justice

Chapter One

All I want is my fair share, made with same amount of prayer. Taken out with same ol' wear, please, just give me my fair share.

Just Renée folded up the mysterious piece of paper and stuffed it in her backpack. After taking a deep breath, she jumped out her front door and ran out into the rain. Holding her backpack above her head, she just made it to her next-door neighbor, Mrs. Allan.

"Well, good morning, Just! I thought you were coming earlier today?"

Just squeezed out her wet hair. She shook her head and took a chomp out of one of the apples on Mrs. Allans' dining room table.

"I was, Mrs. Allan, but then I overslept, and Hope needed more food, and..." Just trailed off, and wondered if she should show Mrs. Allan the mysterious paper that had wound up on her nightstand. She didn't have to-Mrs. Allan sensed something was amiss.

"Dearie, what is it? You know you can't hide things from me."

Just sighed. She dug around in her backpack and pulled out the paper.

"I found this on my nightstand this mourning. I don't know what it means." Mrs. Allan took the paper and examined it under the light.

"Hmmm, you know, this does not look like handwriting, dearie. I don't think either of your sisters wrote this for you, and you know it was neither of..." Just cringed as Mrs. Allan refrained from saying the word 'parents'. It was the one topic that Just and Mrs. Allan never talked about.

"Um, Mrs. Allan? Can I please have the paper back?" Mrs. Allan turned and smiled at Just. "Of course, darling, here you go." Just took it and smiled. "Thanks. Is it time for school yet?"

Mrs. Allan smiled. "Of course, dearie. Go and sit over there."

Just went and took her seat, dropping her backpack to the side of her chair. She pulled out her notebook, multi-color pen, and brushed her dark black hair out of her face. Mrs. Allan pulled out her computer and pulled up a slideshow.

"Now, in your math lesson today, you will start to grasp the concept of SLOPE. The slope is found by using the rise over run strategy..."