A Little Girl To Save

Cassandra’s phone rang. It was her cousin, Keisha.

“Did you tell Kali?” Keisha asked.

Cassandra’s voice shook. “They just had to sedate her. We’re at the hospital… she fainted when I told her. Or overdosed. I—I really don’t know.”

Keisha gasped. “Overdosed? What the hell do you mean?”

Cassandra broke, yelling through her tears, “Mona was on drugs, Keisha. She had Kali selling to her teachers. I live out of state so how did nobody close to them know this? How is that even possible?”

There was a long pause.

“Oh, no, honey,” Keisha said quietly. “I mind my business. I’ve never heard anything like that.”

“Well, keep minding your business then,” Cassandra snapped. She hung up before Keisha could respond.

She sat there, rubbing Kali’s cold hand. Another call came in, the funeral director. Cassandra answered immediately.

“What’s going on?”

Her voice was gentle. “I’m sorry… but it’s going to have to be a closed casket. The damage is too severe. Her skin is still…melting. We can only do so much. We’ll issue a partial refund and adjust the service for a closed casket.”

Cassandra bowed her head, the weight crushing her. “I understand. Her daughter wanted to see her… she’s only ten.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But it may be best for her to hold onto memories instead. Have her choose a favorite picture; something she can keep with her.”

“Okay. Thank you.” She ended the call, stood, stretched, and went to the restroom to gather herself.

Nearly two hours later, Kali finally woke. Cassandra was sitting beside her, eating a plate of food.

Kali’s first words were, “When can I see my mom?”

Cassandra looks at her. “You won’t, baby. Your mom’s body is severely damaged. There’s no way to have an open casket. But we’ll find the perfect picture of her and frame it so you can keep it with you.”

Kali stared at the ceiling as tears slid down her face. “I don’t like asking for stuff more than once. What I want, I get. Mom understood that.”

Cassandra swallowed. “Your mom is gone. I’m your guardian now. So what I say… goes. It’s that simple, Kali.”

Kali sat up and studied her, eyes sharp and unblinking. “I’ve been showing you respect, right?”

Cassandra slowly put her fork down, uneasy.

Kali continued, her tone steady. “You respect me, I respect you. You disobey me, I disobey you. You try to control me… and I’ll definitely control you.”

A chill ran through Cassandra. “You’re ten. You’ve been through a lot, so I’ll let that slide. But we’re going to have a long talk once you move in with me.”

“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to,” Kali said flatly. “I don’t have to move with you.”

“You don’t want foster care,” Cassandra replied calmly. “So it’s best you come with me.”

“I can take care of myself,” Kali muttered. “I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”

A knock sounded at the door. The detectives entered, ready to take Kali’s statement. They began questioning her, and Kali answered each one without hesitation and no remorse about the drugs, her mother’s addiction, or any of it. She didn’t even look at them. She just stared at the ceiling, her face blank.

When they finished, Kali turned her back to Cassandra and stared out the window until she drifted to sleep