Chapter 1

She stood in the cold, without a coat, as she stared at her lifelong home. Her breath exited her body in white clouds as the sky began to grow dark. There was no doubt in her mind, she was not going back into that house. Somehow, she knew that if she walked away at that moment, they would not know that she was gone for at least two days. They were all wrapped up in there lives, lives that seldom included her, the youngest child.

If her best friend wasn't to wrapped up in her life, then she would retreat there. Simone turned from her lifelong home, and without looking back, she walked away into the cold twilight.

She walked, and without thinking, she walked past Tabitha's home where Kay was staying. Her mind was in such a daze, she grappled with going back to her home, and wondered if they would notice she was gone. When she realized that she walked past Kay's home, she wondered if she should go back, but decided against it, simply because Kay had a lot more to deal with at the moment.

She suddenly stopped walking, the cold air had begun to hurt. Her fingers and bare arms felt numb, as did her legs and feet. It was the that she realized she left her home wearing only her slippers, a tank top and her pajama shorts. The cold and exhaustion seemed to hit her all at once, and she had to stop herself from collapsing on the ground. She needed to get back home.

Before she could turn around and head back to the Harmony suburbs, a girl about her age, or maybe a few years older stood in front of her, speaking words that Simone's brain could not process, then finally leading her into a building. She was wrapped in something that seemed to itch her skin just a little. She couldn't explain why she was so detached from the world. The small group of people in the building talked, but there words didn't register in her mind.

All that ran through her mind were the things that had been building up for her entire life. Daddy giving up on Simone when she didn't hit the tennis ball. Whitney getting a party on Simone's birthday because she won a match. Mommy leaving a sick Simone at home because Whitney needed a new outfit for her match. Daddy forgetting to get Simone a Christmas present. Her mother and Julian Crane. Her father and Liz. Liz was her aunt. Kay selling her soul for Miguel. Kay pining over Miguel. Kay helping her to woo Chad. Chad dating Whitney. Crashing the car because of Chad and Whitney. Chad her and Whitney's brother.

Simone didn't realize that she was screaming until a familiar girl ran to her, and held her, asking her to calm down. It was then she realized that she was in a room with strangers. She vaguely remembered being whisked into the building, and she remembered leaving her home.

"I'm sorry." said Simone quietly "I'm sorry." she repeated, not crying because she didn't cry anymore. Not since that final blow about Chad being her half brother.

"Why are you sorry? You're no crazier than the rest of us. I found Flea in a tree, and Snake was lying in the middle of the road, waiting for a car to run him over. You seemed pretty sane, until I realized that you were off in your own world-"

"I'm not crazy- I need to get back home."

"From what we could hear, you are crazy. You can stay here as long as you want. The three of us move a lot, so if you go home and come back, we might not be here-"

"Don't force her Rat. I don't know why you want us to be a quad anyway. You and Flea can go make yourselves a love nest for all I care, and let me take care of myself. Just give me my blanket back." Simone found herself staring at the small group who took her off the streets, and apparently helped her through nightmares. They were all dressed in dirty, ripped jeans, moth eaten sweaters and a dirty knit skull caps. The girl had a few strands of light brown hair showing from under her cap. The boy that embraced the girl reminded her of Chad a little. He was obviously mixed race, and had a familiar smile. The other boy was as white as the girl. She thought maybe they could be siblings, with the girl the leader of the pack.

"We aren't that bad Kitty. That's what we are going to call you now, Kitty. Your shirt has a cat on it, and you seem so feline and gentle, like a kitty cat." The girl had a smile on her face as she talked to Simone, a smile that seemed to be urging her to stay with a group of homeless strangers that she had just met.

"Kitty?" Simone asked incredulously.

"I'm Rat." admits the girl, before pointing to the boy embracing her "And this is Flea" Simone watches the two smile at each other before introducing the third member, the brooding, handsome boy. "That's Snake, he does the brooding thing perfectly."

"My name doesn't fit. I don't belong here."

"Snake was joking about the blanket, he knows that we have an extra. This is going to sound strange, but I had a dream that you would join us, and change us forever, and that we are supposed to call you Kitty. You have to stay with us. Snake, he'll get used to you, but if you stay here, we have heat a lot of the times because we burn trash in the furnace, and we live right by 3 public buildings where there are bathrooms, the only problem is food, but we always manage to make it-"

Simone did not know what motivated her decision, but she decided to stay with the small gang of ragamuffins that invited her to their home.

"I have a few dollars." She said before reaching into her bra and pulling out 3 twenties, a ten, and six ones. Her 3 new roommates stared at her with open mouths. Seventy-six dollars was a lot of money for 3 people who had not held more than 3 dollars at a time for more than a year. "But this is all I have, I don't know how long this will last-"

"We don't ask about the past here. But you must have been rich to have that much money on you. I don't know what to tell you, sometimes we put our money together-" she stops as Simone hands her a twenty and the six ones

"I would give you a little more, but I need to buy my own blanket,so Snake can have his back, and some food, and some shoes and clothes- I'll be back a little later, please don't leave me, I really want to stay with you guys!"

The three stared as the girl ran out of the room, and seemingly out of their lives. She had left them with enough money to buy food for at least a week, for all three of them.