~~~~~CT~~~~~

Fiona sat silently the whole way to her foster mother's house.  As much as she tried, she couldn't keep the images out of her head.

(Flashback)

"Oh my God, Michelle.  Why did you do that for?"  Fiona screeched after the bullet entered John's frontal lobe.

"He was trying to hurt my friend," Michelle answered coolly.  She glared at Fiona's shaking form.  "You're not grateful," she said, keeping emotion out of her voice.

"I-I am, b-but couldn't you have shot him in the arm?" Fiona asked, running her fingers through her short-cropped hair, agitated.  "Oh my God, what are we going to do?" Fiona murmured over and over again.

"We're going to bury him," Michelle said, producing a shovel from the ground.  "And clean up this mess," she said, inclining her head towards the bucket and mop that mysteriously appeared.

A chilling realization hit Fiona, and she ran outside, sick to her stomach.  She came back in and stared Michelle down.  "You meant to kill him the whole time, didn't you?" she asked quietly.  Michelle smiled, her gray eyes turning to ice.

The next three words sent Fiona scrambling once again outside to empty the contents of her stomach.  "Yes. I. Did."

(End Flashback)

As much as Fiona had tried not to drop off to sleep, she quickly succumbed to sleep.  The climax of her flashback brought her awake with a start, and she woke with her heart pounding, her breathing heavy. 

"Fiona?" Steve asked.  She quickly shook her head and struggled to get her breathing under control.

"Fiona, when's the last time you have had a decent night's sleep?" Mark asked.

"Too long," she said with a small smile.  "Probably about 2 weeks."

"When you get home, I'd like to talk to your foster mom about prescribing you a sleeping pill..."

"And refer me to a shrink?" Fiona asked.

"If you think it's necessary," Mark said.

"Maybe," she said.  "I-I don't know, though," she said.  She sank back against the smooth leather seats and closed her eyes.  I am so tired of this.  I want to tell, but if I do, Michelle will kill me.  And anyone to get out of being put in jail.  She laughed to herself.  The strain of it all was a small price to pay, but at what price?  Her sanity?  A shrink?  I think it's worth it.