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Chapter 7

Kaylie had finally gotten to sleep a few hours after Lucas left from the exhaustion of sobbing. She felt frustrated, guilty, and just down right dirty. At this moment, not only did she hate Lucas, she hated herself. Her dreams that early morning consisted only of him— they were nightmares that haunted her.

Just before noon, there was a knock at the door. Kaylie refused to answer. She lay still staring at the wall opposite from the front of her home. The door now opened. She didn't know who it was; she didn't care right now. She just felt like dying. Footsteps hurriedly rushed toward her room and inside where she heard Commander Taylor sigh. The bed sank as he sat next to her.

"Still asleep? Kaylie I don't think the hospital could have taken so much out of you. Why don't we get up and grab some coffee or breakfast?"

Kaylie felt paralyzed; she couldn't even move her jaw to speak. Panicked, Taylor stood, and rolled Kaylie toward him. He looked into her eyes; the place that seemed to speak for Kaylie in most cases. "Kaylie what's wrong?"

Embarrassed to tell him the whole truth, she pulled her arms from the blankets and revealed the nasty bruises 'love' had left her. He pulled her in as tears fell from his eyes. Kaylie on the other hand was still numb and could not express in any form, words or otherwise, how she was feeling at that moment in time. Lifeless in his arms, he was even more concerned. He gently set her down and ran to the Shannon's where he asked Elizabeth Shannon to look her over.

"Can you step out please, Commander? Focused on Kaylie, he ignored the 'noise' coming from Elizabeth's mouth. "Commander?"

"Oh, yeah, of course…" He left the house walking down the road deciding to check up on things and take his mind off of Kaylie for just a minute.

"Kaylie?" Rolling now in the direction of the doctor, Kaylie felt like maybe she could say what she wanted. "Was it Lucas again? What happened?"

Kaylie's jaw quivered as she tried to speak, feeling so helpless. "You can't tell my dad." Her eyes opened wide, surprising even herself. She had never called Taylor, Dad, before. She thought it was weird—but he had never been anything but a father to her. And this—this was something fathers were never supposed to know about.

"I don't know about that Kaylie, Taylor should really know about what happened. He's obviously worried sick! And for good reason!"

She began to cry; she asked herself how she could have any tears left in her! Kaylie told herself that she had become such a crybaby. She had no motivation since Lucas left to clean her bed. Moving the blankets to the side, and revealing the blood stain, Elizabeth understood. The doctor opened her arms wide and squeezed Kaylie. "We can do some private sessions with the counselor Kaylie. I know this can't be easy, but you will be alright. I promise this is something you can tell Taylor when you are ready, if that ever happens."

Kaylie's eyes opened as tears sparkled near the top and she managed a small smile.

As she heard footsteps approach her house once again, she quickly replaced her blankets and lay down slowly. "I'll be right back Kaylie. I'll go speak with the commander." Kaylie sprang up again, grabbing Elizabeth's hand remorsefully. "I've got my speech prepared—I told you. Nothing you have to worry about." Elizabeth comforted her, tracing her finger down Kaylie's jawline soothingly.

Kaylie listened partially as she continued feeling - feeling 'Blah.' "Commander, Lucas was here again last night. I couldn't get a lot of details yet, but nothing is broken, just some dark bruising."

"What about her state?"

"She's been hit with trauma. She just needs time, and she'll be just fine. I'm going to set her up with the counselor for the next few weeks."

"Why does she look like she's given up? She looks like the life has been sucked from her…"

"We can't explain why the trauma is catching up with her now, but it has and all we can do for her is encourage her, and let her rest. Let her get back into things at her own pace." She whispered now, "Just don't let her stop trying once we have her going; that is most important."

Kaylie went back to sleep. The depression spiraling into her soul; she wanted nothing more than to die. 'How am I giving up so quickly? It's just sex. People do it all the time. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and get back up. I need to be strong. I need to be strong so next time, next time…' "I'll get him."

She decided silently that tomorrow she'd drag herself back out into the world and start back up with more ambition than she could ever see Lucas achieve. She would succeed; he couldn't stop her now. One day of rest; one measly day is what she needed. One day of self-pity and the music of the smallest violin. Kaylie knew that everyone would understand and expect less from her once they knew what had happened – she didn't want that. She didn't want to be pitied by anyone but herself. No one needed to look down on her. She knew that they would only mean well, but she didn't want her whole reputation, and her whole life to shoot down the drain; little by little it was doing that on its own. Keep her head above the water; that's just what she had to do for now, until she was strong enough to swim toward the trouble and submerge it for good.

Skye snuck out of the hospital early; she couldn't be late this time. She had made it to one of the only old, abandoned houses in the colony. Her head looked from side to side in the shadow filled alley making sure no one would see her lurking in a person-less place.

Entering the house, she crawled beneath the cob webs hoping not to disturb them. She had led a number of spiders to this door long ago, teasing them with ants and flies—letting them build this web down to knee height. When they reached that level, she shooed them away. She also brought a specimen of mold to the walls and let it overtake each supporting block. This gave this old home the 'abandoned' look to it. She could sneak in and out without ever being noticed. No one ever came in; no one ever suspected someone came here.

Kaylie had helped Skye with their hideout and with the transmissions to the sixers, but lately, obviously, it had been harder to do such things. Her being a target helped draw away even more attention, but it also drew out the process of transmission because she had to do it on her own.

Just like always the large, teal dragonfly- looking creature had been sitting on the dry rotted dresser. At her arrival, it slowly rose and neared her. "That-a-boy." She smiled, almost thinking of him as her part-time pet.

Skye pulled out and set down a small box and grabbed the small device from beneath the creature's belly. It hovered near the small, gray device and began giving off its own purring sort of sound. She began to mutter future plans she had heard the commander say only a day prior. Once she finished she gently reattached the transmission device to the underbelly of the calm creature; then she gathered her things, including the gray box.

This small device gave off a specific frequency to lure the dragonfly from place to place. It was almost identical to the sound of hundreds of fluttering wings. This attracted the fly by the comforting sound of its companions, and therefore a genius way to communicate. She turned the box to the off position, and the dragonfly began to fly away.

Skye heard trucks outside. 'Crap!' She hurried herself even more now, throwing her pack over her shoulder and exiting out the back door and swiftly down the street where she mixed with the rest of the colony, just getting out of work for the day. She decided to meet up with Kaylie for the evening.

Mira was sitting impatiently at the top of her hut in the tree. She was leaning over the railing, her back hunched and her head resting on her arm. Annoyed, she stood herself up and made her way over to the corner of the hut. "Looks like you won't be getting your dose today Tate."

The sickly woman lay very still, only looking up solemnly at the woman that controlled her fate. Deb Tate's face suddenly looked hopeful, as she looked to the left of Mira's head.

Turning around quickly she grabbed the dragonfly's package running to the next hut where she could document the message. She pressed play as the thing hovered near her waist. Even Mira felt comforted by the fluttering of its wings. Suddenly, the fluttering slowed and the rhythm became more sporadic.

"And plan B, has now commenced." Lucas stood over her shoulders clenching the dragonfly's wings tenderly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Lucas?"

"Calm down, Mira. I have a plan. I promise you—this is going to work."

"What do you mean? You're ruining any chance of Intel!" Her face turned bright red in frustration.

'MIRA!" he clenched her shoulders. "Let me do my job!"

"You're trying to get that girl again, somehow… And you're not doing your job! You're playing around!"

"Just give me some time. I'll have them in Terra Nova before you can blink."

Skye arrived at Kaylie's house seeing all the people outside; panic filled her body as she began to run, horrified of what might have happened. "Commander, what happened?"

"Lucas was here again, Skye, but as far as the doctor can tell, she doesn't have any physical issues."

"Physical?" Skye wondered why he used those words to describe her state.

"She's going through a bit of shock right now. Elizabeth said the best we can do is encourage her and let her take things at her own pace. She'd prolly respond better to you. Will you go keep her company for a while?"

Skye nodded, entering her home away from home. She walked slowly around the counters, and into Kaylie's room. Kaylie looked pale and sickly; Skye had seen Kaylie when she was very sick, but something was hugely different about this—she seemed unanimated. She didn't move at all; it was as if she was lying in her coffin—dead. Trying not to stare, Skye pulled back the blankets and crawled into bed with Kaylie; not one word exchanged.

"Can I tell you a huge secret?" Kaylie bit her lip. She knew that Skye wouldn't try to be judgmental, but she really didn't know what kind of reaction to expect. Both of them had been virgins with no intention to be otherwise.

"When was there a time you couldn't?" Skye could feel the tension increase with each word that left Kaylie's mouth. She could see her breathing faster, and she was worried of how bad this would be.

"Promise me, you won't say a thing to anyone¬—ever?"

"I pinky, thumb, promise!" Skye scrunched her face wondering what the worst was so she could expect just that.

"Lucas… he, uh…"

Skye couldn't take the anticipation; it was killing her. "What!"

"Lucas raped me." Plain and simple the girls sat silent, exchanging words by face.

"I know you can't possibly be, but are you alright?"

"I don't want you to be disappointed in me… "

"Disappointed? Kaylie, you didn't choose this for yourself! Does Taylor know?"

"GOD NO! I can't tell him. What's he supposed to think? He already has to deal with the fact that his son is a lunatic—how could I possibly tell him that Lucas is a rapist too!" Kaylie felt better knowing Skye knew about her strange and awful day. She felt comforted just to know Skye was there with her, and that while she was there, they were safe for that moment in time.