Chapter Two

He felt enclosed, uncomfortable in his own surroundings. They were scorching the back of his neck; those eerily familiar brown eyes followed him as he paced around his living room as he attempted to make sense of the truly tricky situation he had been thrust into. At this current moment in time, Robbie Shapiro was struggling to even glance at the petite girl who was perched somewhat awkwardly on the edge of his rather bulbous cream couch, instead he just continued to focus on anything but her whilst biting his thumb nail until it bled.

But when he did sneek a peek at her, he had to admit that she seemed… dishevelled. Her roots where showing signs of grease, her nails broken and chipped, even her simple outfit of leggings, a rt-shirt and a coat where ragged and dirty. He highly suspected that she had gone days without a proper meal, or a real place to stay.

He felt for her, he really did… But he shouldn't have to feel responsible for this girl. She was just a runaway who had landed on his plot claiming to be his long-lost child. He wanted more than anything to banish her, to tell to that she was a problem that he did not need in his life. Yet, as he glared down at her at the bottom of his driveway he couldn't find it in himself to do it and he knew the exact reason why.

Because he saw so much of Cat Valentine within her that it frightened him.

It wasn't even her appearance; the hair, the eyes… it was the way she handled herself. She was riddled with so many idiosyncrasies, like the way she would jiggle her leg in anticipation when she was seated or the way she kept placing an invisible flyaway behind her ear. Both of these traits where nervous habits that Cat had possessed the first time he had plucked up the courage to lean across and kiss her and from that moment on he noticed them in her constantly, from the first time she kissed him, to the moment she left him.

But more than anything; he realised how just how young she was. It was ridiculous of him to think that she could have been Cat; after all, she would be a grown woman now. While the girl in front of him, she couldn't possibly be more than fifteen years old. Which was only a year younger than Cat when she disappeared, and when she had disappeared, there was so many times he had imagined her in some other county. She must have felt so scared, alone and lost with no one to turn to, and he couldn't do this to this girl.

So the only option was clear. This child had to go back home to her family.

"Are you going to say anything?" she finally opened her mouth to speak, the question pouring out of her before she lost her sudden burst of courage, "You are wearing your carpet out you know."

"I don't even know where to begin." Robbie admitted, raking a hand through his hair as he continued to pace, "Who are you, how did you even get here?!"

She sighed heavily, her hands curling together as she leaned back in the chair, relaxing slightly, "My name is Maia and a week ago I- I found out that I wasn't who I thought I had been for 15 years of my life. It's my own fault really, I don't think they were ever planning on telling me either, why else would the truth have been locked away in a stupid drawer all this time?!"

She was becoming rather frantic, and Robbie would be lying if he said that he had a natural flare with children... or with hysterical teenage girls. It didn't feel right to go over and comfort her, he didn't know her, and even if she was blood she felt like a stranger. It was as if an invisible barrier was preventing from going within a 5 metre distance from her at all times, he just couldn't do it.

"Would you like a minute or-" He let the question linger, hoping to have a few seconds of relief so he might frantically call the police, or social services, or whoever deals with this kind of thing.

Rubbing her eyes on the cuffs of her grubby demin jacket, she shook her head and much to his disappointment, replied, "No. The sooner we get this over with the better."

So, with no other option, he placed himself at the end of the sofa, remaining a comfortable distance away from her and nodded, "Alright then, continue."

"Well, It's just - I always felt like there was something missing you know?" She flicked her hand at him dismissively when he shook his head, "It's hard to explain but it has always been there... When I would look at pictures of my mum and dad and children I didn't look a thing like them. But I tried to brush it off, I was just imagining it, some kids just don't look like their parent. But I couldn't shake it, when I asked my mum about my birth she would go all quiet and change the subject. It didn't make any sense until I heard them one night."

"They were fighting?" Robbie guessed, becoming more intrigued with this story, "I still don't understand how I come into this."

"I'm getting to it!" she bit back abruptly, "They were fighting about a letter, about how they should just destroy it before it got to me, how they know they made a promise to her that they would show it to me, but it was just a reminder of who I was… and who I really wasn't."

"Then you broke into the desk?" Robbie concluded.

She gave him an ever so slightly dip of her head, "One night when they where out at some stupid socialite banquet. I snuck in and busted the thing open."

For the first time, she smiled a quick perk up of her lips that made Robbie queasy. He saw it again, the likeness to Cat, and every time it hurt him like a knife to the chest. He looked away from her, instead focusing on one of his paintings as he asked.

"What did you find?"

"A letter, addressed to me… well I can only assume it was for me, the title was my precious valentine, well my birthday is on Valentine's day but still it was weird."

Robbie snorted at the irony, distracting her from her tall tale.

"Sorry." He apologised, "Go on."

"At first I thought it was going to be a confession, who she was, where I could find her… But it wasn't like that at all, it was a story."

"About?"

"A boy called Robbie Shapiro."

His heart flipped pointlessly, his mind suddenly buzzing with excitement. He must have given it away because she jumped up from the seat and pointed a triumphant finger at him, "I knew it!" she exclaimed, "I knew from the second I saw you that you where him! You know how easy you where to find on the internet, and the security in this place is horrendous!"

"So what if I am?!" he demanded, rising to meet her forceful glare, "What do you want me to do? I don't understand what I can give you that your parents couldn't!"

"Weren't you listening?" she spat back, "They are not my parents, you are! You and this girl!" She held the photo up again, "Whoever she is!"

He couldn't believe just how unfair this was, that Cat Valentine had been selfish enough, cruel enough to run away from him with a secret this huge and then to have the audacity to only tell this poor girl about him, somehow who had never been involved in the decision to put her into care, who until this very day… didn't even know that a little bit of him and Cat was still in existence, in the form of their child.

"Maia I am sorry to disappoint you." He lowered his voice, trying to keep himself as calm as possible because this was not her fault. He had to remember that she was just a child, who was just as lost as confused as he was, "But you have to go back to your family, you shouldn't be here, you're a minor for Christ sake! Do you know what kind of trouble you are going to find yourself in! I can take you, or order you a car if you would rather have that. But please understand that I can't help you."

"But you—"

"This is going to be hard for you to hear… But if you haven't already grasped this, I had no idea you existed. See that girl; I haven't seen her in fifteen years, so now I know as little about her as you do."

"I know." She replied, rolling her eyes as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, "That's why I came to you."

"Right this is getting ridiculous. I am sorry but you have to go. I am calling you a car." Striding past her he entered the foyer to grab his house phone, as he was dialling the number a small hand with chipped nail polish snatched it from him.

"No!" she was pleading with him, her eyes frantic, "This is the only chance I am going to get at this, because soon they will realise I'm gone and then I won't get to see you again and I just—I just want to know who I am. Please."

"I don't see how-"

"Please, this is my one request from you and after it's over we never have to see each other. I just can't live my life not knowing who she is." She bit her lip, trying to stop the tears from tumbling down her pale cheeks, "Please Mr. Shapiro, help me find this woman."

"I don't—I wouldn't even know where to begin…" he shook his head, "No Maia, I don't want to find her. I don't want to find her." He flicked his hand at her, "Just get out, if you won't accept my offer of help find your own way home."

Spinning on his heel he turned and walk away from her, to clarify that this conversation was over, and as far as he was concerned, like the disappearance of Cat Valentine, he would try to forget about this encounter.

"She spoke so highly of you!" she shouted at him, her voice mocking and acidic, "He was so kind, so generous and loving, he would go out of his way to protect or help anyone and I know, I believe it in my heart that once you read this letter and find him that everything will make sense, the time will be right them for him to meet you and accept you."

Her voice was cracking, her voice lower and rising wildly as she tried to stop sobbing, "Who knew my mother could be such a two-faced, lying bitch."

He slamming of the door echoed around the room, the loud bang made the room shake and his heart race even faster, if that was possible. He hated himself in that moment, how tactlessly and reckless he was with that girl's emotions when all she wanted to know was who she really was, that and nothing else, she didn't ask for money that she knew he had, just answers… But those were answers he didn't have… but still to this day craved.

"I'm out of my mind." He muttered as he rushed out towards the door and flung it open, and for the second time today.

He chased after this girl, ready to help her find what she was searching for because he had to face facts, she was willing to do after only one week of knowledge what he couldn't do in fifteen years.

They were going to find Cat Valentine.

Heyyyy Everybodyy!

How are we all today, feeling healthy, feeling loved? Well if you aren't I hope this chapter cheered you up!

Gonna rant a wee bit here, but I love stories like this with loads of twists sooo I hope you enjoy what I am doing with it even if you have read a story like this before! Fun fact though when I thought of this agesss ago it was going to be a sequel to "Perfectly Imperfect" with the child being called Tess, like a reincarnation of sorts :P

But I felt like Cat's character had developed to much by the end of that to have her run away like the Cat in this story did so sadly I had to scrap it!

Anyway, Review, Follow, Favourite, you all know the jazz by now! Lovely long reviews if you don't mind ;) BTW I will incorporate all of the victorious stars they are going to help piece together the puzzle!