{Kayano POV}

Things have been a lot different since Jem explained what she's doing for Nagisa and me. Not that I don't appreciate it, but she's put herself in harm's way. Karma only wants me... Revenge on Nagisa, too. But now Jem's made herself a target. In fact, recently, she's come to school with new bruises almost every day. Oh, I wish KoroSensei hadn't dragged her into this...

I stare into the distance, watching the sun set. I'm on the roof of the E Class building, just because it's nice to be here. I come here a lot around this time. I feel safe at this place, and it's nice to watch the fiery colors of the setting sun from somewhere this high up.

I stay there much longer than I should. By the time I stop drifting off in my own thoughts, the stars already shine bright in the sky. I lean my head back to get a better look at them. They're so beautiful... It's almost as if I could reach out and touch them...

"Nice night for stargazing." I jump a little, surprised to hear a voice behind me. I turn to find Jem standing there, smiling up at the sky. "There's no clouds, and there aren't a lot of lights to dim them like there are in the city."

I smile. "Do you come up here a lot, Jem?"

"Yeah," she answers, sitting down next to me. "I have a hard time sleeping most nights... Looking at the stars helps me calm down. I can lose myself like this."

Seeing the stars reflected in her eyes, wide with wonder, I can't help but smile. I return my attention to the sky. "They really are beautiful... They remind me of diamonds. Sometimes, I feel like the stars are just jewels, glittering beautifully, almost close enough to grab." I laugh, a little embarrassed. "Silly, isn't it?" But when I turn to look at Jem, she's trembling.

"J-Jem? Are you okay?" Her head is still pointed upwards, but her gaze is far off, somewhere in a world far away...

"What?" Jem turns and blinks at me, her voice shaky. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just... Jewels... Diamonds... They bring back bad memories for me."

I put my hand on her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, that's okay," Jem says, putting on a smile. I can tell that it's fake. "It's been good stargazing with you. Gotta go."

"Wait!" I call as she jumps off of the roof. I reach out as though to grab her. "You just got here..." My voice dies off as Jem disappears. My arm slowly lowers once more, as does my head. I stare at my lap. Why wouldn't Jem talk to me? What about jewels is so awful to her? She's hurting... but why?

{Jem POV}

I lean against a tree, panting. That was too close. I close my eyes, listening to the beat of my own heartbeat, the rustle of the leaves, the chirping of the crickets. I have to calm down. I have to think nice thoughts...

"You stupid child! Do you know NOTHING?"

"Enough is NEVER enough, Jemera!"

"More! I need more!"

My vision starts to go red. I gasp, clutching my chest. No, no, no... I can't snap. I can't. I have to calm myself somehow. I take a deep breath, clutching my fists.

"Jewels are everything, Jemera! That's why I named you after them!"

I slump down to the ground, trembling. I... I can't hold the memories back. My head hurts... I'm tired... I need to block out the pain... I... I can't...

The pain overwhelms me, and the world fades to black.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

"Jemera, sweetie!" I hear a voice call my name, and I turn to see my mother, Lillia Eld, at the door. She's dressed expensively, as usual. Mom's practically draped in jewelry, from gold plated diamond earrings to silver studded sapphire bracelets. "Are you ready for the New Year's Eve party?"

"Just about," I answer, returning my focus to the full size mirror. I'm straightening my hair; it's too short to look pretty otherwise. I keep my hair above shoulder length for convenience. Usually I don't care about appearances, but Mom insists that I look good tonight. Apparently some really big names are coming to our party...

"Mom, why is this year's party so huge?" I ask, keeping my eyes on the mirror. "I mean, we're in New York... Wouldn't most people rather go to Times Square or something?"

"Oh, darling, it's simple!" Mom exclaims. "It's been long predicted that the earth will end in 2012. Today's the last night of 2011; this might be the last party we ever throw! It has to be the biggest, best party the world has ever seen!"

At this, I roll my eyes. "Seriously? And anyway, if you want to throw a big party, you should spend more money on that than your jewels. How much do you spend on gems a year? A half million?" I tease her, expecting a sarcastic reply.

"Jewels are everything, Jemera!" Mom's shrill scream causes me to spin around, eyes wide. "That's why I named you after them!" Her azure eyes are alight with a cold flame, and her face is flushed. "You stupid child! Do you know nothing? Enough is never enough! More jewels! I need more! MORE!"

"Mom, p-please stop," I stutter, backing into the mirror. "You're scaring me!"

Mom takes a deep breath, steadying herself. "I- I'm sorry, sweety. I don't know what came over me there." She smiles at me, back to her composed self. "And besides, I don't spend that much money on jewels. You know that."

A shiver runs down my spine as Mom exits the room, humming a hit 90's tune to herself. I do know that Mom doesn't spend money on a lot of her jewels... She steals them. And lately, she's been trying to get me to steal them, too. It's starting to scare me. If Mom's jewel obsession doesn't subside...

I shake the thought from my head. No. I shouldn't worry. I mean, if it gets too bad, I can just call the cops, right? Taking a deep breath, I give my looks one final touch and head downstairs.

{11:57 P.M.}

So far, the party has gone amazingly well. Sure, there are lots of drunk rich people, and I'm pretty sure two of them were getting it on all over my Mom's guest bed, but that's not my issue. Anyway, the T.V.'s been turned to the New Year's Countdown for the past seven minutes. It's been a perfect night...

"Jemera." Mom suddenly stands behind me, hand on my shoulder. "It's been a lovely party, don't you think?"

"Yeah," I agree, smiling. "I don't think it could be any better!"

"Actually, it could," Mom contradicts me, her voice dangerously soft. Startled, I turn to face her. She's surrounded by the same dark aura as earlier, and she's wearing a wide grin. "I didn't throw a rich man's party for no reason. Do you see all of the jewels they're wearing?"

My eyes widen in horror. "Mom! Are you going to steal from these people?"

"No," she says. I sigh in relief, but it fades as she adds, "You are."

"What?" I ask, shocked. "Mom, no! I'm not going to steal for you! I will never steal for you! You have. Enough. Jewels!"

Mom tenses, and, in horror, I realize my mistake. "TAKE IT BACK!" Before I have the chance to register what's going on, Mom hits me over the head with her purse. Roughly cut diamonds graze my forehead, leaving a trail of pain.

"TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK!" Insane with rage and drunkenness, Mom swings her bag at me over and over again. I manage to dodge, but blood is dripping into my eyes. I can barely see through the red haze. She'll land a hit soon. What do I do, what do I do?

Panicking, I feel around me for something– anything– to fend her off. Before I can grab something, a well-aimed swing knocks my head into the wall. Sudden dizziness envelopes me, and all I can feel is the blood rushing through my head. In the corner of my consciousness, I hear the New Year's Countdown begin.

"10..."

I reach up to find my hand close on a long, jewel encrusted object. A candlestick?

"9..."

I grab the candlestick and spin around, struggling to stay on my feet.

"8..."

Through a red blur, I see my mother's form flying towards me, purse in hand. I raise the candlestick defensively.

"7..."

"JEWELS ARE EVERYTHING!" My mother screams, as she swings her bag in a deadly arc towards my head.

"6..."

"Stop!" I scream. I try to duck out of the way, but the dizziness overwhelms me, and I fall to the floor.

"5..."

Within seconds, she's on top of me, screaming and bashing my head repeatedly. How are the other guests not hearing this? Why? Why?

"4..."

"TAKE IT BACK!"

"3..."

Mom brings her bag down for one last swing. Panicked, I scream and swing the candlestick, knocking her off balance. We tumble through the hall, and suddenly I'm on top.

"2..."

Wailing in fear, I bring the candlestick down on her. I hear her gasp.

"1..."

With a final scream, I bring the candlestick down once more.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

As the joyous cries ring throughout the house, I shakily wipe the blood from my eyes. I... Won. Mom didn't kill me! Hopefully I didn't hurt her too badly... I look down. "M-Mom?"

I scream as I find myself sitting in a pool of blood. Not my blood.

"No..." I drop the candlestick, backing away in horror. I stare on at the scene in front of me. There's a hole in Mom's throat. There's another one in her chest. Her lifeless eyes stare at me, full of rage even in death.

I begin to scream. H-how? All I did was... I... I just... I was...

Suddenly, a wave of pain washes over me. My head's throbbing more than ever. I manage two words before I finally black out:

"I'm sorry."

(A/N: Holy crap! This chapter is over 1700 words! I guess I just got really into it... Well, now you finally know the truth about Jem's past. Is it what you expected? I hope you guys are enjoying the dark turn this book is taking. Makes it more interesting that way.)