Thanks to Guest, Maleeha x and Tif S for reviewing.

I have made another polyvore edit and put in the collection for this story. The link is on my profile, this latest edit is with some precious belongings that Annie have got and that will at one point or another be mentioned in the story.

I have now made two polyvore edits more. Each for Annie's parents, I hope they don't give out too much about Annie's history because you're not supposed to know much about it yet.

This chapter is told from Kirsten's point of view.

December the 27th 2013, The song

"AAAH"

For the third morning in a row I and Sandy were woken up by someone shouting. I looked to the watch on my bedside table, it wasn't even five a. m. And with a moan, just as Sandy sat up I fell back towards the sheets.

"Okay." I could hear Sandy moving on the other side and then his feet hit the floor. "I'll go check on her. You can go back to sleep."

"I'll come with you."

I didn't know what made me do it. It hadn't exactly gotten us anywhere yesterday or before that. But drowsily I stood up and with heavy steps followed Sandy out of our room and right into the next. Where Annie was as usual on her back on the bed, in the dark, her covers on the floor and… well at least she pretended to be asleep while I walked over to her, picked the covers up and draped them over her.

"Hey. Annie." Sandy kneeled by the bed and talked to her. In my drowsy state I mostly just wanted to get back to bed. "I think you can hear me even though you don't want to show it. I just wanted to tell you that… that if you let us then we're here to help you. If you have nightmares, or anything else that is hard. Then you can tell me or Kirsten or Ryan or anyone of us about it. And we'll do what we can. Okay?" Annie didn't make any intention to show us she had heard. "You don't have to be afraid. We won't get angry… Now go back to sleep." He stood on stiff legs. "And so will you and I."

Sandy tiredly laid an arm around my shoulders and closed the door to Annie's bedroom after us. Then let his arm fall towards his side on the short path to our bedroom where we fell onto each side of the bed.

"I just wish she'd let us help her. I just wish we could help her."

"I know what you're thinking Sandy." I turned on my other side to fall asleep. "And you know she isn't staying with us. And she needs far more help than what we can give her."

"Do you remember that when Ryan first came here. You weren't exactly in love with the thought that he was staying. Now look at us. Wouldn't be able to imagine a life without him could you?"

"Now go back to sleep Sandy."

Well it was very easy to just say "Now go back to sleep" so I wouldn't have to start a discussion with Sandy at five in the morning. And then it was very easy for me too to pretend to be asleep so he wouldn't start anyway. He didn't, and soon I could hear his breaths going deeper and slower as he did what I had actually only told him.

"Now go back to sleep Kirsten."

Well if it had worked for Sandy…

It wasn't so simple for me though. Despite how tired and drowsy II had been only seconds ago, suddenly I felt all awake. And no matter how much I closed my eyes, fixed with the pillow and the covers or threw myself back and forth that morning. I just couldn't fall back asleep.

And in my mind those shouts I and Sandy woke up to every morning played on repeat. So did the short shout when Annie told her about her parents. So kept every single time I had seen Annie or heard her say anything.

It was hard to believe that only the other day we hadn't known Annie at all. Then suddenly she had been in our hallway without giving us a chance to make ourselves ready for an extra person in the house. And for what a person as a matter of fact. Shouting every morning, stealing, acting rudely to everybody and seeming more hurt than what we would ever be able to mend.

And then that part of not letting us help her in the slightest little bit.

"Do you remember that when Ryan first came here. You weren't exactly in love with the thought that he was staying. Now look at us. Wouldn't be able to imagine a life without him could you?"

Well Ryan and Annie were two completely different stories. Ryan was older and more mature already when he first came to live with us. And Ryan did have two parents after all, one who even could stand there and ask me to take care of her child.

Annie didn't. Her parents couldn't ask us for anything. And if she didn't want to tell us, there was no way of finding out where or what she came from.

No! Not even what she came from.

It was most likely true what Sophie Rose had figured. Annie did act the way she did not to annoy. But because that's what she had learnt to do in what she used to live before. Maybe she ate fast because there wouldn't have been much time to eat at all, maybe she stole because that was the only way she'd get anything at all.

Maybe she…

No, that wouldn't even have to be a reason. She woke up screaming every morning for a reason. Something kept on playing over and over every night on the inside of her eyelids and woke her up every morning.

And getting to know Annie, as much as it was possible anyway. I wasn't so sure I even wanted to know whatever it would take to have her waking up screaming morning after the other.

It doesn't matter what either you or Sandy thinks about all of this Kirsten. I tried telling myself at almost half past seven in the morning. Annie needs more help than what you can give her and I think you know that very well.

I pretended that was a comforting thought. That Annie might have to leave because of something we couldn't give her. And then at last I fell back asleep. For less than an hour until I heard Annie leave her room and flinched awake.

"Good morning." I greeted her where she had sat down on her usual spot in one of the arm chairs in the living room. "Did you have a good night?"

If Annie had heard Sandy talking earlier she didn't seem to be interested in showing it. She nodded. But didn't greet me back or make any intention to say anything.

"Should we go and get some breakfast. We still have loads left from our big breakfast on Christmas day. We'll have all kinds of breakfast food for weeks from now on. Maybe we should have something for lunch later too… grilled cheese sandwiches maybe. Do you like those?"

I realized I was talking more for myself than to Annie. She still hadn't said a word and only followed me while I made our way into the kitchen and started picking out things that would make a good breakfast.

"Kirsten?"

I couldn't bother making a one-sided conversation anymore so while I silently put the things from the fridge onto the kitchen counter and table I had been so used to only hearing my own thoughts I flinched in surprise when Annie finally said something and spoke my name.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a CD player?"

"Ehrm…" I had to think for a moment, that old thing hadn't been used for years so we might have thrown it away moving back here. "Yeah, we do. But it's somewhere in the attic so it might take me a while to find it. Why?"

"Because I have a CD and I want to play it."

Duh!

"Ryan, Sophie Rose and Sandy are still asleep." I said after a second of thinking. "Have some breakfast, you can play music out loud when they're all up. Do you have a CD or do you want to borrow something from us. We have loads of it stored up in the attic."

"I have one. I just told you."

"Yeah." I sighed. "You did. Sorry, I'm a bit tired and confused." I picked out a pack of milk from the fridge and then closed it. "Take what you want." I turned and put the kettle on to make some coffee. Annie reached for a sandwich but I could feel her watching me and a grateful feeling of relief filled me up when I heard footsteps on the front porch, a key turn and then Seth and Summer coming in.

"Hello." They had quickly made their way from the door to the kitchen. Seth with his hair pointing in all possible directions as usual and Summer with an exhausted look on her and her jaws pressed closed.

Well, at least Annie wouldn't make her throw up more this morning.

"How are you feeling this morning Summer?"

"Ugh."

Summer just moaned and slumped down on a chair, then leaned against Seth who sat down next to her in a way that told us all about how sick she was feeling without her saying a full word. I went to open the cupboard and then the fridge.

"We have some crackers and ginger ale. Do you want some of those? It might help towards the nausea."

"Yes please."

"Now can I borrow that CD player?"

As on a given signal we could suddenly hear someone moving upstairs, then both Ryan and Sophie Rose's voices. And unless I knew him very wrong after all of these years Sandy would be up any minute now.

"What CD player?"

"Your old one." I told Seth, and hoped that he wasn't going to act like a child and only want his radio back when someone else had use for it. "It's in the attic somewhere. Annie wanted to borrow it, she's got some CD she wanted to play."

"Oh cool." Seth might have more luck talking to Annie than what I had with his random and talkative ways. "What CD? Anything I know."

"None of your business. And no."

"I know where that CD player is." Seth stood up while watching me get the ginger ale and salt crackers for Summer. "I'll only be a minute." Seth left the room, and only a minute or two later came back carrying the player by its handle. "I wonder how long it would have taken for you to find it. It was hidden behind at least fifty boxes. Hey Soph." Just as he put the radio down on a chair Sophie Rose came drowsily walking into the kitchen. "Nice shirt."

Sophie Rose- who was wearing the shirt with the lady and the tramp that Seth and Summer had gotten her from Chrismukkah glanced over the chairs around the table. Then pointed, the radio was standing on her usual chair and without anyone saying a word Seth noticed, nodded and carried away the player.

"Come on Annie. We can put this in your room and you can listen to your CD."

Seth and Annie disappeared out of the kitchen and we could hear them continue towards Annie's room. And at least Seth was trying to make a conversation. He didn't seem to have anymore luck than I had had though. And we couldn't hear anything else than footsteps and Seth's voice until Annie must have put the CD in the player and put it on.

"Good morning." Sandy came inside the kitchen just as the song started. "Good morning darling." He kissed me. "And you Sophie-Soph." He then kissed the top of Sophie Rose's soft, blonde hair. "Annie seems to have finally found something to do rather than just sitting and staring all the time."

"Hey…" I smiled when I heard the lyrics starting. "I know this song. Remember Sandy? Although… Annie is a bit too young to know about it. It's almost as old as you Sandy."

Sandy just grimaced jokingly back at me and reached for a bagel. I on the other hand had finished mine, leaned back in my chair and smiled. It must have been at least ten years since I heard it last.

"I remember this song too." Sandy suddenly said and smirked towards Seth. And I could guess what he was going to say already before he said it. "Actually, this is the song you was conceived to son."

Seth turned bright red and choked on his drink. Summer smirked at him from the other side than Sandy and I just had to think back to remember.

"Yeah. Now I remember. It was that night with the…"

"LALALALALALA." Seth sang out loud and put his hands over his ears. "I'M NOT LISTENING. I AM NOT HEARING."

"You're safe still son." Sandy continued blinking mischievously towards me. "This is a cover. I haven't heard it before. The song you were conceived to was the original that is by…"

"LALALALALA." Seth sang louder than ever and put his hands back over his ears. This time he seemed to have made up his mind not to lower them until he was safe. "LALALALALALALALALA." I and Sandy couldn't help but laugh.

Well that was until we heard the voice of our daughter right next to us.

"What does conceived mean?"

It was way too easy to quit laughing after that. And now it was Seth's turn to smirk.

Well none of us wanted to give "the talk" to a six year old. And we weren't going to either.

We managed to get her on other thoughts and soon we thought she might forget about it since the song was almost over. And still I couldn't help, at both the memory of Sandy's mention what we had done to this song and I couldn't help to count down the seconds. If it only would be done soon.

I had smiled when Annie had played that song for the first time. When I heard it the first time in God knows how many years.

I wasn't smiling when I and Sandy was working together to try and get Sophie Rose on other thoughts then what the word conceiving meant, and then the song was put on replay and started all over again. If only Sandy hadn't mentioned it from the start.

Then at last Seth and Ryan agreed to take care of Sophie Rose for the day and they all, including Summer went up the stairs to… I don't know. After everything Sophie Rose seemed to want to spend more time with Summer than her brothers and talk to baby Sawyer through Summer's belly.

Just as long as she didn't ask how that baby had gotten in there…

And I and Sandy could finally breathe out. The kids could deal with this on their own now. And I could smile again when I listened to every word of the song and couldn't help to remember. Not only the night with the sex that had ended up with me getting pregnant with Seth. But dancing, singing along, my fingers wrapped around Sandy's walking hand in hand on the beach while he was humming on the song.

That feeling of finally have found my one and only.

And now it all again.

I wasn't smiling the fifth time Annie played the song over again on replay. I could only wonder how many times we were going to have to listen to this today. And for some weird reason, listening to it I couldn't help to worry for Annie. She had only sat and glared in the living room too. But at least she had been so… away and unsocial as she was today.

I wasn't smiling when she had played it over and over again for an hour. I was starting to get sick and tired of the song when she had played it for two. And when she had played it over and over again for three hours I drew a relieved breath while I finished the grilled cheese sandwiches and egg and bacon sandwiches to get rid of some breakfast food for lunch.

"ANNIE." I knocked hard on her door and shouted to make sure she heard me over the CD player. "IT'S LUNCH NOW. YOU CAN TURN THAT SONG OFF AND GET BACK TO THIS AFTER EATING."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I heard from inside the room. At least she had heard me. "I can hear you, I'm not deaf."

"Is she still listening to that song?" Seth asked walking by towards the kitchen. I nodded and tried to look as given up as I felt. "Are you starting to get as tired of it as I do? Well. When I was up in the attic looking for the CD player I found some boxes with my old things. I and Summer was going to take some to ours and look through them there. But Sophie Rose wanted to help out too so we took them into her room. And the girls every time they find something cute infant-sized…" Seth sighed and then shook his head. "Girls!"

"You can't just say girls are like that Seth. Because not all girls are like that." Sophie Rose said thoughtfully while she took a grilled cheese sandwich from a plate Ryan had started passing around the table. "I wouldn't think Annie is like that. But maybe we should ask if she wants to join us. Going through things and finding loads of things like that is so much fun."

"Well… I guess you could go and ask her." Seth silent for a second and seemed to listen for something. "Rather you than me."

"Seth!"

Seth only raised an eyebrow as if he wanted to say to me that I knew I thought the same and would do anything not to have to talk to Annie. I glared back at him, and didn't look away until my look had more or less forced my son into saying something.

"I agree with Soph." Seth said at last with a frown while we could hear her voice, muffled by the walls in between us. "Annie doesn't really seem like the one who would like this kind of stuff. But what does she like doing actually? I mean, she's got to like something else then trying to steal candy, glaring all around and listening to the same song over and over for a whole day. Doesn't she?"

"She does." Sandy agreed. "But what she does I do not know. Has she told you anything Kirsten?"

"No. But even before she tried to steal she didn't seem all too impressed by the plan of shopping all day long so I don't think it's going to the mall or shopping neither." We could hear the door to Annie's room closing and then footsteps towards the kitchen again- only one pair of them. "What did she say Soph?"

"Annie wanted to stay in her room listening to that song." Sophie took her sandwich again and pulled up her feet to sit crouched on the chair with a distressed look in her eyes. "She didn't even move anywhere when I came in. She just sits there, not even on the bed or the chair. Right on the floor, by the CD player and she doesn't even seem to care for anything else. But I noticed she had something. But just as I came in she hid it. I tried to ask her what it was but she didn't want to tell me and just told me I'd imagined things. But I didn't. Because I could see her sliding in something underneath a shirt just when I came into the room."

"Thank you Soph. It was a nice try." I stood up, grabbed a few of the sandwiches on a plate and took a tray from a kitchen cupboard. "We've got to make sure everybody eats still. I'll go and talk to Annie." I put two glasses on the tray and a jug of water. "She needs to eat. So if she can't come to the food, then food will come to her." I took the tray, then noticed the look on my daughter's face. "What's wrong Sophie Rose?"

"You're letting Annie eat in her room." She pouted. "I wanted to eat in my room loads of times. But you never let me. Why does she get to do it?"

"I…"

I tried to answer. But couldn't actually think of one. That she actually came down and into the kitchen for meals? That she wasn't obviously underweight? That she was well-behaved?

At last I trusted Sandy and maybe Seth or Ryan, and Sandy nodded at me to go while they answered and I left the kitchen. Still being reached by the unusually whiny tone in her voice.

After all, it wasn't easy to adjust to there suddenly being another kid in the house that we didn't even know for me or Sandy. And we could only imagine how it must be for Sophie Rose who was only six years old. If these few days that Annie was staying with us we'd have to reward her in some way.

"Annie?" I knocked on the door to Annie's room soon. "I'm coming in. Okay?... Here." Just as Annie pressed replay on the same song one more time I opened the door and walked in. "When you didn't come for lunch I thought I'd bring some here for you." Annie sat on the floor, but I sat down on the foot of her bed and put the tray next to me. "Eggs and bacon or grilled cheese sandwich?"

I couldn't help but notice it seemed like she had hidden something under the hooded shirt that laid on the floor next to her. She had slipped something in underneath it just as I opened the door and came in.

Whatever it was she ignored it.

"Egg and bacon please."

Annie could really confuse me sometimes. It might have seemed like tiny little details to anybody else. But when Annie asked for things she was just sometimes so polite. Only to talk as rudely or asking as weird questions as before in the next minute. And when I reached her a sandwich I wasn't surprised when she didn't thank me.

"I thought you were Jewish." Annie looked down on the bacon slices on her sandwich. "Jews aren't supposed to eat pork, are they? And there's butter. And if I don't remember it wrong they neither eat milk products and meat together."

"You're not Jewish are you?" Annie shook her head. "It's only Sandy. And as long as Sophie Cohen's- Sandy's mum's ghost comes from the grave and starts haunting us then we'll be fine."

"Ghost? Start haunting?" Annie snorted at what I had said. "So… Sophie was Sandy's mum's name? Sophie Rose must be named after her then?"

"Yeah. And Rose was my mum's name." Annie nodded slowly looking up at me. "Are you named after someone?" Her look into my eyes turned into a glare while she reached out and put that song on replay again.

"My dad's name was Anthony. He wanted a son to name him Anthony Jr. He got me. And made it Annie. And that's the most stupid name of all…" I was on my way to protest- there was nothing wrong with her name. "I don't think anyone should be named after someone like that. All people have done terrible things. And babies are just… innocent. They deserve to have their own name and not being named after someone who did something bad."

"Well. Both Sandy's mum and my mum did many good things too. They loved us very much and we also loved them. They both died of cancer before she was born. And then, when she was born it felt like the right time to… It just felt right. But it wouldn't mean that we loved Soph any less if she… if somebody else, even herself might think that she hasn't come as far as Sophie or my mum."

Annie nodded slowly, and with head turned away from me she was staring to her side and on the shirt that laid on the floor. And on top of something that I couldn't see but didn't know whether I should ask about or not.

I actually didn't know if I should ask anything, say anything at all.

But something in me just told me that I had to. And break the awkward silence in between us.

I hesitated for a bit. We still didn't know much about who Annie was or where she came from. I wanted to know more. Yet we knew what was most important- her parents were dead and there was no bringing them here. At last, taking the last few bites of my grilled cheese sandwich I decided to go for it and ask.

"What was she like? Your mum?"

In the moment I had asked the question I regretted it. Still with her eyes sternly set at the shirt next to her hiding something there was something in her eyes I hadn't seen before. Something hard, and way too heavy for a nine year old to bear on her own. For a second I almost expected a scene to start playing in her eyes of something she had seen, like on TV.

"Her name was Grace if that's what you're wanting to know."

That was not what I wanted to know.

I would have wanted to know where Annie had been before she came to live with us. What she and her parents liked or disliked. What they'd spend their time with after coming home from school or work. What she liked to do during the weekends- I wanted to know anything that could help me help her.

"Now can you leave me alone?"

"Yes of course."

I didn't want to. I wanted to know more and couldn't remember ever being so curious about anything. Except maybe about Ryan when Sandy had first told me about him. But I didn't want to make Annie feel like I pressured her into something. So I put the plate and glasses on the tray and got up to leave.

"Can you leave that jug and glass of water in here please?"

"Yes of course."

I put the things she had asked for on her bedside table and then left the room. But not without trying one more time.

"If there's anything else I can help you with. Or anyone else in this house. Then don't be afraid to come and ask for it. We're all here to help you. Even if it's only about a glass of water or some other songs to listen to every once in a while."

"I don't want any other songs to listen to."

I closed the door after me leaving, Annie was talking more to herself than to me and as soon I wasout of the range of her hearing me I heaved a deep sigh and let go of the tray on the kitchen counter. The kitchen was now empty and with another sigh I laid my hands on the counter and leaned against it while sighing deeply yet one more time.

"Are you okay?" I hadn't heard Sandy coming up behind me so I flinched when he asked, then nodded without turning around and he came to lay his arms around my shoulders from behind. "What did Annie say?"

"Well. If that can help us I now know her parents' names were Anthony and Grace. Where are the others?"

"I just had to give in to Sophie Rose. I said that it was okay they ate in her room as long as they used trays and her desk and not her bed… You know. This whole thing with Annie must be hard for her to adjust to- not that any of us got much time adjusting to the thought before she was here but anyway. She's handling it well. We will have to reward her somehow."

"I was just thinking the same."

Sandy didn't say anything more. At least not at the moment. And for a couple of minutes was the only sound we could hear the song ending and then starting over again in Sandy's room.

"Ignoring memories of that night when Seth was conceived. Even though that's the best part. Do you remember we used to dance to this one?" Sandy took a step back from me. Then tenderly touched my shoulder to have me turning around and towards him. Then took one of my hands in his and laid a hand on my waist. I just had to go along and laid my other hand on his shoulders then led me into an I-don't-even-know-what-to-call-it-dance there in the kitchen.

"And it was quite old already back then."

"It was." Sandy agreed. "So it's amazing how you and I doesn't age. Isn't it?"

I couldn't help but to give a short laugh, before I leaned closer into his grip and pulled my arms around him. I could feel him now putting his arm around me and he kissed my hair when I leaned against his shoulder still moving from side to side to the beat of the music.

And I love you, I love you, I love you like never before.

"How did I become so lucky I got a husband who can sing so well?" I asked out loud. "Let's not check whether I can sing it back to you or not…" Sandy laughed, I really couldn't hit a note right to save a life and we both knew it. But while we kept moving for several minutes, the song ending and then starting over.

"What are we going to do Sandy?"

"About Annie you mean?"

"About Annie."

Sandy silent for a while. While we were still moving back and forth to the music holding onto each other as if it was for dear life it could have been not to break the precious moment. But it had already been broken by me asking what we were both wondering and at last Sandy sighed deeply before he answered.

"It's only a couple of days until my friend Doug comes back to work after his holidays. I'll ask him to contact me right away when he comes back and then we'll have to figure about what to do. But until then…." He sighed again. "We'll just have to care for Annie as we'd care for anybody else."

"I know what you want Sandy." I said about the knowledge that Sandy already wanted Annie to stay here with us. "But it's just not possible. She needs help. And we can't give her that."

Sandy didn't respond. But he didn't get much time to either before we heard the door upstairs, four pairs of footsteps and then Sophie Rose, Ryan, Seth and Summer came into the kitchen and I and Sandy let go of each other. And right then the song also ended…

…And started over again.

"I am so sick and tired of this song I feel like smashing that stupid CD player into pieces." Summer moaned and walked over to put the dishes in the dishwasher. "Why does she keep listening to it like that? That song is old as… I don't even know how old. Just… just… just… why?"

"She's not even doing anything." Seth continued. "She's just sitting on the floor by it listening. How long has she been there actually? And how much fun could it be?"

"Do any of you guys think we should do anything?" Summer then took over again. "Invite her to something or… anything like that?"

"We already did. I went to ask her if she wanted to come with us." Both Summer, Seth and Sophie Rose sighed as if in a choir. "What do you think we should do mum?"

"I think… oh. I wasn't really thinking about it. But we should probably let it be. Let it be until dinner or so. If you can't stand it you can go to your house and we'll be calling you about dinner later. But I don't want to pressure Annie into telling us anything or not doing something she wants. If we want her to trust us, or anyone- ever. I don't think that's the way to do it."

"We can take some boxes away to yours can't we?" Sophie Rose leaned her head back and looked up on her brother. "Please. Mum's right but I am just so sick and tired of this song. And you will help us carry with you?"

"I'll stay here so Annie's not alone." I told, I might just as well. "The rest of you can go." The rest of my family left the room. Except for Ryan who seemed to be having something on his mind

"I just wanted to say…" Ryan said so quietly only I could hear it, scratching the back of his head in distress. "…I think you're right about not pressuring her. But if we want her to trust us we might want a bit more than a few days." Ryan looked at me, and there was something in his eyes now that I couldn't quite place. Something pleading- like. "I'll go help out."

"I know what you think." I said before Ryan was out of here. "And the answer is no. She isn't staying and we both know it."

Ryan shrugged slightly and with a slight smile- that ended up more of a half-hearted grimace he looked back. Then turned around again and left my sight to go help the others and carry things away to Seth and Summer's house. And I just couldn't help but remember that the only one of us who had been in a somewhat similar situation to where Annie was was in fact Ryan.

But Ryan did have a parent to ask us to take care of him.

And Ryan, at the time was also a teenager and could to big parts take care of himself.

Thoughts about wherever Ryan and Annie, I, Sandy, Seth, Summer, Sophie Rose and maybe even little Sawyer was in this. During all the afternoon I couldn't concentrate. And it wasn't all because that song kept on playing on repeat through the house without stopping.

Something made it feel like time was just dragging on and on and on. Sandy had stayed behind at Seth and Summer's house and so had Ryan. I still didn't want to leave Annie alone in the house. But ended up not knowing wherever to be during the whole afternoon. And when I suddenly heard footsteps on the porch steps and the rest of my family I suddenly realized hours had passed by and it was dinner time.

"We found these…" Seth handed me a pile of CD's. "We went through everything to see if we could find anymore but that's it. But you could try with Annie and maybe she will at least play something else…" Sandy started humming along to the song. "…We already ordered food over here. We hope Chinese is okay. And I guess I'll put out some plates and things on the table then."

Before I could say anything Seth and everybody else had ran away while I stood in the kitchen with the pile of CD's in my hands and didn't have no other choice than to go and give them to Annie. Or at least try

"It's dinner now." I knocked on the door and then opened and walked in. "Well. We ordered some so it should be here soon. But first… Sophie Rose, Summer, Seth, Ryan and Sandy sorted through some old stuff and found these. Here." I riffled a bit in the CD's that we had found. "They found some different, Elvis, Queen, Kizz and wow it's way too long since anyone of us listened to a CD." I picked out the last in the pile. "Celine Dion? Do you like her? We thought you might be getting tired of listening to one song over and over. But if you still want to listen to some music…" I laid the small pile of CD's on the floor by her. "Feel free to use the…"

"I'd rather listen to this one."

Of course you would!

"Who is it singing? I've listened to this song before. But this must be a cover."

"No one."

Okay. I got that Annie had been through things before she came to ours. Something I couldn't even imagine. But her short answers, glaring and staring was getting frustrating and a part of me just wanted to pick Annie up and shake the answers out of her.

"You can't sit here all day." I said at last. "And I know that we all really want to get to know you better. The last few days everything's circulated so much around Christmas and New Year's so we haven't really gotten the chance…" The song was nearing its end. "Don't you want to come with me and then… Well, I know Ryan first got to know Seth playing video games..."

"Ryan first got to know Seth… what do you mean? They're brothers aren't they?"

"Oh." I had to think for a moment to realize nobody had told Annie who Ryan actually was. He had just been a part of our family for so long I couldn't imagine him not. "Ryan was actually a teenager when he came to live with us. Long story short, he and his… biological brother Trey got into some trouble with the law. Sandy was his lawyer and… well, here we are. And the first morning Ryan was with us I and Sandy got out of bed to find the boys playing those games as if they hadn't done anything else ever."

Annie only watched me where I sat. I couldn't think of anything more to say so at last when Annie looked like she was going to say something more I had to suppress a breathe in relief over the awkward silence in between us.

"I'm not very interested in playing video games."

I probably could have guessed that.

"Neither is Sophie Rose. Listen Annie, I know there are three years in between you two. And I know that three years seem like a long time and a big deal when you are six and nine years old. But maybe you could find something you have in common and something to talk about and you won't have to spend another day listening to the same song over and over again."

Please please please please please please please…

"I don't mind sitting here listening to the same song over and over. Really. So unless you have got something against it I'd like to stay here listening to the same song over and over."

Well, it was worth a try!

"A boy from down the street, Casey McIntosh, Sophie Rose's best friend comes home tomorrow. He is six too so a bit younger than you but maybe you three could figure out something to do together."

"I'm not a toddler. You don't have to talk to me as if I was. "

I was about to answer when suddenly there was a ring on the doorbell. But what was I supposed to say, questioning how she wanted me talking to her? Apologizing for actually talking to her as if she was younger than she was- and with a nine year old's pride that meant something.

"That would be the food that we ordered." I said when I heard Ryan talk to a delivery guy. "We ordered some Chinese food. And decided to order some that at least we haven't tried before. But I can't bring it in here for you this meal. So if you're hungry you'll have to turn the song off and come to the kitchen."

Annie looked up at me for another second, and I stood up and waited for her too. But without another word she looked back towards the CD player and slumped in her position. She obviously wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm going." I said at last. "I can't force you to do anything. But know that whenever you get hungry the dinner is served."

"Isn't Casey a girl's name?" I had started moving towards the kitchen but stopped in the doorway when Annie said something. As if both Casey and we hadn't gotten that one before about his name! "And McIntosh… that's a stupid name."

"The name Casey is unisex." I said at last. "It can be for both a girl and a boy…. Now, come and have dinner whenever you feel like it."

I didn't want to nag her. Yet I knew she'd have to eat something, well…

"I guess she'll come and eat whenever she's hungry." I sat down by the table to eat. Trying to believe what I had told them and not worry. Then started putting up food on my plate and couldn't help but to listen up when I heard the song's end for the millionth time today. Maybe Annie would come along when it had ended this time…

And I love you, I love you, I love you. Like never before.

Like never before.

Then silence…

…Until the intro played loud and the song started all over again

Song: Songbird- Originally by Fleetwood Mac. On the CD is the glee cover sung by Naya Rivera.

Random fact

Writing this chapter was sooooooooo slooooow. It's so long and it's only the same things over and over again. With the song and not getting Annie to say much and everything. I still think the chapter is quite alright though. And I hope you like it even though it's really long. (While writing this I still have a bit left to write. But almost finished)