You probably know that Spencer's mother died when she was only six years old. The police claimed Veronica killed herself, but really we don't know what really happened to her. Spencer doesn't know what the truth is behind her mother's death. The only truth she knows is that she won't have a mother there to watch her grow up and to help her with whatever she needs. It's just Spencer and her dad right now. Actually, it seems like it's just Spencer. Her dad is barely around and when he is, Spencer wishes he wasn't. Peter doesn't act how most fathers should act. Instead of loving and caring for Spencer. He ignores her and when he's not ignoring her, he yells at her for some silly mistakes she's made. Spencer lives her life in fear of what her father might do if she screws up again. That's why she tries so hard to be good.

On a Sunday afternoon, a seven-year-old Spencer sat up in her bedroom reading her favorite book 'To Kill A Mockingbird.' Actually, it's one of her favorites. One thing Spencer loves to do to pass time is read. Whenever she has the time to, she would pick up a good book, sit down, and just read for hours. That's what she does when she's not at school, or busy doing school work, or playing with her friend that lives two houses down from her. Spencer sat happily in her room reading and she's almost finished with her book. You may ask why such a little girl would be interested with a book most Middle schoolers hate reading. Well, it just so happens that Spencer started learning how to read and write at a very young age. You've heard before that her mother taught her before she started the first grade. That's one of the reasons she's so smart today.

Spencer was just finishing up on the last two pages when she heard the front door open and her dad storm inside. She could hear him slamming his things down on the kitchen counter and groan loudly. Oh no, he's in a bad mood. It's never good for Spencer when he's in a bad mood. Peter walked over to the covert to get himself a cup for water. He filled up his glass and started heading towards his office. While he was on his way, he almost tripped over something lying on the floor. He looked down and sat that it's one of Spencer's dolls. Peter snarled and picked up the doll.

"Spencer Jill Hastings!" He shouted.

Spencer jumped at the sound of her father's voice. For a second, she thought about climbing out her bedroom window and running off into the woods, but she knew she will have to face her father sometime. Spencer put her bookmark in its place then slowly walked down to the living room. Peter stood in the middle of the room with his face red and hot. Spencer gulped and walked downstairs. Her blue dress swooshed behind her. She hopped off the last step, stood up straight in front of her father with her hands behind her back.

"Yes, father?"

"How many times have I told you not to leave your damn toys around on the floor!?" He growled.

She flinched back, "I'm sorry father. I-I didn't mean to forget. It won't happen again."

"I know it won't happen again!"

Peter took the doll by its neck and snapped its head right off. Spencer gasped while watching her father destroy the doll that her mother gave her on her fifth birthday. She bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying. Her father hates it when she cries. He always calls her a weak baby when she does. Peter threw the remains of the doll inside the trash can. He walked up to Spencer and forcefully grabbed hold of her chin and roughly titled her head up.

"If I ever find another one of your toys lying around on the floor, it will be you I rip apart and throw away next," he hissed. He let go of her chin and pushed her back against the wall. "Now, get upstairs! No dinner for you tonight!"

Spencer almost tripped over her own feet trying to run upstairs as fast as she could. She ran into her room, leaned against her closed door, and sobbed. She slid down, curled into a ball on the floor, and continued to cry until her tears ran dry.

Spencer was startled awake by an alarm ringing then the door being yanked open. She was reluctant to open her eyes just to see which annoying cop Wilden sent in. She said she'd come out of her cell for breakfast today, but she's just not in the mood right now. Her head is hurting and she's still not hungry.

"Whoever is there, better walk away before I kill you with that desk lamp," she said with a slight groan.

"That wouldn't be a smart thing to do," a familiar voice spoke up. "You'll only make things worse."

She opened her eyes and turned to see Officer Cavanaugh standing in the doorway. Figures he would be the one to show up in her cell. Why did he come back? She made it pretty clear she doesn't want him to remember her. When Toby looks at her all he's going to see if the poor little fragile girl he used to know. She needs to show him that that's not who she is anymore. The Spencer he knew is long gone and the Spencer that is here now, he just doesn't know her.

"Why did you come back here?" She asked roughly.

"So, you do know who I am," Toby crossed his arms.

"Yeah, you're the new annoying-ass cop who won't leave me alone."

"When are you going to cut the act, Spencer?"

"What act?"

Toby gave up and sighed, "nevermind. You said you'd come out for breakfast today."

She groaned and stood up, "fine, but if I do this, will you leave me alone?"

Toby didn't answer her when she stood in place allowing him to put cuffs on her wrist. He leads her out of the cell and down the hall. Spencer took the time to get a good look at the place. The people locked in here look much different than she suspected. They're not like what you see in the movies. Where the people locked up all look dirty, mean, and dangerous. Well, some of these girls do, but most of them look like an average everyday human being. A slight unkempt version of their normal selves. Spencer peeled her eyes away from the other inmates just in time to see that Toby stopped her just before entering the cafeteria.

"You know the rules in there, right?" He asked.

"Let me guess," she smirked. "Stand in a single file line while getting your food and no pushing or shoving. Don't use the utensils as weapons. No food fights. Sit only where you feel comfortable. Don't curse at the lunch ladies or smart mouth the guards. And most importantly, play nice with the other kids."

Toby simply looked at her while reaching around her to scan a card to open the door. He grabbed hold of her elbow and lead her into the cafeteria and over to the lunch line. Spencer looked at the food they're serving and immediately felt sick to her stomach. They're serving burnt toast along with milk that smells like it expired years ago. She made a face when one of the lunch ladies shoved a tray right in her hand. Toby stood alongside Spencer to make sure she behaves herself. When she got her tray, Toby walked her over to a table where no one else is sitting. He pulled out a chair for her and allowed her to sit down. Once she was settled in her seat, he took the handcuffs off her wrists. Spencer gave him a look when he pulled out a chair across from her and sat down.

"Why are you still here?"

"The guards recommend us to watch our inmates the first time they eat in the lunchroom with everyone else."

"Okay, then I would rather eat in my cell because I'm not going to eat out here with you staring at me the whole time like a dog begging."

"Yeah, like a dog would even beg for that burnt piece of crap."

Spencer cracked a little smirk, "okay, that was almost funny."

Toby smiled a little, "I got you to smile."

"So," she shrugged. "How does that prove anything?"

"Because you told me once that I'm the only one who can make you smile."

Her lips formed a straight line. She cleared her throat and her eyes grew dark again.

"Can I go back to my cell now or are you really going to make me eat this charcoal?"

Toby nodded and agreed to let her go back. The two stood up and Spencer put her arms out for the cuffs. Surprisingly, Toby didn't put the cuffs on. He walked her back to her cell without them. Not like Spencer was planning on making a break for it anywhere? Where would she have to go?

It's in our human nature to have an everyday routine. Normally it goes something like this. You get up in the morning, start the coffee pot, eat breakfast. Get dressed, don't forget to brush your teeth, head off for work or school for the next ten hours. Go on your lunch break from noon to noon-thirty. Get back to work, get off at 3 then, go home. Your back home again, so you make dinner and maybe while dinner's cooking in the oven, you go upstairs to change into something more comfortable. Then you come back down, eat dinner, take a shower, and go to bed. You wake up the next morning and repeat. That's typically how humans are. Every once in awhile we might mix it up and go out for a drink, but usually that's how it goes.

Toby knows his everyday routine. He gets up, eats breakfast, goes to school, waves hi to Spencer in between classes, continues on with his day at school, walks home with Spencer, comes home and does his homework. After he finishes his homework he goes into the woods where Spencer and he usually hang out. Today his routine started out normal. He got up, ate the pancakes his mom made for him then, went off to school. His day took a little turn when he was walking back from lunch in the hallway. Spencer wasn't around to wave back at him. He thought that was strange. Spencer is always in the hallway at the same time he is. It's part of his everyday routine. She didn't meet him by the flagpole after school so they could walk home together. That was also strange. Every day, he walks home with Spencer every day. He didn't see her in the hallway earlier today. Was Spencer even at school today? It's not like her to miss. Toby felt like something was wrong and ran home faster than he's ever run before.

"Spencer!" Toby called out while running up their street. He skipped going to his house and went straight to her front door. He knocked on it several times, but no one answered. He called her name out two more times and still nothing. Spencer wasn't at school today and she's not in her house. Where could see be? The river! Toby took off running through the trail they made in the woods. He ran so fast and almost tripped over a tree route.

"Spencer," he paused to catch his breath and looked around. "Spencer, where are you?"

He waited in anticipation for her to respond. The world around him seems so quiet. Aside from the occasional sound of crickets chirping by the river and the sound of two squirrels rustling around in that bush. He opened his mouth to call out for her again.

"I'm here," a small voice croaked out.

Toby turned around just in time to see Spencer climbing over the rocks lined up along the river bank. The bottom of her dress is wet and so is part of her hair. She doesn't have any shoes on, so Toby's guessing she walked out here barefoot. Spencer climbs over a big rock and sits on it. He walks over and sits on the rock beside her.

"What were you doing out here?"

"Getting out of my house," she shrugged. "I wanted to clear my head."

"I was worried about you. You weren't at school today."

"Wow," the eight-year-old chuckled. "Somebody was actually worried about me?"

"Of course I was worried about you," he said. "I'm always worried about you because you're so tiny."

She laughed a sincere laugh, "I'm not that tiny."

"Yes, you are."

"Nuh-uh," she got right in his face. "I'm stronger than you."

"In your dreams, Tiny," he playfully shoved her.

Spencer adjusted herself back on the rock and looked around. They sat there on the river bank watching the water. Toby peeled his eyes away and looked at Spencer. He wiped his eyes and looked at her more closely. Why is he just now noticing that red mark on her cheek? The side of her cheek right under her right eye is slightly red.

"What happened to your cheek?"

She quickly put her hand up to cover the red mark. She almost forgot it was there. How could she forget, though? It still stings after getting slapped three times. Spencer didn't have the heart to tell him that's why she didn't come to school today. Her father got angry with her for burning his toast. See, in a normal household the parents make their child breakfast, but in Spencer's household, she makes her father breakfast. Peter usually has two slices of toast with jam and coffee. This morning, Spencer accidentally left the toast in the toaster for too long and it got burnt. Her father got so mad at her and yelled at her for three hours straight. When her father finally laid down for his nap before going to work, Spencer snuck out of the house and has been walking around in this river ever since.

"Did Drew and Jerry do that?" Toby asked getting angry.

"I ran face first into a branch when I was running out here," she said. When Toby gave her a look like he doesn't believe her, Spencer smiled. "Seriously that's what happened. Come on, you know how clumsy I can be."

"Come on, we should get back," he stood up and extended his hand out to her.

"I don't want to go home," Toby was sure he heard her whimper at the idea of going home.

"I know you hate being home alone," he said. "So, you can hang out at my house until your father comes home." She looked at him and he smiled. "My mother made chocolate chip cookies."

Her lips twisted into a half smile, "you know I'm a sucker for chocolate chip cookies."

She took his hand and he helped her stand up. Together they walked on the trail back to his house.

"On the way back you can show me which tree slapped you and maybe I'll give it a piece of my mind," he joked.

"Only you would threaten to beat up a tree for me."

"Only you are worth beating up a tree for."

Spencer giggled and walked along with him with her head leaning on his shoulder. Toby smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

This chapter was a little shorter than the others and it was mostly flashbacks. Like I said, this story will have lots of flashbacks. The flashbacks are kind of like the glue to this story. It shows how everything fits together and how they each ended up where they are now. Do you all like the flashbacks? If not, I'm sorry about that. There will most likely be a flashback in almost every chapter. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.