raise your hand if you cried at the end of last chapter!

*looks around room at show of a few hands*

raise your hand if you feel sorry for Fern!

*looks again and sees more hands raised*

who wants to chase down the author for the horrible thing she wrote?

*sees everyone raise hands and stand up* oh hey look there's cookies over there! *runs away to safety*

*through a megaphone* MORE STORY!

Fern was sitting in her living room with two policemen talking about what had happened and glancing over at Fern every once in while. Sitting next to her on the couch was a local social worker who was called when the police realized Fern had no other family to live with. Fern was staring into space she had changed clothes since her other ones were covered in her mother's blood. The lady was trying to get her attention and Fern slowly turned her head to blankly stare at her.

"Fern do you know of any relatives that live in the country that you could live with?"

She looked away as she thought and when she was going to answer Fern noticed the little girl standing next to the social worker.

"I know what can make you smile Fern! Come to granny's and then we can play together forever and ever and ever! Wouldn't that be fun Fern!"

"Fern?" The lady put a hand on Fern's knee.

She looked up and finally answered in a hoarse whisper. "My mother's parents."

The lady nodded and stood up and walked through the little girl making her disappear as she went over to the police. "She has grandparents in the country. I'll get an address and make the call." As she left the room one of the cops left with her and the other went over to Fern.

"There's a tall boy outside wanting to see you. He says his name is Takashi. Do you know him?"

Fern nodded.

"Do you want me to let him in?"

She cleared her throat. "Please do."

A moment later Takashi was standing in the doorway. As soon as he saw Fern he rushed to her side and pulled her on his lap and he held her tightly to him. He felt her shaking as she started to silently cry.

"Don't worry Fern. I will always be here for you. I will always protect you!"

Hearing his words only made her grip his shirt tighter. They stayed that way for 45 minutes until the social worker came back with news to share.

"Fern your grandparents are here to take you to their home. Let's get you packed and ready to go. The court hearing will be tomorrow so they can receive full custody of you."

"Why do we need a hearing?" Takashi had let her stand up but was still attached to her side.

"Your mother didn't leave a will that we can find yet so you are to live with a relative."

"Oh."

"Come let's get you ready for them."

Fern's grandmother came in and grabbed Fern's arm to take her outside. "No need to do that. We have everything you need at our house. We were waiting for something like this to happen."

Fern's grandfather was waiting in the car and Fern turned back to look at her house. So many memories were held there and now she was leaving them. Takashi was at the bottom of the steps looking at her with concern in his eyes. She was about to wave goodbye when her grandmother yanked her into the car and they drove off. Leaving her childhood and stepping into the unknown scared and without her mother there to tell her everything would be alright, or to look on the bright side. Fern felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"Oh for god's sake child! Stop the blubbering and grow up! A woman needs to be strong to make it in the world and crying will get you no where!"

Fern looked out the window.

Mother I miss you already...please come back

Fern felt under dressed in her jeans and over sized button up shirt, as she sat in the small courtroom as the judge gave her grandparents full custody of her. Her grandmother yanked Fern out of her chair and took her home. It was Sunday and Fern would be going back to school tomorrow. In the car ride home her grandmother informed her of some changes that were going to take place.

"Now listen up child. Since your mother was too busy chasing after the filthy American she didn't teach you the proper way of presenting yourself. While you are in my care you will do as I say. No exceptions!"

Fern didn't say anything but just stared at the floor.

"Answer me child!"

Fern looked up. "Okay then."

Her grandmother slapped her across the cheek, only as hard as an old lady could though it still hurt. "That is not the proper way to speak!"

Fern glared at her now. "Yes ma'am."

Another slap. "I don't care for attitude either. When we get back things are going to be different. You will be the child your mother never could make you."

"Don't talk about my mother like that."

This earned her another slap. "You will remember never to talk back to me child! I've had enough of your sass!"

The car pulled up to the large house and her grandmother practically dragged Fern inside. In the entry hall there were boxes holding all of Fern's art supplies and other nick-knacks from her house that brought back happy memories to Fern when she laid eyes on them. She noticed a note taped to a box that was from the social worker explaining that she thought Fern would like to have these items. Her grandmother huffed at the boxes and turned to look at Fern.

"Painting is a waste of a woman's time! You will be doing no more and you!" She pointed to one of the servants in the hallways "Put those boxes with the pictures in the attic. The art supplies can be burned. There are not needed."

"You can't burn that! I need it for my scholarship at Ouran!"

"Shush up child! No self respecting wealthy woman uses a scholarship to get to a school! I'm paying for your tuition."

Fern didn't know what to do. Painting was a part of her and it was being taken away by this awful woman Fern barely knew.

"Now as for your appearance." Her grandmother eyed her up and down with disgust.

"I look fine."

"You look like a street rat! No grandchild of mine is walking out of this house dressed in such a way!"

Again Fern was being pulled by the arm to a bathroom. Inside was a group of women Fern suspected worked for her grandmother. Each of the women looked as friendly as a viper. A few of them had measuring tape while another had what looked like different contacts and something for your teeth. The one that scared Fern the most was the one holding the scissors.

"Sit down! Don't you dare make a fuss either! I'll be back in three hours and I expect her to look respectable ladies."

As soon as her grandmother left the women attacked Fern with their supplies. One of them opened her mouth and shoved whitening strips onto her teeth while she was being forced to lean back as another woman washed her hair. Two of the women were filing her nails to look neat and clean. The last woman was opening her eyes trying to find a color that matched what she had in her case.

To some girls this kind of 'spa' treatment would be wonderful and relaxing. For Fern it was death. These women showed no mercy as she would screech in pain when her hair was tugged or choke on a whitening strip that wasn't staying in place. The lady who was working on her eyes didn't seem to care if any soap got into them. Fern was squirming trying to free herself but she was stuck.

Finally her hair was done being washed and the eye lady and the hair lady started to dry and brush it out. Fern felt hair being ripped out as they got the many tangles out of her hair. She felt the burning sensation of the whitening strips being on a tad bit too long. Her eyes were dry and irritated from all the soap that got into them. Once the women who were filing her nails finished they measured Fern for clothing and left the room in search for something Fern didn't want to know. After all the tangles were out of her hair Fern looked down and noticed her hair had a slight wave to it and went down a lot further down her back than she thought. Of course when they were done brushing her hair Fern thought that would be it but she saw the scissors again and started to get up to run away when the women held her down as the other lady began to cut her long hair. At first it was a few inches, then a half a foot, then a whole foot of her hair fell to the floor. They kept cutting till Fern's hair fell an inch above her shoulders. The cut also gave her bangs that went straight across her forehead.

Next they finally removed the whitening strips and practically gagged Fern with water as they rinsed her mouth out. Then the eye lady went close to Fern's face making her even more uncomfortable if possible and opened her eye to cover up the blue and replace it with a green that matched the other eye. At first Fern couldn't see from that side but after a few blinks she could see perfectly and looked into the mirror and gasped.

If wasn't Fern that was looking back at her. It was some cookie cutter, looks like a princess, unoriginal plain girl. She didn't get to look for long before she was yanked out of the chair and stripped of her clothes and the other women returned with clothing that Fern would never, EVER, picture herself wearing. She didn't have a choice though.

When Fern's grandmother came back in Fern was standing in the now clean bathroom wearing black flats, a short light blue skirt a white blouse and a white ribbon in her hair. Her grandmother smiled.

"There now you look like an appropriate young lady."

Fern felt that closed in feeling and pushed past her grandmother to find her bag that had her pills. Since she stayed the night she found her room after a minute and got her bad and dumped the contents onto the floor searching for her pills. She finally found them and was about to take some when her grandmother stomped into the room and snatched the bottle away from her.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Stop it! I need those!"

Her grandmother handed the pills to a servant. "Throw them away." She looked back at Fern. "From now on you won't be taking those. You only needed them because of the insanity your mother made you live through with that pitiful American."

Fern stood up and felt her anger grow. "Stop talking about my mother like that!"

Another slap to the face. "I have had enough of your back talk! You are to stay here the rest of the night, no dinner! I will have one of the servants bring you your uniform tomorrow for school." After that her grandmother left the room and Fern fell to her knees and started to cry. The sadness became rage and Fern stood up and went over to her bed to scream into her pillow till she felt light headed. Soon she cried herself to sleep.

This is so sad isn't it :(