Demi's POV

After dinner, I let Kenzie watch more TV. I don't know why, but she loved watching people moving around on a screen. I cut a couple of pieces of the cake she worked on earlier and brought them into the living area where she was sitting, eyes glued to the TV. "Want to try it now?" I asked, giving one of the small slices to her. She nodded and took the cake from me. She followed what I did, picking up the fork and using it to put the chocolate cake in her mouth. Her eyes lit up at the taste, and I saw a small smile start to form on her face. "Good?" I asked, giggling slightly. She nodded and turned her attention back to the TV. She ate while watching the random Disney show. She had finished her piece before I finished mine. Once I was done, I took both our plates into the kitchen. I noticed it was getting late. I was tired, so I thought Kenzie would be, too. I turned off the TV, and she turned to me with chocolate all over her mouth. At least she kept it on her face and off my couch. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up before bed." She followed me into the bathroom, where I gave her a wet rag to wipe off her face. She still didn't want me touching her, so I let her do it herself. After she was clean, I got her to brush her teeth, then led her up to her bedroom. I left the room so she could change (she wouldn't change unless I left) and went into my own room to get my pajamas on. I walked in to see Kenzie already under the covers. I told her good night before turning off the light and leaving. I climbed into my own bed, hoping she would be okay tonight.

-

I woke up in the middle of the night. I don't know why, but I couldn't go back to sleep. I got out of bed and into the kitchen to get some water. On my way back to my room, I noticed a light from Kenzie's room. Too bright to be the nightlight, but not bright enough for her big light. I knew it was her lamp. I tip-toed over to her room and peaked through the door. She was on the bed sniffling with silent tears streaming down her face. I immediately walked over to her, but when I sat down next to her, she moved away. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Don' hurt me, Demi," she whispered.

I was taken back by her response. "No, I would never hurt you. Why would you think that? Did you have another dream?" I asked, and she nodded slightly. "Can you tell me about it?"

She just shook her head. "Don't hurt me, Demi," she whispered again. The fear in her eyes was un-explainable. 

"It's okay. I promise, I won't hurt you." I didn't know what to do. Stay here and make her more scared of me? Leave and make her feel unloved? I had to fight the urge to embrace her in a hug. She wouldn't let me touch her, and I don't want her to feel trapped. How do I show her that I care? How do I show her that not everyone is mean? She stared at me with terrified eyes. Her sniffling continued, and the tears never stopped falling. "Did I hurt you in your dream?" I asked. She broke her gaze from me and looked down in her lap. "Kenzie, that was just a dream, I promise. Remember earlier when we made that cake together?" She looked back up at me. "Remember how much fun you had? And I wouldn't let you touch the oven because it was hot. I didn't want you to get hurt, so why would I hurt you?" She looked down at her palms, then back up at me. Did she think I was trying to hurt her when I cleaned her cuts on her hands and forehead? "Kenzie, that stung when I cleaned them because it was getting all the bad germs out. That's it. That's the only reason. I just noticed that her tears had stopped, and I was staring at a face with red puffy eyes and a runny nose. I grabbed a tissue from the desk beside her bed and handed it to her. It was obvious the she had no idea what it was, so I grabbed one and showed her. She followed my actions. I got her back under the covers. "I promise, no one can hurt you now," I whispered. I turned off her lamp and went back into my room. I climbed in my bed and tried to fall back to sleep. I was hard, but I finally dozed off.