Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the characters that I have created.

"I…I keep playing that night over and over in my head every night for the past 20 years."

"The night your mom left?" Catherine wondered.

"Yes so to speak."

"What happened?"

"I remember everything was fine that morning when we came back from the hospital." 'Hospital?' Catherine thought.

"I went to my room to study for school. I had a big test the next day. It was almost dinner when I first heard the shouting. Not out of the ordinary. I half expected my brother to come into my room to tell me there was another 'accident' and that we would have to make another 'trip'." Sara stared intently at the bottle of water in order to hold back the tears.

"What happened next?" Catherine said in an almost whisper.

"I went to the kitchen to get them to stop but I did was make him angrier. I was thrown to the floor. I guess he was coming towards me to make sure I stayed down. He didn't see her behind him. I closed my eyes and the next thing I remember was the police siren. She was still holding the knife when the police came. I watched as they took her away."

"I had the perfect family and within a few minutes it was all taken away all because I got involved. I should have stayed in my room."

"Sara, it was not your fault that it happened. You are not to blame for what your father did nor was it your fault that it ended the way it did."

"In a way it never ends. I still have those nightmares. I still have those whys. They won't leave me."

"Where did you go after…."?

"After my mom was taken away, I was placed in foster care. I didn't like it there. I was alone. My brother was old enough to be on his own but not old enough to take care of me. I was constantly stared at and often alienated from every other kid there."

"Margaret came to the foster home one night and told me she wanted to take me away with her. We barely made it out of the state line when we were caught and brought back."

"So she was arrested for taking you from the foster home."

"Not right away. The assault and the fire were her final strikes."

"She went to visit me at the foster home a few weeks later and found one of the foster kids pinning me against the wall. She rushed in, threw him off me and began hitting him until he started to bleed …or cry I can't remember which." Sara gave a small laugh then continued, "in all the excitement she didn't realize that she had knocked over a candle in the room. No one got hurt in the fire, but Margaret was blamed for it. She was arrested on assault and arson charges."

"I'm glad that you confided in me." Catherine said after a several minutes had passed.

"Thanks for listening but I have to get ready." Catherine gets up

"Not for work I hope."

"No I have a couple of things to take care of."

"Okay. I'll see you later." Catherine walks out the door.