Page 1 of The Sandbar saga

Prologue

The lights flickeredfrom the storm. Katie hugged her stomach as another round of thunder shook the house.

"You deal with her."

"Keep your voice down."

"It's your fault Katie is here. I'm sick of being her mother. The little bitch needs her face slapped for going behind my back and calling you at work."

"For Christ's sake, she's eight years old."

The voices grew louder. Sitting at the top of the stairs out of sight, Katie covered her ears. The fight between her parents had been going on since her dad arrived home from work.

A fight like all the others, except tonight it was her fault. Her dad was late to pick her up for her piano lesson at four o'clock. She'd tried to call him at work, and her mom got mad at her for using the phone.

"I don't want to hear you speak about my daughter that way again," shouted her father.

"My daughter, my daughter, my daughter. That's all I hear around here. I can't stand it."

Glass shattered downstairs. Wetness trickled between Katie's legs, making her cry harder.

Picking up her stuffed animal, she hugged the dog at the same time the lights went out. She wished her dad would leave the house. Katie rocked back and forth. He needed to go away for a while. It was the only way to make her mother stop yelling.

If he left, her mom would eventually go to the bedroom and lock the door. That's what always happened when her parents fought.

A door slammed. She hiccupped. Her dad had left.

Katie stood and quietly walked to her bedroom.