Angela sighed as she stared up at the average and somewhat run down house where she was currently staying with her latest and hopefully last set of foster parents. All she needed to do was finish out this last year of school, get accepted into the Academy and then she was off this shit hole of a planet. Just had to stay focus and not let herself get distracted or put off course, she was not going to prove those bastards who had been her foster parents right by failing. She was worth something and she was determined to prove it to them, now if she could just get into the house up to her room without having a confrontation with them she would be beyond grateful.<br/><br/>Taking a deep breath she straightened herself, holding her chin high as she walked up the stairs then waved her hand over the scanner to unlock the front door. Holding her breath she slowly opened the door, then tried to slip inside without making too much noise as to not alert the adults she knew were in the livingroom. The shut with a soft click while Angela basically crept slowly to the stairs, her foot hitting the first step and the wood creaked from her weight prompting her to pause and see if the soft noise of conversation changed at all. After a heart beat or two and no change she continued on and made it to the fourth step before her phone went off making her swear under her breath just as, "ANGELA! GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!"<br/><br/>Grumbling she checked the message on her phone, promising to punch Calvin from Biology in the face for choosing at that moment to message her about the stupid project they were working on.<br/><br/>"NOW!" was barked out to her making her jump a bit as she rushed down the stairs and into the livingroom, her foster parents standing now away from the couch where she knew they had been sitting. Her 'mother' the one who had shouted for her stood, arms crossed over chest, foot tapping and glaring at her while her 'father' just stood there looking tired and regretful like usual.<br/><br/>"Yes?" Angela asked not being able to keep her tone neutral, it showing her complete exhaustion and wanting nothing to do with either of them right now.<br/><br/>"What do you have to say for yourself?" Madeline, her 'mother' asked as she gestured angrily toward the television. Now Madeline was about 50 and showed it, all wrinkles, stooped shoulders with hands gnarled and rough looking from the years of hard labor and arthritis that had ravaged them. Her body was plump and sagging, age having shrunken her down from her proud 5'9 to now a modest 5'4 her; her hair greying almost white even with tired and seemly always displeased brown eyes.<br/><br/>Angela looked at the screen and saw herself on her knees before what looked to be the local cops, with the news reporting of violence against Ferals and terrorist activity. How fortunate of her that they did not show any of the footage of her helping to save the day....sighing she just ran her hands through her hair. "I doubt you will believe me even if I told you the truth so how about we skip the lecture and just move to you grounding me that way we can all just continue with our evening?"<br/><br/>Her foster father James, who stood behind his wife at an impressive 6'1, with a bald head and caring blue eyes he looked down at the ground. Despite his size and overall intimidating presence it was obvious that he was subservient to his smaller wife, "Maddy I am sure there is some kind of a mistake...Angela has been doing really good in school lately....and..."<br/><br/>"Shut up JIM! Don't stand there and try to defend this little brat who has done nothing but cause us grief and headaches! She is nothing but a burden on society and should have been left to die with her parents!" Madeline spat out looking at Angela the whole time.<br/><br/>Angela became very still but she made no move to strike at her foster mother though that was what she really wanted to do, as it was her fists were clenched so tight that she was hurting herself. Instead she just took a deep breath holding back the tears that wanted to fall, "I wish that I did too...because then I would be with them and not here with your evil ass" she said in a cold tone before giving Jim a look that was almost a 'thank you' before she turned on her heel and stormed off upstairs.<br/><br/>"NO DINNER  FOR YOU TONIGHT! AND YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR THE WHOLE WEEK!" Maddy shouted up after her before she sat down with a huff back on the couch. Jim sighed and returned to his seat as well, basically helpless in the face of his wife's wraith.<br/><br/>Later the evening he went to Angela's room knocking softly on the door, "I brought you a sandwich...." he says softly knowing that Angela was still awake because she had trouble sleeping at night due to the nightmares that still plagued her even to this day. He set on the floor outside her door, "I am sorry....she is...well....I am sorry...." is all he was able to say before he moved away and headed back to the room he shared with his wife.<br/><br/>When his footsteps had retreated Angela opened her door and took the most appreciated food, seeing how she had missed lunch today with all the commotion. If not for his wife Angela was probably sure that she and Jim would have gotten along perfectly, just like an actual father and daughter or perhaps more like a grandparent and grandchild would. But with Madeline around each of them were afraid to do anything least they incur her wraith, so they just tip-toed around in the house like a couple of ghosts waiting for something to change.