WITHOUT

Clark Has A Tale.

Clark took a deep breath. She couldn't talk of what happened to the fairy children that fateful day.    She certainly wasn't going to share that part....She was only meant to be sharing a short story (Not too many details!)    But, having EB and especially Ethan within her hold, an odd need to share had creeped up on her!     That, and having to face Benton back at the mansion (Maybe she felt the need to confess to something)

And, there was something she needed to explain.    She'd kept it tightly at the back of her mind....In moments of stress, and anything awful happening to Ethan - Her secret acts of death kept spilling forward.

"Clark?   Keep talking...What happened next?   Clark?..."      Two china blue eyes peeped at her.

Ethan peeped at her too, he needed to know what training had Clark been taught? And, weapons? How skilled, was Clark allowed to become?

"....Each night, in the darkest hour. My brothers, sisters and I were marched out into the woods. I was never allowed to look upon my siblings as family....How strange is that? (Ethan and EB nodded) We were given knifes. We learned to stab, cut...And gut a body. We were given guns...We learned to aim, angle. Shoot at close and long range. And, yes this was all learned in low light and no light at all. We were trained with our ears, not our eyes.

I was shown how to take a beating, and use objects to defend and protect myself. It is one thing to fight, but when hit....Know the places on your body to protect. Do you want to know the hardest lesson?.."

We all nodded back at Clark.

"To die. To know, this is it. But, we were all taught first and foremost, one simple motto to be said first...NOT TODAY. Death was spoken of, but never dwelled on. That is why it is the hardest, my people refused to contemplate it..." Clark looked at us all..."The car's not moving. Why?..."

"Your story, Clark. Keep going..." I had to hear more, Ethan nodded too.

I touched her shoulder, she bit her lip...Willed herself not to say the word forest. She was going to leave out the next part, the part where the humans came for her one afternoon. She ran away....She ran to the woods. She thought, she was saving them...But, she ended up doing the carnage. The humans found her (She was soaked head to toe in their blood) They dragged her back, shoved her into the group with the others.

"One day, I was taken to a market place. The humans required "workers".....We were taken to a hall, stripped of our clothes - Given uniform of service..." Clark suddenly sat very straight, tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly sniffed, wiped her eyes. I looked her in the eye, my hand was on top of her's.

"They did something to you, didn't they? You ruined something. They wanted it too, but you stopped them. They never got it. The people from the townships punished you. That that's why you get so crazy about punishment your self. But....They severely hurt you!.."

Clark wouldn't move, then she nodded.

She wasn't going to say what she did, but yes....The humans wanted the fairy children too.

"....i was taken to a post. they took the skin off my back, but i healed fast. i wasn't allowed to wash (Clark was made to keep the children's blood on her) Clark took a deep breath.."We were taken to a church, there were two groups. The Given. And the Sold. I was sold. There were more people at the Sold section, we were for keeps. I noted at the time, there were a lot of men. I was so scared (EB put her small arms around Clark) But, Briar waltzed into God's house. She truly was a sight to see. The woman was crazy, absolutely positively insane..." Clark's face brightened up.