Hey guys. I finished another story. Well not exactly. I planned all along I'll put up the second and last chapter of "Fire in my brain makes fire in our hearts" December the first. So I haven't put it up but it is finished YAY.

And I have also started a new story "facepalm" it's for good witch. And it's called "A candle in a dark corner" It's written for Liver cancer awareness. Go read it if you want to. I think this story is turning out as something good.

This chapter is told from Sandy's pov and I think the rest of the story will be too.

Tuesday the 31th December, The runner

"We also need ice cream. To eat with that pie… But that's the last."

Kirsten hadn't exactly approved to me bringing Annie with me for the shopping after she had attempted to steal on Thursday.

But I just had a feeling I had gotten somewhere with trying to have Annie opening up and telling us. Or someone at all about what terrible things she had been through. And I wasn't giving up now.

But right now. I wasn't letting her out of my sight for as much as a second. If she wanted to steal something it wouldn't help much but at least I'd probably see it and stop her before we got to the doors. And maybe she wouldn't if she had something to do- right now reading from the shopping list for us not to forget about anything we needed for tonight's dinner.

"I need to pay but… you can go there and… I don't know. Look at what they've got. But don't run away will you?"

Every store at the mall had put up stuff they hadn't been able to sell behind the payment desks, the place at the supermarket where there were most people and with major sales. Now there wasn't a reason for Annie to stick to my side- I could do this myself. So she gave a nod, pushed the shopping list down her pocket and went to check what they had…

"Here." When I had packed the things we had bought I gave her one of the plastic bags. Knowing she was right by my side I didn't get what I had worried about, that she might runaway before I was finished? "Is it too heavy for you?"

"I'm stronger than I look like."

I was about to say something. Gave a short laugh but then couldn't figure what to say when I saw Annie was looking at something in the hundreds of shelves and hangers that were standing around the place. And hoping she wouldn't notice me I followed the way she was looking to a backpack. It could have been hard, but it was made quite simple with it being the only one left in the hanger. And Annie didn't take her eyes off it.

"Is it that backpack you're looking at? Do you like it?"

Annie didn't answer, I looked it over. It wasn't much more than a regular Helly- Hansen- backpack. It was something for school or every- day- life. The bottom half in green and a bit more than the upper half and the shoulder straps in white. But Annie was simply staring at it and I had a feeling about what the answer would be- proven wrong when she shook her head.

"I already have a backpack."

"Well…" I thought back to the night she had arrived and tried to remember it. "…Yeah. But flowers aren't exactly your style, are they?" She shrugged. "You can tell me. Do you like it? Do you want it? I can buy it for you."

I knew I might be nagging her. But it just felt like if I made her say "Yes." And do it calmly and politely- then I'd have taken a step forward. Taken a step for her to become another normal kid- maybe she never could be… But I could always help her to feel close and know that we'd have her back no matter what.

"Yes please."

YES!

"Alright. Thank you for saying it so nicely. Here. Can you take two bags with groceries?" She nodded and I gave her one and then took the backpack and went to pay for it. "Wait here for a second."

So what if she had just done this to get something she wanted and was going to make a run for it as soon as she had the backpack in her hand?

I looked back while the card reader took a moment to get my money and Annie was still standing at the exact same spot I had left her and I shook my head slightly at my head.

What on earth was it that Doug had talked about when he came to leave Annie at ours? That she was a runner?

She would have been getting a lot of chance to run from us since she came but she hadn't done it a single time. Although, maybe if I looked away for just a second too much she'd be disappeared when I looked back again.

She wasn't. While I unlocked the car and put the grocery bags into the back she watched, and then got into the shotgun seat with the empty backpack on her lap.

"Don't tell Kirsten I let you ride in the front okay?" I asked her with a smirk. "You're not supposed to do that yet." I pointed to the small sign where there was a sign of an air bag and what could happen if someone too short sat in the front seat. "Oh well… you're on the verge. We can use Sophie Rose's car seat if we're going to do it again. I think you're about the same height as her."

"She's six… I'm nine."

I didn't answer to that, only smiled slightly- but in distress. Was Annie short because her parents had been? Or was it something else? Such as malnutrition during the first years of her still short life.

"Some people are short… some are tall. That's just the way it is. And that's not the only thing that tells you and Soph apart isn't it?"

"Do you mean on our looks." In the corner of my eye I could see Annie pulling her fingers through her long, dark hair. "Or do you mean in person?"

"Both of it… all of it." I tried to find some good, wise way to finish it. "You know. Every single person, you, me, Soph, Ryan, Seth and so on and so on. We are all pieces of millions and millions of cells. And some of what we are come from what we become from our parents. Half of mum and half of dad's. And then some other from what we go through in life, how people we meet change us or things we go through. We face new challenges every day and they change us. And there aren't two people in this whole wide world who are the exact same as the other one."

Annie didn't answer, in the corner of my eye I could see her watching me still while I had to focus on the road.

"Can I stay here outside?" She asked while we made our way through the driveway towards the house. "Oh… Well. I'll help you carry the bags first. Then, can I go outside."

That was the billionth time I thought how Doug had told me that Annie was a runner. That if we didn't keep our eyes on her she'd make a runner the first chance she got. And then I remembered her telling that at the last foster home she had been at before us, had burned most of her things.

I just couldn't understand why she had done such things before she came to us. Or why she had stopped in the same moment as she stepped over the threshold of our house.

"Yes of course. Please stay where we can see you from the kitchen window. But as long as you do, you don't have to ask. You're as free to go in and out all you want. Thank you." That last was said when she put two bags on the kitchen table. "I'll put the groceries where they're supposed to go. You can go out into the garden." Annie nodded and then left just as there was a knock on the door and I heard Annie let them in. "Hey you guys." Adam and Sarah came into the kitchen soon.

"We didn't know if Annie maybe wasn't supposed to let us in just like that. But…" Sarah didn't quite find the words but held up the Lady and Tramp cookie jar she'd gotten from Ryan and Sophie Rose for kitchen. "I brought cookies."

"And that is a hidden password to get into this house." Ryan must have heard Adam and Sarah came and I heard his footsteps as well as Kirsten's coming moving towards the kitchen. "I and Annie sorted out some recipes for tonight. One starter, one main and one dessert. And one thing you have to know here. For most of the night we're in our pyjamas's. No one here could bother to wear our nicest through the whole night. So after we moved from Orange County and here and with no New Year's parties or anything. We don't change clothes until before the deserts. Oh. And I spoke to Annie a bit yesterday. And we… I sort of decided that there will be no alcohol involved during today's dinner. Only mentioned it was quite obviously making her uncomfortable. And if you ask me- for everyone here feeling alright is more important than whatever drink. And I think you all agree with me on that point."

There were a couple of nods and yes's. None of my family seemed to care much for the lack of alcohol during the dinner tonight and I could easily understand why already before Kirsten explained… Well didn't explain. But of course I knew the rest of the story.

"I don't drink anyway."

"Me neither." Adam said with a joking smirk. "Not once. In my whole life… well. There was that time… But I thought it was pear juice."

"And I have never seen anyone else grimace while heaving and spitting like that. And I can have a glass or two some Friday night when it feels right. But I never drink during holidays."

"My dad did."

I hadn't noticed, but Annie had left the garden and was now standing in the doorway. She must have only been outside for a few minutes.

"Your dad did what?" Kirsten asked a bit carefully. "Drink on New Year's Eve?"

"If he did!" Annie snorted. "He drank all day, every day."

I suddenly noticed Annie had sort of hidden her hand. She held it closed into her fist and almost covered it fully behind her leg as if she held something that was secret- but she wasn't holding onto anything.

"What's up with your hand?" I had a pretty good idea of what it might be. "Here. Let me see."

"I just scraped it a bit." Annie said insecurely. "It's not too bad. I just have to wait until it stops bleeding and then I'll wash it." I held out my hands, she glared at me but held her own hand forward and laid it in mine- ouch!

"Come on…" I showed her to come after me. "…I'll help you wash it. It needs to be done right away or it might get infected." I showed her into the bathroom, put the washing plug in and then turned the water on running while I got the hand sanitizer out of a cupboard.

It wasn't until I turned again then I noticed Annie had gone pale as a sheet and was supported towards the wall.

"Oh dear. Come here." I lifted her up without asking and then put her down to sit by the sink. "Are you okay? No. Here. Look at me instead of the wound." She turned away from the wound but looked to the side. "Are you gonna get sick? Do you need a bucket?" It was barely noticeable but Annie shook her head. "I'm going to take a guess that you don't exactly like blood."

"There…" Annie didn't even whisper- it was barely more than a breath. "There was a lot of blood the night my parents died."

My stomach clenched. A father that's drinking, a lot of blood, foster home...

I had known Annie's parents were dead for quite a few days now. But I just couldn't figure how and I didn't think Annie was about to tell me anytime soon. She had just turned up in our house so quickly there had been no chance to ask about it from Doug or the social services. But while it might have helped, I would have wanted Annie to tell me herself. And herself choosing what I would know and not before anything else.

"Now." When the sink was full I turned the water off. "This is going to sting. But the hand sanitizer will kill off any bacteria that's gotten into the wound. Here." I didn't want to force her, but she needed to keep still when it started hurting so I grabbed her wrist and then pushed her hand down into the water.

Dirt and blood started coloring the water. But Annie didn't move an inch or show at all that she was ever going to move from the spot she sat.

"Just stay like that." I started searching through the cupboards in search for plasters. Then decided to talk about New- Year's- Traditions to have something nicer to talk about. "You know. For the starters and main course we're always in pyjamas. Then it's for the desert we dress in nicer clothes usually. Then by midnight they're usually full of stains from the dessert and full of crumbles from crisps and mystery stains. But we do like it like that. Earlier years we always used to go to New Year's parties… But I like these traditions better…"

"You do have a lot of details for New Year's traditions." Annie said and pulled her hand out of the water while I found the softest towel in the cupboards and handed it to her. "When I was with my parents it was the same most holidays were the same actually. Mum and dad would be knocked out before ten some time. Then I'd watch the TV until midnight- or at least until I fell asleep on the couch. But on New Year's Eve I always made sure I made it until midnight."

"Here." I held up the plasters and she held up her hand. "Well. I can promise you that as long as you're here the holidays will be more than that. I'm guessing those ways have been for as long as you can remember?" She nodded. "I guess every family has their different ways…"

I barely even knew what I was saying. In my mind was the same sentence spinning over and over in my mind.

"There was a lot of blood the night my parents died."

Before I lifted Annie down from the counter she sat on I almost expected to see that scene start playing in her brown eyes.

But I didn't. Such things only happened on TV. But with only knowing short parts about her story all of it sent shivers down my spine.

Oh Annie, Annie, Annie. Can you talk to me and tell me how to help you, how to save you from everything you've been through.

"There." I lifted her down again. "All finished. Keep that clean and dry and it will heal in no time."

"I'll go out into the garden again."

Annie didn't let wait for it. When I came into the kitchen again I could see through the window she had took up the skipping rope again. Either practicing jumps where she only needed to jump, or others were she only needed to use one hand- the one that wasn't hurt.

Something changed during the dinner that afternoon. The first thing I noticed was that Annie ate her meal at a normal pace and without throwing food into her mouth all at once like she had so far. I couldn't keep my eyes on her all night. But there was one moment- maybe even a half when I would have liked to.

It was when Adam pulled a random kind of joke he had heard somewhere. A bad kind, the kind that are only funny because they're not. But several of the others laughed- especially Sophie Rose who screamed of laughter.

Annie didn't. She didn't laugh out loud at all. But she did smile, only a little bit. Only a little bit that spread all the way into her eyes and lip up her whole self. If I would have had a camera and captured that moment only…

"I heard you talking with Annie when she hurt her hand earlier today." Kirsten started when we stood in our bedroom both changing into the clothes we had put out before. "And I was wondering. Did you tell her she's moving this weekend? Or was it at the start of next week?"

"I? I thought you were going to tell her that? You're the one that has been going into her room to talk to her you know."

Kirsten took a moment to think about that. Then just as I turned to her and saw she had obviously realized I was right about that. But she wasn't so sure what to say next.

"Maybe Doug told her before he took her here though." I tried to assure her. "If not. We can tell her together. But tomorrow. Not now. Right now we can all have a good time through the dessert and the rest of dinner."

I glanced at Kirsten but she had turned back to her preppy clothes. I knew that I wanted Annie to stay. That I didn't want to send her to yet another foster home where it was harder and harder for her to trust anyone at all for every place she was sent.

Although of course, I couldn't make a decision like that without Kirsten, and the rest of my family being a part of that.

But Kirsten hadn't wanted Ryan to stay from the beginning neither.

But that was before Dawn showed up.

"Come on." We both stayed silent for a couple of minutes before we all had changed our clothes. "Let's not think about that right now. We can have a great time and eat the very nice dessert I, Seth and Annie made and just have a good night."

"Mummy…" Sophie Rose suddenly came running. "Daddy… Come on. It's time for desert. The best part of dinner." Apparently- changing into her favorite dress and hair cuff had made her even more hyper. "Come on." She took her mum by the hands and upstairs we could hear Ryan coming out from the bathroom. "Come on. Come on."

"Can you go get Annie?" I asked with a smirk pulling a blazer on. "And then come into the kitchen."

"But I just looked for Annie." Suddenly my daughter didn't seem as hyper anymore. "She wasn't in her room, she wasn't in the kitchen, she wasn't in the living room. Where is she?"

I froze, so did Kirsten. We only looked to each other for a moment- was there a chance Annie could have heard the conversation we had just had?

"ANNIE?"

I hurried out of our room calling out for her.

"ANNIE?"

I could hear Kirsten coming after me and hurrying up the stairs continuing to shout. But Sophie Rose was right- Annie wasn't anywhere to find on the ground floor and I could only hope for Kirsten or Ryan to find her upstairs or in the attic.

"I'll go check outside." I heard Sophie Rose at the same moment as I heard Seth and Summer come in. "Have you seen Annie?"

"No…" Seth checked the door. "But why was the door open?"

My stomach clenched. I was absolutely sure I had checked it was closed properly earlier. Then I hurried after Sophie Rose into the garden and ran into the back yard.

"ANNIE? WHERE ARE YOU?"

After no more than seconds we were together in the kitchen again. Having searched through the whole house including the garden and the attic.

"The dress I lent her was lying in the hallway." Sophie Rose held it up. "But why would she just throw it there? It was lying right outside your bedroom too…"

Was there a risk…

No, no please not…

I could only imagine what Annie must be feeling if she had heard Kirsten and I talking about the fact that she couldn't stay.

"Her bag is still here if that means something…"

That thought was what had me freezing as of ice.

"Kirsten… by… bag. Do you mean the backpack… the one she came here with the one with the flowers?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I bought her another one when we were out today." I quickly looked through the hallway and Annie's room. "And that one's gone. She's out somewhere…"

"Do you think she ran away? Why would she do that? You and mum are the best parents ever and I told her that."

For another few moments I was frozen as ice. Then I quickly laid up a plan of how we needed to do this.

"Seth. You take your car and go that way…" I showed him. "Take Summer with you. Turn the calling Bluetooth on out loud in the car so we can talk to each other. Ryan, you go that way. Take Adam with you. You too turn the Bluetooth on. We need to be able to let the others know right away if we find her. And I…"

"I WANT TO COME TOO."

I had planned for Kirsten to come with me and Sarah and Sophie Rose staying behind.

But the way Sophie Rose was looking at me…

"Okay. Soph. Get your booster seat from mum's car and put it in the shotgun seat at the front in mine. Kirsten, you and Sarah stay behind and call me as soon as possible if Annie comes back her. And you… I and Soph will meet you by the bridge in two hours. If we haven't find her by that and she's gone across it we'll call the police. Has everyone got their instructions right?"

I didn't wait for answers from everyone. I quickly grabbed my phone and car keys and then helped Sophie Rose with her booster car seat before we as quickly as I dared drive backed out of our driveway and down the street while I kept one eye on the road while also turning the Bluetooth on.

Well I have never been as grateful for anything as for todays' cars' technique as I was right then.

"Seth? Summer? Are you there?"

"Yep."

"Ryan? Adam?"

"Here."

"Can you all hear each other too?"

I heard the other's voices as in a dream, as on the other side of a wall. My whole concentration was on the road and gazing over the whole pavements and the yards. For every time I turned around a corner I expected to see Annie. Running and with her new backpack bumping towards her back and her dark hair flying in the wind.

For most of the time we were silent and concentration was on searching. But every now and then a few words were exchanged. More from the ones in the shotgun seats- Sophie Rose, Summer and Adam than from the actual drivers which was understandable. This whole thing felt just a little bit safer knowing I, Seth and Ryan kept steady on the road for the nearest two hours that passed by.

Time went both too fast and too slow, but it was at the end of those two hours that we finally found her and no police was needed.

"Dad. Dad." Sophie Rose suddenly tugged my sleeve as if I hadn't already heard her. "THERE SHE IS." I heard in the loud Bluetooth that both Seth and Summer and Ryan and Adam had heard us too. "But why is she on the bridge?" I swallowed hard when I saw her myself. "But why is she sitting on the edge like that? You're not supposed to sit like that. One move wrong and she would fall. And this bridge is so high…"

"Ryan…" I said and tried to ignore the growing feeling of panic inside of me. "Seth. Get yourself here as quick as possible. Adam and Summer go in Seth's car. Take Soph with you and go straight home. Go to Seth and Summer's house but tell Kirsten to stay behind. You, Ryan. You stay with me. Has everyone got it?"

"Dad…" Seth hesitated. "…Where exactly is here?"

"We're by the bridge." Sophie Rose shouted before I'd had the time to answer. "Annie's sitting on the railing. She might fall… Can't I go out and talk to her? I can tell her she needs to come down and onto this side."

"NO." Before Sophie Rose had reached for the car door I laid a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back. "Sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you. Look! I'm going to go out and try to talk to her. Seth and Ryan are on their way. When they come here then you can get out of here and into Seth's car so he can drive you all home."

Before waiting for an answer from my daughter I unbuckled my own belt and got out of the car. Then slowly walked around it and up towards the bridge.

At least she hasn't moved towards the middle of the bridge or in any other way moved further away than where I could be absolutely sure she would hear me.

If she fell or jumped it wouldn't make much difference though. The water right under was deep and streamed. Being in it she wouldn't be able to swim- if she knew how to at all. And would straight away be sucked under by the stream.

"Annie." I said carefully, afraid to scare her so she fell. "I'm going to make Sophie Rose leave… Can you please, just stay where you are? And then we'll talk when we do not have to have an audience? Just. Don't move. Please."

For a second I was going to ask if she had heard what I and Kirsten had talked about earlier. But it was quite obvious she had and reminding her of that would most likely be the worst idea in all of this.

"Don't move. Okay? I just need to talk to you."

Annie didn't move and didn't make any intention that she had heard me at all. I glanced over her, up and down, she really sat on the railing and not turned to the road where she'd only fall and get up again on the asphalt. One move wrong now and she'd fall right in front of the streaming water down under. And there was a risk that one move could be wrong. She sat on the thin top- part of the railing with her soles towards the metal sticks between the railing and the road. She held each hand wrapped so tightly around the railing her knuckles were shining white…

…It felt like a thousand years ago I had bought her the backpack that laid on the asphalt behind her, and the wind was blowing so over and over her long, dark hair blew into her face.

"Annie…" I tried again, then could hear the cars pulling up when Seth and Summer pulled up and then Ryan and Adam. "I'll be right back okay? Don't move…" I walked backwards at first. Annie didn't move an inch. Still I was afraid that she'd jump in the same moment I had turned around. Everybody came out of their cars, Seth too showed his little sister to come out and I quickly took charge again.

"Seth. Drive home. Go to your house- all of you. But ask Kirsten to stay behind. Adam, Summer, Sophie Rose. You go with Seth now, okay?"

"But I need to talk to Ann…"

"You can do that later. You go with Seth now, you too Adam and Summer. And once again, all of you- and your mum, Adam, go to Seth and Summer's. Ask Kirsten to stay behind and that I'll be there when… as soon as I can? Once again, has everyone got it?"

I had no idea how many of these instructions I had already given voer the phone earlier. But maybe it was this time only I could make them all listen. Sophie Rose pouted but didn't protest anymore and there were spread yes's and nods. While they all got into Seth's car and drove away I turned towards Annie where she sat on the railing of the bridge.

"Stay here Ryan. I'll let you know if I need you."

I didn't even know why I had asked Ryan out of all to stay. Or asked him to stay where he was, when I turned I could see in the corner of my eye and hear him following me. And not before I was nearing and could easily make myself heard to the Latina nine year old sitting on the railing I said anything at all. Even though I still didn't know what on earth I would.

"Annie?"

She turned and looked around and raised her hand. I froze in my steps and didn't move a muscle even before she had said anything at all.

"IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER I'LL JUMP."

Posting picture of Annie's backpack and Sophie Rose's dress on Instagram "Linneagbfanfiction"

Random fact

I'm not sure if everybody's seen that Bluetooth thing used to talk to people on the phone so everyone in the car can hear it. But it is real, my dad uses it and then the people sitting in the rest of the car can hear it perfectly well and answer too.

I also don't know if there's a bridge like that in Berkeley but if not then let's pretend it is.