One, two, daddy's coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. Nine, ten, daddy's back again.

You lay in bed quietly, tiny ears twitching. It seemed as if your mother had been here just yesterday. Your father had left you in peace for the past five months, but you knew that he wasn't fully satisfied. He never was. He wouldn't stay away for long, and by now, you would have taken your own life, had that not been what he wanted. You deserved this pain.

One, two, daddy's coming for you.

By now, your ears were twitching violently with nerves- your left, more so than your right. He had taken care of that long ago. You lifted yourself from your bed, feet padding softly across the hard wood floor. You reached out your trembling hand, hesitantly turning the lock. He would be mad if he knew that you were running away.

Three, four, better lock your door.

Stopping at the foot of your bed, you reached over, grabbing a small box. You opened it, taking the tiny pendant, and holding it close to your heart. "Mama..."

Five, six, grab your crucifix.

You looked at the clock. One am. Climbing back into bed, you wriggled under the covers, wrapping your tail around yourself and hugging the necklace tight. After a while, you gently closed your eyes, humming softly in an attempt to calm yourself. But your thoughts betrayed you. Your mind wandered back to his touch, his voice, his unwanted caress. You had always wanted a father that could love you, protect you from harm, but he was the chief supplier of pain in your life. He had always hated you, but still you tried to love him, even though you were afraid of him. When he first started beating you, you just kept on telling yourself that it was fine, that you did something bad and he just didn't want you to do it again. But that day…when he victimized you so intimately…you knew that this was wrong. And even as you tried to push him away, you kept telling yourself that you should let him. That maybe if you did, he would love you. He would love you and care for you, and apologize for everything he'd done. And maybe he'd find a way to bring your mother back as well. But thankfully you were rescued before you were able to find out. After that, though……no. No, you didn't want to think about that. It didn't happen, and you did not want to ever believe that it might. A sob escaped your throat as you hugged your pillow tighter. "Mom…" Why did she love him? What could he possibly have told her to make her believe that? Were you the reason he had become so abusive?

Seven, eight, gonna stay up late.

Your eyes snapped back open as the door creaked open and shut. You curled up, trying hard to listen to the falling rain. It was cold. The tiny house shook with his footsteps. You held your breath, hoping, wishing, praying, that you couldn't be seen. Shutting your eyes tightly, you held your stomach. You tasted the blood in your mouth. When had it gotten there...? The necklace faintly glowed between your fingers, catching the tears that fell from your frozen cheeks.

Nine, ten…

"Daddy's back again."