Lauren sat at home grading the tests she gave to her class the week before. She could not believe the state the papers were in. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. 1 a.m. She groaned and cleared up the papers. As she was about to go to bed, the phone rang. She stooped down and threw aside a pile of clothes to get to it. "Hello, is this Lauren Davis? "Yeah?" she said. "I'm afraid I have rather bad news. Your parents were fighting and well, I don't know how to tell you this but there're both dead." Lauren sat up in shock. "What about my sister?" She questioned anxiously. "She's pretty shaken up. She was there when it happened. You were the only living relative left. Lauren listened numbly. When she finally hung up, she realized that her life was about to change. Tomorrow, at this time, her sister, who she had not seen in nearly eight years would be living with her. She lay awake thinking until she finally fell asleep. **************************************************************************** ********************************************** The hallways of Winslow High were starting to fill up, as students arrived in their groups. "You ok Lauren?' Marilyn Sudor asked her friend. Lauren managed a small smile assuring her that she was fine. The bell rang and they both went off to their respective classes. "I need coffee", Lauren announced as she walked trough the door of the teacher's lounge. Ronnie Cook slid a cup over to her. "What's up? You look drained. Ronnie asked with a sympathetic smile. "I'm meeting my sister at the airport in an hour." Lauren mumbled. "You have a sister?" "Yeah. She's fourteen now." "What's her story?" Ronnie asked. "I gotta go now. Mariliyn'l fill you in." "** Crap, I'm late!" Lauren exclaimed, as she pulled up in the parking lot of the airport. She ran through the glass doors and scanned the crowd. Suddenly, she spotted a girl with long, blond hair clutching a bag and glancing around nervously. She swallowed a lump in her throat and walked up to her. "Hi!" she said. "Lauren?' the girl asked uncertainly. "Yup. You look great Alyssa. Ready to go?" Alyssa nodded, smiling softly. Lauren took her bags and they walked silently to the parking lot. In the car, Alyssa kept her eyes on the window. Lauren glanced over at her and realized the she had barely spoken two words since they met. She pulled up in front of her apartment building, her eyes still on Alyssa. Lauren unlocked the door and they both went inside. She noticed that Alyssa looked quite tired. "Hey sweetie, you want to sleep?" Lauren asked. Alyssa nodded, following Lauren into her new room. ** Later that night, Lauren woke up to the sound of crying. She pulled on her bathrobe and walked over to Alyssa's room. She was trashing around in bed. "No! Please don't. I promise I won't do it again. Please don't hit me!" Lauren hurried over to her bedside and tried to wake her. "Alyssa? Come on honey. Wake up." Suddenly, Alyssa bolted upright and looked around the room. Her eyes fell on Lauren and started to tear up. Lauren sat on her bed and pulled her into her arms. Alyssa started sobbing uncontrollably in to Lauren's shirt. "It's alright sweetie, I've got you now. You don't have to worry." Lauren stroked her hair, holding her tightly until her sobs had subsided. She tucked Alyssa back into bed. She glanced worriedly at her. "Go back to sleep, baby. I won't leave you. I promise. She stayed there until Alyssa finally fell into a restless sleep. Tomorrow, she would get Alyssa enrolled in Winslow High. ** Alyssa walked through the doors of the office. Lauren had told her to find Louisa. She walked up to the person sitting behind the desk. "Hey, what's up" Louisa asked in her friendly tone. "I'm new here and my sister said to look for you." She replied. "Oh. You must be Alyssa Davis. Lauren's sister, right?" She nodded uncertainly. "Here's your schedule. Nice meeting you Alyssa!" Alyssa smiled and waved to her as she went out of the office.