Court

a. The building, hall, or room in which such cases are heard and determined.

b. The regular session of a judicial assembly.

Chapter 10

Forever. That's how long it seemed I would have to stay in the 'foster position'. It was like an orphanage. It used to be retirement home. The inside was extremely fancy but it had a musty smell.

I know that with every day that passes, Luka and Sammy and everybody from the ER are worrying about me. I think about them all the time and pray for them every night.

Especially Abby.

If my insides ached for Abby when I was with Sammy, they ached a million times worse now. I still wondered if she thought about me as much as I thought about her.

All and all the counselors were pretty nice. But I was sick of a different stranger coming to read a story to me every night. I wanted to be with Sammy and Luka so we could sing 'Camp Granada' and stay up late playing on the weekends.

"Carmella?" Karen poked her head inside my room. Karen was one of the counselors at the 'musty warehouse' I had come to know it as. Karen was very sympathetic about my situation when I came in. She was young, only about 23 or so and she didn't scare me as much as Mickey did. My head rose to look at her. She smiled gently.

"Someone's here to see you." She held out her hand and I jumped up quickly to take it.

"Who is it?" I asked curiously.

"Sorry sweetie," she said. "I'm not entirely sure." We made it to the front counter where kids were checked in every day. Many of them were small and hysterical. Quite like I was when I arrived. But as I raised my head my heart seemed to skip a beat. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was Abby.

"There's my little girl," she whispered. She was already crouching down. I let go of Karen and ran into her arms.

"It's you, it's you, it's you!" I repeated over and over into her hair.

"It's me," she breathed.

"Karen!" I cried jumping to my feet. "This is Abby."

"It's nice to meet you Abby. Carmella talks about you all the time," Karen shook Abby's hand. I still couldn't believe I was staring up at Abby for the first time in almost 3 weeks. I went up to hug Abby around the waist when I shot up in bed, sweating profusely.

It was a dream. It had all been a dream. And it was the same dream I had been having for the past month. That's how long I had stayed bunked up with a bunch of other small children that had been taken away from their abusive parents. A lot of them had trouble sleeping. I was one of them. And when I did finally get to sleep I would always dream that Abby was here to take me home with her.

Sammy promised she was going to fight for me. And I wouldn't ever stop believing that. Tonight I started to bawl. I felt so alone. I missed Abby. I missed Sammy. And I didn't want to be here anymore.

"Be quiet!" someone nearby snapped in a harsh whisper. Many children woke up in full sobs in the middle of the night and I knew from experience that it was very frustrating once you finally did get to sleep to be awoken again. I threw the covers off of my body and rushed out of the room. I was bunked with about 20 other children under the age of 10. Karen was sitting at the front desk leafing through a magazine. I knew she went home sometime but it always seemed she was here when I needed her to be.

"Karen," I whispered stopping a few feet away from the desk. I held teddy tight. Karen gasped and got to her feet. I knew my eyes were red and puffy and my face was soaked with tears. She hugged me.

"Did you have that dream again?" she asked. All I could do was nod pitifully.

"Well you know what? Your court date is tomorrow," she said tucking hair behind my ears and looking inside my teary eyes.

"Really?" I asked wiping away tears with the back of my hand.

"You aren't supposed to know. Samantha Taggart, Luka Kovac, and Abby Lockhart are the people I've been hearing about that are going to be there."

"Sammy and Abby! And Luka!" I cried.

"Shhh!" Karen warned. "Now please go back to bed. You have a very big day tomorrow." I did as I was told. Once I was back under the covers I held teddy to me tightly and silently prayed that tomorrow would go well.

"Are you ready miss?" the police officer that was going to take me inside of the court room asked me. I had arrived a long time ago to a huge building where they said I was going to answer questions for a 'nice man'. I couldn't believe that it was finally time. He held his hand out to me and I took it. I wondered if Sammy and Abby and Luka would be inside just as Karen had said. The police officer pushed open the heavy oak door and I tightened my grasp on his hand. The first person I saw was a man in a black robe sitting behind a really big desk. I shuddered as I saw a tiny hammer sitting next to his hand. I wondered if that's what he hit bad people with. The police officer led me through a small gate then to a desk sitting behind the gate. And sitting at the desk was Sammy and Luka. My mouth opened but I couldn't form words. My legs turned to jell-o as I ran into Luka's arms. He held me tightly to his chest and I heard him let out a pained sigh in my hair.

"Alright, Alright! Enough!" Sammy scolded Luka and practically ripped me from his arms and into hers. As I inhaled her familiar scent I started to cry hysterically.

"Order," the man behind the large desk said striking the tiny hammer a few times on his desk.

"Okay baby," Sammy whispered and seated me next to her. Mickey was called to a smaller desk next to the big man in the black robes. He asked her a lot of questions, both of them using ridiculously big words that I didn't understand. All I cared was that I was sitting next to Sammy again. Holding her hand and feeling her warmth.

"Where's Abby?" I tugged on Sammy's arm.

"Oh she'll be here," Sammy said in a 'she better' voice. After the judge asked a few more people some questions the big oak door opened again. Sammy lowered her head down to me.

"Don't be scared, honey," she whispered. I looked up at her confused. I hadn't been scared up until now I wondered why Sammy thought I would now. But a painful reality hit me as soon as the police officer that had guided me in here came back into view. Next to him in an orange prison suit and shackles was no other then my dad.

Sry it took so long 4 update guys. But here it is. Anyone out there watch the OC? I was thinkin' of doin' an OC story where Ryan comes to Newport with a two-year-old sister. I dunno. Anyway look for it enjoy!

Dru