Kendle ran to the kitchen, trying to figure out what to do. What if her mother recognized her? Or her father or her brother? What if-

Kendle froze. Rachel. Rachel would probably be here! Though there was a good chance that her twenty-two-year-old sister didn't live with the rest of her family anymore. Kendle sighed and cursed her wishful thinking. Of course her sister wouldn't be here.

But what to do about the rest of her family?

She could ask Gloria to come open the door for them, but then there's a chance that Jake or Emma or Henry could see her. And Worthy tend to not pay attention to Invalid unless they screwed up or the master got mad at the poor servant for no reason.

Kendle sighed. She'd have to risk being caught. She would not risk Gloria being seen and captured. Gloria Anne Vorperian, you had better stay in that shack. She took a deep breath and walked to the front door, looking out the window.

Her family had reached the door and her father was just about to ring the doorbell when Kendle swung the door open and greeted them kindly.

"Welcome! Please, come inside! Dinner is ready and I will bring your hosts down here with you once I have you all settled." She smiled at them, her eyes closing, and motioned them into the house. They didn't spare her a glance. Thank goodness.

She brought then through the living room and into the spacious dining room. "Right this way, ma'am, sirs."

Her family followed her to the table. "You can sit here miss," she said to her mother, pulling out a chair to the right of Jake's spot at the head of the table. Emma would sit on Jake's left, with Henry right beside her. "You can sit here sir," she said, again pulling out a chair, this time for her father to sit at. He sat down with a small nod of thanks. Kendle thought she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Oh no, she thought, momentary panic flitting through her chest and making her heart skip a beat. She got her nerves under control the moment she noticed her hands shaking when she pulled out the chair for her brother. "You may sit here." She managed to keep her voice steady.

Her brother also nodded slightly in thanks and that flicker of panic once again twisted through her before she clamped down on her emotions and smiled kindly at her family. "I'll go get your hosts if you would wait here for just a moment." She slipped out the door and padded up the steps silently.

Kendle walked down the hall and stopped at a door near the very end. She knocked. "Mr. and Mrs. Cecchini? Henry? Dinner is ready and your guests are waiting for you downstairs in the dining room." She called through the door. There were running footsteps and then Henry flung open the door and grinned at her.

"Come on, mom! Come on, dad! Let's go! I wanna meet the new people!" He said, turning back around. Emma and Jake appeared in the doorway behind their son. Henry smiled at Kendle one more time before taking off down the hall and disappearing down the stairs.

"Get him. We will be down in a moment." Jake said, turning to his wife. Kendle nodded and turned to follow Henry.

"Henry," she called. "Wait a moment! Please don't terrorize the guests!" Kendle flew down the stairs in a desperate attempt to catch the little boy before it was too late.

"Hi! I'm Henry! Who are you?" Kendle heard his voice drift over from the dining room.

Crap, I'm too late. Kendle thought, sighing. "Henry!" She scolded, rushing toward the dining room. She walked through the door and shook her head, seeing Henry hanging off of Michael's arm. "Henry, leave him alone. Personal space, remember?" She said, shaking her head again with a breathy laugh. "Come on, sit in your seat and wait for your parents."

"But, Ke-" he protested.

"But nothing!" She cut him off frantically before he could say her name. "Sit down." Sternly pointing her finger at him then his chair. Henry sighed and pulled away from Michael's arm, slinking slowly to his seat. "There you go, you little rascal." She walked over to him and ruffled his hair, smiling. She could feel her mother's eyes narrowing at her back, the weight of her glare burning Kendle's skin. Then Emma and Jake walked into the room and sat down at the table so she went to begin serving them their food, collecting their plates and bowls first and carrying them into the kitchen.

"Maria, Mike," she heard Jake say. "This is our son Henry. Henry, this is mother and father's friends Mr. Mike, Mrs. Maria and their son, Michael." Kendle scooped some soup into their bowls and two pieces of chicken onto each of their plates.

"Hi, Mr. Mike! Hi, Mrs. Maria! Hi, Michael!" Kendle smiled at Henry's lively greeting. She placed the bowls on the plates, picked them up, and then carried them out to the dining room and placed them in front of Emma and Jake. Grabbing Henry and Michael's plates and bowls to get them their food. She brought them back and put them down, taking the last two plates and trying to ignore the cheerful chatter behind her.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

With dinner served, Kendle hastily took her leave and hurried to the shack to tell Gloria of her dilemma.

"Gloria!" She cried, the full horror of her situation finally hitting her as she closed the door. Gloria stuck her head around the washing machine.

"Kendle? What's wrong?" Worry shone in her eyes. What if they recognised me, what if they recognised me, what if they recognised me that woman tried to kill me she killed my sister and my brother WHAT IF THEY RECOGNISED ME!?

Kendle panted as her thoughts screamed in her head, downing out everything else. She sank to her knees.

Images of that night seven years ago flashed before her eyes and the sounds of Rachel's screams and the gun going off to kill her brother and baby sister filled her ears.

The thud of Emmet's body hitting the ground echoed in her mind and all she saw was that night and that woman who called herself their mother standing there and watching it happen with nothing but anger in her eyes.

That woman ordering it to happen.

Shoot them both, she had said.

She had ordered that Invalid to shoot Kendle's brother and baby sister. Krystal was five. Kendle hated her mother. Kendle was terrified of her mother. If her mother found out that she was still alive-

Kendle didn't want to think about that. The thought terrified her.

She shook her head, crushing her hands over her ears to try and silence the screaming that filled her head. She felt hands on her shoulders, vaguely heard a voice calling her name. But everything was drowned put by that screaming and the red color of her brother and sister's blood.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Gloria placed her hands on Kendle's shoulders, shaking her gently. "Kendle! Kendle!" She cried.

Kendle was kneeling on the ground in front of the door, hands pressed to her ears, eyes squeezed shut, and a scream tearing from her lips. "Kendle!" Gloria shook her again.

"NO!" Kendle screamed. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! STOP SCREAMING! GO AWAY! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS! GO AWAY!" Kendle shook and screamed and pressed her hands harder against the sides of her head and squeezed her eyes closed tighter.

Gloria shook Kendle again. "Kendle! Snap out of it! Please!" Kendle didn't respond at all. "Kendle, please!" Gloria shook her shoulders again and pleaded, begged, for Kendle to snap out of it. "Kendle, if you can hear me, I need you to focus on my voice. Focus on me. Focus on me and my voice and nothing else. Come on, Kendle. You can do it. I know you can."

Gloria pressed her forehead to Kendle's. "Focus on me."

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Kendle could hear that voice again, calling her name.

It sounded... Familiar.

It sounded like... Gloria!

It was Gloria!

But-

What was she saying?

Kendle couldn't hear her over the screaming that rang in her ears.

She was drowning.

She strained, she screamed back at the sounds echoing in her mind, she told them to shut up and quiet down she couldn't hear Gloria.

Surprisingly, the noise quieted somewhat.

She tried to swim up, away from all the noise and the horrible memory. She tried to get closer to that voice. She had to know what Gloria was saying.

"Kendle, if you can hear me, I need you to focus on my voice. Focus on me. Focus on me and my voice and nothing else. Come on, Kendle. You can do it. I know you can." Kendle gasped and tried to narrow her focus to only Gloria's voice. "Focus on me."

Kendle struggled against the dregs of the memory, pulled against the anchors of the sounds that were trying to drag her back down, and fought the weight of the images that filled her mind and tried to swallow her whole.

She focused on Gloria's voice as she swam for the surface, each stroke felt like a thousand, every moment stretching into an infinity.

Until finally, she gasped. Her eyes flew open and she panted and gasped and she was covered in sweat as her heart beat a million miles a minute. "Gloria!" She cried.

"Kendle!" Gloria flung her arms around Kendle and hugged her right. Kendle hugged her friend back and buried her face in Gloria's shoulder.

Tears filled her eyes.

She let them spill.

And Gloria only hugged her tighter when ugly sobs escaped her lips.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Now that Kendle had called down enough to form coherent words, she sat on the edge of her small bed, a small cup of tea in her hands and Gloria sitting beside her.

Gloria rubbed calming circles into Kendle's back as she sipped the tea. "Can you tell me what's going on now?" Gloria said gently.

Kendle took a shaky breath and nodded, setting the cup on the floor and pulling her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She took another shaky breath and began to talk.

"When I was ten, when I got my mark," her hand came up to brush the crescent moon on her cheek. "My mother tried to send me to the Farm." Gloria gasped, her hand coming to her mouth. Kendle pushed on even as the images began to flicker in mind again and the screaming came back to haunt her once more. "I had a baby sister, she was only five. My mother ordered her sent to the Farm as well. She didn't want to risk her turning out like me. Her name was Krystal. My oldest brother, Emmet, he tried to protect her. She had them both shot." Tears began to fall from Kendle's eyes again. Gloria leaned over and hugged her tightly. "Emmet was seventeen."

"Oh, Kendle..." Gloria whispered.

Kendle kept going.

"Their bodies were thrown in the truck with me. They were still warm, their eyes still open. Blood still flowed." Kendle shivered and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish the memories and images from her mind. "I was knocked out. And when I woke up, I thought I was dead. I was in a nice bed, and there was this old man leaning over me. He was so kind, his name was George. He was my first master, but he wasn't much of a master. He was more like a kind grandfather. By some miracle, the Invalid who had come to take me to the Farm, dropped me off on his doorstep instead. And, I was so thankful." Kendle let out a soft sob before going on, her voice cracking.

"I thought I was safe. I thought that my mother would never find out that I was still alive. That I would never see her again. Except-" Kendle's voice died in her throat. She cleared it and tried again. "Except Jake and Emma's guests tonight, are my mother, father, and remaining brother." Kendle curled tighter around herself. I think my father and Michael recognized me. I'm terrified that my mother will too. That they'll tell her it's me. That Henry or Jake or Emma will say my name and the pieces will click in her mind. I'm terrified of what she'll do to me if she figures it out."

Gloria's arms wrapped protectivly around Kendle as she shook and rocked in her little ball. "I have another sister, she was fifteen last time I saw her. She's gotta be twenty-two now. But I don't know anything of what happened after I was taken away. I don't know anything of what's become of her. I just hope that she's alright."

Gloria went still. Kendle lifted her head and opened her eyes to look at her. "Gloria?"

"What was her name?"

"What?"

"Your other sister. What was her name? Was it Rachel?" Glorias eyes gained a faraway loom. Kendle stared at her in shock.

"Y-Yes. How did you know that?" Kendle stuttered. Gloria looked at her with a solemn gaze.

"Because my group leader in the rebellion, her name is Rachel Brooks."

Word Count: 2245