Chapter one


I crawled slowly out of the dust and rubble that had been left after the massive fire that ran through the house over the course of the night. I had heard Daddy last night, screaming and yelling at mommy, dirty words he called her. I don't know what the fight was about, but daddy left in a rush. Mommy came into my room and held me, telling me she was sorry that I had to hear it but I didn't understand. None of it made sense...

Now it did. Daddy had come back to the house later, yelling again as he poured water all over the place. I didn't know why Daddy was pouring water on the floor, I thought he was being silly. The water smelled bad though, like my neighbor's water, only more like the water they started fires with. Then I understood... Daddy was starting a fire. Why inside though? That would destroy everything! That was what he wanted to do; I realize that now. He struck a match against his leg and threw it on the ground, where he had been pouring the foul smelling water and immediately it erupted. Daddy laughed, he laughed like a crazy person as he watched the fire climb over everything around him, and eventually over even himself. He didn't run, he didn't care, he just stood and laughed.

I couldn't move, I was too scared. I didn't know what to do. That was when the beam fell. It crashed down on top of daddy while he was laughing. After that I couldn't hear anything anymore, the roar of the flames around me were too loud to hear anything. All I could do was try to get out. I turned and started to run, but I heard a crack overhead. Something fell on me and I don't remember anything else. Not until now, staring at the smouldering remains of what was my home. I heard sirens, the people who had come to put out the fire that daddy had started. I guess none of them knew I was inside, none of them realized I was alive. I heard them behind me, pushing through everything. They were pushing the house apart around me! If I didn't hurry, I was going to be crushed.

My tiny form was easy to navigate with. I silently thanked God for not taking me the night before as I slipped through the bits of debrit that hadn't been destroyed completely by the fire. I heard them behind me as I moved faster, calling out that someone had heard movement. They knew I was here! But no, I wouldn't let them take me. What if they put me into some home with some crazy person? What if I got put somewhere with a guy like daddy? No, I had to get out. I couldn't live where they wanted me to go. I had to find a place myself. I knew it was crazy, but I wasn't going to trust anyone anymore. Daddy tried to hurt me and Mommy...

Oh no... where was Mommy!? No... I looked back over my shoulder in tears as I saw the room Mommy slept in. That was where Daddy had started the fire... there was no way she had made it through the fire like I did. I got lucky. My old stuffed animal collection had made up most of the debrit that I had escaped from. I knew I kept those for a reason. Daddy wanted to throw them away years ago, but I wouldn't let him. Now am kind of glad that I didn't. I shook my head as I snapped back to what was happening now. There were people pushing through the wreckage when I felt a burst of heat and was almost blinded by the fire that sprung from the wreckage they were trying to get through. At least that would give me a chance to get away.

I turned again and ran, as fast and hard as I could, out the still intact back door, out over the lawn and into the forest beyond. I had to get away from the bad people that had come for me. I knew if they had gotten me I would just end up like all those other girls Mommy told me about. Stuck somewhere they hated, bad people hurting them all the time. Mommy told me what happened when little girls went off with people they didn't know. She told me why I wasn't allowed to go with any stragers, ever. I knew Mommy wouldn't want me to have gone away with them; they were strangers, just there to hurt me.

Luckily, I knew the woods well. Mommy and Daddy had taken me out here camping all the time when I was younger. They showed me how to find shelter if I was ever out in the woods by myself. They showed me how to tell if the plants were okay to eat too. I knew all of these things were going to help me out so much. I just wish Mommy was here now to help me. I didn't have anyone anymore. No one to take care of me or help me. No one to hold me at night when my nightmares scared me. I don't know how I can make it now, without anyone to help me. I'll just have to be strong until I can find someone to be strong for me.

There it was again. I heard the calls of the people behind me, men and women, yelling that they had found my tracks. I didn't hear anything else. My legs pushed as fast as they could as I plunged through the forest. My bare feet hurt so much from the rough twigs and leaves under them. I really wish I had grabbed my shoes before I left but I wasn't thinking straight. I don't know how long I'll be out here but hopefully I can get back sometime soon and get my shoes. I'm just glad it is spring. All the snow has already melted off the ground.

I knew the day was just beginning but I already needed to get something to eat and drink. Normally I would have been at school by now and they serve breakfast. I always got extra stuff from my friends Sarah and Hannah. They always ate before they came to school. I wanted to see them too, but I knew that if I did they would probably tell their parents and I would get taken away by those bad people. Why can't it all just go away? Why can't I just wake up from this terrible nightmare.

I crumpled down as my strength gave out, far too shaken from the fire and the thoughts running through my head to move anymore. I knew I was far enough away from my house that those bad people weren't going to find me, so it wasn't a problem to take a break. I felt terribly lonely, laying in a litle ball on the ground as I thought about what life was going to be like now, without Mommy to guide me. Daddy tried to hurt me, maybe that was what they were fighting about the night before? Either way I knew it was bad for me to feel like I did but if Daddy really wanted to hurt me I am glad that he didn't make it through the fire. I always thought Daddy loved me, but all along he just wanted to hurt me.

I heard a twig snap a little ways off in front of me and snapped my head up to look. Through my tear filled eyes I saw someone standing there, looking at me. He looked nice, dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. He even was wearing hiking boots like Mommy got Daddy two years ago for Christmas. I didn't know what to do, but I couldn't more. I was too tired and my head hurt too much. I just lowered my head and continued to cry. I prayed that he wasn't a bad guy... I prayed he wouldn't do what Mommy told me bad men do to little girls.

"Hey there sweetheart, whats the matter? You look all a mess..." his voice called as I heard him moving closer. It was so soft, so nice. He didn't sound like a bad man. Mommy told me they try to trick you by giving you candy or telling you they had puppies. She told me they would lie to me and then try to hurt me. But he didn't sound bad. He sounded like he was worried. Mommy sounded like that last night when she came in to tell me she was sorry.

I peeked my head up, still crying, "N-nothing... I just hurt myself. I fell down, nothing else." I was lieing, of course. I could see it in his eyes that he knew I was lieing too. I looked down at myself, still wearing the night gown Mommy got me for my birthday, ripped and torn, covered in ash. The sight my nightgown ripped and dirty as it was made me cry even harder. Not only was Mommy gone, but now the only thing I had left from her was destroyed.

"Aww... Sweetheart you don't have to cry. Tell me what is going on and maybe I can try to help you. Are you hungry? I have a few granola bars that I packed for my lunch, but I really don't mind sharing." Again his voice was soft. He really sounded sincere. Mommy told me that the bad men offered candy bars though, not granola bars. If he was a bad man, he wasn't very good at it.

I looked back to him and shook my head. "Daddy was a bad man... he tried to hurt me and Mommy. Mommy told me to stay away from strangers because they would always try to take me away from her and hurt me. But she told me bad men offered puppies and candy, not granola bars." I shivered and sniffled, my nose was so stuffy from crying. "Mommy never told me what to do when someone offered me a granola bar."

He chuckled a little and sighed, looking down at the ground. "Your mommy was a smart lady for teaching you about strangers. I'm not a bad man, I promise. Where is your mommy now?" he asked me as he pulled out one of the granola bars he had packed for lunch and held it out to me.

"She didn't make it out of the house. Daddy set it on fire. He tried to hurt us..." My voice was so quiet, I could hardly even talk about it. I reached out and took the granola bar from him and unwrapped it. It looked so good that I couldn't help myself and gobbled it down in three bites. I smiled up at him while I gnoshed my teeth, chewing with the entire thing in my mouth. He had to have thought that looked funny because he started laughing.

"You are a cutie, you know that? My name is Garrick. I'm not from around here. I just came up here to look at the woods. I love hiking and a friend of me told me this was a great place to go," he told me. He seemed so nice. He was definately not like all the bad men Mommy had told me about.

"I'm Chelsea. Mommy named me after her mommy. She told me once that she did it because Daddy wasn't there when she had to name me, so she got to pick it herself." I quietly whispered. At least my tears had stopped now. The granola bar was so good, but now I was thirsty. "Do you have anything to drink? I havn't had anything since last night."

He grinned and nodded, pulling out a water bottle from his pack. It wasn't even opened yet! Definately Score! I popped it open and happily drank almost half the bottle in one shot. I figured since he gave it to me, I was going to get to keep it so I put the top back on it and tucked it under my arm.

"Heya! I didn't realize you were going to keep the whole bottle!" he teased. I knew he was teasing because of his big grin and how he had changed his voice. It was either that or he was angry and didn't show it very well.

Either way my cheeks got hot and I stared at the ground. "Sorry... I thought you were giving it to me. I wouldn't have drank so much if I had known you wanted it back..." I felt bad, even if he was teasing. Maybe he really was a nice guy. I just hoped he wouldn't turn me over to those bad men mommy always told me about. "You... aren't going to give me to those bad men are you?"

"Bad men?" he looked a little confused and shook his head. "Of course not sweetheart." He might not have known what I was talking about, but he knew I didn't want him to. That seemed to make all the difference to him. He knew Mommy and Daddy were both gone. He knew I didn't have anyone. Those things played on his face, it was obvious. "How about you come back with me? I promise I won't give you over to any bad men, I will do my best to take care of you until we can find your family."

"Nononono!" I cried out, he couldn't make me go back! "Mommy died in the fire! I know she did; Daddy too! I watched him with my own eyes!" my voice was almost shrill as I cried. "I don't have anyone else... please don't make me go to those bad men!" I didn't realize until after I had done it that I was clinging to him, my arms wrapped around his waist.

Then I felt something soft and comforting, his hand stroking my hair as he spoke, his voice once more soft and sweet, "It's okay Chelsea... It's okay, I won't let any bad men take you... I won't make you go back." He continued to stroke my hair for a few minutes. It just felt good, like I was safe. I didn't understand why I felt safe, but I really, really did.

After a few more moments of stroking my hair back and making soft comforting sounds like Mommy used to, he used his fingers under my chin to lift my head. "How about we go get you something to wear and some shoes maybe? You can tell me what size you need while you wait in the car, if you don't want to go inside dressed like you are. I guess if your house got burned down you don't have anything there anymore." his words made me think about my house, how my room was next to Mommy's, and how badly it had been destroyed by the fire.

"Okay..." my voice little more than a whisper. I didn't want to let go of his leg, but I had to. I looked up at him with a small smile. "Where do you live? You said you weren't from here. Are you from far away?"

"Just a little ways. A few hours from here, to the west." he pointed off the in the direction the sun always set, making me smile. He kneeled down and offered to give me a piggyback ride the rest of the way to his car. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, of course, so I hopped on, wrapping my arms around his neck, and my legs up around his waist. He gripped my thighs with his arms and secured me firmly on his back as he started down the rough trail he had just came from. At least this way I wouldn't have to walk. He was rather quiet after that. I was kind of thankful because the run had made me tired; I just wanted to sleep. I layed my head against his back and let my eyes close, slowly drifiting to sleep.

I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but it had definately gotten warmer by the time I heard the car door shut. My eyes peeked open to see him walking around the car I was sitting in now, already buckled in. I got scared for a second until I remembered what was going on. He wasn't a bad man, at least, I didn't think he was. He got into the car and buckled his own seat belt before turning the car on. He looked over at me and stroked my hair softly, causing me to smile before my eyes closed again. Now that the car was on, so was the air conditioner, and I never stayed awake for car trips.

"Chelsea? Sweetheart wake up... I need to know what size clothes you wear, and what size shoes to buy you." His voice cut through my dream as my eyes opened. I was so tired and my body ached so much. Again it took me a minute to remember what was going on when I looked at him. Hopefully that scared feeling wasn't going to last long.

"Murrrr..." I tried to answer his questions, but my words wouldn't form. I wasn't even sure what his questions were anymore. I looked up at him in a daze, slowly rubbing my eyes.

"What size shoes and clothes do you wear?" he asked again, patiently. He was smiling still and stroking my hair again. He seemed so nice and caring, not like Daddy... Daddy would have been yelling by now.

"Size 7... and I dont know, small? Mommy always picked my clothes out..." I whispered, curling up more. He patted me softly and reached down by my neck, flipping the tag up on my night gown. At least he knew now and I wouldn't have to guess anymore.

I realized now the radio was playing softly. It was classical music, oddly enough. I didn't think anyone listened to that anymore but it was really calming and relaxing. I rather liked the inside of the car. It was nice and cozy really. The seats were the same cloth like Mommy's, a dark greyish-black color, really soft and squishy too. He had even thought to lay the seat back for me so that I could rest easier. I definately thought that he wasn't a bad man now. I still was hoping that he wouldn't give me to any of the bad men. Considering he promised, I doubted he would.

He seemed satisfied with the tag and my answer now. "Just sit tight darling, I will be back soon. Once I get you something to wear, we can work on lunch, since you will be able to go with me. Are you going to be okay here while I go get you something to wear?" he looked down at me, concern etched on his face. I only nodded and closed my eyes again. I wasn't going to go back to sleep just yet, but I wanted get some rest. Everything was jus so cozy though... I was just so tired.