A little girl, barely eight years old, laid on the floor of her apartment that she shared with her mother. Her father had died before she was born in an accident, but the little girl barely knew the difference other than that some little girls had a father while she only had a mother. She hummed to herself absentmindedly, coloring a picture in her coloring book. She had her ratty shoes on, which matched with her messy black hair rather well, while her hazel eyes stayed focused on the paper, waiting for her mother to call so they could go to the diner where Andrea, her mother, worked.

"Come on, princess!" Andrea called and the little girl got up from her book with a heavy sigh. She wanted to stay home, but knew that she couldn't. Her mother didn't have enough money to pay for a babysitter, and damn well wasn't trusting an eight year old alone at home. The little girl grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on, feeling comfort in the warm security of her favorite piece of clothing to exist. She made sure to grab her stuffed animal, almost completely sure that she would have to sleep at the diner again when her mother went on overtime for more money.

Andrea buckled the little girl in, kissing her forehead though she was so tired. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, her once lively eyes that matched her daughter's now a dark brown that screamed fatigue and weariness. But she continued on, living with her small earnings and getting everything she could for her princess.

Hours passed, the little girl staring out the window as the sun moved through the sky and her mother doing what she always seemed to do best. The little girl became interested in what looked like an argument going on outside the shop. She noticed that they kept pointing inside the shop. "Mommy?" Andrea came at her daughter's call and looked outside. The little girl saw her mother's eyes widen before being ushered away from the window and thrown under the counter in a small space that she had been growing out of but could still fit in.

The door slammed open, screams resounding throughout the place. Andrea wasn't too far away because the little girl could see her mother's shadow as she leaned against the counter. "How do you fine boys do?" she asked, only a slight tremble in her voice.

"I think that you know," said a voice that the little girl didn't recognize. She did, however, feel shivers run up her spine at it. She was happy to have her little tiger with her, clutching it tightly as she tried so hard not to cry. "This place isn't getting us our money. And I do rather enjoy my business. Don't you, Andrea?" The little one knew that there was no way they knew her mom's name, so it had to be the name tag on her shirt.

"I do, yes. Well, let me call Tommy for you. I'm sure he would love to hear about it," Andrea said with a nervous voice.

"Yea, well, that's the funny thing," he continued. "I already talked to Tommy, but he said that he sent the money. He even gave me the pretty little waitress's name that was supposed to send it."

"I'll call up Cookie then," Andrea said, her voice tight with something the little girl had never heard in her mother's voice before. "I'm sure she meant to send it. Cookie forgets things all the time." The little held a hand over her mouth as her mother came to stand by the phone right above her. "I'm sure we can settle this all in just a few minutes."

"No," said the voice. "I don't think we can. Andrea, do you know what it's like to be cheated of money?"

Andrea laughed. "Yes, I do. I'm cheated around here all the time." The receiver was being held between Andrea's cheek and shoulder as she put in the number. "Don't worry, sir. I'm getting it now."

"No, I think we're done here already." The little one heard a rustle and mom stiffened. "You really should have known better. I know everything that happens in Detroit, Andrea. Victor, take care of her." She screamed at the same time as the gun, crying into her stuffed friend. There were other people crying, so the hazel eyed girl didn't stand out as far as that went. "Let's go. Anyone say a word about this to the police, and I will hunt you down only to kill you. It was gangsters. Here is some compensation."

The little girl stayed in her hiding spot, staring at her mother as she allowed a tear to slip out, regret so easily seen in her eyes that it hurt her daughter in the years to come. She mouthed "I'm sorry" before the little girl saw herself staring back in her mother's eyes...

"Aya. Aya. Aya!" Hazel eyes come back into focus at the snapping in her face. She flinches back slightly with a scowl. "Finally. Aya, this is Mrs. Mercer. She's looking to adopt you, but wants to talk to you first. Can you form a sentence or do we need to send you back to kindergarten?"

"I'll ask you the same thing when you're an old man in a nursing home with someone wiping your ass and can't speak three words without wheezing. You're already seventy five percent of the way there," Aya says back. She glares at him for a moment longer before he decides to take his leave. Brushing hair out of her face, the girl turns back to the old woman.

"You don't seem to get along with your social worker," the old woman comments. Aya rolls her eyes.

"Did Sherlock tell you that or are you a mind reader?"

Mrs. Mercer laughs lightly, "Well, I suppose it is pretty hard on you. How long have you been jumping around now?" Aya's mood seems to sour at this question, opting instead to glare and not say another word. "You have a record too." Mrs. Mercer pulls out papers that Aya knows is going to put a stop on the adoption. "Drug dealing, caught four times after someone outing on you. Assault, five charges of it too. Running away, twice. And a few underage drinking issues."

"If you're here to torture me about my past, then fuck off old lady. I've gotten this talk before, from the last people who wanted to adopt me. Said I was too much trouble and stopped caring altogether," Aya says, feeling rage boil up before knocking at the papers and watching them scatter all over the floor. "I got news, old lady. I don't care if you want me or not. I will do what I do, and everyone always hates me when I do what I do."

Mrs. Mercer smiles, standing up as Aya's social worker comes in, already apologizing for her behavior. "I am so sorry for any damage she has done to you. She is one of our hardest charges and will do whatever she can to make up for this-"

"The only thing you should apologize for is coming in here without the adoption papers," Mrs. Mercer says, unworried of the papers on the floor that has information on Aya. "Now get on. I'll have one of my boys come pick it up. Bobby! Come do me a favor, darling!" Aya's social worker gapes at this but stumbles out as one that Aya suspects to be around twenty walks in. "Pick these papers up for me, Bobby."

"Yes, ma," he says before getting down and picking up her records. Aya stares at him before looking away with an eye roll. "So, this is the new sister? How old are you?"

"You've got my birth certificate, so you tell me." Aya injects venom into the sentence, trying to make him go away with just her words. Bobby feels slight rage, but knows he had been her once too. "You're joking right, old lady? No one in their right mind would dare even try to adopt me. I burned down my last foster home after a week, imagine what I'll do after a month, old lady."

"Hey," Bobby warns her, his temper slightly rising as she threatens his adoptive mother. "Watch your mouth, little girl." Aya breathes heavily, attempting to calm herself down. She glares at him, disliking him already, only because hate is a word reserved for only a few people.

As her social worker comes in, Aya is ushered out of the room. She goes to her own corner, sitting across from the other three Mercers, Bobby standing up as she stole his seat. That small victory leads Aya to be somewhat content. She notices both of the white boys are staring and can't help the bite. "If you want a picture, I'll try to give you a smile. It'll last longer and prove that I can at least attempt happiness."

The one Aya doesn't know turns red and Bobby glares at her again. "Will you cut it out?"

"Cut what out, darlin'?" Aya asks innocently and in a false southern accent. It isn't hard for her as one of her only friends moved to Detroit from somewhere in Louisiana. "I'm just simply bein' a smartass."

"Why you gotta be like that?" asks one of the black boys. "Ain't no need for it here. Especially since you gotta live with us."

Aya felt a growl rumble. "I might have to live with you, but I have better things to do than sit at an old lady's house when she's probably just going to send me back here. Don't worry. I'll be out of hair soon enough." She looks to the side as her social worker comes out with his wife and Mrs. Mercer. Something brightens up in Aya at the sight of her social worker's daughter.

"Aya! Aya!" The child, only seven and everybody's friend, yells in excitement. She runs to her seat, grabbing hold of her sleeve and pulling and tugging. "Guess what, Aya! Aya, guess what!"

"I hate guessing games," Aya informs the child. "You know that, Eva." Eva bites her lip in thought for a moment, a habit she picked up from either her mother or Aya, and smiles, but this time not as bright as before. Aya feels guilt and adds, "But I guess it won't hurt once, right? I guess... You got that puppy you've been asking for for a while."

"No," Eva says with a sadness that makes Aya wish she had the money to go and buy it herself. "But it's close! I got an A on my rhyming test!" The little girl pulls out a paper and shows it to Aya. "See? See?" Aya takes the paper and looks at it. "See!"

"I see," Aya says thoughtfully, feeling a small twinge of pride. "I'll tell you what. Make an A on your spelling test for... three weeks in a row, that means this week, next week, and the week after, then you and I will go see a movie and get some ice cream. How does that sound, Eva?"

Eva smiles and gets excited all over again over it. Aya's social worker doesn't approve of Aya, but he knows that she acts right around Eva and is the only thing she could ever dream to care for. So he and his wife let her spend time with Aya as long as any other "activities" didn't involve Eva. "Eva, time to go, honey," her mother calls and Eva smiles one more time before skipping off to tell her mother all about the deal.

As soon as Eva left, Aya becomes disinterested once more. She sees this time that all of the boys are looking at her and growled. "What? It's some stupid kid that feels bad for me. Thinks I'm a charity project. Ain't nothin' interestin'." Aya glares out the window. "We leaving or not?"

"Yes, yes. Come on, boys!" Mrs. Mercer leads the way to her car, where Jack, Aya, Angel, and Jeremy all cram in the back.

"How does Bobby get the front seat?" Angel asks as he can't get comfortable. Aya growls as she tries to become smaller between the two boys. "I want the front!"

"No way," Jeremy says. "Next time, I get the front."

"How about all of you get the front and I take the back?" Aya asks with a scowl. "And stop fidgeting! It's annoying me!" She brushes her hair over her shoulder and back away from his elbows, ending up closer to Jack than she wants to be. When he elbowed her again, she glares out the windshield. "That's it. I'm walking to where ever this place is. Just give some freaking directions and I will be there by nightfall."

Evelyn looks back before pulling over. "Jack, walk her home, will you? You can make a few stops if you like. I hear that Aya has been saving up some cash, but for what, Mr. Jackson doesn't know."

"And he doesn't need to know, nor do I need a babysitter, old lady," Aya says before attempting to crawl out. She brushes off her clothes before she sees the boy she had been sitting next to come out after her. "Jesus." She tries not to curse, because her real plan was no where near the Mercer household. Evelyn drives away and Aya glares at Jack.

"Don't blame me. Ma said to make sure you get home," he says, as though the victim. "I'm just following orders."

"Then go home. That or wait somewhere and I'll find you when I'm done," Aya says, walking away. "I'll be back soon enough. Got a few purchases to make. Should take around... three hours, maybe." Ha, Aya laughs at herself. More like six to get everything you want.