Hey there, guys! Sorry about taking such a long time to upload this. I've actually written the whole story now; I'm just editing it and uploading bits at a time. Excuse my mistakes if you find any.

I'm really sorry about the random skips between POVs and settings. I can't separate them. So yeah, just ignore them, and read.

Hope you enjoy, please Review! (:

Brisbane is so totally cool… in case you haven't noticed my excitement yet. Yesterday, we went further south to this theme-park called Dreamworld. Today, we're on the Gold Coast. It's so awesome, because it's got beaches! I've never, ever, ever been to a beach before. Don't laugh, I'm being serious. Dad is just too busy and Miss Gardenia hates it. The waves are like… so cool. So, I guess I've only seen them from a distance. I can't wait to get up close. Anyway, so the theme park rocked. We went on these awesome rides, like the Tower of Terror and the Giant Drop. We also braved the bumper cars – they were like… really scary. (How I live for sarcasm.) I hope today is gonna be as good as yesterday, although with Liam it's gonna rock either way. If you haven't noticed yet, my entry for today is kinda cheerful. It's because I don't really feel depressed anymore. I'm feeling happy, for the first time in years.

The sun streaked down and filled the eyes of the five tourists, lighting up the faces which had been lost in the gloom of the taxi the whole way down. It was a hot day for early September and everyone who was on the beach wore board shorts and singlets.

Leah peeled off her jumper as soon as she got out. 'Sure is hot.'

'Yeah.' Liam said. He looked at Mary. 'Lose the jumper, sis.'

'I'm cold.'

'You've got to be joking!' Liam laughed. 'Don't say I didn't warn you.'

It was a five hundred metre trek up the beach to their apartment. They were on the seventh floor, and this time it was perfect. The morning breeze blew right in on them from the balcony. Leah was soon half asleep on her bed.

'Coke?' Liam asked. Leah hadn't even noticed he was there.

'Thanks.'

'We're going down to the beach now, if you're coming.' He said.

'Sure.' Leah pulled her togs out of her suitcase and headed towards the bathroom. After a moment, she looked back. 'Is Mary still cold?'

Liam nodded. 'She's one strange child.'

The beach was the most beautiful thing Leah had ever seen. The waves looked close to striking you, but then they were smothered down and flowed on like nothing had ever happened. It was the sort of place where you felt you could live on forever. After swimming, they got pizza and ate on the rocks on a random lookout over the ocean. Leah felt like she was living a whole new life.

-Two weeks later

The sand was crisp and warm, like your own personal heater. It was their second-last day at the beach – tomorrow they were heading back home for the beginning of fourth term. Hundreds of kids made sand castles and swam in the surf. It was like everything Leah had always wished for.

Liam had looked pretty wowed too, when he'd first seen it. 'Never been to a proper beach.' He'd said. 'Just all stones and pebbles where I came from.'

They found a spot near the life-guard flags and shoved the umbrella in the sand, like always. The view of the ocean would have been nice, if not for a group of rowdy kids playing cricket right in front. There were about ten, mostly boys, but then half a dozen girls came running in and that just about evened it out.

Leah found it freaky how they kept staring at her. It was weird, because it felt like she had this eye magnet on her or something. She didn't even know these people!

She talked to Liam to try and lower the levels of awkwardness, but they wouldn't go away. Leah was starting to wonder if they were kids from her old school. Trouble was, she didn't remember any of them.

After about an hour, two more kids appeared. They looked like they were together from the fact that they were holding hands. The guy had loosely spiked brown hair, and the girl had a very dark brown hair and a huge tan, but it was hard to see her face properly. The other kids swarmed them. It looked like they were pretty popular.

Suddenly, Mary appeared out of nowhere. 'Omigod. Leah, you have no idea what I just saw.'

'What?'

'Oh crap, they're looking!' She flicked her eyes in the direction of the group of kids. Sure enough, every one of them was staring at her, although a most of them looked like they didn't know what was going on.

'Wanna bet they won't go away until Christmas?' Liam mumbled under his breath.

Mary shrugged. 'Probably more like the end of the world. That girl who came in just then with that extremely hot guy looked exactly like you, Leah. Like, I mean exactly exactly. I was about to call out to her to stop talking to paedos when I realised it wasn't you.'

'I can't see her.'

'Yeah, well stand up then, dummy. At least then she can see you.' Mary said. She stood up and offered Leah her hand. 'Wanna bet she's not your twin sister?'

Leah stared at Mary. She'd felt so utterly confused, she hadn't realised what was happening. Until now.

Annie craned her neck so that she could see comfortably over Reece's shoulder. The whole group was buzzing with excitement, although Reece and Lee, and she were the only ones who knew what was really going on. Okay, so this girl apparently looked exactly like her, according to the rest of her group who'd swarmed her as soon as she'd got in sight. Now, the girl was being helped up by a really stocky-looking girl who looked like she was bossing people around. Then there was this other guy on the left of her with the craziest but coolest hair she'd ever seen. She didn't look like she'd noticed them, but all of a sudden, she turned around. Annie had a mini-heart attack. If this wasn't her sister, nobody was.

The only difference between them was Annie's heavily tanned body and her rather light one.

'Shoot.' Annie said.

'I guess it has to come out sometime.' Leah said.

'What?' asked Liam.

'I'm adopted. I had a twin sister but we got separated in care. I've never told anyone.'

'Wow, that's awesome.'

'Not when I haven't seen her in nine years.'

Leah felt Liam sigh next to her. 'I hope she's your sister. It might change your life as you know it.'

Leah nodded and looked at the girl. They were so insanely alike. The girl turned to the boy and had said something Leah couldn't hear, but it looked like she'd asked for privacy or something because now he and the other girl were heading off back down the beach. The girl gave Liam and Mary a look, which had a surprising effect. Both of them walked away straight away. Now, it was just her and Leah.

'Okay, so my friends here say that we are like… positively identical.' She said, taking charge of the situation straight away. 'I mean, you see resemblance, right?'

Leah nodded slowly. 'Yeah… I mean, it's like looking in a mirror.

'Okay, okay, okay… lets just clear this up. What's your name?'

'Leah Stone.'

'Shoot…' the girl said again, as she looked away and rubbed her forehead. 'When's your birthday?'

'The 11th of October.'

'Do you have parents?'

'I have foster parents...' Leah said. 'Your name is?'

'Annie... Anna-Beth Seemore.' She gave Leah a look.

'It's just… Oh my gosh!' Leah laughed, pulling Annie into a hug. 'This is so cool!'

Annie hugged her back, but after a few seconds she pulled away. 'So… what's with your accent?'

'Old foster parents and stuff were English. And I dunno, I go over there a lot, since I have relatives there.'

'That's cool.' Annie said. 'Who are these people you're with?'

'That's Liam and his sister Mary – from school.' Leah explained. 'They invited me down here for a tour. We're up north.'

'Wow.' Annie said. 'That's a fair way to come down. I've lived here just about all my life. Been in about ten care homes, five foster families… the one I'm at now I've been in for about a year. I guess it's the only one that can put up with me.'

'So, who are the people you're with?'

Annie led Leah over to where the big group now stood. 'My boyfriend Reece, Lee, Sean, Teesh and Kati.' She said, pointing everyone out. 'Then there're my foster brothers and sisters – Matt, Janet, Alice, Tessa and Joe. I think Jay, Ryan and a few others are still swimming and there're still others back at the house.'

'Nice.' Leah said. She looked back at Liam and Mary, who were staring over and looking like they needed filling in. 'Come here, guys.'

Liam grabbed an apple from the food basket and followed Mary over to the group. He raised his hand. 'Hi I'm Liam.' He received a round of Heys and Sups back, and Mary got the same when she greeted them. Leah was starting to wonder what it was about some people that made them automatically liked. It would be cool to walk into a room and be liked by everyone. Nice life for some.

A cry erupted from outside the huddle. 'Lost the ball!' A groan rumbled around the circle.

'Again? You're joking.' Matt yelled at nobody in particular. 'That's the last time any of you guys borrow my stuff.'

'You said that last time.' Joe smirked. 'You always forgive, always forget.'

'I won't this time.'

'You will.'

'Won't.'

'Will.'

'Um, shut up?' Annie rolled her eyes. 'Want to come to seven-eleven, Leah? I need lollies.'

'Sure.' Leah said. They started walking away when Liam called to them.

'Don't take ages, guys. Mum's gonna kill us if we don't come back for lunch.'

'No problem.'

Matt yelled after them, 'Get me a Golden Gaytime? I'm starved.'

'Whatever. You'd better pay me back, though.' Annie yelled back. She looked at Leah. 'Boys…'

'Tell me about it.'

Annie grabbed a bottle of spray-on sun cream and did herself over as they walked back up the beach. 'Oh my God, this is totally the best thing that ever happened in my life!' She finished rubbing and tossed the container back at the towels.

'Yeah, I know.' Leah smiled. 'So weird how we happened to meet right here, hey?'

Annie laughed. 'It's awesome. I feel like I should be jumping around everywhere and being so overly happy, but it feels like I've known you almost my entire life.'

Leah nodded as she jumped the fence bordering the little kids' playground. Parents sat around on the seats surrounding swings and slides, watching young ones closely. A few kids stared, like they couldn't tell the difference between the two girls. It felt weird walking around with someone exactly like you.

'So… is something happening between you and Liam, or is it just me?' Annie asked.

Leah felt herself blush. 'Well… no. Um, you only saw him next to me. How could you possibly see if we had something going? Plus, we've only known each other three months.'

'Hah! That doesn't make a difference. Reece and I started dating two weeks after I moved in.' Annie said. 'But anyway, if you want a boyfriend I can hook you up with someone.'

'I've never had a boyfriend,' Leah frowned. 'But I guess that's where we're different. I don't fancy hooking up with a random guy I don't even like.'

'Are you saying I don't like Reece?' Annie laughed.

'No. I just don't like hooking up with randoms.' Leah grinned. She swung herself around a light post, crashed into an attached council bin and groaned. 'Gross!'

Annie was cracking up. 'Well, Reece and I have been going out for like… roughly a year and a half.'

'I've only ever had one boyfriend.' Leah said. 'We went out for about six months, and we were year five. If you ask me, that's a bloody long time for a relationship to last at that age.'

'Deffo.' Annie replied. 'So, there's nothing going on between you and Liam?'

'Not to me.'

'That's not what it looks like!'

Leah looked baffled. 'There's nothing going on!' she insisted.

'His hair is freaking awesome, if you ask me.' Annie grinned wickedly. 'And don't you just melt under that smile.'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' Leah huffed. 'We're here anyway.' They walked together through the double sliding doors and selected their choice of goodies. Annie bought a bag of snakes, while Leah grabbed a Gatorade and a Mars Bar. When they got around to the freezer, Annie reluctantly pulled out a Golden Gaytime for Matt.

'He'd better not steal my chocolate anymore.'

'He steals your chocolate?'

'Yeah…' Annie sighed. 'His room is across from mine. He's totally expert at picking locks so even if I bought a dead lock he'd still be in and out in a jiffy.'

'Rough.' Leah sympathised. 'He doesn't look too bad, though.'

'He isn't, just that he's not one bit outspoken.'

After they paid, the two girls started walking back to the beach. It was getting close to lunch.

I met her! My sister! Annie! I'm so happy, it's like it's too good to be true. And totally random, too. We met on a random beach in a random city. On a random day, on a random trip down south. Definitely random. But I don't care, really. I've found her, and that's all that matters. After we got back to the beach, we bought fish and chips and ate on the rocks. Liam and I got to know loads of Annie's brothers and sisters and her friends that were there. Lee's totally the coolest. She never stops talking, and although it may be a bit annoying to some, the way she does it somehow excludes that. Reece is awesome, too. He's so different to most guys I've met, with the exception of Liam and Jared. Mostly, guys are like, the shallowest beings on the planet. I love it when you meet someone like the few who actually care about your personality. Anyway, I can't help feeling sad about the fact that we're going home tomorrow. We kind of stayed an extra day, so we have to leave really early. All my stuff is packed up, and now it's just me and my bed. I've got Annie's numbers and email and stuff, but it still won't be the same. We were always meant to be close. Right now, we live on opposite sides of the state.

'You ready, Leah?' Mary stuck her head round the door.

'I guess… I don't want to leave.'

'Well, course you don't. She's your twin sister. If I were you, I'd be talking to the foster dudes and asking them to move you two together.'

Leah's face suddenly lit up. 'Omigod, Mary. That's totally the answer. All I have to do is convince my social worker and my foster dad. I'm sure they'll say yes!'

'Yeah, and then you won't be a loner at school and all…'

'Shut up.'

'Whatever… we gotta get out. The reception dudes are getting up Dad 'cause we were meant to be out two hours ago.' Mary said, grabbing Leah's duffle back off the bed. They bolted downstairs and through the lobby. The receptionist at the desk scowled at them and muttered something along the lines of 'Kids…'

When they got to the car park, their taxi was right out the front.

'Mum said you can drop by and say goodbye to Annie.' Liam smiled. 'If she's actually up.'

Leah shrugged. 'I heard she gets up early to surf, so we might just catch her as she goes.'

'Cool.'

It was a fifteen minute drive to Annie's foster home. When they pulled into the drive, Annie appeared from behind the van parked in the driveway.

'I knew you'd come! I'm gonna miss you so bad!'

'Me too.' Leah sighed. She pulled her sister into a hug. 'We can webcam and stuff, though.'

'Yep.'

'Well, I guess I should go. We'll miss our flight. See you later.'

'Kay.' Leah looked at Annie and saw she was on the verge of tears. 'You know, Leah, I didn't think it would be like this. I thought we would find each other and always be together. Now we're saying goodbye, and I might not see you for months.'

'It'll be okay.' Leah smiled and jumped back in the car. 'Bye!' She tried to sound cool, but she felt like she was about to flood the earth with her tears. She had thought about asking Annie about moving up with her, but she already had a family that loved her. She had a boyfriend who she probably wouldn't want to leave. It would be a radical change for her. Leah sighed as she realised that there was nothing she could do. Only time and the guts to ask her carer would tell. Annie waved as the car pulled out onto the road again.

'See you!'

'Yeah, see you.' Leah smiled sadly and wound the window up as the car drove off down the street. When they turned the corner, Leah looked back and caught the last glimpse of her long-lost sister. She wondered if she would ever see her again.

Leah felt weird as she stepped out of the aeroplane and into the dust at the Rockhampton airport. Other than the fact that she'd met her twin sister, everything felt normal and ordinary. In some ways, it was a peaceful feeling.

'Dude, you there?' Mary was bouncing around her, like always.

'Yeah, just lost in thought.' Leah smiled. 'I should get home, my housekeeper is gonna get up me if I don't turn up and clean my room.'

Liam laughed. 'Shame. We could've hung out for a while, or something. Is she always like this?'

'She's positively evil.'

'Sounds like fun.' He smiled. 'Better go then.'

They walked through the airport and grabbed their luggage off the conveyor belt, before re-acquainting themselves with their car, which had been sitting in the lot for the duration of their trip.

'It's a wonder people don't go around smashing up cars.' Mary said. 'Though I guess our Ford Focus didn't meet their requirements.'

'I guess they had other ideas.' Liam smirked. Their car hadn't been smashed up, but a giant penis had been drawn in the dust on the back window.

Liam's Dad dropped Leah at the bottom of her street, since it was a cul-de-sac. They waved goodbye before driving off and leaving Leah to make her way up the street.

It was only after she had finished waving and the car had disappeared that she heard yelling coming from the top of the street.

There were two police cars parked outside her house, and half the neighbours had come out to see what all the noise was about.

'Oh God…' Leah muttered to herself. She started walking fast.

'Girl, stay away.' A policeman yelled at Leah.

'Don't call me girl!' Leah fumed. 'I live there! What do you think I'm supposed to do?' The policeman turned to his colleague and said something, before turning back to her.

'Do you know what's going on, sweetie?' He asked.

'Don't call me sweetie,' Leah scowled. 'I'm nearly twelve.'

'Well, sweetie,' said the policeman, ignoring Leah's comment, 'your daddy and your housekeeper have been very naughty. We've had to arrest them for suspected murder and theft. As you're in his care, you might want to think about that.'

'He's not my dad. He's my foster dad.'

'He is, is he? Well… I'm going to have to ask you to step over to the lady over there. She'll take you somewhere safe.'

Leah groaned as she realised what this meant. She was going back to a care home. Away from Liam and Mary and the kids who had started being nice at school. It was always like this: just as she started to fit in at school, she had to move again. She wouldn't be able to go to karate anymore. She wouldn't be in a nice house with a nice room anymore. Her life was about to get much worse. Suddenly, fitting in at school looked like the worst of her worries.

Leah hadn't been in a care home for years. It had always just been one foster home after another. Being back in care brought back bad memories.

One of the house parents was giving her a tour of the whole place, but Leah was lost in her own thoughts.

'Leah?'

'Yeah? Wait… what?'

'Did you hear what I just said?'

'Um, sorry.' Leah said, apologetically. 'I was lost in thought.'

'This is your room and you'll be sharing with Jackie. If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask.' The house parent bustled off down the corridor and left Leah alone to unpack.

Leah dumped her collection of suitcases inside the door and studied the room. It was large, but only half the size of the room she was used to. The girl, 'Jackie', slept on one side and there was a spare bed on the other side for a new resident. She noticed that Jackie had put up loads of drawings on her wall. The drawings were fabulous. It was like looking at a photograph that had been edited to look like a sketch.

Leah glanced back at her own side. There was a small bed, a desk, a wardrobe and a small chest of drawers. Next to the bed was a tiny locker, obviously meant to store items of value.

She started to unpack all her stuff, but only got as far as the clothes before she realised that it was going to take forever. She had brought in way more stuff than most kids would and doubted that it would all fit in.

Leah tossed her bags into the corner and remembered that in all the commotion, she'd forgotten all about Liam. She dug around in her bag until she found her mobile, found Liam Mills in the directory and dialled his number.

'Come on, pick up!' Leah muttered, settling back down onto her bed.

'Hey, Leah.' Liam's cheerful voice broke over the line.

'I'm back in care. So I'm probably moving schools. And cities. Maybe even countries!' She said it so fast it was all out in about two seconds. There was a silence at the other end.

'Huh?'

'Father and Gardenia got arrested. They took me away to some home. I'm not sure where I am, I was too tired to read the road signs…'

'Oh, man.' Liam sighed. 'I wish I could come out to see you, maybe I can come tomorrow. Just ask the house parents where you are and text me the details.'

'Okay.' Leah said. 'Battery is nearly dead, better go. Bye!'

Leah hung up and collapsed into the bed covers, wondering how long she would be stuck here before they found her another foster home. Right now, it seemed as if it was going to take years.

The kids started coming in from school at around half past three, though nobody came into Leah's room until almost four. A tall dark-haired figure appeared at the door, and Leah instantly thought she was some kind of house parent. It was only when she actually took a proper look that she realised the girl was wearing a blazer and school tie.

Jackie had brown hair and green eyes, but all the comparison ended there. Where Leah was short, Jackie was incredibly tall. Leah was untidy and Jackie looked a perfectionist. Leah was girly and expressive. Jackie was plain.

Jackie placed a leather satchel gently down on her bed, before glancing over at Leah and looking her up and down.

'You're the new person?'

'Just arrived this-morning.' Leah shrugged. 'I'm Leah.'

'I'm Jacqueline.' Jackie said, with a twinge of American accent. 'But please call me Jackie.'

'Sure.' Leah shrugged. She didn't like the look of this girl, but at least it was someone to talk to.

'How come you're here?' Jackie asked.

'My foster father was arrested.'

Jackie looked shocked. 'Arrested? Gee, that's a shame.'

'Totally.'

'What year are you at school? I was told I had to find you a uniform and stuff.'

'I'm year six.' Leah said, trying to ignore the girl's surprise. 'Don't diss my height.'

'Sorry.' Jackie said, frowning. 'I had you pegged as a year four. I should stop judging people by their stages in personal development. I guess you just haven't had that spurt yet. Don't worry. You'll get there.'

Leah looked annoyed and rolled over to face the wall. Talk about exasperating. This girl was worse at complimenting that Miss Gardenia.

Leah awoke to see Jackie's hand on her shoulder, shaking her. 'Come on, it's dinner time. I bet you're hungry.'

Leah followed Jackie down to the dining hall. Everyone seemed to belong to a group, and Leah once again felt the lost feeling of not belonging anywhere. Jackie took her over to a group of kids who looked about year five to seven.

'Just go and sit with them.' Jackie said. 'Look confident and they'll accept you.'

Leah was slightly annoyed that Jackie hadn't taken the trouble to introduce her beforehand. Jackie disappeared to a table in the far corner. Leah was left standing in the middle of the dining-room with a heavy tray looking like an idiot. After a slight hesitation, she decided to introduce herself.

'Hey… mind if I sit here?' Leah started to sit down next to a tall girl with nice-looking hair, but the girl gave her a weird look.

'Um… the little kids table is over there.' She said, before turning back to her food.

'Um… I'm not a "kid".' said Leah, boldly, pulling air quotes as she said it. 'And judging by your Junior School graduates shirt, I'm older than you.'

The girl was wearing her school polo-shirt with Year Five 2010 printed on the back, along with all the names of the students. She scowled at Leah, knowing that she'd been beaten, but still reluctant to admit it. The rest of the table realised what had happened and started laughing.

'Ha! Beaten by a shortie, Chloe!' One girl yelled. She beckoned to Leah. 'Come sit over here.'

Leah smiled and moved around the table to the other free spot. 'Thanks.'

'So how old are you, really?' The girl asked. 'I'm Laura, by the way.'

'Twelve.' Leah smiled. 'I'm Leah.'

'Wow.' Laura laughed. 'Well, congrats on making Chloe look like an idiot. She's been asking for something like that all year.'