released a racking sob.
"Kalyna, stop," Ava said, growing more insistent.
"I was raped! And because Luke has more friends and better parents, he'l get away with it." She hiccuped in her effort to draw enough breath to continue. "My own mother's ruining my chances for justice!"
"Why would she do that?"
"I told you, she hates me. And she knows if this goes to court the truth'l come out. Don't you understand? Major Ogitani plans to establish what my childhood was like. My mother could go to prison herself for what she did to me!"
"Shutting you in the cooler was bad, but...are you talking about more than that?"
"Yes! She backhanded me at every opportunity, pinched me really hard, bent my fingers back, kicked me. Once she shoved me down the stairs and broke my arm!" Kalyna had told this story so many times she couldn't remember what parts of it were true. Although her parents had used corporal punishment, she was pretty sure they'd never broken her arm. But it didn't matter. Their cruelty went beyond spanking.
"Is there a record of that? Did she take you to a doctor or hospital?"
"No. It had to heal on its own. Luckily it was probably only a fracture."
The gritty feel of the bricks behind her seeped into Kalyna's consciousness, and the temptation to bang her head began to well up like bile. Sometimes the desire to destroy herself stole over her, a kind of madness so consuming that once it took root, she couldn't overcome it.
She wanted to knock herself senseless, claw at her arms and face, pull out her hair. I hate you. I hate you, she kept saying in her mind. But she wasn't sure if she was addressing Ava Bixby, her adoptive mothers, her birth 90
mother or herself.
"Kalyna, listen to me! Calm down so we can talk."
"What?" She was already yanking on her hair, pulling out a fistful.
"Did anyone ever see the bruises your mother left?"
"Of course. But she'd tell them what she told you. That I hurt myself."
Tatiana poked her head out of the restaurant. "Kalyna--" She fell silent when she saw Kalyna crying. "Are you okay?"
Her sister's appearance made Kalyna let go of her hair. She couldn't bang or scratch or pull, not in Tati's presence. She'd promised her family she'd stopped all that, that it was a childish compulsion she'd outgrown.
They wouldn't believe she was what she said she was if they knew she was stil injuring herself. "No, I'm not okay!" she told Tati. "I need you. I need you to come here."
Tatiana rushed forward. "What is it?"
"They're going to let him off. They're going to let him go."
"Who?"
Kalyna made no attempt to hide or wipe her tears. "The man who raped me!"
Her sister began to stutter. "They--they won't do that if--if there's enough evidence to convict him."
"They won't if you tell this lady the truth."
"What?"
"My sister wil tell you what it was like," she said into the phone. "She saw it al --went through it, too." She thrust her cell at Tati.
Tati tried to swat it away. "No! What are you doing?"
"You have to tell Ava what Mom did to us. You have to tell her about the beatings."
Her eyes as round as silver dollars, Tati made a second attempt to refuse the phone, but Kalyna was having none of it. "Do it," she whispered.
"But I don't want to get involved!"
"Come on. You're my sister!"
The misery that registered on Tati's face revealed how torn she felt.
What the hell was happening that even her twin sister would hesitate to help her? Was everyone in her life bound to disappoint her?
"If you won't do this for me, I'l leave, disappear, and you'l never see 91
me again!" Kalyna threatened.
"But, Kalyna--" Tati pleaded.
"Mom beat us!"
"No worse than most moms. And only when we acted up."
"I don't care. Al I'm asking is that you say it." She pressed the phone on her again. "Say it!"
Keeping her hand over the mouthpiece, Tati opened her mouth to argue some more, but the murderous look Kalyna gave her quelled further protest. She put the phone to her ear. "H-hello?...Who's
"Kalyna, stop," Ava said, growing more insistent.
"I was raped! And because Luke has more friends and better parents, he'l get away with it." She hiccuped in her effort to draw enough breath to continue. "My own mother's ruining my chances for justice!"
"Why would she do that?"
"I told you, she hates me. And she knows if this goes to court the truth'l come out. Don't you understand? Major Ogitani plans to establish what my childhood was like. My mother could go to prison herself for what she did to me!"
"Shutting you in the cooler was bad, but...are you talking about more than that?"
"Yes! She backhanded me at every opportunity, pinched me really hard, bent my fingers back, kicked me. Once she shoved me down the stairs and broke my arm!" Kalyna had told this story so many times she couldn't remember what parts of it were true. Although her parents had used corporal punishment, she was pretty sure they'd never broken her arm. But it didn't matter. Their cruelty went beyond spanking.
"Is there a record of that? Did she take you to a doctor or hospital?"
"No. It had to heal on its own. Luckily it was probably only a fracture."
The gritty feel of the bricks behind her seeped into Kalyna's consciousness, and the temptation to bang her head began to well up like bile. Sometimes the desire to destroy herself stole over her, a kind of madness so consuming that once it took root, she couldn't overcome it.
She wanted to knock herself senseless, claw at her arms and face, pull out her hair. I hate you. I hate you, she kept saying in her mind. But she wasn't sure if she was addressing Ava Bixby, her adoptive mothers, her birth 90
mother or herself.
"Kalyna, listen to me! Calm down so we can talk."
"What?" She was already yanking on her hair, pulling out a fistful.
"Did anyone ever see the bruises your mother left?"
"Of course. But she'd tell them what she told you. That I hurt myself."
Tatiana poked her head out of the restaurant. "Kalyna--" She fell silent when she saw Kalyna crying. "Are you okay?"
Her sister's appearance made Kalyna let go of her hair. She couldn't bang or scratch or pull, not in Tati's presence. She'd promised her family she'd stopped all that, that it was a childish compulsion she'd outgrown.
They wouldn't believe she was what she said she was if they knew she was stil injuring herself. "No, I'm not okay!" she told Tati. "I need you. I need you to come here."
Tatiana rushed forward. "What is it?"
"They're going to let him off. They're going to let him go."
"Who?"
Kalyna made no attempt to hide or wipe her tears. "The man who raped me!"
Her sister began to stutter. "They--they won't do that if--if there's enough evidence to convict him."
"They won't if you tell this lady the truth."
"What?"
"My sister wil tell you what it was like," she said into the phone. "She saw it al --went through it, too." She thrust her cell at Tati.
Tati tried to swat it away. "No! What are you doing?"
"You have to tell Ava what Mom did to us. You have to tell her about the beatings."
Her eyes as round as silver dollars, Tati made a second attempt to refuse the phone, but Kalyna was having none of it. "Do it," she whispered.
"But I don't want to get involved!"
"Come on. You're my sister!"
The misery that registered on Tati's face revealed how torn she felt.
What the hell was happening that even her twin sister would hesitate to help her? Was everyone in her life bound to disappoint her?
"If you won't do this for me, I'l leave, disappear, and you'l never see 91
me again!" Kalyna threatened.
"But, Kalyna--" Tati pleaded.
"Mom beat us!"
"No worse than most moms. And only when we acted up."
"I don't care. Al I'm asking is that you say it." She pressed the phone on her again. "Say it!"
Keeping her hand over the mouthpiece, Tati opened her mouth to argue some more, but the murderous look Kalyna gave her quelled further protest. She put the phone to her ear. "H-hello?...Who's
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