"Wow!" Valentine cries out, "this place is huge!"
I giggle, "yup, cozy, isn't it?"
"Uh-huh! Your parents aren't upset you got in late?"
"No, as long as we didn't wake them, they're OK with it."
"Well, good thing we didn't!"
Valentine sits at the foot of my bed and takes off her hat. Sounds of my door knob turning and pulling forces me to my feet. My eyes widen to the sight of a man dresses in black.
"PAPA!"
My screams rebound throughout the vicinity of my home. I quickly text Cole, when the man jumps onto Valentine and deals heavy blows to her face and body. His hand reaches into hi pocket.
"PAPA!"
An ebony gun gleams in the light reflecting from the pool. Without thinking, I rush to the unknown man. Hid finger presses the trigger. A bullet lunges at me, grazing my arm. I scream again, this time in agony. Everything around me seems to be going in slow motion. Dad dashes into the room and rips the man off Valentine. Once again... A shot resounds, shaking my very core.
"PAPA! NO!!"
"Celestina?!"
Cole and Jin glare at the man and attack him.
"Papa! Valentine!"
Who do I go to first? Papa is laying there, dying and so is Valentine.
I dial 911 and slowly walk to the battered man. I can see in the corner of my eye, Valentine rising. I rear back my fist and plunge it into the murderer.
"You b****rd!!"
Valentine joins in and seconds later, we stop. My head is throbbing, the blood on our hands, dripping... The color is making me nauseous... Red... Ruby red. I look at my friends, whose eyes are completely white. My head is throbbing... Everything is white. Sirens fill my head; I'm bleeding, there's blood everywhere. I don't feel so good.

My body is being pulled forward at rapid speed. Incoherent voices ring through the white hallway, "This girl is Celestina Emperador, "a man in white calls out, "she's a hemophiliac, hurry."
"C-Cole..."
I find myself whispering,
"Valentine, Jin..."
"Celestina!?"
"Mom, is that you?"
"Doctor, please! Please save my daughter!"
I hear my mom cry out. Am I going to die? I can't die yet, I just can't...

My eyes open, weakly; I try to move.
"Celestina?" Mom touches my face, "are you OK, mija?"
"Papa?" I get a sudden burst of energy, "where's Papa?"
"He's in surgery."
Ripping out my I.V, I limp down the hallway, searching for my friends and the b****rd that shot me and my Father... And beat my best friend. Jin looks out of his room and takes off the tubes attached to him. I hug him and cry, "It's all my fault!"
"No, it's not," he comforts me, "you didn't know this was going to happen."
"Celestina, Jin!"
Cole grabs me gently and hugs me, "Valentine is going to be OK, she's badly bruised and has a little internal bleeding, but nothing life threatening."
"And the man?"
"He... He's dead."
"Who was it?"
"It was Vinny Bianchi."
"Valentine's Dad!?"
He nods, "we're not charged with murder. It was self defense, he had a gun and it went too far. Mrs. Bianchi isn't pressing charges either."
I walk down the hall and stop when I hear a soft groan.
"Valentine?"
I holler down the hallway.
"Celestina?"
Entering the room, a shock hits me in the back of my head, as it does to everyone else. We inspect each other and proceed to our injured friend.
"You guys are OK," she says with a warm smile, "did they get the guy?"
Cole kisses her on her forehead and nods.
"Well, who was it?"
"It was your Dad, Valentine."
"That's not funny, Cole."
"He's telling the truth," I turn my head to avoid eye contact, "he died, Valentine."
"I... I need to be alone."
"I can't leave you alone anymore," Cole shivers, "bad things happen when I leave you alone."
"Then wait outside, please."
"Celestina?" A Doctor rushes to me, "Celestina Emperador?"
"Yes?"
"I'm afraid the surgery couldn't save your Father; he only has a few minutes, he wants to speak with you."