Dateline: Thursday, July 9, 1981, 5:30 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.

"Vi," José said, "I think you're being a little unreasonable."

"What?" she asked loudly.

"I…I mean, I think it's noble of you to want to get Ashley, but do you even know where to begin?"

"Of course! She was taken to the orphanage, right? We start there."

"With all due respect, boss, do you even know where that is?"

Violet said nothing; she just stood there with her mouth open.

"We could look it up in the phone book!" Kim chimed in.

"I was going to say that! I was!" Violet insisted.

"Whatever, let's go!"

The four of them rushed back into the house. Dash, Kim, and José huddled around while Violet flipped through the Yellow Pages. They decided that with all eyes on the page, they wouldn't miss anything.

"It's not here! There's no listing of any orphanages in here!"

"Okay, then we'll just have to use Plan B!" said Dash.

"And what is Plan B?" asked Kim.

"We use the tracer in her watch to pinpoint her location!"

"Wow, that's a good plan. Why didn't we think of that earlier?"

Quickly, Dash got on the phone and called Sheriff Baker. "Sir, we need to know where Blind Tracy is. Could you track down her location for us?"

"No problem." After that there was a long pause, followed by the sound of electric sparks. "Oh, dear," Dash heard the sheriff say. "Um, our mainframe computer here at the station is on the fritz, so I'm not going to be able to help you. Sorry." He hung up.

"Well?" Violet asked with bated breath.

Dash recounted the bad news.

"Perfect!" José spat. "Now what?"

"Okay, don't panic!" Violet said. "Now, we all know by now that not one of us knows where the orphanage is. But, do any of you know anyone who might know where it is?"

"Not me," said Dash.

"Or me," said José.

"Wait, I just remembered!" Kim blurted out. "My mother used to help out at the orphanage all the time when I was a girl!"

"Yeah, that's great, honey, but does she know where the orphanage is?"

"No, Dash, she drove there blindfolded, so as not to ruin the surprise! Of course she knows where it is!"

"Kim! We don't have time for jokes now! Hurry up and call her!" Kim did as she was told.

"Hello, Mom? It's Kimmy…Yes; it's great to hear from you too, Mom. Listen, I need something…No, Mom, I've got plenty to eat…No, Mom, I…Will you listen to me? Okay, I need to know where the orphanage is…Because a friend of mine is being held in custody there, that's why." Kim grabbed a pen and some paper and wrote down the directions. "Okay, thanks Mom, that's all I needed…Okay, I'm hanging up now!" She yanked the receiver away from her ear. The whole neighborhood could hear the scream on the other end of the line. Humiliating!

Kim slammed the phone down. "That's my mother for you."

"Did you get the directions?"

"Yeah, but we kind of have to swing by my parent's place first."

"What do you mean?"

"The directions she gave me begin there."

"So we have to go a mile and a half out of our way because your mother can't read a map?" Dash asked.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Doesn't matter," Violet insisted, "let's go!" She grabbed the keys to the car and bolted out the front door. The rest of them followed.

Just as Violet was stepping into the driver's seat, Kim put a hand on her shoulder. "Whoa, there, leadfoot, let's hand the keys over to a more careful driver, shall we?" Groaning, Violet surrendered the keys. Kim got behind the wheel, started the car, and they were off. After travelling south on New York Avenue and east on 22nd Street, they arrived at the Lavender house.

"Okay, so first we have to go west on 22nd, and then turn right onto…New York Avenue? That's the way we just came!"

"Kim! Why didn't you see that earlier?" asked Dash.

"I'm sorry!"

"What did you say your IQ was again?"

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"What do you mean 'that's not fair?'"

"This is not a reflection of my intelligence! What this is, is one mistake!"

"Still, you couldn't have been that smart to make it in the first place!"

"Look who's talking, Mr. Lincoln-was-shot-by-a-toll-booth-operator!"

"ENOUGH!" Violet bellowed. They were all surprised. Nobody knew she could yell that loud. Not even Violet. "Okay," she said in a calmer voice, "this pointless argument is not helping us find Ashley, so let's just put it behind us, and continue."

Kim nodded and drove the car. They arrived at the orphanage fifteen minutes later.

"May I help you?" asked the woman behind the counter.

"We're here to see Ashley Cohen," said Violet.

"Please sign the ledger," said the woman, "and you can find all the children in the dinning hall."

"Dinner at this hour?" asked José. "What kind of orphanage is this? These are kids, not old people!" Kim lightly admonished him for that remark. "Ow! Why do you have to hit so hard?"

Violet and the others filed into a smallish room. In it, there were children sitting at tables that only came up to Violet's knee. (Considering her short stature, that's really saying something!) Although the furniture looked uncomfortably small to the four of them, the orphans seemed to be quite content with the arrangement. All except for one, that is, a red-haired girl with sunglasses and a white cane.

It was Dash who spotted her first. "Ashley!"

She straightened up, as if she had gotten a surge of electricity up her spine. "Dash?" Using her powers, she sensed that José, Kim, and Violet were with him. Ashley stood up and ran to them. "Guys, you came! I knew you wouldn't forget me!"

"That's right! Now, gather your stuff, we're getting you out of here!"

"I don't have any stuff! All my stuff's back at the house!"

"Okay, cool! Let's go!"

So they walked to the front door, expecting to leave the place and go home. But they didn't get far.

"Stop right there!" said the woman behind the desk. "Where to you think you're going, huh, red?"

"I'm going home with them," Ashley said.

"And they would be…?"

"My friends?"

"I'm sorry, but that just won't cut the mustard."

"What?" asked all five of them.

"The law states that nobody can take this girl from our custody except for her parents.
"But my parents are dead," said Ashley. "Does that mean I'm stuck in this hellhole, forever?"

"Watch your language, missy. And no, that's not what it means. If somebody (maybe one of these idiots) wants to adopt you, they fill out the paperwork, then they become your parent, and then they can get you out of here."

"So, that's it? Someone has to adopt me?" It sounded too good to be true, and Ashley wanted it confirmed.

"Isn't that what I just said? Yes, that's it."

"Oh, that's wonderful! Vi, did you hear that?"
"Yeah, I was here the whole time, Ash," she answered.

"Now you can finally adopt me, like you always said you would, right?"

"I don't know…"
"What's not to know?"

Violet said nothing. The rest of the team looked on her with contempt. The truth was, when Violet said she would adopt Ashley in the past, she was only half-sincere. Sure, she loved her very much, almost as if she were her daughter. But actually becoming a parent was a frightening proposition for Violet. It meant that she would have to be responsible for the well being of a human being that was not herself. Violet wasn't sure she could handle the extra responsibility.

Of course, Violet didn't need to say anything. Ashley read her mind and learned all of this.

"Oh, I see. You don't really care about me enough to adopt me. You were just joking all those times you said you were going to adopt me."

"No, Ashley, that's not…"

"No, no, I have all I need to know. Now, if you'll excuse me, my gruel is getting cold. I'll see you when I get out." She stormed off.

"No, you've got it all wrong! Ashley, wait! Ashley!" But she was gone.

The four of them drove home in silence. The talking only began once they were back inside.

"What happened to you, Violet?" asked Kim.

"I'm sorry?"

"A minute ago, you were willing to kick down the door, guns blazing, and snatch Ashley from the clutches of those G-men. Then you find a way to get her out of there legally, and you're too timid to do it? What the hell?"

"Kim, forgive me if I seem a bit hesitant, but I'm just not sure I'm ready for the respons…"

"This isn't about you, Vi!" Dash interrupted. "This is about Ashley. She expects somebody to adopt her and get her out of there. And from your existing relationship with her, I'd guess she expects that somebody to be you!"

"I know, I know, but still, if I adopt her…"

"If you adopt her, what?" said José. "Name one thing extra you'd have to do if you were her mom that you don't do already! Just one!"

"Will you guys quit jumping down my throat already?" Violet said. "Look, I know you guys want me to adopt her, but this isn't the kind of decision you rush into, okay? Besides, I don't know if it's what God wants or not."

"You really think God wants Ashley to stay there?" Kim said.

"I don't know what God wants. Maybe he does want me to take Ashley, and make her my daughter. Or maybe he doesn't. Who can know the mind of the Lord?" There was silence. "Look, I'll pray about it tonight, and I'll give you an answer in the morning."

"Fine, but it better be the right answer," Kim scolded. The three of them left Violet alone to pray.

"Dear God," she prayed silently, "show me what you want me to do. I love Ashley very much, and I really want her back. But I'm not sure I'm ready to raise a child. Not that Ashley's a child, after all, she is almost seventeen. And I suppose that she isn't really that much of a burden anyway." In that moment, a profound thought came to her. "Wow, I'm not even finished with this prayer, and it's been answered already. You really are an Almighty God! Thank you, Lord. Amen."

Violet stepped out of her room. "Guys, get back in the car!"

"Where are we going?"

"I think you already know where we're going!"

(A/N: So? How was it? I know, it's not the most creative of chapters, but I think it fits. Only one chapter remains, so stay tuned! Until then, review!)