Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, faces swiveled to mine. Timothy darted over to me and repeated his earlier question, why had I attacked? How

could I explain this to him? There is no way he could remember, he was only a baby. Oh why had I left him there that day? I should have, I should have...No. I

can not think that way, what was done was done and i just need to live with the consequences. So I simply froze, pathetic like a confronted animal, I know; but

what else could I do, human interaction was now a foreign concept. Okay Claire, I thought to myself, it's time to get it together, you've had a nice stay but it is

time to go. I resolved that tonight, tonight I would go.

The day went by much too fast, sure I was captive, but I was captive in a warm comfortable environment that I had once called home. Soon everyone was

asleep, I lifted my legs to the small table where a small teacup rested, grabbing it with my toes i slowly and cautiously brought it to me. I inched it between my

legs until it was between my mid thighs, my legs protected by my wrap. I took in a quick breath and slammed my legs together. The teacup shattered, a small

shard was thrown up and nicked my cheek and another my calf but all in all i was okay. I held my breath as i waited cautiously for someone to come investigate

the noise but after 5 minutes still no one came. Using my feet I slid a particularly sharp shard back towards my hands. Straining back towards the shard, the

ropes cut into my skin burning and twisting at me. Finally I got it and sat back for a quick moment, regaining my breath and feeling where the rope had cut it

off. I began to saw at the rope binding my wrists, my hopes rising with every snap of fiber I heard or felt. Finally, I was done, hands significantly bloodied but

never the less, free. I quickly untied my feet and leapt up. Glanced around, full of unwelcome nostalgia, before shaking it off and throwing myself from the

window. I swung from vine to vine, and slid down many a tree before landing with a solid thud on soft, mossy ground, out of view of that unattainable

temptation. I gave a sigh of relief to be able to think straight again and sank to the earth. I let the hot salty tears spill down my cheek, laughing at the irony

that the last time I had cried this hard was when I could not find the treehouse and here I was, sobbing again now that I had found it.

My tears had almost passed when I sensed a presence nearby. I slowly rose into a crouch, wary and alert. I was right, a figure soon appeared in the

opening, the figure of a man. Timothy stood, relaxed and quizzical, brown hair swinging in the slight late night breeze. The bitter poison of anger filled my veins

and I snarled and leaped at him. He, who didn't have to constantly live with the reminder of the abandoned brother, the lost parents, the irresponsibility of a

young girl. He who had everything, a woman he loved, a place to call home, and from what i could tell he had even had a family. He fought back, confused but

none the less ferocious a fighter. I tore at his hair, his skin. Rolling back and forth in the soggy under brush. Soon, my anger leading me, I threw him across the

clearing. Timothy flipped back to his feet, angry now, but still confused and suddenly all vindictiveness drained from me. With one last longing gaze I fled the

clearing, slipping through the under growth and into the trees. Back at long last to the small cave behind the waterfall that I now lived in. Exhausted I slid to

my knees and crumpled onto my bed of leaves and moss.

Near morning I awoke to find Timothy standing in the entrance to my cave. Half-heartedly I rose to defend myself but slipped back to my pallet instead. I

stared at my long lost brother, in resignation, ready for him to take me back to that torturous hall of memories and regrets. So when he sat down in the

entrance and crossed his legs, waiting patiently, I was very surprised. I slowly sat up and leaned against the rocky wall, eyeing him cautiously, waiting for him to

make his move. When he didn't I sighed and took a deep breath, "Timothy," I croaked, "What do you know about your family?"