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Bouncing her legs on the worn leather couch, Willow happily followed along with Dora as she took off exploring No matter where the cartoon went, it was always better than the run-down apart glass shards crashing across the kitchen floor, Willow abandoned Dora’s world, tucked her ratty teddy bear under her arh she was only five, she knew all too as to coan She had learned to read the signs, and sadly, she was never wrong There weren’t e in the tiny apartment where she and her mommy lived But there was one place she could always count on to ride out the violent store, the dark recesses under the bed were a frightening place But for Willow, the known horror that often surrounded her was far less scary than the unknown Lifting up the faded blue and white patchwork quilt, she crawled across the dingy carpet and underneath the rattyto her clothes, clouding her lungs andit difficult to breathe

Once she settled in, she pinched her eyes shut and iined herself miles and miles away Whenever she was scared, she went to be with her Angel Mo was happy, beautiful, and pure Rainbows stretched across the sky over castles filled with unicorns But the best part of all was Angel Moel Mommy never drank too much out of the bottles with dark liquid that el Mommy never had boyfriends who yelled at Willow or sel Mommy, Willoas her whole world--the only focus of her love and attention They would play for hours and hours, running along the grassyhide-and-seek in one of the castles on the hillside

She’d first begun to dreael Mommy two years before at Christmastime After her real mommy had drunk from the bad bottles and Mommy’s boyfriend had stuck hi at each other Cowering on the couch, Willow had tried to hide behind the pillows As Moman to push and shove each other When Mommy tripped over one of Willow’s shoes, she lost her balance and fell into the small Christmas tree in the corner Orna the floor

After Mo shoe, hitting her in the face, Willow had tried to pick up thewhite robe was the only thing that hadn’t broken It had soft, dark hair that she could stroke like one of her dolls, and it also had soothing brown eyes that gave Willow the reassurance she so desperately needed Willow hadn’t let Moel And that very day, Willow nael Mommy and always kept the ornament close to her side

Under the bed, she let her hand creep down to her shorts pocket where Angel Moive her co in the living roo her ears with her fingers, there was the bang of the front door blowing open and hitting the wall, like when Mo More broken glass It sounded like the living roo so with fear, and it was usually Willoas afraid, not Moan to shake so hard at the sound her teeth clattered She tried to figure out asboots? Mommy didn’t like when Willow’s shoes made loud noises Her now-cla her breath, she prayed to Angel Mommy that thethe words over and over in her head, the scary person caht away from the size of his feet that it was a an to litter the floor as he went through her possessions as if he were looking for so in particular

Then he went over to her chest of drawers One by one, he pulled the drawers out and tossed them to the floor When one landed a little too close to her, she juainst the mattress, which made her let out a squeak The san to beat wildly, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe As she tried burrowing further underneath the bed, theher was ripped away With a scream, she stared up at a y black hair, an angry red scar that ran down his face and onto his neck, and a patch over one of his eyes Willow pinched her eyes shut with fear Please, please, help el Mommy!

But then Big Booted Man snatched her up and hoisted her over his shoulder She could barely breathe, least of all cry out or scream It was as if her voice had been snatched away theplace had been invaded Her body trembled with fear as heroom He tossed her about like a mistreated baby doll When they finally ca away frohtly around her waist, binding her to hiht before her "Mommy!" she cried Mommy and her boyfriend, Jamey, were tied with rope to two chairs froravation he always had But Mo at her Blood trickled out of her nose andli Booted Man to try to get away "Mommy!" she shrieked

She was rewarded with a sh she shouldn’t have, she cried out at the pain Her face stung as if so tiny and sharp It sent tears to blur her eyes

She juravelly, harsh voice behind her "Crank, watch yourself She doesn’t get hurt until I say so--got it?"

"Yes, sir," Crank replied

Willow turned her aching head to see a ave her made her tremble all over His black eyes focused on her with such hatred, even though she had never ," he said

Since she didn’t dare speak, she only stared at Mean Man He then turned his gaze fro behind her mommy