Chapter 2
When my eyes finally cracked open, the world was a blur of throbbing, agonizing pain. Every heartbeat felt like a hammer striking the inside of my skull. I was still lying on the cold hallway floor, the metallic taste of blood pooling in my cheek where it had pressed against the tile.
The house was deadly silent. My mother and father had evidently retired to their bedroom, completely indifferent to whether I lived or died on the entryway floor.
Slowly, using the edge of the shoe rack for leverage, I dragged myself upward. My vision swam dangerously, white spots dancing in the dark. I touched the side of my head; my fingers came away sticky and stained with dark, drying blood. A massive, tender lump had already formed where the heavy metal pan had struck me.
I didn't cry. The
