REVENGE

Cameron knew what it was like to lose something important--someone special. He'd been losing things his entire life. He had lost his parents. His siblings. His title in the group that had somewhat revered him before the death of his family. He lost Echo. And now?

Now he'd lost House.

When he found the bloodied cat, there were only two things that crossed his mind. One, who had done this? Who was stupid enough to hurt his precious cat? Two, revenge.

Avery, he'd heard, had killed his cat. So he'd kill something special of hers.

Nosy, nosy, annoying Clara Avery. If she'd kept her distance, this wouldn't have happened. This being her brother tied to a chair, gagged, bloodied, cringing away from him.

Cameron stepped closer to the chair, giving a joking step toward the boy who was staring up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't split you ear to eat. Chin to arse. Tell me quickly." But the boy was mute. His tormentor laughed evilly. "Crucio." He stuck the boy with his wand, watching as the whole chair shuddered under the weight of the curse. "Try it again. Tell me, Avery. Tell me right now and I'll spare your life."

The boy swore against the gag, spat, garbled the words, screamed. But nothing satisfied Cameron, who was looking rather murderous at the moment. He delightedly crucio'd Avery until the boy drooled blood.

And then he stepped forward again, using a small paring knife to effectively take off his pinky finger. Avery screamed into the gag, his breath coming in agonized huffs. Cameron pinched his fingers on the boy's nostrils, holding them shut while he thrashed in the chair. The finger site bled all over the floor. Eventually, the thrashing stopped and Cameron relinquished his hold, using an obliviation spell to keep the boy from knowing who had taken his finger.

- - -

Wrapped in nice paper with a bow and a small notecard to detail the recipient, the finger was nestled beneath layers of crushed velvet, sitting pretty within the box that Clara Avery was so delighted to receive. The other girls got present, so why shouldn't she? The box went airborne as she realized that the digit in the box was her brother's. And she knew that while she hadn't killed that cat--someone had exacted their revenge.