This disaster was her fault.

To put things right all he needed was to come up with her punishment. For there was only one thing which would lift him from this pit of despair. He must find a way to serve that woman her just deserts.

3

Whenever Nem thought back to the moment Alan smashed into her room, overwhelming sadness engulfed her. That moment was a turning point. What followed changed her life. Later she'd learn that a normal future was not her destiny. But on that afternoon a frightened child faced something terrifying. When Alan's fist exploded through the door, two things happened.

Nem screamed. That scream caused Patch to scratch at her so that she had no choice but to let go. The kitten fell to the floor, but like all cats, landed as if gravity didn't exist. He disappeared in the direction of the bed.

Wild with fear, she reached for the nearest object to defend herself. A pair of scissors. Something told her Alan wouldn't stop at smacking her; he wanted to hurt her. Badly. She clutched the pathetic weapon in her hand, as a pirate held a sword, and thrust her arm toward the door.

Despite the damage, the door's lock held firm. Alan's fist disappeared back through the gaping, jagged-wood hole and for a few hopeful seconds Nem thought he might give up and leave her alone.

She scanned the room looking for Patch and saw a tiny paw peeking out from beneath her bed. She needed to hide him. Should Alan get inside, she wasn't sure what he'd do to the tiny creature.

The carton in which Patch had slept now sat near the closet. She must have bumped it in her panic. While keeping a grip on the scissors, she kicked at it with one foot, bringing it closer to the bed. She was careful with her weapon because her mom had explained they "weren't a toy."

The kitten must have understood this was for his protection, because when she leaned down he allowed her to pick him up. At her touch he purred as if nothing had happened, and she gently nestled him into the box.

"Good boy Patch," she said, stroking his head, as much to comfort herself as the animal.

She had been facing away from the room's entrance, when an explosive crash caused her to jump. The door flung inward and smashed against the wall, then bounced closed as though possessed. Alan entered the room, but this time she was ready. She didn't scream or turn her full attention to the box. Her friend was inside and Alan wasn't getting anywhere near the defenseless thing. If he beat Nem without a care, what might he do to Patch?

She threw a blanket over the carton and swung toward Alan, the scissors held out before her. He looked more a monster than a man, hair wild and his face red and flushed. His eyes, black pools of fury. Fury aimed at her, making her tremble.