WELCOME, LITTLE WITCH, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST.
When you mentioned about the demons and the nightmares, I zipped right back to my childhood, and even years later, when I was frightened to death of the dark and everything the JW's labeled as from Satan.
Now, when I go to sleep, I like it very dark, with no lights on at all. I even cover up the light on the VCR in the BR and my clock. I allow the dark to comfort me now and I sleep like I never used to. It took a long time to get past all that.
What a horrible experience you had, losing your mom, and then having to deal with a "wicked" stepmother. It sounds to me like she really wasn't strong enough to decide things for herself, and so she blamed everyone around her for how miserable her life was. She is messed up big time.
Families become so weird while in the borg, and more weird when they are "fence sitting" and even more "weird" when one of their own leaves, while they can't manage to get out. So they just hurt and blame and shun and abuse. It's all so very un-christian. So very un-loving, isn't it?
Well, now you are out and making new friends and growing stronger. This is a really great place to be, among people who truly do understand. You can vent, you can question, you can comment, or just read. I will look for your posts in the days to come.
Love and Light,
Sentinel/Karen