My stomach growled for the hundredth time this week. "Mama...I'm hungry." I whined again. She didn't answer me, she hasn't said anything to me since the day Mr. Morrise came by, neither has father for that matter. Were they ignoring me? They were acting like I wasn't even there. They gotten rid of all my baby pictures hung up that Mama cherished so much, and when I asked them about my chores they just kept walking like they didn't see or hear me. They didn't set my plate at the table anymore, and they once tried to lock me in my room I think.

I'm starting to feel like a stranger, and I'm getting the feeling that I'm not wanted here. I don't know what to do though, where would I go if they don't want me here. I laid my head on top of the table to think. I wanted to cry, I could feel it, but I didn't. It's only three more days until Mr. Morrise comes back and fixes whatever is wrong with me, I can hold out for three more days. My stomach growled again, hopefully I can hold out for three more days. I don't know how much more I can take.

Something grabbed the back of my shirt collar and flung me upward. I gasped and my eyes widened, my heart raced, what the heck? I turned to the side to see Papa glaring at me with the same glare he gives the debt and rent collectors, "I'm tired of looking at your face, you look nothing like my daughter, who are you?" He screamed at my face, spit flew past me ad onto the wall. I was too afraid and shocked to say ew though.

When I didn't answer, he scoffed and walked towards the door. Mama followed behind him, screaming sternly for him to put me down. He didn't listen and sung the door open and flung me hard into the freezing cold soft snow. I winced while Mama pushed past him to make a run for me. Papa grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back in, slamming the door. I heard the door lock.

I've been waiting for two days now. There was no one there except some voodoo lady down the block telling fortunes and other things. They weren't going to open the door, it hit me like a brick. Thinking this over I noticed how I jumped and my heart leaped for joy when I saw the curtain flutter, but only to be disappointed when it stopped.

I should just give up. There's nothing else out there that could possibly help me. I stood up, my feet numb from the cold. I walked down the street when the voodoo lady looked at me. "Would you like to know your fortune?" I shook my head no, and kept walking. "What about a card game?" she pushed, business must be slow for her to be this desperate. I stopped and turned to her. "I'll do it for free since you look so down, I saw you standing out in the snow for so long,I might as well give you a break." This lady was ugly, she had a pointy sharp nose and chin with a long face. She had lots of wrinkles and black pupiless eyes. She also had some ugly mole on the side of her nose, but her small tent had heat, which felt nice to stand by, so I'd play her little game or whatever for now.

"It's simple, just pick one card and I can tell your whole future." What a great load of bullshit, but I didn't want to move away just yet, so I chose a card. It had a puppet master on there hold a porcelain doll with strings attacked to it, though the strings were cut short. The lady held her bony wrinkled hand out for the card which I placed neatly into her palm. She studied it carefully, "There's a puppet waiting in your future, but it doesn't say much more than that." "Then I'm glad I didn't pay, all that for only one card? That's no future, this was a rip off. Thanks for wasting my time lady" I walked away from her. "Why you little_!" she threw the card but they only landed in the snow.

I smiled, what was with me? I've never been this rude to anyone since I've been to Cross Academy. I smiled at first but it only faded away. My pace got faster to a speed walk, which accelerated to a jog, then a run. My eyes water and I tried to hold back the tear, believe me I did. But they came out anyway. I ran and pushed past people rudely without saying excuse me, crying the whole time.

I was running away.

My name is Mikka, no last name, just Mikka, and I'm half puppet.