Chapter 3: Cold home, colder words

Kaliyah's lips trembled as she looked up at the person.

Kate’s blonde hair was pulled back into a neat, tight bun, and her sharp brown eyes bore down on Kaliyah with a disgust so strong it made Kaliyah flinch.

There was nothing soft or concerned in her expression, only cold fury and contempt.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” Kate asked flatly, her voice laced with venom. “Why did you leave the house and why didn't you take my phone call?”

Kaliyah stuttered, her voice small and cracking. “I... I just wanted to go for a walk. I was feeling uncomfortable. I…”

That pain earlier the way it had surged through her like fire.

“It was… the pain, it was…”

“I told you,” Kate snapped, cutting her off. “You are not allowed to do that. Whatever pain it is, you deal with it at home.”

Kaliyah’s eyes stung with shame.

Kate’s voice rose. “Get up. On your feet, now.”

Her body ached as she pushed herself up. Her scraped knees throbbed and her palms stung from the fall. Her limbs trembled with the effort, but she didn’t dare disobey.

She bent to pick up her phone, which had slipped from her hand during the fall. The screen was cracked but still lit.

It wasn’t too damaged.

Kate turned on her heel. “Now, we’re going home. And when we get there, I’m going to deal with you.”

Kaliyah bit her lip to keep it from trembling as she followed behind. Each step hurt, but she didn’t say a word.

At the edge of the trees, she paused for a moment.

She glanced back.

The forest loomed behind her, dark and watchful. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears.

They didn’t exchange a single word on the way back.

The walk felt longer than usual. Kaliyah trailed behind Kate, her phone clutched in her scraped palm, her heartbeat still irregular from the forest, from the wolf, and now from the woman in front of her.

When they arrived at the house, Kaliyah hesitated on the steps. The place wasn’t a mansion, but it wasn’t small either.

It was big enough to house a comfortable family. The exterior looked warm and ordinary, with clean windows, flower pots by the porch, freshly painted walls.

But the inside was a different story.

The moment the door shut behind them, the warmth died.

Before Kaliyahh could brace herself, Kate’s hand snapped forward, grabbing a fistful of her hair.

“Ahh!” Kaliyah cried.

She was yanked off her feet and tossed across the living room like a rag doll.

Her body slammed against the edge of the table. A loud thud cracked through the room as her wrist hit the hardwood.

Pain shot through her like lightning, and her phone slipped from her grasp, hitting the tiled floor with a loud crack. The screen shattered further, the last glow of light flickering out.

Kaliyah clutched her wrist tightly, her face twisting from the pain. Her knees folded beneath her as she crouched there, trembling.

Kate stood at a corner of the room, her arms folded and expression hard as stone.

“Listen to me, Kaliyahh,” she said coldly. “You only leave this house when I send you on an errand, nothing more. You don’t leave, you don’t roam and you don’t walk around when you feel like it.”

Kaliyah looked up through strands of hair falling over her eyes, lips quivering.

Kate's voice sharpened. “If you're feeling that pain again, deal with it. If you're feeling that uncomfortable feeling again, deal with it. At home. Do you hear me?”

Kaliyahh didn’t speak, as she couldn't form any words.

She just nodded faintly, her other hand still pressing against her wrist, trying to steady the searing ache.

Her eyes brimmed with silent tears, threatening to spill, but she fought them back.

This wasn’t new.

This wasn’t even the worst.

This was how Kate had raised her. How she had always treated her like a burden.

If she added too much salt to dinner…punished.

If she added too much pepper…punished.

If she overslept by even a single minute past 5am…punished.

Every mistake felt like a crime.

Every emotion felt like a weakness.

Kaliyah had long since learned to stay quiet, to take the pain and to survive.

But something about tonight felt… different and she didn't know why.

Kate said nothing for a moment. She only stared.

Then, without warning, she walked over to the shelf and picked up a small pen knife.

She turned it slowly in her hand, letting the blade catch the dim light. Her fingers ran across the handle as if contemplating something.

Kaliyah stiffened.

Kate’s cold eyes flicked to her..

“Get out of my face,” she spat “Before I do something worse.”

Kaliyah didn’t need to be told twice.

Fighting against the pain, she pushed herself off the floor with trembling limbs. Her knees wobbled.

Her wrist screamed in pain. But she held herself together just enough to turn away.

She walked quickly towards her room.

The smallest one in the house.

Once inside, she shut the door gently with out any sound.

She stepped into the bathroom and ran cold water over her scraped hands. The sting made her wince, but she didn’t cry. She was too used to that kind of pain.

She patted her skin dry and reached for a small ointment jar on the shelf. The same one she used for bruises, her quiet companion for years.

Sitting on the edge of her narrow bed, she began massaging the balm into her wrist. The pain throbbed, hot and sharp. But if she didn’t do it now, the swelling would worsen.

Her breath was shaky.

Her heartbeat had just begun to slow down and then she heard a noise, like someone landing on the ground after jumping.

She paused.

The noise was faint… but definitely there.

Her head snapped up. Her eyes darted around the room.

And then her gaze whipped to the window.

It sounded like… someone was trying to open it.

“W-who's there?” she called, her voice barely above a whisper. Her throat was dry.

But there was no response…

She glanced at the small wooden bat she kept by her desk.

Without thinking, she grabbed it, and with careful steps, made her way toward the window.

She heard another noise, causing her heartbeat to quicken.

Slowly… slowly… she unlatched the window.

But nothing.

Only darkness, the wind and the rustling of trees.

She blinked, confused, heart still racing.

And then, just as she was about to close it she gasped, eyes wide.