A/N: I'm trying something new; writing for Cat is a little difficult for me, because I'm trying to find a balance between her personality and what's actually happening. Please let me know if you have any suggestions as to how I can write her better.
She heard it first rather than saw it. As a child, she had always known that her father was much bigger than her mother, but it took her father losing his job for Cat to find out exactly how much he was stronger than her. It was rough on the family, especially with her brother's condition, to support themselves, and her father's unemployment meant it would be even more difficult. She woke up in the middle of the night to hear sobs and whimpers coming from her parents' room, along with a low voice underscoring everything. Her father had taken to coming home very late and very drunk, and Cat had decided to ignore it. Everybody needed stress relief, right? She had gasped when she peeked through the opening of the door, and threw herself on top of her mother.
"Daddy, no!" She had cried, as the blows rained down on her instead. And it was in that moment that Cat Valentine, at ten years old, replaced her mother as her father's own, personal punching bag. She understood, really, why her mother never tried to stop him. It would bring Cat great relief, too, if someone decided to step in and take the beatings for her. So she took it, reminding herself every night when she hobbled gingerly into the bathroom that her mother was safe. Daddy wouldn't hurt her.
It wasn't as if anybody noticed the redhead's life had changed drastically. She had always been thought of as a daydreamer, and her personality hadn't changed. Flashbacks were written off as zone-outs and nobody questioned when she had to leave at the drop of a hat. At eleven, she realized she needed to be meticulous with her makeup and her dress, and make sure every inch of bruising was covered up before she stepped out of her house in the morning. And so, Cat made it through six years of her life. She had never needed to hide anything except for the bruises, and so she didn't feel inclined to change her personality when Tori Vega arrived sophomore year. It didn't escape her notice though, that Tori's personality was never as it seemed, that Tori felt the need to hide things from everyone. So when she and Jade hit it off and Tori moved in with her, Cat was confused at the hollow feeling that settled in her chest.
"Jade?" Cat had asked, one afternoon after running into the girl at her locker.
"What?" The girl had snapped, in usual fashion. Cat took a deep breath, and frowned.
"Do you still have time for me?" It was a question filled with vulnerability. Cat knew Jade's answer would hurt her either way, but needed to know.
"Why?" Jade had whirled around, intense gaze meeting the redhead's. Cat looked away, cowering.
"It's just, you spend a lot of time with Tori now. I just wanted to know if we're still friends."
"Of course we are." Jade scoffed, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"We are? Oh yay!" Cat had smiled happily, as usual, and skipped off to her next class. It was a relief to know she hadn't misplaced her trust in yet another person she loved. And that was the thought that kept her going for the next half a year. It was near the start of September, though, when Jade started getting concerned. Nobody had heard from Cat in weeks, and when school started, Cat had been missing for first couple of weeks.
"Anybody seen Cat recently?" Jade had asked, in Sikowitz's class one afternoon, and everybody had murmured quietly, shaking their heads. Tori had frowned quietly in a corner, and had vowed to visit Cat after school. She had put together that Cat flinched when guys touched her, and that she was jumpy. Much jumpier than usual. She might have been raped. Tori had thought to herself.
So it was out of concern for her friend that she found herself in front of the Valentines' door, knocking repeatedly. She heard shuffling inside, and paused for a moment.
"Come on, Cat. I know you're in there, just open the door! I need to talk to you!" Tori called, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. Someone made their way to the door. "Oh, Mrs. Valentine, I didn't mean to disturb you. I'm just looking for Cat." Tori apologized, as the door swung open to reveal Cat's mother.
"That's quite alright." The older woman smiled gently. "Cat's not here."
"Well, do you know where she is?" Tori inquired softly. "I need to talk to her."
"I'm afraid I don't know." A loud crash rang out in the background. "I'm sorry, I need to go." The woman winced and shook her head, shutting the door firmly and racing towards the commotion. Tori frowned, and decided to walk around the neighbourhood to see if she could find Cat. Somehow, she ended up at the beach, where a familiar shade of red caught her eye. Taking a breath to steady herself, she made her way over to the driftwood where the girl was seated.
"Hey, Cat." The redhead looked up, eyes red and puffy. "May I?" Tori gestured at the log. Cat nodded silently. They sat quietly for a while, before Tori spoke.
"I know something's wrong." She ventured, clasping her hands in her lap and not looking at the other girl. "And you don't have to tell me what it is, but at least tell me you're okay." Tori looked down at the sand between her toes when she heard a soft gasp from the girl beside her.
"I'm not." Cat said bluntly and quietly, digging her feet into the warm sand. Tori's head snapped up to look at her, concerned. Silence took over again, and Cat looked out at the ocean. "I broke my arm."
"What happened?" Tori peered at the petite girl, searching for answers. There was a long silence before Cat spoke again.
"My dad hit me too hard." Cat got out, matter-of-fact, as if it wasn't the first time. Tori blinked and nodded, suddenly understanding.
"I see." She murmured, fidgeting with a ring on her finger. There was silence again, both girls listening to the lapping waves. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I don't know." Cat murmured, rubbing a hand gently over her arm. Tori noticed.
"Is that where…?" She asked, tracing a warm thumb softly over the redhead's skin. Cat nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I do. All the time. You guys just never really listen to me, you know? I guess everyone's kinda used to it by now." Cat shrugged, finally looking at Tori.
"I'm sorry." Tori breathed. "I didn't know."
"You couldn't have." Cat said simply, lifting a bottle of water to her lips. She swallowed, and then looked at Tori. "I hated you, when you got here. Cause I never pretended, but you did. And Jade noticed you." She said, without any heat. "I'm sorry." Tori shook her head and placed an arm around the girl.
"You don't have to be." She whispered as Cat cried. "I'm sorry for not noticing."
