"He's an awful person," Jade sighed, reaching up to grab a picture book that had caught her eye.

"I know, dear," Dane mumbled. She stopped to look at him in shock. He wasn't denying it then? No excuses that he could explain? "But the thing is you haven't even seen half of him," he paused, "but you will eventually."

"What do you mean?" She pulled down the book and sat down on the couch where he was pretending to read.

"You haven't been around him enough and he has been trying very hard to keep up an appearance, but he'll slip up or stop caring soon enough," Dane nodded to himself, flipping the page to his book, not reading a single word. If his mind was barely on their conversation and not at all on his book where was it?

"This is about his job isn't it?" She opened her book with a bored sigh to find herself staring out into a forest. She traced her finger over the picture.

"Yes, somewhat," he spoke honestly as usual, "it most certainly is a part, a small one, since he has no other option but to work for the King of course, but it does still matter. Why? Do you know what he does?"

She shook her head, "No, Drake keeps that from me."

He pursed his lips and looked down, thinking, deciding whether to tell her or not. "I suppose that's for the better. It will change the way that you see him forever."

"Why does that matter?" She scoffed.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. Suddenly he stood up, allowing the book in his lap to fall to the ground with thud. "Come on," he turned to her, dejected as if he had failed at something, "let's go find something else to do."

That was fine with her, she couldn't use ninety percent of the books in there, but, "I thought that you wanted to come to this library. We've only been here for half an hour. Where would we even go?"

"I-I just need to distract myself sweetheart," he seemed fidgety. What was wrong?

"From what?" She stood up as well, placing her book gently on the couch where she had sat.

"From," he let that word string out as he stared deep into her eyes. Was he thinking up a lie to tell her? "My mother's death," he looked away, "her funeral is in a few days, but I can't go. It would send Damien into hysterics."

"Your mother!" She choked on the words and then immediately embraced Damien's brother, "I am so sorry Dane," she could feel him shaking, trembling even though he wasn't letting a single tear out of his eye. "You need to go to the funeral. You all should for that matter. Dane-"

"No!" He pulled back shaking his head. "I should not have told you."

"When's the visitation?" Jade insisted, "I'll come with you."

"Stop Jade, you don't understand any of this," he muttered, removing his glasses from his face and stowing them away in his pocket.

"Understand-" She began hesitantly.

"Understand the relationship between our father and Damien," he actually shuddered.

"Damien doesn't have to go or know that you went!" She continued, following him as he began to walk out of the library.

"I think that he'd actually kill him if he ever saw him," he muttered to himself as they walked out of the doors all together.

"Who? Damien? Kill your father?" She frowned.

"No, Jade, I need you to go back home . . . on your own and not run off," he had taken her by the shoulders and was now staring her straight in the eyes.

She restrained a smile. This was her second chance. She had to take it. They only came around so often. "Alri-" she frowned, "no, wait. What are you doing?"

He bit his lip and looked away from her, musing to himself. "My mother."

"You should at least go to the visitation Dane!" She sighed.

"I can't believe that she's actually dead. I thought that time-" he looked up in a confused sort of way, "but that would mean that, but-" he looked down and Jade knew that it was because there were tears in his eyes. "Come with me," he looked up at her earnestly with his dark eyebrows pressed hard together. He barely knew her. Why did he want her to come?

"Dane, I don't-" She paused with a sigh. "Of course."