Prologue:
Lily shivered, lying uncomfortably on the bus stop. She was too tired to be alert for the danger that was lurking around her, as she had been running all night and she had no idea where she was. She thought she was safe and finally allowed her exhausted eyes to close.
She was about to drift into sleep but her eyes instinctively flickered open as she heard the sound of rustling leaves in the bitter cold breeze. The feeling of relief swept away from her as shadowy figures crept up and emerged from the darkness. Lily was surrounded.
She trembled and quaked and her heart started pounding, she was overtaken with her own fear. "I'm sorry!" Lily cried, losing her mind in the chaos. The ghastly figures were still surrounding her, and she knew she shouldn't have gone against their wishes. "Please, I'll do whatever you ask, just don't hurt me! Wait... nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
Chapter One: Harsh Cuts.
Kat stared. There was a girl that she'd never seen before sleeping on the sofa. What is this girl doing here? Kat thought in confusion. How did she get here? Where did she come from? Did she break in? No, impossible, Alfie and I would've heard something.
Kat quickly looked around the room, just to be sure. Well, there didn't seem to be anything broken. And besides, Alfie was always a big softie; he must've let the girl stay there, exactly like the time he suggested Shenice to stay with them for a while.
Kat had no idea what was going on, so she thought she'd better ask him about it, just to be sure. "Alfie!" she yelled. "Get in here, you muppet!" Alfie ran into the living room, answering Kat's beckon call immediately, as if he had been waiting for it.
"Yes, love of my life?" Alfie said jokingly, grinning. Kat groaned. He always loved to say that when he knew Kat was irritated with him for some reason or another. He said it was to remind her how special she was to him. Kat just thought it was to annoy her even more.
"Oh, shut up, Alfie!" Kat snapped. She stared at him and extended an arm, pointing to the sofa. "Why is there a little girl sleeping on there? This isn't a children's home!" Alfie sighed, thoughts scrabbling around in his mind which could be used as a possible answer to his wife's question.
Kat gave him an impatient look, still pushing for an explanation. They stared at each other in the awkward silence. Finally, Alfie shrugged his shoulders in defeat. Kat rolled her eyes. The girl couldn't have been more than thirteen years old, lying there tangled up in a blanket, as stiff as a board.
"Aww, come on Kat," Alfie frowned. "What else would you expect me to do? Leave the poor girl out in the cold, while it's raining and let her freeze? Don't be so selfish!" The girl shuffled slightly, mumbling in her sleep. Kat's face suddenly softened.
Gasping, Kat ran over to the girl, noticing something disturbing as the girl moved. "Alfie, come and look at this!" she exclaimed, rolling down the sleeves of the girl's pale green cardigan. Alfie came up behind her and the couple grimaced, staring in awe at the girl's arms.
They had been bleeding, and the blood had dried after it had dripped from her wrists and further down her arms. A mixture of deep and faint scars descended down both arms. Kat and Alfie had no idea what to think. They stared at each other thoughtfully for a while.
Why would such a young girl do this to herself? And with that question on their minds, it occurred to them that it might not have been her. But if not the girl, then who?