Always You Will Have My Hand To Hold (Watty Awards 2012)

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

“No, please stop, don’t do it” She screamed. No matter how much she yelled it wasn’t enough. Lia watched as Max poured gasoline on Attie and lit up the match. She ran toward her little sister, but she wasn’t fast enough. Attie was screaming and she couldn’t save her. She sunk to her knees in front of the burning Attie and tried to clutch Attie to her, but all that was left was the ashes. Lia had failed to save her little sister.  

Lia woke up with a start to unfamiliar surroundings. She bolted out of bed and let her eyes travel back and forth to every corner of the room. Her eyes rested on the bed where Attie was still sleeping and it all hit her at once, where she was and why she was there. She came back to the side of the bed and sat in quietly. She ran her fingers through Attie’s hair and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

Lia used her fingers to wipe the tears off her face before she started to get ready. She knew she had a nightmare, but it all felt too real.  She didn’t have a watch or cell phone to tell her the time, but she assumed that it was morning by the rays of sun that filtered through the unopened window.

After Lia packed, she decided to leave Attie asleep and go talk to Miss Sallie about possible arrangements before she went out to find her dad’s old office. She found Miss Sallie in the kitchen drinking something that smelled a lot like hot cocoa. She glanced at the oven’s clock and noticed that it was only 7:23.

“Good morning Miss Sallie”

“Lia, how did you sleep child?”

“I slept well thank you, thank you so much for last night.” Lia wanted to say more but she wasn’t sure how to proceed, she was fumbling with her fingers while debating how to start

“Sit down Lia” Miss Sallie said, pointing to a chair. Lia followed her direction and sat in the chair. Miss Sallie moved around the kitchen, her back turned to Lia who still wouldn’t say anything. She placed a mug in front of Lia, with some toast, and then sat down across her.

“Eat, then you can tell me what happen” her tone said there was no arguing. Lia hesitated only for a little bit, but Miss Sallie continued “I have saved some for Attie.”

Lia ate quietly, and when she was done she got up to place her mug in the sink. She went back to sit, where an expectant Sallie was waiting.

“Well?” Sallie said

“Um… well, um… my stepdad he was not himself last night and we didn’t want to stay there.” There she said it; she didn’t give her enough details for her to do anything, but she didn’t lie either.  Miss Sallie looked at her as if she could will Lia to spill everything out, but Lia said nothing more.

“Okay then” Miss Sallie said, unable to find anything else to say

“So I have to go get some things done, but I would like to leave Attie here. I know she doesn’t usually stay on Saturdays, but I’ll be back later to come get her, I just have a few things to do”

“Lia, I can help you if you tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s nothing really Miss Sallie.”

Lia wanted someone to help her, but she couldn’t risk it since she was still 17 and she didn’t have a job that could support both Attie and herself. If anyone found out about the things that her stepfather did, they would most likely place them in foster care. That also meant she risked losing her little sister. With renewed fervor, Lia knew that she would have to do this on her own. She stood up ready to go, but before she left she had to know one more thing.