"Owww..." I groan, glaring at the cast over my ankle. My doctor said I was lucky the blade hadn't pierced the major artery in my ankle, and that in about a month I would be able to take off my cast. Good thing there was only a week left till it came off, cause it itches like crazy. I groan again, louder, and my mom pops her head into my room.

"You might as well get used to it, honey, it'll be there for another week." She says with a sickeningly sweet tone, and I frown. "Mom..." I grumble, crossing my arms. She sighs and plops down into the bed next to me.

"That was very brave, what you did." She says quietly, and I stare at her curiously. "But it was also very stupid. You could've gotten yourself killed." I open my mouth in disbelief. "Brandy could have been stabbed, mom. I had to do SOMETHING." She gives me a small smile and lightly pats my cast. "You've always been a bit of an adventurist, Callie." She grins wider, and I can tell she's about to launch into some stupid life story.

"When you were younger," she starts, and I sigh, muttering. She looks pointedly at me, and I stop making noise. She smiles at me, and continues. "You were about five or six, and we were at Grandpa and Grandmas farm. There had been a prison break recently, and a pedophile was among the escapees. Your father went to the barn for a second, I don't remember why." She took a deep breathe, the story getting her a tad worked up.

"A-and he started screaming from the barn." She clears her voice, then continues. "Apparently the pedo was hiding in the barn, and your father decided to take Brandy along with him to the barn." She sighs and looks at me tearfully. "When we got to the barn your father was bleeding on the floor. He was screaming and pointing at the opposite door, yelling something incoherent. But there was one word I understood. And it was 'Brandy'. So of course, everyone was freaking out. We didn't know what happened for sure, so we didn't know where to go. We ran about like headless chickens." She sighs, standing up to leave.

"Wait!" I say urgently. I got more into that story than I meant to. Sue me. "How does it end?" I ask. She turns around and grins at me coyly, and I grimace. She was enjoying this way too much. "That story is for another day." She calls out behind her, leaving my room and descending the stairs. I sigh and lean back on my pillows.

Jerk. She should've just told me the end. Believe it or not, I was worried about Brandy. I know she must've been found since she's here today, but still. I worry about her way too much. If you don't believe me, just ask all the little kids I threatened before school. I can be a jerk, too.