So here it goes: You will know who Rebecca was. I am so thankful for your reviews and telling me your thoughts about the ideas I wrote down in the last chapter (AN). If you have a little time I would love to know what you think of those ideas. If not, I just hope that you "enjoy" this chapter. I don't know whether enjoy is the right word because I made myself cry with the upcoming chapter(s) but it's probably only because my imagination is that vivid and I am so consumed by my own story and cannot stop writing any more (which does not mean that the story is good but that the characters are like "alive" for me ;)) And I am sick in bed...which sucks. Originally this chapter was longer but I split it in two halves, so I should be able to update the next one soon as well if I am not going to change everything again. I changed a lot of the plot in this chapter. So, here it goes.

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Ben sat down on the couch and took his arms over his head and suppressed the tears that wanted to come out so desperately. He could not believe that Phoebe still thought that it was her fault. Sam was sitting besides him and caressed his back, "Are you okay?", she whispered worried but he shook his head and she could see that his eyes were red from the small tears that came out of it. She had never seen him like this and did not really know what to do.

Brooke sat down on the other side and took his hands into hers. Although she did not know this young man that long, she really liked him and knew that he loved both of her girls.

"She did not kill her.", Ben whispered but did not look up. Julian sat down on the other side as well and was scared what they would hear now.

"She…she was her sister.", he finally got it out of his mouth and made everyone gasp in shock. Phoebe never talked about any sister. They did not expect that answer and looked shocked at each other.

"Rebecca was two years older than Phoebe and…and…", they could tell that it was not easy for him to talk about it, "well they were inseparable. Rebecca was more the shy girl and Phoebe always defended her. They…they ran away when they were eight and ten. It was no news that Phoebe often ran away but it was the first time that Rebecca did it. We could not find them for three days but…but then one day…"

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Eight-year-old Phoebe ran as fast as she could while the tears were streaming down her face. Her whole body ached but she did not care a second. She fell down a few times but screamed, "Heeeelp. Please help"

The thirteen-year-old Ben looked out of the window and could not believe that he saw his cousin. Immediately all of them ran towards her. "She cannot breathe. She cannot breathe. You have to help her."

Jim, Macy, Bill and Ben immediately followed her into the woods and were shocked when they saw Becca lying motionless on the floor. She looked differently and Bill immediately kneed besides her and tried to make her breathe again but it was too late.

"There were bees and…and she…", Bill did not let her finish her sentence and slapped her hard into her face, so that she fell to the ground while he looked furiously at her. She held her cheek in shock and looked at her father who began to cry for the first time in front of all of them.

"My daughter. Not my beautiful daughter.", he screamed over and over again. Aunt Macy took Phoebe into her arms but she protested and started to cry hysterically.

"Nooooooooooo. Becca wake up. C'mon Becca. Pleeeease. Just open your eyes. Open your eyes", she pushed her father away from Becca with all her force and started to shake her.

"Don't touch her.", she screamed at her father and let the tears fall on Becca's face and for the first time Bill listened to her and just sat in the grass and watched his youngest daughter who tried in vain to wake up her sister.

"Pleeeease Becca. I need you. Please come back to me." No one was able to say anything. All of them were crying heavily and watched how Phoebe laid her head on Becca's chest and wanted to listen to her heartbeat that was not there any more. It took Aunt Macy and Uncle Jim a while to get Phoebe away from Becca because she fought with all her strength, "No Becca. Just wake up. Open your eyes. It's me Phoebe. You don't have to be afraid…we just find the princess and everything will be all right Becca. Please.", she cried and did not want to leave her sister alone.

"Nooooooo. Let go of me. Becca. Beccaaaaa.", she screamed her name over and over again when they carried her away. Ben hugged himself tightly and watched how his uncle carried his daughter out of the woods. He was still crying and let the tears fall down his cheek.

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All of them were in shock right now and could not believe what had happened to Phoebe. Sam was hugging Ben tightly and the tears fell down like a waterfall while Julian and Brooke held hands and wiped their tears. But it was impossible because so many tears were falling down. Brooke looked to Phoebe's closed door and could not imagine that her little girl had to go through so much.

"Phoebe's dad told her over and over again that it was her fault and that she killed Rebecca."

"What?", Sam asked shocked.

"He got so violent towards Phoebe that my mom took her in. She wanted her to be safe from her own father and…but one day…he made a deal with some men…"

"What kind of deal?", Julian asked confused and looked at Ben who took a deep breath.

"It's hard to believe but…but he sold Phoebe to them."

All of them gasped and Brooke was the first one to say it out loud, "But…you cannot sell someone."

Ben smiled politely at her, "Well, in theory no but in praxis yes. Phoebe's father was the leader of a gang in our neighborhood and everybody feared him and…well…he was only vulnerable through his daughters but…but when Rebecca died he…made Phoebe responsible for everything."

"That's sick. Nobody is going to get my daughter.", Julian said mad and hit a wall behind him, "does she know of that deal?"

Brooke hoped that Phoebe did not know any of this. It was hard dealing with such information as an adult but she could not imagine how a young child could cope with it: Loosing a sister and being sold by her own father.

Sam nodded and tried to stop crying. Brooke and Julian looked shocked at her.

"You knew all of this and did not tell us anything?", Brooke tried not to yell at her but she found it irresponsible that her kids had not told them anything about it.

"No, I just knew that…well, we met one of these men when we had to run away from them and…Phoebe only told me that they want something that belongs to them. I did not know that she meant her in person.", Sam defended herself but still felt guilty that she had not told them anything.

"You had to run away from them? Sam!", Julian was the one yelling now. He could not believe that Sam and Phoebe had lied to them all the time and he knew that this had to change.

Sam looked shocked at him, "Well, yeah. He followed us when we wanted to go back home and…and but Phoebe had her gun and…we escaped."

"A gun?", Brooke went through her hair in disbelief, "And you two did not hesitate to hide all of that from us? I cannot believe this.", she stood up and walked around while the tears streamed down her face. This was just too much horrible information at once.

"Well no…I mean yes but Phoebe did not want anyone to know and I had no clue that her father had sold her and…", Brooke interrupted her again.

"I don't care whether Phoebe does not want us to know. It's dangerous and…", Brooke had to take a deep breath and then looked at Ben, "I need to know the whole truth Ben. What do they want from her and are they going to come to Tree Hill?"

Ben hesitated a moment but then answered, "Um…they want…well…they will probably sell her to another person. The person that pays the most for her can…well…have her. They call themselves the "circle of power" and it's known for child prostitution. And I don't think that they come to Tree Hill. It's been years now and well, it's Tree Hill."

"And she really knows all of this?", Brooke asked again and finally could understand Phoebe's ambivalent behavior a little more. She probably carried around a big fear that no one had ever taken away from her. And no one had talked to her about it, neither about Rebecca nor about being sold by her own father.

"Yes she does. That's why my aunt gave her to the orphanage. To be safe."

Brooke nodded and then heard Phoebe coughing in her room. "You all should change into something warm.", they were still wet from head to toe from falling into the river and she did not want any of them to get sick.

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Brooke walked sadly to Phoebe's room and opened the door carefully. Phoebe was lying under her blanket and coughed. Brooke went under it as well and took her arms around her small girl and held her tight. At first Phoebe protested and tried to push her away, "Noooo. Leave me alone." but finally she started to cry in her mother's arms: A person that would never hit her or make her responsible for her sister's death.

"Shhhh. It's okay Phoebe.", Phoebe held Brooke as tight as possible as if she was afraid that she would loose her as well and cried for hours but did not say anything. Brooke pulled the blanket off their faces and wiped some of hers and Phoebe's tears.

"I love you Phoebe.", she whispered and did not expect Phoebe to answer but she heard her whispering "I love you too mom."

"I don't feel good.", Phoebe whispered after a while and Brooke looked shocked at her when she turned around and puked onto the ground. Brooke immediately held back her hair and caressed her back.

"It's okay Phoebe. Let it all out.", Brooke could not tell whether she was puking because of the stress or sickness but then she touched Phoebe's forehead and could tell that she was burning up, "We have to get you out of this wet clothes.", Brooke said while Phoebe started to shiver heavily.

"But it's cold.", Phoebe said in Brooke's arms who carried her to her bathroom.

"Julian. Could you…", Julian came over to her and she could tell immediately that he was getting sick as well.

He coughed into his hands "What is it honey?", he looked at the sick Phoebe whose eyes were closed and whose head lay on Brooke's shoulder. He felt so much pity with her and wished that he could kiss away all of her pain.

"Just go to bed.", Brooke kissed him on the cheek and he nodded with a cough and kissed Phoebe's head. When the tube was full Brooke helped Phoebe out of her clothes and into the tube.

"It's still cold.", Phoebe whispered and shivered in the warm water and sneezed loudly.

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A little later Phoebe and Julian were lying in one bed and obviously had a sneezing competition. Brooke measured their fever and was shocked how high Phoebe's was. "I don't feel good.", Phoebe started to sob. Her whole body ached and it was freezing cold and the day had been pretty hard. Of course she did not know what Ben had told them about Rebecca but just thinking of her consumed her mind with guilt and she tried to suppress all those feelings.

Brooke heard a soft knock on the door and Sam and Ben came inside. Ben was dressed in fresh clothes and Brooke could tell that Sam and Ben had cried again. She felt guilty that she had yelled at Sam some minutes ago and opened her arms for her oldest girl. Sam immediately ran into them and sobbed, "I am sorry. I am so sorry."

"It's okay. I am sorry too.", Brooke caressed her back and kissed her forehead, "I love you Sam"

"I love you too" Brooke looked down at Julian and Phoebe who were sleeping and snoring a bit. He had his hands around his youngest girl and it looked like he wanted to protect her.

"Thank you Ben.", Brooke took his hand and took a deep breath, "I know that you took care of Phoebe and thank you for telling us everything.", he fell into Brooke's arms and cried as well. It was the first time that he cried in any woman's arm. Brooke caressed his back and wiped one of his tears and kissed his cheek.

"I don't want you to stay at home. Drive around a little and show him Tree Hill. You will be going home soon Ben. Try to enjoy the day a little. I take care of these two sick ones."

Sam looked at Phoebe and felt horrible, "But…", Sam protested.

Phoebe woke up from her own sneezing and looked up at Sam and Ben with sad eyes. Brooke immediately went through her hair that was already wet from her own sweat. She was definitely burning up.

"I thought you wanted to show him Tree Hill?", she smiled a little and saw that they hesitated, "I hope you have fun.", she smiled softly at them. They were overwhelmed by her strength and gave her a kiss on her hot forehead.

"I love you Phoebe.", both of them said and went out of the door holding each other's hands.

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Brooke looked into Phoebe's sad eyes and knew that it would probably take time until Phoebe would talk about Rebecca.

"I am bored.", Brooke jumped behind her with a book and started reading a fairy tale. It did not take long for Phoebe to fall asleep again. Brooke decided that she would not push Phoebe into telling her anything about Rebecca but she definitely would watch more after her. Loosing a sister at this young age and your own father blaming you was something Phoebe could not handle on her own. She needed help and fortunately she had finally found a lot of people that would help her. Brooke shivered at the idea that someone wanted to buy her girl. She hoped that it was true that no one would come after her but she knew that she would talk to the police later. She would cry this night when she would google "child prostitution" and would feel very unsafe in a world that looked so safe.

She looked down at the sleeping figure in her arm and knew that she could never imagine life without her girls any more. Never!

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"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been" *John Greenleaf Whittier