Buddy Bear

By S.J. Collins

The Child
Eight-year-old Lily is left fragile and broken after her mothers death. Alone and scared, she turns to anyone that can keep her safe and protect her from the evil that lurks behind every shadow. Lily soon discovers that her protectors are the evil she needs protection from.

The Father
Mitch both loves and despises his daughter. He despises that she is a living, breathing human being that reminds him of his ex-wife. He loves punishing her for it.

The Friend
John is a kind, smart, and gentle man who vows to protect Lily from her fathers wrath, but at what cost to Lily?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jan 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514444276

S.J. Collins

S.J. Collins lives in Queensland, Australia, with her husband and two children. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work, a master’s in social science (criminology major), and a diploma in counselling. She began writing poetry and fictitious short stories at the age of twelve, and her love of reading and writing has encouraged her to write and publish her first book, Buddy Bear.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by S.J. Collins.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015921186

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-4425-2

                Softcover       978-1-5144-4426-9

                eBook            978-1-5144-4427-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 01/13/2016

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Dedication

My Sunshine

My Happiness

My Children

Caidence and Kaleb

I Love You

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my husband Michael, without your love, patience and support I may never have found the courage to achieve what I once believed to be unachievable. You are my light, my anchor, my best friend. Thank you for always being you. I love you.

To my parents, even though we were never materialistically wealthy when I was a child, you both managed to create a full and wealthy life for us. You have taught me to appreciate all that life has to offer; regardless how small those things are; to make the most of and learn from every situation that life throws at me and to always rise above it. The strength, passion and drive that I posses are credited to the both of you and I thank you for always encouraging me to learn more, fight more and live more. I love you both very much.

Mr D, your belief and enthusiasm in all that I do and all that I achieve has been a great comfort to me throughout the years. The support and encouragement you have given me throughout this journey I will forever hold close to my heart. You are and always will be my friend and my family.

There have been many people who have entered and exited my life, each one leaving a mark on me regardless how big or how small. I would like to thank all of you who have provided me with support, love and the strength I have needed in my times of weakness. The list is far too long to enter here but if you are reading this and believe I am writing about you, you are correct in feeling that way.

Xlibris Publishing, thank you for providing me with the opportunity to fulfil my publishing dream.

CHAPTER 1

Buddy Bear was given to me by Gramps on my sixth birthday. Even at six, I thought teddy bears were childish—but not this particular bear. Gramps gave him to me; that is what makes him so special. I remember the day as though it was only yesterday.

Like I said, it was my sixth birthday, and I was sitting on the splintered wood of our front veranda, listening to the sounds of my mother and father arguing. I hugged myself as I heard my name, knowing that their arguing would soon turn on me, and I shuddered at the possible pain that it would bring. It was the only time they seemed to get along—when they were attacking me.

Gramps pulled up in his run-down brown station wagon and climbed out of the car. He started walking slowly towards me with his hands behind his back. Gramps smiled at me as he got closer. I loved his smile. It was a smile that lit up his whole face and made him look many years younger than the eighty-five years that he was. I stood up and raced towards him, wrapped my arms around his neck as he leaned down to kiss my cheek, and squealed with surprised to see what he was hiding behind his back. It was a stuffed toy polar bear. Its fur was as white as snow and as soft as marshmallows. I hugged him to my chest and beamed at Gramps.

‘Hold him close, Lily,’ Gramps whispered. ‘He will always be here for you when I cannot. Happy birthday, my beautiful Lily.’ Gramps kissed me softly on the forehead and slowly walked back to his car. I noticed that he was walking a little differently than usual, and my eyes welled with tears, thinking about the possibility that Gramps would not be there for me. What did he mean by that? He was my best friend. He always cleaned the blood from my hair and wiped the tears from my eyes whenever I would run to his house after Mum and Dad would take turns hurting me. Daddy and Gramps had had a fight the week before (about me, I think), and I was told that I could not see or talk to him any more.

Gramps died a few weeks after my sixth birthday, and I couldn’t even go to the funeral. I cried for weeks. Even when Daddy threw me against the wall and screamed at me to shut up, I didn’t stop. Gramps was my best friend, my only friend.

Buddy Bear—that’s what I call my perfect polar bear. Buddy is my best friend now. Although he isn’t as white as he was ten years ago and he is missing an eye, he