*** Ok, just a warning: this chapter may be a bit dull. It needs to be part of the story though, as it leads up to an important part, a few important parts actually. Also, thanks again for the reviews... I really appreciate them! So, as always please R/R!

Disclaimer: Okay, all the characters are mine, but the name Maria came from the movie : ) Also, any references to things that aren't mine belong to whoever created them... AND The Sound of Music inspired this story.

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It was the first Thursday since I had arrived at the Easton's home. We had just finished dinner, and the children had gone upstairs to play on their computers. Tonight, I decided to join them.

The computers were in a rather large, circular, white room with no windows. Wooden desks were set all around the room, each containing a rather nice looking computer. Each child had a computer, which he or she was currently busy working at.

I began to walk around the room, wondering what each child was up to. Though before I could find out, little Audrey called out my name.

"Miss. Maria! Can you help me... please?" she asked earnestly.

I smiled and walked to her side, kneeling and looking up into her face.

"Now... what is the matter, Audrey?" I asked.

"I don't know the answer to this problem," she said gesturing to the computer with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Ahh," I said looking up at the screen, "The problem on the screen, you mean?"

"Yes..." she said.

The problem read 5 + 4.

"Well," I began to ask, "Have you done anything to try to figure it out?"

"Yes!" she said with a croak, as a tear started to form in her eye.

"Now, now," I said soothingly, "There's no reason to cry."

I reached over to hug her as the tears began to fall.

"But Miss. Maria," she said, sobbing onto my chest, "I can't do it! Does that mean I'm stupid?" She finished, pulling back to look at me.

"Of course not!" I said firmly, "It just means you haven't learned everything there is to know. It also means that I get to teach you a trick."

She gave a little smile at that.

"A n-new trick?" she asked, stuttering slightly.

"Yes... now have you ever added with your fingers?" I paused and gave her a moment to respond.

"No... What's that?" she asked, sounding rather curious.

"Well, it's not something you can't really do with every math problem... but I know you can do it with this one. All you have to do is look down at your fingers."

She did as I said and we continued on.

"Now, how many fingers are on each hand?" I asked.

"One...two...three..." she began to count and in the end told me that there were five fingers on each hand and ten all together.

"Very good!" I said happily, "Now... if you take five fingers from one had and four from the other, how many fingers do you end up with?"

She counted over her fingers a few times before she looked back up at me, uncertainty written across her little face.

"Um, nine?" she answered.

"Yes! Very good! Now you also have the answer to your math problem which you thought you couldn't answer!"

At that moment, I felt so happy. The little girl looked positively radiant as she sat there beaming up at me. She then turned, typed in the number 9 on her keyboard and hit enter. She let out a cheer of joy when the little rabbit on the screen said, Yep, yep, yep... You've got it!"

I continued to walk around the room after that, trying to figure out what everyone was up to. I came to Mimi second. She was playing a game where you dress the little people on the screen.

"So, you like dress up?" I asked, bending over to get a better view of what she was doing.

"Yes!" she said with a smile, "I also love clothes."

"Really? Any type in particular?" I asked.

"Dresses," she replied with an even bigger smile, "Dresses with pretty flowers on them!"

"Really?" I asked enthusiastically, "Me too! I even have a dress like that!"

"Wow! Can I see it?" she asked.

"Well not right now, but sometime, yes, you can see it," I said.

"Okay..." she said trailing off, her happy attitude changing.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Well, your lucky. See father won't let me have a flower dress... he says that they're not practical," she said somberly.

"Oh," I said, an idea popping into my head, "Well we'll have to fix that!"

"Really... how," she asked excitedly as I began to stand up.

"We'll see," I said giving her a mysterious smile as I began to move on to the next child behind a computer.

"How?" she asked again.

"I told you, we'll see..." and with that I turned to Julie, leaving Mimi to wonder.

I talked to the rest of the children, (with exception to Amanda) just as I had to Mimi and Audrey. Thus, the tension between us greatly loosened and our friendship and liking of each other grew immensely. Now, as I said, with exception of Amanda. When I arrived at Amanda's side, I caught a glimpse of something that I did not approve of and that I was sure her father would most definitely not approve of.

"Amanda, what was in that window you just closed out of?" I asked.

"Why," she said, sneering at me.

"Amanda... you were on a chat room. You know your father doesn't want you in those. I personally could care less, however, I read..." I paused for a moment, "I don't what to continue this conversation in here. Will you come with me to the hall... please?" I asked.

"No," she said, her eyebrows raised.

"Amanda, you're really not in the position to battle with me. I have some information I could tell your father that I'm afraid would not make your life too happy. So, please come to the hall with me," I finished, turning my back to her and heading to the door.

When I entered the hall, she was no more than five seconds behind me.

"So," I said, closing the door which led into the computer room, "Tell me... who were you talking to?"

There was a moments pause and she looked down at the floor.

"A boy," she said so quietly I could barely hear her.

"Oh, and do you know this boy?" I asked.

Still looking at the floor, she replied.

"Yes... he's my, my--"

"Yes?" I asked.

"He's my boyfriend," she said looking up at me, with a serious tone.

It was strange for me to look at her. For the first time she wasn't being sarcastic, or mocking. She actually looked rather afraid of me, unsure of what I would do.

"Well," I said giving her a smile, which seemed to shock her, "What's his name?"

"Um... Chad," she replied, sounding as if she barely understood the words that came out of my mouth.

"Is he nice?" I questioned again.

"Oh, very! He sends me e-cards every day... and he writes poems for me!" She said excitedly.

"Really? Well that's nice! Now, um, you see, I only have one problem with you chatting to him," I paused, letting her think for a minute, "and that is you gave him our address."

Amanda looked down at the floor again.

"Yeah, I know that's bad. It's just," she continued looking back up at me, "I trust him."

"I know you do," I said understandingly, "but tell me, have you ever met him?"

She shook her head sadly.

I began to think, another idea popping into my head.

"Amanda," I began, "I want you to break up with Chad."

She suddenly looked startled, and a bit angry.

"Why! I don't--"

"Because," I said cutting her off, "wouldn't you rather have a real boyfriend... one you could actually see, and talk to?"

"Of course I would, but father--"

"Don't worry about your father right now, Amanda. Now listen, I have an idea, but it starts with you breaking up with Chad. Will you do that?"

Again, there was a pause before she spoke.

"I guess...," she said a bit disappointed, "But why--"

"I know you don't really want to," I said, putting my arm around her shoulders, "but trust me, I have an idea."

She looked up at me, giving me a weak smile, yet it was still the first smile I had ever seen from her.

"Okay, now we have to deal with the fact that you gave him your address--"

"No we don't," she said cutting me off, "Because while I was in a live chat room, the whole address thing was in an e-mail I was going to send him. I can just change the e-mail to an I'm breaking up with you' letter."

"Ok," I said, as she started to walk back to the door, "sounds good to me."

"Ok," she said, turning to face me directly, "Miss. Maria... um, I know I've been, well, I've been a bit mean. I'm really, really sorry. It's just that--"

"Amanda, it's all right... don't worry about it."

She then smiled at me and continued on.

"Thanks."

"Sure," I said, "Oh, but one more thing."

"Yes?"

"How in the world did you find a live chat room that your father hadn't blocked off?"

"Oh, that. Well, it was rather easy. My cousin has a web page, and somewhere, tucked away in it, is a really big, well known chat room. My father lets us go to all of our family members web pages, so I just go to my cousin's chat room."

"Oh," I said, "well, you still have my permission to go there, just don't pick up anymore guys."

We both shared a laugh, and then went our own ways... she went back to her computer, and I went to the Senator's office.

As I walked towards his office, (after the dinning room incident, I had been given a quick tour of the entire house and a map) I thought about my plan for Amanda. She was no longer a child, and she needed to get out. I had to try and find something we could do together in the evening, after the other children were asleep. I didn't plan on telling the Senator this; no, I was going to his office for another reason. One of the first things I had noticed about the children, was the fact that they had the strangest clothes, that is for children who lived in the year 2003. They wore sweaters that looked like they had been taken from the seventies. Their shirts had the strangest patterns, and none of the girl's jeans had any flare to them (which most jeans did these days). I was determined to get them each a new outfit, one which they would feel normal in if they ever went out. I had to do this small task before taking Amanda out, as she would most definitely get laughed at going out in what she was wearing.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I was suprised to find myself standing in front of the Senator door. I took in a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door.