Click! Click!

A beautiful bright green eyed girl snapped pictures of her garden that she was leaving. Butterflies surrounded her bed of roses and daisies. She was going to miss her home. But, she had to. Josie Thomson has lived in this house for nearly 9 years. She lived in Beacon Hills all her life till she reached the age of 12. Her mom had a new job offer in Tennessee at the Houston Hospital. She missed her friends from there. Her best friend was Lydia Martin. When they were in school together, Josie was always bullied, because she was deaf. People pulling her hair or destroying her dollies. Lydia was the only one who stood up for her. She tried to keep in touch but over the years, it was hard. She just hoped Lydia will remember her.

Josie took another photo of the house, smiling sadly at the warm memories, but pushed out the bad ones; which were many. Ever since her father lost his job at the local fire station, he became an abusive alcoholic and spent every last cent on useless stuff. Beer, wine, drugs, cigarettes. Mom tried to get him to change but, he became violent. He would hit her and even hit Josie a few times, calling her stupid cause she couldn't hear. Her mom, Sarah Thomson, couldn't leave as much as she wanted to. But, she still loved her husband and believed he was in there somewhere. When the hitting began, she met a girl when she was 10, Allison Argent. Josie met her when she ran away from her father in the middle of a fight. Allison helped her and so did her parents. Chris and Victoria. Chris helped her learn self-defense. When she was 13, he taught her how to fire a crossbow and a gun. She was incredibly thankful for him and his wife. So was Sarah. They took care of her daughter when she couldn't protect her from her husband. They were both sad to see them go when Josie turned 16.

One night changed everything...

Her father came home again, drunk and high as a kite, screaming at Josie and Sarah and accusing them of hiding his stash. He grabbed Sarah by her hair and dragged her to the kitchen. Josie watched in horror as her mother screamed, grabbing on to anything to stop him from pulling her but she met nothing but air. Everything was silent around Josie. She knew her mom was screaming by the movement of her lips and chest. Her father was yelling out slurs and nonsense at both of them. Josie's eyes widen as she watches him grab a butcher knife from the rack and brings it to her mom's throat. Josie ran to the family room where Chris told her to hide a gun to be safe. She grabs it and runs back to the kitchen before her father could slice her mom's throat.

BOOM!

Sarah screams as she feels the knife nick her skin when the gunshot goes off. She is suddenly let go and watches in horror as her husband falls to the floor. A fresh gunshot wound was gaping in his collar bone, nicking the jugular. Sarah turns her head when she hears the gun falling to the floor and sees her daughter in complete shock, crying. Josie runs to get on her knees next to her father.

"Daddy! Daddy! I'm so sorry! Please don't die! Ple-!" She gasps as she feels cold metal pierce her stomach. She looks down and sees the knife pushed inside her abdomen. Her father holding the knife. She looks at him, crying softly in pain. She watches his lips move and her eyes widen in horror as she falls back.

"You're not my daughter."

Josie was cleared of charges and the case was declared as self-defense. She spent weeks in the hospital healing from the stab wound and had to go through a kidney transplant because her father destroyed her kidney when he stabbed her. The doctors say she was lucky to survive and was very brave for protecting her mother. Sarah couldn't believe still what happened. Where did her loving husband go? How could he do that to his own daughter? Josie's father died that night after he stabbed her. After the funeral, they made the decision together to move back to Beacon Hills. Sarah was born there and it always felt like home.

A hand on her shoulder jerks Josie out of her memories, startling her. It was just her mom. Josie gives her mom and sad smile and signs,

"I was just taking in another memory."

"It's ok. And remember what your teachers say, you should speak while you sign." Sarah says as she signs.

Sighing, "Ok." Josie says as she signs. Josie wasn't born deaf, when she was child; she developed measles which caused a very high fever. The fever damaged the hair cells in her ears and caused permanent hearing loss. She wears hearing aids to help her but it wasn't enough. So, her mom enrolled her into an all-deaf school to help. Then, the money got tight, so, she had to drop out and go to a hearing school.  But, at least, she stayed long enough to master sign language.

"All packed up?" Her mom asks, signing.

"Yup, I just put the last box in the truck." Josie signs back.

Sarah smiles and wraps an arm around Josie, hugging her gently, "I know you're gonna miss this place, but, Beacon Hills will be a better fresh start for the both of us." Sarah assured her daughter.

Josie read her lips and smiled back.

Sarah locked up the moving truck and got into the driver's seat as Josie gets into the passenger's side and buckles up. Fizgig, Josie's black and white husky sits in the back, buckled up in his seat, panting and tongue hanging out. She laughs at his excited face.

"Ready, Fizgig?" She rubs his ears. He lets out an excited bark.

"Let's rock and roll." Sarah teases and starts the truck. Josie giggles and rolls her eyes at her mom.

Their journey began there. Good-bye Gatlinburg, TN. Hello, Beacon Hills, California.

Throughout the trip was mostly pit stops to tourist areas, take out restaurants, and hotels. Sarah couldn't stop looking at her daughter, so thankful she had her next to her. She was her rock in life. She couldn't imagine a life without Josie. She doesn't blame her for John's death. John was a sick man. The depression of Josie's illness was the start. The doctor bills, the hearing aids, the school. Then, the layoff was the last straw for him. First time, he laid a hand on Sarah was when Sarah took his booze away that first time. She was in complete shock that he hit her. He begged her to forgive him and she did. Then, later over the months, he stopped asking for forgiveness. Sarah shakes her head to get away from the bad memories and sighs, it's over and he's gone. He can't hurt them anymore. Now, it's time for them to live for themselves for once. She was so thankful that she found a job opening at the local hospital in Beacon Hills. The woman she talked to, Melissa McCall sounded so sweet and caring. She understood what it's like to be a single mother taking care of a teenager. Thank god, she gave her a nursing position. It took almost a week, but they made it.

"Welcome to Beacon Hills." Sarah smiles at the sign they passed.

Josie rested her head on her pillow against the seat and watched them pass by houses and the woods. She finally felt she was home again. They pass by the high school, which she dreaded. But, at the same time, she was excited to see her old friends again.