July 31, 2009 - Pre-dawn
Sue's Apartment - Manchester, NH

The door closed after the teenaged couple, Ben and Carrie, with an audible click. Nice kids... far too nice to have been subjected to her horrid treatment of them, the churning miasma of grief and rage that she couldn't quite keep under her skin. The primal urge to rip something to bloody shreds and grind it into the earth beneath her heels. Paul hadn't deserved to be afflicted by her either, and so guilt was added to the over-boiling pot. And shame. Jason was right about her lack of patience and control, and she couldn't blame Fursa for walking away from her, not really, though in her rage... well. Suicide would have been quite an obstacle to finding Jesse's... and Luke's... murderer.

Sue circled back around to grief again, half-stunned by the sudden, blinding agony of it all, lovers reunited only to die in an inferno within mere minutes of that same reunion. It tore at her chest, made every breath a struggle, the utter, unbearable tragedy of it all. It wasn't fair! It wasn't right! Jesse she knew had been through so much to reach that point, and Fursa's words led her to believe the same of Luke. So much, only to end up ashes on a bridge in Manchester. She didn't even know if they'd had time to speak to each other, to make things right between them before ... before all hell broke loose.

Grief fed rage and a target manifested itself. Clayton was forbidden while in this state... she had enough control for that at least. She could question him later. The table though... innocent and defenseless, crashed across the room towards the opposite wall, under Durga's feet, it's load of glassware and iced tea scattering across the tiled floor and breaking with shattering impact.The large seat-cushions were flung across the room, but with much less gratifying results. She didn't even realize she was screaming until her throat locked up into a rasp. She was fortunate she hadn't yet taken off her shoes... for she'd made a special point to grind each and every shard of glass to a fine powder beneath her feet.

As she stood in the ruins of her front room, gasping for breath, she tried to turn back to her faith, for what comfort could be there, but it wasn't enough. Luke wouldn't be back for another turn on the Wheel. Vampires were forbidden that, for they had given up that part of them which would go on for a different immortality. Luke wouldn't be back, and Jesse would be forever without him. Not only murdered in this life, but separated forever. Forever!

Unfortunately, there was nothing left to break except for the altar and its contents. She fell to her knees in the powdered glass, beating her fists into the tiled floor until they bled, and past that, sobbing silently though not for a lack of trying to scream until finally collapsing in a sodden, unconscious heap, exhausted with giving way to the tide of rage within.

Perhaps it was hours later, or only a few moments, but a clatter of knocking at her door and a voice calling her name brought her around again to throw open the door. Shane, early to start on the baking for the Fruited Plain, with the message Paul was on the store phone for her. It was with a lifeless numbing that she walked downstairs to take his call.

"Hello...?"