I See You by Frantiska Oliver (Published by Twisted Core Press) – Young Adult Fiction – http://www.amazon.com/I-See-You-Frantiska-Oliverebook/dp/B00M7H5UTA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406952375&sr=81&keywords=I+See+You+by+Frantiska+Oliver Prologue Wounds that cut so deep they leave a scar, those are the hardest ones to overcome. I’m not talking about the cuts and scrapes that mar your skin. I’m talking about the ones that embed into your heart and haunt your every dream—the kind that causes you to snap awake from a deep sleep with tears. They leave you gasping in fear, constantly dredging up the horrible events from your past. Persistently reminding you that they follow your every step and no matter how fast you run, or how far you travel, you can never leave them behind. Ones that sneak into your daily life and attempt to rob you of your happiness and peace, dreadful memories that, if given the chance, you would erase and never think of again. You know the ones I’m talking about. The aching pain that resides inside your heart, the way a simple word or phrase can stir it awake. How it eats away at your mind and tries to destroy your world with every bite. Memories so strong, you can close your eyes and relive every agonizing second as though it was happening again. The stalkers of your mind, thieves of your heart, and destroyers of your happiness… sometimes even your life. Those are the wounds I’m speaking of. We all have them, in one way or another. Nightmares from our past, heartaches from love, regrets for one reason or another, and then there’s mine. Thieves steal for profit or greed, but what do they gain when they rob a child of their innocence? Murderers kill for money, jealousy, power or religion, but what can the slaughter of a child’s trust offer them? Abusers mistreat for dominance, possession, or pleasure, but how can they be satisfied by beating away the child’s self-worth? All these questions, and then some, cross my mind as I stare into the eyes of the guilty and seek revenge against the monsters who created the deepest of wounds in an innocent child. I’m hoping one day I will come eye to eye with the one man who stole from me the only thing that cannot be given back or replaced. The monster who ripped away my innocence, murdered my trust, and abused my body. I have been called by many names over the years but, my birth-given one is Haven. One I choose not to use, at least not until I fulfill the revenge I originally set out to seek. Over the years I’ve tried many approaches but, as time passed, I learned the best way to get close to a victim was in the form of an animal. Sometimes a stray dog showing up under the shadow of a bush worked and other times, a homeless kitty cat walking along the window sill worked better, but all in all, an animal in need of a friend was the easiest way to help a child in danger.
Chapter 1 Her cries tortured my ears, begging and pleading with all her heart for him to stop. The pain inflicted upon her body was felt in mine as though it were my own until I finally managed to get a glimpse of his face. His wicked hazel eyes were filled with nothing but evil. Hair the color of dirty dishwater and soaked with sweat stuck to his furrowed forehead as he yanked
himself off the girl. The tight set lips hidden under his scruffy beard moved quickly with whispered words of threats. “Get yourself cleaned up and remember, breathe one word of this and it will be your last,” he warned, grabbing for his discarded shorts. Pain and fear raked across my body and tears stung my eyes. Bile rose in my throat and my knees grew weak. Falling to the ground, I allowed the salty sting of the watery substance to flow freely. I’m too late. He got to her before I could stop him… again. I sobbed to myself while my stomach emptied its contents. This was nothing new to me. Time and time again I relive the pattern of being too late. Over and over I tell myself it is not my fault, but the guilt eats at me, gnawing away at my emotions until I find the child and release them from the evil clutches of their abuser. It is not the life I would have chosen, but it is one I’ve learned to accept. Rows of manicured lawns dressed each side of the street with custom built homes of stones and mortar towering over them. A black wrought-iron gate, flanked by solid walls of fencing, surrounded the gated community and attempted to keep out the unwanted; the delusional safe haven. It’s a perfect place for a monster of a man to hide inside and perform his foul deeds without drawing suspicion to himself. Wiping away at my eyes and mouth, I stood up and peeked through the gardenia bushes I was hiding behind. It was mid-afternoon and the road was empty but, I could not risk getting caught, especially when I was this close to finding the vile beast. A post with a key pad sat alongside the entrance, offering me no help since I didn’t know the code. So, I had no choice. I had to shift. Tuning back into the girls mind, I looked for an answer to what I should become. What type of animal would she welcome without fear? It was a heartbreaking task, just like all the others. Her thoughts and feelings were all tangled into a pile of mush. Pain and shame were robbing the girl’s senses as she struggled to scrub away the memories of what had just happened. Attempting to scour and peel away the monsters touch, trying to erase the trail he left behind. Shivers ran up my spine at the thoughts flying though her young mind and my blood ran cold when my own haunting shadows stirred. Then, right before the shadows moved to claim my awareness, I saw it. Tucked away in a darkened corner of the child’s mind, there was a small furry kitten. It was maybe six to seven months old with green eyes and grey stripes. A smile crept over my face; I can’t wait for the day when that devil of a man sees just how deadly a sweet little kitten can be. I felt the manipulation of my body before I realized I had already begun shifting. Crunching and grinding sounds echoed in my ears before the pain registered in my mind. Muscles rearranging themselves as my bones shrank and altered into the four legged kitten from the girl’s mind. Fur spread across my body and I could taste the metallic bitterness of blood while my human teeth disappeared, leaving flesh-ripping ones behind. Cats, one of my favorite forms, are agile and quick. They can scale a wall with ease and leap from great heights without a worry in the world. Their senses are heightened, compared to a human, and their retractable claws are only an added bonus. They can be cute and cuddly, soft and sweet, but when threatened, their viciousness is one not to be challenged. Taking a quick, cautious scan of my surroundings, I coiled my body and sprung through the iron bars in a mad dash, racing for the closest tree I could climb. It was a young oak and my claws barely scratched its surface as I shot up the trunk and perched myself on a lower limb. The soft breeze gently shook the leaves and carried the scent I was hoping to find, the disturbing fragrance of sweet and bitter. Innocence and theft all mixed together, salt and slime
combined with the hint of fear and hate, the repulsive odor of human body fluids seeping into fresh linen sheets. A car slowed as it approached the gate and when the driver rolled down the window to press the gate opener, I caught a stronger whiff of the pungent smell. Creeping along the branch I was resting on, I caught sight of a young girl, maybe seven or eight years of age, sitting in the back seat. I could not see her face, but I knew it was the child I was looking for. Her long locks of hair were still damp and her body sat statue still as the man rolled up the window and waited for the gate to open. “When we get back, you had better find a way to smile and act like we had the time of our lives while your mom was gone,” the man demanded, his eyes boring into hers through the rearview mirror. “And remember, not a single word will be said about our little secret.” “Okay,” the child squeaked. Repulsion and rage are the only two words that came to my mind as I listened to the man carry on about what a wonderful time they were going to have at the county fair. He ranted and raved about roller coasters, pony rides, and all the cotton candy she could eat. How she was going to see real bull riders, barrel racers, clowns and more. Beefing up her day with carnival games he promised she’d win. Anything and everything he could think of to make her forget the first event of her morning. By the time the distance grew too great for me to hear her mind, I was a complete wreck. The fur of my scruff stood on end and my claws had dug so deep into the wood of the tree, I wondered if I would ever be able to pull them out. Memories awakened from my past struggled for freedom, lashing across my mind with venom and spite, threatening me with their recollection of my own personal demon. Shake it off and tackle what is in front of you and not what needs to be buried in the past; I lectured myself against the waves of torment. Pulling my claws out of the tree, I resisted the urge to clean them knowing there was no time to waste on hygiene, and descended to the ground. Twitching my tail back and forth, I forced myself to focus on the invisible trail of blood and tears before they disappeared. After a frenzied trek over the smoldering heat of the asphalt, I darted this way and pounced that way until I found the single family home I was searching for. It was tucked away in a cul-de-sac, with the serenity of the woods gracing its back—the perfect place for prey or hunter to hide. Crouching in the flower bed that encircled a mature pecan tree, I stared at the house and prepared myself for the long wait. I took mental notes on the multiple places to hide, the distance it would take to make a running escape, and tried to figure out which window belonged to the little girl. Minutes ticked away, turning into hours and my eyes grew heavier and heavier with each passing second. The warmth of the sun comforted me and the mulched bedding cradled my body, lulling my sleep deprived mind to rest. Chapter 2 I twitched my ear in the direction of the sound as lights swooped across my hiding spot. Rubber rolling over asphalt at a slow pace was not anything new, I’d heard it multiple times as I cat-napped but, this time it was different. It was easing its way towards the driveway of the house I’d staked claim of. The Mexican heather was tall enough to keep my body hidden when I stood at full height so, I rose to my feet, dug my claws into the mulch and stretched.
One of the doors on the three car garage opened and soon after, a grey Honda pulled inside. It wasn’t the same vehicle from earlier, the one carrying the little girl was the latest version of a Ford Mustang. So, my assumption was this car belonged to her mother. “Listen Travis, we’ve been over this before and I’m not changing my mind. The children are happy here and it’s not my problem that it’s an inconvenience for your new wife to drive thirty minutes out of her way in order to pick them up.” The woman said as she got out of the car and slammed the door. “If it’s such a headache then maybe you should actually get off your dead ass and pick up your kids yourself.” He must have responded because she grew quiet and stomped towards the trunk of the car. She yanked out her bag and dropped it to the ground, then shifted the phone to her other ear. “What part of I don’t care do you not understand? You chose to end our marriage. You decided you wanted something better. You were the one who packed up and left us for that whore and now you have the gall to call me and complain about it being too far of a drive to come and pick up the kids on your weekend…” I heard all I needed to hear and stopped listening to the woman. It was a relief that the monster wasn’t the child’s father, but at the same time, disappointing because the dad sounded like a dead beat. So, the diabolical beast must be her step-father or possibly her mother’s live-in boyfriend. I couldn’t decide which, but I had a gut feeling it was one or the other. The tone of the woman’s voice dropped and when I looked up at her, the scowl on her face said it all. She was furious. “I dare you to try,” she growled. I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to approach her this evening. I thought to myself, crouching deeper into the heather as she jerked on the luggage and stormed inside. Several minutes later, another vehicle turned onto the street. This one I recognized. It belonged to the man I would soon take revenge on. My stomach curled into itself and a familiar pain throbbed in my heart. Echoes of my past twisted with the girl’s living nightmare. Voices and visions taunted my mind with vivid recollections of her abuse and mine. Hate and disgust, agony and embarrassment, torment and promises, all reminders of the life she and I have in common. My fur stood on end and my tail whipped back and forth through the mulch when the man opened the passenger door and picked up the sleeping little girl. “Guess who made it home before us,” he said, cradling her against his chest while running his fingers through her hair. The girl’s head shot up and her sleepy, almond-shaped eyes grew wide, “Mommy’s home?” My back arched and my claws dug into the ground. A hiss threatened to escape my throat and my muscles begged to spring me into action when the disgusting, vile man smiled, “Ready to tell her about the good time we had at the fair today?” “Yes,” She squealed with excitement and wiggled out of his arms to run inside. I watched where he placed his hands as he allowed her to slide out of his arms. I studied his eyes as he watched her race inside. I read his body language to determine if he was nervous about the girl spilling their secret. He wasn’t. His posture was too relaxed, too confident in himself and his threats. His eyes verified what his body had said. Possession and dominance twinkled in the hazel rim and hidden beneath the optical hue, a flame had sparked to life. His mind was scheming, crafting together a reason to send her mother away so that he could have his brutal way with the child once again. And right then, I knew that I did not have much time to prevent another attack.
Leaping from the shadow of the heather, I raced for the garage. My feet pounding across the concrete with an unnoticeable sound, I shot under the car then darted through the door before the man could sense me. It was a tricky situation, but one I had performed numerous times before. Please let my plan work, I silently prayed, zipping this way and that in unfamiliar territory. I shot through the laundry room, dodged the legs of chairs pushed against the breakfast room table and practically slid across the tiled floored of the living room until I found cover behind a leather couch. There, I sat in a crouch, and waited to see if I actually made it inside undetected. The click of a clock, from somewhere above my head, counted the seconds as I patiently waited. It was a terrifying, yet comforting sound. One that could ease your mind and allow it to rest or speed the rate of your heart as time crept towards gloom. In my case, it did both. As the hand clicked around the face, the thought of being caught by the man quietly disappeared, but it left a sense of urgency to get moving and locate the little girl, hoping that I would be accepted by her and her family. After a few minutes, I heard the laundry room door shut, followed by footsteps. Then, the scent of musk cologne mixed with beer, smoke and sweat wafted over me as the man plopped down on the couch and began removing his shoes. Being this close to the human beast was nauseating and I forcefully twitched my tail back and forth. Sweeping it across the smooth tile in a vain attempt to brush away his presence, I thought about the numerous ways I could go about erasing the misery he had cast upon the innocent child. How in a split second I could shift into a leopard, bear, or even a komodo dragon and rip through his chest, exposing his evil heart with only a swipe of my claws. The way it would feel to slither around his neck in serpent form and choke away the filth as he struggled for air. Torturous beatings with deadly blows flowed through my mind with thoughts of shifting into an orangutan, chimpanzee, or other primate forms. But, none of them compared to what I would eventually have the honor of doing. When the time was right, when I had complete confirmation of his hideous acts, the creature he would come face to face with will be forever burned into his soul’s memory, taunting and torturing him until his judgment day came. “I’ve been gone for a week and you can’t even come up and greet me,” the woman teased, descending down the stairs wearing a white netted sarong over her hot pink bikini. The colors amplified her tanned skin and the swim suit complemented the curves of her body. Chocolate-colored hair cascading down her back in loose waves and her electric-blue eyes only added to her beauty. “I promised Cassidy that I would give her a couple of minutes alone with you when we got home,” the man replied, kicking aside his shoes as he stood up and walked over to the landing. The woman smiled, “A couple of minutes were all she stayed awake for. Just long enough to tell me that she rode the scariest roller coaster and the biggest pony, and then she was out like a light.” “Well, I’m sure she’ll fill you in on everything else tomorrow and if she doesn’t, I will.” The man wrapped his arms around her waist and stared into her eyes. “If I know Cassie, she’ll tell me every detail first thing in the…” the man silenced her with a kiss. The scene made me want to vomit. The way his hands ran through her hair, how he pulled her closer, pressing his body against hers, knowing that just this morning he was doing the
same thing to her precious little girl was almost more than I could stand, and then he broke their kiss and stepped back. “How about I get us a glass of wine and meet you in the Jacuzzi?” “Mmm, you must have read my mind,” she replied and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’ll meet you out back.” With a smug smile smeared across his face, he patted her butt and walked into the kitchen. Bottles rattled when the man opened the wine cooler and Boudreaux crystal chimed a tune as he snatched two by their stems from the wineglass rack hanging over the island. Then, while whistling a song, he walked out the back door. I waited for several minutes, making sure neither returned, before I eased out from my hiding spot. My ears twitched toward every sound. A laugh escaping the mother’s throat, water splashing, crickets chirping, even the sound of the air conditioner kicking on caught my attention as I crept cautiously across the living room floor. When I reached the carpeted landing, I took a quick look around, and then dashed up the stairs. Whipping around the corner, I dug my front claws into the wool fibers and spun around, to scope out the bird’s eye view of the lower level, making sure it was still vacant of the mother and man. The hair of my scruff relaxed and I retracted my claws when I saw only furniture below. Letting out a held breath, I turned and looked down the hallway. There were four doors, two on each side, with only one partially opened. I assumed the unlatched door was Cassidy’s room, but I learned a valuable lesson a couple of years back, do not go on assumption alone. Sniffing the area around me, I followed a familiar scent. It was the sweet smell of innocence mixed with tears, sweat, and musk. The closer I got to the cracked opened door, the stronger the smell grew. Reaching the entrance, I discovered my assumption was right; the room belonged to the little girl named Cassidy. Using my muzzle, I nudge at the door until I could squeeze inside. A small rocking chair, occupied by a stuffed teddy bear, sat in the far corner of the room and next to it sat a cherry-wood dresser, its mirror reflecting the glow of the moon peeking through sheer purple curtains. A matching nightstand was situated beside a full size bed and under the warmth of her covers, I spotted Cassidy’s mahogany-colored hair. Many times I had performed the task ahead of me, yet as with each, my stomach flipflopped and tremors gripped my heart, threatening to rip apart what was left of the shattered pieces. Leaping onto the bed with tears stinging my eyes, I softly pressed the tip of my nose against the back of Cassidy’s head. With my whiskers tickling my cheek as they tangled in the strands of her hair, I braced myself and peeked inside her mind. From a distance, I could catch partial images as they took place. I could root around for a specific thought, but the details were limited. However, when I touched the child that called out to me unknowingly, her thoughts and memories were as though my own. Searching past her dream of being on the back of a horse, running across an open field, I found what I was looking for. It was a stored memory, locked away in the saddest part of her mind, a recollection of this morning’s detestable event. She was awakened by the man crawling into her bed and tracing his fingers up and down her arm. “Rise and shine sweetie,” he whispered in her ear. “Can’t I sleep for a few more minutes,” she whined.
“Not if you want to go to the fair and ride a real pony,” he replied, his fingers now roaming over her stomach, creating goose bumps across her skin by his feather light touch. “That tickles,” she said, squirming around, wanting him to stop. “If you’d quit wiggling, it wouldn’t be so bad,” he mumbled, his tongue gliding along the nape of her neck. The panic that started to course through her veins was enough to make my heart stop. She knew what he was about to do. He’d done it before and she hated it. I wanted to pull away, to stop watching what was about to happen, but I kept reminding myself that I had to know what I was actually up against and remained connected. “I don’t like how it feels,” Cassidy cried, tears leaking from her eyes. “I don’t want to do this.” “Ahhh, but you do want to go to the fair. Don’t you?” The man whispered, grabbing her hand and putting it on top of his shorts. “Y-yes, but it hurts when you…” a sob broke off her words. “Shhh, it’ll be over soon, then we can go to the fair and we’ll do whatever you want. I’ll even buy you all the cotton candy you can eat and let you ride the ponies for as long as you want.” Cassidy’s tears flowed faster and her heart began to pound. Fear and confusion tore through her mind. She didn’t understand why he was doing this, so she asked the only question she could think of. “When’s mommy coming home?” I thought my heart was actually going stop when I saw the look on his face, through her eyes, as he rolled on top and straddled her small body. Anger and desire burned in his eyes like a demon. His snarled lip, twitching with frustration, was like a wild coyote about to attack. I felt her fear climb to near hysterics as her sobs grew louder and she began to beg, “I’m s-sorry, J-Johnny. I-I forgot.” The man, Johnny, didn’t calm down; he only seemed to grow angrier. “Stop crying like a little baby. I have already told you before that your mother won’t be home until later tonight. So, if you want to go to the fair and have fun, you have to do this first or we won’t go and you can do chores for the rest of the day.” My body was shaking and I had to sink my claws through the covers and into the mattress in order to remain in place. Struggling against my own demons while I watched as Cassidy caved in and did what Johnny manipulated her into doing. Bile lodged itself in my throat and my heart thumped in my chest with a painful, erratic beat. Hatred flowed through my veins and the urge to attack Johnny grew stronger, but I continued to watch the revolting acts he did to Cassidy that were forever stored into her memory. He was never brutal by the way of beating and thrashing her; instead he played on her young naive mind and manipulated her. He told her that her mother would send her away if she ever shared their secret, that her own father would hate her forever if she spoke a word about their time together, and that if she said anything to anyone, it would be her last breath because God would punish her for breaking a promise to keep their secret quiet by killing her.