The Voice Within

Kat tried not to look too obvious as she pressed her ear against the hard wooden door. She wished she had some sort of cup, but with the thin walls and the counselor’s loud clear voice she could hear fine anyway. The problem was she didn’t know if she should continue, she didn’t quite like the things she was hearing at all.

“So are you absolutely sure you don’t have any questions, anything you want to ask me?” the counselor asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. There was a pause and Kat guessed Ronnie was nodding because the next thing she heard was the scrape of the chair against the floor and the shuffling of a bag. “Wait,” the counselor called again somewhat desperately Kat thought. “I know this is hard Ronnie. No child should have to go through what you’ve gone through. But here you don’t have to go through it alone. We’re here to ease that burden on your shoulders, or talk if you just want to talk, - anything. A lot of the kids at here have gone through similar situations as yours, and I’m sure if you made some friends it’d be a great help. Just not Kat, Chase or any of those jokers from that silly group, you don’t want to mix with them, hon.” The counselor smiled trying to turn the insult into a light joke.

Kat rolled her eyes, listening intently for Ronnie’s reply. “Thank you Mrs. Bell, but I’m fine. I just want to get on with my life, keep looking after Luke and forget about my dad. Besides what goes around, comes around. He’ll get what’s coming to him.” Her voice was as hard as diamonds, her tone scraped clean of any emotion. Kat tensed behind the door, the hair of the back of her neck pricking up, something wasn’t right about Ronnie had just said. “Oh, and Mrs. Bell? I’m not a child. I think I’ll choose my own friends.” With that last remark Ronnie yanked open the door to find her self face to face with Kat who stumbled slightly as she fell forwards. The girl didn’t even blink. Instead she looked right through Kat and leaned ever so slightly to the left so that she was staring at something above Kat’s head, behind her. Kat frowned and whipped her head around to search for the thing she was missing. But there wasn’t anything there, but an empty hallway.

“Ronnie?” Kat frowned, seriously scared now.

Ronnie jumped slightly, her eyes flicking back to Kat. “What?” she asked simply as if everything were simply hunky dory.

Kat smiled uneasily, “You ready?”

“For what?”

“School, babe!” Kat laughed tossing back her hair and linking arms with a dazed Ronnie, “Are you ready for your first day at your new school?”

The first attempt at a smile from Ronnie was pretty sad, but the next was better. Any other time Kat would have walked away, but she couldn’t help admiring Ronnie. Maybe it was the tactful way she had hit back at the counselor or maybe it was the way that despite what she had been through she was still standing when a lot of people would have fallen. Or maybe it was her unusual vulnerable and innocent demeanor that just made Kat want to protect her. What Kat didn’t notice was the distant look in Ronnie’s eyes, the way she kept glancing behind her and smiling at thin air. Instead Kat clutched the arm tightly of her new friend blabbing on and on about how rubbish the school was, how Danny had planned this crazy party for her after school, especially as it was a Friday. One thing was for sure, Kat would not likely to be eavesdropping again. Some conservations were best left kept behind doors.

Ronnie smiled and nodded along as she could. When all the while she was having her own private little conversation with Liz. She was reminding her of a time not so long ago when the two girls had done exactly the same thing. They had pledged their friendship to each to other, promised to never leave each other through thick and thin. All the way through primary school, the beginning years of secondary school. All the time both girls had honored their promise, even now when everyone else thought Liz was dead, Ronnie could still see her by and side. And that, besides Luke, was the only thing keeping her going. Together her and Liz would do what it takes to keep Luke safe and her father well away from both of them. Together they would make sure, Ronnie’s dad never hurt anyone again.