Paradise Lost [2430-1-2 Tue 9:00 pm]

[Skye Thompson]

Titus smiled at Skye's compliment, and she smiled back. After everything he'd done for her, it made her feel good to know she'd made him happy. Yet it seemed strange to her that he'd given up school, when he was so close to finishing. What had he done after that? What did he do now? She was about to ask, but then something strange happened. She'd heard what he said before about the story of the Elven warrior, but only now did she really think about it, and suddenly the memory came flooding back.

Skye was six years old, and Adrian, sitting next to her on her bed, was fifteen. He smiled at her and stroked her hair gently. "What story do you want to hear tonight?" Skye had been saving up her courage for weeks, so that she could say what she was about to say. "I want you to tell me a new story. I want you to tell me why Mama left. Will you Adrian, please?" Adrian frown, and he muttered gruffly, "She left because she wanted to." But Skye had been much more instant at that age, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. "Please, Adrian?" Finally he sighed. "Okay. Mom left because, well... She came downstairs one day when you were real little, and she had all her stuff with her. She went right up to dad, right up to him in front of all the costumers and she said, 'Jack, you don't love me anymore, and I don't see how I could ever have loved you, goodbye.' And then she left." Skye stared at her brother. "And that was it?" Adrian sighed. "That was it. Please go to sleep Skye."

As Skye came slowly back to the present, she realized there were tears on her face. She whipped them away quickly, hoping Titus hadn't noticed, and searched in her mind for something to say, some words she could hide behind. "So... so, um, what do you... do? I mean, you know, what's your job?"

[Titus Vere]

Titus did not remark on the tears. Politeness and manners were bred in him straight to the bone, and he knew better than to pry. They had known one another less than twelve hours. It took much longer to form a connection and learn to trust one another. Sometimes you never learned to trust, even after two decades.

"Professional assassin. I received my licence to kill two years ago." He sipped his wine. This was no secret. Titus was well known as Digeo's ward and when he followed in his guardian's footsteps, most people had expected it. It was a respectable job in the Top, well-paying and important. But Titus suspected most people respected assassins because they were afraid of what would happen to them if they did not. "Before that, I was a council aide until I lost interest in politics. And before that I trained as a chef."

[Skye Thompson]

All she could do was stare. Her fork fell back to the plate with a clatter, and Skye jumped at the sound. Titus was looking at her calmly, drinking from his glass, and it was hard to believe he meant what he said. He killed people? It was his job to kill people? How could that be? Titus was so kind, so understanding. He couldn't be a killer. Killers were cruel and unsympathetic. Killers were people like her father, and Titus was so like Adrian.

"But you saved me." Her voice was the quietest of whispers, soft and sweet, the voice of a child who does not understand. How could one man both give and take life? From the time she was a little girl, Skye's life had always been simple. Not easy, but simple. There were good people and bad people, and that was where it ended. But in this new world, the world into which she had followed Titus, everything was shades of gray. There were good people who did bad things, and bad people who did good things. Yet if someone good did something bad, they didn't stop being a good person did they? No, she decided they didn't. No matter what he said he had done, Skye couldn't believe that Titus was a bad man. Somehow, even as she looked at him and knew that his words were true, she still trusted him. She picked up her fork and went on eating. Nothing had changed.

[Titus Vere]

He felt as if he was walking through a minefield, blundering from one explosion to the next. But as quickly as the shock came, it went. Instead of bolting for the door, she stayed where she was, even continued to eat knowing an assassin had prepared her food. It was fascinating how quickly she adapted.

"I've never done this before." Titus confessed before the ever-constant filter between his thoughts and the words he said could stop him from speaking truthfully, "I've been to the Below many times, but I've never brought anyone back."

[Skye Thompson]

Skye smiled again at Titus' words. "I would imagine you haven't, I don't know if anyone ever has. But I'm glad you did, I really can't thank you enough for getting me out of that dump." She considered for a moment, running her finger distractedly through her hair, then added, "I've been thinking, we might need some sort of story about why you did bring me back... Maybe we could say I'm your cousin, or godchild or something like that. That my parents died and left me to you." Her eyes had lit up the way they always did when she was thinking of a lie. Lying was one of the things Skye prided herself on being good at, though she preferred to call it storytelling. "You could pretend that you really hate me, that you think I'm annoying and you want to send me away. That would especially keep people from getting suspicious."

Satisfied with the lie, she smiled to herself and continued eating. For the first time in a long time, Skye almost didn't feel hungry. She was tired, but she wasn't cold. It was the happiest she'd felt since the day Adrian left for Nox. But the dark feeling that had settled in her chest didn't want her to be happy. A small, snide, voice inside her head whispered, Maybe he won't have to pretend he hates you. Maybe he won't have to pretend he wants to kick you out. Didn't think of that did you? Stupid girl.

[Titus Vere]

Titus laughed at her excitement in her voice. He was glad she'd broached the subject before he had. "Yes, you're right. We will need a cover story. But I'm afraid those two won't work. My family tree is far too mapped out, and unfortunately Digeo is aware of I never been asked to be anyone's godfather."

He paused in his eating to take a sip of wine, cleansing his pallet as he thought. Pregnancy scandal was equally flawed as there was no child and most scandals would simply have money thrown at them until they went away (and if they did not go away, well, Titus was the other solution for a troublesome problem). He doubted anyone would believe he had simply taken pity Skye and brought her up. Nor would they believe he was doing this to stroke his own ego.

He suddenly had a flash as he looked at her. There was an answer that would excuse any questions about Skye, and one that would keep Digeo from digging too deep. "How old are you?"

[Skye Thompson]

The fact that her ideas wouldn't work made Skye feel a little hurt, she was used to being the best at coming up with stories. Then again, nothing in the Top was what she was used to. As if to prove her point, she was surprised by the fact that anyone could know so much about another persons family. Skye herself barely knew the names of her grandparents. For all she knew, her great-grandmother could have been a goat. The thought almost made her laugh, but she restrained herself, watching Titus who was clearly deep in thought.

"How old are you?" His question was abrupt and confusing, but Skye answered anyway. "I'm sixteen." How would her age help? What could that possibly have to do with a story about why Titus had brought her here? She would have to wait and see. But another question was nagging at that back of her mind. She wondered for a moment if she should ask it, but eventually curiosity got the better of her. But no, no she should wait until Titus said whatever he was going at say. Then she could ask him about the person he had mentioned, the man call Digeo.

[Titus Vere]

Sixteen? That wouldn't work. But they could fudge her age. Make-up and the right clothes could easily add another few years on her. No one would question her appearance under those circumstances. "If anyone asks, you're eighteen."

Titus quickly worked out the story in his head, "My father had a fling with your mother and you were the result. Tragically, neither I nor you ever knew about one another until a few weeks ago, when I found papers in my father's possessions mentioning an affair he was conducting. I sought you out and found you. Your mother was dead, and your step-father was long gone. I could not leave my half-sister to wallow in filth. So I have brought you here to live with me and to care for you because I am seeking a connection to the family I never knew."

"We will have to falsify a DNA test. That can be done easily enough. And I will secure a birth certificate for yourself and your deceased mother." Titus finished his wine and set the glass aside. "If anyone asks, you resemble your mother."

[Skye Thompson]

She nodded. "Eighteen. Got it." Skye liked the story Titus had come up with. It was more than plausible, and she was impressed at how much thought he had already given it in such a short space of time. He was a better lier than she was, which Skye thought was saying something, although she supposed that made sense too. "Y'know it's funny, all of that could almost be true. My mother left when I was two, my father always said she ran off with another man... Well I suppose he's my step-father now." Skye grinned. She liked the idea that the man who had tortured her for the past five years was not actually related to her, even though it probably wasn't true.

"And I... I do look like my mother. It's gotten me into a lot of trouble." Yeah, trouble with my insane father- I mean step-father. She hesitated again. Now was her chance to ask, yet somehow she felt that she shouldn't, she felt as if she were asking for the answer to some great secret. But once again, she could not contain her curiosity, and this time, she let her thoughts become words. "Titus, who is Digeo?"

[Titus Vere]

Titus felt satisfied she would learn and live her cover story. Once the proper documents arrived, it would be time to introduce her to the world at large. Until then, she would remain here, hidden from prying eyes. Titus would have to bring in someone to cut her hair and fix her make-up. He could think of someone he trusted later.

"Digeo d'Asola is my ex-guardian and current employer. My parents were murdered when I was a child, and Digeo became my ward. He paid for everything until I became of majority and had access to my trust fund. We have remained... close." Close seemed the best word. They were not friendly with one another, and Titus was not even sure if they were respectful, but they were close. Titus could not escape Digeo and, indeed, did not way to. To leave would mean being unable to watch Digeo as he watched Titus. It was not healthy, but what in Titus' life was? "He is the greatest assassin living. Digeo has taught me everything I know about extinguishing human life. He has also taught me everything I know about deceit and manipulation. I hope you won't have to face him often."

[Skye Thompson]

This Digeo character sounded like an unpleasant person. The way Titus talked about him made Skye picture him as a snake, fork-tonged and slippery, with those beady, emotionless eyes staring her down and that thin, coiled body poised to strike. Of course, she had never seen a real snake, but Adrian had shown her pictures, and they looked absolutely terrifying. Skye no more wanted to see a real snake than she wanted to meet this Digeo d'Asola in person. Hearing Titus describe him was bad enough. It must have been horrible for Titus to live with this man after him parents had died.

His parents had died? Skye realized suddenly what Titus had just said. His parents had been murdered. How wrong she'd been to think he didn't know much about death. She understood the feeling he must have, an emptiness she'd always felt, where she thought her parents should be. But of course, her parents weren't dead, they just didn't love her. Death was something else, something much, much worse than a mother who didn't care about you and a father who cared in all the wrong ways. Death was, well, death. It was gone, for ever and ever.

Skye stared at Titus, struggling to find words. Finally she spoke, but what she wanted to say didn't come out right. "I-I'm sorry. That's terrible. I-I-" but 'I'm sorry' just seemed so pointless, so empty. Then she remembered the day of her 12th birthday. She remembered sitting by the door, waiting for the mail to come. It had been months since Adrian had written, but he would write to her on her birthday, he always did. The had mail come. A letter to her father. That was all. And Skye had sat there in the middle of the hall and sobbed, because she couldn't believe it was true. Because after months of fear, she was going to have to accept that Adrian was gone, for ever and ever. Skye opened her mouth and spoke from her heart the words that felt right. "I understand. I know what it's like to lose a father."

[Titus Vere]

Titus went quiet. It had been a long time since someone said they were sorry for his loss, or that they understood. It had been even longer since he spoke about his parents. Everyone knew, or thought they knew, what happened to them. Skye clearly understood, and he wasn't certain how to respond to such honest sympathy.

He nodded, clearing his throat before daring to speak. "Thank you. I'll leave the rest of the backstory to you. And if there's anything you'd like, please let me know."

[Skye Thompson]

Understanding could sometimes be a painful thing. It was also mysterious. Skye had never felt understood by anyone except Adrian, and she had never really had the experience of understanding someone else. But she understood now. She knew all too well why Titus didn’t speak, why he only nodded. She knew how he felt, and it made her ache inside. That terrible, empty, ripped apart feeling was bad enough when it happened to her, but to imagine someone else having such an emotion was so upsetting, even frightening. She would never wish that on someone else, especially someone like Titus, who didn’t deserve it.

Or maybe he does, whispered a small voice in her head, after all he is a killer. No, she thought, shaking her head. No, he saved my life, he did something for me that not a single other person in this world would do. He made his life harder so that mine could get easier. He doesn’t deserve it. Of the two of us, I deserve it more than he does! But no one deserves that. No one, no matter what they’ve done.

She nodded in answer to his requests. "Thank you. But just being here is more then I ever could have dreamed of. I'll make sure to have the story straight, so there won't be any questions without answers." That was the problem with lies. Someone could ask you a question you didn't know the answer to, and having to make up an answer on the spot was never a pleasant experience.

[Titus Vere]

"Excellent." Titus poured himself another glass of wine. He did not offer one to Skye. There would come an appropriate time to offer her alcohol, but now was not it. He wanted to make sure it was clear that his intentions were pure (or as pure as Titus ever could be). Titus did not know exactly what sort of life Skye had lived, but he doubted it had been pleasant, or that the men in it had been trustworthy. He wanted her to trust him, if only so he could trust her too.

He took their empty plates and tucked them into the dishwasher, the remains of the pasta going into the fridge. "Let me show you to your bedroom." Titus carried the glass of wine in one hand, scooping up half the bags left in the living room with his free hand. He gestured for her to follow him down the hallway and to the spiral staircase at the end. It was easily to climb the wrought-iron staircase. As he emerged into the top floor, the lights automatically flickered on.

The room was at the end of the hall, beside the room he used as a study. It was a modest guest room: queen sized bed, viewscreen on the opposite wall, a walk-in closet to the right, beside the door leading to the washroom, and a window on the other side looking out onto the city below. He set her new clothes beside the closet door and turned to watch her reaction.

[Skye Thompson]

Walking into the room, she felt as if some sort of explosion were taking place inside her mind and heart. She spun around on her toes, taking it all in, speechless, breathless. It was beautiful. She had a bed, her own bed to sleep in, for the first time in weeks. She would not spend tonight in the dirty streets, trying to sleep as cold enveloped her like a heavy blanket. Tonight, she would have a real blanket to chase the cold away. And a room, her own room to sleep in. Not an alley, a room.

It was a very large room, larger than she had expected a bedroom to be, but she had realized by now that this was how her first few weeks in the Top would be. A series of events that she did not expect. But it was not the bed that made her love this room, nor was it the room itself. It was the window. Skye crossed to it and looked outside. She could see the world stretching out before her, waiting for her, calling to her. Yet she looked at the buildings only a few moments before turning her eyes to the sky.

And there, at last, she saw something she had only heard about. It was the story she had asked Adrian to tell her most often, the word she'd whispered every night before she went to sleep. Even more than that great expanse of blue high above all, she'd always promised herself she would see the stars. There they were, shinning above her like beacons in the night, beacons of hope, and of adventure. Someday she would travel far beyond them, but for now she was more than happy just to be here.

She stood at the window for a long time, simply gazing outside, awestruck, happiness mounting inside her, until she felt again that she must explode from joy. Suddenly and without thinking, she turned from the window and ran at Titus, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you so much!" Then she realized what she was doing. She let him go and turned away, her face flushing.