From Fear to Forever

Prologue

"Mom. I- I can't just leave you here! You're hurt." Rory's eyes bore right into Sara's soul.

Pains shot up her side as Sara whispered, leaning close to her daughter, "You have to go, Rory. He'll never be able to find you upstate."

The mother and daughter shared one last tight hug, holding onto each other for dear life. Sara was pained to see Rory and her sisters leave- and none of them wanted to go.

"Take care of them," Sara added, referring to her other daughters. Being a mom of five was never easy, but this was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. While Rory, a thin brunette of medium height and fifteen years of age, was saying her final goodbyes to her mother, her sisters were on the right side of the poorly lit hospital waiting room being entertained by their grandparents. December, closest to Rory's age, was twelve and highly intelligent. She had black hair and icy blue eyes, which made her stand out among her brown and blond haired family. Annabeth, Beth for short, was ten years old and the middle child. Fair of skin and heart, with curly hair and a lanky frame, and an avid reader, she was the most mild-tempered of the family. Felicity, the girl whom was closest with her father James before he lost his mind, had honey blond hair that she always wore in a messy ponytail and was nine years old. The youngest sister, Dawn, was only six and still enjoyed playing with all of the toys her father used to happily buy for her.

Rory nodded, "I will." She paused for a minute, her lips getting ready to form the words but pausing on the first sound. "We'll see you again, right?"

Sara didn't dare to answer with a definite yes. She was being constantly reminded of her ability to sustain injuries by her bruises and cuts that she'd received only forty five minutes or so before. She didn't want her last words to her daughter to be lies. She wished that she didn't have to say goodbye to her daughters, not now. But James would find out that they had left at any minute, and she wanted her kids to be as far away from him as possible. He had already hurt Sara, who was to say he wouldn't hurt his daughters as well? If they were with her parents, Sara felt confident that James would not be able to track them down.

Rory seemed to catch on to this and nodded. "I understand," she muttered, searching her mother's eyes for some indication of the amount of pain she was feeling.

At this time, December, Beth, Felicity, and Dawn were brought back to their mother by their grandparents. Sara and the girls shared a long hug before Sara raised her voice just enough to be heard over the sea of screaming tears, "Okay. You guys have to go. I love you, all of you. Be safe. And remember, girls. Nothing that happened tonight or that will happen in the future is your fault," five tears escaped her eyes as she finished, "I love you."

Sara stood, transfixed, as her girls walked away from her, possibly forever. Rory was the only daughter to look back, meeting her mother's eyes from across the room. Sara simply smiled before Rory stepped out of the waiting room.

As she tried to comprehend what had happened, during the course of that evening, from the news of her husband's affair to him lashing out on her to running to the hospital with her daughters, she felt herself slowly slipping away. Dark, absolute blackness overwhelmed her world, and suddenly she couldn't comprehend anything, let alone her memories. A pair of arms surrounded her, and she used her last conscious thought to pray that it wasn't James.