At first I was going to make an intro, but I still don't know exactly what happened. I'm going to update quickly- I already have chapter 4 done- but not immidately. I want to enjoy the cliffhangers while they last. Plus, you can't go on the website to find out what happens because the server is down! evil laugh Anyway, thank you ILikeAres for betaing every chapter but this one (that's why it stinks so much), and I hope you enjoy.

And thank you 3SmartGirl for pointing out some stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Boots, Gregor, Lizzie, Temp, or anything else in here that relates to TUC. All the rest of the stuff is mine. Mine, I say, MINE!

"Boots!" Zoey called from behind. I leaned my rusty old mop against the side of the worn brick wall of the bedroom and turned around. Her smiling face was brown with dirt and grime like the rest of us. Her tattered blue jeans ended inches above her ankle and were ripped in several places. Her white shirt was coated in filth and grass stains, making it look greenish brown.

"What is it?" I asked, tucking a strand of tangled blond hair behind my ear. Her usually lusterless eye twinkled with excitement. She had trouble sleeping, and almost never had enough energy to be cheerful. Almost none of us did.

"I just overheard one of Ms. Harrison's phone calls. Someone's coming for an adoption!" she squeaked. If I was still holding my mop, I would have dropped it. An adoption? No one had made an adoption from this run-down place in months! No wonder she was so giddy.

I nodded. "That's great! Go tell everyone you can. I have to stay here and mop this place up before the Goat Lady gets back and kills me." She laughed. Some of the only real joy here came from making fun of Ms. Harrison, the cruel orphanage director. She punished us whenever she got the chance. Her gray hair, beady eyes and triangular face reminded us of a goat, hence the nickname "Goat Lady."

Zoey scurried off to tell the rest of the orphans, and I went back to mopping, wondering what it would be like to live with a real family. I had one a long time ago. I don't remember when I lost them, or who they were. All I have is names. Gregor, Lizzie, Temp. What kind of name was Temp?

I was lost in my thoughts, absentmindedly humming and sliding my mop across the floor. If I could have a family again. I felt a hand pull my shoulder and twirl me around, forcefully yanking me back into reality. It was Mrs. Harrison, her beady eyes reduced to angry slits.

"Stop slacking and get back to work!" she snarled. My grip on the mop tightened, and I began to scrub the floor vigorously. She snorted, turned around, and went to inspect the rest of the orphanage.

Half an hour passed. I swept away the last patch of dirt from the floor. I sighed with relief, glad that all my hard work paid off. Maybe goat face would actually give me dinner after what happened half an hour ago. Speaking of dinner…

"Boots, dinner time!" Sally called from downstairs. Or was it Jenna? I could only tell the difference between them when I could actually see them, which is a huge accomplishment as it is. They may just be the most identical twins on the planet. I walked down the stairs, and I found out that it really was Sally.

We all sat down over our makeshift meals; soggy pasta with tomato paste, iceberg lettuce covered in vinegar (aka salad), and old, warm two percent milk. We didn't eat yet, even though we were starving. We knew better. Ms. Harrison, who was sitting at the end of the long table, cleared her throat and held up a clipboard.

"Tomorrow afternoon at 3 o-clock PM, the Ashford family will come for an adoption," she announced. We all already knew this, of course. Although everyone had a dignified look on their face (if you didn't, you wouldn't even get dinner), I could tell that almost everyone was boiling over in excitement. "They will adopt only one child, so I expect all of you to be perfect little young ladies tomorrow. If you are not clean and ready to behave tomorrow, you won't even get a chance to be adopted." She glared at me.

She nodded, and we commenced eating.

--

I slid down under my covers, smelling sweet as a rose. Goat Lady let us use the shower for the adoption tomorrow. She mus have really wanted to get rid of us. She flicked the light switch, slammed the door behind her, flicked of the hallway lights, and filled the room with darkness.

At night, most bedrooms always have a little light. A nightlight, the light from the hallway, or even the moon's glow would provide a small amount of light. But we had no windows or hallway lights or nightlights. It was completely dark.

Five, four, three, two, one, I counted in my head. When I reached zero, the clicking started right on queue.

Every night since my arrival, a frantic clicking noise would start five seconds after the lights went out. It has never failed to start up once. The strangest thing is, the clicking automatically translates the second it reaches my ears. Come back, Princess, come back, it always repeated. I had learned to ignore it a long time ago.

I could have sworn, though, that it said something else right before I dozed off. It might just have been a dream, or maybe my mind was wondering. But I thought I heard it say:

We know, your family, we know.