Ruth's point of view
Two weeks had past, I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, my eye swollen after Rick, the guy threw doors down, had punched me for refusing to buy his drugs.
I didn't regret it, but my eyes were red by crying.
There, right by that moment, I whispered.
"I don't want them to see me vulnerable. I don't want to be here", under my brunette hair, the uneven bits of blonde only giving me bad memories. Rachel'd been dyeing her hair blonde, when she's decided to throw some of the bleach on me. The scar it also had left on my right shoulder, made me decide.
I was going back to theirs, I thought.  Anything was better than the guy 3 doors down pressing me up against a wall, saying I had to buy his cookies. Anything was better than this hole in the universe.

A few days earlier, Becca had left. I'd been instructed to stay on my top bunk. Twitching my head in stress, counting to ten, I silently watched as Quinn and Nico walked over to the box Becca had left by when she packed for her new home.
"Ey! Let's see if there's anything we can sell!", Nico shouted happily.
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what they were saying. But I couldn't protest, I just didn't have the guts. They cleared through the box, taking a look at every little part.
Suddenly, they were up and gone 3 doors down, selling the leftovers for a cookie or two.

I walked out from the bathroom, breathing heavily. Grabbing my backpack, that I'd packed every little piece the girls hadn't stolen in. My winter coat, even though it was only November, was my life line. A still smashed phone, and I took my way to the office ms Abbott had.
I sneaked my head in, after touching the door knob fifty seven times, and asked her, what I'd been wondering every day the past weeks.
"You've heard anything from my case workers yet, ms Abbott?", she shook her head, fake empathy smiling at me.
"Oh, okay", I answered, closing the door.
Touch the door knob 57 times, just to make sure everything goes the distance.
Of course, I did that.

Walking for an hour, taking my time, until I reached the lonely brick house I'd spent almost 6 months in.
Now they were going to be six months, not five months and two weeks.
I knocked on the door, seven times, and smiled shyly as mr Lovell opened. Suddenly, I felt all my confidence just dripping down from me, almost like a washing sponge before cleaning up the mess.
I backed three steps, trying to catch my breath. His eyes were raging, he almost looked gone, but as I saw the green beer bottle in his hand, I backed one step more. He twitched his head, almost challenging me to say something.
"So! Hey! What the hell do you want?!", walking up to me, placing his hand on my throat, pressing it tighter anfd tighter, choking me. But, all of a sudden he let me go, and I was gasping for air as I ran down the street. Finally stopping at a bus stop, only to breathe when everything alreadt felt so blurry.
How could I've been so stupid? How could I ever thunk that they'd just let me inside?
The questions had a mental war with themselves in my head, every thought being cut off.

As the clock stroke 8, I realised that I couldn't head back to the placement home. And, under the lamp post, its calming light only hitting an area of a meter or two, I stood shaking. Nor was I afraid, only disappointed in myself.
Run up and down those stairs four times, otherwise they'll find you.
Tripping up and down on shaky legs, running away from what had been my home, asking myself if this was how it should end?
Until a massive, muscular, man grabbed my waist as I'd finally hit the roads near Times Square, smiling evily at me.
"Oh, so what's your name then, pretty girl?", he sluddered. I gasped when I saw his eyes, trying to break out from his tight grip. Collecting my little remaining bravery, I stood up arrogantly.
"A-Ansel, doesn't your Dad know about your trips at nights? With your friends?", stuttering, I kneed him right on his crotch, making him lay down double in pain. I ran as fast as I could, away & away. His voice disappearing the further away I got.
"No! He doesn't! But he'll sure hear about this, Ruthleigh!", his nickname for me making me shiver.
And I fell down by exhaustion in the fourth alleyway from the park, crying, hiding behind the rubbish bin. Hugging my backpack, as I swiftly drifted into sleep.

Lin's point of view - three days later
I smiled at the barista when he handed over the four cups of coffee I'd ordered this morning, as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I picked it up, seeing Vanessa's name written on it, and answered while I walked out of the little coffee shop with way too many costumers.
"Hey, V", I said, struggling to open the takeaway mug, finally taking a sip. "Yes, I am drinking coffee, V. I can hear you wondering, even if your mouth hasn't formed those words yet. Coffee is great", laughing, walking up the street to the Richard Rogers theater. When her voice completed to be distant, I sighed. "Yeah, I know, I have an addiction, I should stop", this let her crack a laugh, but suddenly she went quiet, a serious quiet, again.
"Um, Lin, you definitely remember that girl who passed out in the crowd about two weeks ago, right? You know, Ruth?", Vanessa said, almost worried in a way that I hadn't expected.
"...Yeah?"
"I know her surname. Leighton", and before I'd got a moment to ask 'how?', she continued. "Her face is on missing people-flyers that are put up all over the city. She's 14. She's been missing for three days, Lin, three days! What if she passed out again?", she said quickly, stopping to breath. "I knew something wasn't right when I saw her bruises, Lin, oh my god, what if we could've helped her?!", inside I was panicking, her eyes had looked so hopeless.
"Hey, hey, shhh. Shit, shit, um take it easy, I'll call the people, telling them what we know", I said, just rambling on without thinking. "I'm going to look for her, V, her parents must be going crazy right now, and if I can help, I will"
"She's in foster care, Lin. Right now in a placement home", Vanessa cut me off.
"Oh my god, her bruises, shit", I said, almost dropping my beloved coffee when I realised what she meant. "I'll take her to the Theater if I see her. Take her somewhere safe if you see her"
"Of course. Love you"
"Love you", I said, while she ended the conversation. Putting my phone in my pocket again, finally seeing my first flyer of her.
"Oh shit, that's definitely Ruth"

Have you seen Ruth Leighton?
Missing since 29/9/2015
Last seen Thursday, 29/9/2015,
9 pm, Riverside Park, NYC
Call the NYC Foster Care System
in any situation
Number: 07*******

I sighed as I saw the happy girl hiding behind the brunette hair, painfully smiling at the camera, her eyes reflecting how scared she was. A bruise sneaking out from her sweater, looking almost new. She certainly wasn't happy.
Riverside Park? That wasn't too far away from here, mumbling by myself as I walked up the street to the Richard Rogers theater, my feet hitting the ground in a light, worried way. Why did everything become so complex all of a sudden?

As the last fans left today's Ham4Ham, I'd almost given up, texting Vanessa all day long, just to be sure if she'd seen something. But the answer, it always turned out to be 'no'. I looked over my shoulder, just as I was about to enter the theater again, the familiar-looking backpack quickly swooshed by on the sidewalk right over the street, a short, dirty by the city's many street corners dust, looking down at the ground with big concentration.
I ran over the road, excusing myself every time a taxi driver decided to beep at me. Finally over, only about five meters behind her, I shouted her name.
"Hey! Ruth! Hold up!", my happiness filling me from head to toe. She glanced back, and frightened started to walk faster. I began to run, putting my hand on her shoulder, taking a tight grip, begging for her to not run away. Her eyes were desperately spinning from side to side, and I could only imagine what was going on in her head.
"Hi, Ruth, I'm so glad to see you again", I said, smiling happily at her. Finally, her breathing began to somewhat go back to normal. After three minutes waiting for her to answer, she spoke up.
"H-hi", the scared girl said, her voice barely hearable because of her dry throat. I took her hand, the shaking almost red, or lilac by the cold, right hand.
"Hey, hey, would you like to go to the theatre for the moment?", I said calmly, and for some reason she floated into her thoughts for a minute, but only to nod afterwards, almost unrecognisable. "That's great. We've been really worried about you, you know"
Her answer was heartbreaking.
"Why?", the voice cracking halfway.
"Um, just, you had a few bruises", I said, fifty percent honest, because I could see that she didn't know about the flyers.
Ruth didn't answer, she just kept looking down, while I had my hand on her shoulder, just a calming touch of safety. I could feel the tense in her body finally leaving her.
Silently walking back the four blocks to the Theater, I couldn't help but smile by myself. I actually found her.

I let her sit down on the same couch she'd sat on two weeks earlier. Her hand started to tap against the cushion almost before she was down.
"Would you like to eat something? Do you need anything?", I said, knowing she'd say no. And just as I had thought, Ruth shook her head. I opened my backpack, taking out an unopened water bottle.
"Here", I handed it to her. Ruth's weak hand struggled to open it, as she mumbled under her breath. I opened it easily.
"T-thank you", Ruth said, as she got it back.
I stood up, as she unsurely drank up a bit of the ice cold water, me looking out of the door.
"Anthony!", his head turned to mine. "Could you keep an eye on her, I need to call Vanessa for a bit", and he nodded.
"Of course!", as I smiled and said a mental thank you to him.

Ruth's point of view
Suddenly, Lin left the room, and a younger man came in. I recognised him, but couldn't place him in my memories. My brain wasn't functioning alright.
"Hi!", he said, excited. I smiled weakly, my breathing didn't hurt as much when the cold water had moisturised my sore and dry throat. "I'm Anthony", he said, sitting down in the armchair in front of me.
"H-hello", I uttered, but already regretting it. It hurt so much, just to talk. Tapping the cushion unconditionally.
"We all got a bit of a shock when you came in here again, you never seem to be completely alright, kid", he said, as I took a second sip from the water.
You made them worried. You took up their time, Ruth. Blink your eyes 24 times.
"How are you? Honestly", he asked, looking at me with empathy.
"G-good", I answered, looking down, as I took my heavy backpack off.
"Okay", Anthony said, not questioning my answer, thankfully.
I closed and opened my eyes carefully, hoping for him not to notice.
And we sat in silence, well, he talked. I was silent.

When Lin came back, Vanessa came in before him, running to hug me. I just sat still, while her arms took a tight grip around me.
"Oh my god, you're here, we've been so worried", she rambled on, and for some reason in her arms, I felt safe. But, I didn't hug back, I didn't have the strength to do it. My arms shaky, not quite responding to my orders. "We've called the System that we've found you, they're going to help you soon", but at that sentence, I got rigid. "We're gonna help you too, Ruth, we're gonna set your last family in prison, we know what they did to you, you just have to say what they did"
I gulped, looking down again. Refusing to answer, they would kill me if I told the police.
I shook my head.
"Ruth, everything's going to be alright", her voice trying to calm me down. But I knew that it was a lie, maybe she thought so, but I was never going to be alright.

As ms Clark came inside, a police man behind her. He took my arm, and forced me to stand up. I silently did as he said, not protesting. As a robot, I obeyed every command.
Dragging me out of the Theater, I heard ms Clark saying something to me as we reached the car.
"Apparently your latest family wanted to have you back, isn't that great?"
And I screamed.
---
Hi! Peeps! I'm! Updating!🍃
Well, hopefully this isn't too bad, even though it's quite jumpy.
I'll try to keep the chapters about 1000 - 2000 words, if that's okay?
And maybe leave a vote, or let's say a comment?
I'd love to see what y'all think of this fanfiction!💓
Also, it's christmas soon.
Sincerely,
C

Published; 13th of December, 2016