BROKEN,NOT BEATEN (ON HOLD GOING THROUGH EDITING)

BROKEN, NOT BEATEN- Chapter 1

BROKEN, NOT BEATEN

Prologue

 She was supposed to be asleep, but the sound of an engine woke her up, she heard footsteps leading downstairs towards the door. Next the silent click of the door indicating her father entering her house, she had been in this scene- as well as used to it- for fourteen years now.

 She knew what was coming next, her parents arguing. At first it was quiet- and well innocent- but then it was loud and violent. 

All she did was sigh in frustration, too tired and sick of everything, her door opened slowly and a small shadow fell on her bed.

 "Kayleigh?" a small voice whispered from halfway, causing her to rise in her bed,

 "Peter? Baby what are you doing outta bed?’’ she beckoned for her brother to come and join her, when he was settled in he said sleepily.

"Mommy left, and then I heard them yelling," a cry rose in Leigh's throat as she stared at her brother's confused glassy eyes. She managed the teeniest smile as she said,

 "Don’t worry baby. Just sleep" she stroked his hair and sang the lullaby their mother sung to them every night.

" Dodo, l'enfant do,

L'enfant dormira bien vite

Dodo, l'enfant do

L'enfant dormira bientôt.

Tout le monde est sage

Dans le voisinage

Il est l'heure d'aller dormir

Le sommeil va bientôt venir.

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,

The child will sleep very soon

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,

The child will sleep oh, so soon.

Everyone is calm

All around

It's the time for all to sleep

Sleep will come soon."

She hummed the lullaby over and over until her voice echoed of the walls, droning out the fight going on downstairs and finally leaving the four bedroom walls, and entering her own little world....

Chapter 1 

The time had come to make a choice.

 Kayleigh stood in the middle of the courtroom, on the stand, with her head held high- doing her best not to cry- there were dozens of people around her-familiar as well as unfamiliar- but all she did was stare at the judge, just like her gram said.

"Don't worry 'bout anyone hun; just say what you got to say. It'll get over soon, I promise."

And now all eyes were on her, everyone eagerly awaiting her statement. She looked around the room once more before clearing her throat.

Her lawyer and family friend- Cathy- stood before her, her eyes were heartwarming but the rest off her face had a hard expression. If Kayleigh had not known her, she would think Cathy was a mean heartless person- but she was actually the sweetest person she had ever met, and also her mother's best friend.

Kayleigh bit her lip as she choked back her tears, she was trying so hard not to think about her mom but it kept getting harder and harder to do so, and every time she tried not to an image of a smiling Lauren Hathaway popped into her mind- her mother laughing and actually happy ...but it only lasts a second before another image appears one not as pleasant- her mother sick, beaten and bruised, in the hospital with pins stuck in her arms and an oxygen mask around her mouth. Cathy cleared her throat and Kayleigh snapped back into reality.

  As she remembered where she was and what was going on, she smiled at Cathy as if to tell her "Go on."

Cathy nodded as she continued, "Kayleigh Marié Hathaway, would you please care to tell the court where you were on March 23rd 2009 at around 1.30 pm?" the question seemed innocent but at the same time it was robotic and monotone, as it was a common question asked by the councilors.

 Kayleigh cleared her throat, sweat trickled down her head to the inside of her blouse, as she ignored the number of people staring at her and answered her aunt-like-friend,

"I um came home from school, it was our lunch break and I was free the rest of the afternoon, because I didn't have any classes" she added the last part quickly and heard the false-ness in her voice as she did so- considering the fact that she ditched school after her boyfriend of a year broke up with her- at this point Cathy had began to walk away from her still nodding her head.

   "And what did you do once inside your house?" Kayleigh stopped to remember the exact order of events that day before saying, immediately regretting doing so.

"I went into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, and heard people yelling, I didn't take much interest as I knew it was my parents," Cathy turned her head slowly- in an impossible to mimic graceful manner- and said with a lot of sincerity in her voice,

 "I am sorry to ask you this Miss Hathaway, but did they, your parents, ever resort to hitting one another?"

  Kayleigh winced at the memory, the ticking off  the clock was getting louder in the pin-drop quiet room if she listened carefully she could hear her heart beating.

"Um, not really well not in front of Peter and me anyway,"

"So they did? Result to violent actions?" Cathy asked, this new curiosity her mother's best friend had adapted annoyed Kayleigh- Cathy already knew the answers to these questions. So why bother asking them? 

''I-um-w-well....'' she trailed on not knowing what to say,

''May I re-phrase the question?'' she nodded hesitantly as Cathy asked,

''How did your father hit your mother?''

''OBJECTION YOUR HONOUR!''

''Sustained, go on councilor.'' the Judge replied and Cathy shot the defense an irritated look,

 ‘’Go on Miss. Hathaway,’’

  "My mother would have scars on her neck and-" Kayleigh stopped midway her sentence, her body froze, her lower lip trembled, because the main door was slowly opening with a groan, because a man in a orange jumpsuit and shackles was being brought in, because that man murdered her mother, because that man, was her father.

And he wasn't the least bit sorry.