Anastasia

      As she walked home from school, Anastasia considered her options, *I could run away* she though *but where would I go? If i was caught id be killed* she turned the corner onto a bridge, *I could jump* she thought, looking down off the bridge. A car passed her, the guys inside threw beer bottles at her. She had made up her mind. She was leaving. She had enough money to live on her own for a while, but where would she go? *I can't go to Sarah's, not again. I have to leave town.*
     
  As she packed her things, a note fell off the shelf. Slowly she opened it and read what it said "dear Anastasia, we know you have bee through so much this year, we hope you come back sometime." It was from her friends, they knew she would run away. Now she had even more of a reason to leave.  She tucked the note into a pocket of her bag, gathered all her money, and left the house. Not once looking back at the place she was leaving behind. *I'll come back one day*she though *when it's different*.  She looked up and saw some girls from her school walking up the opposite side of the road. "They're out late" she said to herself "I can't let them see me" she added, quickly turning onto a side street. She arrived at the bus stop t about 3 a.m.  She boarded the east metro bus and took it as far as she could, leaving her little town of Murphysboro behind.

        When the bus stopped again she had no idea where she was. "did I fall asleep" she asked, not sure who she would be talking to.  She got off the bus and walked into an inn. She had decided that living on the streets was a bad idea, even if the town she just landed in looked safe. She walked up to the front desk, the girl behind it looked to be about 3 years younger than she was; about sixteen. "I don't know how long ill be here, but I need a room" she said. The girl behind the desk smiled "running away?" she asked. "Yeah so?" she replied nervously, would this girl call the cops or someone? "I'm Mia" she said "I won't tell anyone don't worry, I ran away a few years ago, when I was 12" Anastasia laughed "12, my god, and no one ever found you?" "No" she responded, looking down "no one ever bothered to look for me" she looked confused "not ever your parents?" the girl laughed to herself "they're dead" she said "my foster parents were the ones I ran from, they didn't care anyway, they were in it for the money" she stopped and looked at Anastasia "I still have scars from my beatings, they would get drunk and come after me" 

                Anastasia was beginning to remember a news story about a girl who was abused and that ran away. "They did look for you" she said suddenly "you were on the news and everything" Mia looked lost.  "I remember cops going down my street, knocking on doors, looking for a girl about 12 with long black hair and pink running shoes" "how can that be?" she asked, looking up from the papers she had stared working on. "My parents are dead and my foster parents could care less" Anastasia was quiet; she was trying to remember the night her own parents died. "Car crash" she said to herself. Mia was surprised at her response, "h-how did you know that, my parents died in a car crash on March 23 the day before my mom's birthday." She said "my parents also died in a crash on the same day, my sister was with them…" she paused "they didn't find her in wreckage so they assumed her dead" the girl just stared at her, awestruck. "Were you in the car the night your parents died mia?" she asked. She though for a while "yes, I-I was" she finally answered. "Let me see your wrist, my sister and I both have identical birthmarks" she did as she was told and Anastasia revealed her wrist as well. They both had a small birthmark in the same spot.  "What I though was true" Anastasia said smiling "Arielle, I'm your sister; we were separated after the crash" Mia was astonished, "you know my real name" she said "I changed it to be sure no one found me" "who was looking for me?" she added. "I was, and after all these years I've finally found you"