Adopted by Top Gear

Chapter One: Escape

"Mercedes! Come down here at once!"

The girl flinched, already knowing what was coming. She shuffled slowly along the landing, ignoring the other children poking their heads out to see who was in trouble now. Mercedes slowly descended the stairs, waiting for the shouting that she knew was coming.

"Yes, Ms. Summers?"

"In here, young lady."

She followed the sound of Ms. Summers' voice into the kitchen, keeping her head down. She knew that the counter was covered in flour, with small piles of it on the floor. She knew because she'd been in here not ten minutes ago, messing around with the cooking supplies in hopes of making a better dinner. The food here at Reedham Orphanage was, frankly, disgusting. It was edible, sure, but it was bland and lumpy and just plain not nice.

"What were you doing, Mercy?" Ms. Summers' voice was deceivingly calm. Merecedes shuffled her feet.

"I wanted to make some bread," she answered, staring at a spot of flour on Ms. Summers' shoe.

"Why didn't you ask the cook?"

Mercedes shrugged.

Ms. Summers sighed. She crouched down to Mercedes height, coaxing her into looking up. "I know it must be hard being the only thirteen year old in here."

Hard? It wasn't hard. It was awful.

"But no one is going to want to adopt you if you keep doing things like this and being irresponsible." She straightened up again, brushing off her suit. "Now, tidy this up. The broom is in that cupboard." She walked out of the kitchen.

Mercedes sighed and went to fetch the broom. If she wanted to escape this place, tonight was the perfect time. No one would look for her if she didn't come down for dinner after getting told off; she knew this place and the kids well enough after living here twelve years.

After she swept up the flour, she went into her bedroom and locked the door. Last year for her birthday, she'd been given her own room. At the time, she thought it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Wiggling under her bed to grab her pre-packed bag, she knew that there was so much more.

~
A/N: A wonderful thing called 'artistic license' allows me to pretend in my story that the Reedham Orphanage still exists in Surrey, which it doesn't, and that it is in Dunsfold, which it wasn't.