Ash walked up the front steps of her house. She could not call this place home no matter how long she lived here. This place was not her home, just an in between place. She unlocked the door and went in. The mail was strewn on the floor from having been pushed through the door slot. She picked up the letters and starter to sort them. She placed the mail into the correct compartments and threw away the junk. She carried the circulars to the kitchen island. She had to do the laundry, wipe the counters, and tidy up the bathrooms. Chores were the first things that must be done. She also had to make sure the grocery list was updated for shopping tomorrow.

Essentially Ash was the help. A maid at their beck and call. That was exaggerating but the housework was her responsibilities. Always had been. There was a brief period, of about 3 months, that she thought she might be a part of the family. After the initial social service business and checks were cleared that all went away. The Steps made it clear that they were after the check that they would receive from housing her. If she didn’t want to end up with an abusive family or worst all she had to do was to earn her keep. That or take the chances in a Russian roulette of the system. It could always be worst. She was to do the housework, be seen and not herd and a portion of the check would be for her needs. The rest she would not ask about or tell in anyway what was going on. They would play family at the yearly court dates and semi-annual social visits. Even at 9 Ash wasn’t clueless to the ways of the world, especially after the time before her father was incarcerated.

Ash didn’t mind, she had a nice life and it could be worst. She had seen worst. In her initial placement, there were so many kids already there you could have had a little league team. It was the worst two weeks she had ever experienced. She needed to finish the chores so she could leave and meet up with Ash. If she did that they didn’t mind her being there and out of their hair. There would be no other place she would be anyway. Her and Robin had been friends since she moved in with them. That was her real home. As close to the one she had lost.