Kirsty had spent all yesterday with her boyfriend. It felt so weird thinking that and visualising Kane. Before she'd properly met Kane, whenever she heard his name, she visualised her sister in court, trying to be brave but being made a mock of by Kane's defence lawyers. She tried to put all thought of what Kane had done to Dani to the back of her mind but it was extremely hard whenever she saw Dani. She was miserable and she was scared. Kirsty didn't know what to do. She couldn't just stop seeing Kane, something always drew her to him.
It was 10.30am, half an hour before Kirsty had arranged to meet Kane at the beach, the same spot as the day before. She decided just to go earlier, she'd always been impatient. When she arrived, she was greeted by Kane, who'd had the same idea to go earlier.
"Why are you so early?"
"I could ask you the same question!"
"I wanted to see you."
Kirsty said this shyly. She still wasn't completely comfortable with telling Kane how she felt because she always had a voice at the back of her mind, telling her it was wrong and selfish.
"I wanted to see you too, babe."
He reached over and kissed his beautifully radiant girlfriend. He couldn't believe his luck. Someone up above had been looking out for him to have given him a lovely girlfriend like Kirsty. It was the real thing, he knew it, he could feel it.
"Kane, you're so amazing."
The beach was empty except from the couple. There were a few surfers in the water but that was all. They had planned to spend all day together like they had the day before, it was Sunday, no one would mind if Kirsty was out. She didn't even have to leave a note. Everyone was so concerned with Dani that they probably wouldn't even notice she was gone. As long as she was in before 10.30pm, it would be ok. That meant 12 whole hours with Kane! Or so she thought.
Dani woke up screaming, again. She hadn't slept at all except for the last couple of hours and they'd been troubled. She needed air, she needed some place where she could breathe. Dani quickly put on a pair of baggies and a large jumper. She crept downstairs as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anyone up. If she did, she would have 20 questions about where she was going and how long she'd be when she just wanted to get out and get away from it all for a bit. She left a note, just so that no one would worry -
"I'm just away for a walk. I don't know where I'm going, maybe the beach but I shouldn't be too long.
Dani."
It was vague, she knew, but she didn't want her parents coming to check up on her. She didn't even want Jade or Brodie to come with her, she just needed some time alone with her thoughts to try and sort out her head.
She decided to go to the beach because she knew that as it was Sunday, it would be quiet, almost deserted. She walked and walked along the beach for what seemed like ages. After a while, she sat herself down and just looked out to the sea, her mind blank. She lay down and curled up in a ball, her eyes closed. As soon as she did this, the faces came back, the voices and acts too. Was there no escape? A loud laughter interrupted her thoughts. Who was that? There was no one around. She ignored it. Dani tried to think of what Flynn had said to her, how she wasn't to be scared, how she was to be brave and think positive. Thinking about it in her head, it didn't seem so hard but thinking and doing are two totally different things. She heard the playful laughter again, she recognised it...who was it?
Then she heard it.
"Kane! That went in my eye!"
"You chucked it on me first!"
"It was an accident!"
"Ok, Kirsty!"
She'd heard it loud and clear. That's who had laughed, her little sister but...Kane? Could she be with Kane? No. She had to make sure. The voices and the laughter had been coming from her left. She walked along a bit and behind a large rock, she saw them. Her baby sister and her rapist kissing like it was ok. Kissing like they were doing nothing wrong. Kissing like she didn't even exist. None of them seen her. She just stood and stared, the tears rolling down her cheeks when the kiss stopped. Kane was facing Dani. He opened his eyes and there she was. He saw her, then he looked away as if he was pretending it wasn't real. He looked back.
"Dani..."
Kirsty abruptly turned around at the mention of her sister's name. She saw the look on Kirsty's face. The fear. The hurt. The betrayal...and then she was gone.
Dani ran, as fast as she could, away from the horror that she had just seen. She was telling herself over and over that it wasn't real, she'd imagined it but she knew that was not the truth.
Kirsty began to run after her but she was gone. She fell into Kane's arms and cried. She'd always known that, at some point, Dani would have found out but this was not the way she had wanted it. It would never have been taken lightly but for Dani to see them kissing like that when she was still in such a state of vulnerabilty was just awful. It was like Kirsty's worst nightmare. She'd dreaded Dani finding out even more than she had dreaded her parents finding out. That look on her face would not go away, Kirsty had a feeling that it would never ever go away.
Kane didn't know what to do or what to say. He'd seen that look from Dani before but to see Kirsty so upset was breaking his heart. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't turn back the clock and stop Dani from seeing them. If he could turn it back, he would go all the way back to when he first knew Dani and he would have backed off.
"Kirsty...don't cry, baby."
"How can I not cry, Kane? She hates me, she absolutely hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, Kirsty. She's your sister and anyway, no one could hate you, no one."
"You're about to be proved very, very wrong, Kane."
"I don't know what to say..."
"How could we have been so careless?"
"We weren't to know she was going to come down here, Kirst. It's not your fault."
"Of course it's my fault! I'm the one going out with my sister's rapist!"
To hear Kirsty say that word to his face hurt Kane badly. He knew it was true but he too, like Dani, was trying to put all that behind him.
"Baby, I'm sorry, I don't mean to snap at you but I just don't know what to do."
"Do what you're heart tells you, Kirst."
"That's just it! For these past few weeks, my heart's been split in two over you and Dani. Right now, however, I have to go and find Dani. I don't want her to do anything stupid."
"Ok."
Kane was a little bit hurt that Kirsty was leaving him but he knew that Dani needed her at the moment. The couple said their goodbyes.
"I'll be in touch, Kane, I promise. I just need to let things cool off first."
"Sure, babe, when you're ready."
It was 10.30am, half an hour before Kirsty had arranged to meet Kane at the beach, the same spot as the day before. She decided just to go earlier, she'd always been impatient. When she arrived, she was greeted by Kane, who'd had the same idea to go earlier.
"Why are you so early?"
"I could ask you the same question!"
"I wanted to see you."
Kirsty said this shyly. She still wasn't completely comfortable with telling Kane how she felt because she always had a voice at the back of her mind, telling her it was wrong and selfish.
"I wanted to see you too, babe."
He reached over and kissed his beautifully radiant girlfriend. He couldn't believe his luck. Someone up above had been looking out for him to have given him a lovely girlfriend like Kirsty. It was the real thing, he knew it, he could feel it.
"Kane, you're so amazing."
The beach was empty except from the couple. There were a few surfers in the water but that was all. They had planned to spend all day together like they had the day before, it was Sunday, no one would mind if Kirsty was out. She didn't even have to leave a note. Everyone was so concerned with Dani that they probably wouldn't even notice she was gone. As long as she was in before 10.30pm, it would be ok. That meant 12 whole hours with Kane! Or so she thought.
Dani woke up screaming, again. She hadn't slept at all except for the last couple of hours and they'd been troubled. She needed air, she needed some place where she could breathe. Dani quickly put on a pair of baggies and a large jumper. She crept downstairs as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anyone up. If she did, she would have 20 questions about where she was going and how long she'd be when she just wanted to get out and get away from it all for a bit. She left a note, just so that no one would worry -
"I'm just away for a walk. I don't know where I'm going, maybe the beach but I shouldn't be too long.
Dani."
It was vague, she knew, but she didn't want her parents coming to check up on her. She didn't even want Jade or Brodie to come with her, she just needed some time alone with her thoughts to try and sort out her head.
She decided to go to the beach because she knew that as it was Sunday, it would be quiet, almost deserted. She walked and walked along the beach for what seemed like ages. After a while, she sat herself down and just looked out to the sea, her mind blank. She lay down and curled up in a ball, her eyes closed. As soon as she did this, the faces came back, the voices and acts too. Was there no escape? A loud laughter interrupted her thoughts. Who was that? There was no one around. She ignored it. Dani tried to think of what Flynn had said to her, how she wasn't to be scared, how she was to be brave and think positive. Thinking about it in her head, it didn't seem so hard but thinking and doing are two totally different things. She heard the playful laughter again, she recognised it...who was it?
Then she heard it.
"Kane! That went in my eye!"
"You chucked it on me first!"
"It was an accident!"
"Ok, Kirsty!"
She'd heard it loud and clear. That's who had laughed, her little sister but...Kane? Could she be with Kane? No. She had to make sure. The voices and the laughter had been coming from her left. She walked along a bit and behind a large rock, she saw them. Her baby sister and her rapist kissing like it was ok. Kissing like they were doing nothing wrong. Kissing like she didn't even exist. None of them seen her. She just stood and stared, the tears rolling down her cheeks when the kiss stopped. Kane was facing Dani. He opened his eyes and there she was. He saw her, then he looked away as if he was pretending it wasn't real. He looked back.
"Dani..."
Kirsty abruptly turned around at the mention of her sister's name. She saw the look on Kirsty's face. The fear. The hurt. The betrayal...and then she was gone.
Dani ran, as fast as she could, away from the horror that she had just seen. She was telling herself over and over that it wasn't real, she'd imagined it but she knew that was not the truth.
Kirsty began to run after her but she was gone. She fell into Kane's arms and cried. She'd always known that, at some point, Dani would have found out but this was not the way she had wanted it. It would never have been taken lightly but for Dani to see them kissing like that when she was still in such a state of vulnerabilty was just awful. It was like Kirsty's worst nightmare. She'd dreaded Dani finding out even more than she had dreaded her parents finding out. That look on her face would not go away, Kirsty had a feeling that it would never ever go away.
Kane didn't know what to do or what to say. He'd seen that look from Dani before but to see Kirsty so upset was breaking his heart. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't turn back the clock and stop Dani from seeing them. If he could turn it back, he would go all the way back to when he first knew Dani and he would have backed off.
"Kirsty...don't cry, baby."
"How can I not cry, Kane? She hates me, she absolutely hates me."
"She doesn't hate you, Kirsty. She's your sister and anyway, no one could hate you, no one."
"You're about to be proved very, very wrong, Kane."
"I don't know what to say..."
"How could we have been so careless?"
"We weren't to know she was going to come down here, Kirst. It's not your fault."
"Of course it's my fault! I'm the one going out with my sister's rapist!"
To hear Kirsty say that word to his face hurt Kane badly. He knew it was true but he too, like Dani, was trying to put all that behind him.
"Baby, I'm sorry, I don't mean to snap at you but I just don't know what to do."
"Do what you're heart tells you, Kirst."
"That's just it! For these past few weeks, my heart's been split in two over you and Dani. Right now, however, I have to go and find Dani. I don't want her to do anything stupid."
"Ok."
Kane was a little bit hurt that Kirsty was leaving him but he knew that Dani needed her at the moment. The couple said their goodbyes.
"I'll be in touch, Kane, I promise. I just need to let things cool off first."
"Sure, babe, when you're ready."