Page 6 of Little Psycho

I know over time the list will grow, and for some reason, as I think about getting my revenge on those who took advantage of me, my hands tingle in anticipation; it’s all I can think about.

I close the book and slide it into the hole in the wall behind my bed, knowing it’s safe there.

Seeing my meds laid out on the nightstand, I scoop them up and pop them into my mouth, washing them down with the spit on my tongue.

Picking up the bright red dress, I study it before putting it on, trying to mentally prepare myself for tonight.Even though nothing can prepare me for the torture and doom I’m bound to be subjected to, I still try.

“Take a few more Lithium, Calista,” Addy says, pointing to the bottle on the shelf above my window.“Add in some Zoloft, Ativan, and Dilaudid.Make yourself as numb as you possibly can.”

I nod, walking like a zombie toward the other side of my room.

As I willingly overmedicate myself to make sure I feel nothing later on, I feel a grin creep back across my lips.

At least Addy has my back.

TWO

BETRAYAL

WHAT IT IS TO BURN—FINCH

7 YEARS LATER

CALISTA (21)

Sitting on my bed, looking at all eleven names on the list in the back of my journal, I try to guess whose name I’ll be adding tonight.From councilmen to senators, the list is full of child predators and sex offenders, not to mention people I thought would protect me.

Mother

Father

Holden Graham—Senator

Gunnar

Adam Moretti—Ash’s father

David Blacksburg—Killian’s father

Jackson Gray—Dominic’s father

Paul Gallagher—state senator

Kyle Benjamin—Mayor

Marcus Rutherford—city councilman

Hayden Wilson—Judge

No one in this fucking world has protected me, no one except for Addy; she’s stayed by my side all these years.

Hearing heavy footsteps stomping down the hall, I quickly tuck the book back into its hiding spot and then sit on my bed with the chain locked tightly around my ankle.

I can hear my heart racing as the footsteps get closer, and I pray that it’s just my imagination.But then the door bursts open, and a shadowy figure fills the doorway; it’shimagain—the one who I had trusted, the one whose name is now on the list in my journal—my father.

“Happy Birthday, Calista,” he says proudly, a wicked grin on his face as he moves into the light.“Be a good girl for your mother, okay?”He smooths out my hair and kisses my forehead before adjusting his tie and walking back out of my room.

“She’s coming,”Addy says, visibly shaken as she hides on the other side of my dresser.No one else can see her, but she still likes to hide when mother is around.She’s afraid of her, too.

---