A 'Touched By An Angel' story

By Yvette Jessen

© 2001, not intended to infringe on any previously held copyrights.

Part 2, Mary

It had been over a month since the angels had left Fairbrook and their leaving left a lasting impact on Mary. The day after they left, she had quit the drill team, and it was obvious to everyone she knew that she had slipped into a depression. She was still living in the home of David and Rachel Jackson, and though she was constantly in touch with Helena, her younger half-sister, the feelings she experienced much of the time were centered around isolation and aloneness. All she knew was that when Andrew had told her the truth, instead of making her feel better, this only intensified her sense of isolation, and she began to contemplate suicide.

Rachel and David were extremely worried about her, and they were left in a situation where they didn’t have any ideas on how they could help her. David wanted to take her to a psychologist, and had gone as far as to set an appointment for her for the following afternoon, but none of them were aware of the extent of the pain that seemed to curse through the mind of the 15-year-old girl.

They had tried to give her their guest bedroom; they even offered to fix it up to suit her preferences, but she opted to remain in David’s attic study. Instead of making a fuss about where she would be sleeping, David eventually conceded and moved his computer and desk downstairs and into the dining room. Both of them figured that at the very least, this would help since she obviously needed the space.

She arrived at their house early that afternoon and once she unlocked the door, she went inside and closed it behind her. In her eyes was a look of deeply hidden sadness as she discovered that the house was empty. Rachel was downtown working at the library, and David was attending a faculty meeting at the middle school.

As she locked the front door, she turned towards the window and looked outside to see her mother’s car going down the street, probably in the direction of the county jail where her stepfather was being detained. She wanted more than anything to just talk to her mother about everything, but with the case still unresolved, she could not even sit down with her mother unless a social worker was present.

She and Helena had met with Judge Guthrie the day before, and the Family Court Judge, although sympathetic to the plight of both girls, she had essentially laid down the law with them regarding the situation with their mother.

Helena had it good, she thought to herself, she had Dan Summers, the father that she had been told had disappeared right after Helena had been born. Her mother had told her that her own father had walked out on them when they were little, a story she had believed until she learned that her half-sister’s father had been spending the last 12 years trying to find her. Now, instead of having a father who would call her his little princess, she was alone, living with foster parents, and not knowing what to do.

Mary looked around the empty living room, but when she the loneliness enveloping her, she decided to go upstairs to her room. It was the same room where Andrew had told her the truth about being an angel. Although, at first, she was hesitant about believing the words he had said, she realized right after he had left just how honest and forthcoming he had been with her and for some reason, she knew that he had told her the truth.

Sighing sadly, she continued to stare at the walls in her room. In complete honesty, this kind of open honesty was a characteristic she rarely saw in adults, and she wished deep down inside that the compassionate Angel of Death was her father. It was perhaps this, which made her believe in his every word.

Now that the angels were gone, and although Andrew had insisted that she should not blame herself, she still did. On top of incriminating herself about the entire issue, she was still confused and extremely overwhelmed with what she knew, and questioned how she would be able to keep such a secret to herself.

“Andrew,” she spoke to the stillness. “Why did you leave and not take me with you? I really need you, and now you’re gone, just like my father did 15 years ago.”

At that moment, she only wanted to connect herself with him in her mind. The conversation they had had in the park was still completely vivid in her mind; and ironically, since then, she had not even craved a cigarette. She could only remember how Andrew had reacted to her smoking and how he had said that by doing this, it would only create more problems than it would solve. Somehow, the truth in his words had given her the necessary encouragement to quit. If truth were known, she really did not like smoking anyway; it tasted horribly and made her cough a lot. Not to mention, it made her clothing stink.

She walked slowly up the stairs, which would lead to her room, her gaze landing on a mirror once she came inside the small attic study. The black circles which had been around her eyes had vanished leaving no trace of having been physically abused by her stepfather, but the scars were still there because she was now experiencing frequent sleepless nights, and had pretty much stopped eating.

Her gaze fell onto the drill team uniform, which was now hanging on the door of the closet, and she sighed deeply. Andrew still had the picture she had given him the day they had left. Of that, she was certain, but would he remember her? She asked herself these questions almost constantly. Would he even care about the dark void he had left her with?

She sighed once again when she heard the doorbell. Company was the last thing she wanted at this moment, and she was tempted to ignore the loud buzzing that was encompassing the entire house. When it resonated up to her room once again, she walked slowly out of the room, down the stairs, through the hallway towards the front door. Upon reaching it, she peeked through the small hole to see who it was. When she recognized who had come to visit, she reluctantly opened the door, all the while saying nothing.

“Hi Mary.” It was her social worker, Brandon Montgomery. “Is Rachel or David here?”

“No, they’re working,” she said her voice void of energy.

“Can I come in?” he asked, noticing that her voice had about the same amount of energy as a deflated balloon.

“Yeah, sure,” she said and slowly backed away from the doorway so he could come inside.

Once he came inside, she followed him into the living room and after he had sat down, she came over to the sofa and plopped herself down.

“I’ve been worried about you,” he offered. “How have you been doing?”

“OK, I guess,” she mumbled.

Brandon nodded, taking her answer in stride. “I talked to Helena yesterday after we were all at Judge Guthrie’s office.”

Mary looked up, her interest in his words sparking, but nothing could bring her out of the blue funk that had enveloped her since the angels had left.

“She told me to tell you 'hi',” he offered.

Mary nodded, “thanks.”

“Thanks aren’t necessary,” he offered, his voice light, but though he spoke rather nonchalantly, it was obvious that his words had been etched with concern.

“Have you heard anything about Andrew or Tess?” she finally asked half expecting what his answer was going to be.

“No, I haven’t heard anything as of yet,” he said softly looking at Mary. “Mitch called me last night and he said that I should tell you ‘hi’ and that he found you a surprise in Oregon two days ago. He said that he wanted to see if you and Helena would like to come to their show in Seattle next weekend. I have already talked it over with Dan and he said that he would be glad to drive you and Helena there for the entire weekend, sort of a weekend retreat. I also told Judge Guthrie, and she said that it should be fine with her that you two go there.”

“I don’t know,” she said softly almost to herself.

“You probably need some time to think about it,” Brandon said after some moments passed.

“Maybe,” she muttered.

“There’s something else that’s bothering you, isn’t there?”

“Nothing, it’s just that I really miss Andrew,” she said honestly. “He talked to me about everything, and I had hoped that he would have wanted to take me away from all of this.”

“Nobody can take you away from your situation, Mary. It’s, unfortunately, something you cannot run away from, and believe it or not, but there are a lot of people who feel the way you do right now. If you run away from your past, you’ll be running for the rest of your life. I know it’s hard, but you need to realize that you’re not alone, you have friends, and we all care about you. Andrew, in his own way, does care about you, I know he does, or else he wouldn’t have called us at all when Helena had told him what she was going through. Right now, he and his friends need to concentrate on what is best for their situation and where their paths lead. This does not mean that they care any less for you.”

“I know, but it’s just hard right now. Everyone has someone, you, David and Rachel, Helena and Dan, even my mom has Greg, but I’m left out, and I feel alone. I wish I had somebody. My father, anyone who would make me not feel so alone, and I’ve never felt as alone as I do right now.”

“But, you’re not alone, Mary,” Brandon objected. “Right now, you’re just feeling alone, but things will get better.”

“That I doubt,” she muttered.

“Did Dan and his brother start looking into trying to find your father?” Brandon asked. “He had said something to me about this, and I was wondering if he had mentioned it to you.”

“I don’t know if he did or not,” she answered. “I haven’t seen him since we were at the judge’s office yesterday, and nothing was said about it. I also haven’t really gotten a chance to talk to Helena, so I don’t know if she is pushing the issue with him. She looked really happy, and I envy her for that. I wish I deserved to be that lucky.”

“You do,” he said and smiled. “You just have to believe in that.” He pulled a small matchbook from his pocket and showed it to her. “You know, my first case with the agency was with a boy named Hugh. He was probably about your age when we took his case. He had been having a really difficult time of it, but when the case was resolved, he decided to go out to California to study. He’s about to start his second year at the university, and seems to be doing quite well. He’s majoring in Pre-Law and hopes to eventually go into Family Law, so he can make things better for the kids. I went through a really difficult emotional turmoil once I took the case, but in retrospect, I’m glad I did it. Right before Andrew and his friends left, I got a letter from Hugh, and he told me he was doing well, had met a girl, and started a support group on campus for victims and survivors of child abuse. He’s completely determined to make a difference.”

“Like Mitch is doing?” she asked.

“Yeah, exactly. You see, Mary, sometimes, quite often actually, we cannot choose our experiences, sometimes they’re just mapped out for us. But, in most cases, we can determine how we choose to handle these situations. Mitch has chosen to go into music. It’s something he loves, and also in many ways, it has been how he has gotten his emotional support in dealing with what has happened to him. If you just listen to the words of his songs, you’ll see what I mean. He has managed quite successfully to put pieces of his experiences into every song he writes and in my opinion; it’s those specific songs, which are what has made Starshine so successful. I always thought that anyone can write a poem and try to put it to music, but there aren’t very many people who can take their own observations and put it into a song the way he can.”

“Are you saying I should try and write down what I’m feeling?” Mary asked.

“You could always try, but actually what I’m saying is that everyone has their own way of dealing and coping with their past. You have to do whatever is necessary for you, whether it is laughing or crying,” Brandon said. “Find your outlet for coping with this, but don’t quit on life before it has a chance to get better. That is what will make a difference for you. The true power is there inside of you, if you search for it,” he paused and smiled encouragingly at her. “No one is denying the fact that you have been through a lot, but now you have a choice, do you hide away from the world until the storm clouds pass or do you face your fears and do what is best for you all the while knowing that the man upstairs is always going to be there for you?”

“I know what you’re saying, but it’s hard to let go of everything. I mean, I love my mom, and I care about Helena, but they’re on different sides. It’s like being at war with myself. How do I get out Brandon? I want to see my mom again, but I don’t know what I would say to her. She’s probably been lying to me for the last 15 years about my father.” Mary reached over for a tissue from off of the coffee table and blew her nose.

“Believe me, I know it’s hard to come to grips with this, but you can’t put yourself in the middle of your family problems. Your mother has her point of view and Helena has hers, but what is yours? If you allow yourself to be put in the middle, you will be denying yourself a basic right to determine what you feel about this situation. Sometimes in life, you are in the middle, but you cannot base your decisions on the reactions of others,” he paused and took a deep breath. “I wish I could allow you to go home, but aside from the fact that we are under a judge’s order, it would not be safe for you there. I think you know that. Mitch told me about how you looked the night Andrew was arrested, and he could tell by looking at you, that you were really in a messy situation. He also said that he was scared for you.”

Mary looked down at her feet; she didn’t want to be reminded of that horrible night. “What’s going to happen to Greg?”

“I don’t really know,” he answered honestly, but did not add that he was concerned with what Rayan was going to say about the entire situation. For him, it was clear, both girls were apparently victims of child abuse, they both carried many of the traits he was trained to look for and this made him sad. Especially with Mary, although she was a bit rough around the edges, her internal pain was gut wrenching. “Andrew and Raphael are not here to act as a witnesses to anything that has happened. It’s really too bad, because I liked both of them, they were both nice guys.”

She nodded; her thoughts were never far from wondering where the angels were. She finally looked at Brandon and smiled weakly. “I guess it’s kind of stupid for me to hold onto any hope of ever seeing any of them again, huh?”

“I don’t think so,” Brandon said gently.

“I wish they could have stayed,” Mary said softly as he stood up.

“I know you do,” he offered sympathetically. He reached inside his briefcase and pulled a small book out. “I brought you this. I thought you might use it to write your thoughts and feelings down. You can write whatever you want, and this little key will keep it safe for you.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked.

Brandon squeezed her shoulder and smiled gently, “because I’m not just your social worker, I also want to be your friend. I’ll always be here for you if you need me.”

“It seems like the only adults that I’ve known who have done nice things for me are the ones that want something from me,” she said softly, her voice about as unemotional as it could get. It bothered him to hear those words emerging from this young girl, and though it troubled him, deep down inside, he truly understood.

“That’s not the way things are supposed to be, Mary,” he offered gently, and all she could do is nod. He reached for his briefcase. “I guess I’d better get going, unless you want to talk some more?”

“No, I’m OK, thanks for talking to me. Actually, I do feel a little bit better. Do you want me to tell David and Rachel that you were here?” she asked.

“No, it’s not necessary. I didn’t really come by to see them, I came to see you.”

“Thanks,” she whispered as he walked towards the front door.

“If you need me, call anytime, you have my number,” Brandon said softly as he left.

~*~*~*~

Helena came into the apartment, which she shared with her father that afternoon. It had been a long day, and as she entered the kitchen, she found a note from Dan. He was bringing his brother Patrick home for the evening. Helena had never met anyone of her father's family, and the thought of talking to this man deeply intimidated her.

Her father's note said that they would be bringing take out pizzas with them and she was grateful because she would not have to worry about fixing anything to eat. Dan had told her that it was not necessary for her to cook for him, and that he had learned to take care of himself, but she felt that it was more helpful to do something because she did not seem to have the stressful kinds of days he obviously did.

She hung her coat on the rack in the hallway and walked towards her room. She began to do her homework, but when she heard a key jingling in the front door some ten minutes later, she swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

“Helena?” Dan’s voice resonated throughout the small apartment and she came slowly out of her room and walked out into the living room. As she came out, she rubbed her hands down the front of her jeans.

“Hi Daddy,” she greeted him with a hug. Once the hug ended, she backed up and could see a shorter man with dark brown hair standing next to her father. He carried two large pizza boxes and brought them inside and placed them on the table.

“Helena, this is Pat, he's my younger, more attractive brother,” Dan said smirking as Patrick Summer came into the small apartment.

“Hello, Helena,” Patrick offered, and looked at his brother unsure of what to say next. If truth be known, he did not feel all that comfortable in this situation simply because he knew specifically what Helena had gone through, and this alone made him uncertain about how he should carry himself in the company of the young girl.

Moments of silence descended on the room and the three of them could feel an awkwardness encompass them as Patrick looked at Helena with empathy and hesitancy in his expression.

“Hi,” she finally said softly. His silence made her feel uncomfortable and she looked at her father not knowing what else she was supposed to say. It was obvious to her that this man did not feel completely at ease with her and she began to wonder if it had anything to do with what had happened with Greg.

Dan stood in the room looking at both of them, feeling somewhat on edge about introducing them. When he looked at his daughter, he could see that his brother did not only intimidate her, but she also looked as though she feared him. “Why don’t we sit down?” he awkwardly suggested.

Patrick eventually nodded, and followed his brother to the sofa and sat down. Helena was still standing deep in thought near the front door when Pat’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Aren’t you going to sit down?”

"Uh, yeah," she muttered and walked over and sat down on the sofa next to her father and across from her uncle. She could tell by looking at her father, that he felt somewhat awkward about the entire meeting as well. After some strained moments passed, she looked at Patrick, her facial expression stoic. "My dad told me that you helped him find me, is that true?"

Her uncle glanced up and after some time passed, he silently nodded.

"Thank you," was all she said, but her voice was soft as though the emotions she had tried to conceal were beginning to show.

"Dan told me that you got a little bit of divine intervention right before you guys met," Patrick said. "Will you tell me about it? I've always been interested in that kind of thing."

Helena nodded as she self-consciously reached over and grabbed the hand of her father. "I met Andrew and Raphael about a month ago. They were living at the same apartment complex as my mother and stepfather. I remember how I was on the bus and Raphael was sitting two rows behind me. Then there were these boys that were teasing me, and Raphael defended me. He was worried about me, so much that he wanted me to talk to his friend Andrew..." her voice trailed as she remembered how insistent Raphael had been about her talking to Andrew. She wiped her hand over her eyes and continued speaking. "Anyway, some time later, I did meet Andrew at the same park where I used to visit almost every day. I was really scared of him at first, because of what Greg had done to me, and I was afraid that he would do the same."

Patrick nodded as she continued. "I learned later that God told Andrew things about me, so that he could help me. He used this ability to get me to talk about what was going on, but I didn't want to and I ran away from him."

"Do you know about who he really is, Helena?" Patrick asked, but when she offered him no answer, he looked at Dan who nodded slightly, but said nothing.

After a few seconds passed, Helena looked back at her uncle and nodded. "When I got home again, it happened again, and I went to see Andrew the following morning. It was a Saturday and my mother, stepfather, and Mary weren't home. He had opened the door and offered me some orange juice, and I apologized for getting so upset the day before. He said that it was OK, and that he thought I had been through something pretty bad because I had cried in his arms the day before. He tried to get me to talk again, and finally I told him about what had happened. I thought he was going to hate me, or that he wouldn't believe me, but he did believe every word and he called Brandon Montgomery and through CPG, he helped me find a way out." Her face remained stoic as she finished speaking, and Dan could tell that his daughter was feeling some intense pain at having to repeat that story.

"So, there was another girl?" Patrick said softly looking at his brother and then back at Helena.

"Yes, her name's Mary, she's Helena's half sister and I was told that she wanted to try and find her father. I was hoping that maybe you would try to meet with her and help her start searching," Dan answered.

Helena looked at Patrick, "Oh please. It's so important to Mary to find him and she's been so depressed since the angels left," she said quickly, but after a second, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, and blushed slightly.

"Angels?" Patrick asked, "then that means you did know who they were." His voice rose slightly in intensity, but after a few moments, he stopped speaking and took a deep breath before he looked over at her. "Do you know where they..."

"Uh, Pat, you agreed that before you came that you wouldn't ask her about this," Dan said, interrupting his brother, who now looked as though he was about to declare Helena as the new spiritual leader of Fairbrook.

Helena looked down at her lap, she didn't want to tell him this much, and when she looked into the eyes of her uncle, and after a few moments, she looked at her father, and then back down at her lap. Finally, she stood up and left the room quickly, but not before Dan could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Patrick looked at his brother once his niece was gone. "I'm sorry, Danny," was all he said.

"She's still very fragile, Pat. The pain she feels is real, and she can't always hide it. Sometimes she lashes out, because the hurt she carries is very intense. To speak of her friendship with Andrew is too hard for her right now, and I know you want hear about him because of Dad, but right now, we have to think about how this is affecting her," Dan said.

"I realize that, but it's hard, Dan. I was there when Dad died, you weren't," Patrick said softly. "I just want to know that he's OK."

"I know, but please understand where she's coming from. I mean; I'm sure she will want to help, but right now, she's afraid, and to earn her trust isn't going to be easy," Dan said softly.

Patrick nodded; he could sense the truth in his brother's words.

"I guess I should get her to come out and eat something," Dan said softly and stood up. It was obvious to Patrick that his brother was quickly becoming stressed with what this entire situation was doing to him.

Patrick eventually stood up, "let me."

Dan looked at his brother somewhat skeptically, but after a few seconds, he nodded and watched as his brother walked somewhat hesitantly down the hallway in the direction of Helena's room.

~*~*~*~

Tess and Andrew arrived in Seattle that afternoon; Monica was not with them because she was still with Mitch Johnson, her assignment. It had been a long week for them since they had left Fairbrook, and both angels were still thinking about the plight they had left the two young girls in.

Andrew was still extremely worried about Mary, he knew that she had an uphill battle ahead of her and as much as she wanted him to be her father, this was something where there existed absolutely no possibility of ever happening. At the same time, he couldn't get over the pain he knew he had left her in, and although he wasn't at fault for it, he did feel a deep sense of responsibility for her.

As Tess pulled the car into the parking lot for a small county inn on the outskirts of the city, he undid the seatbelt and got out. As soon as they got out of the car, Andrew listlessly followed Tess in the direction of the reception area. After some moments of silence, Andrew finally managed to look at Tess. It surprised him to see her in such apt contemplation and he wondered if she was thinking of exactly the same thing he was, but instead of him speaking, she did. "Are you OK, Andrew?" She asked as she watched the manner in which her Angel Boy was walking behind her.

For his part, Andrew tried without much success to conceal his worried look with a cheerful smile, but he knew that he had failed miserably and was unable to fool Tess into thinking that everything was OK when he was feeling absolutely horrible.

"Let me guess, you're thinking about Mary again?" Tess asked putting her hand on Andrew's slumped shoulders.

The Angel of Death nodded, "yes, I suppose I am. I just can't help but feel like I abandoned her, Tess."

"You know you couldn't have done anything else, Andrew. Besides, as you are well aware, the Father will take good care of her, and I'm sure that Dan and Helena will be able to take care of her," Tess scolded him gently, but when she heard a pent up sigh emerge from Andrew she squeezed his shoulder gently. Sighing deeply, the two of them walked into the lobby.

"Good evening." a cheerful voice boomed once they were inside. "You two need a room?"

"Yes," Tess answered addressing the friendly voice of the man working at the reception desk. Within minutes, they had a key to a room, and were walking in the direction of the room where they would be staying for the night.

Once Tess had opened the door, they went inside and got settled in their room. Andrew, instead of joining Tess to watch a movie sat and contemplated how Mary and Helena were. Neither he nor Tess had spoken to anyone involved with the girls' cases since they left and he was curious about what was happening.

He dug around in his pocket and found the small business card that Brandon Montgomery had given him tucked next to a small folded piece of paper. He opened the note from Helena and read it, as he watched a small snapshot drift to the floor. He leaned down to pick it up and could see Mary's cheerful smile. He sighed once again as he slipped the photograph back inside his pocket.

He couldn't get over the morning when Helena had told them about the abuse, and he retrieved the card to see if the social worker's home telephone number was on it. When it discovered that it was, he smiled weakly as he ran his hand over the smooth surface of the card, and reached for the telephone.

"Andrew, what are you doing?" Tess asked.

"I have to do this, Tess, I have to know how things are going," Andrew said softly.

"You could ask the Father, you know, Mr. Halo," Tess said sarcastically, but immediately regretted using this nickname so soon after they had left Fairbrook. She came over and sat down on the bed next to him, there she rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We don't have an assignment at the moment, Andrew, go ahead and call them. Give them my best."

Andrew smiled gratefully at Tess and once he dialed, and the phone rang twice, he could hear a deep voice on the other end of the line and immediately recognized it as belonging to Brandon, "Hello?"

"Brandon?"

"Yeah," the voice came back. "Who is this?"

"It's Andrew."

"Hi Andrew," he said, but the angel could detect a trace of sarcasm in the voice of the man on the other end. "I was wondering if I was going to hear from you again, how you doing?" Brandon had just come into the house and had been carrying his briefcase when the phone rang. He propped the briefcase against the wall and sat down at the bar.

"We're doing fine, how are Mary and Helena?" Andrew asked.

"Helena's fine, I saw her earlier this week and she looks like she's doing really well, considering what is going on."

"And Mary, how is she?" Andrew asked.

"I'd be lying to you if I said that Mary was doing well," Brandon began, "but the truth is, we're all pretty worried about her. David called me a few days ago and asked me if I could put them in touch with a psychologist that would be able to help her deal with her depression. I heard she has an appointment set for tomorrow afternoon," Brandon said honestly. "I talked to her today, she really seems to be hurting inside."

"I wish there was something I could do for her," Andrew said softly.

"We all do, and the word around town is Greg Hunter is going to be sent up to state prison," Brandon said. "It sounds like he's got a long legal battle ahead of him. Rayan Hunter was here yesterday and she's been trying to get both girls back into her custody, but we're not budging on that issue. She doesn't seem willing to believe that her husband would be capable of sexual abuse, and has been acting as an enabler for Hunter. From what my supervisor said, Mrs. Hunter is trying to find legal counsel for him as well as finding a lawyer in a suit against CPG as well as me. It appears as though she wants to sue CPG for damages regarding 'false accusations', but I don't know what will come out of that. With the stuff Dan has provided, it looks like some of this will be getting resolved without it becoming a messy legal battle. Frankly, I don't think either girl wants to deal with the strain of this and they shouldn't have to, but that may be what happens."

Andrew said nothing, but Brandon continued speaking. "I hate to say it, but we really need you guys here. Judge Guthrie said today that on Monday Helena and Mary are going to have to do a taped testimony for the hearing."

"Taped testimony?"

"Well, they do this with children, mostly kids under 12, but because Mary and Helena have been through so much, Judge Guthrie has recommended that the two girls only speak on tape and that tape will be played during the hearing."

"Will the girls have to be present?" Andrew asked.

"No, that's why they are going to play the tape, but even doing the tape can really be a nerve-wracking experience for a child."

Andrew sighed. "If we had been able to stay, would the girls still have to do the taping?"

"Probably," Brandon said. "It's hard to really second guess what Judge Guthrie would have recommend had you stayed."

Andrew sighed deeply. "I miss Helena and Mary very much, and I wish I could have done more for Mary than I did."

"The only way to help Mary, I afraid, is for you to adopt her and become her father," Brandon said honestly.

"I would very much like to fulfill that request, but I cannot do that. Mary needs a stable environment to live in, and I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to provide her with that," Andrew said gently.

"I know you're the rational one in this regard, Andrew, but she does love you and asks me every time I see her if I had heard from you. Helena told me that she quit the drill team the day after you guys left," Brandon said.

Andrew sighed deeply, his feelings of guilt returning, and after some moments passed, he spoke. "Has Dan had any luck in finding Mary's father?"

"I don't know, I think he was going to talk to his brother about starting a search for him, but this is all here-say. I did talk to Dan though, and he said that he would be taking Helena out to Seattle this coming weekend to see the 'Starshine' concert. I asked Mary this afternoon if she wanted to go, but she hasn't made up her mind yet. Dan told me that he'd be willing to take both girls there for the weekend as a sort of vacation," Brandon said.

"That sounds like a lot of fun for both of them," Andrew said, but within seconds, Tess had nudged him causing him to look over at her. "Just a second."

"Angel Boy, we're in Seattle, and we're supposed to meet up with Monica, so tell him that we've got tickets for the concert, and then maybe we can see the girls this weekend," Tess said.

Andrew nodded and repeated this bit of news to Brandon.

"That's such a wonderful idea," Brandon said enthusiastically. "Maybe if Mary gets to see you and talk to you, it would get her out of her blue funk. I'll talk to Mitch tonight and find out if there's a special place where you guys can meet. Can you call me at the same time tomorrow evening?"

"Yes." Andrew answered and once he hung up the phone, he looked at Tess and smiled weakly. "Is it just me, or are you going soft about those two girls too, Tess?"

"I don't go soft about anything, Angel Boy," Tess said sarcastically and when he looked at her, he could tell that this was all an act, and she was as happy about seeing the girls as he was. When his expression became sad again, she looked at him. "What is it, Andrew? I haven't seen you this miserable since last Halloween."

"It's about Mary," Andrew said softly.

"She's in a depression, I know."

Andrew nodded. "Maybe I shouldn't have told her the truth, Tess. I think I made things worse than they were before. She wants me to become her father, and that's something I absolutely cannot do."

"I know, and you wonder often if you really leave a lasting impact on some of your assignments, well, this one is case in point," Tess said.

"Brandon said that she's pretty much dropped out of everything because of what's happened," Andrew said.

"I said once that she was more rough around the edges than Helena, but maybe I was wrong, she seems to be much more deeply effected by all this than she, herself would be willing to admit," Tess said softly.

Andrew nodded, "Dan's supposed to bring the, and Brandon's going to call Mitch and find out if there's a place where we can all meet, but..."

"You don't think it's going to help Mary?" Tess asked.

"I can only hope that it will and that it won't be another mistake," Andrew said softly. "I have a strange feeling that there's going to be a lot riding on this weekend."

"You're probably right, and the Father has just informed me that we will need to get an apartment first thing tomorrow," Tess said softly.

"I saw a place with a vacancy when we were driving in. It's near the downtown bus station," Andrew said.

~*~*~*~

At this time, Patrick Summer was knocking on Helena's bedroom door; "Helena, please open the door!" he called out. When there came no answer, he pressed his ear up against the door. He could hear her crying on the other side. "Open the door, or I'll have to kick it in, and that won't be pretty," he called out, hoping that the assertiveness would get her to open the door, if for no other reason, but curiosity.

After a few seconds, he heard the crying stop and the door opened with a crack. Once she stepped away from the door, he came into the room, and could see her wrapped tightly up in a blanket. She moved back over towards the bed and sat down. "You wouldn't have really kicked it in, would you?" She asked as she wiped her hand over her eyes and tried to cover up the fact that she'd been crying.

"No, I would have asked your dad to, he's bigger and stronger than me," Patrick remained standing in the doorway, but his voice changed when he noticed that she didn't smile. "I'm sorry about pressing you about the past."

"No big deal," she said simply.

"I know, but the deal is, I've wanted to meet your friend, Andrew ever since your grandfather died," he said simply. "I'm sorry if I hurt you with my questions."

"No big deal," Helena repeated softly.

Patrick sat down on the corner of the bed. "I heard all the rumors around town about what they did for you, and I think it's really special."

"I know Danny, uh I mean your dad, told me a little bit about what happened to you, and I'm really sorry, I know I should have been more sensitive, but I don't know very much about you except the information my secretary and I discovered a little over a week ago. The truth is, we were researching your case for an entire weekend trying to find out if you were Danny's daughter. I didn't think about angels and God, I just wanted to make my brother happy and try and find you. I had no idea about what Hunter had done in the past, much less that my niece was being hurt by this man. How did you find out that Andrew is an Angel of Death?"

Helena simply shrugged her shoulders and wrapped the blanket more snugly around her as she answered his question, "I was being harmed by some boys at the school, and he was standing not far away. He looked so beautiful, I mean; he was glowing and he looked like it was killing him to see what was happening to me. He came over to me afterwards, and the first thing he said was, 'don't be afraid, Helena, I won't hurt you.' That was pretty much how I found out the truth."

"That's amazing," Patrick said softly. "I mean; I had heard that you were having a lot of difficulties here before you met them, but I had no idea that some of those boys assaulted you. I guess in honesty, I never really thought that a child could have so many nightmarish things happen to them. I must admit, I've never known much about the things kids face these days."

"Why, didn't you ever have children?"

"No, actually I didn't, I've never been married. Danny and I have no other siblings, so you're the first niece that I have to learn from," he answered.

"That sounds awfully lonesome to me," she said softly.

"Well, one doesn't regret something they never had," he answered shrugging his shoulders.

"But, don't you and Daddy have a family besides me?" she asked.

"Not much of one, our father died three years ago, and our mother's been dead for over 12 years. We had an aunt and a couple of cousins, but neither of us have seen them in well over 20 years. I talked to my cousin, Richard though, about three months ago, but that was only to catch up on family gossip. Not even much of that, I'm afraid, our family's pretty small."

"Well, aside from you and Daddy, you know my mom remarried, and I don't like my stepfather at all," she said somewhat sadly.

"Well, that's obvious," he said with a sympathetic smile on his face.

"My mom moved us around a lot as we were growing up. Now that I think about it, she never really talked much about family. Aside from my mom, and me there was my older half-sister Mary. I didn't even know that we were half sisters until about three years ago when I overheard my mom talking to Greg about it. It seemed like for a long time, she didn't want to tell us anything about our family. I don't even know who my grandparents."

"I'm sure when all this is over, you will get a chance to come back to Iowa with your dad and meet everyone," Patrick said softly.

"I know this all sounds stupid, but, without Andrew, Tess, and Raphael, I have my doubts that it will ever end," Helena said softly, and when she looked at him, he could tell that she really was afraid.

"What is it about them that makes you so certain that having them here will guarantee that these things will end?" he asked.

"I don't really know, I guess it's just a feeling I have," was all she said.

~*~*~*~

Mitch Johnson was helping his band, 'Starshine' set up their equipment at the civic center where their concert was to be held. He looked around the house and could see his friend, Ron Hallow, tuning his bass guitar up on the stage. "Hey Mitch, how does it sound from out there?" He played a few chords.

"Amp it up a little, it's sounding a little weak," he called out.

Ron did as he was told and played a series of chords again. "And now?"

"Great, why don't you run through 'Trouble in Paradise' and see if it can be heard from the back?" Mitch walked towards the back of the auditorium as Ron started singing.

The heart of the city

Is beating to a different drum

The soul of the subway

Is only going south bound

The beach is not rockin'

Like it did when I was young

Now there's nobody watchin'

The beauty of the rising sun.

There's trouble, only trouble

In paradise.

We're striving for a new beat

Of the rock-n-roll sound.

Our music is not the same

As those days long ago,

When things were simple

And the world was easy.

There's trouble...in paradise.

It wasn't too long ago

When the sounds were simple

The music rocked right

On the beat of Heaven's train,

Now people are ready,

But, the music is different.

And there's nobody watchin'

The beauty of the rising sun.

There's trouble, only trouble

In paradise.

We're striving for a new beat

Of the rock-n-roll sound.

Our music is not the same

As those days long ago,

When things were simple

And the world was easy.

There's trouble...in paradise.

"Sound's good," Mitch called out when the last chords were played.

Ron came down from the stage and walked up the aisle to meet his band-mate. "You look a little out of it, what's up?"

Mitch smiled weakly, "I'm fine, just got a lot on my mind."

"I noticed that you've been a little preoccupied since we played Fairbrook," Ron said as their back-up guitarist Ray Carroll approached them.

"Hey guys, I'd hate to bug you, but Justin said that your cousin is on the phone, and he wants to talk to you, Mitch."

"Thanks," Mitch walked slowly towards the sound booth to take the call. Ron and Ray were left standing in the aisle watching his retreating back.

"Is he OK?" Ray asked.

"I guess so, I think you could say he's left a part of himself back in Fairbrook. He's been kind of involved in a pretty intense case back there since his cousin, Brandon, became directly involved in it as well."

"I guessed, but I hope he gets over it soon, last night's concert wasn't as good as usual, and if he gets too emotionally involved, this is going to start to have an effect on his music," Ray said honestly. "Do you have any ideas on what we can do for him?"

"Not really and I have a funny feeling that there's a lot riding on what Brandon has to say," Ron said.

From a distance, a pretty auburn headed angel stood listening and on her face was concern, not only for the future of this band, but for the lead singer who had been her assignment since before they had made the decision to go to Fairbrook.

She remained where she was and continued to listen to them as they spoke, her assignment disappearing inside the control room.

~*~*~*~

Mitch entered the sound booth and grabbed the telephone, "yeah?"

"Hey Mitch, it's Brandon, I just wanted to call you and ask a favor," Brandon's voice could be heard over the line.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Andrew called me from Seattle and are going to be at the concert next weekend. I also had talked to Dan, and he said that he was going to bring the girls out there and I was wondering if you guys could arrange a meeting place for them. I know that it's kind of a pain, but if you had seen how everything was effecting Mary, you'd understand why I'm asking."

"It's not a problem, Brandon," Mitch answered. "How are they doing?"

"Helena's looking pretty good, but we're all so worried about Mary. I went by to see her this afternoon, she's as thin as a rail, her face is really pale, and she's quit everything she was involved with."

"She's in a depression?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah, I told her about how Hugh was. You know him, I think, he's the boy whose case I had some years ago, but man, it's pretty bad with her. She wants Andrew to be her dad, and there's just no way that will ever happen. I wish there was something I could do to help her."

"Do you think seeing Andrew again would help her or do you think it might make her even worse than she is now?" Mitch asked.

"I don't know. I talked to Dan yesterday and he said that he was going to run by the idea about searching for Mary's father with his boss tonight," Brandon said. "Anyway, I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. But, what I'm worried about is Monday; Judge Guthrie told me that the girls are going to have to make a taped testimony on Monday morning. It's going to be played back during the hearing Monday afternoon. I haven't told the girls yet, but I'm almost afraid to."

"I guess so," Mitch said.

"If only Andrew, Raphael and Tess had stayed, things might actually be OK and maybe the girls wouldn't have to go through this," Brandon said.

"There's something I don't understand about Andrew," Mitch mused. "I don't have any idea about what it is, but there's something strange about this guy."

"Well, you know, ever since this first started, I have had this funny feeling that either Helena or Mary know something weird about him. Maybe they both know, but something is keeping them from talking about it," Brandon said.

"Well, it's a given, something about this Andrew character just doesn't add up," Mitch said. "From what I've seen about him, he's a pretty nice guy, but I still can't shake the fact that he was arrested on charges of child abuse. I mean, if he is hurting Helena or Mary, I'm going to wring his stinking neck."

"Mitch, you know the charges were dropped against him, and after all, it was Andrew who called CPG in the first place. I mean if he was abusing children, do you honestly think that he would open a can of worms and call CPG?"

"I just don't know, man, something about this guy doesn't click right, for some reason, I just can't shake the idea that the guy's got a secret and he's not telling."

"I think you've been watching too many strange movies, Mitch," Brandon said softly, but his voice had traces of doubt in it. "Maybe we should be asking the girls these questions."

"Why don't you go and talk to them then?" Mitch asked. "Let me know what happens with that, now I'm pretty curious about the entire deal, myself."

Brandon sighed deeply, "well, it would make me feel better about the entire situation since it's pretty much a mess all the way around. I'll call Dan later tonight, and see if he can shed some light on things."

"Well, if the girls are going to meet up with Andrew and his friends, then they should probably be careful. I know I may be sneaking about asking questions, but I certainly don't want to see them get hurt because of my curiosity. At the same time, I think something weird is going on around here. Maybe it's kind of rude to get myself involved in their personal problems, especially after everything they did to help the two girls, but something is not setting right with me on all this, and I can't shake it," Mitch said honestly.

"You and me both, Cousin, I just think that their disappearing act is a bit of an extreme," Brandon said.

"True enough," Mitch said and looked at his watch. "Oh well, I guess I'd better hang up, the guys are ready to do a sound check for tomorrow's concert, and I need to get back to the hotel a little earlier tonight, I'm kind of tired. Listen, when you talk to the girls again, tell them I'm thinking about them, and hope they are doing well."

"OK, I'll talk to you later, then," Brandon said and hung up.

Mitch left the sound booth and walked back down the aisle towards the stage. The three other members of 'Starshine' were waiting for him. As he reached the stage, he gingerly picked up his guitar and draped the strap over his shoulder.

"Did you get any news?" Ron asked.

"Not really, but Helena will be coming a week from Saturday, and Brandon did ask Mary about it," he said.

The other members of the band nodded and they began to rehearse.

~*~*~*~

Helena was still sitting in her room after her uncle Pat had left. Her hands were resting on her chin, and she was looking out the window. The blanket she had wrapped around herself was now folded and back on the bed. She pulled the curtains from the windows and her eyes were constantly on the sky. The stars were now peeking out and she stared at them with a feeling of happiness but also of confusion. After spending some of the evening getting to know her father's brother, she found herself taking a strange liking to him.

"A penny for your thoughts," a voice interrupted her contemplation and she turned to see her father standing in the doorway.

"I'm just thinking about stuff," she said, her gaze still on the stars.

"I can take a guess, but I think you would prefer to have some privacy, huh?" Dan said as he sat down on the bed and looked at his daughter.

Helena sighed deeply, "I miss Andrew and Raphael, Daddy."

"I know you do, and I wish there was something I could do that would make everything easier for you all to get together," Dan said gently.

"I think Mary wants Andrew to adopt her," she whispered. "But, that's impossible, huh? An angel can't have a family on Earth."

"It's hard to tell what will happen with Mary, honey," Dan said softly.

"Yeah, I know, and Andrew said he and Tess have their path and that is to help people, but still I wish that if they could have stayed," Helena said. "But I guess that's kinda a flight into the fantasy, huh?"

"I don't really know, but you shouldn't worry, Helena, we're going to find Mary's father," Dan said confidently. "Pat has offered his support and he's planning to go see her tomorrow morning before he leaves for Des Monies."

"But, what if her dad doesn't want to see her, like mom said?" Helena asked softly.

"Look at it this way, Honey, your mother was wrong about me, wasn't she?" Dan asked.

Helena nodded. "Why did she lie to us like that?"

"I don't know why she did what she did, but you should try to forgive her," Dan said. "In her own way she does love you."

"If that's love, I'll take vanilla. Daddy, she just stood idly by and let Greg hurt us. How could she do that, and then she lied to Mary and me about our fathers. Later, I went to her and told her what Greg had done, and she didn't believe me. Only Andrew believed me when I told him about what had happened, and he practically had to pry it out of me. I didn't want to trust him, but he talked to me, and then when he told me who he really was, he told me in such a gentle and loving way so I wouldn't be afraid. He believed everything I said, but why didn't my mom believe me when I told her what Greg had done?" Helena asked her voice getting more emotional by the second, and he could see the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"I don't know why she did that, and I honestly wish I had all the answers," he said.

"I hate her for what she did to us, it wasn't fair," Helena said softly.

"Don't be too hard on her, she was dealing with a lot of pain during the time she left with you," he said gently. "I know you're hurting in all of this, but I want you to know that although I was really angry with her for what she did to us, I'm not going to be the one who will put her down in front of you. You're her daughter too, and you do have a right to love her as much as you do. I know you do love your mother, and that's the way it should be."

Helena nodded, but her voice broke, "I do love her, but Daddy, it hurts so much."

"I know, come here," he said gently and she crawled over to where he was sitting. Once she was close enough to him, he wrapped his arms lovingly around her and held her tightly in his embrace. It was at this moment, she began to weep bitterly in his arms.

It was obvious to Dan, as he sat and held his daughter, that she was still in a great deal of pain and the only thing he could really do for her was to be there for her and provide the comfort she needed when she needed it.

~*~*~*~

Patrick Summers arrived at the home of Rachel and David Jackson the following morning. As he got out of the car, he could see children playing in the streets, and families walking together. Sighing deeply, he began to contemplate the words he had heard from Helena the night before about the significance of families.

He rang the doorbell as the Thursday morning sunshine covered him. It was really a nice day, and everything around him looked as though it belonged in a 1950's sitcom rather than in the present. The school had an in-service day, and the children looked so free he couldn't help but get caught up in their activities.

Rachel Jackson opened the door, "yes, can I help you?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Jackson, my name is Patrick Summers, I'm Dan's brother and I'm here to see Mary Williams," he said.

"Mary is not really in the mood for company right now," Rachel's smile faded and she looked at him.

"No, you don't understand," Patrick began. "I'm here about Mary Williams, and a promise I made to her half-sister. I want to help her locate her father."

Rachel looked at the man, "you're serious?"

"Yes," Patrick answered.

"I don't know what to say," Rachel began, "Please forgive me, Mr. Summers, I really didn't expect to you to come here this morning offering to help her."

"I know, maybe I should have called, but I have a plane to catch at noon, and wanted to stop by before I go to the airport," he said. "May I come in?"

"Oh, uh, yes, of course. Mary's still sleeping," she explained as they walked down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"That would be very nice, thank you," he replied.

"I'm afraid that things are kind of unorganized today, David left early to go to the school, and I've been on the phone for much of the morning. I have been trying to schedule some appointments for Mary," she explained.

"She's in a lot of pain, isn't she?" Patrick asked.

"Yes," Rachel answered.

After some moments, Mary appeared in the doorway, her hair hanging in clumps around her face. She had wrapped a blanket around herself and as she came into the kitchen, she began to look through the cabinets in search of something.

"Mary," Rachel stood up and went to the girl. "Do you want something for breakfast?"

"No," the girl muttered and closed the cabinet and left the room.

Patrick sat as still as a statue as the girl made her way through the kitchen and back out into the living room. "She hasn't been eating right since this happened, has she?" he finally asked once Mary was gone.

"No, her entire eating habits have altered since she came here to live. She walks through the house as though she's searching for something, but then leaves as though she hasn't found anything," Rachel said. "She looks like a zombie, and we've even offered to get her the foods that she's used to eating, but she won't eat. She's lost weight since coming to live here, and she was already thin when she moved in with us."

Patrick nodded not sure of what he should say, and if what he said would do any good.

Rachel sighed deeply as she stood up to retrieve the coffee pot. "I wish we could find her father, or something that would make her feel better."

"I will start searching when I get back home," he said.

"Would you need to talk to her?" she asked.

"Yes, I would, but I think it would be best for you to get her to some kind of counseling," Patrick answered. "I must admit, I don't know much about kids, but from what I have seen, I can understand why everyone here is worried about her."

"Mr. Summers, it may be out of line for me to mention this, but please, try to understand, but things aren't looking good for the girls, and I'm afraid..." Rachel's voice trailed.

"Why are you afraid, Mrs. Jackson?" Patrick asked.

"You mustn't tell Mary or Helena, but I'm afraid that the system will send Mary back to live with her mother and an abusive stepfather," Rachel could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "I couldn't bear to see that happen."

"You really believe that the government will allow a convicted child abuser to go free?" Patrick asked.

"They've done it before," she said numbly.

"How do you know?" Patrick asked.

"I just do," Rachel said softly.

Patrick didn't push the question further, he simply reached over and picked up the coffee cup, which was sitting next to him and took a long sip.

After a few minutes, she stood up again, and walked towards the doorway, which would lead out into the living room. From his place at the kitchen table, he could see Rachel wiping her eyes. When she turned back around and re-entered the kitchen, he noticed that she appeared to be completely composed.

~*~*~*~

Tess and Andrew drove through the streets of Seattle at this time, and now that they had secured an apartment, they decided to use the time off to take in some sights of the city. "Angel Boy?" Tess glanced over from the driver's seat to see Andrew fiddling with a scrap of paper, and she knew that from looking at him, that he was worried.

Andrew glanced over towards his friend. "Is something wrong, Tess?"

"You're thinking about Mary again, haven't you?" Tess asked, and it was obvious that she was starting to get annoyed with Andrew's moodiness.

The Angel of Death reluctantly nodded.

"Would you adopt her if you could?" Tess asked, her blunt question causing the paper to slip from Andrew's fingertips and drift onto the floor.

"If I could, I suppose I would, but Tess, I'm an angel. I could never become a father to a teenage girl; it would be unfair to her for me to even try. I mean; how could I possibly be a father to a 15-year-old girl?" Andrew asked; his voice shadowed with guilt. "Besides that, Mary knows that it's not possible."

"Angel Boy, for what it's worth, I think you'd be a very good father, if it were possible, but you and I both know that your gentle heart is often tugged by God's young children," Tess said gently.

"Thank you," was all Andrew was able to say.

"I know she loves you," Tess said softly.

"I know, everybody keeps telling me that too," he said more to himself than to the other angel. The fact was; Andrew knew fully that Mary cared about him, and he felt the same for her. The emotions he carried encompassed his desire to completely protect her from whatever harm may come, and even Tess was able to see it.

"For what it's worth, I think you're being just a little too hard on yourself," Tess offered gently as she parked the car and the two of them got out.

~*~*~*~

Helena opened her eyes and looked around the small bedroom. The sun was shining in the window and she crawled out of bed. The apartment was quiet, and she figured that her father had gone to see Judge Guthrie or have another talk with her social worker. She could hear the birds chirping from outside her window and she sat down and looked outside.

From the distance, she could hear the phone ringing from the living room and she rushed to the other room to answer it. "Hello?" she said into the receiver once she had picked it up.

"Helena, it's Brandon, is your father there?" the voice on the other end said.

"No, I thought he was meeting with you or taking my Uncle Patrick to the airport," she said.

"Nope, he's not with me, but I have some information to give you and him," Brandon said.

"What?" Helena asked.

"There's going to be a hearing on next Monday about your stepfather, and I will be coming by later today to talk to you and your dad about it," Brandon offered. "When's a good time?"

Helena swallowed the lump that formed in her throat upon the mention of her stepfather. "I don't know."

"I know this is hard for you," Brandon said. "But, you have friends who will be here to support you through everything."

"But, not my best friends," she said softly.

"I know that Andrew and Raphael mean a great deal to you, and not having them with you through all of this is hard," he said.

"Yeah," she said and he could hear her voice cracking at the other end of the line.

After a few moments, she continued speaking, all the while trying to compose herself and maintain her emotional sense, "I'll tell my dad that you called when he gets home," she said after some time had passed.

"Helena, are you OK?" he asked.

"I guess so," she offered, but he could tell that her usual energy just wasn't there.

Instead of pushing the issue with her over the phone, he said his good-byes and once Helena hung up the phone, she turned back towards the living room window. After some moments of hesitation, she went back down the hallway and into her room to get dressed.

"Why is my life suddenly coming unglued?" she asked the stillness, but when she received no answer, she wiped her hands over her face and could feel the tears, which had started streaming down her cheeks. For some strange reason, she had no way to stop these feelings from running rampant through her mind.

~*~*~*~

Rachel climbed the stairs that went up to the room where Mary was staying. Once she knocked on the door and Mary opened it, she spoke. "Mary, Patrick Summers wants to talk to you about looking for your father."

"You mean Dan actually asked him to help me?" Mary asked, her voice soft, but the disbelief was etched in her words.

"Yes, and maybe he can get something to go on in regards to the search. He's waiting in the kitchen. Why don't you come down and talk to him?" Rachel suggested gently.

Mary nodded, "OK, but I think I should get dressed first."

"We'll be waiting for you," Rachel said gently and pulled the door closed.

Once her foster mother was gone, Mary stood in the room staring towards the window. It was obvious that the last thing she wanted to do was talk to this guy, when she didn't trust him. There had to be another way out of this for her. She had betrayed Andrew once and the last thing she wanted to do was talk to another law enforcement officer and run the risk of doing it again. This was out of the question, she thought to herself, I wish I had my sister's courage, but I don't. She reached over and grabbed the backpack that she usually used for school and began to pull the schoolbooks out, and reached for her diary and placed it inside.

I'm not going to talk to him, she decided as she pulled a small envelope out of her purse, I'm leaving, and I have the means to do it. Opening it, she looked down at the $236 she had been saving for the drill team uniforms she had wanted to buy. Now, as she looked down at the numbers on the bills she suddenly felt sad and sighed deeply. Next, she wadded up the envelope and angrily tossed it across the room where it landed against a corner. She stuffed the money inside her purse and went over to the closet to pull out something to wear.

Once she had gotten dressed, she reached inside the closet and began to yank out the clothing that was neatly hanging there. Once she had found a few things she thought she would need, she stuffed them inside the backpack. That done, she opened the door to the room, crept quietly down the stairs, and down the hall towards the front door.

She could hear the voices of Rachel and Patrick Summers filtering back through the house, and as quietly as she could, she opened the front door, slipped quietly out, and closed it behind her as quietly as she could.

That done, she ran down the stairs and down the sidewalk in the direction of the bus depot. There was no point to staying here any longer, and she saw no point to talking about what she had been through, because she still believed that no one would have believed her. The pain was still in her eyes when she reached her destination.

~*~*~*~

Ten minutes later, Rachel and Patrick were still sitting at the kitchen table in the Jackson home.

"Mrs. Jackson, I don't mean to sound rude," Patrick began, "but I do have to catch a plane in two hours, and would really like to talk to Mary before I go."

Rachel looked down at her watch, "strange," she said, "I didn't think that it would take this long for her to get dressed and come back down. Would you excuse me?"

Patrick nodded as Rachel once more left the kitchen. As she ran through the hallway and up the stairs, she sighed deeply. This was quickly becoming too much for her to bear. First Helena and now Mary, and it was looking as though the older of the two girls was becoming almost more than any of them could bear. She reached the door and knocked.

"Mary, please hurry, Mr. Summers is going to miss his plane," she called out, but when she received no answer, she cracked open the door. Upon discovering that the room was empty, she swung the door open, went inside, and began to look around the room. "Mary?"

When no answer came, she sighed deeply until her attention suddenly landed on a crumpled up piece of paper in the corner of the room. She approached where it lay, reached down to retrieve it and once she held it in her hand, she looked down at it. She immediately recognized Mary's handwriting and scrawled numbers on the front of it. "Two hundred thirty six dollars?" She mumbled, standing practically rooted to the floor staring down at the envelope. She was unable to move until she heard Patrick calling her name from downstairs. This brought her crashing back down to Earth, and she stuffed the envelope inside her pocket and ran out of the room and down the stairs.

"Mr. Summers," she called out as she came back through the house.

Patrick emerged from the kitchen. "What is it?"

"It's Mary, I think she's run away," she said and pulled the envelope from her pocket.

"Has she run away before?" he asked.

"Not that I know of, but she just came to live with us only about a week ago. But, I found this laying in her room," Rachel said showing him the crumpled up envelope.

Patrick looked down at the envelope and moaned. With nearly 240 dollars in her hand, Mary could have gone anywhere. But, rather than voice his concerns, he ran outside and began to look around the area for some signs of her.

"Why did you ask if whether she had run away before?" Rachel asked following him outside.

"It's one of the signs to look for in abused children," Patrick offered as he sighed deeply and continued scanning the area. "If she was just here, she couldn't have gotten too far, don't worry, we'll find her," a pause. "May I use your phone?"

"Yes, we have two lines here, David has an extra line for his email," she said and he followed her back into the house.

"I've got to call the airlines and put my trip off for a day, you call the police," he said.

Rachel nodded, and ran into the spare room to use the second phone line while Patrick called and cancelled his flight back to Des Moines.

She came back into the living room as he was attempting to speak cordially with the operator, "I'll take the noon flight tomorrow from Bismarck to Des Moines. No, I don't need Business Class if it is booked solid. Yes, coach is fine; just make sure that my office is notified of this change. I know this isn't usually your business practices, but please, something has happened, and I don't have time to call them," a sigh. "You will? OK, thank you."

Once he hung up the phone, he looked at her. "Are you OK, Mrs. Jackson?"

Rachel nodded, "I called the police, and they suggested that we go to the bus station. They can't do anything until after 48 hours passed."

"Sometimes law enforcement is a thorn in my side," he grumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing, let's just get to the bus station," Patrick suggested. "I'll drive, my rental car is parked right outside and you really don't look like you're up to driving."

Rachel nodded, scribbled a note for David which she left on the coffee table, and followed Patrick out the front door. "Do you think we'll find her?" she asked once she reached the car.

"I don't really know, Mrs. Jackson, but we're going to try," he answered.

"Please call me Rachel," she said once she got into the car and he started the motor.

~*~*~*~

A