frayed at the ends.

[savannah joy murray]

School was out for the day and now it was time for Savannah to find herself a job. She had been in Arietta just a couple weeks and was seriously depleting her emergency cash. She had saved all her money from birthdays and christmas' since she could remember, only ever spending a few cents on candy. It was just lucky her foster parents were all nice enough people to give her anything for the holidays, even if it wasn't much. Anna had heard the horror stories from other children she was living with; of their abusive foster homes. It's what kept them all in fear, every day. That, and wondering if their parents would ever come back for them, those that still had parents. Savannah did, her mother. Still, it was the same feeling as if her mother had died - worse, her mother chose to leave her. It was something Savannah always thought was maybe a little bit her fault, though she really knew it wasn't. It was just the heartaches of life, the things you can't run away from no matter how hard you try.

Anyway, that was in the past now. Savannah had run from Chicago and child services - the system. She was legal in a year, but a lot could happen in 365 days. She was tired of being another serial number in the computer, tired of having social services talk to her every month about her foster family and her feelings like she was in need of mental help, and mostly, tired of waiting. She had been waiting seven years for her mother to come back, but finally let her go. She fell back down to reality and ran from it. From all of it. Now it was just her, what little belongings she had, a wad of cash, and the whole world - or Arietta, Maine for now. For her whole life she never knew what was coming next, and that scared her. But now, now that she was in charge of all her next moves, Savannah craved the adventure - the unknown.

As she left the school behind her and headed down Main Street, Savannah wondered how long it would take the office to realize she had no emergency contacts or home address in her file. Or that the ones she had put down were fake. Actually, they were real addresses just not associated with Arietta, she hoped. She hadn't done very thorough investigating before signing herself into school. She was old enough to do that now, seeing as sixteen was a legal age to drop out, but Savannah didn't want to drop out. She liked school and knew she'd get no where without some kind of education, even if it did stop at high school. She was certainly enough street smart to get by, enough to have lived the past couple weeks in the high school's gymnasium. She had enough money to put herself up in a cheap hotel, but there were more important things her cash was to be used for, like food. For the longest time she always felt homeless, and now that she truly was it didn't seem any different than if she were living with five other foster children.

Locating a diner, Savannah found herself a seat at the counter and pulled a menu toward her. She got a couple glances from people but nothing that said they were suspicious of her. Good. At least she could clean up enough she didn't look as pathetic as she truly was. The gym had locker rooms, meaning places to shower, and she managed to find a washer and dryer in the basement for sports uniforms and towels. Sh could only use it on Fridays, but it was better than not at all. She really was off to an okay start on her own in Maine, but if she didn't find herself a job soon she was going to get worse fast. The couple places she tried only wanted people of legal age, which was hard for her to play off considering she still looked about 15 and had no ID to prove otherwise except her school ID. She needed to be paid under the table so there was no trail, at least for the next year.

"What can I get for you, hun?" Savannah looked up at the waitress who was standing in front of her with kind eyes and an order pad. Anna quickly did some math in her head. A job. "Grilled cheese and water, please." Folding the menu, Savannah pulled out some of her school books and began to read while she waited for her order. When her grilled cheese arrived, the man who had been seated next to her got up and left, leaving his newspaper on the counter. Waiting for him to leave, in case he came back for it, Anna reached over to grab it and went right to the Classifieds. She needed a job as soon as humanly possible, she couldn't live in the school gym for the rest of her life.

tag ashton collins
status completed
notes anyone welcome! maybe someone with a job offer?! lol

[ashton olivia collins]

IMAGE COMING SOON!!!!!!

_{this post is tagged for savannah joy murray. it is complete and came to be
962 words. impressive, huh? the lyrics found in this post are from the song
to be determined. this post template was created by the one and only luna,
who does not appreciate stealing. additional notes: sorry, this kind of sucks.}

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Ash had been working all day in the diner, and her feet were starting to complain because of it. She had picked up an extra shift that day, knowing that she needed the money and it was a lot easier to work the diner than other means. By this point in the day, though, she was exhausted. She was tired of waiting tables and she was hungry and really all she wanted to do was sleep. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. The woman that lived next door to her had a very active personal life and the walls were incredibly thin. A good night’s sleep seemed like an impossible idea, or at least a quiet night’s sleep. She was starting to understand why her apartment had been so cheap. She had been glad to come across it at the time, but now she was regretting taking it. If she didn’t get sleep soon, Ashton was going to start to get cranky and that would make for one very unpleasant waitress. Right now, though, she was somehow able to keep it together. On her lunch break she had fallen asleep in the back room and hadn’t actually gotten to eat so she was quite upset about that. Her stomach was growling with hunger and she glanced at the clock. There was only a half an hour left on her shift. Soon she would be off and she could get her meal from Hank, the cook. He was saving her a hot turkey sandwich and a piece of carrot cake, which she was very grateful for. She was starving, and the more she thought about the food that awaited her the hungrier she got.

A young blonde girl came in and took a seat at one of her tables. Ashton sighed, put on a smile and walked towards her, pad at the ready to take her order. "What can I get for you, hun?" She kept her pleasant demeanor, putting on a smile and making the young girl feel welcome. She looked to be high school aged, and with a glance at the clock Ash realized she must have just gotten out of school. It made her slightly curious as the why she wasn’t at home getting her food, but the nineteen year old wouldn’t ask or inquire into it. She wasn’t a curious gossip like most people in this small little town. After only six months in town the people seemed to know her name, though it probably didn’t help that she had been arrested on several occasions. That tended to get you noticed. But she wasn’t one to pry or read into things. She had been there, done that, and despite her criminal record, Ash was quite a private person. She liked to keep to herself and didn’t like people to pry. That tended to happen when you grew up as a foster child. You didn’t always like for people to know the truth about where you came from and what you had been through, though the answer was often obvious. "Grilled cheese and water, please." Ashton smiled and nodded, writing the girl’s order in her notepad. “Coming right up.” She walked away from the table and handed Hank the slip so he could fill it. She took care of the few other tables she had before she went back and got the young girl’s food, taking it to the table and sitting it in front of her.

Things were a little slow after that and Ash was able to sit down momentarily, letting her feet rest. As she sat there, she couldn’t help but watch the young blonde girl that had sat down at her table. There was something about the girl, something vaguely familiar. It wasn’t that she had met her before or anything like that, but more like there was something there that Ashton wasn’t seeing or getting. She watched as she ate her food and then later as she snatched the newspaper from a nearby table. That was a curious move and one that Ash knew very well. She had done that exact same thing before. Several times, actually. She looked up at the clock and then over at Hank. “Hey, it’s pretty slow now, care if I go ahead and clock out?” She offered him a smile. “I’ll still look after my last table.” He looked past her and in the direction of the girl. He nodded slowly and went to get her food. “Oh! And can I have an extra piece of cake, please?” She offered him that smile again and she could tell by the look that crossed through his eyes that he knew exactly what it was she was doing. He returned with her sandwich and the two pieces of cake. She took them and grabbed her drink, walking over to the table. “Can I sit with you?” she asked, but took a seat before the girl could answer. She sat the plates down and pushed one of the cakes towards the young girl. “On the house, eat up.” She didn’t really give the girl to argue.

Ash bit into her sandwich, her stomach thrilled that it was finally getting fed. She couldn’t remember when she had ate last, so she was thinking this could possibly be the best sandwich in the world. She ate half of the sandwich in relative silence, practically inhaling it she was so hungry. She paused a moment in her eating to speak, though, attempting to engage the girl in conversation. “So whatcha looking for in the paper there? Or are you just one of those kids who likes to read the paper?” Not likely as very few high school kids ever liked to read the paper.

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[/blockquote]

[savannah joy murray]

It really couldn't be that hard for her to find a job, especially someone who was in desperate need of employees. She would even resort to the greeter at WalMart if nothing else looked promising. What she needed though was a job that paid under the table so there was no way for her to be traced if the authorities were still looking. It had only been a week, chances are they still were. She didn't know what the minimal time was before they gave up, but she had a feeling it was longer than 7 days. 14 maybe. She was a runaway foster child after all, the only reason they were still looking for her was so they wouldn't get ripped a new one for child neglect. Or maybe they were afraid she was one of the bad apples that committed felonies in place of the usual misdemeanors people such as herself usually commit - shoplifting. Well, whatever the reason, she wasn't getting caught because of it. The consequences probably wouldn't be severe, it was just that she didn't want to be placed with another foster family that also had a bunch of other kids. She hated being used for the monthly government check all her foster parents received, whether that was the reason behind their kindness or not.

Savannah set her paper aside for a moment so she could clear off her school books and slide them back into her bag, leaving more room for the newspaper and her food. As soon as she had cleaned off the table, her order arrived. "Thank you." She glanced at her waitress, deciding she wasn't too much older than Anna, but she was probably better off. She had a job that paid, probably a nice home to go to with parents - real parents, and a boyfriend. Anna wasn't really looking for the boyfriend part, but it was nice to fantasize about at any rate. Some day. Sliding her grilled cheese and water to the side so she wasn't sticking the paper in it, she folded it as much as she could while still having a large enough chunk of ads to read through. Most of them required some sort of college degree or personal experience - accountant, plumber. Pizza delivery girl would have been good, if she had a car. With each ad she read, the less hopeful she became. Why did her life have to be so difficult?! Oh yeah, because she made it that way. Still, it was preferred to foster care.

Frustrated, Savannah dropped the paper on the table and placed her grilled cheese over top of it. It wasn't being of any help. She was going to have to start going door to door again. That made her look desperate, but desperate was what she was. Maybe she could play the pity card, something she hated doing. It just didn't seem that her bubbly personality was being of much help for her. She wanted things to be done her way, but her way wasn't proving effective. Eventually she was going to be breaking into the school's vending machines, something she was saving only for emergencies. Halfway through her sandwich the waitress reappeared. Because she had food in her mouth Savannah wasn't able to answer her question but nodded in response, which she needn't have. The girl sat down anyway. Anna eyed the two pieces of cake the watiress had set on the table. Someone loved their cake, didn't they? She wasn't going to judge, but Marie Antionette crossed her mind, "let them eat cake, then." This turned Anna into wondering if she should be insulted. When one of the pieces was slid across the table to Anna, she took back her nasty comment. "Thanks." Was she that obvious? It never occurred to her that people would place her right from the off. She thought she had been doing a good job of being casual.

Anna left the cake unattended until she finished her grilled cheese. She was brought up that dessert before the meal was unheard of and no matter how awesome that cake looked she would stick to her teachings. “So whatcha looking for in the paper there? Or are you just one of those kids who likes to read the paper?” "As a matter of fact, I have been known to enjoy the funnies on occasion." Though after today's negative experience with the paper she wouldn't be surprised if she never picked one up again. "But, today I've limited myself to the Wanted Ads, which have been of no help in bringing me employment." Anna gave the paper a look of utter disgust, thinking that tearing it to shreds might help her feel at least a little bit better. The day had started out pretty good, she didn't get into it with any of her teachers or random people in the hall. She had thought good fortune was going to be on her side today, obviously not. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone looking for help, would you?" It was worth a shot, the worst she could say was no.

tag ashton collins
status complete
notes finally got to it!

[ashton olivia collins]

IMAGE COMING SOON!!!!!!

_{this post is tagged for savannah joy murray. it is complete and came to be
831 words. impressive, huh? the lyrics found in this post are from the song
to be determined. this post template was created by the one and only luna,
who does not appreciate stealing. additional notes: sorry, this kind of sucks.}

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Ash was in uncharted waters here, not completely sure how to approach the situation and deal with it. She was rather sure of herself, but if she was wrong about this the situation could turn into a rather bad one. She knew how it was to be there. Alone in a new town, not knowing anyone and having no one around that cared whether you were okay or not. Upon coming to this little town on the coast of Maine, Ash had been unemployed, homeless, and completely and utterly alone. It wasn’t a good feeling either, but orphans tended to get used to it. You got extremely used to no one wanting, to no one caring. That was just the way it was. Kids like her got lost in the system, ignored and forgotten, left to fend for themselves. And once you turned eighteen and legally became an adult, no one at all cared. You were thrown out on your own to fend for yourself, and if you didn’t make it no one cared. Ashton had learned the survival techniques early in life. No one was going to give her anything. If she wanted something she had to come up with the means to get it herself. Otherwise she got nothing. Ash wasn’t one to fail and she was determined to do whatever it was that she had to do. So she had been caught and thrown in jail more times than she could count, and she was a first name basis with most law enforcement officials. She got what she needed and she was no worse off than she was now.

Ashton figured she couldn’t go wrong with free desert, though. All girls liked sweet deserts. "Thanks." Ash offered her a smile before digging into her sandwich. If anything, this desert would give her favor with the young girl and get her talking. Though if Ashton was right about this girl, she wasn’t going to offer all that much. Not that Ash could blame her. After six months in this town there wasn’t anyone who could say they really knew her. She was a liar by nature, dodging questions related to her past and her family, often telling lies and forging stories that were far from true. She didn’t want people knowing her past or knowing she had once been a foster child. Kids like her weren’t always treated the best and were seen in a negative light. Besides, it was no one’s business but her own. There was one person, though, that she felt she could talk to about such things. He was a new addition to her life and for some reason Ash found herself telling him the truth. But he was an exception. No one else got truths like that. "As a matter of fact, I have been known to enjoy the funnies on occasion." Not exactly what she had meant, but she laughed anyway. "But, today I've limited myself to the Wanted Ads, which have been of no help in bringing me employment." Ahhh, the infamous wanted ads. Ash herself had searched them many a times, though she had gotten nowhere herself a lot of the time. Wanted ads were hardly ever helpful, she had found out, especially when it came to trying to find a puppy. Ash had gotten it in her head once that she had wanted a Dalmatian puppy, but it had soon ended when she had first found out how much they cost to take care of and second when she had been unable to find one. Some day maybe she’d get to have one, but where she was at now that wasn’t going to happen. She could barely feed herself. There was no way she could feed a big dog too.

"You wouldn't happen to know anyone looking for help, would you?" Not really, though she would definitely try to help. The fact that the girl was searching for a job made her feel all the more sure. “Well I think I heard my boss talking about needing to hire another waitress. You could always check there. Other than that, no, not really.” She offered a small smile. “It’s a small town, though, I’m sure there’s someone around here who needs help.” She finished off her sandwich, pushing that plate aside and bringing her cake closer. “So where you from… sorry, I don’t know your name.” She took a bite of her cake. “I’m pretty new here, so I don’t exactly know everyone, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you around before.” It wasn’t odd that she didn’t know everyone here. She liked to keep her head down and didn’t really get involved. However, after a while you started to recognize people who came around a lot, and names in the town gossip were a lot of the time the same. Still, that was not the point. Maybe getting some information out of her would help things along. Who knew.

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[/blockquote]

[savannah joy murray]

As she worked on the remaining half of her sandwich, Anna studied the waitress sitting across from her. There was something not right about the small talk she was trying to push on Anna. Okay, it wasn't like she was twisting her arm, Anna enjoyed talking to other people, but she was conscious of the words that came from her mouth. Careful with the ones she chose. One slip and she could be in the back of a police car headed to the station until child services came to get her. Which would take hours. They don't care until you run but after a few days they begin looking less and less then your file gets shoved aside, perhaps even lost. If you were to turn up again it takes longer to pull up the file than it would to just pick you up. In a way, Savannah was glad for this. Her file might even be gone by now for all she knew, but until she was 100% certain she was in the clear, she was treading lightly. She wanted to be nearly invisible; however, she wasn't doing a very good job of it. She was too outgoing to hide and hiding didn't help her situation any. No, she was better off just being careful with what she said and who she said things to.

“Well I think I heard my boss talking about needing to hire another waitress. You could always check there. Other than that, no, not really.” "I'll do that, thanks." She had thought about it the moment she walked in, but her growling stomach cut in line. Even through her suspicion, Anna had to admit to herself that it would be okay working with this waitress. She seemed nice enough, Anna could see herself getting along with her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about her Anna seemed to relate to. She felt like she was being read like a simple children's book. It scared her, but at the same time she felt a bit...relieved. If that made any sense at all. She wasn't going to dwell on it too much though before she over analyzed the situation. Perhaps the waitress was just looking for some company while she took her break, using the cake as incentive for Anna to stay and chat. There, simple.

When the waitress mentioned it being a small town Anna raised her brow in an "that's an understatement" sort of way. So small that anyone who needed help already had a handful of friends to get it from. Friends they knew. Anna was the outsider in Arietta. No one knew her story so they didn't know if she was as trustworthy as she appeared. She was, really and truly, but telling people that didn't seem to be enough. “So where you from… sorry, I don’t know your name. I’m pretty new here, so I don’t exactly know everyone, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you around before.” And there it was. The interrogation began. Anna's guard dog was at the door growling a warning to the waitress standing on the other side. "And you're right. I've been here about a week. I'm from Pittsburgh, name's Savannah, or Anna whichever. Her name was as honest as she ever got with people. Of course this was enough for them to make a few calls and find out who she really was, but that never crossed her mind until it was already too late. Still, without knowing her home-city being Chicago, not Pittsburgh, it would take them a but longer to track her down. At any rate, this waitress didn't appear to be as threatening as, say, someone older would be. Then Savannah would have reason to believe they were child services workers. Yeah, she was a bit paranoid, but who wouldn't be that was in her situation?! Pulling the cake in front of her, she dug in. Her sweet tooth was in ecstasy. "And you are?"