BK 2 - Chapter 52 - Difficult Discussion
It had been almost a week since Kitty marked Aiden, and she was still adjusting to being a werelion. At the same time, she was doing her sessions with Valerie. Today she wasn't looking forward to their time together. She had gotten past the death of Lydia, and she had now moved on to her early teens. Those times were fresh in her mind because they were just a few years ago.
"I know this is hard. Take your time and start when you're ready." Valerie was sitting on the leather couch next to Kitty. She knew that today's talk would take a lot out of her, and she wanted to be able to comfort her if needed. Kitty took a couple of deep breaths before she began.
"I was thirteen when I was sent to another new foster home. It was in a decent neighborhood, and the parents seemed nice. I had my own room, which was a luxury compared to some of the homes I'd stayed in. They had new clothes for me already in the dresser and closet. I knew I most likely wouldn't be there long, but I would enjoy it while it lasted." Kitty took a few more deep breaths before continuing. She clenched her fists tightly.
"That first night, I was lying in my bed asleep when I heard someone screaming. I jumped up and opened the door to see what was going on. Across the hall from me, the foster dad was on top of another girl. She was telling him to stop, but he wouldn't listen. I didn't understand what was going on at first because it was dark. When I was about to walk across the hall to see if I could help, the foster mom stopped me. She said I needed to go back to bed and not worry about anything. She smiled and pushed me back to my room. I heard the girl screaming and crying for a little while longer, and then it stopped. I ended up falling back to sleep. The next morning the girl didn't come out of her room, and the foster mom said she was too sick to go to school. I thought maybe I had seen something different than what I thought. I couldn't believe the foster mom would let her husband attack a girl like that. By the time I got home from school, I had convinced myself I had it all wrong."
Kitty stopped as she started shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. Valerie reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. She calmed down slightly, reminding herself she was no longer with those people.
"Take your time," Valerie said softly.
"That night, I went to bed, still telling myself nothing had happened the night before. I had to have dreamed it because these parents were nice. However, I heard someone open my bedroom door just as I was falling asleep. When I sat up in bed, I could see my foster parents standing near the door. They shut the door, walked over to me, and sat on the edge of the bed. My foster mom told me they were happy I was sent to live with them. She said they would do everything possible to ensure I was well taken care of. I thanked them and thought they would leave, but the foster dad started rubbing my leg. The foster mom told me that because they would take care of me, I had to do my part to make them happy too. At first, I didn't know what they meant, but the dad put his hand inside my pajama bottoms."
Kitty had to stop again to slow her racing heart. Her tears were falling steadily now, and she made no attempt to stop them. She felt dirty bringing up these memories that were the source of a lot of her self-loathing. She told Valerie what her foster dad did to her while her foster mom held her down.
"I remember screaming for help, but no one came. I then realized that what I had seen him do with the other girl was not in my imagination. When they were done, they told me this was to stay between us, and if I told anyone, I would be in trouble. I curled up in a ball and cried myself to sleep. It was the first time I had misread the parents I was sent to. Usually, I could tell the good from the bad, but they pulled the wool over my eyes. I blamed myself for being fooled and wanting to be in a home with good parents. The next day they tried to keep me home from school, but I insisted I was okay. The other girl was going to school too, and we walked together. We didn't talk about what happened. When I got to school, I went straight to the office and asked to call my case worker, Sarah. I told her what had happened and she came to the school and picked up the other girl and me. We were taken to the hospital to be examined and sent to different homes. I never saw that girl again, but being able to get her out of that house made me feel better."
Kitty dried her eyes, and her shaking had stopped. Leaving that house and turning in the foster parents was never a question for her. She had learned early on that she had to stand up for herself. If she wasn't able to fight physically, she could use her mouth to tell someone what was happening. She wasn't afraid of getting into trouble like they always threatened.
"That was brave of you to turn them in. You saved the other girl, yourself, and any other children they may have gotten in the future." Valerie took Kitty's hand in hers and squeezed.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." Valerie smiled at her.
"When Cat worked with you, did she go through a similar process? I'm asking because she's the strongest person I know, and I hope to be where she is someday." She looked over at Valerie hopefully.
"Your history and Cat's are similar in some aspects, but also different. I don't want you to compare yourself with Cat. I want you to strive to be strong for yourself. Overcoming your past is not a fast process because what happened to you both was a big part of your lives. What you do have in common is that you're survivors. I know you feel broken and raw right now, but that's part of healing."
Kitty took a few minutes to think about what Valerie had said. Since meeting Cat, her goal had been to be like her, but she never thought about being the best she could be for herself. She looked up to Cat and admired her, but Valerie was right. She needed to be strong for herself, not because she wanted to be like someone else.
"You have given me a lot to think about. Are we done for today?" Kitty looked at the clock and saw they had been talking for over two hours.
"Yes. I think you've come a long way. I can already see the changes in you." Valerie hugged her before she left, and as she walked back to the pool house, she was thinking about today's session. That first time with those foster parents had changed her. Kitty had already been cautious of people, but after what they did, she lost all trust in everyone.
The first time she truly trusted someone was when she met Aiden. He had proven to her how much he loved her, and she had let him have her heart in return. However, she had never told him everything. She was still building up to that, but she felt she would be ready soon. Aiden was waiting for her in the living room when she got to the pool house.
"How did it go today?" He looked at her in concern. Her eyes had that look that said she discussed difficult topics today.
"It was okay, but I feel like I have no energy." Kitty hugged him, taking comfort in his warm embrace.
"That's a shame because I was thinking about taking the lions to the forest and letting them run. If you're too tired, though, we can stay here." Aiden smirked as he started walking away, and she grabbed him.
"Are you kidding me? I've been waiting for this. Zola will be running, not me, so let's go. Kitty pulled Aiden upstairs so they could change their clothes into something easy to take off.
When they got in the car, Aiden started driving toward the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Neither of them noticed the dark blue sedan with tinted windows following close behind.
