Chapter 9
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It was too good an opportunity to pass up. I was supposed to be spending the night with Dominic because Mommy and Andrei were still at the World Championships. I scrawled my signature at the bottom of my hastily written note and bent over to reread my work to myself. Dear Mommy and Daddy, Due to the fact that you have both lied to me (ESPECIALLY you Mommy) I�ve decided to go live with Auntie Cate. You won�t need to drive me; a man with a big truck has agreed to give me a lift all the way to Canada. I love you, even though I�m mad, Morgan Riefen I laid my finished work on the pillow of Dominic�s spare bed. Mom was planning on arriving home early tomorrow morning. Hopefully, Dominic would find the note not long after that. I wasn�t actually going to Canada of course. I wanted to be on hand when my note was discovered and the conclusions drawn. It would certainly make for an entertaining day and I wouldn�t have missed it for the world. For it to work however, I needed to disappear for several hours. I knew that Dominic very rarely ventured into his attic. It would be the perfect hideout if I could get up through the trapdoor without making it obvious where I�d gone. There were two entrances, one in the roof of the hallway, and one over a shelf in the guestroom closet. Perfect. I waited until Dominic was in bed and presumably asleep before making my move. I dragged a stool into the back corner of the closet and concealed it by moving a winter coat in front. After clambering up on it, I could just brush my fingers on the shelf. There was no way I could pull myself up. If I replaced the low stool with a chair it would be noticed. If I piled books on top of the stool it would most certainly be noticed. It was then I realized there was a much easier solution that would leave no trace. I slipped into the corner of the closet, braced my feet against the back wall and my torso against the front (thank God it was a small closet), and began to climb. My tired muscles protested this new exertion but I paid them no heed. When I was right under the shelf, I hooked my arms over, moved my feet to the front wall, and slid onto the shelf. It was the work of a minute to push open the cover and climb into the attic. I�d done it. Overcome by exhaustion, I curled up in the dust among the many boxes and fell asleep. *several hours later* �Katia! Rise and shine sweetheart!� Dominic�s overly cheerful voice permeated my attic sanctuary. I heard a door creak open and his upbeat tone seeped away, �Katia?� Some muffled cursing allowed me to assume that he�d found my note. I could picture him standing in the middle of the room, one hand holding the slip of paper and the other finger-combing his hair in an agitated manner. �God damn it! Ally is never going to forgive me for this!� He muttered just before the door slammed. Through the small window, I observed his erratic run in the direction of my house. Apparently, Nick planned to fess up immediately. Climbing out of the closet proved much easier than climbing into it had. Without delay, I took off at a dead run. Having set everything up, I really didn�t want to miss my own show. I arrived panting and quickly installed myself in a corner of the garden. I could see inside due to the large window and I felt confident that I wouldn�t be spotted amidst the shrubs. A stroke of luck had left the front door just to the left, open. �Hey, Nick.� Mom�s voice greeted brightly, �What�re you doing here so early? I didn�t think you were bringing Katia home until after lunch.� �Ummm�� I could see Dominic fidgeting nervously, �That may be more difficult than expected.� �What do you mean?� Suspicion clouded Mom�s voice. �I can�t find her,� he admitted. Through the window I watched Nick hand her the note. Mom�s expression darkened as she skimmed through my words. Almost instantaneously she glanced up, fury smoldering in the depths of her honey-coloured eyes. �You lost our daughter?� Mom�s tone was dangerous and I pitied poor Dominic. I didn�t pity him quite enough to announce my presence. The conversation was getting steadily more intriguing. I couldn�t help but wonder who Mom had been referring to when she said �our daughter� considering Andrei wasn�t in the room. �I�m sorry! And it�s not my fault; I�ve never lied to her!� Mom peered down at the note clutched in her fingers. �You�ve lied to me�� she murmured, �Love Morgan Riefen�� A look of terrified comprehension came over her face. �Dear god, she found out!� With that, she promptly wilted into Dominic�s arms in a dead faint. �Wha the hell you doin� holding my wive?� My fath� Andrei�s words were slurred and his Russian accent stronger than ever. At 9 am he was already completely drunk. �She fainted.� �Yeah right!� Roughly, Andrei clasped my semi-conscious mom�s hand and pulled her to her feet. She was apparently too weak because no sooner did he let her go than her knees gave out and she sank back to the carpet. This was evidently the last straw for Andrei�s patience and he kicked her hard in the ribs. Mom let out a small moan and curled up as Andrei lashed out once more. He reared back a third time, but before he could make contact, Dominic stepped between him and mom. �Outta ze vay. You will not interfere between my wife and me. You have already alienated my daughter.� �Not you daughter.� �What?� Both men had turned to stare at the battered figure lying on the rug. �That�s why she signed the note Morgan Riefen. Somehow, she figured it out.� Dominic was still frozen, but the surprise in Andrei�s eyes was rapidly being replaced by rage. He pulled an arm back and threw a hefty right hook, hitting Nick in the eye. Dominic retaliated, though it seemed to take him forever, by swinging a punch at Andrei. Andrei lounged back against the wall, dazed. Dominic leant over, and helped Mom to stand up, slipping an arm around her waist as he did. When her left foot brushed the ground, she inhaled sharply. Without a word, Nick picked her up and cradled her in his arms. A few long strides and the two were out of the house and down the driveway. �Get me away from him Nick, far away��
