Mariana

I shuffle back to my room after my trip to the bathroom. I hate getting up any earlier than I have to, but Mother Nature was calling. I push a few strands of loose hair from my face and head towards my room when I hear a noise downstairs. I pause near the top of stairs and wait a bit. It sounds like footsteps in the kitchen. Mom? Sometimes she gets called to work in the middle of the night. I'm already awake; I guess I'll go join her.

I head down the stairs quietly. Mama, Jesus and Brandon are still sleeping so I don't want to wake them up. I turn into the kitchen and it's a bit hard to make out Mom with all the shadows. Wait…

That's not Mom.

There's a girl standing in our kitchen moving stuff on our counter. Oh God. She's robbing us! I try to back out of the kitchen to get Mom but stupid me, I hit the garbage can and she whirls around to face me. Her eyes are wide and she looks like a mess and…

Is that a knife?

She eyes me for a moment before saying in a quiet voice, "Mariana."

My eyes go from her face, to the knife, and back to her face before I let out a scream.

Stef

I scramble out of bed at Mariana's scream, racing towards the sound of it. Lena is right behind me. We thunder down the stairs and slide into the kitchen to find out just what the hell is going on. The sight that greets us is one that will not escape me for a while.

Callie is standing against the counter on one side of the kitchen, hair in her face as she clutches a knife in her good hand. Mariana is on the opposite side, looking at Callie as if she is Freddy Kruger instead of a sixteen year old girl.

"What is going on?!" Lena asks frantically, reaching a hand out to jerk Mariana closer to her.

"She broke into our house and tried to kill me!" Mariana shrieks as she scrambles behind Lena, dramatic as ever, "Arrest her, Mom!"

I roll my eyes, "Mariana, she didn't break into the house. Her name is Callie; I brought her here."

"She still tried to kill me!"

Callie's eyes narrow at this, "I was not trying to kill you. I was trying to cut a pill."

Mariana pulls a face, "You're doing drugs?"

"No!"

"Enough!" I say, putting a hand up to end the argument, "Callie please put the knife on the counter. Lena, take Mariana to the living room. You might as well tell the boys to come with you since I know they're on the stairs eavesdropping." I hear some footsteps that confirm my hypothesis. As soon as the kitchen is vacant except for me and Callie, I take a seat at the island.

"Take a seat, Callie. It's okay." She eyes me wearily before taking a seat opposite and diagonal from me, as far away as she can get, "Can you please tell me what happened?"

"What does it matter?"

I take a deep breath, "I just want to know. Mariana tends to be somewhat of a drama queen," I smile a little at her but her face remains blank, "So what's your side of the story?"

Callie rubs her nose, "I wanted to take a pill but I didn't want an entire one so I was trying to cut it in half. Your daughter walked into the kitchen and freaked out."

"Why half a pill?" I ask, genuinely curious, "The nurse in the infirmary said you could take two every six hours." Callie shrugs and looks away and that's the end of the conversation. I stand up and gesture my head towards the living room.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to meet the family, if you're up for it?"

Callie nods a little and her eyes flick to mine for a moment before they return to the table. In that split second I see something in her eyes. Fear? I walk over to her and kneel down a bit.

"Callie? It's okay. You're safe here." She nods again but I know she doesn't believe me. I lead the way to the living room where everyone is spread out. Lena is sandwiched between Mariana and Brandon on the couch (Callie's makeshift bed) and Mariana is shooting Callie a skeptical look. Brandon looks just as confused as Jesus who is strewn out by himself on a chair.

"So guys," I begin, "This is Callie. She is going to be staying with us for a little while."

Jesus gives her the once over, "What happened to your face? Did you get in a fight?"

Lena shoots him a warning look, "Jesus."

"It's nice to meet you," Brandon says with a small smile, always my polite boy.

Callie pushes some hair behind her ear and turns towards Mariana although she doesn't raise her eyes, "I didn't mean to scare you."

Mariana shrugs and presses into Lena, "It's fine."

"We should get back to bed," I suggest, glancing at the clock, "You guys need to be up for school in a few hours." Everyone gets up and heads for their rooms. I hug and kiss each child before they disappear upstairs. I whisper to Lena that I'll be right up before I turn back to Callie who is staring at me in almost a sad sort of way. For the first time since I've woken up, I notice how red her eyes are; how drained she looks.

"Have you slept at all, Sweets?" The pet name slips out before I can stop myself. Callie looks up at me, somewhat alarmed, and suddenly I remember that she's just a child. Scared, angry and confused.

I sink into a chair next to the couch and reach over to pat the blankets, "Come lie down, Callie."

She doesn't move and the mistrust is obvious in her eyes. I try not to think of what happened when she was younger during that night that would make her so reluctant to fall asleep while I'm around. Sensing that Callie isn't about to lie down any time soon, I curl up as best I can on the chair and allow my eyes to slip closed. I think I've slept maybe four hours the entire night and the day's events are starting to take their toll. I let out a breath and try to get comfortable.

Perhaps five minutes pass before I hear some movement. Next thing I know, I feel a blanket being tossed over me and gently secured. I hold my breath and keep myself still so that I don't spook Callie. I hear a shuffling noise, a click, and the creaking of the couch and I figure Callie must be lying down by now. I wait ten minutes, until I hear her breathing even out. I cautiously open my eyes to sneak a peek. She doesn't move so I figure it's safe to get up. As quietly as I can, I put my feet on the floor and walk towards her.

Callie looks a lot different in her sleep than she does when she's awake. She doesn't look nearly as intimidating as she makes herself to be. By the looks of it, she won't be waking up any time soon. Her body needs the rest to recuperate. I kneel down and place my hand gently on her forehead. Her eyebrows knit together and a frown comes over her mouth. She begins to stir and that's the last thing I want to happen.

"Shh, Callie. Relax." I shush her, using my thumb to smooth her eyebrows, "You're alright; it's okay."

She settles down once again with a little sigh, finger coming up to rest against her nose. Without warning, a lump lodges itself in my throat.

"Oh, Callie." I breathe, "Let us take care of you."

I stand up and walk back over to the chair. I wrap myself up in the blanket and bunker down for the night. I can't leave her alone tonight. I know Lena will understand. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

Damn allergies gave me a sinus infection. It's not pretty guys: things are discolored, things drip… Sorry I'm telling you guys this but misery loves company.

Guys, just one week tomorrow! Clap it up!

Question: would you guys like me to follow the preceding of the show or nah? I mean, I know I sorta am already, but are there specific storylines I should do?

Let me know!

-Liv

P.S.- 'Tis but a scratch (I've been laughing for years at this)