“Yes! Absolutely! No one will understand her like I do. When can we go?”
19
Gareth parked his Commodore at the hospital and smiled as the white Outlander pulled up next to him. He turned to look at Kat in the backseat. “Kitty Kat, your Dad drives like a speed demon. Glad he made it when we did. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. I hope I can help.”
Damon turned around from the front passenger seat, “If you feel a panic attack coming on, we can take a break or go home. We need you to be okay.”
“I’ll be okay. Hopefully, I can help her a little. I would’ve appreciated it.” Kat got out of the backseat and hugged her Mum.
Gareth walked over to Eric and shook his hand. “Nice driving, Speed Racer. I don’t want Sheridan to wait any longer than she has to. Her room’s this way.” They started walking into the building. “I’m Gareth Payne. The ones who know me best call me a pain in the a…” He glanced at Kat and Damon and didn’t finish the word.
Kat grinned. “So Pia then. You give me a nickname; I’ll give you one.”
Gareth chuckled and his eyes twinkled for the first time since he found Sheridan. “Fair call, Kitty Kat. I’ll give you that one. Pia I am. I am Pia. I’ve definitely earned it over my lifetime.” He looked at Dominique, raised his eyebrows and gave her a lopsided smile. “Speed Racer did well.”
Dominique smiled. “Thanks, and thanks for looking after Kat so well on Tuesday.”
“That was my absolute pleasure. Kitty Kat beating that pile of s…garbage was amazing, and taking him away was a joy for both me and Kev. Did Kitty Kat tell you about Kev’s wife and daughter?”
Dominique nodded. “I don’t understand how people can hurt others like that.”
“You must have been through hell when those f…scumbags attacked Kitty Kat. And then with Adam.”
“Yeah. We came here to support Kat, save you from driving her home and in case Sheridan’s parents need someone to talk with. We’ve been there.”
“No one can understand how I feel. It didn’t happen to you. I know you’re just doing your job, but you can’t help. No one can. I don’t even know if the plastic surgery will’ve worked. Just leave me alone.” Sheridan’s voice was flat, not raised. She rolled over in bed to turn her back on Gareth.
“My friend Kat has been through similar. You’d know her by Emily Jones.” Gareth walked to the door. “Come in, Kitty Kat.”
Kat walked in and crouched down at the side of the bed where Sheridan could see her. “I’m Kat. Everyone knew me as Emily Jones after my best friend Courtney was murdered in front of me. I survived. For a while I wished I hadn’t, but I’m so glad now. I seem to still get targeted, but now I win.” Kat took the cleansing wipe she had brought in with her and removed her makeup. “The guy who hit me is older than my dad. He got upset when I turned him down and he tried to force himself on me. I didn’t let him. I still got hurt, but he’s worse and now in jail.”
“I should’ve fought back. Maybe if I did…”
“No,” Kat said gently. “This is all his fault. I didn’t mean that you should’ve fought back or done anything differently. I meant, it gets better and even if something else happens in future, it can end better for us. We don’t have to repeat the same things. We can change our story. Make it better.”
“How?” Sheridan’s brown eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know how to fight, and I can’t go back to being a virgin again. I had got to third base with two guys, but never all the way. He took it from me. Called me a stuck up princess, a snob and a whole heap of other things. Said I’d never give myself to someone like him. That I’d only want rich, pretty boys. After he came, he stayed inside me, and said, ‘this is so everyone knows I got here first. Every time you look in the mirror, you’ll think of me,’” Sheridan started sobbing, “and he cut my face.”
Tears filled Kat’s eyes, and she took Sheridan’s hand. “That’s terrible. Tommy Smith was the first boy I ever kissed. Less than a minute later, he led me into a trap. There were eight of them. They all shared Courtney and me, and then they killed her and thought they killed me. I had nightmares for ages about it.” Kat removed the support sleeve from her left forearm. “I even tried to end my own life once. That was a huge mistake. I’m supposed to be here.” She squeezed Sheridan’s hand. “You’re supposed to be here. They haven’t won. For us to win, all we need to do is live a good life. They tried to take that away from us, but they haven’t.”
“But they took our virginity.”
Kat squeezed Sheridan’s hand again. “It’s just a piece of skin. We didn’t give consent. We didn’t make love to them. When we choose to make love with someone, it will be different and our first time.”
Sheridan nodded. “So it doesn’t really count. I can’t fight though. What if someone tries to hurt me again, like that old guy with you?”
Kat smiled. “I can teach you. My Senseis are great too and can also help when you’re up to it. I can teach you at your place when you go home if you’d like.”
Sheridan smiled for the first time after her attack. “I’d like that. Maybe you can stay for dinner too?”
Kat beamed. “Definitely.”
20
Vicky pouted as Gareth parked his Commodore in between Kevin’s Kluger and Damon’s Territory. “I don’t know why I have to be here.”
“I did say you didn’t, babe.”
“Yeah, but then I’d feel like I had to look after Amy’s kids. This way her parents can.”
Gareth handed her the keys. “Go do some sightseeing or shopping, babe.”
Vicky stared as Damon got out of his car. “Ooh, I didn’t know he’d be here. Is he staying?”
Gareth smiled. “Rambo is easy on the eyes. He’d be staying to support Kat and his students regardless, but he’s grading too. He’s the spitting image of his father who’s taking the class. Connor,” he gestured at Connor getting out of the passenger seat, “isn’t bad either. Stay for the scenery.”
Vicky smiled at Gareth. “You talked me into it.”
Kat got out of the backseat of her parents’ Outlander and waited for Sheridan to get out of her parents’ Audi. “Nice car. Thanks for coming. You look great.”
Sheridan smiled, her long auburn hair covering the left side of her face. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world! My surgery’s healing, but I still can’t wear makeup on it. Hopefully, no one will notice.”
“They did an excellent job.”
Sheridan’s shoulders dropped. “I can tell.”
Kat hugged her. “Don’t let him win.”
Sheridan hugged her back tightly. “You’re right.”
Kat gestured to the group of people milling around them. “You remember my parents, Chelsea, Sensei Damon, Sensei Connor, Constable Matthews and Constable Pia.”
Gareth chuckled and raised his hands. “Just Pia’s fine.”
Sheridan giggled.
Kat ran and hugged Brent. “Thanks for coming. This is Brent.”
Brent pointed at their Audi and then his. “Great car.”
Dr Grace, Sheridan’s Dad smiled. “You’ve got great taste. I’m Richard. This is my wife, Julia.”
“Glad you could come. Kat and Chelsea will be awesome.” Brent grinned wickedly. “Sensei Damon may struggle, though.”
Damon grinned at his friend. “Unless you’ve set up sniper rifles…”
Brent chuckled. “Sniper rifles would be a cakewalk for you. With no bullets flying, you’re going to struggle to stay awake.”
“Hardy haha. We better get inside before you jinx us and someone attacks us.” Damon looked at Sheridan who had turned white and was trembling.
“Hey, Sheridan, sweetie. I was just joking. No one’s going to attack us. There will be sparring inside, but the worst that will happen is someone gets accidentally punched in the nose.”
Brent looked at her through his black rimmed glasses. “Sorry, Sheridan. Sensei Damon has saved my brother’s life loads of
times. They were partners in the military. Honestly, anywhere near him is the safest place to be. I just give him a hard time because he’s more than one of my best friends. He’s like my brother.”
Sheridan smiled but it didn’t match her eyes. “I guess I’m still a bit timid.”
Kat put her arm around her. “You’re doing great. Let’s go in, and I’ll show you the dojo.” They started walking towards the gym with Damon and Connor only a few metres behind them, followed by the rest of their group.
As they reached the corner of the building and the lane to the rear car park, Josh jumped out of the laneway wearing jeans and a hoodie and brandishing a knife. “Prepare to die, you fucking freak!”
Kat immediately stepped between Sheridan and the knife.
“No!” Dominique screamed.
Both Damon and Connor moved forward quickly, so they were standing on either side of Kat.
“Get back! This is between me and that fucking freak. It’s because of her, I’m not grading today. I’m gonna make sure she doesn’t either.” Josh waved the knife, trying to look menacing but lacking conviction.
Connor spoke first. “Josh, you alone get to decide what happens here. If you attack Kat, one of three things is likely to happen. Sensei Damon gets in the way and forces you to slit your own throat. That won’t end well for you. I get in the way, break your knife-wielding arm and get rid of the knife. That’s better than the first option, but broken arms aren’t fun. We let you and Kat fight, she gets rid of the knife and beats the snot out of you. The next decision is ours. Do we let her mum rip you limb from limb for threatening her baby’s life? Let’s say we don’t. You go home after attacking an unarmed sixteen-year-old girl with a knife and losing miserably. For the rest of your life, you’ll be asking yourself who really took your black belt from you. I’ll ask you that now; why aren’t you grading today?”
Josh started shaking. “Because fucking Sensei Lucas wouldn’t send me.”
Connor looked at him with kind, brown eyes. “Why aren’t you grading today?”
“Because my karate’s not good enough.”
Connor shook his head; his eyes still kind.
Tears started falling down Josh’s cheeks. “Because I’m not good enough.”
“No. That’s not it either. What did Sensei Lucas say?”
“I need to improve my attitude and etiquette.”
Connor smiled and nodded. “That’s right. That’s what you need to do.”
Josh put the knife on the ground in front of him and stepped back. “Take it, please, Sensei Connor. I’ve blown all my chances with karate. I don’t know what to do now.”
Connor swept the knife towards him with his foot and kept it under his boot. “You won’t grade today. Whether you grade in the future, is entirely up to you. What’s the first thing you need to do to improve your attitude and etiquette?”
“I’m sorry, Kat. Your karate’s better than mine. I was jealous. I probably still am, but I don’t want to be. I want to be like Sensei Connor.” Josh looked at Connor. “Your karate’s amazing. You could’ve beaten the crap out of me today, but you didn’t. You’re around Sensei Damon and Sensei Lucas all the time. Everyone says they’re the best. You’re not jealous. You don’t try to prove you’re better than them. You train with them and try to be the best you can be. I want to be like you. Can you teach me, please, Sensei Connor? I can catch the train out to you on the weekends and school holidays. I have an Aunty who lives close to Lorikeet Meadows. I can stay with her sometimes.”
Connor smiled. “That’s a great idea. I’m sure Sensei Damon can spare me once a fortnight for me to help out here for the day.”
Damon smiled and bowed deeply to Connor. “Absolutely, Sensei Connor. You did so well today.” He looked at Josh. “You made the right decision, Josh. Keep it up and keep learning from Sensei Connor, and we’ll see you here next grading assessment.” He handed Connor the keys to the Territory. “Give him a lift home, Sensei. We’ll see you before the grading’s over.”
Connor accepted the keys with a smile. “Absolutely. You’ll all do great. Go in and warm up.” He waited for Kat, Damon and the others to walk into the gym and put his arm around Josh. “Come on. I’ll give you a lift home.”
Kat went to put her arm around Sheridan who smiled and shook her head. “Your mum needs your cuddles more.”
Dominique threw her arms around her daughter. “Thank God you’re okay. I was so scared. I know you’re training against knife attacks, and Sensei Damon and Sensei Connor could protect you, but I was so scared. Sensei Connor did a good thing, though.”
Kat nodded. “Yeah. He was fantastic. I think we need to give them that chance every time we can. I think Josh will turn out alright now. That’s great for him, great for us and even better for the world.”
Eric hugged his two girls. “I couldn’t agree more. Are you okay for grading?”
“I don’t want to miss it!”
Eric put his hands up. “I’m not going to stop you from grading today. I just want to make sure you’re okay, princess.”
“The knife freaked me out. I didn’t see Josh until Sensei Damon and Sensei Connor joined me. I just saw the knife.”
“Do you remember getting between Sheridan and the knife, princess?”
Kat nodded. “She’s been through too much.”
Sheridan hugged Kat gently. “So have you.”
They all walked into the gym and down towards the dojo.
Damon looked at the ladies’ bathroom as they were about to walk past. “Go freshen up, ladies. It’s been a long drive. We’ll meet you all in the dojo.”
Kat bit her bottom lip.
Damon smiled. “I’ll check it first and wait outside until you’re all done. Then I’ll go to the gents’. First Adam, then Josh. We should all be a bit more cautious.”
Connor bowed at the entrance to the dojo halfway through combinations and walked over to Dominique and Eric. “Are you two okay? That would’ve scared the hell out of both of you.”
“It did, but you did so well with him. Do you think he will train with you and try to improve his attitude?” Dominique asked.
“He wants to at the moment. That could change. He’s planning to catch the train to Lorikeet Meadows tomorrow morning. That’s over two hours. If he does, I think he’s serious. I hope he will.”
Gareth gave him a lopsided smile. “Talking him down like that, you did good. I’d say you should be a cop, but na. You’re where you’re supposed to be, Angel.”
“Angel?” Connor asked.
“Yeah. Angel on my shoulder, but that’s too long. You talk people into doing the right thing without kicking their butt.”
Kevin smiled and nodded his head. “I agree with my partner. You’d make a great cop, but you’re doing too much good where you are. I wanted to pin him to the ground and put the cuffs on him. Hopefully, he’ll never get in the system now.”
“I hope he gets on the right path and stays there.” Connor looked at Sheridan. “Are you okay?”
Sheridan smiled and this time it did match her eyes. “He was so angry that he threatened Kat with a knife, and then when you talked with him, he changed. He seemed to want to be good. I hope more people can do that. It would make the world so much better.”
Connor nodded. “It definitely would. Violence has its place, but should always be the last resort unless, of course, it’s in the dojo.”
Connor ran out the front after the drink break and helped with kata. By the end of kata, it was Damon performing advanced black belt katas by himself.
“Have a quick drink, everyone, and line up for kumite,” Lucas instructed.
“You’re both doing so well. I so want to be able to do that one day,” Sheridan said to Kat and Chelsea.
Kat beamed. “It will take time and hard work, but you’ll definitely get there, and we’ll both help you.”
“Absolutely!” Chelsea agreed.
They gave their families and friends sweaty h
ugs and ran back into line.
Sheridan stared at Kat barely noticing anyone else sparring in the dojo. “I thought she was good, but wow. After everything she’s been through.”
“She’s great, Sheri. You’ll get there too,” Gareth replied.
“How come everyone else has a weird nickname and you just shorten my name?”
Kevin shook his head and smiled. “Don’t tempt fate.”
Gareth’s eyes twinkled. “I’m just waiting for the right one. I’m sure Linen has already been used.”
Sheridan gave a half-smile. “Just don’t go easy on me because you pity me, okay?”
Gareth nodded. “Okay. Check out Rambo and Angel sparring.”
Sheridan took her eyes off Kat. “Oh my God! What if someone that good attacks me or Kat?”
Oh, fuck! That isn’t what I meant. “You saw Angel today. Most people that good are good people. That boy didn’t grade because of his attitude. Good instructors try to do that. Besides, you’ve got us all on your side. We’ve got your back.” They watched all the brown belts sit down while the black belts kept sparring. Eventually, only Damon was left.
“No holding back on your old man, hey? Sensei Heather, please do the honours?” Lucas asked.
“Heels together, bow, begin.”
“It’s okay, Kitten. Sensei Lucas is a good guy too.”
“Kitten?” Sheridan asked.
“Yeah. Kitty Kat’s looking out for you, and one day you’ll have claws just like her. Kitten’s don’t stay defenceless for long, remember that.”
Sheridan hugged him. “I love it. Thank you…”
Gareth smiled. “Pia’s good.”
Sheridan nodded. “Pia is good.”
“That’s enough, gentlemen. Everyone, back in line for bow out,” Sensei Heather called.
Kat and Chelsea’s group of supporters all cheered and whistled when they received their black belts.
“Sensei Damon hasn’t graded in over seven years. He was helping out in Afghanistan. Therefore, I’m awarding him the rank he deserves – fifth dan black belt,” Lucas stated and handed his firstborn his certificate.
Our Cause (Let the Monsters Live in Fear Book 1) Page 15