Chapter 4: Home

Katrina skips home, light on her feet and humming the melody Andrew had hummed to calm her down. She walks through the door to see her mother staring down at her.

"Where were you last night?" she asks coldly, her black eyes staring strait through Katrina's soul.

"I got lost." Katrina says, making eye contact with only the floor.

Katrina's mother smirks, "If you were lost last night, how did you find your way home this morning?"

"I found someone out driving and asked them for directions."

"LIES!" her mother shrieks as she slaps the young girl.

"I'm telling the truth!" Katrina shouts back from the floor where she has fallen.

"Of course you're not!" her mother spits cruely. "Look at you, you are skin and bones, you don't eat, your hair is matted and dirty, your cloths are too small, you smell like you just came out of a sewer, and you sound like you are dying every time you speak. No one would ever stop to talk to you. You are worthless. You always have been, and you always will be."

Katrina starts to cry.

"Who were you with?" her mother demands, towering over Katrina.

"No one." Katrina whispers.

"You dare lie to me again?" her mother shrieks.

Katrina feels the blow and hears the cracking of bone before she blacks out.

Katrina awakes on the floor infront of the door. She tries to push herself up and then screams as lightning pain shoots through her entire body. Hearing the scream, her mother gracefully sways into the room.

"Does it hurt?" she asks, fake sympathy oozing overevery word like slow dripping poisen from the fangs of a copperhead.

"Go away!" Katrina yells before another episode of gutwrenching, pain filled screams.

"Why you ungreatful child!" her mother bellows. She cackles with vile evil as she brings her fists down on Katrina's already broken ribs. The last thing Katrina recognizes before she blacks out are her pain searing screams, the sound of the door being flung open, and Andrew's face in the streaming sunlight.

A warm hand is moving slowly down her arm.

"Will she be okay?" Andrew's voice asks and unknown presence.

"Well, she is restrained by the casts, but she should be fine. Do you mind informing me what happened to this young lady?" the unknown voice asks, trying to pry information from Andrew.

"I already told you that I don't know." Andrew replies angrily.

There are footsteps and then the sound of a door swinging opwn and than closing again. A sigh escapes from Andrew before he sits down beside Katrina and cries. Katrina forces her eyes open against the tearing claws of sleep. She looks at Andrew's shaking figure in the chair.

"Please don't cry, Andrew." Katrina says. Although she is speaking normally, her voice comes out barly above a whisper.

Andrew jumps. "You're up!"

Katrina isn't sure if this is a statement or a question. Andrew moves closer to Katrina and brushes her hair out of her face.

"What happened?" Katrina asks, slightly dazed by her lack of memory.

"I should be asing you that question." Andrew replies with a small smile.

Katrina attempts to shrug but finds she can't move. Andrew chuckles quietly. He stands up and wraps his arms around her, pulling her up gently into a sitting position. He slides onto the bed beside her. Slowly, he lowers her back down so she is laying on his arm. Katrina loves the warmth of his arm against her head.

"How are you feeling?" Andrew whispers.

"Better. Thank you for being here." Katrina replies. Then a thought hits her. "Andrew, how did you find me?"

Andrew blushes.

"Were you following me?" Katrina teases. Andrew's blush deepens.

"It just intrigued me that you didn't want me to know where you live. So I followed you. I was leaving when I heard you scream. I stood outside for a while, trying to decide if I should go in or not. I didn't hear anything else so I walked away. Then I heard you screaming again. I ran back as fast as I could. When I opened the door, you were on the floor and someone was standing over you, laughing. She was laughing." Andrew grew quiet for a second. "I din't know what to do so I picked you up and brought you here. You have three broken ribs." Andrew's voice cracks. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault." he adds sadly.

He slips off the bed and walks out of the room, leaving Katrina all alone with her troubled thoughts.