Vesper woke up to her case worker- Cassie- staring at her. She didn’t care what Cassie said. She didn’t care that she was hungry, that her toes were numb, that her lips were blue and her body was shivering. The cold was better than being grabbed… or worse. She had heard what her last family had discussed the night before. So frankly, she didn’t care what her case worker said; Vesper regretted nothing.

Before she knew it, she was in the car, headphones around her neck, her empty backpack in her lap. She stared out the window, fighting back sleep as the lecture began

Her case worker was speaking to her, but she was barely listening, only one sentence making the way to her ears.

“They’re new to fostering.” Great, so she was stuck with a newbie who thought they could fix her.

She’s done this before. She’s been in twelve foster homes. Four gave up custody, five she ran from, and three had been caught before she had the chance to run. Never a good one. Who wanted teenagers anyway?

Once the car stopped, she slung her bag over her shoulder, and stepped out of the car, not waving back to Cassie. She walked up the drriveway, stepping over the snow and up the cleared and salted stairs. She knocks sharply on the hardwood door.