A/N: Ahh! I'm so happy! After one chapter, the story already has 9 alerts. My other story has 16 alerts.. and 11 chapters. I feel awesome.

THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK!
I LOVE YOU.
This chapter is a bit slowish. We're still establishing everything that's going on in the Knight's household. We begin to find out a little about Katie, and the problem's she's going through.
LOGAN. Is not here. He will be in the next chapter, though.

As far as updates go, a new chapter will be posted every other day, sometime after 6pm.

KEEP READING.

Before going to bed that night, Kendall set his alarm clock to 5:30am. He threw his shirt into the sea of dirty laundry that engulfed his floor.

"G'nite Katie," He called, crossing his room to shut the door. Kendall looked to his clock, surprised to see that it was only a few minutes after 8pm. A new record, He thought. He crossed the floor and closed his closet, as to protect him self from monsters that may other wise make their way into his room as he slept.

"G'nite Katie!" He tried again. Kendall stepped out of his dark, torn jeans, and briefly walked around his room in nothing but a checkered pair of boxer shorts. Within the mess, he found an over sized sweat shirt, the name of his father's college embriorded on the front, and slipped it over his head, clothing his body. He scanned the ground for a pair of pants, though gave up fairly quickly.

"Katie?" He called again, opening his door only a crack. Aside from the constant woosh of the attic fan, the house was quiet.

"Katie?" He said again, bringing his voice up to a shout. Though it was late, he needn't worry about the volume of his voice. Besides their grandfather, who went to sleep at 6pm and slept through World War 2, Katie and Kendall usually had the house to them selves, during the week night.

Their grandmother was the Bingo-chairman, and left the two alone in the small condominium Monday-Thursday, between 5 and 9pm. "It's the only thing I have to look forward to," she insisted. As the longest standing member of the Bingo Club, Gramma Knight earned the privilege of handing out the playing cards, calling the numbers, choosing the prizes… She would also schedule the games, and distribute calendars to all of those who participated. While the event took place at the local church, she urged everyone to participate, as she insisted that "your beliefs, body type, or amount of skill couldn't influence your game." She believed it to be the purest of sports, and most rewarding of activities, so obviously her heart broke when Kendall and Katie threw them selves at her feet, and begged;

"Please don't make us come!"

"But it's Bingo!" She had explained. Didn't everyone love Bingo?

"But we don't like Bingo!" Their Grandmother looked as it someone had just accused her of putting cat food in her meat loaf.

"I…"

"Please!"

"You're missing out…" She had threatened,

"That's fine," They said, knowing that once their Grandmother walked into the Bingo hall, her sadness would be replaced with the thrill, the odd rush of adrenaline the game gave the old woman.

"Katie?" Kendall called, walking out into the hall, in his sweat shirt and underpants. He kicked her door open, only to find the quiet shag rug stretched neatly across a wooden floor, a twin bed pushed against the corner of a room, and a painted dresser that towered, parallel. "Katie?" asked Kendall repressing his panic. He ripped his phone out of the sweat shirt pocket, and tried her cell, immediately hearing an obnoxious series of bells and beeps go off. Her phone was charging above her dresser, facing Kendall's back.

"Damnit, Katie." He surrendered. He was over reacting. He usually wasn't home at this hour, any way. It was rare for him to be home before 9, let alone ready for bed at 8:15. Though he knew Katie was too responsible to get her self into any sort of trouble, he decided he'd wait for her return, nonetheless, as he felt a moral obligation to ensure that his baby-sitter got to bed. He wasn't worried. Katie was usually on her computer, in the dark of her bedroom, by the time he'd walk in every night after 9. Kendall then realized he had no idea what was going on in his baby sister's life, at all. Maybe she's always out at this hour.

At 9:15, Katie slowly closed the front door behind her, as she walked into the condo complex. She hurried up into her bedroom, stripped down to her underwear, then discarded of her clothes as quickly as possible, by shoving them into the back of her closet. She flicked on the sole lamp that stood on the side of her dresser, and admired her neck in the mirror. Two round spots ran up either side of her throat. She let her fingers linger on the bruises, before she worked her way down to her chest, her arms, her stomach…. Every part of her body revealed a thick, purple blotch, of every shade and size.

"God," She breathed, mortified. Outside her door, she heard footsteps, immediately recognizing them as Kendall's.

"Katie?" He called, for the tenth time that night. She quickly wrapped a blanket around her body, and went to greet him at the door, as she knew he would interpret her response as a "Come on, in!"

"Hi Kendall!" She said, as nonchalantly as she could manage. Kendall breathed a sincere sigh of relief, though he knew his sister was in no real danger. He pushed on her door, trying to let him self into her room.

"Where were you-"

"Ahp, no, not dressed!" Katie leaned her body against the door, slamming it in her brothers face. He jumped back,

"Oh… sorry." He pressed his back against the wall opposite her room, and watched his feet as they tap against the floorboards.

"I was just out, with friends. Homework, and stuff." Katie explained, loudly, so her brother could hear. He nodded his head, though he knew she couldn't see. Why had he been worried, again? Katie was 14. She didn't need someone looking after her 24/7, watching her every move. It wasn't even like she was home late. It was after 9. That shouldn't be a problem.

"How'd you get home?" He asked, his concern decreasing. Katie frantically scavenged through her make up bag, trying to find a color that matched her skin well enough to hid her bruises.

"Friend dropped me off,"

"A friend?" Asked Kendall. Katie was only a freshman; she shouldn't have friends that have cars. Katie heard the disapproval in her brothers voice, and as she rubbed her neck with foundation, she tried to revive her answer,

"Ah.. friend walked me home, I mean. She lives right up the street, no big deal." Kendall rolled his eyes. He needed to stop being so over protective.

"Oh. Well, if you brought your cell, you could have called, and i could have come to pick you up." He said, staring up into the ceiling, his arms crossed behind his back. He and Katie had a very business like relationship They never fought; they only disagreed, and compromised.

"It's fine, Kendall." She said, wishing the boy would go to bed already so she could address her blotches in peace.

"How was the rest of your day?" He continued. Katie rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She was startled by how rude that sounded. Sheepishly, she added: "…And… How was work?"

"I didn't go, today," Kendall said, proudly, unfazed by her bad attitude. "Gustavo just hired a new guy, so he gave Carlos and I the rest of the week off."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah. He's pretty twisted." He breathed, "He let all the other bag-boys go home, to see if the kid could handle being the only cashier for the rest of the week.

"It's Thursday; that's not so bad."

"The rest of the week as in today and tomorrow. In market standards, that's like a year. I personally think it's a terrible idea… but I can't complain. I got to catch up on my…"

"Breathing?" Katie tried, knowing her brother never stopped for a moment.

"You know, it's the first day I've gone to school and come straight home in about three years, I think. He's never given me the day off before. When ever I ask for one, he laughs. Then he belches, and walks away. The week of my SATS, I asked for a shorter shift. He made me trade with another kid for the 5pm to midnight."

"Your boss is nice." She said through clenched teeth as to prevent her self from moaning. Kendall laughed.

"The nicest." He replied, feeling a yawn begin in his throat. "I'm going to bed. Want to come out and give me a hug?" Katie groaned, not only in frustration, but in pain. She couldn't believe the pain she was in.

"How about I give you two in the morning?" She tried. Kendall gave in, only because he felt as if he would fall asleep on his sister if he didn't crash, soon.

"Fine, I'll remind you. G'nite Baby, Sister." He said, happy that she was alright. He was terrified by the thought of his sister in high school, and even though the first few months have proven fine, it was only November, and he wasn't ready to let down his guard. He laughed at him self, and his paranoia. She was going to be fine.

"G'nite Big Bro," She returned, the guilt in her voice obvious, even from behind a closed door. She breathed onto her hand, letting her eyes water as the fading smell of smoke overwhelmed her senses. Katie coughed, trying to clear her throat, trying to rid her self of the toxicants in her body. What a night, She thought.

She picked a long red turtle neck and a roomy pair of slacks to wear to school tomorrow, hoping if they were covered, the bruises would go away. Never again.