Beca closed her eyes as she stepped back into the stream of hot water, letting it pour over her face and down her body, washing away all the dirt and grime that had been accumulating there. She washed her hair twice and scrubbed her body extra hard, before reaching for the new razor she had been given. Something she was extra grateful for.

By the time she was finished, it had been nearly forty-five minutes and she stepped out, wrapping the clean, warm towel around her.

"Chloe?" She called softly walking toward the door.

"I'm here." Came a soft voice and Beca opened the door to find Chloe reclined on her bed, a schoolbook propped up on her legs.

"Thank you, for letting me shower." She said as Chloe closed the book and set it aside, dropping her legs off the side of the bed.

"How was it?" She asked, eyeing the girl that stood in only a towel in the doorway between her room and bathroom.

"It was nice, thanks for the razor."

Chloe nodded with a kind smile as she stood up. "I put your clothes in the wash." She said walking over to her dresser.

"Thank you, I have more in my bag-" She said pulling her small black bag that sat at the end of the bed toward her before stopping.

Chloe turned around. "I put all of your clothes in the wash." She said walking over with a stack of clothes.

Becas shoulders dropped. "You didn't have to do that, you already let me shower and-"

Chloe hushed her as she handed her the clothes. "They might be a little big, but it should do for now."

Beca looked down at the clothes in her hands, and felt her emotions beginning to grow out of control.

"Go on, go get dressed." Chloe urged as she sat back down and pulled the book back into her lap.

Beca nodded and went back into the bathroom. Chloe watched, and let out a small sigh as the door clicked shut.

She was nearly done with her reading when the door opened again and Beca walked out, a pair of pajama pants that were a little too long, and a t-shirt that hung loosely on her slender frame.

She walked over and sat on the bed, looking at the book in Chloe's lap.

"What subject?" She asked and Chloe sat up a bit.

"Biology. I have a lab on Monday." She said and set the book aside. She didn't miss how Beca looked at it sadly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked and Beca looked at her.

"You already know." She said.

Chloe nodded. "I do. But, if you want to talk about it, we can."

"Not much to talk about, I just needed to get away for a little while." She said. "So, what are doing in your lab?" She asked, reaching for the book, but Chloe put her hand on it, stopping her.

"Beca, we do need to talk about this."

"No, we don't. I appreciate your offer, but I really don't want to get into it again."

Chloe sighed again and leaned back. "I don't understand why you don't just leave for good. You could you know? You're still a minor."

Beca looked up, tears starting to gather in her eyes. "Only for another few months. I couldn't even if I wanted to and you know that. It's not that easy. And besides, I couldn't just leave Stacie."

She jumped, clamping her lips shut as there was a knock at the door. She felt her blood run cold, and her eyes widen, locking onto Chloe.
"It's okay, breathe." She said quietly before calling out, "Come in!"

The door opened and a middle-aged woman peeked in. "Hey girls, just checking in. Do you need anything?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, thank you. I think we are good! Thanks again for letting Beca spend the weekend while her parents are out of town."

"Of course, anytime! Alright, not to late okay, remember I'll have breakfast going in the morning, don't want to miss out!" She said stepping out.

"We won't, thanks. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight girls."

She closed the door and Beca looked down into her lap. "She is really nice."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, she is. So far this is the best foster family that has taken me. I'm hoping I can stay here until I age out. Maybe they will let me still come around, they seem to like me."

Beca wiped her tears away and nodded. "I think they like you a lot. How long have you been here now?"

"Almost a year. I've kept my grades up, and I've stayed out of trouble, and they only report good things to my case worker, so it looks like when I turn Eighteen I might have a place to come back to when I go to college."

"Have you been accepted anywhere yet?" Beca asked.

Chloe looked down. She hadn't told Beca yet that she had been accepted to multiple schools that she had applied for. Her foster parents were extremely happy for her, and she really had started to think they might let her stay around after she aged out of the system.

She wanted to tell Beca the good news, but she was afraid it would upset the girl. She had instead been trying to convince her to leave the place she called home and give herself a chance at a normal life. She had been unsuccessful so far.

She was pleasantly surprised however when she found Beca standing outside her School that afternoon with a bag of clothes, asking if she could go home with her for a few days. She hoped she could take advantage of this opportunity to talk her into staying away from her toxic homelife.

"Does Stacie know you're here?" She asked, changing the subject.

Beca rolled her eyes. "Chloe, I asked you a question." She said. "Have you been accepted anywhere yet? Come on, let me live vicariously through you for just a few minutes?"

Chloe sighed. "Yeah, I have been accepted to a few places. I haven't made up my mind where I want to go though."

Beca folded her legs underneath her, smiling. "What do you think you want to study?"

Chloe chuckled at her antics and got comfortable as well. "I don't know, I'm thinking I want to go into the medical field. Maybe into pediatrics. I love babies."

Beca smiled, as Chloe began to talk about how she wanted her future to play out. She wished that she could go with her. She wanted to apply to colleges and wait for the letters to come telling her if she got in or not. She wanted to go to High School and get good grades. Make friends, and bring big books home to study, and learn new things.

She could feel herself dropping lower and lower as she listened to Chloe talk about all the things she would never experience. She forced a smile and listened. She was the one to ask, after all.

XXXXXX

Stacie let out a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling her headache becoming worse.

Beca hadn't come back from the run she was sent on that afternoon. She didn't come back, and she had at least a thousand dollars in cash on her. Money that didn't belong to her.

"Let me make myself clear. If she doesn't show by Sunday, because I know she has a habit of disappearing on the weekends, its going to be you that suffers. I have given that rotten kid too many chances, and now this? If there is even a cent missing from that money, I'm going to teach her a lesson she will never forget. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Luke. I understand. Can I go now?"

Luke, the six-foot-tall man with a temper, leveled his glare and stepped up to her. She matched his glare and didn't step back, making him smirk.

"I see where she gets her attitude. I was kind enough to take you and your brat sister in, and she has shown nothing but disrespect and defiance for the last three years. If it weren't for me, you'd both probably be dead. Now, are you going to get through her thick skull that its not a good idea to try and cross me? Or am I going to have to do it?"

Stacie quirked an eyebrow. "Lay a finger on her and you and this whole pathetic excuse for a business will go under. I promise."

He chuckled and looked behind her to the man standing in the doorway. He looked down and before Stacie could even register his movement, he had whipped his hand across her face, knocking her to the side.

He pushed his hair back and grabbed her, pulling her back and she met his eyes, just as steady as before, ignoring the blood seeping out of the corner of her mouth.

"Keep pushing me, Stacie. And you'll both end up in a shallow grave." He whispered in her ear. "Now get the fuck out of my face." He said shoving her roughly toward the door where she barely caught herself before straightening up and spitting the blood at the feet of the man at the door before walking out.

Luke looked at the man and took a deep breath before cracking his knuckles. "Find Beca."

XXXXXX

Stacie walked down the stairs of the condemned two-story house, still tasting the blood in her mouth and praying she wouldn't have a bruise. She had almost reached the bottom when Jesse walked through the front door, a bag in his hands. Stacie recognized it immediately and hurried down the rest of the steps.

"Where did you get that?" She asked motioning to the small blue bag he held.

"I found it, under the porch, just the handle was visible. She brought it back and left it before taking off." He said before reaching up to touch her face and she pushed his hand away.

"What happened?" He asked and she took the bag from him.

"This happened." She said. "Is it all here?"

"Ten bucks short." He said. "I already replaced it. She must have used it for the bus or something."

Stacie sighed looking down with a shake of her head.

"Do you know where she would have gone?" He asked looking around to make sure they were alone. Stacie looked around as well before pulling him into the shadows of the hallway.

"Probably wherever Chloe is. It doesn't matter where that girl gets placed, Beca always finds her."

"They were friends when they were younger right?"

Stacie nodded. "Yeah, Chloe lived a few houses down. She didn't have it any better than we did, but she was taken into care long before I took Beca and came here."

"How old was she?"

"Seven, I think. Beca was crushed. She was her only friend. The only one that didn't judge her by her dirty clothes, or unbrushed hair. Chloe was always kind to her, and always made sure Beca had the number to reach her. From what I heard from the case worker that came to our house with the number for Beca, she had thrown a monstrous tantrum until they agreed to let them stay in contact. Since they weren't related it was easier, I guess. Once I took Beca and left, all she wants is to find run off and find Chloe. Last time she left and came back I was able to get it out of her. Chloe is in a foster home, up in West Hollywood."

Jesses eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

"That's what Beca said. Its about an hour and half bus ride from here and she has been there for a while."

"Well, I wish you guys could have gotten that lucky. I know a condemned house in Compton isn't the best."

"It was my choice to bring her here. Our dad would have ended up killing one or both of us."

"Yeah well, running drugs for a gang in Compton isn't any safer."

Stacie looked down, in shame. She knew that she had put her little sister in a dangerous place. She knew that it was a bad idea, but she knew that it would be a place to sleep, and keep her fed. A place away from their Dad.

She looked around. The house was quiet. Everyone else was out on runs and Luke was upstairs. His puppet had left right after Stacie had. "Are we any closer?" She asked in a hushed tone.

He let out a breath. "Can you keep her alive and out of his way for another month?" He asked.

She nodded. "That soon?"

He nodded again. "Getting close. Just try to keep it together for a little longer."

She smiled and lifted the bag. "Thanks Jess. I'm going to take this upstairs."

"Have a good night, Stace." He said walking back out.

She looked down at the bag and shook her head. "Damn you, Beca."

She stepped out of the hallway and headed back up the stairs. Unaware of the man standing in the room beside the hall. A smile on his face as he listened.