Unless I missed my guess, she was the brains behind this. A heartless bitch. I studied her carefully. I wanted to make sure I would know her if I ever... saw her.It was probably the photos that started it. They discovered how easily they could sell them and make money. From there they just took the path of least resistance, filling the sordid demands for more and more graphic and violent pictures. I hoped it was an accident, the one death that started it all. With this group, though, I didn't. She had taken the day off work to drive her husband to the airport, then had done some shopping, getting home soon after midday. Entering the house through the back door, she walked straight into the living room and stopped dead when she saw there were two men there going through cupboards! They turned and stood watching her, open mouthed, obviously totally shocked by her entry. She recovered before they did, and asked, “What are you doing in my house? I’m going to call the police.”She started. My body felt as though it was no longer my own, as though this labor was squeezing my muscles and bones into an entirely different form. I cursed myself for choosing this sparsely cruel existence. Whether through depression or exhaustion in these last few weeks of July, I rarely ate. For the first time in my sheltered life, I had a genuine reason for misery although I found no comfort in this fact. I was attracted to the mysterious constancy of waves, and occasionally the inscrutable ocean. ." No one listens to the bassist anyway," I say, earning a supportivegrin from my mentor. I take a deep breath as I tune the instrument,before following the rest of the band's lead as we play Come Togetherby the Beatles.Once the song's over, I let out a loud sigh of relief, but I can'thelp but cringe as the crowd let out a long round of applause, andwhile my stress is soothed slightly when Chloe rushes to the stage andgives me a long, deep kiss, I still feel tense as the spotlight staysfixed on.