The night air calmed the soul of 15 year old Caitlin Seegar; her body was crawled up into a little ball while she stared out her bedroom window, her eyes were delicate but they also looked lost, she felt lost… she had been with Lowe's for a year but she still felt there were some things that were untold and as desperate as she was to fully open her soul to these people, her family, she knew that she couldn't tell them her darkest secret, she just wasn't ready for that. Caitlin shook her head and slid down on her bed and slipped under the covers and closed her eyes tightly, why did everything have to be so hard for her? Why did she always have to lie to the people she cared about?
"No"
Caitlin tossed and turned in her bed entangling her already sweating body in her blankets and she kept repeating the same word "no". She kept having the same reoccurring dream and it always ended the same, no fail; but the nightmare wasn't just a nightmare it was her reality, her scary reality but her reality the same and no matter how scary the nightmare got she never screamed out… well until tonight.
"No! Griffin! No! Help me!"
Griffin who was sprawled out on his bed with his history book on his stomach trying his best to concentrate jumped up dropping the book once he heard Caitlin's screams, he shuddered as he ran out the door, right about now Jim or Dori would already be running up the stairs but they were out of town for the night. Griffin ran over to Caitlin's room and ran into her room, he let his eyes dart over to Caitlin who tossing and turning violently, her face was scrunched up and she kept kicking and throwing punches as if she was trying to stop someone, Griffin stared at Caitlin for a second shuddering at the frightened image he was receiving but then he ran over to her bed, he kneeled down and slightly touched Caitlin's back but the minute he did he got a punch in the face from Caitlin and he fell to the ground. Caitlin jumped straight up in her bed, her heart was beating wildly and her whole body was sweating.
"Same dream every time"
Caitlin looked down to the ground to see Griffin sprawled out on the hardwood floor touching his left eye.
"What are you doing on the floor Griffin?"
Caitlin kicked the covers off of her and pushed her numb and shaky legs over the side of her bed, her legs felt like rubber but she managed to keep herself under control trying not to lose it in front of Griffin, that was all she needed; Caitlin pushed herself off the bed and pulled Griffin up pasting on a half-smile.
"Whoa, how does the other guy look?"
Griffin glared at Caitlin and pushed her hand away and pushed himself up, he didn't want to be angry at Caitlin but he couldn't help but be, he was sick of her little act that she always put on, he understood when she lied about the nightmares to Jim or Dori but it was different with him, after all they had been through a lot together but here she was lying to him and he wasn't going to put up with this.
"I don't know why don't you ask him or shall we say her? You're the one that hit me. I heard you scream so I came in here and the minute I touched you, you punched me"
Caitlin rolled her eyes and grabbed her sweater and walked out of her room needing to get away from Griffin, he was getting to close to her, to close to the truth, the truth that was so deeply engraved into her soul that no one saw it. Griffin stood in the middle of Caitlin's room for a second, shocked at her just walking away from him but then he smothered an annoyed sigh and followed Caitlin, he followed her all the way outside of their house and into the stables where she was petting Bandit.
"They just don't understand Bandit, they never will"
"We don't understand what?"
Griffin stared back at Caitlin; he had his hands rested on one of the other horses stables. Caitlin looked away from Bandit to see Griffin, she searched his eyes and saw a questioning look in them, she knew he wanted to know what was going on.
"You wouldn't understand"
"How can you say that?"
"I just can"
"How dare you"
"Dare I what?"
Griffin shook his head snorting out a laugh, he was getting tired of his and Caitlin's way of dancing around their emotions… they loved each other, they were family, why couldn't they act like how they felt?
"You know what? I was the only kid before you came here but you had no where else to go and we were your own family and sure I act like I hate you sometimes but I don't and not even you can deny that we have grown close and that even in times we depend on each other"
Caitlin's face remained blank and emotionless.
"So… point being?"
Griffin shook his head once more.
"My point is after all is said and done we still have each other, but if you keep lying to me I can't stand by you, I won't stand by you… there is a line after all"
"And you won't cross it?"
Caitlin arched her eyebrows.
"No I won't cross it, please don't make me walk away"
Griffin looked down at the older girl in front of him and smiled sympathetically and preceded to walk off, if she wanted to open up to him she knew where he was. Caitlin watched Griffin walk off slowly and she felt the harshness of his words hit her straight in the heart; why was she so afraid of losing something she never wanted?
"No wait!!"
Caitlin jumped up from the ground of the stable and ran over to Griffin grabbing him by the arm.
"You think it's easy to just tell you what's going on? It's not that easy"
"Yeah it is Caitlin, I won't tell anyone I swear"
Caitlin stared at Griffin for a long time trying to decide if he was the right person to tell but she knew that she no longer was in control, her heart was.
"He was the 3rd foster father, Daniel McMahon was his name, he was probably 30 something and one night he came into my room and like said I was beautiful and stuff---"
Caitlin stopped for a second and looked up from her hot cup of cocoa, somehow Griffin and Caitlin had made it into the kitchen, Caitlin looked at Griffin who stared at her urging her to go on.
"Well he came close to me and I kicked him in the balls and while he was on the ground I grabbed my camera and climbed out the window and I ran not looking back once, afraid to look back. Well after I ran for 30 minutes straight I bumped into Amy, she was this punk rocker chick who was always on the streets, she looked at me and saw that I was upset and asked me what was up and I told her the whole story like I am telling you now. I don't know why I told her, she just seemed like the right person to tell and then after my story was done she took me in her house and said I could stay until I got a new foster parent"
Griffin stood still for a minute not knowing what to do but then as if on instinct he hugged her; Caitlin hugged him back and closed her eyes and then she saw the nightmare dissolve…. Things were definitely looking up.
"No"
Caitlin tossed and turned in her bed entangling her already sweating body in her blankets and she kept repeating the same word "no". She kept having the same reoccurring dream and it always ended the same, no fail; but the nightmare wasn't just a nightmare it was her reality, her scary reality but her reality the same and no matter how scary the nightmare got she never screamed out… well until tonight.
"No! Griffin! No! Help me!"
Griffin who was sprawled out on his bed with his history book on his stomach trying his best to concentrate jumped up dropping the book once he heard Caitlin's screams, he shuddered as he ran out the door, right about now Jim or Dori would already be running up the stairs but they were out of town for the night. Griffin ran over to Caitlin's room and ran into her room, he let his eyes dart over to Caitlin who tossing and turning violently, her face was scrunched up and she kept kicking and throwing punches as if she was trying to stop someone, Griffin stared at Caitlin for a second shuddering at the frightened image he was receiving but then he ran over to her bed, he kneeled down and slightly touched Caitlin's back but the minute he did he got a punch in the face from Caitlin and he fell to the ground. Caitlin jumped straight up in her bed, her heart was beating wildly and her whole body was sweating.
"Same dream every time"
Caitlin looked down to the ground to see Griffin sprawled out on the hardwood floor touching his left eye.
"What are you doing on the floor Griffin?"
Caitlin kicked the covers off of her and pushed her numb and shaky legs over the side of her bed, her legs felt like rubber but she managed to keep herself under control trying not to lose it in front of Griffin, that was all she needed; Caitlin pushed herself off the bed and pulled Griffin up pasting on a half-smile.
"Whoa, how does the other guy look?"
Griffin glared at Caitlin and pushed her hand away and pushed himself up, he didn't want to be angry at Caitlin but he couldn't help but be, he was sick of her little act that she always put on, he understood when she lied about the nightmares to Jim or Dori but it was different with him, after all they had been through a lot together but here she was lying to him and he wasn't going to put up with this.
"I don't know why don't you ask him or shall we say her? You're the one that hit me. I heard you scream so I came in here and the minute I touched you, you punched me"
Caitlin rolled her eyes and grabbed her sweater and walked out of her room needing to get away from Griffin, he was getting to close to her, to close to the truth, the truth that was so deeply engraved into her soul that no one saw it. Griffin stood in the middle of Caitlin's room for a second, shocked at her just walking away from him but then he smothered an annoyed sigh and followed Caitlin, he followed her all the way outside of their house and into the stables where she was petting Bandit.
"They just don't understand Bandit, they never will"
"We don't understand what?"
Griffin stared back at Caitlin; he had his hands rested on one of the other horses stables. Caitlin looked away from Bandit to see Griffin, she searched his eyes and saw a questioning look in them, she knew he wanted to know what was going on.
"You wouldn't understand"
"How can you say that?"
"I just can"
"How dare you"
"Dare I what?"
Griffin shook his head snorting out a laugh, he was getting tired of his and Caitlin's way of dancing around their emotions… they loved each other, they were family, why couldn't they act like how they felt?
"You know what? I was the only kid before you came here but you had no where else to go and we were your own family and sure I act like I hate you sometimes but I don't and not even you can deny that we have grown close and that even in times we depend on each other"
Caitlin's face remained blank and emotionless.
"So… point being?"
Griffin shook his head once more.
"My point is after all is said and done we still have each other, but if you keep lying to me I can't stand by you, I won't stand by you… there is a line after all"
"And you won't cross it?"
Caitlin arched her eyebrows.
"No I won't cross it, please don't make me walk away"
Griffin looked down at the older girl in front of him and smiled sympathetically and preceded to walk off, if she wanted to open up to him she knew where he was. Caitlin watched Griffin walk off slowly and she felt the harshness of his words hit her straight in the heart; why was she so afraid of losing something she never wanted?
"No wait!!"
Caitlin jumped up from the ground of the stable and ran over to Griffin grabbing him by the arm.
"You think it's easy to just tell you what's going on? It's not that easy"
"Yeah it is Caitlin, I won't tell anyone I swear"
Caitlin stared at Griffin for a long time trying to decide if he was the right person to tell but she knew that she no longer was in control, her heart was.
"He was the 3rd foster father, Daniel McMahon was his name, he was probably 30 something and one night he came into my room and like said I was beautiful and stuff---"
Caitlin stopped for a second and looked up from her hot cup of cocoa, somehow Griffin and Caitlin had made it into the kitchen, Caitlin looked at Griffin who stared at her urging her to go on.
"Well he came close to me and I kicked him in the balls and while he was on the ground I grabbed my camera and climbed out the window and I ran not looking back once, afraid to look back. Well after I ran for 30 minutes straight I bumped into Amy, she was this punk rocker chick who was always on the streets, she looked at me and saw that I was upset and asked me what was up and I told her the whole story like I am telling you now. I don't know why I told her, she just seemed like the right person to tell and then after my story was done she took me in her house and said I could stay until I got a new foster parent"
Griffin stood still for a minute not knowing what to do but then as if on instinct he hugged her; Caitlin hugged him back and closed her eyes and then she saw the nightmare dissolve…. Things were definitely looking up.