Chapter 87

“I think your back’s still bleeding. Can I look at it?” Ash asked.

Dayna shrugged. “I guess. But we can’t turn on the light in case Tom and Jean notice.”

“She means Mom and Dad,” Kevin said.

Dayna sat on the edge of the bed. Kevin lay down, but kept his eyes open.

Ash wet her wash cloth in the bathroom, barely turning on the faucet. Then she sat beside Dayna and lifted the back of her shirt, revealing dark bruises and bloody scratches.

“What did he hit you with?”

“Whatever he could grab.”

Ash tried to keep her usual emotional distance, but it was impossible. She cried as she dabbed the cuts. Dayna cringed, but said nothing.

“I should have stopped him,” Ash said when she was finished.

Kevin cuddled his stuffed animal. “No one can stop him.”

“We weren’t supposed to leave the house, and it was my idea to sneak out and go to school,” Dayna said, eyes downcast.