Readers: Ohmigod! I'm so sorry that this took so long to update… I've been going through… a lot. But do not fear, good people! Here I am. –Waits for the sound of clapping and cheering-

-crickets-

Alright, whatever. But I'll try to update once a week on this story…

Much thanks to inuyashasSTUBORNlovwer for reminding me that I even had a fan fiction! Five Gold Stars for you!

Chapter 3

Rosette's fork fell from her hand, clattering onto her plate. "What?"

"Are you alright?" Her mother stood up, looking frantic. "You look pale!"

She blinked, shaking her head and standing up with her plate. "It's nothing. Just a surprise, is all… I thought we had a week?"

"Well…" Rosette's mother sat down slowly, bushing the hair from her eyes and looking down at the floor. "I thought it would be nice to get going as soon as we could. You know…"

The blond girl nodded. "Of course. Sorry if I scared you!" They both laughed a little, strained, and awkward. "I think I'll go to bed… I'll sleep on the couch down here, if that's alright." Without waiting for an answer, Rosette set her plate on the counter and hurried out to the darkness of the living room.

Her mother didn't follow.

As far back as anyone could remember, Rosette had never been one to cry.

When other children were bawling over broken toys, she was seated quietly in a corner, her back to the wall, empty eyes cast down to the floor. Not even when her biological mother died, leaving her to a sea of distant relatives, did she once sit down to cry.

And now, curled up on the last piece of standing furniture in the barren house, Rosette was sobbing.

And all she could think about was why.

Why did it matter that she would leave now? What was different?

He was.

The boy in her room.

He had given her a glimpse of what was out there; what she would be missing if she continued to live like she was. Just sitting on the side…

Rosette sniffed. She wiped away her tears with a sleeve, and pulled herself up off the couch. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of her nightgown and into the outfit laid put for tomorrow. It was simple, just a loose pair of jeans and a plain cream t-shirt, but it would do. On a second thought, she dug around for her backpack and her favorite zip-up hooded sweater. It was summer, but she couldn't stand to leave it behind.

She padded to the front door, already open for a night breeze. The screen screeched when Rosette pulled it open, and she stopped, holding her breath.

Maybe her mother had heard. Perhaps she would be caught, scolded, and sent back to bed… And tomorrow she would leave on a plane for another dreary house, and more relatives.

But the woman upstairs didn't stir.

The lights didn't come on.

No alarm went off.

Everything was quiet. The blond turned towards the stairs, and whispered "Thanks, mom." Then slipped out into the humid night air.


Woot! Sorry that was so short... and strange...

At the moment, I have no idea were this story is going. XD;;

But that's OK!

I'm OK!

Anyhow, please R&R. I'll try and make the chapters longer from now on... and not so skippy.