February 9, 2008, 7:45 a.m.



Jael pulled the strap of her backpack higher on her shoulder, grimacing as it started to dig into her skin again. The thick shirt she was wearing offered no protection against the heavy shoulder bag. Groaning, she staggered over to the stairs and angled the bag on top of the stone guard rail, allowing it to take the weight of her bag.

"Need some help?"

Jael smiled even before she saw the speaker; the voice was intimately familiar to her. "Hey," she answered, leaning against Jimmy and turning up her face for a kiss. It was a quick one, and shorter than either of them wanted; the school policy against PDA was strict, and the teachers watched for it with eagle eyes.

Breaking it off, she pulled her arm out of the strap so that he could pick it up; even he staggered under the weight. "God, what do you have in here?"

"Some books for my physics test," Jael grumbled. "I need an 'A' on this to pull up my average, or else I'll have a heck of a time getting into Syracuse."

"I can't believe you're still going on about that," Jimmy grumbled. "That's all the way in New York!"

Jael shrugged. "It's got the best criminal justice program. It's a no-brainer, Jimmy."

"But it doesn't even have an Ag program," he whined irritably, his breathing turning into a rasp as they scaled the stairs to the second floor. "Besides, won't Chuck be sad if you move away?"

Jael's eyes flashed with irritation as she glowered at him for a moment. "Don't call him that. Dr. Sakolove supports what I do, unlike other men in my life."

"Is he still going on about that?" Shelly's voice was a welcome intrusion on the conversation, and Jael give her friend a triumphant smile.

"What, when did he start?"

"Last night," Shelly said, flipping long brown hair over her shoulder. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she grinned at Jael, fighting the giggles as Jimmy gave her a dirty look. "I told him to call you about it, not me."

"I tried that," Jimmy muttered. "Your dad wouldn't let me talk to you."

"That's right; I was studying." Jael's voice was cold and unforgiving. "I told you not to call. I have a preliminary acceptance into Syracuse, and I'm not going to screw up and not get in it." She reached her locker and dialed through the combination.

Jimmy tried to say something, but her stance was closed off, unyielding. He knew what she was like, when she got like this. "Ok. Hey, I'm going to class. Catch you later, ok?"

"Ok," Jael replied, turning to give him a quick kiss.

He smiled, clearly feeling better after her affection. "Hey, see you in Phys Ed. Good luck on your test." The smile she flashed him was worth the small consession he'd just made.

After he left, Shelly asked, "Really, why do you put up with him? He's so... selfish. And it's not intention; he just doesn't pay attention."

Jael shrugged. "He loves me. It's enough." As Shelly just shook her head, Jael added, "Besides, he's not coming to Syracuse. His dad doesn't want him to leave Arizona. We'll... drift away then."

Shelly looked a little sad. "You shouldn't think like that, girlfriend. If you want him, think positive while fighting for him."

Jael looked pensive, but the warning bell rang. "Come on, let's get to class."

Febuary 9, 2008, 6:00 p.m.

I can smell them, taste their fear, like a cold wine that burns as it soothes. They know I walk among them, a monster and a killer, but they pretend not to feel it.

They blind themselves, and are open for the feast - my feast. I live off their death, extending my life.

Jael Carver walked along the path that she had been following for the last few weeks. It was largely empty at this time of day; in a couple of hours, it would be filled with people rushing home. For now, it was nearly deserted. It was was the most direct path from the Panera's Bread she'd been studying at lately. And she didn't feel safe, especially not when she saw the tall, slim man ahead of her. "Ok," she muttered as Dr. Charles Sakolove talked to the man ahead of her. She knew him from pictures that Charles had shown her, and she'd seen him lingering on this route before.

Her stomach churned a little as Charles walked away from the man, toward her. "Good luck," he whispered as he passed her, with no other sign that he had acknowledged her. And she walked forward, her stomach in knots.

"Follow the plan," she mumbled just before she got into hearing range. She could feel his eyes on her as she drew even with him. As she passed him, her shoulders tensed, preparing for what was coming.

His arms grappling her body was no surprise, nor was the hand he clamped over her mouth. "Mhmhph!" Jael shouted, thrashing with her head and legs. Her arms were trapped, and she curled them up to grab his, making sure she would be braced if he dropped her. She wasn't his preferred target, and he might reject her yet.

He dragged her backwards and she obligingly fought him. When he pulled her into a house, a part of her relaxed. Now she could work her magic, right after he pulled her into the back room. It had already been prepared, she knew, waiting for him to bring his victim back here.

Today, he'd found the wrong victim.

He tossed Jael away from him, throwing her toward the musty, stained blankets he'd set out. Those blankets were his trophies; they carried away the blood and other fluids from his victims, and his own fluids, spread across woven cotton threads. She stretched herself into a roll, controlling the fall and hopping to her feet the moment she could. He looked surprised, and then more surprised when she drew the knife out of her boot sheath. "What-?" he asked, but broke off when she lunged at him in an expert thrust.

Today, her first victim knew martial arts.

It wasn't something that Dr. Sakolove had seen in his telepathic sessions, when he had searched the man and found out what he did to his victims. In all the investigations that the doctor had done - tracking down the man, matching his face to a name and an M.O., learning and intercepting his next victim - Charles had never assessed his ability to fight. It was their first attempt at this.

Jael's attack was well-done for a child of her prowess and ability. But it was nothing for the grown man she was facing, who instinctively swept her arm away and punched her in the chest, knocking her down. For a moment, the girl couldn't breathe, struggling to pull air into lungs that were attached to traumatized muscles. And he grabbed her hair, as he stepped on her wrist. "And this is why I like little kids," he grumbled, plucking the knife out of her hand. "Less fuss."

"Fuck you," Jael growled, rolling her eyes to look up at him. "Rapist. Murderer. Pedophile."

He backhanded her, hard, and she saw stars, her head snapping back. Groaning, she slumped to the ground, held aloft by her hair, as the pain in her head pounded through her skull. She heard him breathing, his breath ragged as he stared at her. "You're too big to really enjoy," he murmured, crouching down and running a finger down her cheek. "I'm not sure why I snagged you. But I'll have to make do, won't I?"

"Die, you sick fuck," she hissed at him, baring her teeth in defiance.

He just smiled, and she saw it for the first time: his hard penis, hanging out of his jeans. It was the first one she'd ever seen in person. For the first time, she knew - with every ounce of her being, with every part of her - he was going to rape and kill her. Her mind reeled with the realization, and her brain snapped.

She was on her hands and knees, inches from his face before he'd registered her movement. He tried to slide back from her, but he was now the weaker creature, and she followed him, her hands reaching for his penis. She didn't cup him - he felt the momentary brush of skin - but pain, liquid and burning blossomed between his legs. She cut him again, but he was beyond feeling it, falling into shock and away from the pain. He began to scream, but he still hear her say, "You will never kill another girl."

And he wouldn't, not in this life.

February 9, 2008, 6:05 p.m.

See what you have done, and know fear.

"Dear God, Jael," Charles gasped. He'd followed the plan: give her five minutes, then come and help clean up. But he hadn't expected this.

Jael looked up at the doctor, then down at her hands again. They were covered in blood, beautiful, beautiful blood, red and sparkling on her fingers and claws. She looked at her psychologist with eyes blank from shock. As he watched, she flicked her tongue out, licking a smear of blood from her hand.

He bent down and caught her by the shoulders, catching her gaze. With the force of his will, he drilled a command into her mind, forcing her to comply and make it truth. "Snap out of it. We need to figure out how to adjust the plan."

Jael's eye's focused and she blinked. "What..." She glanced at the dead man and smiled. "Good, he's dead." She grinned, turning up her smiling face to Charles. "I did it! I got him!"

He reached out and touched her cheek, the one without blood spatter. His gloves would protect his skin from smears, but he wanted to avoid messing up the blood evidence. "Yes, you did," he agreed, his voice gentle. "You did very good." He glanced at the shredded body, repressing a shudder. For the first time, he wondered if he'd made the right choice, all those years ago. He'd had a chance to lock the monster away in a cage; he'd chosen to shape her into a tool of righteousness, instead. What had he done?

"Jael, what is The Code?" he asked, his voice cajoling. "Recite it for me."

He saw her slip into that half-trance state that she fell into whenever he told her to recite The Code. He'd conditioned her to do that because it helped keep her calm. And right now, he needed the reassurance that she was under control. "One: Cover your tracks. Two: Plan everything out before you make a move. Three: Don't take risks. Four: You have to blend in to survive. Five: Never get caught. Six: Killing must serve a higher purpose. Last: I am not controlled by my urges. I control them."

Charles nodded, relaxing. "Very good." His tone became brisk and businesslike as he eyed her claws. "This was... unexpected." The thoughts of her hiding who she was faded when the light of the setting sun slanted through the window and let him see her new appearance. Her new beauty hit him like a kick in the gut, especially with the lost, confused look in her eyes. "You have to get to a Rashoud Facility. We need to change the plan. I need you to listen.."

Jael nodded, the confusion passing as he subsumed it with his own desires. Pushing into her mind was easy for him, after so long doing it, like slipping headfirst into a pile of warm, clean laundry. But he'd cleaned all this himself, had taken the monster in her head and had reshaped it into a weapon of justice. He had given her a purpose and saved her life, for she'd be just another cog in the penal system without him. "What should we do?"

"You're going to have to face the cops," he said. At the panic in her eyes, he hastened to add, "But you won't get caught; you were attacked, and you erupted from it. All you have to do is leave me and the set-up out of it. Rollins grabbed you, dragged you in here, and you erupted to save your life. Can you do that?"

Jael grinned. "That's easier than the original plan," she agreed, nodding easily. Without prompting she pulled out her cell phone and cradled it without cutting it to pieces.

Leaning forward, Charles kissed her forehead. Part of him felt guilty for doing so, but another part of him didn't care if it was inappropriate. "You did good," he told her as she blinked up at him, surprise in her blue-gray eyes.

"Thanks," she murmured, blushing pleasantly. That was how he left her, alone with the body, her cell phone held in delicate fingers. She was sitting calmly, but she looked wild and fierce, like a half-tamed wolf.

What had he done?

February 12, 2008, 9:05 p.m.

My time has come. Charles set me on this path, and I will not falter. “Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.” Psalm 10:15. So much wrong, so much evil, so much pain to be delivered to those who deserve it.

I can't wait to get started.

Jael sat up, yawning heavily. It had been three days since the attack and her eruption, but she was still tired. That was due to the medication, mostly; it put her to sleep at odd times and had destroyed her sleep schedule. She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to see if the mox had worn off yet. To her pleasure, the scents of the Rashoud clinic were vivid, almost as vivid as her eyes saw when they were looking. But it was better than eyes; she could "see" around corners.

It was wonderful.

Her eyes opened and looked over the gifts and get-well cards that she had been given. She didn't know who half of them were; some were kids she'd never talked to at school, and some were members of the hospital staff at Phoenix Regional, where she'd been taken for a rape kit. She had told them he hadn't, but they needed to check before she was airlifted to Mexico City to the Rashoud Clinic there. Jael sighed. Adults never listened to her.

"You're still awake?" Nurse Singh walked into the room, smiling and talking softly. Jael didn't have a roommate right now, but the nurses all began to speak in subdued tones after 8:30, when visiting hours closed.

"I couldn't sleep," Jael said with a smile. The nurse was smiling, so she could smile back. She hated meeting new people; she always had to learn their tells and emotional proclivities. "Too excited after seeing my friends."

The nurse smiled knowingly as she straightened the sheets and checked Jael's vitals. "That was a cute boy - is he your boyfriend?" Jael nodded, hoping she was blushing properly. Her cheeks felt warm, but the medication had been throwing her off. She paused in her evalution, and her expression became dreamy. "Ach, were I seventeen again."

That's creepy, Jael noted to herself, her expression unchanging. "He's a good boyfriend. And Shelly's my best friend."

"It's good to have friends," Nurse Singh nodded, her dark face still a bit dreamy from her wistful gazing over Jimmy. "Well, you look alright. Time for your night dose."

Jael barely stopped her grimace. "Ok," she said. "When can I stop taking the Mox?"

"Soon," the nurse said soothingly. "It's policy to take it so long as there's the chance to lose control of your powers." Jael nodded, watching as she injected the shot into her IV line. "I added soemthing to help you sleep," Singh added after the drug had been added.

Jael nodded, even as she noted that the nurse had made it up before she'd walked into the room. "Ok," she sighed, snuggling down into her covers. She'd be tired soon.

"Sleep well, dear," the nurse said, smiling. She was echoed by the rest of Jael's friends in the room, but the nurse didn't hear them. Yawning again, Jael murmured good night before the drug pulled her under.

As soon as she was asleep, Nurse Singh slipped back into the room. Quietly and efficiently, she pulled blood and skin samples from the girl. When she was done, the nurse quietly left, leaving Jael sleeping.