I am very appreciative and encouraged by the reviews I recieve so keep'em coming and I'll give you all more to devour.

As pre-dawn drifted in to dawn and further in to morning sleep overcame the two lying on the bedroom floor.

Olivia's hand never left the spot between Camilla's shoulderblades; Cammie's grip never softened on Livs t-shirt, instead she snuggled closer.

Karelyn had been by once to check, the food abandoned just outside the door, and the bedroom looking as if a tornado had picked everything up and dropped it back down in the wrong spots.

All was presumably peaceful, however a storm brewed within the depths of darkness. It threatened to overtake the calm aura at any moment and the monsters of ones dreams would escape to wreak havoc until the battle was fought and the war almost won.

"You are USELESS! I hate you, why the hell did I ever want to keep you!"

The child shivered, her mother angry as ever and higher than Mount Everest.

"Mommy, I'm sorry. I'll...I'll be good just please..." she cried desperately, her four and half foot nine year old frame quivered and she felt her bladder begin to weaken.

Some frightening nerve broke when the shivering registered in the woman's brain and she charged at her daughter. "I'll show you!" she screamed.

Having learned early the small girl ran for the bathroom, she shoved the door closed and locked it.

Tears of embarassment spilt over and warmth spread down the little girls legs, she looked at the counter top where the substance was contained inside what looked like balloons.

This was her job. How she earned her keep.

Forgetting that the bathroom door lock was broken she turned to the mirror, the door opened, her mother stormed in, and struggled to pin the child to the floor.

"I told you I'd show you", she smiled meanly as her daughter cried out in pain, the packing beginning. "NOOO MOMMY!"...

Sudden movement startled Liv from her sleep, she went for her gun before it became clear to her where she was and what was happening.

Cammie was crying out desperately for safety. In her sleep, the monsters that lived in her dreams.

"Cammie, sweetheart wake up, wake up Cammie!"

Liv rubbed her hand between Cam's shoulderblades to stir her. Instantly Cammie's head shot up, her arms flailed and she dove back in to fight mode. Now Cammie thrashed around in an effort to break free of Liv's calming embrace.

"Cammie stop! It's OK" Olivia had to shout.

"N-n-n-nooo" the tears were soaking Cammie's face and neck.

Shaking her shoulders w/ a greater force Liv managed to wake Cam from her haunted dreams that now left behind a weak, shivering teenage girl.

She looked in to Liv's cocoa brown eyes and began to get her bearing with reality.

"Cammie, it's OK. It's Liv and you're safe with me." she soothed.

Back in to Liv's arms Cammie collapsed, sweat mingled with the tears and her breathing was ragged. In the morning light Liv saw the lighter scars of past wounds both emotional and physical.

"Talk to me."

"I can-can't, please don't."

"Catch your breath and please, talk to me."

Stroking her hair Liv pulled Cammie's lightweight body further in to her lap to the point where the petite girl was almost sitting.

Furiously Cam swiped at her face and neck with the sleeve of her nightshirt. She knew she needed to calm herself down yet what had happened moments before brought further gasps for air on. Now it was her turn she knew, for the first time, to open up and let someone in before the mania of memories and scars destroyed her.

In the beginning things weren't so bad. We lived with my granma so she took care of me cause Mom was only 18 or 19 and she couldn't deal with a kid.

I didn't know who my dad was and my mom and granma would just tell me that we didn't need him, whoever he was.

Then granma had a stroke and our team dispersed.

Once she was gone I wanted to know who'd take care of me and keep me safe. I think I was four when I asked the first time and five when I asked the second time, when gran past on.

Daddy?

He raped me, you weren't supposed to be, is what she said.

I didn't know what rape was then but I knew it was bad cause she was always unhappy and never wanted much to do with me.

After my sixth birthday the drugs started coming into our new, now very tiny apartment. I saw baggies in drawers and condom wrappers littered the coffee table. Quite often Mom would come home with some deadbeat who claimed to "love" her. They'd have sex on the couch with me in the bedroom covering my ears.

I got beat up a lot too, my teachers never asked about the black eyes or swollen limbs.

Mom started needing some way to transport or hide the drugs, so I began to earn my keep. God how that hurt!

I was 10 when the cops raided our place because a neighbor reported suspicious smells coming from our apartment, then ACS took me away and Mom went to rehab I guess.

Some kid when I first came here told me what rape was and it made me so pissed off. I wanted whoever hurt my mom to pay for it. No matter how much she hurt me somehow I still found it in me to love her, even if she didn't love me.

ACS fed me and I had to have my head shrunk.

A year or so later Mom came back. Not happy but capable.

We got a new apartment and she worked, for awhile at least.

One of her old dealers found out where we lived and wheedled Mom in to heavier drugs and I was put back to work. This time she screwed up and dealt to a plain-clothes.

I landed right back here when I was 12.

Again this place cleaned me up, but I resisted so they got all authoritative and pissed cause I didn't want to be shrinked for a second time. I just didn't want to talk and I didn't want anyone to try and fix me or the shit that was my life.

I tore apart at the seams a whole lot.

Maybe four or five months ago CJ came back. This time I didn't want to go back to her but the state had no choice cause of this bullshit three strikes program.

Art was how I expressed and relieved myself when we were together.

Now Mom didn't hold back her disdain for me, but in her own twisted way maybe she did love me.

I got dumped back here cause a teacher reported my "resistant, closed off personality" to a social worker at my high school.

Boy, did that piss me off!

Yea sure Mom had gone right back to the drugs and she tested them on me, mostly the heroin so I had track marks. How my own mother could do this shit to me I'll never know and I'm not sure I wanna either.

The social worker saw the marks and the pretty red lines I'd carved myself.

So here I am, this time it's for good. CJ got put in prison for a long freakin' time.

And I'm left to figure myself and this shit out.

Cammie sighed and fought backfresh sobs, she played with her sleeves or traced some of the nasty scars littering her wrists.

Liv searched Cammie's tired face. The walls were gone and the clouds in Cammies violet eyes cleared. All that was left was pain and confusion and fear. What was left was a child who knew she'd been abandoned and who was afraid of what was inside her.

Suddenly it was strikingly clear of some traits these two females posessed.

Tossing caution outside the sunlit window Liv gathered Cammie, further haggard and drained, back in to her arms.

Whether placing this trust in Liv, who was previously a stranger, was smart or not Cammie had the sensation of security. Sensation seeped like molasses in to her being and for the first time in a long time Cammie actually felt.

Cammie didn't resist Liv, she was giving in and battling giving up.

Whew. Just wanted to let you guys know it might be a little while before I update cause I'm gonna be heading to look at my first college this week so savor this and I'll have more sooner or later. Loves from me to my loyal reviewers 3 - Jill