I close the door and open the cabinet, pulling out a huge, packed, first aid kit. I gently take off my hoodie and shirt and turn around only making me wince at the sight. It's a little scratched up, bleeding in a tiny spot or two, and definitely bruising, that's for sure.

If I wasn't wearing my hoodie it would have been a lot worse scratch wise but those bruises are enough to turn a stomach.

I bandage the scratches and the bloody spots before I get an ice pack and wrap it in a towel. I carefully use an elastic bandage to hold it to my back and keep the swelling down. This is gonna be fun to sleep in.

I go to my room and make sure all my homework and everything is done before changing into pajama's which is really just p.j. pant's covered in cats and then a long sleeve shirt. I really have nothing else to do.

So I feel like I owe a little more explanation to my birth parents if I'm telling the whole story.

My birth parents and I were driving home and a- I mean, another car have- have? Had hit us, and um, they didn't, uh, walk away. Yeah. Anyway, the car door had almost taken off my arm, leaving a huge scar in my right shoulder. And that's the best way I can think to put a short explanation.

I head out to the kitchen and begin to make some grilled cheese, my foster parents are gonna be home any second anyway so I decided to get out enough stuff to make a few.

My foster parents now are the same ones who I stopped fighting for. And I have really grown up with them for so long I have really just come to call them my actual parents. I figured foster parents is just long of a word and brought up to many questions as a kid.

As soon as I finish the first one, I hear the front door unlock and open.

"Beth," I hear my mom say.

"In the kitchen."

"What are you making," she asks as she walks in wearing her pencil skirt and dress shirt with heels.

I don't know anyone could live to be a real estate agent and dress like that but she pulls it off like it's nothing.

"Grilled cheese."

My dad walks in as I give the first one to my mom and I start cooking the next one.

My dad taps my head with a rolled up piece of paper.

I look at it and he hands it to me.

"What's this?"

My parent's smile at me, my dad taking over my grilled cheese. I read through it and smile. It's a few different pieces of good news.

One is that even though I'm sixteen, I'm not allowed to drive because of my past they don't think that I'm ready but when I turn seventeen I will officially be allowed to get my drivers licenses.

Two being my test results from my career aptitude test which tells me I would be a good doctor apparently. Seems legit I guess.

I smile as I read through the details of it.

"I think this calls for a celebratory dinner."

"But I'm eating grilled cheese," my mom says.

"And I still was making grilled cheese."

"Nope set the burned bread and cheese down, we are going out for dinner."

My dad's a musician who works in a shop that gives lessons so the last time I've seen him this happy is when he had a bunch of clients so that he got a pay raise.

"I'm in p.j.'s," I add just really not wanting to leave the house.

"It's Dutch Burger. It's open 24/7. Everyone will be in p.j.'s."

"Fine," my mom finally says, setting down my amazing grilled cheese.

Traitor.

I let out a sigh as my dad stops making my grilled cheese I was working on and go to my room to put on another one of my many hoodies and a pair of athletic shoes.

I come back out and put everything away, looking sadly at the grilled cheese as I throw it away. It would have never made it anyway...

My parents are already out in the car so I rush out and lock the front door before I go get in the car. I be sure to be careful when sitting down but not make it to obvious. It's so cold out already.

I close the door behind me as I get in the back seat of our Honda Accord making the air enough to choke you with how warm it is. The heater is this car has always worked just a little too well.

"What took you so long," my dad asks.

"I had to clean up the kitchen," I say as I buckle up.

I'm not afraid of cars because of what happened to my parents but I will not be caught dead without a seatbelt in a car.

"Oh, so I may have another potential buyer," my mom perks up, looking back to me.

"Which house? The small Victorian one?"

"No, but that would have seemed to probably fit them better. They were dressed in all black, super pale, didn't show an inch of skin. They even had floppy hats to cover their face for the most part. No, they wanted a white modern house."

"Vampires," my dad jokes.

"Possibly, Beth want a vampire for a friend? You would both already have something in common."

"Like what?"

"Both allergic to garlic, duh Beth, get with the times," she mocks, rolling her eyes at me.

"Just saying that means you were left in the ninety's," I joke back.

"Haha," my dad points at her.

We finally make it to the burger place and we all get out, walking quickly inside to get out of the cold. The place smells like fries, burgers and old soda that wasn't picked up soon enough, making the floor's annoyingly sticky when you walk.

That's when I see them. The guys. Why do they have to be here?

We order, not having to wait in line before we go sit down at a booth by the window. I don't even dare to look their way and bring any attention to myself.

"Hey Beth," my mom says giving me a dollar.

I smile and get up. Claw machine.

I'm not naturally gifted at many things, I have to work at a lot of what I do but the claw machine is what I rule at. If it was an Olympic sport I would get gold. Plus it's a good excuse to get further away from the guys.

"Get me the purple elephant," my mom shouts at me as I walk away a little faster.

Thanks, mom.

I head into their tiny gaming room with only three games and a tiny walkway, really only enough room for one person to be in.

I put in my dollar and a '2' shows up on a tiny screen for my turns. I move the joystick right where it needs to be before pushing the button. Like that it picks it up and moves it over before dropping it in the little box thing.

"Nice pajama pants."

I quickly turn my head and see Gray standing there in the doorway of the small arcade area with his elbow resting against the doorway. They found me. I roll my eyes playing off the surprise. I go to grab the purple elephant but Gray beats me to it grabbing it before I can.

"Really?" I say in an annoyed voice, but he just smiles at me.

"You seem to be pretty good, get me something?" He asks pulling out two quarters.

"Only if you give me back my elephant."

He hands it back to me smiling.

"What do you want?"

"Your choice."

I smile. I use my last play to pick up a pink tie-dye bear wearing, not a bow tie but a black tie. It goes a little off the exact center but one claw picks up the tag on its ear and the other picks up the small loop on it's back, keeping it from falling. I watch him roll his eyes at me as I grab it after it drops and I hand it to him.

"Jokes on you, I love the color pink."

I have one play left now. Gray stays there for a second longer.

"What brings you here?" He asks as I go for an orange tiger in the machine.

"Just, dinner with the family."

The claw picks up the tiger I was going for as it drops at the bottom.

"Hey Gray what are doing over-," A stops mid-sentence when he sees me standing there.

In my p.j. glory.

"Nice p.j. pants."

Knew it.

"Wait, I thought these games are rigged," A says.

"They are, they loosen the screws, I just so happened to find a way around it."

"How on earth do you beat a game designed to make you waste your money then? I have wasted at least two hundred dollars as a kid trying to get something out of one."

"You aim for two tags that line up or the head."

He nods and looks back to the game before reaching in his pocket.

"Wait how did you waste two hundred on this?"

"I mowed lawns like a pro just for this game-" he pulls out two quarters- "wanna win me something," he asks as he hands me the quarters.

"Sure."

I plug them in and pull out another stuffed animal. It might be a wolf but the face looks like it was thrown in the microwave before being sewn on so I'm not to sure what I just picked up for him.

I grab him out of the machine and toss him to A.

"That's a nice, child-friendly wolf right there," he says putting his hand on my shoulder, putting in front of us.

I use every bit of my being to no wince at the shock of pain spreading through the rest of my back. I put on my best, fake smile before looking for a way out and look over to see my parents getting their food.

"I got to go," I say using it as an excuse to leave.

I quickly walk over to my parents and take my seat.

"Your purple elephant."

"Your hamburger," my mom says as we trade off.

She puts the elephant beside her on the table as I do the same with my tiger and we all dig into our food. My parents talk and I stay in the background. I never needed to really have a say or anything like that I just like listening better. I guess I kinda just grew up that way. It made me mature and grow up to see reality a lot sooner than other kids my age ever did.

I can feel someone looking at me and take a quick glance to the table the other guys sit at and see them hold up their stuffed animals and I have to keep myself from smiling or laughing or it being too obvious I have my mind somewhere else.

I look back to my food and take another bite before glancing back over at them making ridiculous faces. I quickly cover my mouth with my hand to keep myself from laughing the food out of my own mouth.

My parents quickly stop mid-sentence and look over to me.

"What so funny?"

"Nothing," I say quickly as I swallow my food and look back down smiling.

"Such a weird kid."

"Thanks, mom," I say smiling.

They continue to talk and I go back to being silent. I don't look over at them again and just enjoy my food.

"We should get going," my dad says as he pulls out his phone to look at the time while I finish my drink.

I nod my head and we all pick up our things and pay before heading out to our car. I cross my arms and try to warm up my hands already. I can see my own breath with how thick the fog is at this point with how cold it is. Late December will do that to you. It's that kinda cold that sends shivers down your spine and makes the air smell like rain even though it hasn't rained in a few weeks now.

I jump in the back seat and quickly buckle up as my parents take a second. They stay outside the car for just a second longer to finish what they were saying before getting in.

They both buckle up and smile at one another before starting the car, the heat already hot enough to suffocate anyone and make your lungs heavy. It's not dry, or hot, but extremely warm.

What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.