New Beginnings

Chapter 1

I took a deep breath and threw my head back as the motorcycle shot down the highway. A speed limit sign approached fast and then vanished in the distance as I breezed past it. I had seen the numbers 65 posted on it, and I knew without looking at my speedometer that I had already passed 80 miles per hour, but I didn't care. All I wanted to do was get away from the city. From the cars, and lights, and people. As I shifted the bike into a lower gear and headed toward the hills, I passed two cops, also on motorcycles. They immediately switched on their lights and sirens and began pursuit.

"Oh great," I muttered. Not only was I speeding, but I wasn't wearing a helmet, and I didn't have my license with me. After this, I won't need it, I thought. They'll suspend my driving privileges so fast... My train of thought stopped as I headed for the side of the road. I knew I would be in trouble, but racing with the cops wouldn't help matters. I squeezed the handbrakes and guided the bike to a stop.

The two officers stopped their bikes nearby and dismounted. They took their helmets off and walked over to me with set looks on their faces.

I am so dead meat.

When they got to my bike, one of them, a tall blond man, held out his hand and said, "Could I see your driver's license and registration please?"

I grimaced inwardly but tried not to let it show. "I don't have my license with me. Here's my registration." I handed the officer the piece of paper.

He took it and glanced over it. His partner, a tall dark man with stern brown eyes, stood behind him quietly, just watching. I took a deep breath and waited. The first man handed me the registration. "You do know that it's against the law to operate a motor vehicle without the proper license?"

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"And you also know that it's against the law to ride a two-wheeled vehicle without a helmet?"

"Yes sir."

"You were also going almost twenty miles above the speed limit."

"Yes sir," I repeated again. I wished that he would get it over with.

The officer took a step back. "Get off the bike please."

I swung my leg over, dropped both feet to the ground, and stood silently, waiting. The officer pulled out a pad and pencil. "What's your name and address?"

"Joanna Carson. 261 Elm Drive. I live with the Barrister Family," I replied.

The officer wrote for a moment and then turned to his partner. "Tell station that we need transport for one motorcycle and one juvenile."

The darker man nodded and went to his bike. The first officer, whose name I saw to be Baker, looked back at me. "Would you like to tell me why you were in such a hurry to get wherever you were going?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. It's not what you would call important."

The officer raised his eyebrows, but at the moment, a police car cruised up and stopped. The driver's door opened and a slender attractive female officer stepped out. "What's up, Jon?"

"Get in the car," Officer Baker told me.

I obeyed without question. While I sat in the police cruiser, I saw the second male officer come back and talk to Officer Baker and the woman officer. They spoke for a minute and then the woman came and got into the police car. She started the engine and headed back down the highway towards the center of L.A.

It was a silent ride to the Highway Patrol Station. When I stepped out of the police car, I saw a green sedan sitting in the parking lot and my stomach turned. Mrs. Barrister was already here, waiting for me. "I am so dead," I muttered.

Officer Clark heard me. "What did you say?" she asked, as she guided me into the building.

"Nothin'," I replied.

We walked until reached what I guessed was a main office. Sure enough, sitting there waiting, was Mrs. Lisa Barrister. She stood up as Officer Clark and I entered the room. "Well, so they brought you back, did they? How far did you think you'd get?"

I shrugged. "Far enough to get a breath of fresh air before I got sent back."

Mrs. Barrister's face turned pink and she grabbed my shirt collar. "Now you listen to me, girl. If you ever do that again I'll..."

"Hey, hey, hey." Another officer had just entered the room and he quickly pried Mrs. Barrister's hands off me. "I understand that this is upsetting, but lets at least be civil," he said. "Now, Ms. Carson, I believe you stated was your name?"

"Yeah, that's right," I confirmed.

"Well, Ms. Carson, I've been in contact with your social worker and she's coming here to pick you up. As for the charges brought by Officers Baker and Poncherello, they're willing to drop all charges and simply impound your motorcycle for the period of two weeks, at which..."

"They can impound it for life, sergeant. You'll never do that again," Mrs. Barrister snapped, grabbing my shoulder and turning me to face her.

"Mrs. Barrister..." began the slightly flustered sergeant.

"This does not concern you," she said angrily. "Just tell me what has to be paid and I'll pay it and then we'll leave."

"Ma'am, I told you, the social worker is coming. I'm afraid you can't leave until she gets here."

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do," Mrs. Barrister said in a dangerous voice.

I sat down on a desk and grinned slightly. I wasn't looking forward to going home with Mrs. Barrister, and I felt bad for this sergeant, but I wanted to see what he'd do. He didn't have to do anything, though, because Mrs. Keelly arrived and walked into the office. "What seems to be the problem, Mrs. Barrister?"

The angry, red-faced woman turned to face the social worker. For a moment, she was silent, and then, after regaining her composure, she said, "I'm sorry to have caused you all this trouble, Janice. It was just a little misunderstanding between Joanna and I and she decided to leave for awhile."

Mrs. Keelly looked at me and I looked down at my lap. This wasn't the first time that I'd had a 'misunderstanding' and run away. "Joanna, is this true?"

I looked up at the lady again. "Yes ma'am. I ran."

"Why?" she probed. "Did you have a misunderstanding?"

Mrs. Barrister's face said plainly that if I told the truth, it would be the last mistake I ever made. Suddenly, I was aware of two men standing in the doorway to the office. They were the officers that arrested me.

"Joanna?" Mrs. Keelly prompted.

"No ma'am. It's wasn't a misunderstanding," I said finally, with a sudden surge of boldness. "We-we had a fight. She wouldn't let me have dinner because she said I didn't do all my chores. It got ugly and I left."

Mrs. Barrister's face was full of fury. "She's lying!" she declared.

Mrs. Keelly looked at her calmly. "Mrs. Barrister, we have had similar such reports about you. We chose to give you another chance, however this is the last straw. Joanna has been guilty of many things since she came to our agency, but lying is not one of them. As of now, I am pulling her from your house and will be recommending that you lose your fostering license. I will stop by your house tomorrow and pick up Joanna's things." With that, Mrs. Keelly turned to the sergeant. "What charges are being held against Joanna?"

The sergeant started to speak but Officer Baker cut him off. "My partner and I are willing to drop all charges with a warning and impound her bike for a period of two weeks."

Mrs. Keelly nodded. "Thank you. I'll see that someone arrives to pick it up at the end of two weeks. Come with me, Joanna."

I stood up and followed her out of the office.