Katie Girl

Pound, pound, pitter patter is the soft thud of little feet. A pretty little brunette girl, around 6 years old is giggling as she runs away from her father, her curls bouncing as she runs. Her father is making tickle fingers at her and is crouching while he slowly chases his daughter.
She is bright and innocent and loves her parents and her older sister. Her life is full of affection and laughter. Although her parents are poor, they love their children and do everything for them that their meager existence can afford. They named her Karma Sandrine, but everyone called her Katie Girl. Katie has an older sister named Tangerine who prefers to call herself Terry, much to her parents' chagrin.

All in life is simple for this throwback family who still live in the hippie era. They can be seen making their own soap and repurposing used furniture, farming their own small piece of property to grow most of the food they eat.

In the summers, the girls would spend at least 2 weeks at their grandparents' house in Boise Idaho. It wasn't as much fun of a place, but it was obvious that this family was close.

One hot summer day the 2 girls were playing outside in the front yard of their grandparents' house, while gramma was drinking tea on the wrap around front porch watching them. Inside, the phone rings and gramma leaves to take the call.

"Be right back, girls. Stay in the yard." She shouts at her grandchildren while entering the house.

A dark figure hiding behind the shrub next to the gate took advantage and quickly ran into the yard. Scoop! The cute brunette was grabbed, and he was gone before anyone noticed, including her sister playing only a few feet away.

Grandmother was back a few seconds later and scanned the yard looking for the girls. She found Tangerine quite quickly and shouted, "Tangerine! Where is your sister?"

"Uhm, I don't know gramma!" She says while she quickly scanned the yard.

The grandmother came down the stairs as quickly as she could, calling for her granddaughter. She canvassed the neighbourhood and talked with some of the homeowners, all the while she kept a tight grip on her other granddaughter. With her throat sore from calling for the missing child and tired from walking around, she deemed it time to call the police.

The police came and interviewed the grandmother and Tangerine. They also spoke to all the neighbours and local shops. Soon enough there were posters plastered all over the city. Not a single sight of the little girl was found anywhere. Joe and Samantha, the little girl's parents, blamed the grandmother for not paying enough attention. The grandmother unfortunately transferred that guilt down to little Tangerine.

Hours, days and then weeks slipped by with no notice of the little girl. The police interrogated the parents, the grandparents, neighbours and friends of the family. Eventually the police were calling it a 'cold case'.

With time, the family made peace with each other. All of them were now overprotective of their remaining daughter, when they could take time away from the investigation and did pay her any attention at all.

One night when the family was all together and they had spent the night pouring over what evidence they did have as a group, they tired and soon enough they were all asleep.

Tangerine woke up to the sound of a kitten crying. She got out of bed to find the noise. Quietly she crept downstairs listening hard for the sound. The mewing was getting a little louder. Soon she came to the basement door. It was slightly ajar, and the mewing seemed to be coming from the dark scary basement. She thought for a minute about waking her parents but decided to venture forth anyway. She expected them to rush her back to bed without really listening to her in the first place.

She flicked the light on, and the sound seemed to get louder. Down the wooden steps to the basement. She rounded the corner and she saw, over in the corner, next to the furnace, her sister. She was covered in dirt, her hair matted and her nightgown was both bloody and filthy. She was sucking her thumb, her knees tight against her chest. She was shivering on the cold basement floor. Tangerine screamed at the top of her lungs to get her parents' attention. Little did she know that the perpetrator was hiding around the corner, looking for a quick escape. Tangerine ran to her sister's side, and tried to hug her. Her sister cowered away and started screaming. Upstairs a thumping and thudding was heard as her family scrambled to get to the basement.

Joe, Katies father, was the first to arrive. He pushed passed Tangerine and scooped Katie Girl up into his arms. Samantha was close behind him. In the shuffle and confusion as everyone headed upstairs, they left poor Tangerine alone again, in the basement. She was confused, terrified, and felt so very abandoned.

"Tangerine! Come upstairs, now!" Shouted her mother.

She made her way upstairs and saw her mom on the phone with the police, her father was putting on his jacket, grabbing his keys. He was off to the hospital with the terrified, screaming child in his arms. After Samantha hung up she took a second vehicle and headed to the hospital, leaving instructions for the Grandmother to speak to the police, who were sending teams to both the hospital and the house.

Tangerine was left with her grandmother at the house, while everyone else left. Her grandmother was hugging her and rocking her, praying for the little Katie Girl who had just left.
Doctors determined that the child had been severely sexually assaulted. No orifice was left untouched. Her insides were decimated, and it was evident the child would need immediate surgery. The doctors were unsure if the child would survive, because she had lost so much blood. They were unable to save her uterus and her vagina was so damaged they were only able to stitch and sew it up. Her bowels had to be reconstructed and she had an ostomy bag surgically placed in her abdomen. She was covered in scratches, and bruises and her left eye socket was cracked. She also had some brain swelling. As a result of her injuries, the doctors recommended a medically induced coma so the child could heal some before waking her.
Katie Girl eventually woke up. She was afraid of everything and everyone. When she wasn't crying, she was silent and curled in a ball, sucking her thumb.

Finally, one day, Tangerine was allowed to see her sister. The parents were hoping that seeing her would help to calm Katie Girl.

They were right. The moment that Katie Girl saw Tangerine she grabbed her sister and wouldn't let her go. Rocking back and forth. Tangerine didn't mind at all and hugged her sister tightly.
Since Katie Girl's return, she hadn't spoken a word. Only crying, moaning, and screaming when waking from nightmares. Eventually doctors were able to reverse the stoma and Katie Girl was released from the hospital. However, due to her emotional state they sent her to a mental hospital to help her, hoping she would eventually return to the sweet girl that was taken that day long ago.

Whatever had happened to that poor girl. She never was 'normal' again. She was mentally stuck at the age of a 6-year-old girl. The perpetrator was never found. Terry made her sister a promise that one day, she would get the bad man. She would do her best to keep that promise.