...”

It was pretty standard as far as the parties we would attend go, a large number of wealthy, powerful people, a few brown nosing idiots trying to sucker up to investors that knew better, a great assortment of food and drink, some genuinely good company and of course the few of us that felt out of place in a setting such as that. Those being me, my older brother Zanny, and my younger sister Zerlinda. We were there with our parents, Chrysalis and Soledad, they handled talking to the other business owners there while we mainly kept to ourselves. Zanny and I were spoken too by a few people but everyone left little Zeri alone due to my mothers very...strict order.

My mother had to step out for awhile, something about an emergency over at our family business headquarters. Everything was fine after she left though, not much happened for awhile...until...

Roden downed the contents of his glass before sighing deeply, trying to keep himself focused and numb at the same time, with varying degrees of success.

"Until what?" Octavia asked gently.

Roden looked back at her and groaned. "Until it happened..."

After my mother stepped out things seemed to be going smoothly, my father was chatting with some potential business partners and some old friends from his college years, Zanny was away dancing with his lover, Zerlinda had stayed by my father the whole time, talking occasionally with a few of the younger attendants. I had been mostly staying by myself, or was keeping Zeri company if father needed to speak privately with someone.

When your family was as powerful and wealthy as mine, you can attract attention in many ways. Sometimes admiration, sometimes praise, but... you can also attract the wrong kind of attention. Jealousy, anger, hatred.

Those three types were what led to the tragedy that befell my family that day...

While everyone began sitting down for the main event of the evening, a group of men stood up, men that none of us recognised. The men pulled out guns and fired into the air, grasping everyone's attention. Whatever security was there was either payed off or had been taken out when they tried to apprehend the men. The men blocked off all exits and began giving a speech about power and how climbing the ladder through force.

Someone managed to call the police before they were grabbed by the men and knocked out cold by the butt of a gun.

When the cops arrived, they couldn't get into the building, both due to the fact the exits were blocked off, and because the men had over a hundred hostages at gun point. We couldn't even rush them and overpower them with sheer numbers, there were too many of them...and had at least ten bullets for each of us if we decided to be disobedient.

They demanded a ridiculous ransom, they demanded billions, and demanded all of the bigger companies be handed over to them and their employer...they were hired guns, hired by some asshole who wanted to steal everyone else's power and money.

Their leader had a a few of my parents close friends lined up, ready to shoot if necessary. Their leader was a man named Falcon Sight, ruthless, cold and craved chaos.

While his back was turned, my father and Zanny hatched a plan, to steal his gun and hold him at gunpoint to make the others back off...this plan would be their last...

They successfully snuck up to Falcon and tackled him, stealing his gun and holding him down. The others all pointed their guns in their direction, but didn't shoot in danger of hitting their boss...that was until two men came up behind them and... and...

Roden downed his drink and wiped the tears forming in his eyes. "...and shot them..."

Octavia couldn't say anything as she put both hands over her mouth in shock, tears welling up in her eyes.

I managed to cover Zerlindas eyes and ears before it happened...but she screamed...what little girl wouldn't? Our brother and father...taken right in front of us...saying it was hell on Earth would be a severe understatement.

Zerlinda continued to cry, I tried to get her to be silent but...I couldn't....I was barely holding in my own cries.

Falcon went on about something to do with making an example, saying that if any more of us were disobedient or tried anything else, we'd end up like Zanny and father...

He could have left it at that...he could have just used their deaths as examples and be done with it...but no...no...that wasn't enough to satisfy him. He was a psychopath...he wanted his message to be made clear...in the cruelest way...

He ordered one of his men to bring Zerlinda to him...her crying had begun to bother him...they pulled her from me...I tried to fight them off but they ripped her from my grasp...

I tried to charge them with a knife...but Falcon stopped me...tossed me to one of his men and held Zeri down...he made us watch as he...

Roden grabbed his glass and smashed it against a wall before grabbing the bottle and downing the rest of the alcohol, tears streaming down his face while his scar began to burn.

Octavia was in tears, he hands visibly shaking as she struggled to contain her sobs.

"The bastard made us all watch as he killed my little sister...." Roden spoke out darkly as he finished the drink.

After witnessing that...I tried to attack Falcon, blinded by my own anger and sadness. My attack was obviously in vain...he grabbed me by the throat and put the knife I had charged him with to the left side of my lip...all I felt afterwards was an unbearable pain in my left cheek.

I can't remember much of what happened next...I was on the floor, paralysed with pain and grief...I think the attendants had had enough and finally worked up the courage to overpower the mercenaries...the next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed with my grieving mother at my side, crying into my arm, with most of my other family members standing around us. I tried to speak, but there were bandages wrapped around my mouth...all I could do was cry alongside my family....

Rodens scarf lay in front of him as he revealed his full face, tears streaming down his cheeks. "So there you have it...that's the whole story...why I wear the scarf...and how I got the scar..."

Octavia immediately got out of her chair and rushed over to him, almost tackling him with a grief fuelled embrace, which he quickly returned as they silently cried into each other shoulder.

Unknown to them, Sapphire had listened through the front door of the apartment, her eyes closed and her face bearing an unreadable expression.

She pulled her ear away from the door and began slowly walking away, to process what she had just learned, and to figure out what to do next.