Title: Concrete Angel
Summary: Through the wind and the rain, she stands, hard as a stone, in a world that she can't rise above.
Five year old Cat scuttles out of the door, closing it very quietly. We don't wake Daddy. Her mother waves goodbye, softly. Cat raises her hand awkwardly and hurries off to school. She lowers her eyes as she sees other kids skipping on the hands of their mother or fathers.
Cat's white dress is dirty and creased - she was pushed over, yesterday. Her vest itches. Her hair sticks to her face in matted bunches. She sits in her place in her classroom. The teacher calls the register.
"Cat?" She calls. Cat breathes in deeply. Don't let your voice shake.
"Here." Her little voice calls out, wobbling and quiet. She never tells anyone about what happens. She just takes it.
She was screaming last night. She called "help me" countless times. The neighbors heard, but tried to ignore the little girl's screams, pulling down the blinds. They still resound in their heads, high pitched and soaked in pain. The teacher gives her a smile, and nods.
"We'll be learning about aspirations, today. About what you want to do when you grow up. We'll ask everyone." The class sits in a circle, where a blue paperweight is passed round as the "talker". It lands in Cat's arms soon. She fiddles with it, and shrugs.
"What do you want to be when you're older, sweetheart? Come on, Caterina." Cat sighs.
"Remembered." Cat breathes out.
She walks home slowly. When she opens the door, she's greeted with a slap in the face. Her mother.
"Mommy?" Cat asks, rubbing her cheek. Cat's mother winces, biting her thumbnail.
"I don't know why I did that." Cat looks incredulous, but simply shakes her head, letting her limp brown hair fall in front of her eyes.
"Me neither."
"Say hello to Daddy, sweetheart."
Cat would rather have another slap.
"Hello, Daddy." Cat says, reaching out for her father's hands. He smiles and pulls her onto his lap. Cat smiles, delighted.
"Did you have a good day at school?" Cat nods.
"I'm glad, my angel. Daddy gets mad sometimes, and I'm sorry. You must remember, angel, your Daddy loves you." Cat rests her head on her father's chest, willing herself not to cry. She just doesn't understand.
If Daddy loves her, then why is he hurting her so bad? She falls asleep thinking of the reasons why.
Her mother is hovering above her face when she wakes up. "Huh?" Cat mumbles sleepily, turning over.
"No, no, honey, wakey wakey!"
"But it's nighttime," Cat giggles, her eyes still half closed. "Go back to sleep, Mama."
"No, Cat, come on, we must get up now. We're going on holiday."
"Okay, Mommy." Cat swings her legs out of bed, and yawns. "Where?"
"What?" Her Mom asks. "Oh, right. The holiday." She sighs. "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know. You chose." Mrs Valentine smiles at her little girl.
"Your PJs will do. Just grab Mr Giraffe, and stuff him in the bag..there you go. Grab your dress and shoes, darling." Mrs Valentine packs the bag neatly and tiptoes out of the room. Mr Valentine stomps out of the joint room he and Cat's mother shares, and is angry. Very angry.
"Going somewhere?" He demands. He grabs Mrs Valentine. "You thought you were leaving me, you stupid woman? You're a disgrace. Pathetic excuse for a mother." He spits on her. Cat's eyes well up.
"Daddy, please..." she whimpers.
"Shut up, Caterina. You're a slyboots, kid. Trying to run away."
"But Mam-"
"Enough!" He slaps her face, hard. Cat screams. It didn't hurt very much, but she was scared. He kicked Mrs Valentine. He takes swings at his daughter and wife. Cat falls to the floor, the pain unbearable. She wishes she'd never been born, she wishes to stop breathing. It hurts too much. Daddy walks away. It's just Cat and her thoughts.
She blocks out the pain and hurt. She thinks of her one friend at school - Beck Oliver. He's always been nice to her. She thinks of flowers and puppy dogs and balloons and strawberries. She thinks of Mama, and of her Nana in heaven. Would she join her now? Slowly she slips away, her face serene and her mouth fixed in a smile, her big, blinking brown eyes closed.
Her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's loved...RIP Concrete Angel.