Guys, guys, guysguys. I have finally finished one of the stories I said would be finished soon.

Although… I started a two-shot for Epilepsy awareness so I still have six stories left.

Anyway…

Thanks to Tif S and A. Serpico for reviewing.

Chapter is told from Kirsten's pov.

December the 29th 2013, the little helper

"Here you go." Ryan went to do some shopping on the morning after Annie had asked for one. When he came back, among groceries and a book I knew he had been longing to read he held a rolled up, rainbow- patterned skipping rope. Annie took it but with a weird look on her face as she did.

"Geez. You couldn't find a more colorful one?" She asked ironically. But then stood up and walked out the door, ripping the carton piece that had held the piece rolled up and threw it on the floor next to her. Ryan took the book he had bought.

"Well, she could have thanked you at least."

"Don't worry about it." Ryan told me and then started unpacking the groceries he had gotten. "As you do know. We have to remember what we know about where she came from. She might never have learned any manners." He put the bread in the cupboard, then took the book in his hand and left to go into the living room and read. "Oh by the way. I talked to Adam today. He told me he and Sarah would like to come back on New Year's Eve and spend the New Year's Night with us. I said I'd check if that's okay with you."

"Of course." Sandy had answered before I had the chance. "The more the merrier." I got up from my seat and walked over to the window. "Well. At least the color of the rope didn't put down her skills." Sandy came over and wrapped his arms around my neck from behind me. We both watched as Annie- still holding onto the handles of the rope jumped, stood on her hands, and jumped again when moving back onto her feet.

She must have felt us watching her, because she stopped jumping and turned her head and saw us. She then shook her head and walked around the house to the back yard- where I and Sandy couldn't see her.

"I guess Casey must be happy now." Sandy said about the boy who had arrived here early in the morning. "He was quite impressed yesterday. And that was without the skipping rope." Sandy sighed and then rubbed my shoulders. "Don't you worry so much Kirsten. I'm sure this will all be fine somehow. Things always has a way with doing that. Just remember what happened with Ryan… My dear… sometimes I still see that nervous sixteen year old Sandy had dragged home with him… But he turned out nice. Didn't he?"

"Yes. But both you and Ryan have to remember that Annie isn't the same as him. With some differences quite obvious. She's younger, wilder, she hasn't… I was on my way to say she hasn't learnt but it's just that… I don't know what she hasn't learnt. I just know there's something."

"I think we all know there is something."

Sandy sighed. We could no longer see Annie, but none of us could bother moving from where we stood. And both of us flinched and jumped high with surprise when suddenly a loud shout rang through the house from upstairs.

"MUMMY, DADDY. There's a ghost knocking on my window. It's really scary."

At the end of the thunder of two six-year-olds running down the stairs in panic ended and Sophie-Rose and Casey came running into the kitchen. Both with eyes in fear wide open.

"A ghost?" Sandy questioned and both the kids nodded. "What window?"

"The one nearest the corner in the back."

I and Sandy exchanged a look, he was frowning but didn't look too distressed if you asked me. But then of course, we would have to go along in what our daughter and her best friend had experienced.

"Well. You two…" Sandy picked out each Christmas cookie from a cupboard while he blinked at me. "You two can stay here. And I and Kirsten will go and investigate the mystery about this gi… ehrm… ghost." He leaned closer to me and mumbled when we were out of the kitchen. "I bet you this "ghost" has a name beginning with an A. I can't wait to see how she did it though… Hey Annie."

Right by the corner there was a downpipe, the window to Sophie's room couldn't be seen from here but it was right at the other wall of the corner. It was just close enough for Annie to climb up the downpipe, reach and knock on the window. Then hide behind the wall when Sophie Rose and Casey came running to see what it was.

"Well that was my fun for today."

Without protesting Annie looked back to see what she had behind her and then jumped down in one move, wiped the dirt off her hands and for the millionth time during the past few days looked back at us as if we didn't get how stupid we were.

"So this is what a ghost looks like? Looks quite harmless if you ask me. But come on. We'll have to tell Sophie Rose and Casey how you did it before the story about the ghost who knocks on windows will go over the whole town."

Annie had taken the skipping rope that laid on the ground right nearby. Now gave a sigh and dropped it again and came after me and Sandy into the house.

"It wasn't a ghost Soph." Sandy laid his hand on Annie's shoulder but she tried to shake it off. "She looks quite alive if you ask me." Sophie Rose and Casey only looked questioning and confused. "She climbed up the downpipe and then hid behind the wall… Now, you guys can all go back to what you were doing."

"I have to go home." Casey said and he and Sophie Rose hugged hard as if they were saying their final goodbyes. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. But my mum wants me home when my grandma and grandpa comes over."

Casey left, Sophie Rose went to her room upstairs, Lord knows where Annie went. But I knew she didn't go outside and sat down in the kitchen with Sandy without speaking at first. Then as a while passed by I started realizing something.

Something that only a parent could found scaring.

"Isn't it a bit too quiet around here?"

Just as I had asked we could hear the laundry machine being turned on.

"We've got ourselves a little helper." Sandy smiled at me. "About time. I can't recall Seth helping out unless we were punishing him for something…" He tried to look angry but it was destroyed by laughing. "You shouldn't worry so much Kirsten. I told you, I'm sure this will be fine. And if it doesn't, then we'll take that when the moment comes. Okay?"

"I just have a strange feeling something is about to go wrong."

And no matter how much I tried to shove it away the following hour I just couldn't shake it off.

It could have stayed a little problem really. It was just a T-shirt. Well, it was just a T-shirt to anyone else, but apparently not to my daughter.

"Uh oh."

I could hear Annie in the laundry room, but I couldn't understand how anything went wrong at this point… This point was just about taking everything out of the machine and hanging it up to dry.

Although there was one thing that could have gone wrong at that point… I would know exactly what when Annie came out into the hallway holding a pink sheet of fabric…

Actually it was a T-shirt, and actually it was like three sizes smaller now than it had been an hour ago.

"What is that?" Before I could tell Annie it was okay- it was an honest mistake after all I could hear Sophie Rose's voice behind me. "Is that my shirt? It is. It is the Lady and the Tramp T-shirt Seth and Summer gave me for Christmas…" Sophie Rose looked from me to Annie for a second. Then ripped the shirt from Annie's hands. "You did it wrong and now my shirt is tiny and I can't wear it ever again. It was my favorite shirt. It was brand new and Seth and Summer gave it to me. Lady and the Tramp is my favorite movie and I loved that shirt. IT WAS MY FAVORITE AND I WISH YOU'D NEVER COME HERE. YOU'RE RUINING EVERYTHING. I HATE YOU."

With that Sophie Rose turned and ran out of the kitchen and straight into Annie's room. I and Sandy looked to each other for a split second then we both got up and followed her, with Annie right in front of us.

"What are you doing? Stop it, don't touch my things."

Sophie Rose was searching through the room and just as I and Sandy came in she grabbed the hoodie Annie had laid on the floor and specifically asked us not to touch. Sophie Rose ripped it away and uncovered some things, among them an empty CD case (probably once holding the CD Annie had been playing over and over again the other day) Two scarves and some more things I barely registered before Sophie Rose grabbed a framed photo from the things, then pushed her way past us and ran up the stairs towards her room.

"No. Give me that back." Annie ran after and I and Sandy quickly followed while Sophie Rose ran into her room. "Give me that back. It's mine."

Annie had stopped in the doorway, Sophie Rose stood on her desk and was working with the handle of the window. Obviously planning to break something of Annie's since Annie had shrunk her T- shirt.

"No. Please don't. Give me that back."

Annie didn't move a muscle except for talking. Something stopped her from and I would have guessed she was afraid that she would take the frame from Sophie Rose's hands she would only end up breaking it.

"NO. I'M NOT GETTING MY T-SHIRT BACK AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING YOUR PHOTO…" Sandy tried to step closer. Sophie Rose grabbed a few pencils from he desk table and threw on him- hard in anger. Sandy stepped back and rubbed his forehead.

"Sophie Rose Cohen. Please stop this. What happened was an accident…"

"NO." Sophie Rose finally got the window opened. "IT WASN'T AN ACCIDENT. ANNIE'S DESTROYING EVERYTHING. I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU ANNIE. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU."

"Soph." Sandy tried, I could see he was trying to seem calm but he couldn't hide the shiver in his voice when he tried to take a step forward and towards her. "Please. Just give me that photo, we'll get you another T-shirt. Of any kind, but you don't want to break anything that's so precious."

"I DON'T CARE."

With three last words Sophie Rose turned back to the window. Then, just as Sandy tried to catch her hand as she reached back she threw her arm and hand forward again and the photo frame slipped away from her hand….

"NO."

Annie didn't move from where she stood, she probably saw already that if she did it would prove useless. I could see the frame from where I stood, and as in slow motion it flew and span through the air, hit a tree and then fell straight down on the ground.

Right where the ground was harder from the tree's roots than on the grass.

Sophie Rose, pouting angrily turned back from the window, Annie was frozen where she stood and for a moment didn't say or show anything about what she was feeling.

Well, only for a moment.

"My mum gave me that."

Just as she'd finished speaking, which was done calmly she threw herself forward. Sandy caught her in the middle of the jump and Sophie Rose took a jump backwards. There was no doubt Annie was after hurting her.

"You." I turned to Sophie Rose realizing we couldn't hesitate right now. "Your ro…" I was about to tell her to go to her room then realized we were already there. "Kitchen. Now, and stay there…" She didn't look as if she wanted to do as she was told. But I sent her a stern look, and with the T-shirt still in her hand she stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen. "And you… calm down. There's nothing you can do about that now…"

"Let go off me."

Sandy seemed to hesitate, which gave Annie the chance to shove his arms off her and then, without a word she ran down the stairs. Sandy followed quickly, but Annie didn't go into the kitchen to go after our daughter- I could hear the door to her room slam hard after her so hard the whole house shook before I, slowly continued down the stairs after everybody and went into the garden to find the photo frame.

I didn't have to search at all. It was right where I had seen it fall so I just had to walk over and pick it up. The frame was of some kind of metal and gold- colored, with a gold butterfly in the corner. At least it had been in the corner, I could see the marks where it had been and found the butterfly right next to the frame itself.

I did have the time to think that maybe it was whole before I turned it. But as soon as I lifted and turned it I found the glass shattered into a thousand of pieces, some of them still stuck in the frame but most of them left on the ground.

I carefully picked up all the pieces, including the ones left in the frame. I lost count of how long it took me but after a bit there was no glass left and I went to throw it all away before I walked to Annie's room.

Expecting to finding her crying, or angry or whatever else, showing feelings like any other I was quite surprised. Annie only laid on her bed, on her side, her figure spoke all about how given up she felt. But from her eyes was nothing but emptiness and she didn't say anything or even look up when I came in.

As I took a few steps closer she moved, I had expected her to sit up and talk to me but instead she only turned on her other side without otherwise making any intention of showing she had noticed me coming inside.

I looked down on my hands again, the gold frame, now without a glass, and the small gold butterfly that had one hour ago been attached to the frame… Whatever could I do with this? However could I fix it?

"The photo's intact so we can get you a new frame. Or maybe we can fix this frame up a bit. Only the glass is damaged so we can pick the pieces away and it will be as good as new. The butterfly we can put on again with glue."

"You can throw it in the trash. I don't want it anymore."

I looked down on the frame and the smile on the young woman's face on the photo. She really did look happy. But Annie obviously didn't want to hear about it just now.

Yet I still couldn't throw it away like she had asked me too. And before I went into the kitchen where Sophie Rose and Sandy were I went to leave what was left of the frame in my and Sandy's bedroom- there would have to be something I could do about it.

In the kitchen sat Sophie Rose holding tightly onto the shirt and pouting- but now more sadly than angrily. Sandy stood a bit away, leaned back against the kitchen counter, not looking at any of us. But while he was all quiet I had a feeling thoughts were spinning in his mind.

I would have wanted to take the shirt from Sophie Rose and maybe come up with something else to do with it. But as soon as I walked into the kitchen I felt angrier than ever and suddenly didn't think Sophie Rose would deserve anyone pitying her.

"Annie wanted to hurt me mummy." Sophie Rose bit her lip and looked up at me with big puppy- eyes. "She would have if daddy hadn't stopped her. But you two wouldn't let her hurt me would you… She really tried though."

"That photo meant a lot to her. Annie's mum is dead and Annie might only have a handful of things from her."

"Well my T-shirt meant a lot to me."

"Haven't we given you everything you ever wanted?"

"What Annie did was an accident. What you did was on purpose."

"You have loads of nice shirts and we both know that one would mean nothing in a week."

"We could have gotten you a new of those T-shirts. But you don't deserve it for what you did and you're not getting anything after what you did to Annie."

I didn't say anything of the thoughts that passed by in my mind. None of it sounded fair to me. Especially when she looked up with those beautiful, blue eyes filled with tears and still holding tightly onto the now very much too-small- shirt.

"Go to your room."

"But…"

"I said…" My voice still sounded calm I couldn't help but notice. But I wasn't sure how long it would stay like that. "…go to your room. And stay there… Go to your room…" Sophie Rose still didn't move. "Now, if you please."

"But I didn't…"

"NOW."

I had barely ever shouted at my daughter even once in her six-years-old- life. Months passed within every time at least…

Now, with one short word my voice went louder and sterner, tears that had been rising in Sophie- Rose's came rolling down her cheeks while she came down from the chair she had been sitting on and then ran out of the room and I heard her footsteps and sobs continue as she ran up the stairs and then slammed her bedroom door after her.

Meanwhile Ryan came into the kitchen with a slight glance towards Sophie Rose, I sat down by the table and ran my fingers through my hair in distress.

"Did you already finish that book?" Sandy asked, finally saying something. Ryan shook his head, but with the bookmark he had in it I could see he had already read more than half of it. "Well, you must have been very concentrated on it. Because with us and…"

"I think I heard most of it… I just chose to stay out of it."

I could understand his choice…

Sometimes, and quite a lot during the last couple of days. I could still see that nervous sixteen year old that Sandy had brought home with him.

Those were the moments I couldn't understand how we had made it by without Ryan being a part of our family.

Random fact

Annie and that skipping rope is inspired by the music video for the song "Rise up" by Yves Larock. Check it out. The song is awesome and I guess you'll see some of wat I have tried to describe Annie doing.