Prologue

            The rain pitter-patted on the big glass window. Randomly lighting up with every flash of a lightning bolt. “Katheryn, are you still awake?” Kailyn called to her younger sister, who slept peacefully in the bed beside her. Kailyn sighed and placed a single foot on the icy floor, wincing at the tingle that shot up her leg. She grabbed the silky house coat that hung from her headboard. “I’ll be back later tonight. Okay, Katie?” she said brushing the hair out of the younger’s face and leaving the room swiftly. She dashed down the hall and into her father’s lounge. “Dad?” she called into the lightly lit room. She heard a muffled voice and saw a flash of lightning. Slowly, she entered the room closing the door behind herself. “Dad, do you remember yesterday…” she said to a shadowy figure. The figure holds up a hand. Kailyn moved into the room. The figure watches as she sits down, but doesn’t react. “Dad, I just wanna know what you meant yesterday.” She said with a whine in her voice. “I’ll ring you later.” The man says hanging up the phone.

            “What do you mean?” he asked. She shifted in her seat, uncomfortably. “You called me a delicate flower… whose petals needed to be opened.” Her father leaned back in the chair he was in. After a few awkward silent minutes he sighed. “I meant what I said.” He answered rising from his chair at the strike of lightning. A stream of fear pumped through her blood for an unknown reason. He walked around his desk and took her hand. She, too, rose from her chair and walked with him down the hallway to the bathroom. In the darkened room, Kailyn searched for a light switch. She clicked it on and turned towards the closed door. “Look in the mirror and tell me what you see.” Her dad demanded sitting on the edge of the tub. She looked over her reflection. “I see a girl, with…” she trailed off and looked at her father. She stared at his shiny blonde locks and admired his deep blue eyes before turning back to the mirror and frowning at her own appearance. “With, emerald eyes, long wavy and really black hair, lightly tanned skin that littered with cuts and bruises.” She said tiny tears escaping her clear eyes.

            Her dad shook his head. “Come here, princess.” He said and she trudged saddened over to him. He held his arms open for a huge, where she fell into him. She sobbed. “Why can’t I look like you?” she asked looking up into his ocean blue eyes. He smiled down at her. “Because, Kailyn, you’re beautiful the way you are.” He said placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She touched her lips and looked at him in shock. “Dad, you—” he cut her off with a more forceful kiss. Kailyn’s heart began to race as she tried her hardest to get away, but his grip was too strong. His hand slid down her side to her thigh. While the other untied the house coat. He stopped to kiss. “Please, don’t do this…” Kailyn begged, but her pleas when over his head. He stripped her of the house coat leaving her in her short silky night gown. She let herself fall to the ground hoping and praying that the sound would draw her mother’s attention. Her father looked at her as she rolled over onto her stomach and tried to crawl to the door. He chuckled slightly amused by her actions. Moving from the tub over to the girl, he grabbed the back of her gown pulling her under him.

“The light of God surrounds us…” she says under her breath as her father straddled her. “The love of God enfolds us…” she continues to mumble no longer willing to struggle as he inches her dress further and further. “The power of God protects us…” she begins to hold her breath as the garment is torn from her body leaving her top half exposed. She doesn’t move an inch to cover herself; there was no reason to hide. ‘The presence of God watches over us…’ she thinks to herself digging her nails into the carpet as the cool air brushes over her exposed womanhood. She welded her eyes closed with dread. ‘Wherever we are, God—!’ she was ripped out of her prayer by an excruciating pain in her lower region. Her eyes began to shed tears rapidly and her heart began to beat out of her chest. A pained cry escaped her lips and soon after the thump of two pairs of feet came down the hall. “Kailyn, are you alright?” a concerned voice asked, pushing the door to the bathroom open slowly. A brown haired woman stood in the doorway with a small girl behind her. “M-mom…” she panted her voice raspy from screaming.

The woman just pulled the door closed as the younger girl cried out for her sister. “Shh, Katie, let’s go back to bed.” The woman said her voice fading along with the cries. Kailyn’s head began to spin, the pain made her sick, the room around her began to darken until there was nothing, but darkness surrounding her. She could hear the faint sound of footsteps and the double creak of an opened and closed door. She was alone… with nothing, but a painful memory and the sound of the raging thunderstorm.

‘Wherever we are, God is… Amen.’