Kalli fought against the overpowering urge to look towards Taylor and lost. What she saw upset her. The beautiful boy who was the centre of so many fans dreams looked awful. His bright blue eyes were now red and swollen from crying, his hair was unruly and frizzy from the storm and his maroon shirt hung unbuttoned from his petite, well formed figure, going unnoticed. A small trickle of blood stained his golden blonde hair and had travelled slightly down his forehead. His gaze moved throughout the room as he examined everything but her. Guilt forced itself forward and she felt a great sympathy towards this boy.
He was right wasn't he Kalli? This is your fault. In an attempt to ignore the voice she spoke to Taylor.
"I'm sorry." she whispered. He turned his head towards her and frowned.
"What for?"
"Everything I guess." she sighed and shifted uncomfortably "This is all my fault, I'm so sorry." Once again tears threatened to spill but she forced them back. Taylors blurred image shook his head.
"No you aren't, it's no ones fault..." a deep sigh escaped him "Except Danny's." As if on cue the door to the flat opened and a rugged looking man walked in.
"Did I hear my name?" a man she assumed to be Danny slammed the door shut and came to a stop just in front of the two "I take it young mister Hanson has explained your situation..." she swallowed nervously and nodded. The two watched him fearfully as he walked into the rancid bathroom and relieved himself. He returned a moment later with a small checked rug, threw it on the floor on the other side of the room and sat on it.
"What I want to know," he continued "is who are you?" he pointed towards Kalli with a slow deliberation mastered to increase her terror. She whimpered and backed against the wall. Dannys eyes bore into her, exploring her body with a kind of appreciation she had seen many times on the faces of many different men. He sighed and glared pointedly at her "Well?"
"Kalli James." her voice came as a low whisper, almost inaudible. The look on the mans face turned to anger as he made a low grumbling noise in the pit of his throat.
"I don't care what you're called love, what are you to him?" there was silence as she looked towards Taylor with questioning eyes "Well, are you a friend, relative, his girlfriend, his whore..?" His whore, that's what you are Kalli. The voice screamed at her, except you'll fuck him for nothing won't you, you'll do anything for this boy, as long as he asks...
"No." she whispered. A laugh escaped Danny's mouth as he stared at the girl in shock.
"Jesus Christ, Taylor Hanson has a whore." he cried "No way, I can't believe it." His laughter tore at Kallis heart as her mind raged. No, no, no. That isn't me, I'm not a whore, I've never even slept with him, it's not my fault, I'm...
"I'm not a fucking whore you bastard." she screamed into his laughing face "I never have been, I never will be..."
"You look like a little prostitute bitch to me... maybe I should just find out, hey." the laughter had dissipated, she was staring into the eyes of insanity "How would you like that, you stupid little slut?!" She once again attempted to withdraw from his presence but the solid stone of the wall forced her to end her retreat her eyes never once leaving his hideous visage.
"I'm not a whore..." her mumblings were unheard by the others as Kalli pulled herself into a neat little ball and sobbed into her knees. Johnny called you a whore didn't he? her inner voice questioned, it spoke almost softly, companionably. You didn't like that did you Kalli? Not at all...
* * * *
"Stop Johnny, I don't want to." Kalli held out her hand and sat up on the old lumpy mattress which he substituted for a bed.
"Why Kalli? I love you, I promise it won't hurt." He forced her body down and pressed his weight against her, kissing her roughly.
"I don't want to have sex with you Johnny." her voice came in haggard rasps as he moved his mouth and began to slobber disgustingly over her throat. His movement stopped, he shot up quickly and looked at her, his eyes scanning her exposed breasts, her bleeding chapped lips and the pleading in her eyes. "Johnny?" His expression turned to one of contempt and utter loathing as he stared at her breasts.
"Why do you do this to me Kalli?" his question was delivered with a viscious slap across the face, followed by another, and another "Why do you insist on hurting me, why do you insist on fucking every other man you meet like a stupid little whore but you won't even make love to the man who looks after you?"
"I don't sleep around Johnny..."
"That's bullshit Kalli, we both know it." he pushed his face against hers and reached into his jeans pocket producing a flick-knife "You know what I do to filthy little whores who hurt me don't you Kalli?" he placed the blade menacingly against her throat and then trailed it slowly down the front of her bare chest, holding the point just above her hip.
"I hurt them back."
At the memory she clutched her side and sobbed in pain at the scar on her hip.
* * * *
"Would you like that?" Danny repeated his question. Kalli shook her head slowly in response and buried her head deeper into her knees. "That's really hard luck." Pure evil flashed across his eyes as he stood and crossed the room quickly, heading directly for the young girl.