I don't own CSI

Theres a little swearing in this one.

1986 - San Fransisco.

She pulled an oversized sweater over her thin body. The sleaves were too long but the old wool was soft against her fingers. It was her mothers and some days despite it having been washed hundered of times since she last wore it, Sara could still smell her mothers scent on it. It hung from her shoulders and though it didn't keep her very warm, it hid the lesions and the wasting effects of her disease, the three layers underneath it would keep her warm. She ran a towel through her damp hair again and let it fall around her face. It was six thirty, breakfast was always at seven, giving the girls either an hour or an hour and a half before the busses came to take them to school, depending on which one they went to. Riverwood home for girls was basically like a state run orphanage for girls in the system aged 13 to 18, with no where else to go. Some had been kicked out of foster homes for their behaviour, others had run away from the placements so many times that social services had given up trying to place them, and occasionally their were kids like Sara whose foster parents had encountered a situation that they couldn't handle and given them up for false reasons, in her case her behaviour,and rather then place her with another family and risk other childrens saftey had sent her here.

Sara finished getting dressed and made her way to the cafeteria for breakfast. She usually sat alone, prefering not to socialise. The few friends she had ever made in foster placements or even here had always left for one reason or another. She grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down at a table in the far corner, only to be joined by another girl around her age.

"Can I sit here?" The girl asked. She sat down without waiting for an answer.

"I guess." Sara mumbled with her spoon in her mouth. She looked at the girl. Her hair was cut to just below her ears, and was a mixture of a white blonde, black and bright blue. Her eyes were grey, and framed by long eyelashes coated in blue mascara. Her nose was peirced with a small silver stud and her gorgeous, full lips had been subjected to a thick covering of dark blue lipstick. Her clothes however rather then continuing the goth effect consisted of tight jeans and a white v-necked sweater. Sara had to laugh at the effect.

"Hey don't laugh," The girl warned, "my school has a dresscode and if I get into anymore trouble their kicking me out. To bad for them they don't have any rules on hair or makeup." She showed Sara a small grin.

"You don't seem like the type to care about getting kicked out."

"Yeah but if I do the only place left to send me is that catholic school they send all the deliquents to. Trust me I think I'd die there." Sara reciprocated the small grin.

"So whats your name?"

"Ashley. You?"

"Sara."

"So which school do you go to Sara?"

"The catholic one they send all the deliquents to." Ashley made a poor attempt to supress a smile and shook her head.

"So why arn't you wearing that fucked up uniform?" Sara didn't reply she just pulled the neck of her sweater down to reveal a grey and white tartan tunic. Now it was Ashleys turn to laugh. "What did do to get sent there?"

"Officially, I was beating up on my five year old foster brother." Ashley looked a little surprised.

"And unofficially."

Sara just shrugged. "There was some stuff that happened, they wanted to get rid of me." Ashley gave her a small smile and nodded. "You haven't been here long have you?" Sara asked softly.

"How'd you know?"

"I just think I would of noticed you around thats all...ah it doesn't matter really." Sara lowered her eyes back to her cereal, raised a spoonfull of it to her mouth, but lowered it again without eating. "You been in the system long?" She asked.

"Since I was six." Ashley's voice held no real sadness or anger over this. She was very matter of fact about it. "You?"

"Ah since I was eleven." Ashley smiled at her.

"So I guess I'm the veteren. I gotta go." She got up and started to leave, then turned back to Sara. "Don't tell anybody I smiled at you. I gotta reputation to uphold." Sara laughed at her as she walked away, then finished her breakfast.

Sara stood over the sink in bathroom at her school, she was hunched over it both hands supporting her weight. She couldn't stop coughing. Her throat was raw and each cough made it worse. Her chest hurt and she felt like she would thow up if she didn't stop soon. Her chest heaved she coughed again, she stopped to breath in some air but only managed a little bit. She waited for the coughing to start up again. It didn't. She slowly took in some more air, released it and rested her head on the cool porcelain for a moment. She jerked up quickly when she the door open and three girls in her year burst through it.

"Hey look its another group home freak." It was a blonde cheerleader type speaking, the two girls she had in tow started giggling. The blonde looked at Sara, "So can I ask a question about Riverwood?"

Sara didn't answer.

"Hey I asked you a question! You say yes or no."

"No." Sara replied. The blonde faked dissapointment.

"Oh and I so wanted to know if you girls all fucked each other at night, in a big orgy." Sara hung her head low, she was sick of this girl, she lifted he head and smiled politely at the blonde.

"Well yeah we do, but you know, I'm sorry we don'twant you, but you know what you could try the boys home. I'm sure they'd love to have you. Excuse me." Sara left the bathroom and heard the word bitch as she left. She was about to take off down the hall whe she heard them continue.

"What a freak."

"You know her mother stabbed her father to death."

"I heard she stabbed him over a hundred times and she was still going when the police got there and that they had to force her off him."

"My god."

"You know what I heard that her mother was just covering for her, that is was Sara who killed him, 'cos he having sex with."

"Nah she probably killed him because he wasn't fucking her." They all laughed.

"EEEWWWW! Thats creepy!" They laughed again.

Sara took off down the hall.

This time she did throw up. She had been coughing for three days now and it just kept getting worse. She was in the bathroom at Riverwood. Thankfully no-one had come in yet. She flushed the toilet and kept on coughing. Her chest and throat hurt and she was pretty sure she had a fever. At that moment the door open at least this time she knew she wouldn't get a serve over living in the home, rumours about her parents however were fair game here. She tried not to cough but couldn't stop herself. She heard a voice.

"Hey are you ok?"

That was Ashleys vioce. She didn't want to open the door. She kept coughing.

"Hey come on you don't sound so good. Mabey you open the door." She reached up to unlock it and pushed the door open.

"Sara."

"Hey" She managed a hoarse greeting. Ashley knelt down beside her in the stall.

"Are you ok?" Sara tried to speak again.

"Yea...I'm...fine."

"Yeah right. Stay here I'm gonna go get someone." Ashley took off out of the bathroom.

Where am I gonna go, she thought.

A minute later Ashley returned with one one the social workers. Sara turned around to look at him. He was attractive, lean muscular body, light brown hair that was a little shaggy, clear, friendly hazel eyes, and a concerned look on his face. He knelt down beside her and looked her over. She was thin, too thin, and he thought he saw ahint of a lesion on her neck. No he must have been imagining it. He'd been around too many sick people lately. Then she started coughing again. He knew that cough well. She was sick.

"Hey I'm Joseph.You can call me Joey. Whats you name."

"Sa...she coughed...Sar...another cough...Sara."

"Hey Sara. I think were gonna need to take you to a hospital ok. Can you stand up?" Sara tried but couldn't support her weight. Joey helped her. He took her to the reception desk and told the woman in charge of it where he was taking her .

"Can I come with you?" Ashley asked. He wanted to let her, but knew he couldn't.

"I'm sorry you're gonna have to stay here. I let you knowwhat happens ok." Ashley started to protest but knew she was wasting time.

"Ok."

She watched as he put her in his car and drove down the road.

Hehe got through that one with no writers block!