We knew the fat was in the fire when we saw the columns of black smoke drifting up into the cold morning air. Even the horses were nervous and snortin... in discomfort probably sensing the fear that was like wildfire running through our minds waiting for the hammer to fall on top of our heads.In all honesty, we didn’t run across any hostiles that morning, but we saw plenty of evidence of their mischief along that trail of misery and death. I was used to seeing heaps of bodies both fully dressed. The door to Lee’s bedroom was open. I didn’t go in. I never went in. It seemed a step too far. I looked at the bed and the wardrobe and the line of books on the windowsill and I leaned against the doorframe and imagined him walking around.I sighed and went back downstairs. The windows were wide open and an ice-cream van jangled loud and inconsiderate as it trundled noisily down the street. Ellie looked up, instantly hopeful. Lee had a no junk food policy but I figured ice cream contained milk. For good or ill. Asthe figurehead for the Family, it seemed that everyone wanted tomanipulate, protect, or kill me. And then, in New York, I'd been afreak to be stared at. But here...at Whateley...I blended in. Here, Iwasn't the White Lady...I was just Bianca...just one student among many.Even as my eyes continued to sweep my surroundings in search of anythreats, my thoughts drifted back to a time when I'd always beeninvisible and ignored...even by my own family. I thought of Mom and. I shook hands and signed autographs. I eventually made my way to security, who drove me to the airport.My Antonov dwarfed everything else at the airport. The vehicle rolled up into the rear cargo hatch, and we exited. I found my seat, and got comfortable checking my email. We had filmed in New York, where I had just closed a deal purchasing the Empire State Building. It had been a complicated purchase as the land it sat on had one owner, and the building itself a second, I now owned both.