Lizzi considered her life pretty good, except for the fact that she was like the only popular girl in school without a third ear piercing. Sure, there were plenty of other girls that didn’t even have one ear piercing, but Lizzi was appalled to think of herself grouped with the losers. Most people were jealous of Lizzi and her privileged life, but Lizzi never saw the bright side. She always wanted more and more. Lizzi had an okay relationship with her brother Caleb who just turned 17 last week, but she still didn’t like him and his laid back appearance and attitude. Her parents, on the other hand, were a whole different story. Lizzi didn’t care what they thought; she did what felt right and what worked for her. Her parents were always harping on her and telling her to study or to stop texting; none of this affected Lizzi. The only reason Lizzi pretended to like her parents was because her mom’s mom was rich, and her dad’s mom was rich. This gave her family plenty of money for Lizzi to do as she liked, and for a generous allowance each week. The worst part of all of the richness was the fact that neither of her parents worked, and they were always at home to supervise.

On the last day of 8th grade, Lizzi grabbed her book bag, kissed her BFF Ashlee goodbye and ran out the door to find her brother’s Mercedes Benz waiting in the parking lot. She threw her book bag in the trunk and jumped in the front seat.
“How was the last day,” Caleb asked trying to pull out without hitting another car.
“Okay” said Lizzi annoyed, Caleb asked the same question every day.
“Mom and Dad told me that they have a surprise for us when we get home!” Caleb said excitedly! Lizzi rolled her eyes, unless it was a coupon to get her ears pierced, she didn’t care.
“Shut up and drive Caleb, you’re going to get us killed, and I will have never become homecoming queen!” Lizzi snorted.
“Sure you’re Royal Highness” Caleb rolled his eyes and swerved the car so that Lizzi hit the window.
“Buckle up Buttercup, or you are never going to be Homecoming Queen.” Caleb was laughing at how Lizzi was rubbing her shoulder and groaning. Lizzi just snorted and turned away. She continued to text Ashlee about this boy that they were going to investigate over the summer.
Once they were home, Lizzi threw her book bag into her cubby, and charged towards the fridge for a snack.
“How was the last day, Elizabeth?” asked her father.
“Why do you care?” Lizzi shot back.

“Because I am your father and I raised you” he said proudly.
“Whatever” Lizzi turned and marched to her room. To be honest, it was kind of hard for Lizzi to march to her room because she was on the first floor, and her room was on the 3rd floor. She had to ride the elevator up. Once the elevator doors opened on her 3rd floor room, she turned the corner and jumped on her king sized bed and turned on the 60 inch 3D flat screen TV. She was still mad at her parents for letting Caleb have the 4th floor as his floor. After about an hour of watching Teen Idol, Lizzi’s housekeeper, Kellie, called her over the intercom.
“Lizzi”
“What, Kellie”
“You’re mother wants you downstairs now”
“Why?”
“She and your father have a surprise”
“Does Caleb have to be there?”
“Yes, he is already waiting, please hurry, your parents cannot wait!”
“Fine”
A few minutes later, a very aggravated and moody Lizzi marched out of the elevator and groaned,
“This better be good”
“Thank you for joining us Elizabeth” said her mother.
“Yeah whatever,” groaned Lizzi.
“Since your mother and I think that you both are a little spoiled and not very appreciative, we wanted to give you a wakeup call…..”
Caleb started laughing, Lizzi’s mouth dropped open and she felt sick.

This was the worst wake up call ever! From out of the dining room came an Indian looking girl, wrapped from head to toe in tattered, faded scarves. She looked to be about 14 or 15, about a year and a half older than 13 year old Lizzi.
“This is your new friend, Kamara. Kamara, you will be sharing a floor with Lizzi.” Her mother looked at Lizzi and smiled.
“Lizzi do everything you can to make Kamara feel at home.” Said her father. All Lizzi could say was...
“How long is she going to be here and why is she here? I hate you guys!” Lizzi stormed to the elevator and sat on her bed and cried. She called Ashlee to tell her the news. Ashlee could not believe it!
“Why did your parents do this?” asked Ashlee. Lizzi heard the elevator coming.
“I have to go Ash, I’ll call you later.” She hung up and pretended to watch TV and ignore Caleb as he approached her.
“You certainly made a very good first impression, Lizzi. I think Kamara is very nice. You were a jerk to walk out like that! If you had stayed and at least put on a good show, you would have understood that Kamara is a refugee from Pondicherry, India. She is so super sweet and seemed to look forward to meeting a new friend and having a family.” Lizzi just rolled her eyes and turned away.
“Did mom and dad adopt her?”
“No, twerp, like I said earlier...”
“Just shut up Caleb, I don’t care what you said earlier, just answer the stupid question.”
“Fine, mom and dad are her new foster parents. “
“Where is she now” Lizzi wondered.
“Mom took her shopping, and wants you to have an apology ready for Kamara when she gets back”
“Fine, I will. Leave me alone now so I can come up with my apology and watch my show. I really don’t want to share my floor with her. 12 rooms aren’t enough for a 13 year old girl to share.” Caleb just snickered.
“BY the way, she has never seen a fireplace, a phone, or a TV, so just be nice Lizzi. She is 14 almost 15 and is scared to death by America. She has never had a real meal or anything. You wouldn’t understand, so just be nice.”
“Fine I will try.” But Caleb was already in the elevator. Lizzi groaned and tried to focus on Teen Idol, the contestant was terrible, and she soon gave up. She turned the TV off and grabbed her phone to call Ashlee again. Before she could press call, she received a call from her boyfriend, Brent, and wondered what he could want. Lizzi had a terrible thought, could Brent know about her new friend/foster sister? If Brent knew about this….her whole life could be ruined! She figured that if he mentioned anything about it, she would just play stupid. She answered the phone.
“Hello”
“Hey Lizzi, its Brent”
“Hi”
“How are you?”
“Fine” Lizzi was not fine, she was terrible, but she wouldn’t tell Brent.
“So…Ashlee called me and told me that you got an A your chemistry exam.”
“Um….yes” How did Ashlee know that Lizzi was a straight A student in chemistry! This could be even worse than Kamara or whatever!
“Honey, I thought you were an all C’s student like me…that’s what made us alike! Our hate of school…baby what happened?” Ok, to be honest, Lizzi hated it when Brent called her baby or honey, but today she was not in the mood to correct him.
“So you really just thought we were alike because you thought we both were C students? That is so stupid and lame, Brent, how could you?”
“Um… well you know, you’re a girl, I’m a boy, there really couldn’t be much more alike.” Really? Brent could be the stupidest person sometimes! She was forced to do this.
“Sorry, Brent, but we are so through!”
“Baby…..why? You know what? Fine… but see what happens when everyone that you know finds out that you had an A in Chemistry.” Lizzi really hated Brent now. Caleb had dated Brent’s older sister, Chloe, and they didn’t end well either.
“Brent, I swear to god, that I will tell your parents you have a tattoo if you tell a single soul about my A.” Lizzi was now thankful to have something to fight with.
“Fine, deal, but if anyone asks, we are still together.” Lizzi didn’t want to ruin her reputation and let some other girl get ahold of Brent.
“Fine, but Brent, don’t call me again.” Lizzi heard the dial tone and knew that Brent had hung up. She put her phone on the charger, and dove onto her bed with a big sigh. What I am going to do now, she thought. Nothing sounded better than a good nap.

About an hour later, Lizzi was abruptly awakened by the sound of the intercom.
“Lizzi”
“What?”
“Your mother and Kamara are home, you need to come down.”
“I’ll be there in a second, Kellie.”
“Thank you!”
Five minutes later, Lizzi stormed out of the elevator and into the living room where Kamara and her mother sat.
“Lizzi, I believe you have something to say to Kamara.” Lizzi knew this would come out of her mother’s mouth and the sooner she did it, the sooner she could go upstairs and watch TV.
“I am sorry Kamal for being um…..rude.”
“Her name is Kamara” Lizzi hated it when her mom corrected her.
“My bad, Kamara. I am glad you will be staying with me and I can’t wait to get to know you.” Lizzi thought she would be sick; she really couldn’t wait to watch TV.
“Thank you. I don’t think I ever heard your name.” Lizzi was surprised at Kamara’s good English, though it was still heavily accented.
“My name is Lizzi.”
“Well, Lizzi, I am very glad to meet you! I cannot wait until we get to know each other better! I look forward to learning what a TR is and a kellphone.” Lizzi had to pinch herself to keep from laughing.
“It is called a TV and a cellphone. Do you have one?”
“NO, I do not own a TV or Cellphone.” Lizzi noticed how Kamara exaggerated the cell part.
“Well, since your name is a little hard to remember, how about we come up with a nickname for it, I am Lizzi, and my real name is Elizabeth. You can choose.” Lizzi was astonished at how sweet that sounded. Bleh she thought, what is happening to me?
“You can call me Ka.” Ka was certainly much easier than Kamara. Lizzi decided to go with it.
“Sure, Ka, so if you will excuse me, I need to finish my TV show.”
“OH no you don’t, Elizabeth, you are going to help me and Ka move her stuff upstairs. Then you two will organize her bed and dresser. Once all of that is done, it will be time for dinner. We are going to go to an Indian restaurant and make Ka feel at home. By the way, Elizabeth, if you fuss, I will take away your phone for a week and no TV for a month.” Lizzi was stuck, she couldn’t object to her mom’s word.
“Yes ma’am.” Lizzi was doomed. She thought about calling Ashlee and telling her what she had to do now. But for now, Lizzi was stuck with moving bed parts and clothes up to the 3rd floor.

After all of Ka’s stuff was set up, Lizzi and Ka were extremely tired. Lizzie texted Caleb to come down to her room. He arrived a few minutes later.
“Hey, Lizzi…..and Ka. Can I help you?”
“Yes, Caleb, can you take Ka and I to get some frozen yogurt please!”
“Well…..sure, we will have to ask mom though.”
“I am fine with whatever you decide. I am very happy. I love my new bed, and TV’s are so cool. I wish we had them in India, my parents would have loved them.” Ka still looked dazed and she was looking around the room in awe.
“Let’s go, we don’t want it to close without us.” Caleb saved Ka and Lizzi from awkward silence. In the elevator, Caleb, as usual, was Lizzi’s savior. He had started a conversation with Ka that did not involve Lizzi. Once on the main floor, Lizzi ran to her cubby and grabbed her Jack Roger’s and went to help Ka find a pair of shoes. Ka was not quite sure that she liked shoes, but to fit in, she wore them. Caleb, meanwhile, was talking to Lizzi’s mom about frozen yogurt. Lizzi wasn’t sure if she said yes. She then watched Caleb get his phone from the charger downstairs. Why Caleb didn’t charge it in his room, she didn’t know. Then Caleb trudged over to Ka and Lizzi who were both anxiously waiting. Lizzi was sure Ka had never had frozen yogurt, and she looked really excited.
“So... Mom said yes”
“Yay” Ka was truly happy.
“Ok, let’s go then” Caleb grabbed his car keys and unlocked the backseat.
“Wow…so this is a car? This is so cool. If I had one or my parents had one, we would all have to share. You are so lucky to have a car, Caleb! I cannot wait until I turn 16 in America!” Lizzi really hoped that Ka would not be here to turn 16.
“Really, I did not know that India did not have cars! Yes, I cannot wait until you can drive either, Ka.”
“Really? You care? I didn’t think that anyone could be so nice.” Lizzi wasn’t sure, but she thought that Ka gave her a look that meant, no not you, you are not nice, and I only like Caleb. Lizzi thought she was dreaming though.
“Of course I mean it, Ka. I love you, you are my sister, well sort of, but I will do anything for you. Just let me know if you need anything, I will be glad to do it for you. Don’t hesitate to ask!” Lizzi thought she was going to be sick.
“Can we just listen to the radio or something?” Lizzi tried to change the subject.
“Thank you, Caleb. I love you too.” Lizzi was almost jealous of Ka’s beautiful smile.
Lizzi thought of herself as a beautiful, tall, elegant girl. In first grade, she had described herself as a princess, with long blonde hair and a beautiful smile. Now, Lizzi’s hair was down to her stomach, and changed from curly, to straight daily. Not to mention it also changed color a lot. For now, Lizzi had Blonde hair with two or three blue highlights. She had just had her braces removed, and had sparkly white teeth, thanks to her weekly whitening. She was one of the tallest girls in her class, and thought she was very fit, and super strong.
Ka, on the other hand was not quite as arrogant. She had a graceful and slender body, with beautiful black curls that feel to her lower back. She had a beautiful smile, with straight, white, teeth that had never felt braces, or been whitened. She had a dark bronze skin tone, and Lizzi was super jealous of her eyes. She also thought Caleb was too.
Caleb was tall, thin, and quite strong, thanks to his private gym and fitness trainer. He had dirty brown hair, with blond highlights, his were natural. He had braces, but now had the whitest and straightest teeth in the family, thanks to good hygiene. Lizzi was jealous of his ease with people, and he was very smart.

Once at the frozen yogurt shop, Ka was the first in the door, with Caleb running after her. A few minutes later, Lizzi came strolling in, as if to pretend that she was not with her brother and mysterious Indian girl. When she walked in, she was relieved to see that no one she knew was there. Ka had picked up her bowl, and learned how to fill it and get toppings. She took a while to realize that she could get as much as she wanted. Caleb went and sat at a table, he was on the phone with his girlfriend, Martha. Lizzi got the usual, chocolate yogurt, with gummy worms and chocolate chips, drenched in marshmallow sauce and hot fudge. She went and joined Ka at a table. They sat quietly for a while until Ka said something unexpected.
“I know you don’t like me, and I am sorry. I would love to get along and to become good friends. I know that you are unhappy, and I would be too, if I had your life and a foreign girl all of a sudden came home and you were forced to share your room.”
“Um”
“Man is this yogurt good! I wish we had this in India! My parents would have loved it!”
“So where are your parents?” Lizzi was going to find out all about Ka, even if it took all night.
“My father died in a war, and my mother died of sickness. I had no brothers or sisters, so I was alone. I finally went to the orphanage. They were sending children to America for adoption. They asked me if I wanted to go, and I said yes. Anything was better than going home to relive your parent’s deaths. Four years later, I arrived in America. Ironically, your parents adopted me, and here I am.”
“Wow. I am so sorry Ka; I did not realize that your parents died. That is awful. How old were you when they died?”
“I was just turning 8. I lived on my own for two years, and then when I was 10, I went to the orphanage.” Lizzi was shocked. Even though she didn’t necessarily get along with her parents, she loved them and they loved her. She couldn’t imagine life without one of them, much less, both of them.
“I am so sorry.” Lizzi wanted to change the subject. Sadly she thought of nothing to say. The girls sat quietly for the rest of the meal.

The ride home was really awkward. Caleb was still on the phone with Martha, and Ka was listening intently. Lizzi wasn’t sure, but she thought that Ka didn’t understand a lot of the words Caleb said.
“How did you learn English, Ka?”
“Well, the orphanage said that the kids that were going to America had to learn English, so for four years, my friend, Raymana, and I studied English.”
“Wow. What happened to Raymana?”
“She died of malaria.”
“What? That is awful” Caleb sneezed and Ka jumped.
“Well, malaria is very common, even in the orphanage.”
“Oh.” Lizzi was silent for the rest of the trip. Caleb was known to talk on the phone for hours about random stuff. Lizzi called it geek stuff.
“We are home!” Caleb loved to yell when he got home. Seeing that Caleb was still on the phone, Mrs. Maxwell diverted her attention to Ka and Lizzi.
“How was the frozen yogurt, Lizzi and Ka?” Lizzi was going to let Ka do all of the talking. Turns out, Lizzi didn’t need to say a word.
“It was great, Mrs. Maxwell. It was so yummy and I loved it! Thank you!”
“I am very glad you liked it!” Mrs. Maxwell was very surprised at Ka’s outgoing nature.
“Was everyone nice?” Mrs. Maxwell sent an evil glare to Lizzi. Lizzi held her breath.
“Oh yes, Lizzi was an angel! She was so sweet and helped me!” Mrs. Maxwell looked like someone told her that she won the lottery. Which indeed, she had many times. Lizzi knew that look by heart.
“Well. I hope you enjoyed it. You girls go upstairs and watch some TV or play Wii or something. Dinner is at 8.” Lizzi always had dinner at eight. She even had it on days that she had dance and volleyball. Dance was 2 times a week and volley ball was 5.
The two exhausted girls ran to the elevator and pressed the door close button. For some reason both girls looked at each other and burst out laughing. They laughed all the way to the 3rd floor and they dove onto Lizzi’s bed and continued to laugh.
“Why are we laughing?” Ka looked confused and still continued to laugh.
“I…..Don’t……know….” Lizzi had tears streaming down her face! Finally the girls calmed down. Lizzi called Kellie over the intercom and asked for two Pepsis. Lizzi turned the TV on and they watched for about 5 minutes. Just out of curiosity, Ka asked Lizzi to teach her to tell time.

“I will do that tomorrow. For now I will tell you what time it is! Ok?”
‘Sure, thanks! I really like you, Lizzi! Do you think that your parents will let me get red streaks in my hair?” Lizzi was proud.
“Of course, Ka! Anything you would like!” Then Lizzi really surprised Ka. She reached over and gave her a high five! Ka smiled and nodded! A minute later, Kellie appeared in the doorway. She scared Lizzi and Ka; they were intently talking and did not notice her come in.
“Thanks, Kellie.”
“I am glad you two are getting along”
“Yeah. Me too.” Lizzi was surprised at how much she liked Ka.

Lizzi and Ka watched TV for the rest of the night. At eight o’clock Kellie called Lizzi and Ka to dinner. When the girls got downstairs, Mrs. Maxwell told them to grab jackets and that they were going to an Asian restaurant. They could not find an Indian restaurant. On the ride to dinner, the adults started talking about what they needed to get Ka for school and what else she needed to live a normal life. Ka paid no attention, she was too busy watching other cars and people go by. Lizzi was really tired and decided she would close her eyes for a bit. When the Maxwell’s and Ka got to the restaurant, they were seated in the back near the Asian waterfall. This made Lizzi even more tired. Ka looked like she was in Heaven. When the waiter came to take their order, Lizzi ordered the usual, and Ka, not knowing what to do, ordered the same thing. Lizzi just rolled her eyes. Everyone was sitting in silence.
“Do you guys eat here often?”
“Um…..I guess so, every week.” Caleb was always so nice.
“Wow, you guys are so lucky! I should have come to America earlier!” Lizzi was sick and tired of Ka and her stupid discoveries. She still thought Ka was okay, but for now, Lizzi wanted silence and rice.
“Elizabeth, do you want some soup?” Lizzi didn’t get why her parents didn’t call her Lizzi. She told them numerous times that it was Lizzi, not Elizabeth, but each time they called her Elizabeth. Lizzi always called her parents by their real names as well.
“Hey, mom, can I get an order of fried rice for Ka?” Of course Caleb was always the perfect kid, and talked to his parents “respectively”. Lizzi really could hate Caleb sometimes! After dinner, everyone was extremely stuffed. Lizzi was in a little better mood and figured that she would be nice. She went and grabbed a fortune cookie and showed Ka how to eat and open one. Lizzi’s fortune said “Open your mind and heart and make some new friends!” Lizzi just rolled her eyes and stuffed it in her coat pocket. Lizzi had about 20 million fortunes in her coat pocket and one day planned to make a collage out of them. On the ride home, Lizzi was silent. She was thinking about what movie she was going to watch. She hoped that Ka wouldn’t get scared because Lizzi was a scary movie type of girl. Caleb then turned to Lizzi and said,
“No scary movies tonight, Lizzi, we don’t want Ka to have a bad first night at home.”
“Whatever.” Lizzi was so tired of Caleb always telling her what to do and what not to do.
“It is funny you guys should say that. We were thinking about having a family game night! We could eat desserts, play mad libs, play Wii, and all that other fun stuff!” Lizzi’s dad could sound so lame when he got excited. The last time the Maxwell’s had a family game night was when Lizzi was turning six and was obsessed with the Wii.
“NO! NO we are not having family game night! I will not do that! You are ruining my Friday movie night. Ashlee is coming over!!! Why don’t you have a family game night with your real family, you seem to love Ka more than me, so why should it matter if I am there or not?” Lizzi was proud of how bratty that sounded. Caleb just scoffed and hid his laughter in his sleeve. Ka turned bright red and looked as if she might cry. She turned away and was silent the rest of the ride.
“Elizabeth Gail Maxwell, we are having a family game night tonight with the WHOLE family. I am astonished that you would even think that. Ka is a part of the family just as you are.” Lizzi was so mad. She hated it when her parents called her by her middle name. Gail was like the ugliest name in the world. Her parents didn’t think so. When they got home, Ka was sent to Lizzi’s room and Caleb went up with her to play a game. Unfortunately, Lizzi’s parents wanted a word with her, alone.
“Elizabeth, we brought Ka home to let you see how other kids live and that you have an extremely lucky life and you are super privileged, we also brought her home because we always wanted a third kid. I don’t see why you have such a hard time coping with this.” Lizzi could see why. She was thinking, why don’t you try bringing home another wife, dad and see how hard it is to share everything with them.
“Whatever, Brad, I don’t care and I hate you guys and Ka! You are ruining my perfectly fine life and I can see why you brought Ka home, it is because you hate me and think I am a spoiled brat and you got Ka so you can start over again and have a perfect daughter. You also think that she will set a good example for me…..ya sure.” Without a word, Lizzi stormed to her room, happy to find it empty, she sat on her bed and cried. After about ten minutes of tears, she picked up her phone to call her other best friend, Jessie. Lizzi was mad at Ashlee for telling Brent about her A in Chemistry. Fortunately for Lizzi, Jessie always picked up her phone.
“Hey” Lizzi loved how casual Jessie sounded when she picked up the phone.
“Hey”
“What’s up?”
“Jessie, we really need to talk.”
“K, I am right here.”
“Ok so long story short, my parents adopted a girl from India named Kamara and Ka is like totally ruining my life, she has to share my floor, share my room, my parents treat her like royalty and they are totally forgetting me and being like jerks to me. They are still treating Caleb fine. I think that they want Ka to set a good example for me and to show me how lucky I am but I am not the least bit lucky…..I have parents that don’t care and like a stupid girl from India better than me!” Lizzi did not realize that Ka had stepped into the room. Ka remained silent and waited to hear what else Lizzi was going to say.
“Well it sounds like your parents just wanted you to realize how lucky you are. I mean really, how bad can Ka be? I am sure she is nice and I can’t wait to meet her at school……”
“The point was, Jessie, for you to understand me and help me come up with ideas about what to do to get rid of Ka and get my perfect life back! I hate Her I Hate Her I Hate her!!!” Ka was now shocked….she couldn’t wait to get to meet this Jessie girl…she sounded nicer than Lizzi. although, anyone sounded nicer than Lizzi. Ka just wished that Lizzi understood that it was hard for her too!
“Lizzi just take a deep breath, Ka is fine, I am sure. You are over reacting and I understand…but you should still give Ka a chance, she might be a great girl and one of your new friends…..but please Lizzi, for the sake of me and your friends, keep your mouth shut so you don’t lose your phone….and PLEASE BE NICE TO KA! I am sure this is all super super hard for her, too.”
“Whatever…FINE! I can’t believe that you chose Ka over me….I thought you would understand, you know with having an older sister that was adopted. Forget it….I’ll text you later.” Unfortunately, Lizzi did not realize that Ka had been in the room the whole time….she turned around to the TV, and there was Ka standing and looking very upset.
“How long have you been in here?” Ka just showed a hurt face and Lizzi realized that she had heard it all.
“STOP SNEAKING IN TO MY ROOM WITHOUT LIKE KNOCKING OR LETTING SOMEONE KNOW YOU ARE THERE…YOU ARE THE WORLDS BIGGEST SNOOPER, LOSER, FREAK, AND THE WORST FOSTER SISTER….I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY OR THINK, I JUST WANT YOU OUT OF MY LIFE….YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO BACK TO INDIA AND DIE…OR YOU KNOW TAKE CALEB WITH YOU TOO!” Lizzi loved the way that sounded…..she was determined to make Ka miserable. Ka looked as if she were going to cry….She did.
“I am glad you cleared that all up….I can’t believe that I actually thought that you like me….All you spoiled rotten brats are just the same…at least Caleb is perfect. He is nice, handsome, and way better than you. I just can’t believe that you haven’t realized that this is hard for me too…probably harder…. I can’t believe that I thought that America was amazing…everyone here is a Jerk, except for Caleb and your Parents…” Lizzi was shocked that Ka had such a good comeback… especially for a refugee from India.
“I don’t care…you can say whatever you want, but you will be the one to go…because remember, I am the real daughter.” Lizzi walked out of the room and pouted and sniffled in the elevator. When she got to the main floor, her parents asked her what was wrong. She just marched outside into their 7 acre backyard equipped with a pool and waterpark, a private tennis court, and much more. Lizzi went to her tree house outside. She climbed the ladder and sat down on a bean bag. Her parents had built the tree house for her when she was a young girl. It was one of her favorite places to hang out and vent. Now that she had her phone with her, she called Jessie again and told her all about what happened.
“I told you to be nice to her, Lizzi. She has done nothing wrong to you... Lizzi, man... that was not good. What do you think your parents will say and do? And I mean I have a feeling that you will lose your phone. I have to go… I’m sorry.” Lizzi was just disgusted. She hadn’t thought about what her parents would say or think. This could be bad… Lizzi finally closed her eyes and did what she did best….sleep.
Lizzi awoke suddenly to a voice similar to her fathers. He was standing at the foot of the tree house... and he wasn’t very happy.
Her dad spoke again in a very upset voice, a voice that her easygoing dad only used when he was enraged.
“Ka told me what you said to her and about her. Elizabeth, that was unacceptable. I can’t believe you said that. Do you have any idea how that hurt her and how she feels now? Get down here this minute!” Lizzi was beginning to feel badly now, she had never heard her dad this angry. She decided to be stubborn.
“Make me come down, Dad. I’m all set here. I have a fridge full of food, a phone, a bed and I have a pair of clothes up here. Sorry but you will have to come and get me.” Her dad just huffed and she heard him walk away from the tree house.
He muttered one last thing before he walked inside. “You’re not set, Lizzi, you’ve lost your dad.” Lizzi felt like she was going to cry. She was so mad at herself. She kept thinking to herself, why did I act so stubborn. What have I done? Finally she called her BFF Ashlee and hoped that she would answer. She answered the phone and told Ashlee the whole story. Right before Lizzi finished talking, the line went dead. She looked back at her phone to see why it had dropped the call. At the top where it usually said Verizon Wireless, it said no service. Lizzi was flabbergasted, her parents had cut her phone service, Lizzi had completely forgotten that her mom knew how to turn off her phone service. This was turning out to be the worst day ever. Lizzi once again curled up in a ball on her favorite bean bag, and cried herself to sleep.

Lizzi woke up later that night. It was dark and had gotten significantly cooler. She noticed that she was shivering. Lizzi reached over to her pile of blankets and grabbed one; she curled up and thought about the day. Then she saw that at some point during her nap, someone had brought her dinner on a tray. There was a note that said,
“Dear Lizzi, I am sorry we had a fight, I wish that we could become friends. I miss my home and I know you don’t like having me here. I am sorry for being here.
Ka
P.S. Caleb wrote this letter for me.” Lizzi realized that the dinner tray was brought to her by Ka. This act just made Lizzi feel even worse. Lizzi ate slowly and thought about turning the TV on that was in the tree house. When she tried to turn it on, it said No Signal. Her parents must have turned it off. This was really bad. She had no idea how this was all going to end, and for a minute Lizzi even considered going inside and apologizing, but she decided not to. She thought that if maybe she waited long enough in the tree house, that her parents would come and apologize and make it all better. Sadly, the evening went on, and no one came to get Lizzi. She heard laughter coming from inside the family room and saw the shadows of her parents and brother, and Ka dancing around the room as they ate chips and watched TV. This made Lizzi even more upset. She sat back down and began to cry. She had no idea how she was going to survive. She felt hopeless, alone and more than anything she felt guilty. That night, Lizzi decided that she would run away. She started throwing clothes and supplies into an old backpack that was left in the tree house. After Lizzi was 100% sure that she had packed everything she needed, (including her no longer working cell phone.) She began climbing down the ladder and ran across her yard. She hoped that none of her family members would see her. She ran over the road and down her long street. She passed by Jessie’s house and Ashlee’s house too. Lizzi was half tempted to go inside and ask to spend the night. Then she remembered that Ashlee was on a trip and Jessie was at church. This night just kept getting worse. Lizzi finally made it to the edge of the woods that were on the outside of her huge neighborhood. The woods were scary, she and her friends used to play in them when they were younger. Fortunately, Lizzi knew about this one tree that was perfect for climbing, sitting, sleeping and especially hiding because none of her friends or family knew about the tree. Lizzi went trudging through the woods trying to find the tree. When she found it, to her relief, it looked just like it did when they were younger. She climbed up it slowly yet steadily, and nested herself in a seemingly sturdy branch. She wrapped herself in a blanket she had packed. Lizzi woke up to the dark cloudy skies. She was really hungry and realized she had forgotten about what she was going to do about food. She figured that she would go to Jessie’s house and see if she could find something to eat and then pack a stock pile and set on her way. She knew she could trust Jessie. When she knocked on the door, no one answered. Lizzi was upset and knew that she would be not having breakfast anytime soon. Lizzi went back to her tree and tried to create a shelter since it had started to rain. She tied the blanket that she had slept under last night to the branch above hers. This proved a nice makeshift roof. As long as it didn’t start to rain really hard she would be ok. Lizzi didn’t have an umbrella and she certainly didn’t want to get wet so she decided to stay in her tree until the rain stopped.

Before Lizzi knew it, it was pouring rain. Her blanket was soaked through and dripping uncomfortably on Lizzi’s head. It had begun to get colder and colder and now Lizzi was shaking. She wished that she had brought another blanket and that she had packed warmer clothes. Then Lizzi had a very far-fetched yet hopeful idea. Lizzi lived in Northern Virginia, and fortunately for her, she had an aunt who lived in Greenville, North Carolina. As far as Lizzi knew, it only took about 3 hours to get to her aunt’s house when her family drove down there to see her. Aunt Grace was crazy. Or at least Lizzi thought she was. Aunt Grace was her dad’s younger sister. The last time Lizzi had seen her, she was 7. Aunt Grace’s house was full of cat posters and even worse, Aunt Grace had 8 cats. Lizzi hated cats. Plus she was slightly allergic to them. Sadly, Aunt Grace was the only relative on her side of the country. Lizzi hatched a plan, she was to hitch rides and walk to the Southern border of Virginia. Once she was in North Carolina, she would find a train and use her secret stash of money to get to Greenville. Lizzi had been to Charlotte many times with Ashlee to go shopping so Lizzi was familiar with Greenville. Lizzi would be able to find her way to her Aunt Grace’s house and then she could stay with Aunt Grace until her parents started sending search parties out to find her. Lizzi was proud of her plan. For now, Lizzi was going to count her money and make sure that she had every detail worked out. She was going to set out on her journey starting early tomorrow. Lizzi had a total of $200.99 with her. When she was little, she used to save all her money in a secret hole in the tree house floor. Lizzi had remembered it when she was packing to run away. Lizzi walked to the local gas station. She bought herself a drink, some donuts, and some food for her journey. Now she only had $187.99. Lizzi returned to her tree without anyone seeing her. She was wondering if her parents even noticed she wasn’t in the tree house anymore. Lizzi continued prepping and planning her journey. When nightfall finally came, Lizzi was exhausted. She fell fast asleep.

Early that morning, Lizzi woke up. It was a bright, warm, summer day. Lizzi was thankful for the good weather. She packed up her blankets and food. Before she hopped down from the tree she ate a pack of mini donut holes. Once on the ground Lizzi needed to figure out which way to go so that she could begin her journey. She figured to get to NC she needed to go south. Lizzi walked to the nearest highway that heads south. She had seen people hitch hike before on TV but she had never done it herself before and had no idea what to expect. She stood on the edge of the highway near an intersection and stuck her thumb out over the road. She felt like a creep. She never imagined herself having to do this. She thought that no one would ever stop for her but before she knew it, an old beat up Scion stopped next to her. In the car was an older man with a thick beard. He was missing many teeth and looked a little creepy. Lizzi shuddered but decided to take what she could get. Then she was worried... She was only 13 and she was going to be alone in a car with a 50 year old man. Things weren’t looking good. Cars started honking their horns. Lizzi hopped in the Scion and shut the door.
“Howdy.” Said the old man.
“Hi.” Lizzi wasn’t sure what to do.
“The name’s Cracker Joe.” Cracker Joe was now smiling proudly.
“My name is Lizzi.” Lizzi was really creeped out. Cracker Joe was having mini seizures behind the wheel. He swerved from lane to lane. Lizzi was waiting to crash into another car and die. Somehow Cracker Joe managed to keep them alive.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Lizzi. Why are you hitch hiking at such a young age? I didn’t begin my career until I was at least 18.” Joe was looking at her with an inquisitive face. She just looked away.
“Well see, it’s a long story Mr. Joe. I got in a fight with my parents and so I ran away. I’m trying to get to my aunt’s house. She lives in North Carolina.” Lizzi was trying not to divulge too much information.
“How odd. Poor girl. I just so happen to be heading to North Carolina myself. Maybe you could stay with my wife and me until you figure out where you’re going. DO you know the address of your Aunt?” Joe was being very nice, too nice.
“Well she lives in Greenville, North Carolina. And Mr. Joe you don’t have to do that for me. I’ll be fine getting dropped off whenever you’re tired of my company. I’m just trying to get to a train station so I can ride the train to her house.” Lizzi was truly creeped out.
“No honey, I’d be honored to get you to a train station. You are more’n welcome to stay with my wife, Patty Sue Joellen Caroline Bunk, and I. We had a daughter once.” Joe just missed a car in front of him.
“Mr. Joe, if you don’t mind I think a train station in North Carolina would be plenty fine. Thank you though.” Lizzi didn’t want to spend any more time with Joe than she had to.
“Fine dearie dearie. Train Station it is. I need to stop and get me some gas though. Say you got any cash honey? I kinda left my wallet at the bar. Plus you owe me if you’re riding’ to North Carolina with me.” Joe was holding out his hand for some money.
“Yes sir, I believe you are right. Um how much do you need?” Lizzi wasn’t going to say no.
“$70 for gas and $5 for food.” Joe was smiling.
“Here’s $75.” Now Lizzi only had $112.99 left. She needed to be more careful with what she spent. Joe got out a cigarette and pulled up at the gas station. He hopped out with her money and walked into the store. Before she knew it he was engaged in a huge fight with another rough looking man at the station. They were fighting hard and Joe brought out a gun. Lizzi was terrified. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if the police came and found her in the car, especially since Joe didn’t have an I.D. or anything if what he said was true. She hopped out and ran into the woods behind the gas station. She had her blanket, her non-working phone, and some sandwiches from the gas station by her home.

Lizzi was terrified. She couldn’t believe that she had witnessed what just happened. All she could think was that she needed to get as far away from the station as she could. Cracker Joe had been a drug dealer. How could she not have realized that? Lizzi tried to forget about Joe and the whole incident. She was now getting pretty close to being broke. She needed to be more careful with how she spent her money. She needed to form a plan. Hitch hiking would not be a good idea to do again. She was either going to have to find a train station or walk her way to North Carolina. Lizzi began to walk further into the woods. She knew where she was, after all, Cracker Joe had only driven them a total of five miles. Lizzi didn’t have phone service, but she had an app that gave her directions. She opened the app and began her trek south to North Carolina. According to her phone, there was a train station right above the North Carolina border, her plan was to get a ticket to Greenville, and hopefully find her aunt. As soon as Lizzi reached the border of the woods, she climbed a tree and decided to rest. Tomorrow she was going to walk to the border. If she hustled the whole way, it would take about a day and a half. Lizzi closed her eyes and immediately was filled with nightmares.

Lizzi awoke in a scream; she had never had such terrible nightmares. She refocused on her surroundings and the events of the past days had returned to her mind. But now, she needed to focus on getting to North Carolina, not her family. She climbed down the tree and as she walked across the street, she ate some donuts from her pack. She continued down the street. After five hours of continuous walking south, Lizzi was exhausted. She found a public bench and collapsed on to it. She pulled out her phone to check what time it was, 1:23pm. Lizzi was starving. She walked to the local McDonalds and bought herself a hamburger and fries. Now she only had $106.44 left. Lizzi let her lunch digest, and used the McDonalds bathroom. She began her journey yet again. She knew that a couple miles down the road was another forest that she could call her sleeping place for the night. When she finally reached the forest, she found a suitable tree and made her way up its thick, rough bark. She nestled herself in a branch that had a cradle for her head. The moment she lay down she fell asleep. She awoke with a start as she heard the horrible screeching of bulldozers not even 800 feet away. She flipped her head in panic and saw a bulldozer heading her way. Lizzi couldn’t move fast enough. She charged down the tree and raced out of the woods. She was just minutes away from tumbling to her death. Lizzi couldn’t bear walking any farther and decided to take a shot with hitch hiking one more time. She approached the street and stuck her thumb out into the road. As she looked down, she saw many scrapes and cuts on her bare legs. She hadn’t noticed that when she was escaping the bulldozer, she had run through a bush of roses and thorns. Her legs and head began to throb. A few minutes later, a Rolls Royce pulled up next to her. Inside the car was a very handsome man, he looked about 16 and seemed quite friendly and safe. Lizzi slid into the front seat.
“Hey.” The boy looked at her and smiled.
“Uh...Hi.” It was quite awkward.
“I’m Phillip. What’s your name?” Phillip seemed to smile even more as he pulled off the curb and began to drive flawlessly down the street.
“I’m Lizzi. My parents and I had a fight, and so I’m trying to get to North Carolina’s train station to find my aunt.” Lizzi hoped that he would be willing to take her there.
“Why don’t I take you to her house myself?” Phillip pulled into a parking lot of a gas station. “I need some gas. Give me a minute. You must be starving, I’ll be right back.” Phillip got out of the car and walked into the gas station. Lizzi was shocked by how friendly, kind and civilized he was acting. It almost reminded her of Caleb. She felt a pang of sorrow and guilt. Phillip came walking out of the store with a bag of food. Lizzi heard her stomach growl; she hadn’t really noticed how handsome Phillip was. He slid into the car and handed her the bag of food. “Eat and then explain.” Phillip watched her gulp down a drink and a sandwich.
Lizzi told him the whole story start to finish, including Cracker Joe, the forest and Ka. Philip just sat and nodded.
“You have to be careful who you hitch-hike with, Lizzi. You’re lucky you got away from Cracker Joe when you did. That could’ve been bad. So the best I can do for you is getting to you the NC train station. It’s about a 2 hour drive from here. Are you ready?” Phillip started the car and pulled out onto the road. “Do you need money?”
“No, I have $106.44. I should be ok. Thank you for doing this, Phillip. Nice car you got here, turns some heads, doesn’t it?” Lizzi smirked as Phillip blushed.
“Yeah well I saved up my money. My parents don’t really care what I do. I’m kind of on my own. I’m struggling through high school.” Phillip looked sad.
“It’s ok. My brother’s a genius and only he can pass through high school unharmed.” Lizzi was trying to make Philip feel better. She hadn’t realized how much she liked him already.
“If I were you, I’d close your eyes and sleep. It’ll make the ride go by faster.” Phillip winked at her. Lizzi blushed. Lizzi immediately fell asleep.

Lizzi awoke slowly and saw Phillip smiling at her.
“We are here. Someone slept like a rock.” Phillip was laughing. “I’ve never heard anyone snore so loudly in my life.” Lizzi blushed again. She looked around her and saw the train station. She was so overjoyed. Her first thought was to call her aunt but then she remembered that she had no phone service. She turned to Philip.
“How can I ever thank you enough. I have to go though, and catch a train. Thanks again. Let me know if there is anything I can ever do for you.” Lizzi tried to sound very sincere. She was surprised by what happened next.
“There’s nothing you can do for me... be safe.” Then Phillip reached over and kissed Lizzi on the cheek. Her whole body was rushed with warmth. She blushed and couldn’t contain her smile. She hopped out of the car and waved to Phillip. Then before she knew it, he drove away and she was surrounded by the rushing people at the train station. Lizzi went to the ticket booth to see which train could get her the closest. She found one headed for Greenville, and she ended up buying the last ticket of the day. She marched onto the platform. Now she only had $78.99 left. She jumped on the train, found a seat and fell fast asleep.

Lizzi awoke to the horn of the train. She looked out the window and saw the welcome sign, “Welcome to Greenville, NC.” She smiled with delight; she was almost to her aunt’s house. Lizzi got off the train and began exiting the train station. She was going to hail a cab and get the rest of the way to her aunt’s house. A small cab pulled up and she hopped in.
“Where to?” The guy’s voice was raspy and rough.
“289 Whether ton Road, Greenville, NC 27858.” Lizzi hoped her aunt still lived in the same house. The ride was rough, but short and Lizzi kept eyeballing the meter to make sure she had enough money to pay with. Then, the cab pulled up in front of a house that Lizzi vaguely recognized. She was elated to realize it was her final destination. Lizzi payed for the ride and found she had $36.76 left. She had made it. She skipped up to the door and began to knock. After a few minutes, no one had answered. Maybe she’s sleeping, she thought. Lizzi walked around to the garage and looked into the window. Her heart dropped. There was no car. Lizzi’s aunt was always home, and Lizzi began to panic. She had no phone to call anyone with and so she sat on the front porch. I’ll wait until she gets home. Her aunt’s house was out in the middle of the country and was not surrounded by anything important. Lizzi began to get tired, hungry, and anxious waiting for her aunt. Nightfall came and there was no sign of Aunt Grace anywhere. This was bad, very bad. Lizzi decided to curl up on the porch and sleep. Lizzi woke at 3 am and no one was home still. Lizzi was desperate for food and shelter. She had no way to get to the city other than to walk, and she couldn’t call her parents. She was left with no choice but to walk the ten miles to the city.
Lizzi began her walk. It was long and tiring. Lizzi was filthy, she hadn’t bathed in 4 days, and she was wearing the same jacket and shorts. She only hoped that once she got to town she could find some food.

By 7 pm, Lizzi had reached the outskirts of the city. She was so exhausted and hungry. She found a McDonalds and feasted like she had never eaten before. Soon she had a brilliant idea. She was going to get service back on her phone. She marched into the Verizon store and went up to the counter. She passed them her phone and told them she needed service.
“The only way you can get service is by signing a two year contract.” Lizzi nodded. The guy went to the back of the store, they handed her a sheet and said,
“Sign here if you are over 18. If not you can’t get service.” Lizzi panicked. She decided to risk it.
“I’m 18. Ok. I’ll sign.” The guy went to the back of the store and handed her back her phone. It said, Verizon Wireless in the top corner. It had worked. As soon as she left the store, she called her aunt.
“Hello?”
“Hi Aunt Grace it’s Lizzi.”
“Hello dear, how are you?”
“Where are you Aunt Grace?”
“I’m in Egypt for a month trip.”
“Oh. Well enjoy your trip.”
“Thanks dear, goodbye.” Lizzi was really messed up now. She couldn’t stay with her aunt. Her only choice was to call her parents and ask for forgiveness. She dialed her dad’s number and waited.
“ELIZABETH!!!!”
“Daddy!”
“WHERE ARE YOU? We’ve looked everywhere. WE are sorry honey, we love you, please come home!”
“I’m in Greenville, I went to see Auntie Grace but she’s in Egypt.”
“We will be there tomorrow morning. Do you have enough money for a hotel room?”
“No. I have no money left.” She had spent it all on activating her phone.
“I’m so sorry honey. We would’ve reactivated your phone but the phone has to physically be in the shop for them to do it! Go to the Bank of America, our account number is 46782983762. Take out $200 dollars. Get a hotel room for the night, some fresh clothes and we will be there tomorrow morning. Let me know which hotel you go to. I love you and I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks dad, I’m sorry too.” Then she hung up. She began walking towards the Bank of America. She approached the first teller.
“Hi. I’d like to make a money withdrawal from account number 46782983762 please.”
“Sure sweetie, how much.”
“$200 please.”
“One moment.” The teller came back with $200 in cash.
“Here you go, have a nice night.” Lizzi walked out of the store and into the Hilton across the street. She went up to the front desk and asked for a room. She was in luck, they had one. She received her room key and got on the elevator. She opened her room door and flopped onto the bed. She flipped the TV on to the news and began to watch, her mouth dropped open.
“Detectives are searching for 13 year old Elizabeth Maxwell who disappeared late Friday night. Detectives say she was kidnapped by suspect Martin King, also known as ‘Cracker Joe’” Lizzi was terrified. She couldn’t believe her mother and father had been that concerned about her. She turned the TV off and fell asleep. She awoke in the morning and called her father.
“Elizabeth, what hotel?”
“The Hilton on 5th Avenue.”
“We will be there in 20 minutes. Be out front.” Lizzi grabbed her stuff, threw on some clothes and went to check out. She had checked out and stepped out front, when she saw her brother’s car pull up. Out jumped her father, mother, brother, and Ka. They all looked so delighted to see her. The first person Lizzi hugged was Ka.
“Ka! I’m so very sorry. Please forgive me!” Lizzi wanted to beg for forgiveness. They both embraced in a giant hug.
“Lizzi, I’m sorry too. I love you.” Lizzi smiled and nodded.
“I love you too, Ka.” Lizzi’s mother was standing on the curb smiling and crying then she ran to Lizzi.
“Lizzi dear, I’m so sorry! We love you! Tell us what happened!” Lizzi hugged her mom back. Then her dad approached her, he was crying and hugged Lizzi for 20 minutes straight. Caleb walked over.
“SQUIRT! DON’T EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN.” Caleb ruffled her hair and hugged her tightly. Then they climbed into the car and Lizzi told the story from the very beginning. Everything was well.
“That was the best wake up call ever.” Lizzi and Ka smiled and hugged each other.






The End.