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Her grandmother’s shoulders ine yourtime," Karen assured her "Luckily Tho influence?"

Beverly’s pencil-thin eyebrows arched expressively "A cal influence?"

"Yes He drove her to the airport You knohat, Grandht off her feet That’s what she really needs, a man who loves her Not someone like my dad, who only kno to love for a little while Tho tiranded the covers around her hips "Paula and I’ve got it all figured out," she said, speaking fast because she was excited and happy "Paula’s mom died and my dad left us, and she likes my mom and I think her dad’s really cool So we decided the four of us would reat family"

"You think that, do you?"

"Yup Now all we need to do is convince everyone else involved Did Mom tell you about the romantic dinner Paula and I cooked for her and Thom?" Karen was proud of that

"I can’t say that she did"

"She didn’t tell you?" Karen was appalled, and after all the work she’d gone to, too "The spaghetti sauce was a little too thick, and the noodles overcooked, but only a little Mo was perfect, though They were great about it"

"So how’d everything go?"

Karen covered her led "They kissed, and they weren’t even standing under the randpa wouldn’t overhear her "It wasn’t the first ti, either"

Karen noticed how her grand about the two of the

"I see," Beverly Shields said "Well, that does sound pro"

"We think so"

"We?" Beverly questioned

"Paula and hborhood I didn’t think I’d ever ain Then I ether Already we’ve decided to be friends for life"

"That’s wonderful, sweetheart"

"I just wish…" She lowered her lashes, because it did hurt to think about her mom and her dad and the way they continued to hate each other

"What do you wish?"

"Nothing" She didn’t want to talk about it, not even with family

Beverly stood "You’ll call "

"I’et that, Karen," Beverly said softly "You’ll need to forgive me"

"That’s okay" She rolled onto one side and pulled the covers over her shoulder

"Sleep well"

Her grandmother stood in the doorway, her hand on the doorknob She hesitated, and Karen liked to think thata prayer over her the way she had that one night She hoped that she was

"I’ll sleep good," Karen proht when she wasn’t in her own bed with her own pillow that she could beat up and bend just the way she liked

The room went dark when the door closed, and Karen kept her eyes wide open for a couple of ht She’d rather she was home Not that she was afraid

It was the dreaht at her grandparents’ house, the nightmare had co tih to fall asleep

It happened then the way it always did She was in a bedroonize when she heard her er than she was now, probably only five, because she was sitting on the floor, playing with baby dolls Doll clothes were scattered all over the carpet, and she was afraid her parents were angry because she’d rew louder and louder, and Karen covered her ears But even that didn’t help The words were cruel and ugly and seeh they weren’t directed at her

Karen moved into the kitchen, where herin a foreign language She couldn’t understand what they were saying any longer But the words were just as ugly and spiked, so that each one hurt the other Not just Karen, but each other Her father’s face was bloody from all the words Her et Maureen’s attention, thinking she could distract her mother easier than she could her father But when she walked over and tugged at Maureen’s blouse, her estured for her to move away Her hands, Karen noticed, had blood on thely words

Frantic now, Karen went to her father next and pleaded with him to stop and listen to her But he was enored her

Distraught by this point, Karen stood on a chair and screaood She held out her arms to them, but they were always just out of reach

Then there was a knife, a big one that looked like the kind hunters used It appeared as if by ht So the knife, and at other times it was her father

This time it was her father

He raised his ar to her e Karen couldn’t understand

Maureen’s eyes were round and terrified as she backed away The knife grew bigger and sharper Her mother’s voice pleaded with him Karen still couldn’t understand the words, but she knew that her mother was afraid Karen was afraid for her Maureen ran and hid in the bathroom and locked the door

This was the part that always confused Karen, because she could see through the bathroom wall as if it weren’t there Her mother had a phone with her, and she dialed the police and was screa that her husband was about to kill her

But she had the wrong number, and the people on the other line didn’t care

Karen eeping by then, crying for her mother to dial 911 She pleaded with her daddy not to hurt her mother Her dad didn’t listen, and neither did anyone else