I yelled down the stairs," Dad, the phones for you."

I covered the receiver and listened.

It wasn't two minutes and Aunt Susan said," Sarah, Hang up the phone. I'll call you after I talk to your dad. I love you sweetie."

I said as a tear fell from my eyes," I love you to Aunt Susan."

I hung up and sat at the foot of my bed. I could go home. She was actually talking to him about me coming home. I love my sisters and my brother, but I miss my home more. That place was my whole life. I didn't really know any of the people who lived in this house. They had different parents than me, a different background, they weren't like me. We were different. I just wanted to go home.

The phone rang about an hour later and I answered.

Aunt Susan said," I talked to your dad. I'm going to take a few days off and come down next week so we can all talk together."

I asked," But you're going to let me come home?"

She said," I don't know yet Sarah. We need to talk together first. Just promise to behave and listen until I get there?"

I didn't answer her.

She said," Sarah, promise me you're going to listen to them."

I said," She's not my mother. Annie's never going to be like my mom."

She said," She knows that, and I know that, but she is still the adult and you have to listen to her. Do you understand me?"

I said," Yes ma'am. I love you Aunt Susan."

She said," I love you too Sarah. I'll see you next week."

The days between that phone call and her coming seemed to drag on forever.

I spent most of my time shut up in my room. I didn't want to talk to any of them.

They didn't understand.

The day Aunt Susan came I sat on the porch swing all day waiting for the cab to pull up in front of the house.

I ran out to meet it when she got there.

I hugged her as she go out of the cab.

She sat her bag down and wrapped her arms around me.

I cried as I asked," Please take me home with you…Please?"

She pulled the hair away from my face as she stood there hugging me in the driveway. She said," We're going to talk about it. Come on. Let's go inside."

We walked in and my dad took her bag and carried it up to my room.

When he came back down he said," Why don't we all sit down and have dinner and then we can talk."

I sat at the table, but I wasn't really hungry. I picked at the food on my plate until everyone else had finished eating.

Annie looked at my plate and said," You need to eat Sarah, you haven't eaten anything today."

I put down my fork and folded my napkin on the table. I said," I'm not hungry, may I be excused."

Annie looked at me for a minute. I could see how bad she wanted this to work, and I know I wasn't making things very easy, but she wasn't my mom…that was the bottom line.

She finally said," Yes, take you plate into the kitchen."

I put my plate into the sink and went to go upstairs, but someone took my arm.

I tried to stop the tears that were rolling down my face.

I turned around and Aunt Susan was standing there. She pulled me into her arms and said," I know that you know that she loves you and that she's just trying to love you, so why are you fighting her so hard?"

I said," She stole my family, and somewhere deep inside I will always hate her for that."

She said," Sarah, your mom and dad's marriage died a long time before he left."

I asked," Was it because of me? Was it because mom got pregnant with me?"

She said," You weren't planned, but they loved you. Never doubt that they loved you. Now let's go to your dad's office and talk. I have things I want to tell you and your dad."

We met in the office and I sat by Aunt Susan. She said," I've been thinking about this a lot. Sweetie I know how much you want to come home. I know a lot of it is that you miss your friends and your house, and I know most of it is that you miss me. Your whole life I've always been just across town and I was your security net. Now I'm half way across the country and you feel more alone than ever before. And I know you want to come home. I want you to come home, But…"

Oh no, the but. I was afraid of what she was going to say. I wasn't going to stay here. I couldn't stay in this house. Not now.

She continued," I looked into getting a job in the ER here, and they offered me one. I looked at a little house across town with two bedrooms and it's a lot like the one's from home. So, if your dad says it's okay and we agree on some ground rules, I'm going to take the job here, and buy the house, and you can move in with me."

That was a twist….I hope it comes out as big as it seemed in my mind….tell me what you think. Please R&R.