Shifting

Matt

"When I was first on the street my goal was simple. Survive long enough to be unrecognizable. I didn't know If people were looking for me and how far away from home they were. Three months after leaving I was down in NY city. I took the day playing basketball where I met him." She looked at me from across the table where we ate breakfast. "All street kids had each other's backs unless there were social workers, Matt had my back and turned himself in leaving me to getaway. I survived out of the system for long enough for me to go under the rug.

It wasn't until I was caught in central park that I ever considered coming back. But by then I had been gone too long to just come back, I had learned too much to just come back. So I stayed. Then I went on a walk with a girl who taught me how to be myself. She was my best friend. After mastering control we left the foster home.

We were caught. Not by the police but by Red's father. He already had five captives when we were added. Matt was one of them. He had been there for over seven years."

"Hold up. Back up. Did you walk all the way to New York City?" Dad asked.

"Reds father held you captive?" mom asked.

"It's a long story that I don't want to get into," Amber told them.

"What's this guys name. I am calling the cops." My dad grabbed the phone.

"Seth's gone. Red and Thomas killed him." Matt told them.

"Red killed her own father?" My mom asked.

"Again long story."

"We got to tell the police we found you though."

/ / / / /

So Amber spent the afternoon talking to the press. She left out the others, Seth was killed when the building collapsed,

"After more than half her life. Little Rachel Taylor came back to her parents after disappearing for nearly seven years, after running away from her uncle named James Taylor assaulted her in her own home, who is now serving a 25-year sentence." (ODP:12/110/17)