Cracks

Chapter 21 Rainbows and ponies

She wouldn't remember all the foster families assigned to her. Young as she was she just took it all in stride. There were happy homes and horrible homes, but she didn't care either way. There was really only one place she wanted to be. And every time, that was exactly where she tried to go, even when she did not always know the way.

The first few times she got lost, she didn't get very far. The unfamiliar streets made her sit on the curb and cry until strangers noticed her and called the police. And every time, the police returned her to CPS, who in turn delivered her back to her foster family.

Once these foster families were fed up with it, because that was what always happened, they returned her to CPS and a new family would be found.

As she was sent to school, things only got worse. The children made fun of her, because she could not read or write. It didn't take them long to find out she was a child of the system and that only added fuel to the fire.

That was when she learned to fight. If she wasn't smart, she had to be strong.

When they made fun of her, she punched, she kicked, scratched and pulled hair.

And she got herself expelled.

But she got smarter, and when she was placed in a group home, she saw her chance.

The last time she had been escorted back to the police station, she again, had asked for her brother. The officers had been talking to each other over her head. The girl had noticed before grown ups did that a lot. They talked as if she wasn't here and couldn't understand what they were talking about. But when they mentioned to each other her brother's record and current address, she took note of it and memorized it.

This time, she planned everything carefully. She waited for the group home office to be closed for the night, and once everything was quiet, she picked the lock. She didn't know how much money she would need, but she made sure to take a lot just in case.

She couldn't read, but she knew her numbers. All she had to do was ask people what bus rode to Riverside.

Leaving in the middle of the night would raise suspicion. That was one of the things she had learned from earlier attempts. A child wandering the streets at night was apparently not normal in this part of town, so she knew she had to wait until morning. School would be her best option. People wouldn't keep such a close eye on her there. From there she could sneak away unseen. It wasn't far from her school to the bus stop. She knew the way.

At the school she made sure to stay at the edge, so when the bell sounded, she could hide behind one of the playing equipment. Then, while the teachers were busy directing the children inside she snuck away.

Finding the bus to Riverside was even easier than she had thought. Line seven, tenth stop. She made sure to climb on in between two grownups so she could pass by the driver unseen, and sat in the far back of the bus.

None of the other passengers seemed to question her presence. All just assumed she belonged with someone else.

Luckily, the driver announced every stop, because after the third stop, she was so distracted by all the scenery that she forgot to count.

When she finally reached her stop, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar setting.

The girl looked around confused. Was this the wrong stop? That policeman had definitely said Riverside, but she didn't see Vincent's house anywhere, nor the carshop or her mother's house.