The words made my spine stiffen. There it was. The thing I wasn’t supposed to say. The thing Daddy said would get me killed. But he’s gone now. Mommy made sure of that.
Still, I hesitated. Because part of me still thought he might claw his way back from hell just to shut me up.
“When Mommy left for work,” I whispered, “he’d come into my room. At first, he just… told me stories. Rubbed my back until I fell asleep.”
“And then?” Kaia’s voice was calm. Cold. Detached. Her pen moved like a needle stitching up something gory and raw.
“Then he started touching me.” I pointed to the places. I couldn’t say them out loud. Not yet. “Just his hands, at first. But later… he made me touch him too. His private part. I didn’t want to. But if I didn’t, he’d hit me.”
“Why didn’t you tell your mother?”
“Because he said he’d kill me.” My voice trembled. “But Mommy walked in on him one night. She didn’t say anything. Just grabbed me and we left.”
“And where is your father now?” Her pen paused mid-air.
Was this a trap? Was I supposed to confess what Mama did?
“I don’t know,” I lied. “We’re living in a motel now. Just until Mama figures out what comes next.”
Kaia nodded slowly, lips pursed in thought. “What if he’s still alive? Aren’t you afraid he’ll find you?”
He’s not. He’s dead. Real dead. But I shrugged. “I’m not worried. If Mama’s breathing, I’m safe.”
Kaia smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re a smart little girl. Sweet, too. What happened to you is unspeakable. But your mother was right, I am going to help you forget. Before I do, though… there’s someone I want you to meet.”
She turned to the door. “Gaia, come in now.”
A girl stepped inside, same age as me, but taller. Her gray eyes were slanted, sharp. Her curls cascaded over her shoulders like black ink bleeding down porcelain. She looked like a reflection, distorted, but close enough to know we came from the same cracked mold.
“Athens, this is Gaia. Gaia. ”
“Are you my sister?” I asked, the words falling out of my mouth like a secret I didn’t know I was keeping.
Gaia didn’t answer. She looked to Kaia, who nodded.
“Yes,” Kaia said. “Half-sisters. Same father. Her mother is… no longer with us.”
“I’m sorry,” I told Gaia.
“It’s okay,” she replied, but her voice was too loud, slicing through my skull like glass.
“Ow.” I winced, covering my ears. “Your voice is sharp.”
She frowned.
“But it’s cool,” I said quickly. “I like your voice.”
That seemed to soften her edges. “Thanks.”
“I didn’t know I had a sister. Why is she here?”
Kaia capped her pen. “Because I’m going to teach you how to forget, and I’m going to teach her how to help you remember. When the time is right.”
I nodded slowly. If Mama trusted this woman, I had to. Right?
Kaia knelt beside me, her hand icy on my knee. “Are you ready, Athens?”
“I guess.” I blinked at her. “How long until I forget?”
