Prologue

“No please don’t hurt me!” The man was foolish thinking I was going to let him stay awake.

“What would a little girl like me do to a grown man like you?” He trembled. I guess the look in my eyes did make people want to run. I took a step towards him, my eyes locked on his. He tried his hardest to break the connection. When he gave up it was clear in his body, it sagged and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. I grinned, I made him go asleep only on my third try.

 

“Kate? Honey what happened?” I turned, my mother was standing in the doorway blocking my view of the ocean.

“Mommy I don’t know what happened he called me a baby and tried to push me off the boat and something snapped in me.”

My father walked in then and looked at the sleeping man, to my mother, then at me.

“Sweetheart.” He said to my mother. My mother began crying.

“She’s only four! She doesn’t know what she’s doing.” My mother sobbed.

“But if she does it now, imagine when she is eleven. We can’t keep coming up with excuses for her.”

“But my baby...” My mother trailed off. Daddy looked at me and then told me to go pack my stuff that I was going on a trip.

“Daddy? Why is mommy crying? Is it because of the guy? I didn’t mean to make him go to sleep! Daddy? Why aren’t you answering me?” I looked up at my father, he was silent.

“Just go Katie-lou, mommy’s fine. You’re just going on a trip for a while.”

“But I don’t want to go.” I cried. Daddy took my hand and pulled me out the door and led me to my room. He pulled my suitcase out of the closet and angrily flung it on my bed. He opened my dresser drawers and tossed all of my clothes into it. His wedding ring fell off without him noticing and rolled to my feet. I picked it up and tucked it into my pocket.

“Katie-lou, listen darling too keep you safe mommy and me are taking you somewhere safe so you don’t make any more people go to sleep. Ok?” He looked at me expectantly.

“Ok daddy.”