One day when the weather warmed up and the snow had melted, Annie was helping prepare breakfast early in the morning with Pepper and a few other girls. Annie was slicing onions, and Pepper was mixing flour. Annie, despite her age, had grown experienced in her dicing capabilities due to her hours of work over the years.
Pepper stopped her mixing and asked, "Annie, what do you want to do when you get out of this orphanage?"
Annie was a very thoughtful girl, and often stayed up late at night thinking, but she did not want to hear that question. Annie was anxious to get to live the rest of her childhood with her mother and father, and for 8 years had been waiting. She did not want to think about adulthood or anything like that because she still wanted to live the kid life, but adulthood was creeping closer and closer for all of them.
"I don't know Pepper, I don't really want to talk about…"
"I want to get a boyfriend who I can them marry and have lots of kids with. He needs to be blonde, tall, and strong, and he needs to love me and our kids. My kids will be named Joey, Francisco, Nora, Ruby, Char.." Pepper interrupted.
"Pepper what are you talking about?" Annie stopped her. It made her upset to think of being an adult with a husband and kids when she still hadn't even gotten to go to school or celebrate Christmas with her parents. "I don't want to talk about anything after the orphanage. In fact, I don't need to worry about it, because after I leave this orphanage I will be in the arms of my parents because they picked me up."
"That's not going to happen Annie." Pepper told her. "Your parents are either dead or never coming back for you, so your orphan self better start thinking ahead."
Annie then ran out of the room and slammed the door. She was going to find her parents, once and for all… for the hundredth time. She ran out the front door and down the street. She had no plan this time, and impulsively, she just needed to get outside with no hesitation.
About two minutes later Miss Hannigan came in and saw an uncut onion sitting on the table.
"Where is Annie? She is supposed to be on breakfast duty?"
Pepper had been put in this position many times, and she wasn't looking to get herself into trouble, so she just responded, "I dunno."
Miss Hannigan ran out the front door and asked a passerby "Where did she go?"
"North that way."
There was only so much Miss Hannigan could do but file a report and hope that the board of orphans didn't come for her.
When breakfast came around, Molly sat down with her friends, but she saw that the seat next to her was empty.
"Where is Annie?" she asked.
"She ran away again. Wait for her to come back tomorrow before you start crying." Pepper explained.
Molly didn't take her advice. "I want Annie! Make her come back!" Even though Annie had escaped many times before, Moly always worked beside her, played with her, and slept with her. Kate moved over next to her and comforted her.
"Don't cry Molly. We are here. Annie will come back soon, but until then just stick with me, Tessie and July." Kate said as she hugged her.
Molly worked alongside July and Tessie at their sewing machines, but she wasn't used to sharing her work with someone other than Annie. During freetime she played with Tessie, July and the other orphans, but she didn't have Annie to help her along. She went to sleep with Kate that night, Kate even let her sleep in her bed, which was hard because Kate stuck her feet out when she slept. Molly was fine with Kate, but she missed Annie, and she cried a few times that night.
"Don't cry Molly." cooed Kate, who was forever willing to help make her younger friends feel better and dry their tears. "I'm here."
"But I want Annie!"
"I know sweetheart. But we have to wait until she comes, back, just think about her for now." Kate said as Molly lay in her arms. Molly's face was buried in Kate's body, and she tried to weep quietly so she wouldn't wake up anyone else in the room. She soon fell asleep.
After the orphans woke up and went to breakfast, they found Annie in the kitchen.
"Annie!" Molly beamed.
"How did you get caught this time?" asked Duffy.
"I couldn't find my parents in time, I got caught by officer Scanlon." Annie admitted. "He is fast."
"I bet if my parents were out there I could find them in that time." Pepper boasted.
They ate breakfast together, with a very happy Molly by Annie's side.