I'm never going to go back there. Delilah said to herself as a tear slipped from her eye. She ran through the rain and into the night. The road stretched endlessly ahead of her. But that was what she wanted. She wanted to run forever and forget everything. Her bodyparts went numb but she kept on and the rain poured down harder. Ragged breaths heaved from her chest. She stared blankly ahead and urged herself to go faster. The faster she went the less she felt.

More tears slipped from her eyes. She normally wasn't one to cry, but she couldn't help it now. She saw headlights ahead butdidn't give it much thought when they slowed down as they got closer to her. The car was still a ways away when it stopped. The door opened and an unrecognizable figure stepped out from the drivers side and opened the back door. Delilah slowed down twenty feet away and came to a full stop ten feet away. Suddenly exhaustion came over her and she could hardly move. She collapsed on the road.

She blinked several times and tried to regain her strength. Slowly she got back up. The car was still there and the stranger still standing at the door. She got in.

She sat in silence as the man drove. She had no idea who he was or what she was even doing in the car. But everything felt as though it would be alright. She tried to get a better view of the stranger. She couldn't define his features very well in the dark but she could tell he was much older than her fourteen years. Her breathingwas still ragged and she tried to calm herself. But she only started to cry.

The driver handed her a kleenex but said nothing. Memories of her life flashed before her eyes. Her parent's death, the funeral, moving in with her godmother Priscilla. Priscilla never spoke much to Delilah but she made her to all the cleaning. And when Delilah wouldn't, Priscilla would hit her with a stick that left bruises. The girls in the school she attended while living with Priscilla didn't like her. Delilah never knew why. So she ran. She ran away from the godmother who hit her. The girls who laughed at her and started rumors about her. But where had it led her? To the backseat of a stranger's car not even knowing where she was going. But that didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. Another sob shook her small body.

The car stopped in front of a gate. It was the only thing she could see in front of the car. The gates opened and the car drove up a long driveway. She could barely see anything out the windows because of the heavy fog that settled in right after the rain stopped. But the driver knew where he was going.

They stopped at what she guessed was the front door. The driver got out and went to open her door for her. When she got out he took her arm gently and led her inside. He wasn't holding on tight. She could have run, but she didn't. And she went into the house ignorant of the fact that taking those last few steps would change her whole life.

The bright light inside the housewas blinding because her eyes had grown accustomed to the dark. When her eyes finally did adjust she saw rich looking furniture and a maid at the front door. A woman stood beside the maid and looked Delilah up and down. "So she's the one?" the woman asked the man who had escortedher inside.

"Yes." he said simply, taking off his coat. Delilah could see, although soaked, his clothes were very rich looking. She guessed that he was the husband of the woman standing beside the maid.

"Delores," the woman said to the maid, "take her to her room." Immediately the maid started up the stairs and for a moment Delilah just stood there. After a few seconds' hesitation she followed.

The maid led her to a beautifully decorated room. She walked inside and felt like an intruder, soaking wet and probably looking like a rat amongst all this beauty. Finally Delilah found words, "Delores, why am I here?"

Delores stared at her, "You don't know, miss?"

"No," Delilah said, feeling stupid.

"Well you are here as a guest. I'm not even quite sure myself. I was just told that we would be expecting you"

"But I never told anybody I was going to--" She stopped herself from saying that she had been running away. It wasn't possible for them to have known that. Wasn't it?

"'Tis best I be going now, miss." Delores said, "Goodnight. Sleep well"

"Goodnight." she replied.

Exhausted, Delilah fell onto the bed. However, she couldn't sleep. She just stared up at the ceiling for a long time. She held the picture of the last time she saw her mother and father in hermind. She went over every single detail of their faces over and over. Finally she fell asleep.