<span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">Artemis finally snapped, standing up and slamming her glass on the table wirh a heavy handed thud. The impact shattering the glass over her hand and cutting it deeply. Yet she never flinched, nor cried out, she stood as if nothing was wrong. There was a moments silence as Artemis gathered her thoughts and felt the adrenaline rush through her body. </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"You act as if you have everything figured out, that you have the right call me out. Well let me tell you - <i>you don't! </i>My mother would kill me if she saw the food I wasted, drag me back by my ear and make me eat. I'm not as spoilt as you think I am. Just because I wasn't in a gang doesn't mean we always had food on our table - we didn't. It was down to people like destroying our farm... and my family" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">Artemis felt as tears threatened to fall from her eyes and brushed the burning sensation away. </span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"You blame every ounce of your being on the those misfits! Nightfires can't do this, nightfire's can't do that - who cares?! That's in the past! Stop blaming them for everything, pick yourself up and find some damn dignity moving forward." </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">The aron may have been going about it in the wrong way, but it almost sounded like she was offering Kiara some tough love. She looked down at her hand, the adrenaline beginning to wear off and the throbbing pain seeping through. She flexed her fingers, seeing the crimson red blood cover her hand and groaned. </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"If you're gonna stay... And no doubt you will. Stop focusing on the past and look forward..."</span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">Artemis gave a staggered breath. Thomas' comment about her eyes hadn't gone unnoticed and it soothed her angry soul. She felt the tears return and sting her eyes as a lump formed in her throat. With his warm embrace around her, she nuzzled into him affectionately. She was still angry at Kiara, fuming in fact. How dare she have the audacity to lecture her. Everything she had, she had worked herself into the ground and fought tooth and nail for. Her mother hadn't wanted her to do this and her father...? Well she did it to make him proud but he was long gone. A sense of doubt crept into Artemis' mind and for a split second she wondered if her mother had been right all time. No. She couldn't think that, she needed to heed her own advice and look to the future. She was a guardian now and she would strive to best she could. </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(84, 172, 210)">"I'll go get this cleaned up... I want to post my letter anway. Enjoy your shopping" </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">She spoke distantly as she pulled herself from Thomas's hold.</span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(209, 213, 216)">She grabbed the crumpled envelope from under the pillow before pulling off the case and wrapping the material around her injured hand. The white cotton soon stained red as her blood seeped through and Artmeis mentally scolded herself. Hopefully if she explained it was her fault, Thomas wouldn't get in any trouble. She left the room, only looking back to nod a silent thank you to her trainer.</span>