The days passed and I was getting more and more comfortable with my coaches. And, as it was turning out, not only were they my coaches, they were also my friends. I was in my room tonight thinking about my new coaches. I was learning a lot from them and I loved them. They were so nice to me, nicer than I had thought they would be. My bedroom door opened and I sucked in my breath. "Are you going to leave, you little brat", my foster mom asked. "No. I wasn't planning too", I replied. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor with my mom sitting on top of me. "Don't lie. I heard you say that you were going to run away. Did you say that, you idiot? Didn't you", she demanded, pinning me down with her hand and her body. "I never said that. I didn't say that", I said. My foster mom beat me so bad; I thought I was going to die. She got almost every part of my body before she got up and left the room.
I slowly raised myself up and grabbed the piece of paper that was on my table. Nick had given me his address and his phone number. Quietly, slowly, I got out of the house. I was running away and it might seem like a bad idea, but I had to get out of there. It took me a while, but I finally found Nick's house. I knocked on his door and waited. When he opened the door, he looked surprised. "Hi, Lizzy. What are you doing here", he asked. I swallowed hard and I felt my eyes filling with tears. "Can I please come inside", I asked quietly. The surprised look on his face turned to concern and he let me inside. When he saw my face and what must've seemed like a tired look in my eyes, he pulled me into a hug. He hugged me way too hard; I let out a gasp and gently shoved him away. "Please don't squeeze so hard. I hurt all over", I said. "Is it from practice? And where did you get all those bruises on your face", he asked gently. My eyes filled with tears and I turned my head away. "No, it's not from practice. My parents… I'm a foster child. My foster parents beat me all the time. My foster mom beat me so hard and so much that I hurt all over", I replied in a cracked voice. His hand touched my face and he turned my head towards him. "Let's get some ice on those bruises", he said. I grabbed his hand and he led me into the kitchen. To my surprise, Hank and Pav were there too. They were both surprised to see me and they seemed even more surprised when Nick handed me an ice pack. "Did you fall", Hank asked. I shook my head and I felt Nick's hand touch my shoulder. "I should have told you this earlier, but if I did, you guys wouldn't have wanted to coach me. You see, I'm living with my foster family. My real parents died two years ago and ever since, I've been living with this family. But, as you can see from my face, they beat me all the time", I said quietly, tears of shame coming in my eyes. There was silence for a few minutes before Pavel held out his hand. I came over and took it. "What makes you say that we wouldn't have wanted to coach you? After hearing your story, I want to coach even than I did before. Your foster family doesn't see what they have right in front of them: a sweet, beautiful girl who loves hockey", he said. My eyes widened and I opened my mouth in shock. My voice came out shaky as I asked: "You guys care about me that much?" Hank gestured me over and I stood in front of him. He pulled me into his lap and brushed the hair gently from my face. "Besides my family and maybe my teammates, I've cared for no one as much as I've cared for you. I felt your sweetness and your charm when I first met you. We've worked with you for three, maybe four months, and we all agree that you're like a sister. No one should go through what you're going through. If I'd known this earlier, I would've taken you in right on the spot. It's pretty special to think that, after all you've been through and are still going through, you're strong and sweet. I want to keep coaching you and I hope you keep coming", he said. For what seemed like the 20th time that night, my eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Zetta, do you have any idea what those words mean to me? After two whole years of hell, I never thought I would hear someone say what you just said. I never told you guys this, but you guys mean so much to me. Everything that you've done and that you're doing right now is a blessing. There were times that I was just ready to flee to another country or hide under my bed for days at a time…" My voice trailed off, but I knew that each of them knew what I meant.
The front door opened at that moment and I saw Nick smile. "Lizzy, I think your favorite person has arrived", he told me. It was his teammate, Valtteri Filppula. Besides my coaches, I don't think there was anyone I was closest to than Val. I'd met him a day or so after my new coaches and it seemed like almost instantly we were friends. There were times when he acted like a teacher or a coach, but that just helped me more. "Lizzy?! What are you doing here? Won't your parents be worried about you", he asked. I shook my head. "I don't think they'd care if I left. They might even be glad that I'm not there", I replied. Val frowned, as if trying to process what I was saying. "Is that why they beat you", he finally asked. "I don't know why they beat me. But, I think the worst part of it is: they're my foster parents. I mean, my parents had just died, I was in an orphanage, I got picked out for them to foster me and this is what I got. For two whole years", I replied. I could see Val's face turning red. "Let's go to the police right now and tell them", he said. "That's a good idea, but can it wait until morning? I'm starved and tired", I said quietly. Val's eyes widened and his face softened. "Sure, we can wait. They starve you, too?" I shivered. "Yes. I'll eat half my food before something happens and I get sent to my room", I replied. He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that. They starve you, beat you and you don't get a lot of sleep? Boy, I wanna go over there right now and rip their heads off. I'll wait", he said.