Phillip excused her and said, “I will drive you down.” “

  No, thank you, I’ll walk,” Ana said in a low, depressed tone.

  Charleigh came back to sit down. “Wow, I thought it was going to get heated,” she said.

  Andrea shook her head. “She was right. Why should she be in the class if she can’t audition.?” she said.

  “She’s grounded. This is her punishment. We have to follow through,” Phillip said stubbornly.

  “Dear, you grounded her indefinitely.”

  “Oh yeah, I did. Well, it hasn’t been a week yet. I’ll talk to her later.”

  “Where is she anyway? Charleigh asked.

  “She’s gone to the barn to clean out the stalls,” Phillip said.

  Charleigh immediately thought of Travis. “Hey Andy, let me help you with the dishes,” she said, motioning to the kitchen. Andrea followed her, carrying dishes. Once they were in the kitchen, Charleigh whispered, “Hey dummy, remember we saw Travis on the road?”

  “Oh, you’re right. You don’t think he’s there, do you?”

  “I don’t know. I hope not. It was kind of creepy.”

  “We’ll take a ride down there in a minute just to make sure.” They finished the dishes quickly then snuck out to ride down by the barn. Andrea leaned over a little as they rode and said, “It’s not that I don’t want Philip to know. I just know how he is.”

  “I understand. Let’s just see what’s going on first, then if he needs to know, you can tell him.”

  Ana had been away from the house for about twenty minutes, and if she walked, she would have gotten to the barn about five minutes ago. Andrea was driving her car, and as they pulled down the road, they saw a truck parked in the tree line just past the drive to the stables. Andrea stopped before they got too close to the truck. “What should we do?” Andrea asked.

  “Go in through the pasture. It will allow us to see him and what’s going on from the back of the barn.” They drove slowly down the dirt road. “It looks like he’s texting on his phone.”

  “Yeah, wonder who?” Andrea said, insinuating it was Ana by her tone. Charleigh raised her eyebrows. She knew Andrea was probably right. They saw Diane’s car as they pulled to the far side of the main barn. “Wonder how long she’s been there?”

  “You should know, you have the telepathic connection. Stop the car, let’s sit here and watch. We already know Diane is there, so Ana is fine,” Charleigh said.

  “Good point,” Andrea said as she turned off the car. Travis got out and slammed the truck door. You could barely see his face, but you could make out what he was doing. He looked like he was on the phone and was pacing outside his truck. Suddenly, he threw his phone on the ground. It looked like he opened a cooler in the back of his truck.

  “Looks like he’s a little pissed off,” Charleigh said.

  “Look, he’s leaving,” Andrea said. Travis backed up and pulled down the road without passing the entrance to the stables.

  “What should we do now?” Charleigh asked.

  “We’re going in there,” Andrea said as she pointed to the main barn and started the car.

  “Oh hell, here we go.”

  “Char, when you have a teenage daughter, and you are stalking her outside of some building, I’m going to remind you of this.” They pulled up and could hear Diane talking to Ana. They walked toward the noise.

  “Well, you shouldn’t have answered his text,” Diane said, scolding Ana.

  “He said if I didn’t call him, he was going to come over here,” Ana tried to explain.

  “The only thing I heard was you say you're not allowed. That’s when I knew who you were talking to.”

  “Exactly, I was telling him not to come here. You don’t trust me either. God-a-mighty, when are you going to listen to me? I don’t want anything to do with him. Do you think I’m stupid? Mom would kill me, and Dad thinks I’m a whore already,” Ana ranted. Diane and Ana had no idea Char and Andrea were there.

  At Ana’s words, Andrea and Charleigh locked eyes. “That’s your cue,” Charleigh whispered as she started to move into the light towards them.

  They heard Diane say, “Ana, I hope you're not lying.” She paused as she handed a shovel to Ana. Andrea walked into the room and propped herself against the door, crossing her right foot over her left and crossing her arms. Charleigh stayed out of view. Diane and Ana looked very surprised by Andrea’s presence.

  “Oh, freaking great,” Ana said under her breath. “I’m not looking at my phone.” Ana handed Diane the phone and walked off. “I’ve got stuff to do.” Ana walked past them into the farthest stall.

  Charleigh walked out, picked up a pitchfork, and followed Ana. “Hey, baby girl, you need some help?” Charleigh asked and winked. Ana looked up at her, worry in her eyes. “It’s ok, Ana. Let’s get the dung done.” Charleigh smiled. Ana smiled back, and they emptied the stall together.

  Diane and Andrea discussed what had just transpired. Andrea said, “I don’t think she knew he was over there on that road, at least not by this text.”

  Diane agreed. “Well, I don’t know why he’s hanging around, but it needs to stop.” Andrea agreed and sat down in a rocking chair. “I think she’s telling the truth, Andrea. I don’t think she wants to be involved with him any longer.”

  “I know, Di. I don’t want her down here alone, though. What if that freak shows up here? I don’t have a good feeling about him. He was clearly angry on the phone, and then it looked like he was getting something out of a cooler, I’m assuming alcohol.”

  “Yeah, I will come down here with her, and I’m going to tell Jeffrey to keep an eye out for him in the area.”

  “He’ll shoot him.”

  “Exactly. That’s what I want him to do if he comes near her,” Diane said, and Andrea laughed. They walked down to where Ana and Charleigh were. “Hey, girls, about done?” Diane asked. Ana nodded.

  “Come on, let’s go back to the house. Charleigh has a favorite game she loves to play when she comes over,” Andrea said.

  Charleigh yelled, “Heck yeah, girls’ night!” and started dancing, grabbing Andrea’s hands, spinning her around, and dipped her. Ana laughed and walked up to Diane, slapping her hard on the butt, then running steps away from her. Diane spun around smiling, chased her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and kissed her all over her face. Ana laughed.

  “Stop it, yuck,” Ana said playfully. Ana jumped in Diane’s car. “Come on, I’m driving,” Ana said, and Charleigh jumped in. “We’re going through the woods. She has more clearance than mom.”

  Andrea and Diane got in Andrea’s car and headed back up the road. Diane rolled down the window and reached over, honking the horn at Ana. “Hey, be careful. Don’t get my truck dirty and hurry up. I don’t want to come after you,” Diane yelled.

  The rest of the evening until after ten, they played card games and laughed at Charleigh telling funny stories about Andrea. Diane and Andrea talked about when they were in college. Ana went to bed that night, happy. Charleigh had her own room, but she slept with Ana. They laid in the darkness and talked for what felt like hours.

  The next morning Andrea decided she should tell Phillip about Travis being on the road near the stables. She was worried for Ana’s safety, and until someone else was hired to be there, she didn’t want Ana there alone. “Do you think she’ll meet up with him?” Phillip asked.

  “No, but I feel like he would show up if he could,” Andrea answered. “Why else would he be on that road twice yesterday?”

  “Yes, you're probably right. Maybe I should call and see if Jeffrey can have someone do the stables, and Ana can take someone if she wants to go riding or whatever. I don’t want her down there alone either.”

  “So that means she can audition for the play?”

  “Yes, it does. I will talk to her.”

  Ana and Charleigh were sleeping. It was only 8 a.m. Ana texted Brittani around noon. “Hey, I’m off horse duty,” Ana wrote. “Want to come over? We can do a read through.”

  “Are you sure your mom won’t be mad,” Brittani asked.

  “I’m sure. It already been cleared by administration,” Ana said, laughing. “I can come tomorrow, is that ok?” Brittani asked.

  “Sure,” Ana said. Tomorrow was Sunday, so Brittani would come over after evening youth church service.

  “Hey, you should go with me to church. I mean, do you go to church?” Brittani asked.

  “We haven’t, but I did in the U.S. let me ask. I mean, who says you can’t go to church? That would be against some ethical rule, right?” Ana said.

  Later, Andrea was reading papers from work when Ana came into the den. “Hey Mom, can I go to church with Brittani?” Ana asked.

  “Brittani goes to church?” Andrea asked.

  “Mom, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Ana replied, quoting Romans 3:23.

  “Wow, listen to you quote scripture. I can drop you off. Is she coming here for dinner?” Andrea asked.

  “Yes, thank you, Mom.” Ana wore jeans to church. Her mom dropped her off for the youth service at 5:30. The church, Waterlife, was a modern Christian church. It had a small congregation. Andrea was skeptical of megachurches and found them fake, in her opinion. Ana had been raised Baptist in faith. Andrea and Phillip had attended a catholic church. Although, they hadn’t gone in a few years. She thought maybe they should try to start going again for Ana and Drake. It’s not that she didn't enjoy going to church, she’d just gotten tired of the typical church drama, and with Phillip’s title, it seemed to be exaggerated.

  Ana and Brittani sat beside each other in a large room with twentyish chairs placed in a circle. The youth leader, James, was a slender guy, around thirty-five years old. He was well dressed and seemed very secure in himself. He and his wife Heather lead the youth and young adult classes. Brittani and her family had been attending Waterlife for two years. Youth members filled the chairs with only one or two empty seats. Brittani introduced Ana to the group, and a teenage girl asked, “Are you the baby that was missing for like ever? Yeah, aren't you Duke Hutchinson’s daughter?”

  Ana didn’t really know how to act. She’d never been asked that in public before. “Yeah, I guess.” Ana’s face flushed.

  “So, you’re Anastasia Hutchinson. I remember that story from a long time ago. Wow, I’m so happy you made it home to your parents,” James said, not knowing if the last part of his comment made sense.

  “So you have two families? How did you find out?” a boy in the class asked.

  Ana was getting nervous and didn’t want to delve into the story of how she was reunited with her family. James sensed her anxiety and said, “We are so glad Anastasia is here with us, but let’s not make her uncomfortable. As far as those questions, one day when we get to know her, she may tell us her story, but until then, we need to respect her privacy.”

  Ana was relieved they weren’t still sitting there waiting for her to answer. As soon as James stopped talking, two girls to Ana’s right began whispering, making Ana feel very insecure. James played an inspirational video and music he had for the lesson. Then the group had discussion. The message was about true friends. Specifically how to be a true friend, meaning someone who builds others' spirits and faith in Christ. James spoke about how not to be a flesh-feeding friend who only contributes to the wants and desires of the flesh and doesn’t stimulate the spirit. Ana had heard the term ‘flesh’ throughout sermons many times. Ana had had flesh-feeding friends all her life, yet she really only had a few true friends. She thought of Jude and Natilee and her friend from childhood, Krissie, and her cousin Nicole. The class ended, and James and Heather both thanked Ana for coming and said she was welcome anytime. Brittani drove Ana home for dinner.

  “You’re staying, right?” Ana asked.

  Brittani turned off the car and answered, “Yes.”

  When Ana and Brittani walked into the house, Nellie was in the kitchen. “Hello, how are you two this evening?” Nellie asked.

  Ana said, “Great, thank you.”

  “Dinner is ready, so don’t go too far. Your dad is already out on the patio. He must be hungry.” Ana walked out on the patio; Phillip was looking at his iPad.

  He took off his glasses and laid them on the table, and said., “Hello, how was service?”

  “Fine,” Ana replied. Andrea soon joined the group, and they had dinner. Brittani was comfortable after Andrea asked them about the play. Andrea was interested in the production, and she was eager for Ana to feel like she belonged.

  Andrea looked at Brittani, “Where do you plan on going to college?”

  “I’m seriously thinking about St. Catherine’s. They have a wide variety of interesting programs.”

  “Oh, really? What do you think you will choose,” asked Ana.

  “I think it’s between education and psychology degree. My mom’s a teacher. I love watching the minds of little children as they learn.” Brittani said, shrugging her shoulders. Ana grinned and kicked Brittani under the table. Ana knew Brittani was lying to impress her parents.

  “Have you thought about any majors that may interest you?” Phillip asked.

  “I always wanted to be an army nurse, but that isn’t going to happen, so who knows. I like medical stuff. I would love to be a doctor, but I don’t have the grades. I love that movie where Brad Pitt cuts out his brother's heart and brings it home in a box when he died in the war. I always told Jude I was going to do that for him if he was killed, and he would say he didn’t think it would make it through customs,” Ana said, laughing. The others laughed at Ana.

  “You can be a nurse Ana,” said Phillip.

  “Yeah, but I can’t jump out of helio’s, and crap like the soldiers do,” Ana said.

  “You know war isn’t fun, it’s not like on T.V. I would rather be on my own soil, working behind a desk every day, than to be fighting,” Phillip went on to say. Ana looked confused like she was missing something.

  “Ana, your dad was in the British Air force for eight years. He deployed to Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm,” Andrea said quietly.

  “Oh, that explains it,” Ana said.

  Ana and Brittani took the dishes to the kitchen, and then they headed upstairs to the family room. They spent the rest of the evening reading through the play and talking about Corbin from class. “You know he likes you,” Brittani said, laughing.

  “He doesn't even know me; clearly nobody does after the questions I was asked at Waterlife.”

  “Oh god, I know. I thought you were going to freak out. It has to feel crazy to know that kidnappers raised you, and you lived through hell while Andrea and Phillip were searching for you. Not to mention your dad is a Duke. You’re lucky, right?” Brittany asked.

  “Lucky isn’t the right word. I don't know how to describe it. I have always felt blessed that I had the ability to rise above my situation. Back at the Academy, I felt like I had finally reached a place where I couldn’t be touched by the Peterson’s. I felt free and secure, although, now I think back, I realize I didn’t have any stability, except for what I could provide for myself, and that wasn’t much.” Ana said, staring off in thought.

  “Wow, that’s deep. You're going to do great in your audition. Just channel up some of that,” Brittani said, making Ana smile.

  At nine o’clock, Jude called. He informed her that his graduation and pinning would be in six weeks. He expressed to her he was saddened she wouldn’t be there. Ana wouldn’t have been graduating with Jude anyway, but that didn’t matter. Ana wanted to be there.

  Jude asked. “Do you think you could come?”

  “I don’t think so, Jude. I’ll have to ask to be sure,” Ana replied. Ana thought at least school would be over. That was one thing she had going for her. They talked more about his plans and about Natilee’s boyfriend, Ryan.

  “I just want to see you again. I know it can’t be forever, but maybe one day it can. I will be in training for roughly a year, so who knows what we will be doing in year?” he said.

  “I’ll be here, finishing high school or maybe at St. Catherine’s College, if I’m lucky. Jude, my life is so much different now.” Ana said.

  “Yeah, I can see that…Ana, are you dating anyone?” he asked.

  “No, are you?” Ana asked.

  “No, I’m not, and I have to go to the formal at the end of the year. If you were here, you could go with me.” He said happily, creating that vision in her head. Ana smiled and wished with her whole heart she could go with him. She would love to see him in his fancy uniform and tie.

  “I would love to go, Jude. You know that I want to be with you.” Ana said, then realized how it sounded.

  “I want you too, Ana, more than you know,” he said in a low voice.

  “I will try very hard to convince my mother to let me come to see your pinning, I promise,” Ana promised, but had doubts her parents would even consider giving her permission. They ended the call, and her heart ached a little. She felt like she was losing something she never truly experienced.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Jude, Please

  Andrea walked down the hall to the kitchen. It was seven a.m. on Saturday morning, and she was the first person up in the Hutchinson household. Drake was home for the weekend. His door was shut. Phillip was still asleep in their bed. She had done this every morning for years. She checked on Drake then looked into Anastasia’s nursery as she walked toward the stairs. The rocking chair that used to sit by the window had been moved. It was now in her bedroom by the window. And for the last six months, she had passed Ana’s room to see her lying there in her bed, a pair of shoes scattered somewhere near the bed and usually her iPad or phone on the floor. This morning she saw a book bag in the corner, splayed open, and a laptop shut on the desk. In the past, Andrea had never shut the door to Anastasia’s nursery, and it was always referred to as her room. Even before, when it was so empty and only inhabited by a few pictures and a rocking chair. Maybe subconsciously, she had feared that if she shut the door or called the room anything else, she had lost the hope of ever finding her lost baby girl. What used to be a sad reminder was now a new joy. She stopped and peered into her room, whispering, “Thank you, God,” because she knew it was a miracle, a true miracle, her child had been found. Andrea had nothing but positive aspirations for Ana. She could see so much potential and life in her, and she could feel how happy Ana made her just with her presence. Ana did not view herself in the same way. She’d always had to hide her emotions in order to overcome. Andrea knew Anastasia’s childhood had been rough, but she would never know the extent of the neglect and abuse Ana had endured. Andrea believed that God gave her back Anastasia for a reason, and that reason was to save her from something. What, she didn't understand, but that didn't matter. She was her mother, and she would go to the end of the earth for her even if Ana opposed. She did not desire to give her a lavish lifestyle and unrealistic praise. Ana’s life had been a journey for sure, and her journey continued. It would be easy to ignore the reality that Ana had such a past. Past influences, past loves, and past emotions may carry over into her current life. She had the nature part down, she was genetically blessed, but the Peterson’s had forever ruined the nurture influence on her life, at least until now. It hurt Andrea that Ana never knew how much she was loved as a child, never knew that her mother yearned for her. Andrea would sometimes hear Anastasia talk in her sleep. The first time it happened, Ana had been in their home only a week. It was near midnight, and Andrea was in bed working on her computer. She heard a voice and went to Ana’s door. Andrea called Ana’s name, but she didn’t answer, so she walked to her bedside. Ana was asleep but talking, with tears running down her cheeks. She looked hot, and her brow was furrowed like she was uncomfortable. Andrea tried to wake her gently with no success. As she watched, Ana continued to talk and cry in broken words. Andrea sat on the side of her bed and put her hands on her arms. She tried to calm her. When this didn’t work, she began to talk to her, “Ana, it’s ok, I’m here, Ana.” She didn't know if Ana could hear her or if she would recognize her voice. Ana sat up in bed and screamed,