Rhiannon sat alone in Kiara's bedroom. It had been two long weeks since they'd left, and the pain wasn't going away. As Rhiannon looked out of the window over the countryside, her thoughts turned again to the last day she had seen her niece.

"But I don't want to go, Rhiannon." Kiara sobbed into her pillow as her aunt soothingly stroked her hair. "I'll miss you and Kylie, and my friends. I won't have anyone."

"Oh sweetie, you'll have your mum, and Matt seems like a nice guy. I'm sure they'll both take very good care of you. And you can't be the only child on tour with the company, you'll make new friends in no time." She forced herself to say, trying to comfort her niece, even though she felt as though her heart was being torn in two.

"I don't want new friends. I want to stay here with you." She cried, curling up into an even tighter ball as her sobs threatened to overwhelm her. "And what about school? I don't want to be moved around everywhere again. It took me ages to catch up when we came back here."

"Your mother has arranged a tutor for you. I'm sure you'll like him."

"I don't care. I don't want to like him, Rhian." She spat, sitting up and staring at her aunt with an expression of hurt accusation in her eyes. "Why are you saying all of these things? Do you want me to go?" Rhiannon shook her head helplessly, the tears she had been fighting suddenly welling in her eyes.

"Of course not. It's the last thing I want, but there's nothing I can do. Your mother has made up her mind. Anyway, it probably won't be as bad as you think. Just think of all the things that you'll get to see and do! It'll be an amazing experience Kiara."

"But I just want to be a normal kid with a normal life. I want to stay here at home with you. Please don't let her take me away..." Rhiannon wrapped her arms around Kiara and held her tightly, her own body shaking with silent sobs as she tried to comfort the scared little girl.

"Oh honey, I've tried to talk her out of it, I have! But she believes that this is the best thing for both of you." She took a few deep shuddering breaths to settle herself down before she pulled away to look Kiara in the eye. "But, I promise you Kiara, this will always be your home. You're always welcome to come back whenever you can. And even though you may be miles away from here, but I'm always just a phone call away if you need me. Alright?" Kiara nodded miserably before giving her aunt another hug. "I love you Kiara. Never forget that."

"I love you too, Rhian. I'll call you every day, I promise."

A shadow fell over the bed and they looked up to Imogen standing in the doorway, her expression unreadable.

"Come on, Kiara. It's time to go." She said gently, and Rhiannon could have sworn that as Imogen turned away, she saw a tear roll down her cheek...

Rhiannon's reminiscing was cut short by the sound of the phone ringing. She wiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks and rested her head against the windowsill, determined to ignore it. In the two weeks that had passed, the only person who had phoned her was Kylie. Rhiannon was sure that Imogen was preventing Kiara from calling her, and whenever Rhiannon rang her sister's phone, Matt had informed her that both her sister and niece were busy and that they would call her back. They never did.

She pushed herself up and wandered into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. As she looked into the mirror, Rhiannon considered what a sorry sight she was. Her skin was pale and blotchy from the almost constant crying and lack of sleep. Her green eyes were so dark and bloodshot she almost didn't recognise them.

What am I becoming? She wondered as she ran a thin hand over her face and leaned over the sink, unable to look at her reflection any longer. I can't just sit around feeling sorry for myself. But, how the hell do I take control back from that bitch? She's been doing this to me all my life!

The answer came to her out of the blue and she was surprised she hadn't thought of it before. There was nothing holding her back now, in fact, it was the perfect solution. A thin smile crossed over her face as she bolted to the computer to check how much money she had stored in her savings account over the years. With a laugh she realised that she had more than enough to get started.

But first, she considered her reflection in the mirror above the telephone table as she grabbed her car keys, it's time for a change...