Chapter One - Cat
She sat at that window, staring out at a bright land of beauty and joy. Or at least she hoped it was. Glistening sunlight beamed through the windows - she could feel it as her fingertips tapped the glass, the burning sensation tingling her every nerve. It was her punishment, that she knew. But for what? That was something she would never know.
Her swollen hands shakily lifted the guitar off the ground, fumbling for her guitar pick from her pockets. She strummed softly, listening to the blessed sound of the chords mixing in harmony. She sang, letting the words slip out of her mouth. Sorrow. Fear. Regret. Everything she ever felt in the past years slipped into a song, carelessly fixing into place. That's what she loved about her crazy, messed up brain; somehow, everything just fit into place.
She paused. Scared, frightened, confused, all were bursting through her mind as she focused on the change in her surroundings. She sensed a slight movement behind her. Something fell. Then a gentle breeze flew right past her, embracing her.
'Just the wind,' she told herself and picked up from where she had left off.
As her fingers vibrated against the strings, her mind fell to the accident. Today marked ten years. Ten years of blank, terrifying nothingness filling the void of her eyes. No doubt that she was used to it, yet she still missed the vibrant colours jumping to and fro and the games of hide and seek. What had happened was unexpected, certainly, yet what was worse was that it had left a permanent scar physically, mentally and emotionally. Before the accident, she would wait by the window and always look for when daddy would come home. She remembered it in her mind, images not flashing to her mind but words. Patience. Worry. That pretty much summed her up to be honest: a patient young woman, whose heart was full of worry.
"Catherine, where are you?" A shrieking voice yelled. "Catherine? Heavens, child. Where are you Catherine?" Her name was repeated constantly but Cat was too focused and much too tired to answer.
It was her mother, of course. With her shrill and worried voice, as well as the use of Cat's full name, it was evident that it was her. She remembered her mum to be beautiful, with long black hair and green eyes. As for now, she had noticed that her mum's hair had been cut short as she could no longer feel its bouncy curls tickling against her face when they snuggled close.
It was just the two of them, plus her older brother Henry. She couldn't tell his looks, yet she remembered him as the chubby little boy he once was. She'd realised that he had lost his baby fat though, eyes or no eyes. However, she couldn't be sure of how he looked, just how he acted. He was entirely the most sweetest, caring guy she had ever met, but then again it was his duty to be. He looked after her, made sure she got to school okay and found her group of friends before running off to his own like any other boy would.
Catherine sang again, hearing the different tones in her voice, like you would have different tones in a piece of artwork: the image being the song, the colours being the words. Music was her life, as she was able to express her thoughts and feelings through the different notes and melodies. It was better than any image to be taken, or any picture to be painted because it was hers - her imagination. No one could ever take it away from her.
"Catherine Evangeline, there you are. Come on, you're going to be late." Mum ordered. Her hands were immediately pulling the guitar away from her daughter, yet the sudden scream dragged her away. Cat was protective over her objects and although she knew it was her mum there with her, she couldn't forget what she had been taught. "For goodness sake, it's just me."
Mum wasn't in a good mood to say the least. It was quarter to four and with Cat's Blind Support Group meeting in less than thirty minutes, she believed that she had a duty to be rushing.
