The next day. I dressed early, pushed the boxes to the other side of the room and braided my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror, wondering who I was made up of. Not physically, but emotionally. What were the emotions that surrounded me as a little girl, in those three years I had my mom and dad. What I did not understand, was how you can give birth to a baby, raise her for three years, and then disappear. I had no information, on the circumstances of my admittance into foster care. I was told, for my safety, it would be released to me when I was eighteen. Now, three days past my birthday. It was now a monday morning. Which meant, the Office of Children and Family Services was open. It was six am, and I knew they wouldn't open till eight at least. So I stood in front of the mirror, did my makeup as slowly as possible. As well as added small white beads into my braids. It was seven fourteen by the time I was done. So I slipped on shoes, grabbed the goodwill purse and left.

The train, was not only late, but I stood next to a man obviously high off his ass on crack. I pulled my skirt down a little more, and smoothed over my shirt. A white camisole lined with lace, that made my skin crawl. I walked the four blocks from the train station, to my own personal house of horrors. I swung open the door, and was hit with a blast of cold air. As I looked around, I saw men and women sitting across from caseworkers, most looking strung out, or tired. One woman was asleep in a chair waiting to be seen. A man, who looked ancient approached me.

"How can I help you miss?" He asked.

"I'm here to see Miranda, she is- was my caseworker." I said, biting my lip hard. An anxiety tick I'd developed at the age of seven.

"Yes, she's with someone, if you want to sit and wait I'll let her know you're here." He said. I took a seat against the wall, and glanced at the sleeping woman. She looked thirty something, tangled hair fell around her face. I wondered, if this is what my mother looks like. Tired, and burnt out.

"Evelyn?" A woman's voice called. I stood, and walked with her to her desk. Miranda, had fire engine red hair, piercing blue eyes, and wore a long dress that swished when she walked.

"Hi Miranda." I said, intertwining my fingers in my lap, an effort not to fidget.

"Hi Evelyn, how can I help you, how has everything been going?" She asked, pulling out a folder. And clicking on her keyboard.

"I'm eighteen now, I want the information on my case. All of it." I said cooly. I hated this place.

"Right." She sad, selecting files on her computer and pressing the print button.

"I will be right back to grab those forms for you." She said. I was glad this was going to be quick. I would have prefered to call. My guess however, was there was going to be things to gone over in person. When she returned, she carried about four papers.

"Right, so to explain a few things. You were surrendered to the state by a man named Leo Jameson. He said your mother placed you in his care for a night. He said she never returned, and as he was not your biological father it was his duty to do what was best for you. Your mother's name was Kaitlyn Thomas." She said, reading from a page. A name, a face and a name.

"My dad?" I asked.

"It says here that Leo stated your father Jack Ross was serving time in prison. He's still there." She said. Then closed the folder.

"That's it?" I asked, my heart falling.

"A missing person's report was filed on your mother, although no leads have ever come up. As far as the police believed, she had left of her own free will."

"Thank you Miranda." I said, my heart beating double time. She handed me the folder, and then the forms she printed out.

"Any time Evelyn, I'll see you soon." She said, then blushed.

But the only thought that flashed in my mind, was No you won't. Miranda would never see me again, because I would never walk into that office again. Ever. As I swung the door shut behind me, I realized she never would see me again.

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

A google search revealed, there were a hundred and six Kaitlyn Thomas's living in Denver. Leo Jameson's who lived in the Denver Metro Area. I sighed as I flicked through them. I searched through facebook as well, however all of the profiles I came across could've been him. But I had no way of knowing. But when I searched for inmates in Colorado prisons. I did find him. I practically slammed my laptop shut, upon seeing the photo. There he was, Jack Ross. He looked, awful. But he looked, like me. We had the same bright blue eyes. Although in his, there was no light, or soul. Reportedly, he was serving time for dealing drugs. He had been sentenced to twenty five years. There was also a domestic violence charge, that had added another five years. The prison listed, was in Cañon city. I had no car, and no money for a flight. But I did know someone who did. But was I really going to ask Owen, someone who I hadn't even kissed yet, to drive me down there? No I was not. I racked my brain.

Then I had an idea. A long shot. But I dialed Kiana's number.

"Hey? What's up, I'm with Ben." She said. Ben, was her boyfriend of three years. And although I found him sketchy, In his possession was a car.

"You busy tomorrow? Work?" I asked.

"No I'm off."

"What about Ben?" There was a pause.

"Never thought you'd be the threesome type." She said laughing.

"Haha, how would you feel about us borrowing his car?"

"Why?"

"To go visit my dad, In prison."

My stomach, churned at the thought.