When the door slammed shut, everyone's smiles' slipped off their faces', as worry covered Selene's face. She ushered everyone upstairs, and stayed down. Turning to Rico she said,

"Show Jarrod the Room, if I'm not up in 30 minutes be on guard tonight." He nodded then frowned,

"Selene, please let us help." She smiled,

"You are." Footsteps got closer, as she pushed everyone upstairs. Jarrod stopped to look at her,

"He's abusive isn't he?" Selene tilted her head in agreement, then nodded,

"Go." Jarrod went, just as Daniel came to the stairs and yelled,

"SELENE!" When he saw her there, his expression turned to one of momentary surprise, he then gripped her injured arm, causing her to wince in pain, and dragged her to the living room. He threw her onto the ground, Rico it seemed, had cleaned up the glass shards and blood from last night. She pushed herself up, only to be slammed into the wall. He went to the side table to get his beer, and she didn't dare move from the wall. He spun round and in a deadly soft voice asked,

"What was that?" Angry that he had threatened Danny earlier, she replied with defiance,

"What was what?" He growled,

"Don't toy with me girl, or I will beat you within an inch of your life!" He downed his beer in one gulp, wobbled a bit, his eyes' a bit more unfocused, then discarded that bottle onto the carpet and opened another. Selene knew it was unwise to taunt him, especially when he was becoming drunk, but she was angry and tired of everyone beating down on her, so she laughed,

"Don't you do that already, or do you call slicing my back up a love tap?" His bloodshot eyes' widened with fury, as he grabbed his discarded bottle from earlier and threw it at her. She dodged, but not before the tip with the metal cap hit her inured arm. She fell back against the wall, that being the only thing keeping her standing, and leaned her head back, gritting her teeth against the pain that lanced through her arm.

"You ungrateful little brat! If it wasn't for me, you and Danny boy would be rotting in a foster home." Fury filled Selene, he thought he and actually done them a favor retrieving them from their foster home, like hell!

"I'd rather rot there than here!" He threw another bottle at her head, which she dodged,

"I gave you FOOD, CLOTHES, A ROOF OVER YOUR HEADS YOU THANKLESS BITCH!" He moved forward and slapped her, the force of blow slamming her into the wall. She turned around, tasting blood in her mouth, as she shot back,

"Did that make you feel more like a man? Hitting a girl?" A dangerous glint entered his eyes',

"You will show me respect, or so help me God you will pay." Her blue eyes' glittered,

"Screw. You." He punched her only to have her block it with her hurt arm, and scream dropping to the ground. He kicked her in the gut a few times, causing blood to drip out of the corner of her mouth, as she lay against the wall on the floor. He yanked her up and slammed her against the wall,

"Do you submit?" She gave him a small smile,

"Go. To. Hell." He punched her again and again, everywhere but her face, and kicked the crap out of her. Semi-conscious, he dragged her up against the wall again,

"Do you SUBMIT?!" She tried to talk, but it took a few tries before she could croak,

"I wonder what she would say if she could see you now?" His eyes' widened in rage, as he slammed her head again and again into the wall,

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF HER TO ME, YOU USELESS, NO GOOD, BITCH." She gave him a defiant look,

"Try some more original names." Her fear, exhaustion, pain, hunger all the time, constantly having people rely on her, always having to be the one to protect, never feeling safe, or loved it was expenditure. Everyone needed some downtime, someplace, or someone to feel safe with, to relax, she hadn't and that since she was 9, and that had been for a brief while. She was angry at the world, she was angry at Daniel, it was all his fault anyway, and he brought a new kid into this hell hole, complicating everything. Damn him! 

Sometimes she just felt like giving up, like she was spent up, but then she remembered Danny and kept going, but that was exhausting, to just keep going. She felt like Dean from Supernatural, no matter how much crap is thrown their way, they just keep going (though the crap thrown their way was more severe then the crap thrown her way, but oh well). 

Daniel smiled grotesquely,"Perhaps Danny-boy should join us since you seem all high and mighty today, or maybe the mousy brown haired boy your so fond of, or maybe Sari." Fear struck Selene, and all the fight went out of her. She slumped, her eyes' dull,

"No, please sir." He dropped her, and jerked his head,

"Remember that, or next time you will wish you were dead." She gulped and nodded. Her whole body screaming in pain, she pushed herself off the ground, and stumbled from the room. As she approached the stairs, dread filled her, she had to climb all of those stairs, that was a daunting prospect, especially with all the pain she was in. 

When she reached the top, the door to the Room opened, and out came Danny and Rico, followed by Jarrod. She stiffened, as she warily watched him. He stiffened as he took her in. She could tell right away they weren't going to get along. Danny's eyes' widened as he took her in, then fury caused him to shake with rage,

"I'm going to kill him." 

"No... you're not." Danny looked at her incredulously,

"Look what he did to you!" Selene pinned him with a glare,

"And what do you think he'll do to you if you try to take him on. No Danny, end of discussion." Rico's face tightened as did Danny's. Rico stepped forward, his face filled with pain at seeing her this way, and empathy for her.

"Selene," he said calmly,"You can't go on like this, its too much." She smiled at him, then squeezed her eyes' shut as pain wracked her stiff frame. She leaned against the wall, and when she opened her eyes' they were unfocused and glazed over with pain,

"I.. need.. to shower. Could.... you tell Sar....riya to get my... stuff?" And with that she stumbled her way to the bathroom. After turning the shower on, she eased herself out of her clothes and into the bath, and some while later Sariya came in with her clothes. From outside the shower Selene heard her ask in a small voice,

"Selene? Are you okay?" Selene's heart clenched a little at the fear for Selene that was evident in the 7 year old's voice.

"I'm fine Sari. Go pick out a book for us to read tonight, its your turn." Sariya sounded more reassured when she replied,

"Okay," and left, as Selene was stifling a scream at the hot water running down her various wounds.