Abby dropped Anna off at her friend's house the next morning. Anna and Quinn spent the afternoon shopping for school clothes, and they returned to Quinn's house around one. Anna told Quinn she had something to do, and that she would be back later.
She had never walked for Quinn's house to Abby and John's house, and she was taken by surprise that it took her almost an hour to get there. There was a new front door on the house, and it wouldn't open. Anna walked around to the back of the house where she stopped a broken basement window. She cleared the remaining glass and climbed into the basement of the house. As she made her way to the staircase, the light from the broken window disappeared.
She had to watch her step on the main floor because parts of the floor were actually missing. She tripped on a board and fell forward. "Oww," she groaned as she examined the palms of her hands. The staircase to the second floor was still intact, and she walked up to her room. She was shocked to see most everything ruined. The smell of ash was prominent. Anna sat, well collapsed rather, on the floor. She tucked her knees close to her body and cried.
On the other side of town, John answered his cell phone.
"Have the police checked it out?" John questioned. The alarm company had called them, and they reported the house looked normal. John was leaving the hospital and decided to check things out for himself. He parked his car and unlocked the front door.
He looked around and saw two hand prints on the floor. He walked up the stairs and found Anna asleep on her bedroom floor.
"Anna," he called softly.
She opened her eyes and looked around in fright.
"It's just me," he told her. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see," she explained.
"How did you get here?" he asked.
"I walked from Quinn's house," Anna answered.
"Your mom doesn't know you're here does she?" he questioned.
Anna shook her head.
"Come on let's get out of here," he told her. He held his hand out to help her off the floor. He could see that she had been crying bit did not ask questions.
Anna followed Carter down the stairs and outside to his car. She tried to brush the ash of her clothes, but they would not come clean.
"It's going to get this shit all over the seat," Anna told him.
He ignored her foul language. "Let me see if I can find something for you to sit on," he said.
Carter opened the trunk and pulled out a coat which he placed on the passenger's side seat. Anna got into the car as did Carter. They sat in the driveway in silence.
"Your mother will freak out if she finds out you were here alone. I would have taken you here if I had known you wanted to look around. I won't tell her if you promise me you will let me know next time you want to do something like this," Carter offered.
"Okay," she answered sullenly.
"Okay what?" he questioned.
"Okay, I won't come here anymore," she said.
"I didn't say that.." he started to say.
"It doesn't matter. I never want to come back again," Anna explained.
John drove the rest of the way back to the hotel in silence.
Anna could not stand staying in the hotel, and she was thrilled when Luka asked if she wanted to help him move into the new house. The movers brought everything into the house, and Luka and Anna moved the furniture to their desired locations.
"What kind of bed would like?" Luka asked her as they sat at the kitchen table enjoying a pizza.
"I don't know. A big one I guess," she responded.
"Thank you, now I know just what to get," he said sarcastically.
"Do you think I can stay here until Mom and John move into a house?" she asked.
"It is all right with me, although, you know I will have to discuss it with your mother," he told her.
"I'm sure she won't care," Anna explained. "I hate staying at the hotel."
The next few days flew by, and Abby had no intention of letting Anna stay with Luka. Anna pleaded with her mother, but it was useless.
The first day of school came too soon, and before she knew it, Anna was sitting at a table in the back of the art classroom. Normally, she loved art, but she did not feel like watching the rest of the class present their "how I spent my summer" collages. Anna picked up her backpack and slipped out the backdoor.
She stopped at her locker to unload the stack of books she had collected from her early classes. She pulled a piece of paper out of a notebook and scribbled a note which she signed her father's name too. The secretary in the school office did not question her, and Anna walked out of the school into the sunshine. She spent the afternoon wandering around town. When she arrived back at the hotel around three, Abby was waiting for her.
"Where have you been?" Abby demanded.
"Uhhh… school," Anna answered.
"No, the school called me at work asking if you had made it home all right. Would you mind clueing me in?" Abby questioned.
"I didn't want to stay there anymore so I left. That is it," Anna replied.
"I have to call your father back," Abby told her.
"You called him?" Anna questioned.
"What was I supposed to do? I was worried something had happened," Abby stated.
"Stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself!" Anna yelled before retreating to her room.
Abby sat down in a chair rubbing her forehead.
John returned from work with the three younger children in tow. Abby was still sitting in the same chair with the same headache.
"What is wrong?" he asked when the kids were out of earshot.
"Anna. I received a call from her school today informing me that Luka had signed her out. I called Luka, and he was more confused than I was. I think she enjoys torching me," Abby explained.
"You want me to talk to her?" he asked brushing Abby's hair away from her face.
"I guess, you always seem to be able to talk with her. All I get is the cold shoulder combined with preteen lip," she said.
"Because I'm not her mother," John told her.
Anna hardly said three words over the next few days, and that weekend she went to stay with Luka. Abby dropped her off after dinner on Friday night. Luka greeted Anna, and they sat in the living room.
"I hear you have taken to forging my name," Luka commented.
"Your signature is easier than Mom's," Anna explained.
"I'm not paying half your tuition so you can cut class," he lectured.
"I have already heard this lecture two times. Once from mom, once from John, please spare me," she pleaded.
"Anna, what is going on with you?" he asked.
"Nothing, I hate school. It is boring. That is it. I'll never skip again," she snapped.
"I would appreciate it if you would not take that tone with me," he told her.
"Please, you can't tell me what to do," she said.
"I most certainly can. I am your father," Luka replied.
"I have had enough," Anna said getting up.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Out," she answered. "Away from here."
"Don't even think about leaving this house," Luka threatened.
"I am not a prisoner," Anna told him.
"No, but I am really getting tired of your new tough girl attitude," he said.
Anna glared at him, but she did not leave the house. She did not want to feel Luka's wrath. She was always on good terms with her father, and she did not want to start anything.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Note from Banana Belle *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, there is another chapter. I'm not sure if I should wrap this story up or give it a little break. I have a few chapters of my Ross family story finished, and I am currently editing it for content. Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming!
She had never walked for Quinn's house to Abby and John's house, and she was taken by surprise that it took her almost an hour to get there. There was a new front door on the house, and it wouldn't open. Anna walked around to the back of the house where she stopped a broken basement window. She cleared the remaining glass and climbed into the basement of the house. As she made her way to the staircase, the light from the broken window disappeared.
She had to watch her step on the main floor because parts of the floor were actually missing. She tripped on a board and fell forward. "Oww," she groaned as she examined the palms of her hands. The staircase to the second floor was still intact, and she walked up to her room. She was shocked to see most everything ruined. The smell of ash was prominent. Anna sat, well collapsed rather, on the floor. She tucked her knees close to her body and cried.
On the other side of town, John answered his cell phone.
"Have the police checked it out?" John questioned. The alarm company had called them, and they reported the house looked normal. John was leaving the hospital and decided to check things out for himself. He parked his car and unlocked the front door.
He looked around and saw two hand prints on the floor. He walked up the stairs and found Anna asleep on her bedroom floor.
"Anna," he called softly.
She opened her eyes and looked around in fright.
"It's just me," he told her. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see," she explained.
"How did you get here?" he asked.
"I walked from Quinn's house," Anna answered.
"Your mom doesn't know you're here does she?" he questioned.
Anna shook her head.
"Come on let's get out of here," he told her. He held his hand out to help her off the floor. He could see that she had been crying bit did not ask questions.
Anna followed Carter down the stairs and outside to his car. She tried to brush the ash of her clothes, but they would not come clean.
"It's going to get this shit all over the seat," Anna told him.
He ignored her foul language. "Let me see if I can find something for you to sit on," he said.
Carter opened the trunk and pulled out a coat which he placed on the passenger's side seat. Anna got into the car as did Carter. They sat in the driveway in silence.
"Your mother will freak out if she finds out you were here alone. I would have taken you here if I had known you wanted to look around. I won't tell her if you promise me you will let me know next time you want to do something like this," Carter offered.
"Okay," she answered sullenly.
"Okay what?" he questioned.
"Okay, I won't come here anymore," she said.
"I didn't say that.." he started to say.
"It doesn't matter. I never want to come back again," Anna explained.
John drove the rest of the way back to the hotel in silence.
Anna could not stand staying in the hotel, and she was thrilled when Luka asked if she wanted to help him move into the new house. The movers brought everything into the house, and Luka and Anna moved the furniture to their desired locations.
"What kind of bed would like?" Luka asked her as they sat at the kitchen table enjoying a pizza.
"I don't know. A big one I guess," she responded.
"Thank you, now I know just what to get," he said sarcastically.
"Do you think I can stay here until Mom and John move into a house?" she asked.
"It is all right with me, although, you know I will have to discuss it with your mother," he told her.
"I'm sure she won't care," Anna explained. "I hate staying at the hotel."
The next few days flew by, and Abby had no intention of letting Anna stay with Luka. Anna pleaded with her mother, but it was useless.
The first day of school came too soon, and before she knew it, Anna was sitting at a table in the back of the art classroom. Normally, she loved art, but she did not feel like watching the rest of the class present their "how I spent my summer" collages. Anna picked up her backpack and slipped out the backdoor.
She stopped at her locker to unload the stack of books she had collected from her early classes. She pulled a piece of paper out of a notebook and scribbled a note which she signed her father's name too. The secretary in the school office did not question her, and Anna walked out of the school into the sunshine. She spent the afternoon wandering around town. When she arrived back at the hotel around three, Abby was waiting for her.
"Where have you been?" Abby demanded.
"Uhhh… school," Anna answered.
"No, the school called me at work asking if you had made it home all right. Would you mind clueing me in?" Abby questioned.
"I didn't want to stay there anymore so I left. That is it," Anna replied.
"I have to call your father back," Abby told her.
"You called him?" Anna questioned.
"What was I supposed to do? I was worried something had happened," Abby stated.
"Stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself!" Anna yelled before retreating to her room.
Abby sat down in a chair rubbing her forehead.
John returned from work with the three younger children in tow. Abby was still sitting in the same chair with the same headache.
"What is wrong?" he asked when the kids were out of earshot.
"Anna. I received a call from her school today informing me that Luka had signed her out. I called Luka, and he was more confused than I was. I think she enjoys torching me," Abby explained.
"You want me to talk to her?" he asked brushing Abby's hair away from her face.
"I guess, you always seem to be able to talk with her. All I get is the cold shoulder combined with preteen lip," she said.
"Because I'm not her mother," John told her.
Anna hardly said three words over the next few days, and that weekend she went to stay with Luka. Abby dropped her off after dinner on Friday night. Luka greeted Anna, and they sat in the living room.
"I hear you have taken to forging my name," Luka commented.
"Your signature is easier than Mom's," Anna explained.
"I'm not paying half your tuition so you can cut class," he lectured.
"I have already heard this lecture two times. Once from mom, once from John, please spare me," she pleaded.
"Anna, what is going on with you?" he asked.
"Nothing, I hate school. It is boring. That is it. I'll never skip again," she snapped.
"I would appreciate it if you would not take that tone with me," he told her.
"Please, you can't tell me what to do," she said.
"I most certainly can. I am your father," Luka replied.
"I have had enough," Anna said getting up.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Out," she answered. "Away from here."
"Don't even think about leaving this house," Luka threatened.
"I am not a prisoner," Anna told him.
"No, but I am really getting tired of your new tough girl attitude," he said.
Anna glared at him, but she did not leave the house. She did not want to feel Luka's wrath. She was always on good terms with her father, and she did not want to start anything.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Note from Banana Belle *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, there is another chapter. I'm not sure if I should wrap this story up or give it a little break. I have a few chapters of my Ross family story finished, and I am currently editing it for content. Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming!