“If all this tree is from mom and all this tree is from himwhere do I grow my own branches?”

“I'm sure you were mistaken," Yaicha says to her brush.My ears pin back -"MISTAKEN?I know who Angie is, Yaicha.I know who our father is, Yaicha. He hurts people, he hurts you, you never do anything!" My claws scrape the wall paint.She turns with soft rabbit eyes. "He'll kill me.""He's already doing that!"I am growling, grabbing her sleeve, "Every day, every day he rips you open,chips off pieces week by week, till a few years from now you are not even a mouthful of sawdust.A drawn-out killing.Well, I'm tired of all of us doing nothing. He has to be stopped."Yaicha's eyes have flinched a few times but soften again. "Nobody can stop him."My teeth show."Nobody can stop him? Good.To him I have always been Nobody.”

“I think that is supposed to be good, that I get less from him but I feel worthless.”

“I got an A on the third quiz in American history, an A, dammit. Last time I got a Bup from a Cand my father said,"if you can get a Cyou can get a B,if you can get a Byou can get an A."-I got an Aand my father said,"grades don't mean anything.”

“Yaicha runs.He sits down, tired,and says to mom, "I'm sorry you had to see that."Inevitable that he does it.But he doesn't really want a witness.”

“Yaicha is named after a songby some group from the last century called thePousette-Dart Band.Something about a girl, a candle in the falling rain shining amidst the pain.I kind of surprise myselfwhen I can picture Yaicha as that candle.My father named Yaicha after the "haunting melody."I wonder if he ever listenedto the lyrics.”

“I'm sorry, I had a meeting"I stand behind his chair. "Liar," under my breath."You weren't at a meeting," take a breath, gain speed, bursting,"You were with Angie in the office.I saw you. I saw you. You clamp us down, you think no one knows.You hurt my brother! My sister!You hurt my friend! Small trusting prey, huh?You had to squash some weak person already in pain, thinking she loved you.You could have chosen to hurt me!But I'm not worth enough, I never am and you picked poor Angie, you were going to RAPE her, I SAW YOU TRY TO RAPE ANGIE, you fucking MONSTER!”