Hi people. I sincerely apologize for not updating for like a month. I'm not a person who usually uses excuses but I do have one. Long story short I work at a horse ranch with a few of my friends. We had just gotten this new horse, Marshmellow(a.k.a Shmellow) a few weeks before. I went out there for my spring break and she got really sick. She got a really bad disease that slowly, and extremely painfully, shuts down a horse's body. We stayed up with her for 48 straight hours but it didn''t do any good. We had to have her put down in the end. My friend was still petting her and i had her head in my lap when the vet put her down. Ever since then I haven't felt like doing anything. It really hit me hard, especially since I hadn't really encountered death before. However, my fantastic friends helped me through it. I can't thank them enough.

On a happier note, there were actual English girls working there. And a French girl. We had some crazy times and they only made me love English people even more. Each one of them had a different sounding accent which made it more awesome. They also gave me a better picture of a life of a teen in England which helps me a lot.

This chapter has definitely been the hardest to write. I just wanted to get to the ones with John in it so I didn't feel like writing it. And I really had no idea what should happen. It's not very good but I promise the next few will be much more exciting and a lot better quality. And how could they not? I mean, after all, they have John in them...;)

DISCLAIMER: umm if i owned the beatles i wouldnt be writing about them on fanfiction would I? i'd be staring at them and drooling, thinking, 'oh my God! I own the freakin' beatles!' (i wish)

Chapter Ten
There's A Place

Not long after I make it out to my garden does Ms. Kollins call out to me. With dread I return to her office. Even though know I'm in for some kind of punishment, I feel better knowing I'll be able to get away from here again soon enough, even if for only a week. I push open the front door and shuffle to her dark office.

She is waiting in her chair as though she hasn't moved since my Prudence's parents made their departure. Her beady eyes and beak-like nose greeted me coolly. Her eyes flicker between various shades of black as she takes me in. I don't sit, knowing she'll scream at me if I do. Her lack of reaction is putting me a little on edge. Normally, I can deal with her actions. It didn't take too long to figure out her behavioral pattern. Being rather an unoriginal woman, she never seemed to like change. Therefore she became very predictable to me. But, as of late, she seems to be becoming a bit more erratic in her plans and it's throwing me off greatly.

"I don't want you going with those people. I'm sure you realize this. Just as I'm sure you realize that I didn't want you to go on that trip either. However, I do not seem to have a choice in the matter at the moment," she states in a chilly tone. I eye her warily, not entirely sure where she's going with this. "One thing does give me comfort in all this. Some reassurance if you will." I raise an eyebrow. "Well, I can ensure that nothing ill will be spoken about this place by you. All it takes to get your co-operation is a five year old girl. So we have a deal?"

I swear if it were legal I would kill this woman. Who would ever threaten a mere five year old to convince a teen to not tell people how she's being abused? Clearly her, but still…

It irks me that she can have so much power over me because of Annie. I love the girl, but I wish this awful woman would leave her out of it. In defeat, I respond, "Yes. We have a deal."

She nods curtly and waves me away.

A small figure tumbles in front of me when I open the door. Closing it shut, I find Annie who looks quite guilty. "Annie, you weren't eavesdropping, were you?" I ask gently with a teasing undertone. I don't really care if she had been, just as long as she didn't understand what had been said.

She shakes her head vigorously, but she's biting her bottom lip and avoiding my gaze. I ruffle her hair and pick her up, "It's alright, hon', just don't do it again, alright?" I receive a nod. Also, unsurprisingly, I receive a request for a book. "Do I have to?"

She thinks for a moment, then nods. I yawn, "How 'bout a song instead?" My suggestion gets her approval. "Wait. Is it one of those weird ones?" she wonders. I nod, understanding that when she says strange it's because the songs are in French. My mother was French so she taught me several songs growing up. And she sang me a lullaby in French nearly every night.

After helping her and Suzie get ready to go to sleep, they pull me down onto one of their beds. I sit between the two of them. They snuggle up to me under their blankets. "Which song do you want, then?"

"The pretty one about the flowers," Suzie says, blushing.

Là-haut, là-haut sur la montagne
Là-haut, là-haut sur la montagne
Il y a des moutons blancs
Blanc, blanc, blanc, belle rose
Il y a des moutons blancs
Blanc, blanc, blanc et rose et blanc.

C'est la bergère qui les garde
C'est la bergère qui les garde
Elle est habillée de blanc
Blanc, blanc, blanc, belle rose
Elle est habillée de blanc
Blanc, blanc, blanc et rose et blanc.

I don't even get a quarter of the way through the song before they fall into a deep sleep. I gaze down at their peaceful faces with a mixture of relief and envy. Relief that they are too young yet to know the evils of the world, envy that I am not.

The next morning Lucy is already waiting for me by the gate. Barely containing my excitement, I run up to her, shouting, "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy!" She jumps because she didn't even see me coming. "What?"

Smiling, I squeal, "I'm going back to Liverpool!" Lucy laughs, "My God, you just squealed! Wait, how are you going back?" I fall into step beside her. "Prudence is bringing me when she moves. To help her get settled or something like that. Anyway, I get to go back!" I repeat, still not quite believing it. She shakes her head at me. "Oh, shut it, Sadie. And just admit you only want to go back because John's there."

I put my hands on my hips, "That is not true! I just like getting away from here, is all. Don't look at me like that. That's why." The truth is I want to go back because it's a place to escape my life. There's a place where I can go and forget all the bad parts of my life. And that place is Liverpool at the moment.

"Sure it is," she winks. Rolling my eyes at her, I start walking away. Giggling, she chases after me. "So when are you going?" she wonders just as Prudence joins us. The girl answers for me, "In about a month. Excited, Sadie?" Lucy laughs, "Excited? Her? No, not at all. Thrilled to go see John again? Definitely." I cross my arms and pout childishly. Especially when Prudence teases, "Yea, I figured she wouldn't have said yes if I'd been moving somewhere else. I mean, why go if there's no John?"

"Be quiet you two. Leave me alone. I already told you I don't like him."

"I thought you did like him though?"

"Of course I like him. Why-"

"Ha!" Lucy laughs, pointing an accusing finger at me. "So you admit you like him."

Confused, I nod. "Well, he is my friend."

"No. You like, like him," Lucy grins, glancing at Prudence. The black haired girl nods. "She admited it to me. On the train."

"I did no such thing! And I don't like him! Like that at least."

Lucy looks to Prudence, "I don't know. She seems to be awfully defensive. A bit too defensive perhaps."

"Agreed," Prudence says seriously.

"You know what?" I interrupt. They look at me. "I don't like you anymore." I simply turn on my heel and walk away. I know that's obviously not the truth. And Prudence and Lucy, being my friends, know that well enough too.

So, instead of being flustered by my comment, they follow after me, right on my heels, teasing me about John.

"At least I don't make googly eyes at Paul," I taunt Lucy. The blond rolls her eyes at me. "So? You couldn't take your eyes off of John at the Cavern that night. And I mean, come on, he calls you his angel face. I mean really! He clearly likes you back. And you flirt like crazy."

"Yea, yea. What's with that? I'm sorry but that isn't something people who are simply 'friends' call each other," Prudence adds.

I shake my head, "Guys, have you met him? He's an ass. Or an arse. Or whatever the hell it is you British people say. He calls me that to annoy me. Now will you please leave me alone! Please?"

They finally seem to give in to my pleas. We walk to the rest of the way to school in silence. No one speaks until Prudence suddenly cries, "Only a moth in a half!"

I raise an eyebrow in curiosity. She smiles. "That's all you'll have to wait to see John again!" Her and Lucy giggle as I exclaim rather loudly, "I hate you both! Go fall down well!"

I wake up to an irritating pinging noise. Sleep still has a weak grasp on me so I'm not quite aware of my surroundings as I roll over. My nearly threadbare sheets rustle as I move. I open my eyes slowly, cringing as the sunlight streaming in through my window nearly blinds me with its brightness. The pinging noise starts again. I survey my room managing to move my head from my pillow as little as possible.

I jump when I spot a person examining something on the wobbly desk in the opposite side of my cramped room. My heart rate slows down when I realize it's only Prudence. The pinging noise is her tapping the ring on her finger against a glass cup as she flips through another sketch pad of mine. She finally turns to me. "Oh, good. You're awake!"

I shake my head in confusion, sitting up. "How'd you even get in here?"

"That little girl. Um, it started with an A. I think…" Prudence shrugs, trailing off. Annie, of course. "Okay. Second question. What are you doing here?"

The dark eyed girl looks at me like I've lost my mind or something. "You must be joking."

"No."

"Today? Leaving? Liverpool? Ring any bells?" she tries. I slap myself in the forehead for being so dense. "Oh my God. I completely forgot!"

"Clearly," mumbles Prudence under her breath, but loud enough for me to hear. I shoot her a quick glare before hopping out of bed. After a few second search, I locate my worn green bag. I stuff it with my nicest clothes, which compared to most people are definitely not nice, and some drawing stuff. I throw my bag over my shoulder. "I've just got to say good-bye to Annie and then I'll be ready."

Pru nods and heads down the hall in the opposite direction. I slip quietly into Annie's drafty room and kiss her forehead. I leave a simply worded note I know she'll have no trouble reading and leave her.

To my surprise, Lucy is outside waiting alongside Prudence. She hugs me good-bye. "Oh and don't worry Lucy," I tell her. She tilts her head in curiosity. "I'll make sure to tell Paul that you miss him terribly." She glares. "And that every night you toss and turn in your sleep because you miss him so." Another glare. Why not push for one more while I'm at it. "And I'll pass on that give you want to give him for ya." Absolute death glare.

Smiling innocently, I peck her cheek and follow Pru to her parents' car. She places my bag in the trunk and climbs in the backseat. I follow her lead and get in on the other side. This may seem weird, but I haven't been in a car in nearly seven years. I've walked, taken a boat, a train, but never a car. Not since I was ten at least.

I settle myself on the comfortable leather seats. Pru's mother twists her head around to smile at the two of us. "Darlin', I'm Eleanor Mulroney. This is my husband Joseph. Just call us by our first names. That's fine."

"Oh, um, thanks." I try to sound polite. Truth is that I'm all over the place inside my head right now. I don't know how to act around these people really. Should I be polite and dignified, or just myself? I don't want to give a bad first impression, but then again, I'm not quite sure how to make a good one either.

"I saw your sketch of Prudence awhile ago and I have to say it just about took my breath away. You have an extremely rare talent, Sadie," Eleanor complements happily.

"Oh, thank you. You really liked it?" I ask with a hint of shock.

"Of course! It was phenomenal!" the thin woman gasps. You can definitely tell that Prudence and Eleanor are mother/daughter. I mean, I could clearly tell when I first saw her mother in Ms. Kollins office that they looked a like. Now that they are together, though, it stands out even more. Prudence is the spitting image of her kind mother. It saddened me a little knowing I won't ever have that with my mom. I don't even have a picture of her anymore. Ms. Kollins burnt ever picture of my family right in front of my then ten year old eyes.

With buliding excitement, I gaze out the window. After a while of silence, I ask, "How long does it take to drive there?"

"A little under for hours, darling."

For the first hour or so, I am okay with that. Prudence and I talk for a long time. Somehow she manages to coax me into telling her some stories about when I lived in Washington D.C. Of course, they are just about the city itself, not about the people that once made it home. She seems honestly curious about my it. I find it hard to stop myself from telling her about how much I miss my city. Yes, I still call it my city. I may not have been there in almost seven years, but it's still my home. Prudence pulls me out of my thoughts by questioning, "So, what did your parents do?" I freeze. I am not talking about this. After I confided nearly everything in John, I decided not to tell anyone else my past. That was the way I had done it before John and so that is how I will continue to do it. The past is the past and I'd rather not bring it up again. Pru notices me suddenly go from lighthearted to reserved in a matter of seconds. I know she's linking it to her question so she shuts up.

The rest of the ride is terrible. I haven't been in a car in so long that I'm no longer used to being in one for so long. Motion sickness, I've found, is most definitely not my friend. I roll down the window a crack in hopes that fresh air will get rid of the nauseous feeling I have. Nope. I rub my upset stomach and close my eyes, willing this trip to end soon. Two and a half more hours of feeling sick, I see a road sign that reads:

Liverpool 11 km

It sounds a lot farther than it actually is at first until I realize that it converts to about seven miles. I can deal with that. Hopefully. My excitement is growing stronger than my upset stomach. It finally sinks in that I'm back when I see a sign for Princes Park. I smile to myself, deciding that's the first place I will revisit. Prudence's parents begin chattering as we head into the outskirts of the city. We pull onto a calm looking street. It's fairly suburban, the houses about ten feet apart. Every house is made of the same red brick. It seems as though the builders of the development recycled the designs of the houses seeing as many of them looked exactly the same. It looks like a very friendly neighborhood. Some little kids run across the street, screaming in happiness and delight. I see the smile on Eleanor's face grow. Prudence's too.

The driveway we park in leads to a house that looks no different from all the surrounding ones. Prudence squeals and jumps out of the car, running up to her new house. I, on the other, ease myself out of the car slowly, not wanting to move too fast and get sick. The sweet sound of singing birds is the first thing that greets me. The second is the sharp smell of the brisk wintery air. I follow Pru's parents up to their new home silently. As soon as we step inside we are greeted by warmth. An unseen Prudence shouts, "Mum! Dad! Look who's here!" A short woman enters the room with a beeming Prudence. The red headed woman is donning a pale green floor length skirt and a short sleeve blouse. I'm guessing she's in her twenties or thirties. "Rita!" Eleanor cries pleasantly, rushing forward to give the other woman a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my darling sister and her family of course. Oh, and who's this?" she asks upon seeing me standing in the doorway, unsure of what to do. Prudence beams, "That's my best friend, Sadie. She came to help me settle in. You'll love her Auntie Rita. She draws, too." This seems to spark the young woman's interest. "Really?" I nod shyly in affirmation. She smiles warmly at me, "Then perhaps sometime you can come to my gallery. I would love to show you the art there. It's truly inspiring."

I nod enthusiastically, "That sounds great. I would love to, if you have time."

Her smile falters, "Time..." She gasps suddenly and we all look at her in confusion. "Wait. What time is it?"

"Around three I would have to say," Joseph guesses. The eccentric artist hugs Prudence while apologizing. "I have to go! I have a new exhibit opening tonight. And I might have never quite got around to preparing for it. Can't believe I forgot! I'll stop in tomorrow, though. Good-bye, my lovlies." And with that, Pru's lively aunt exits the house. "I love Auntie Rita," Pru smiles happily. The rest of her family agrees with her. I'm not quite sure what to think. She appeared to be quite the opposite of Eleanor, her sister. But I think I like her. Hopefully I will be able to see whatever she was babbling about. I always look forward to a chance to see other people's artwork.

"Alright. Let's go unpack," Joseph suggests, gesturing to the car that is currently still filled to the brim with their stuff. Not a single one of us walks out to it with much enthusiasm. I know I'm not expected to join in, but what can I say, I'm a helpful person. Pru, naturally, has the most stuff of all. I help her drag her numerous suitcases into her new room. It's not very big, but it's certainly not small. Much bigger than my room at the home. There is one big window in the middle of one of her walls. It looked out at her small, fenced in yard. The walls are a pale but pretty shade of yellow. She actually sounds pleased by the color. There is already a white dresser and a floor length mirror filling up some of the space. There is a small desk in one corner of the room, too. The first thing she does is locate her pictures and posters and starts littering her walls with them. After an hour of taping and glueing, we have brought her bare room to life with the smiles of friends and moviestars and musicians. I smile at her poster of Elvis. If John found out her taste in music he might be nicer. I know he has respect for people who enjoy the ever growing genre of rock.

We finally collapse onto her unmade bed. We lie there in silence for awhile until Pru says, "Thanks for coming with me, Sadie. It means a lot. Really." I shrug it off. "No problem. Anything to help. So now what?" Pru turns her head to me with a sly grin on her features. "Let's go find John." I roll my eyes, shaking my head. "But, I thought he's why you came with me. To see him again," she prompts, confused by my lack of enthusiasm to find the boy. "Well, a little yes. But I came to help you. And to get away from life for a little bit. But I'm really here as your friend." I think I've taken her off guard a bit. Maybe she doesn't believe I really came just because she was a friend who needed help. Whatever the reason, I don't feel an overwhelming need to find John quite yet. Of course I want to see him, but in being a good friend I am putting Pru first. "I think I'm going to go walk for a bit though. Just to clear my head. It's just something I do," I explain. She nods in understanding and goes back to the tedious task of unpacking. She questions me as she stuffs her clothes in a drawer. "Do you know where you're going?" I think of the park. "There's a place. A park." She gives me a look because of my strange answer, but doesn't ask any further questions. I slip out of her house unnoticed.

I shrug my jean jacket on and stuff my hands in its pockets. Though I'm not really sure where I am, I see a sign pointing to Princes Park. I follow its directions and take my time walking there. There's a kind of freedom in knowing that you're not needed for anything. In being able to walk around at your own pace, no one rushing you, no one holding you back. It's a kind of freedom I seldom get. Half an hour later I finally reach the parks gates. Without really thinking about it, I end up at the bench where John and I sat the last time I was here. I fall gently onto the worn wood of the bench. The lake still looks calm and peacful. I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the nature that inhabits this park. It feels so good just to sit and relax without worrying over anything. I let the chilly wind bite the tip of my nose without any complaint. I am in complete peace all by myself right now. Or, at least I thought I'm alone.

"'Ullo, ullo, my angel face," a voice murmurs in my ear.

A/N: So, technically John is in it. Sort of. I promise you there will be enough of him in the next chapters to make you happy. Remember, the button down there is your friend. He likes it when people pay attention to him:)