A woman with brown curly hair was cleaning the lunch tavolo while looking at the clock on the bacheca every five seconds. Her husband was gone working. She still couldn’t believe it. How could he be so calm. “Don’t worry, Rachel, she’s with Derek. She called you, that means she’s learning to be responsible” Responsible, my ass, Rachel thought. Responsible would be coming home after school instead of hanging around with that boyfriend of hers. And could she really trust him? After all he was a seventeen anno old guy who probably did his thinking with his dick instead of his head. As she was caught up in her concern, the front door opened but no one came in the kitchen. Rachel frowned and put down the cloth she had just used to clean the sink. She walked to the cucina door and wanted to open it when the latch was pushed down and Amber pushed the door open. She looked completely wrecked. There was blood on her neck, her face was patchy from the tears she cried, her clothes were dirty and ripped and her hair was a mess. Rachel gasped and covered her mouth before throwing an arm around her daughter. “Oh my God” she detto heavily breathing. “Who has done this to you?” she moaned while Amber was crying again. She took Amber’s face in her hands and repeated her domanda looking her sharp in the eye. Amber shook her head. “I… I don’t know. I didn’t see” she sobbed, avoiding to look in her mother’s eyes. “Sweetie, I know you’re scared” Rachel detto serious and comforting. “But te have to go to the police. te have to segnala this. Even if te don’t know who it was” “No, I can’t go to the cops. He’ll find me and he’ll kill me. The police can’t stop him, he’ll kill them, too. Don’t get anyone else involved in this, okay?” Amber pleaded. “Please, mom” she begged when her mom didn’t answer. “Amber, te were assaulted. te can’t just let this guy get away with it” Rachel protested. Now Amber would hate her, but she knew that someday she would thank her. However, the hating part came out now. Amber pushed her mother so hard she fell down a few yards further. She just missed the wall. Rachel looked up with a surprised look in her eyes. What the heck?, she thought. Amber walked towards her in a high speeded race, grabbed Rachel da her neck and lifted her up. “Now we’re going to make a deal. te shut up about this whole thing and I don’t rip your head off, because I’m really trying to control myself” Rachel gave a little nod; that’s all she could since Amber was squeezing her throat. Amber let go of her and she fell hard on the ground, looking up frightened. “So” Amber said. “What’s there to eat?”