This was the part she hated the most, the part where had to go back into hiding. They'd come for Amber, they were sure to come after her now. It was only a matter of time; people like her didn't last long in the real world. That was a fact she'd learned from a young age, something she'd had drilled into her head from the moment she was born. You escape, you die.

She knew it. Amber knew it. So why had she spent her days, acting like a real person, going to school and making friends? That just wasn't something you did. You put yourself in danger and you put everyone you were close to in danger. The people who ran the institute were ruthless; they'll kill anyone who gets in your way. Amber had been reckless, and that she'd almost got her little ginger friend killed.

Luckily, she was there at the time. She'd been following Amber, not to protect her or defend her if need be, but as bait. They were going to come after Amber, that much was clear. She'd planned on following them and taking the man a hostage, leverage to get her own safety from the institute. But it hadn't exactly worked as planned; she had to let him go in order to save an innocent girl's life.

Which she wouldn't have had to do in the first place had it not been for Amber's stupidity.

But, she didn't regret it. She saved someone, which was what mattered. Maybe more people had escaped and she could use them, but let's face it, she would have found them by now. Amber and she had been planning to escape their entire lives, and they were the only two daring enough to do it. After many beatings and discouragement, they'd finally done it, and they were free to the world – but only if they were careful.

Oh, she'd been more than careful. She changed her name every year, never stayed in the same place for more than two nights in a row, and hardly walked the streets at night if she could help it. She hadn't gone to school, or got a job, or made friends. The only thing she had was the clothes on her back. She hadn't had a decent meal in her entire life.

All they fed her in the institute was scraps, hardly enough to survive. She and Amber were some of the lucky ones, the ones who survived; the success stories. Once she'd escaped, she never considering going to the police about this. Sure, it was illegal to experiment on humans, especially children and embryos, but they'd put her in a freak show or a mental hospital. She'd rather be free and dirt poor.

Days after she saved Alexis, she'd come to terms that maybe going to the police would be a good thing. Maybe they'd be able to finally put a stop to this experimenting, and maybe she'd save some lives. The only thing she'd want is what she already has: freedom. As long as they don't take that away from her, she'd help them take the institute down.

All this was running through the young girl's head as she stood outside the Prescient. Her hands were tucked into her leather jacket, one she'd taken from a guard she'd beat down during her escape. A gun she hardly used was sitting under the waist of her jeans, covered by her t-shirt. They'd escaped only a few years ago, and the shirt was big on her then, so it still fit her. Despite her rugged appearance, her hair was nicely combed and her face had a bit of make up on it. Ah, the advantages of knowing how to break into places.

With the tiniest of smirks, she entered the building, making her way to Homicide and entering the floor with stride. A few looks passed though the detectives as she walked to the captain's office, not afraid of anyone's wrath, knowing she could take them all down if she needed to.

Captain Gates looked up in surprise at the new visitor in her office.

"And who are you?" She asked.

"Gracie, I'm here to give you information about Amber Middleton's murder. However I have one request."

The Captain raised her eyebrows. "What kind of request?" She asked dangerously.

"I want complete freedom. I don't want to be locked up or put in a hospital – I want to walk out of here with my freedom."

The Captain clenched her jaw but nodded towards the door. Taking that as an invite, the girl left the room and approached the detectives, who were watching the short exchange curiously. The pretty girl detective's eyes widened at the sight of her, and Gracie could tell that she knew who she was. She gestured towards the couch, and the detectives followed.

"You're our second witness," the writer-boy, Richard Castle, pointed out as she sat down.

"I wouldn't put it that way, but sure," Gracie replied, putting on a small smile for the detectives.

"What happened, that night?" The girl detective asked. Gracie leaned forward in her chair.

"Miss Detective, with all due respect, if you want the real story, you need to shut up and let me tell you from the beginning."

The Detective blinked back her surprise, but said nothing further, allowing Gracie to begin her story.

"I grew up in the institute. I was one of the few experiments that actually worked. I was a success story… and so was my best friend Amber. We were child experiments. The purpose of their experimenting on innocent children was the simple reason of pleasure. See, they do it to entertain. Granted, they probably sell a few; use a few for medical breakthroughs, but when they get bored they just make a new one."

"Where do they get the kids from?" The cute Detective, Detective Ryan asked.

"Snatch some. Birth some. But some are homeless children, like me and Amber. At 15, Amber and I formulated a plan to escape. The thing about these guys is that if you try to escape, you're done. It's nearly impossible to escape; you're dead before you reach the doors. They didn't want word of it getting it, in case cops like you find out about it and shut them down and arrest them for life."

"What will they do if they find out you've come to us?" Richard Castle asked.

"Hunt me down. Kill me. Take my body away and burn it, most likely. No evidence left behind of the experimental institute."

The Detectives exchanged glances. "No worries, they'd chased me down before but I outsmart them every time. Anyways, Amber and I escaped. We were the first to do so – we were strong and we got out. We went our separate ways, I became a homeless drifter – which is the safest route, and Amber attempted to make a name for herself."

Gracie stopped talking for a moment to take a sip of the water they'd gotten for her. "That was a big mistake. People like us; we're too dangerous in the real world, especially with the institute on our ass. It was only a matter of time before they hunted her down and killed her. I saw it coming, she wasn't being safe. She was putting her friends in danger and her name out there. Even though she'd made up the name herself and we'd faked her entire background, they were bound to find her eventually.

"Me, I took the smart route. I became homeless, I became a nameless hobo, I lived off scraps and shit I could steal. Granted, it's not the best way to leave, but I figure I was free and I had my pride so I managed pretty well. Anyways, I'd been worried for her lately. Worried for that red-headed girl she'd become close with. So, I began following her. Safely, of course. When I noticed an odd man had an eye on her, I stole a phone from a local store and managed to scavenge enough cash for a short plan. Don't ask me how," she added, twinkle in her eye with sly grin on her face.

"I started giving her these phone calls, telling the fool to stop going outside, keep safe, drop out, that she was being followed. I figure now that they didn't help much, just made her more paranoid. I guess I sorta figured that at the time too, 'cause I began following her everywhere she went just in case. When I realized she was in too deep and marked for death, I decided to use her to my advantage. She became my bait."

She raised her hands at the shocked expressions on the Detectives' faces. "I know, I know, it's horrible, but I figured it needed to be done. I would wait until they attacked, then stop the attack halfway through and take the attacker as a hostage. The only way I'd free the guy would be if the institute granted me complete freedom from them. I'd swear to keep their secret, they'd give me freedom, they get their guy back, and all would be right with the world. I'd take Amber with me and we'd run off together, never to be seen again.

"Obviously, that didn't work out as planned." Gracie raised her head to look at Richard Castle as she took another sip of her water. It was good; she hadn't had water like this in her whole life. Was it sparkling? "As soon as I saw Amber out with that redhead and the man following them into the place, I knew my plan was dead in the water. Once they ran out, I followed. I didn't get there on time, once I entered the alley Amber was dead and the man had his knife perfectly placed to slit the innocent girl's throat. I pulled her out of the war faster than the speed of his blade, throwing her into the trash cans behind me and shoving the attacker back. I stabbed him right in the shoulder and he ran faster than a damn puppy." Gracie chuckled in spite of herself. "Then I turned to that little redhead girl, told her she was gonna be alright. I called up the cops, let 'em know where the body was, smashed the phone, and took off. I wasn't expecting to come here but I figured if I could get the cops to help take down the institute I can save lives while keeping mine granted for safety." She leaned back in her seat, looking at the faces of everyone else in the room. "And that's the whole story."

"She's Alexis's age."

Kate turned to see Rick standing behind her, a weird expression on his face. They were looking at the murder board, it was fuller than ever. Gracie was asleep in the break room; they'd practically had to force her to stay, even just for a while to catch up on her sleep in a place that wasn't a dark alley or the top of a building. Kate nodded lightly at her partner.

"I mean, she's so young. Poor kid."

"She's managed," Kate said, turning back to look at the murder board. "She's strong."

"Alexis wants to come down and see her," he added. Kate looked at him in surprise.

"Well, she did save her life. No need to sound so disapproving."

Rick shrugged. "I just don't like her much is all."

"Castle, if it wasn't for that Gracie Alexis would've ended up like Amber."

Rick took a moment to realize that, and the shame showed on his face. "But still. It's a bit dangerous for Alexis to even be around her, with the hunting…"

Kate turned to Rick. "She wants to see her, not go out with her."

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "Should I go get Alexis, then?"

"She isn't going to stay much longer," Kate pointed out with a small nod towards the sleeping figure on the couch.

"True," Rick said, giving Kate a light kiss on the cheek despite himself and heading out the door.

Gracie always had the same nightmares – and in every one of them she ended up dead. That was her worst fear – ending up dead. She'd worked her entire life, fought through the hardest things to survive, and it scared her that someday that would all end. Whether it was from natural causes or a knife through her heart – it was going to happen someday. The latter scared Gracie the most, as much as she acted brave around them the truth was that she was scared; very scared, of the men that were dedicated their lives to hunting her down.

After a short spout of sleep, her body finally decided it was enough. She hardly got sleep anymore, she was simply too used to running on little hours of sleep. She blinked herself into true awakeness, sitting up on the surprisingly comfy couch that she'd had the pleasure to nap on today. She pushed her hair back from her face and groaned lightly, stretching a bit and yawning herself awake.

"Hi," came a familiar voice from the door. She blinked as she turned her head and met eyes with the redhead girl from the alleyway.

"Hi," Gracie said back, trying not to let the surprise show on her face. She honestly thought she'd never see this girl again, what did she want, to thank her? Gracie had done enough bad in her life to know that she wasn't a good person, even if she did save someone's life.

She kept her gaze on the redhead as she sat down next to her. "I… want to thank you. For saving my life."

Gracie shook her head at the girl's comments. "Don't thank me."

"No, seriously." She turned so she was facing Gracie. "I owe you my life. How can I make it up to you?"

Gracie almost laughed. There was nothing this girl could do to improve her life, and she definitely didn't need to repay her. But she stopped herself, thinking of one thing that she suddenly found herself wanting. "I don't know what ice cream tastes like…" she stared.

Alexis's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. Alright, ice cream it is then." She stood, taking Gracie by the hand and forcing her to stand with her. Gracie blinked in surprise, but smiled despite herself. "Come on…"

"Gracie," she said with a smile.

"Alexis."

The two girls smiled at each other and Alexis led the way out of the break room, Gracie in tow. Despite herself Gracie found herself liking Alexis, though she still didn't like the look her father gave them as they left.