Chapter 3:

"Get up!" Dan hissed as he kicked Maureen in the stomach. The diva groaned. Before she could get up, Dan grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. Maureen let out a cry of pain. "Shut up, and make me breakfast." Maureen caught her footing and trudged into the kitchen. She was sore from sleeping on the floor. Dan told her that she took up too much space in bed, so she had to sleep on a thin mat in the closet. Maureen looked at the food out on the counter and began to prepare Dan's breakfast.

"Today's my friend's birthday," she told Dan quietly. "I was wondering if I could go the Life to celebrate with everyone else."

"No," Dan said without even stopping to think. "The Life was all that unhealthy food. You're still too fat." Maureen glanced at the cabinet above her head. All the cabinets were locked to keep her our. Dan would feed her when he got to it. "And I don't think your friends are a good influence on you. I want you to stay away from them." Maureen bit her bottom lip to keep from crying.

"Yes sir," she said. Dan ran her life, but she had nowhere to go if she left him. Maureen finished making breakfast and served it to Dan.

Later that afternoon, there was a knock on the front door. Dan was in his home office, so Maureen answered the door. She opened the door a crack to find Mimi standing there.

"Meems?"

"Hey Mo, I came to walk with you to Angel's party."

"I can't go, I'm sorry. Tell Angel that I'm really sorry." Maureen heard Dan get up in the other room and gasped. "You have to go. Leave, please." Mimi reached into the apartment and squeezed Maureen's hand. The dancer noticed how battered her friend's hand was. "Go!" Mimi sighed and followed Maureen's wishes.

Maureen closed and locked the door just as Dan entered the room. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Who was at the door?" Dan asked. Maureen knew that she couldn't lie to him. If she did, she'd be in a lot of trouble.

"Mimi, but I told her to leave." Dan flashed Maureen a smile that sent shivers down her spine. He gently stroked her cheek.

"Good girl," he said huskily. Maureen didn't fight back when Dan began to pull off her clothes. She knew better than to fight back. After Dan was done, he pulled on his clothes and left Maureen shaking and naked on the floor. "I'm going out to get a drink. I'll be back later." As soon as Dan left, Maureen pulled a thin blanket around her shoulders and fell asleep.

A sharp pain tore through Maureen's scalp. Dan literally picked her up by her hair and threw her against the wall. Maureen crumpled to the ground and into a fetal position. Dan stank of alcohol and cigarette smoke. He began to kick Maureen in the stomach. He grabbed her shoved her against the wall. After he punched her several times, Dan threw Maureen to the ground and left the room. Maureen's head hit the ground with a dull thud. She could feel blood trickling out of a fresh cut on her forehead. Maureen closed her eyes and lay down on the floor for nearly an hour. When she was sure that Dan was asleep, she got up, crept into the bedroom, got dressed and packed her bag with the few possessions that weren't at the loft. She was leaving before things could get any worse.

Without looking back, Maureen left. She stumbled down the street. She felt lightheaded and couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything. All Maureen focused on was putting one foot in front of the other. After what seemed like an eternity, she made it to Mark, Roger and Mimi's building. Now, she only had to make it up to the loft.

Meanwhile, Mark, Mimi, Roger, Angel and Collins were all gathered at the loft. They were just sitting around talking after celebrating Angel's birthday at the Life. The Bohemians were talking about random things; anything to keep their minds off Maureen's strange behavior. Mark planned on calling the diva the next day to check up on her. A small knock at the door caught everyone's attention. Nobody could figure out who it would be at this hour. Since Mark was the closest to the door, he got up to answer it. When he opened the door, he was greeted with Maureen collapsing in his arms.