Kara lay in her cot, absolutely still as she kept her gaze focused on the wall. Upstairs, there was only silence as the Martins had all departed for the day. Trent had come down before he left for school, trying to get her to speak, but words had been something that she could not offer him. Her body ached, the cuts already closing but the bruises littered over her chest and torso were a mottled array of black and purple. At some point, she would need to head upstairs to clean up after breakfast, but for the moment, she remained in place, letting tears slip down her cheek.
This was how her life would be. Trent had said last night she would no longer attend school, but Kara had hoped that had only been him venting his anger to her. Instead, Miss Vanessa had happily informed the whole fam
