"Kayley! My God! What are you doing!?!?" Rushing to kneel down near her the now shaky woman took the blade out of the visibly numb Kayley.
She didn't even flinch at the presence of her mother who in horror took the shawl hung on her shoulder to tie Kayley bleeding right arms.
There were fresh and old marks of cuts all over its length, which made the older woman emitted a hurting cry that came right out of her heart.
She understood now why she always wear long sleeves clothes, particularly leathers jackets. It wasn't her loving it but it was the only way to hide the cuts or the blood that could have stain others material. Like a mad woman she ripped the side of the jackets that was still on the other arm. In the process having her came back in her senses just to fight her, trying to take her arm back.
"Let. Me. Go! Why do you care all of a sudden? Huh? Go to your precious daughter!"
Not minding her the furious mother kept holding her arm finally getting rid of the piece of clothing just to stumble back whining, shook with hurt, her eyes glued to the terrifying sight before her.
Kayley left arm was completely red too, destroyed by smaller but healed cuts that was visible reddening showing they had not received the proper treatment. What was sure was that she did not used that one often.
Breathing heavily her mother looked at her not knowing where to start it was so unlike Kayley that in a daze she squinted her eyes wondering if she even know what was like her.
A sob got out of her mouth while a terrified but shameful Kayley moved backwards still on the floor trying to go far away from that woman her heart sometimes hate afraid of what she could do to her.
Moving towards her at the same time she was doing so, Katiandra tried to take a hold of her arm but all she saw was how she protected herself like one would do when they were agressed by another person.
Further surprised by those reflexes, the Queen stayed still for a moment wandering who did that to her child, before moving slowly toward her daughter hands up, attentive to not frighten her.
"Hey love it's me, I will not harm you love. I, I just want to know why you will do that to yourself baby..."
"Keep you words for someone else! What are you doing here?! You don't even care!" Everything that came out of her mouth was like daggers send directly in Katiandra heart damaging the perfect bubble she had created around herself.
Pleading in a whine she scooted near the revolted young woman her hands up to calm her.
"How can you ask me that Kayley? You are my daughter, that means I will always care about you. I did when you were younger I will still do even when you will try to push me away like you are doing now. Let me in please..."
Shaking her head at the woman she called her mother nerves, Kayley blocked her words to prevent them entering her head by laughing.
"Yeah you are my mother, only when it suits you. But I don't need you in my life anymore! I'm a grown woman who knows how to take care of herself. I survived right? You weren't there... I, I survived, I'm good, you can go now."
Sobbing at the sight of her daughter trying to convince herself of something that had already taken destructives proportions , Katiandra nodded through her tears before sitting near to her in a flash, taking her in her arms. First she fought it before letting go crying in her mother arms.
"I'm sorry for not being there... Okay...? for letting my works schedules take me away from you, I'm so sorry for not being the mother you needed me to be, for letting you grow without me by your side. For not hearing when you called me by your attitude towards me... I should have known better, I should have known better..."
That how flashbacks started coming, the way she had changed from being a reserve child to an outspoken one that hate the guts of the woman that was always her hero, pushing her away every chance she could, talking to people like they were good to nothing as humans.
The most weird was how she suddenly treated her father, avoiding him at all cost. Closing her eyes tightly Katiandra whose back was now against the wall tightened her grip on her daughter shaky body, as her biggest fear appeared to be real, the way Kayley always tensed up whenever the man she called her father would touched her gave Katiandra violent cramps in her chest.
Breathing painfully she put her head in her daughter hairs crying silently. It was an evidence that he did something to her. Here she was thinking Kayley was strong enough to protect herself, that it was Alicia who needed to be protected.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry... my God so so sorry, sorry... my baby, my baby...I'm here now. And I promise I'm not letting go. God I'm not letting you go."
They stayed like that for a long time, Kayley face hide in her mother chest like a baby her arms holding her torso, she was almost laying on her. It was just when Katiandra felt her clothes getting wet on her back that she knew she had to do something with the cuts on her daughter arm.
"My love, hey love will you let me take care of you arm, you already lost a lot of blood."
Sniffing her head still down kayley nodded but her arms were still locked around her mother.
"I'm not going anywhere without you love. You can let go, I just want to stop the bleeding."
Letting her go slowly Kayley face stayed hide behind her hairs all the while her mother lead them to the bathroom where she helped her under the bath because she was covered with her own blood.
The warmth water hit the young woman body calming her nerves while making the effects of wine vanished, leaving her calm. Used to be washed by the maids as she has grown, though until she decided otherwise,
she didn't feel it weird her mother was the one doing it. As soon as they finished she looked at the woman destroyed clothes, stain of blood on it then at her as she was helping her with a towel around her torso.
"Don't worry about that, it's just a piece of clothing. You arm..." Just like that she cleaned her arms before placing a bandage around them, fumbled around in her dresser before coming back with casual clothes.
Frowning at the choice of items she never wore, Kayley face cringed when her mother tried to helped her with the V-neck t-shirts.
"Please? Do not argue with me. Hands up." Sighing defeated at the woman calm but tired face Kayley did chewing her lips.
They haven't talked about what just happened there but she was sure her mother knew without her saying it. The way she looked at her like she was the most precious but fragile thing in the world proved it. That is how she will looked ar her when she was younger. Kayley heart missed to be treated like that.
Looking up Katiandra saw the way her daughter was looking at her pensively, when all of a sudden one tear rolled down on her cheek making the older woman wiped it right away.
"It is okay love, no... Look at me. I will take care of you now. No one, hear me good, no one will harm you ever again."
The doubt in the beautiful orbs made her put her two palms on her face to have her looking right at her while her thumbs caressed her cheeks.
"He will not touch you again. Never! If he does... I will kill him with my bared hands love. Trust me, may God helps me. I. Will. Kill. Your. Father. If he ever touch you again."
Breathing out at her words Kayley shook her head that was still in her mother hands, up and down feeling protected for once by the fire that came out of her mother eyes. She always thought she would not believe her and reject her if she ever know.
Leaning her head in her hand, she closed her eyes when she felt her approached to finally kiss her forehead tenderly before pulling her in her arms in a tight hug.
The fact that her mother had pronounced his name calmed her in a way no drugs she could digest would have ever do. Just then she knew she wasn't alone anymore. The continual fear she lived in faded away. She just closed her eyes at the warmth her mother embrace provided her letting go of the weight that was on her soul.
It was like she was dreaming , moving her arms around her mother, she did as best as she could with her painful arms to tighten it, which her mother finally did for her.
Letting go after a moment, they separated from each other for Katiandra to stare at her daughter with love, she was proud of her, of the young woman she had become.
"I'm not leaving you here love you are coming with me. I have a plan to assure your safety but you have to promise me you will do as I say."
Death serious she addressed her daughter waiting for her approval. Which came in the form of a nod.
"Use your words love."
Not feeling in the mood of rolling her eyes, Kayley did the unthinkable, she formed a small smile on her lips trusting her mother.
"I promise Mom, I will do everything you will ask me to do." Making sure she thought what she was saying Katiandra finally patted her back already having a way to have her out of the nightmare that was her life in the palace.
"I want you to know that whatever it will take to have you out of here I will do. You have to promise me to not look back."
"What? Wait... What does that mean?"
"Come with me."
Walking ahead with determination, she didn't stop to answer those questions already making all the calculation she needed in her head.
"Mom! Where are we going!?"
Walking behind her Kayley asked confusion on her face, abruptly her mother stopped just under the doorframe to look at her holding her face in the process.
The music that she didn't stopped still blasting behind them in the bedroom they were about to enter in.
"For now on, don't ask any questions. Until I will say you can. Not once out of your bedroom or in the car. I will put you in a safe place. Trust me. okay?" After kayley nodded the woman breathed out shakily before connecting theirs foreheads.
"Remember that I love you, I love you my baby... I will find you I promise." Those words that in a way reassured Kayley, frightened her at the same time, she knew the woman was about to do something drastic like send her away.
Holding her tears at bay, Katiandra nodded at the young woman stare confirming her thoughts.
"I promise I will find you. You know I don't do empty promise... huh. I promise on everything that is precious to me...Voilà . Now come on we have something to do... We don't need your clothes love we have money for that."
Astonished at how she was able to read her mind Kayley just followed her lead even interwhining her fingers with hers like she used to do when she was much younger.
A vision that had Norman taken aback, doubled checking if he was seeing it for real. It wasn't a secret that the princess dislike her mother to no end. He could just shrugged at the others guards who was as astonished to see the older sister Alister acting normal around her mother.
Not minding them the two women entered the car with the help of theirs bodyguards.
"The museum." Just two words and they were out of the palace in a matter of second.
Refusing to look back, Kayley laid her head on her mother shoulder wondering where she was going to hide her out of the reach of Alister Zurow.