Chapter One: Cat Valentine
A petite redhead jerked awake in her very pink bed. She had a nightmare. It was just so vivid and seemed so real. She didn't understand why it had suddenly came to her dream world, where she could always escape to and pretend everything in the real world was okay. Now she was afraid of what she would see the next time she went there.
What in fact was the 'real world'? Her world was constantly filled with screams. She didn't even know who father really was. In public he was this kind, polite, handsome man. Behind the closed doors of her expensive empty home, he was a monster. People are always saying how they wish they could switch lives with her. Boy, they didn't know what she would give to not have this life. She loved being a senior at Hollywood Arts, she loved her friends, she loved singing, acting, costume designing, and dancing, she loved striving for good grades to make her father proud of her(even if it never works), but most of all she loved being herself. The bad part, her unique personality is what makes her father quite embarrassed.
The small girl peered down at the goth who was laying on the spare bed. Jade was sound asleep. Perfect.
She left her bed, brushed out her hair, dressed in a white strapless dress with a pale pink belt, and placed white flats on her small feet. She walked out of her room and down the hall. Opposite of the bathroom. She stopped in front of a light blue door that she hasn't been in for six years. She ran her fingers across the dark blue letters. Frankie.
She needed to know why and what memories she buried deep into her mind all those years ago. The lies she told in the beginning were constantly leaving her mouth that she honestly began to believe that they were true.
The girl twisted the door knob slowly and cautiously. As soon as the door creaked all away opened, she slammed the door shut and ran backwards in horror until her back was against the cold wall.
The rope was still hanging from the ceiling. Memories that she desperately tried to forget were soon flooding her mind as her eyes glossed over with tears. She shook her head wiping the tears away and shoved the horrid flashbacks in the back of her mind. She walked back up to the door, ran her fingers across her brother's name again, kissed her hand, then placed her hand on the door.
She never understood how her father sent him over the edge, but now everything was clear. Her. Father. Is. Now. Doing. The. Same. To. Her.
The constant screaming, yelling, name calling, blaming things on her were all becoming a bit much for the usually bubbly girl.
Her head snapped in the other direction when she heard footsteps. She saw Jade running her fingers through her hair and she had her bag in her hand. "I have to go home." Jade said dully.
"Aww, do you have to go?" Don't leave me here with that monster.
"Yeah, apparently I spend too much time here." Jade chuckles with the girl laughing quietly. "When am I going to see Frankie and your mom again?" She froze.
No one other than her and her father knew. No one could know. She didn't want anyone to know.
The girl nervously bit her lip. "He's at that special doctor again." She lied.
Jade groaned out in annoyance. "It's just not fair! Every time I come here, they're never here! I miss them." Jade tried to plead with her.
"Me too." Her voice was quiet yet it rang clearly through the room. It slipped from her lips before she could stop it. Jade rose an eyebrow.
"But…" Jade took her pearphone out of her back pocket reading it over. The girl moved her red velvet colored hair over her shoulder. "Shoot. I have to go. Now." She nodded her head as Jade waved goodbye, ran down the spiral staircase, and out the front door. Once the door slammed shut, she looked out the hallway window. Dark, grey, heavy clouds gathered around in the sky. The small girl gasped.
Where was her father? She really hoped it didn't rain down on him. She heard the front door open and close. She ran as fast as she could into her childlike room. She heard footsteps stomp onto the steps. She quickly turned the large flat screen on. She sat on the edge of her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut as footsteps inched closer and louder. Her heat beat grew faster and faster. Here it comes.
Knock. Knock. "Sweetheart? I have some bad news." Wait what? Her father knocked softly, called her sweetheart, and actually wasn't yelling? She had almost forgotten the meaning of 'sweetheart.'. "Someone's after you."
"Whaty?" Her tiny voice squeaked not sure if he heard her correctly.
"There's someone after you. They've been stalking you for a while now… He wants to kill you." Those words hit her hard and her world came crashing down. Who would want to do this to her. She always remembered her mother saying that good things always happened to good people, but now that was getting harder and harder to believe. "I hired someone to take care of you and to hide you from them for a while. He's coming to pick you up Friday. I really want to protect you, darling."
She hugged him longing for his fatherly love. "Whatever it takes, daddy." She buried her face into the warmth of his coat enjoying the foreign love. For once, things seemed to be looking up for the small redhead.
But what she didn't notice was his smirk as he rested his chin on her shoulder while patting her back in comfort. He knew is daughter was very naïve, but this, this was too easy.
3...2...1... Hi, my name is Cat Valentine.