Adam

"Hey Nita, is your mum home?" It was a stupid question seeing as she hadn't left her house let alone the sofa since she came home from the hospital. Nita stood with her head popped around the door making no attempt to open it further. Looking at Nita further I saw that she had tears lining her eyes and her bottom lip was quivering.

"What's wrong?" I stepped closer to her, "Is Kirsty ok?" She was worrying me. She bit her lip and shook her head, her eyebrows crinkled just like Kirsty's did when she was upset.

"What happened? Where is she?" I asked frantically pushing towards her and into the house. She stepped aside as I threw open the lounge door to find the room empty. I turned back to Nita taking her shoulders in my hands.

"Where is she?" I looked into her eyes hoping to find the answer she was unable to give me.

"Hospital." She whispered and I stared at her in disbelief.

"What happened; wait tell me in the car, lets go." I stood out on the street waiting for her to move. "Come on Nita, lets go." Suddenly she ran out of the house and hopped into the passenger side of my car.

"Nita get back here this instant." Kathy's voice came from the house before she appeared at the door her face alive with anger. Without thinking I threw open the car door jumped in and barely got the door closed before we were driving away.

"She's guna kill me." Nita spoke from beside me startling me slightly.

"For what, going to see your mum? That's not a reason!" I glanced at her sideways and she genuinely looked worried about leaving. "I'll talk to her when I take you back, hey," I nudged her, "don't worry no one can resist the Trueman charm." A smile broke onto her lips as she rolled her eyes at me.

"Hey don't mock the Trueman charm." I said pretending to be hurt by her gesture.

We pulled into the ED but before getting out of the car I turned and asked Nita what had happened to Kirsty.

Kirsty

There comes a point in your life when you have to say enough is enough. That you can't take it anymore and that it's got to stop at whatever cost. For me, today was that day. I'd hurt my daughter too much already to let it continue a day longer. She was scared. I hated that. I'd always tried to protect her but now I couldn't. I was going to do the only thing I could. Her life would be bad at first but eventually things would go back to normal. She would always remember but that's all it would be a memory. She wouldn't have to listen to the screams, the sound of skin hitting skin, the sickening silences which followed, or the sobs in the night. Everything that I'd heard and wished that she would never have to. I wished we both never had to hear it but that was not the case but today we would both be free.

Today I was going to man up and do what was best for my daughter, to give her life that she deserved. It was too late to go back now. She would never forget what he'd done to me so all I could do was minimise the damage and make sure that there was nothing else could happen for her to know about.

"Drink" Kathy demanded, breaking me from my thoughts as she pushed a glass into my face. I looked up at her towering over me. Soon I would never have to see her again. I took the glass in my shaky hand realising why I was been given a drink. Kathy never let go of the glass. We both knew that I would not be able to hold it steady, if at all, if she did. Instead she guided it up to my lips and waited patently as I swallowed the content. It was the kindest she'd ever been to me and although I didn't want to I found myself wondering if she was as bad as I first thought. Maybe things were looking up. Maybe Warren had spoken to her and just maybe she was going to treat me better and I could get 'better.' I felt like a phony and a fraud I'd been lying to everyone about how I was coping with everything, making them worry when really I've been fine this whole time. They've spent hours visiting me, trying to help me and they were basically wasting their time. I wanted to tell them I just felt like my hands were tied.

I savoured the cool, soothing feeling as the water slide down my throat. It was one of the best feelings I'd had in a long time. I felt sick almost immediately after finishing the glass my stomach not used to holding so much water. I could feel it resting heavily in my stomach and it struck me just how malnourished I must be if a glass of water was too much. I looked down at my hands only now noticing how bony they looked.

How had I not noticed things were getting this bad before? No wonder I'd been sat staring into space. Why had everybody let me sit here and starve to death? What were they going to do leave me here to waste away? I sat studying my hands and legs and my loosely fitting clothes when I heard the front door slam shut. I jumped automatically assuming Warren was home. I waited for the door to the lounge to open but was surprised when Kathy walked in.

"Come on Kirsty," she hoaxed me to my feet wrapping my arm over her shoulders hauling me up supporting most of my weight knowing that I would need help if my legs were as shaky as my hands. We struggled up the stairs the gap between the wall and the rail not really big enough for the both of us. My feet kept falling off the steps as my vision failed to coordinate with my feet and the task seemed endless. I was trying to catch my breath when we got to the top of the stairs. My head was woozy and my vision blurred. I really needed to eat something, water was not doing the trick.

"Please," I gasped unable to go any further. She didn't take any notice of my plea and I wondered if she'd even heard me. She continued to drag me into mine and Warren's room. We got half way across the bedroom room before I couldn't feel my legs any more. They were like jelly. They didn't feel like my legs, I couldn't move them. The room was spinning as Kathy dragged me across the bedroom floor and into the bathroom. My head pounding as she leant me against the bathtub. My body wouldn't obey commands; all I could do was watch as she placed an empty pill bottle in my hand and then sprinkled a handful of tablets around me. What was she doing? My head was pounding too loudly for me to think, the room spinning too fast I wanted to throw up but I couldn't do anything, my body was frozen but it wasn't in fear like usual, this was something different something new. I could feel the darkness taking me; all I could feel now was the uncomfortable position of my neck on the edge of the bathtub and the black, emptiness reaching out for me. I tried to keep my eyes open but they were so heavy and eventually they won and I saw nothing but darkness.

So not what you were expecting? How evil is Kathy? Will she be found out or continue making the Clements's lives hell? Thanks to anyone who reviewed it's great to hear from you.