Chapter One

Kate

The apartment was almost completely silent as Kate cautiously opened her bedroom door. She peeked her head into the hallway, making sure that no one was around before stepping outside. The only sounds were the panting of the dog in her arms, its tongue lolling lazily out of its mouth. She took a few hesitant steps, not wanting to alert any of the kids that were probably already asleep in their bedrooms. She took the backpack from her shoulder and carefully placed the dog inside, zipping it so that he could not be seen but he had plenty air. Taking a deep breath, she made it into the kitchen, where no one was to be found.

Not only would her foster parents kill her if they realized that there was a dog in their apartment—her foster father was highly allergic, and the two of them had been trying to figure out why he had been sneezing and swelling for the few weeks that she'd given the pup refuge—but there were also animals, especially not dogs, allowed in the apartment building. Kate wasn't a stickler for the rules anyway, and when she had found this dog in an alley, looking terribly lonely and hungry, she couldn't help wanting to give him a home and some food. With his scraggly tan fur, pointy ears, alert face, and tiny body, he somewhat resembled a Cairn terrier, but she was sure he was a mix of many breeds. Of course, Kate had always had a weakness for animals, and when she had reached down to pet the dog she fell for him. She didn't decide to bring him home until she left him and the alley and turned around to discover that he had followed her a few blocks. It was then that she decided she couldn't part from him, and that he desperately needed a home.

Not that it was simple bringing a dog into her allergic, dog-banning foster home. She'd waited until the dead of night—completely willing to hear the lecture about breaking curfew in the morning—to bring him into the apartment, sneaking him in her backpack which she kept slightly open so the dog could breathe. Luckily, Colby—or so she had named him—was not a barking dog, which was why Kate was sure he was definitely not a terrier. She hadn't heard him bark once, and she wondered if maybe it was because he knew the severity of his situation.

Kate usually used her backpack to bring Colby around. In the early morning she would take him for a walk, and in the evening she would take him to relieve himself outside. She usually used her own money to pay for the dog's food but when she was short she didn't mind stealing from her foster parents; it came to her mind that they deserved it after the way they had treated her.

Colby whimpered from the backpack. Most of the time, Kate even hid Colby from her sister, so much that the nine year old still didn't know that she was hiding a dog from their foster parents. Being that they shared a room with two other girls, it was usually difficult to hide him. But the two other girls were very little, usually asleep, and could barely talk let alone spill there was a dog in the room. And tonight, Mia had been invited over to a sleepover, so Kate didn't have to worry about her. Usually the Scott girls were shunned at their public school, probably because of the way they were dressed or the mystery of their origin. Kate didn't mind whatsoever, and eventually fell into hanging out with the druggies and drinkers because those were the only people that would talk to her. She found other more "sophisticated" people to be completely annoying and not worth the time to impress. Mia, however, wouldn't spend time with people that did anything bad, other than her sister, and ended up having no friends at all. When she announced the most loved girl in her grade had invited her to a sleepover, Kate had offered her backpack so that she would enjoy herself. Though Kate rarely looked out for anyone, her sister was a rare exception.

Colby wiggled a bit as Kate led him through the hallways of the apartment building, but she urged him to be calm and quiet. If anyone in this building found out that there was a dog here, he would be evicted, she was certain. So for his own good, they had to be as quiet as possible. As soon as she made it to the bottom floor, she went out the back way. Usually she would exit through the front door to avoid suspicion, but if she went that way plenty of people would notice the dog in her arms.

Outside it was chilly, and Kate immediately regretted leaving her jacket in her bedroom. She set Colby on the ground and attached the newly bought leash to his new collar. He whimpered and immediately found a spot to pee. "Well maybe if you didn't have such a small bladder," Kate said. Colby barked loudly, which was fine since they were outside now. She decided to go for a walk, as long as they were outside. Her foster parents could deal with their worries about her being home late.

As Kate led Colby down the street, she put her free hand in her pocket, realizing that there were two dollar bills still left in her jeans. This was a rare occurrence, seeing as how Kate was always broke. The little money she had, she spent on the dog or Mia. Around the corner there was a convenience store that sold many different types of things. It was usually where Kate bought Colby's dog food. She thought for a moment, figuring it couldn't hurt to give him a dog toy to play with when she was with school or out with her friends. Before stepping into the store—which didn't allow pets—she tied Colby's leash outside on the bike rack. She headed inside and looked for the pet aisle. There were many different toys under two dollars that she could get for him.

"Isn't that sweet?" a voice behind her said. Kate's breath caught in her throat. She turned to see Lawrence leaning on a cereal box section, a trying-to-be-charming smile on his face.

She wasn't charmed.

She knew Lawrence was dangerous from all of the stories she'd heard from her best friends. They had easily been subdued by his roguish good looks and personality, as if he were a god of some sort, only to be left soon afterward. Lawrence was a big partier, always drinking, doing ecstasy and other drugs that she didn't even know the names of. She turned and ignored him, picking up and non-squeaking chew toy and walking toward the more expensive aisle, which was where they kept their specialty items, like expensive watches and CDs, and even a few electronics. It was a neat little store and if Kate had any money, she was sure that she would've bought some of these things. Trying her best to ignore Lawrence, who was following her, she picked up a shiny silver wristwatch. The man at the counter eyed her wearily, as if she might steal it. Kate rolled her eyes and put it down, not wanting to be suspicious. Of course it was weird to him that a girl dressed like trash would even consider having a wristwatch like that.

"Taking your dog for a walk, buying him a toy," Lawrence said, closing in on her and preventing her from going anyway. "It's cute, Kate, honestly it is."

"Well, thanks," she smiled, refusing to let his crap get to her. He picked up the wristwatch she'd been looking at. The multiple piercings in his face matched the silver color, Kate thought haughtily, and smiled to herself. His gaze switched from the watch and back to Kate, looking at her hungrily.

"Hey, may I say you're looking hot today," Lawrence said with a grin.

"Give it up," Kate warned. Lawrence had been trying to get her to sleep with him for at least a year now. He had to know that she wasn't going to by now, and yet he kept coming back. Though he had scored all of her friends, she wasn't the same as the rest of them. She was still a virgin, though she would tell no one that fact.

"Come on, babe," he said, putting his hands on her hips and drawing her so close that his body was pressed tightly to his and she could feel his breath on her face. "I know you want me just as much, so what do you say we go somewhere, get the heat on, take off our under—" He stopped talking to put his lips on hers, even going so far as to slip his hand up her shirt. Disgusted, Kate pushed him away and slapped him in the face. Lawrence didn't look at her for a moment, just holding his face until he glanced up, his gaze fixated on hers.

"Don't touch me, ever again," Kate warned. She glared at him defiantly, standing her ground, and walked to the store doors, wanting to be rid of him as soon as possible. As soon as she made it outside, there was a loud raucous beeping. Stopping in her tracks, Kate winced. She'd forgotten to pay for the dog toy. She hurried back inside only to see the man at the counter rushing after her. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to pay for this," she said, gesturing to the dog toy in her hands. She handed him the two dollars, hoping it would clear things up.

"Not so fast," the man said. "Empty your pockets." Kate couldn't believe this. She had come forward and admitted her mistake, and here this man was, expecting that she stole more? She saw Lawrence watching from the special conveniences aisle, an expression of amusement clear on his face. She didn't bother glancing at him again. "I said, empty your pockets," the worker repeated.

Kate reached into her pockets as she was told, thinking that it was useless until she felt something there. Taking a deep, shuddery breath, she pulled out the wristwatch that she had been looking at before. The tag said one hundred dollars. The worker looked at her with concern. There was no way she had put this in her pocket. She'd put it back, she remembered. Kate looked over to Lawrence, who had disappeared. She couldn't believe this was happening.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sitting in the police station, Kate held Colby in her arms. She never let herself cry, so her eyes were not wet. Many police were walking around, paying no attention to her. They had more things to deal with than a watching-stealing, troubled teenager, which was why Kate wondered what she was still here for. Her foster parents had not yet come, and Colby was still stuck at the convenience store, probably feeling as if she'd abandoned him.

Kate couldn't believe she was here. She'd had many run-ins with the police before, but never had she been brought to the station before. She didn't know whether stealing a watch was a felony or not, but she sure hoped not. Virtually, her record was clean, although she knew the police well. She'd been at many drug-infested and drinking parties that the police had interrupted, on countless weekends with her friends. Of course, Kate never drank nor did drugs, nor smoked. She knew that those things could only hurt your body and simply refused whenever her friends asked her. Whenever they called her a priss she would simply say something completely out of line to make them shut up.

Kate wasn't a bad kid, though her foster parents were sure of it. With her outward appearance—black clothes, dark makeup, and dark hair with multiple red streaks in it—she looked like a typical trouble maker. And she stole from her foster parents when necessary. But it wasn't because she needed to or because she wanted to, or because her friends all did the same things. It was because she hated her foster parents so much. They'd taken in seven foster kids and barely had room for one. Kate and Mia had gotten stuck with them, and they were completely unwilling to take care of all the children they housed. So Kate figured the only way to get back at them was to get in trouble as much as possible.

But now, it was an honest mistake. She would never steal a one-hundred-dollar item, and hopefully her foster parents knew that.

She wondered what Colby was doing right then, and knew that she was missing him. At that moment, a police officer put his hand on her shoulder. "You've got one call," he told her. She could hear sympathy in his voice, as if he was disappointed that such a young, pretty girl was at the police station for theft. She hated people who pitied her.

She stepped up to the phone and dialed her foster parent's number. It was midnight, she realized, and they would not be happy to be awoken by a call from the police station. She saw the police officer watching her, half concerned, and half cautious. As if she could do anything dangerous. She was five foot three and skinnier than a pole, and he was at least six foot and a half.

"Steve?" she said slowly. "I'm at the police station." It was going to be a long night.

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