In the morning, Alessa tries to make up an excuse not to go to school. This angers Dahlia and she tells Alessa a punishment will be waiting for her once she comes home. Alessa walks to school, on the verge of crying. Why did mommy always get so mad at her? Why, if mommy had heard about what had happened at school yesterday, Alessa would be in even more trouble. She is trying to be a good girl but it seems she can only do bad. She does not want to face the kids at recess so she tries to hide in the bathroom. However, some older girls are already there and Alessa is afraid of them. The classroom is probably the safest place for her. The collar of her dress pulls hard against her neck. The hands of another whip her body around. "You are supposed to be outside," an old, grouchy woman says. She roughly snatches hold of Alessa's hand and marches her outside. Bad luck seems to hang over her head for the boy from yesterday is standing by the fence.

"Hey Alessa," the boy calls once the lady has left. "My sister is going to beat you up." An older girl, a fourth grader, is standing by him. Alessa does not want to get hurt so she turns and runs. She hears the girl yell something. Surely she is going after her but Alessa hopes she will find a safe place to hide. The muscles in her legs are weakening fast. Footsteps behind her slam down on the pavement. Breathing is an impossible chore for Alessa. The lack of oxygen causes her body to collapse on the ground. The fourth grade girl is standing over her.

"You hurt my brother," she says," so now I'm going to hurt you." Alessa is yanked back up to her feet and dragged to the fence in the field by two other girls. They have a tight hold on her wrists. A sharp pain stings her chin because that boy's sister is digging her nails into Alessa's skin. "Look at me," she says, roughly forcing Alessa's face up. "You and your crazy mother should burn like the witches you are. But, since none of us have lighters, I'm going to do something different." Alessa could see blood on the nails of the girl's right hand that is raised high in the air. With her fingers clenched, she brought it back down with such strength into Alessa's stomach that a spray of blood shot from Alessa's mouth. The grip on her wrists broke, allowing her body to fall to the ground. The thought of the attack being over has entered her mind but it is feeding her false hopes. The three girls join in together on pummeling her. The schoolyard becomes silent because of her deafening scream.

Teachers break up the small group of girls to find Alessa battered and bleeding on the grass. Among the teachers is Mrs. Kim Gordon. Her dark brown hair fails to conceal the shocked look displayed on her face. She is the only one that reaches for the seemingly lifeless seven years old child on the ground. The others pull back as they think of this child's very religious mother. Though they know Dahlia Gillespie is capable of many things, their futile minds cannot even begin to realize the nightmares she can bestow. The child is carried into the nurse's office. Mrs. Kim Gordon cleans the child up. No tears are running down from her face, no emotions are being shown. The child is utterly blank and unresponsive. Mrs. Kim Gordon makes a mental note of this, for it could be a warning sign.

"Are you okay?" asks Mrs. Kim Gordon but the child does not answer. She simply stares blankly at the tiled floor before her. Gently she slips off the stiff cot and goes out the door. Her stomach is still churning in pain, a small patch of blood is drying on her split lip, and a white bandage is protecting either side of her chin. It is not possible for her to go outside though her backpack is still out there. The classroom will temporarily shelter her from her cruel classmates.

The murmuring of the other children while they enter the room is all Alessa can hear. It is louder than any other noise in the world against her ears. She begins to wish she could be deaf. All falls silent when their teacher enters the room. As Mrs. Gordon's back is turned, a child from the far side of the room crumples a paper and throws it in Alessa's direction. Silently it hits the right side of her head and stirs a slight snicker out of those around her. Mrs. Gordon resumes her lesson on the board after turning to see what has happened. Her eyes, of course, catch nothing.

Despite what has happened in the morning, Alessa is again forced outside after lunch. Though she takes as long as she can to eat, her tormenters still have time to chase her. She is able to climb halfway up the fence before they get to her. The tallest child grabs a hold of her ankle but she is fighting against their strength. Her foot thrashes until the firm grip on it has loosened and she is fine. Her weakening arms pull her body to the top of the fence. Both feet find a place to rest between the notches of the wires for a moment. In one swift motion Alessa's body is launched into the air. She lands had on the gravel beyond the schoolyard's fence. Immediately she picks herself up and runs down the road. Voices of the children and adults she left behind fade with every step she takes. She knows she will be in trouble but heads home anyway.

From the shattered glass of the window, Alessa sees the living room is empty. The door creaks open quickly and shuts very slowly once she is inside. The faint noise that reaches her ears is indistinguishable. It sounds far away but as she makes her way past the kitchen, it gets louder. The unfamiliar words make her stomach churn with disgust. It is hard for her not to vomit. Her nausea worsens as she draws closer to the old basement door but her curiosity is stronger. The moveable wood attached to the wall is slightly cracked open. Many voices dance up the stairs and echo in her mind. An unseen force pushes her to travel down the steps. The chanting intensifies and Alessa wants to scream. She feels as though she is being tortured. From the bottom of the stairs, she is able to see the scene as it plays out. Mommy, the strange man, and other unrecognizable people are crouched on that horrifying symbol painted in red. A strange altar has been made out of a small table. Different sized black candles burn with an orange flame below a painting. Alessa looks at the painting and nearly gasps. The ugly figure pictured in it is the demon she had seen when her mommy locked her in the attic. One of the people, a man, stands up and walks toward the altar; the chanting does not cease. The man lifts a knife off the table and turns his back to the group. Alessa is unable to see what he is doing. Once he is facing them again, she sees the bowl in his hand is filled with blood. This throws Alessa over the edge of panic. She races upstairs and through the front door to clean air. The broken part of the porch serves as a hiding place for her.

After two hours of waiting, the pounding of feet on the wooden stairs snaps Alessa out of her blank state. The strange people are leaving. Dahlia comes down to the dirt driveway, waving goodbye. She turns and sees her daughter hiding under the porch. "Come, Alessa," she says with amusement in her voice. "It's time to go inside." Hesitating at first, Alessa goes to Dahlia's side. "Did you run away from school?" Alessa nods fearfully. Dahlia gently squeezes Alessa's shoulder. It is a nice, comforting feeling. But once they are in the house, she is suddenly scared of her mommy. "You're such a naughty girl! Skipping school and causing trouble!" The sting of mommy's hand smacking Alessa's face brings tears. It does not stop there. Mommy begins spitting ugly names at her child. Each word brings with it a powerful, physical blow. Alessa cannot fight back. She is too shocked and hurt. Once she has the chance, she runs to her room. There is not lock on the door so mommy comes in. She drags Alessa to the attic and leaves her there for the rest of the day.

The hours go by slowly. Alessa's mind screams because she knows 'God' can see her. There is no way for her to leave. She suffers through hunger pains and accidents that make her clothes uncomfortably wet. It is not possible for her to sleep n these conditions. Even if sleep is something that could take her over tonight, it would not help her escape from this dreaded room. Dreaming in this room would only bring the horrifying image of 'God' to mind. During the middle of the night, Alessa finds a black crayon on the hard wood floor of the room. Automatically her hand picks it up and she begins to write a message on the barely visible walls before her. No thoughts are running through her head. She is not able to tell it is morning when it comes. She is still locked I a few hours more.

Mommy drags a very shaken Alessa out when the time is right. "Get in the bathtub you disgusting girl," mommy demands. "Look at the mess you've made! I should make you stay in those clothes!" Being shoved the whole way; Alessa is rushed to the bathroom. The rusty old faucet is pouring water into the old tub. Alessa frees her body from the soiled clothes and is immediately put in the water. The prickly sting of cold brought on by the water causes her to yelp. Her cry is drowned out by mommy's hand dunking her head in the water. She comes up coughing and gasping for air. Mommy roughly scrubs her daughter clean. "You stay there," mommy hisses. "I'll get you some clothes when I decide you're re ready to."

Alessa sits in the water, shivering. She would rather have stayed in her wet clothes. 'Mommy will come back any minute,' she thinks to herself. She waits patiently while she rocks back and forth. Her body slowly becomes used to the temperature but is still cold. A tiny bit of sunlight creeps onto the floor through the window. Minutes go by with a painfully slow pace but she is still patiently waiting for mommy.

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