'She's awake?'  A look slipped over Warren, an expression familiar to Maria as he spoke.  A look of hunger that he had when he was instructing Maria in the ways of the house and whenever Maria forced him to discipline her for her infractions.  A hunger filled once the lesson was learned to his exacting standards.  'Of course she's pretty, Maria.  I want only the prettiest girl to be your little sister.  Although it will take some time to make Ali the prettiest she can be.'<br/><br/>The news put a spring into his step, Warren was tired before.  But now?  He wanted to have her laying on a table, spread out again as his blade stained itself red.  Ali had such a nice scream that he was confident he could tease out of her.  A fresh one that rung the air like no recording could ever match.  A stamp unique to her, marking her differently from Maria.  'Tonight though, we will go down to see her before she has to rest.  The teaching will begin once I think she's fit enough.'<br/><br/>Warren took Maria's hand.  'I want you to hold the lash when I teach.  You must be strong for her sake.  So that we can sand away her imperfections.  You don't want her to be flawed like the other girls, don't you Maria.'  There had been a few girls brought to the house before Ali, but they weren't worthy enough to be Maria's sister.  So they had ended up being fed to the pack of boars that Warren had on the farm.  'Come on, let's go see her now.'