Goddess Girls, S. L. Zeigler [rocket ebook reader txt] 📗

the signature on the bottom of the note. "Let's go!"

We were almost two hours late when we walk into the school. I hand Tim the note, the office-man will not take it from me; so he could give it to the man.
"OK, Timothy, Jackson, Harrison, George, Raymond, Mallard, Yarlic, and, umm—"
"Her name is Katayla," Tim again.
"Yes, umm, Katayla," his voice dripping with disgust. "Here you are." He handed us the slips, careful not to touch me. I'm not contagious! In the name of the God and Goddess!
"Katya, come on."
"I'm coming, Raz. I was just thinking about if he knew I'm not contagious or not." It gave me something to think about in instead of how bad Father would beat me if he knew about today. When I get into English class Jack hands Mr. Getude our slips. We are in the same class because I went into school a year before my brothers, as is tradition.
"We're working on a free write," Mr. Getude tells Jack, obviously making no effort to include me. As I take my seat, I try to think about where I was in my story about Ham, the person.

In myths and Legends Mr. Dot was giving a lecture about an old, old legend. The Goddess children or, girls.
"The Goddess supposedly made girls that were above the level of our society; even God agreed that they were one step up from us. They had no ties to men, no need, or want I might say, to obey us, and had some extraordinary abilities. Some said that She had the same, and more, powers. Some of the not-so-extraordinary include: being smarter than us, learning faster, mood changes, and desire to protect what is theirs. Some of their more remarkable abilities were magic and connection to animals. For the start of this section in our year we will be starting on why they don't want to obey us." He was obviously having trouble saying that Goddess girl do not need to obey, "Does anyone have an idea at why?"
Only three hands go up including mine. "Josh, why do you think?" Josh was the class clown.
"Because, obviously, they were not smart enough to obey! Duh!"
"That could be why, but not likely. Tomas."
"Because the Goddess gave them some immunity to our awesomeness."
"OK, nobody else?"
"Katya has a guess!" calls out Ham.
"Oh, I didn't see you there, Katya. What is your idea?" he does not like me either.
"I think it is because they are superior and can see through ya'lls faces to your real self, can see how much of it is a lie, how much ya'll don't really know even though ¡Ustedes piensan que usted sabe cada cosa! ¡Ustedes piensan que usted puede encubrir algo que usted no quiere, pero usted no hace un trabajo muy bueno! ¡Porque ustedes son tan estúpidos!"
"Katya, Katya! In English!"
"Sorry, Ham. It means 'ya'll think you know everything! Ya'll think you can cover up anything you don't like, but you ain't doin' a very good job! Because ya'll are so stupid!' As close to exact as possible." I blink innocently with a sweet smile. "Sorry Ham, that includes you, but I also think that all ya'lls girls couldn't see it anyway, even if you try to let them see it, unless you really, in your souls, however corrupt they are, want them to, that they could see ya'lls desperfectos, sorry, flaws."
"That is enough, Katayla. If you don't stop talking nonsense I will be calling your father!" Mr. Dot is evil, absolutely evil. I know he really will call him too. My mind goes to the first night one of my teachers called him. Mr. Hathford. Father broke more than one of my bones that night. "Does anyone else know whatever language that was?"
"It was Spanish. The only other language she knows." Estúpidos Ham. Why do you have to talk to him? I know he has to though, I'm not being fair, I know but gerr!
"Do you know if that was really what she said, anyone?" Mr. Dot is way worse than Ham though. I reason with myself. At least I was the only one that knows Spanish. In the town, only one guy knows Spanish, which was one of the reasons I chose to learn from him. No one talks to him, he is always talking in half Spanish and his girl died nineteen years ago, before I was born, by four years. I'm fifteen.
"Alright, now that, that is over I would like you all to pick one of these reasons," he gestured to a list, "to write a paper on. It needs to include whether you think it is right or wrong, why, and be at least two hundred fifty words, typed." The list does not have my explanation on it, not that I expect it to. Time to write another bogus paper airing Mr. If-She-Is-In-Here-I'll-Downgrade-Her-When-She-Says-Something-I-Don't-Agree-With's views, I think to myself, heavy with the sarcasm. Joyful!

I walk into math class, the only class I have with Jeff and Tylor. I was let out late from science so I was the last one to come in.
"Hay, Katya, why don't you find somewhere to hide, I think I hear a truck!" taunts Jeff.
"Shut-up if you are smart," I warn.
"Ha, with all of us here you couldn't get away," Whyit laughs.
"You couldn't have even touched me if your brothers hadn't of been helping you." Tylor states. Ignórelos justo, Just ignore them. Their voices fade out of my consciousness.

They had stopped talking when Mr. Sanders called the class to order. Now they are back at it. Blah, blah, blah! Do they know how to stop talking? Probably not. Why can't they just leave me alone? "Why? Why do you waste your time this way, tormen--?"
They are holding me down! The whole class, helping! All forty-seven of them! I am stuck! NO! They are choking me, I cannot breath! Help! I cannot talk. No air! HELP!
I can breathe again in the time it takes me to count to ninety-five. Tim, Ham, Jack, Yar, Modle, George, and Raz! All of them are there to help me. I stand up and start fighting. Punch. Kick. Duck. Spin. Roll. Punch... They are all on the floor and they are all holding something. My brothers are still standing, but they are staring at me. There is blood on the floor, at least one of the boys had a knife, maybe more, but my brothers are fine. I am starting to feel dizzy.
"Wh--" I black out.

"Katya?"
"Katya?"
"Katya?" I can tell the voices are different people, but not who, as I slowly start to transition from unconsciousness to consciousness. My eyes open and I can see blurry faces, but none are clear.
"Katya! Thank the God and Goddess!" Things are starting to become clearer, it is Ryan, my oldest brother, he is thirty-six.
"What? What happened?" I try to sit up, but Lilian pushes me back down. Lilian is Ryan's girl. I have always been lucky Ryan is a doctor and lives next door.
"You've lost a lot of blood, sweetie. Just relax." Lilian is probably right, I should relax. Then I thought of something.
"Ahh, is Father home yet?"
"Yes, Father came home an hour ago."
"Crap, I have to go. If he sees that I'm over here he is going to hurt me! Why couldn't you have just let me die? It would have been less painful than what is going to happen when I get back."
"Katya! You are still in critical condition!" Ben tells me.
"Then let me die now! Please! Ryan, even when Father beat you it wasn't that bad. For more than one reason. One, he had more kids to beat. Two, he liked you, and you know it. Three, Father likes boys more than girls. Do I need to add the fact that I'm still single?"
"Don't worry, Katya, he can't get in here." Lilian is good at taking care of people, but still.
"It. Is. Okay." Ut said slowly.
"No, you don't know what it's like. You've never been beaten."
"Katya, I'm a healer. Not a killer." I never thought I would be unhappy that my brother is a doctor, but the day has come. "I'm not going to let you die, you're my sister."
"NO!"
"Give her more drugs, Lilian."
"No, then he can kidnap me while I sleep! No, no, no!" I start to hyper-ventilate.
"Don't worry, we won't let him come into the roo--" I drift out, feeling a little safer.

"Katya," it was a soft and powerful voice, "you must survive my child." It is a woman's voice.
As I see where I am, I am taken aback. It is so beautiful, like a palace of clouds and the woman looks like an older, more mature, unhurt version of me.
"Katayla Lemo Hallers, my child, you are not at the time for you to come here. You are not done down there. I need you to stay there a little longer. It is not your time. Do not talk of this, pretend you are who you thought you were or all hell will break lose. Go."
"Why, it is so much better here."
"I need you there, but you will find a wolf when you return, he will help you on your way, but he will not come for a time. Don't go looking for him."
"Thank you." I take a step back and I am back in Ryan's house.
"Thank God, she is back with us. We almost lost her though." Ryan is right, they almost lost me, almost lost me to heaven.
"I'm okay." I actually feel a lot better, even if I am tired.
"You stopped breathing, and your heart stopped beating. You are not 'okay'." Yar could be so obtuse.
"I think I will just go back to sleep."
"That's good, go to sleep." Duh, Lilian. I think as I fall back to sleep. My dreams full of my glimpse of heaven.

I look at my arm that is full of tubes and needles when Ryan walks in. "You think you could take those out so I can get up?"
"Katya, why do you ask something like that? You know I won't until I'm sure you are going to be okay. Not after you almost die on us."
"Come on, you know I'm going to be fine.'
"No I don't."
"But the longer I'm in here the worse I'm going to get beaten, so the more likely I will be back here sooner than later."
"Katya, you've been here for three and a half weeks."
"Wow that sucks! I'm defiantly goin' to be back here. So, can I go? Please?"
"Fine, but have to come back tomorrow and let me check you."
"What time is it?" I ask as he pulls everything out of my arm.
"Five-twenty."
"So Father is coming home in ten minutes. I need to go." I stand up and ask, "Can I have some food first?"
"Sure, come on." He leads the way to his kitchen and gets out some soup for me. "Here, eat it. Then go."
"Thanks," I say around bites. When I finish I run out the door. I get home just before Father drives up.
"Sir, I'm so sor—" He hits me in the mouth. He broke my jaw! I heard the bone crack.
"You little, stupid idiot!" He punches me in the gut, then grabs my arm and pulls me into the house. "Shut-up!" I realize I am making pained little noises, so I stop. He throws me to the ground of my room and kicks me. Pop! My rib punches in. He steps on my arm and it pops too. I'm ready