She tried to muster up a small smile for the older woman, but the result was an awkward twitching at the corners of her mouth. Kathy was appreciative of her presence, as hard as it was for her to show it at the moment.
Having been fully prepared to put up a fight if Sarah requested that Kathy come downstairs, the little girl was relieved when she joined her in the tiny, enclosed space. It felt safe, there. Warm. She had dragged a blanket in from her old room and wrapped herself in, a makeshift nest of sorts.
"I'm not hurt," she told Sarah truthfully, looking over at her. "He didn't touch me."