Candi: (sighing) "This is just great! I once promised Mom that an army of angry police would never be needed to bring me down!

Yet...I fear this will not end unless I let them have me! But...I can't let it look like I want them to catch me! They'd suspect! I must pretend to want my freedom! Darn it! Sorry Mom...this is another promise I won't be able to keep!"



Donald: "Hey you!!! Don't move another muscle!!!"



Donald: "That little..."

Guvoint: "We'll get her! She's got nowhere left to run!"



Callista: "You boys guard up here! I've got a hunch she's athletic; I'll catch her downstairs!"

Donald: "I'm gonna KILL that little..."

Callista: "NO! Lethal force - not authorized!"



Donald: "Hands in the air, skank; or I'll BLOW them off!!!"



Was that any way to treat a widow? Could Candi attempt a perfect escape? Donte would die for certain! She knew in her heart that while she could technically live without Donte as long as she had God and her convictions in her life; she could never fulfill nor do justice to them - or to her existence - if she didn't act!

What a terrifying - and seemingly foolish thing - she'd have to do! It had to happen: She'd have to turn herself in! It was the only way to the truth! Thankfully for her, the Guvoint wasn't very bright. It gave her time to form a plan!



Guvoint: "Miss! Why are you crying?"

Candi: "I...all I wanted was...to ask for directions to the basement! And a big, scary guy downstairs tried to pick a fight! Why is everybody after me?"

Guvoint: "Now, miss! I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding!"



Donald: "Guvoint, you sissy fool! This is the whore we've been told to bring in!"

Guvoint: "Donald, have some respect! She's a scared little girl!"

Donald: "HANDS AND KNEES HOOKER!!!"

Candi: "I'm nobody's hooker!"

Donald: "I TOLD you those were crocodile tears!!!!"



The other officers were annoyed by Donald's hysteria; but he began to calm down once Guvoint had Candi safely in cuffs. It infuriated him inside that she was so compliant - he was ready to beat her skull in with is baton if she resisted!

Callista: "Excellent work, Bumphrob!"

Bumphrob: "My pleasure!"

Callista: "Where did you think you were going, Missy?"

Candi: "Getting my friends out of Hell, before leaving it myself! It's growing impossible to simply live here...all this paranoia and insanity! Someone really needs to tell Arfaas to relax once in a while!"



A life with no ambition, and for Candi, no Donte...would be a life devoid of meaning! But whether or not it was worth it, and in what sense it may be so, no longer mattered!

What mattered to Candi was that there was no turning back! The more she thought about it, the fact that she went through with what the pragmatic world would call foolish only increased the thrill that they told her was so good - contrary to their advice!

On the other hand...her guilt started coming back to haunt her! She would have to face Donte...and confess everything to him!

What if her questioning the worthiness of her path was nothing more than her own pride? It didn't care if she were being arrested or not. It just didn't want her to think of love as a real concept...only because that would mean she'd have a need to confess her wrongs to another being! Then again, wouldn't her willingness to do so be what would set her apart from a lot of her enemies on campus?



Elise: "Don't think you can play dumb with me, Mrs. Levens! You were trying to find out where Emeraldon is, aren't you? You and those other ignorant peons that want to 'free Gerosha'! Why were you scouting? To tell your friend Ciem perhaps? Forget it! You are all as good as dead!"

Candi: "If that's your attitude, then I guess remaining silent won't do me much good!"

Elise: "You catch on quick! Now get in the car!"



What kind of police were these? Candi wondered...should she attempt to save Donte...or should she die with him? She'd be eager to do either, just so long as she didn't have to live on in the constant state of guilt at her living and him being practically already dead!

As she thought it over...they never even read her rights to her! She didn't have rights in their eyes. Since Arfaas was running the town, it made sense that he had put the bounty on her!

Arfaas somehow knew she'd spied on him; even if he didn't know about her being Ciem. He knew that she had enough essence of importance in things to be of interest to Ciem, and therefore, Candi was a threat!



The city of Dirbine was in sight, and so was Candi's ability to have her questions answered...maybe! What she did know for certain was that the fate of Dirbine now lay in the hands of her good friend...Laurie Pegol!