Ellie and Chuck had been home for nearly a week now. It was strange to be back in Encino, which was odd since it was supposed to be home. It just didn't feel like home right now. Maybe because it was now officially in her name after she signed a bunch of forms yesterday.

( Cut for a bit of canon angst! )

After class, Ellie stopped at JGOB to purchase a cupcake for herself. After all, today was her birthday. Why not indulge a little in baked goods? It wasn't just any birthday. She could now vote if she wanted to. It also meant she was more likely to be even more responsible in a legal sense. Was she now responsible for the house in Encino? Was she ( Read more... )

Ellie was sitting outside on the steps of her assigned cabin. There was just too much literal baggage in her alcove. There was the big suitcase labeled ABANDONMENT ISSUES. Of course there were many smaller ones labeled DADDY ISSUES. No abandonment luggage set would be complete without MOMMY ISSUES. Then there were the duffels labeled PROTECTIVE ( Read more... )

Ellie glanced at two phone numbers that were programmed into her cellphone. One was the phone number to her house in Encino. The other was her father's cellphone number. Every now and then, like right now, she pondered calling these numbers, hoping he would answer. Everytime the house phone rang, she was relieved because it meant it hadn't been ( Read more... )