Summary: Rosie has hopped about Foster Care her whole life. She finally finds her chance to breakaway, and she takes it. She only just found out who her real parents were. Now it's time to find them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Neighbours or any other publicly known entities that may feature in the publishing of this fanfiction. The only things I own are my original characters (Which will grow with time):
- Rosie James
- Katherine James (Deceased)
- William James (Deceased )
- Amanda 'Mandy' Dawson
- Mrs Regina Pearse
- Foster Children

This something new to me as I only began watching Neighbours again recently, after not watching for pretty much 3 years. The last time I watched it, it was after Bridget died, they changed Declan, Steph was pregnant and before Donna and Ringo got married and he died. So it's been a while (THANK GOD FOR YOUTUBE! or I wouldn't know whats going on when this was set)

Speaking of which, this is set in 2010. I'm not sure when it was aired in Australia, but Digital Spy UK have it listed that the episode where I plan for Rosie to come into it was aired on 20th September. So say around Late July, as it's usually 2 months behind on Neighbours and Home and Away. If you want to re watch or anything just look up 5981. That's where I plan for her come into Erinsborough and everything.

Chapter One

Rosie James hadn't had anyone for a long time. Originally, she was given up for adoption by her mother. She never knew her name, or anything else about her, and she never knew anything about her dad, as it was a one-night-stand. She was adopted by Katherine and William James a couple of days after her birth in 1994. Katherine and William had been trying for year and were unable to conceive. Knowing that they were getting older, they were now in their early forties, they decided to adopt a baby, before they were to older to run after it when they started walking.

In 1998, Katherine and William were driving back from a wedding late one night, when a dozing truck driver crashed head on with them. All three of them died before medics could arrive. Katherine and William were both only children, and their parents had passed away over the years. Rosie was immediately placed in a foster home, and has jumped from home to home since. It was in 2004, when 11-year-old Rosie went to live with the strict and old-fashioned Regina Pearse, who was quick to give out a severe punishment when any of the children she fostered even broke the tiniest of rules she set for them.

Rosie hated it there. Now 16-years-old, she was counting down the months until her 18th birthday, when she could finally, and legally, be free to leave the watchful eye of Mrs Pearse. But, Rosie was never one by doing stuff by the rules. She had a plan. Every Thursday, Mrs Pearse went out to do the grocery shopping. She took three of the children with her. You never knew who she was going to take. One time she took Rosie for seven weeks in a row, because she didn't trust her to leave her in the house. But, Rosie had grown more canny. She knew that Mrs Pearse would take her if she thought she was up to no good.

Rosie had secretly been planning for weeks her 'escape', if that were what you'd call it. Of course, she planned everything late at night. Once her roommate, 14-year-old Hannah, had drifted off to sleep, she'd go on Hannah's laptop. Their neighbor had open wi-fi, so it was easy to get onto the internet. She looked up everything. Where she'd be able to a get a hold of a copy of her birth certificate. How old you'd have to be. Unfortunately it was 18, but, Rosie did know a guy at school who made Fake ID's, so she bought one-off of him, saying she was 18 years old and her name was Felicity James. She's get her birth certificate by saying she was getting it for her sister.

But, the part of Mrs Pearse going shopping on a Thursday came into effect that day.

Rosie was sat at the large kitchen table, with the other foster kids, 14-year old Hannah, 12-year-old Jacob, 9-year-old Adam, 15-year-old Brody and 13-year-old Max, doing their homework. It was eerily silent in Mrs Pearse's old, 70's decorated dining room, except for the scribbling of pencils on paper. That made it easy to hear Mrs Pearse's hard heeled shoes coming in contact with the old wooden floors of the staircase. The 6 children all sped up their writing to make it look as if they were putting in 100%.

Mrs Pearse was in her mid-50's. He black hair, with grey tinted patched, was scraped back into a tight bun at the top of her head. She had a long, witch-like nose and sharp eyes, almost as black as a crows feathers. She wore plain and simple make-up, apart from the cherry red lipstick that coated her thin lips that were held tightly in a straight line. From the few pictures she had dotted around the house, a 20 or 30 something year old Mrs Pearse could be seen, with several different people, who went unnamed to every children that had come and gone in the house for the past 20 years, with straight, bob cut black hair and thin frame.

Her thin frame was still intact as she hadn't had any children. She always wore a long skirt that stopped just above her ankles, and a cardigan, buttoned almost all the way up to her neck. She wore hard, black lace up shoes on her feet (to which the children had a theory that she owned several of the same pair). One's you'd see from the early 1900's or something. She kept a straight posture and talked with perfect grammar. Her thin hands had been wore from years of tearing children's backsides when they disobeyed her. Mrs Pearse had strict rules set for 'her children', and they were severely punished if any of them were broken.

Naturally, Mrs Pearse was intimidating to young children who just enter her house. Adam, who is only 9 and has been in the house for almost 3 years now, originally thought of Mrs Pearse a witch and wouldn't leave his room the first Halloween he was here because he thought she was going to eat him or something that his childhood imagination concocted.

"Alright children, line up" Mrs Pearse said in her sharp, high voice. The children didn't disobey, and as Rosie knew today may be the best shot of leaving that she's had in a long time, she wasn't going to take any chances. She stood tall, with her shoulders back and arms folded just above her butt at one end of the line, as she was the oldest. Mrs Pearse walked in a straight line in front of the 6 children, watching them from the corner of her narrowed eyes. She turned on the stop, in front of Rosie "Okay, Jacob, Hannah and Brody. Tidy up your books and be in the car in no more than 3 minutes"

Rosie didn't want to seem to overly excited that she hadn't been chosen this week, keeping an emotionless expression. But, inside she was overjoyed. Finally she had her chance to get away. All of them sat back down at the table, with the exceptions of the chosen children who tidied away their books. Mrs Pearse and the other children had left, and Rosie waited about 10 minutes before rising from her seat.

"What are you doing?" 13-year old Max questioned as Rosie made a break upstairs, ignoring him and grabbed the duffel bag from under her bed. She had made out a list of what she was to take and learned it off by heart. She even had things organised by priority in her assigned drawers "Mrs Pearse is going to kill you when she gets back"

"She can't do that if I'm not here" Rosie said, shoving her folded clothes into the bag.

"What?" Max asked "You're leaving?"

"Is it that obvious?" Rosie sarcastically asked him, continuing to pack away her things.

"You're crazy to think you can get away" Max said "What if Mrs Pearse comes back early?"

"I've planned this for weeks Max" Rosie said stopping and throwing her sweater off, over her head and putting it into the bag "Mrs Pearse takes two hours shopping, that's including travel time. It takes 20 minutes to the nearest bus stop, and the next bus to Melbourne comes in 35 minutes. I'll be long gone before she comes back, even if she's about 30 minutes early"

"Melbourne? What are you going to Melbourne for?" Max asked, as Rosie zipped up an over-sized, grey hoodie with a large hood, over her thin, white camisole.

"Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages" Rosie replied, zipping up the duffel bag once all the necessary stuff was packed away "I'm going to find out who my real parents are"

"Don't you have to be eighteen or whatever to get your birth certificate?" Max asked as Rosie propped her duffel bag onto her shoulder and grabbed her handbag from the floor "And how do you plan on making any money?"

"Simple. I've a fake ID and I know exactly where to get the money" Rosie said walking out of her room and down the stairs, with Max hot on her heels "I have planned this for weeks, Max"

In the kitchen, on top of the fridge, behind the cereal boxes, was a jar containing who knows how much money. It was filled almost to the top with coins and notes. She removed a box or two and then slid the jar out between the gap. Rosie grabbed a plastic bag from under the sink and emptied the contents of the jar into it, before continuing to bury the bag of money deep within the handbag hanging around her hips.

"Seriously, Mrs Pearse if going to murder you" Max said, shaking his head as Rosie returned the jar behind the cereal boxes.

"Once she knows I'm gone" Rosie began opening the back door "but, I'll be too far away before she can catch me. Tell Brody to look out for the others"

And with that Rosie was gone. She pulled her hood up over her head and tucked her brown curls inside the hoodie. It was growing late, and in no time, night will begin to fall. Rosie only had to wait several minutes before the bus came. And she was off. She was finally from of the wicked witch and was off to find who she really was.

So what do you think? Rosie IS related to someone on Ramsey Street! Just to tell you now! But, I'd like to know:

1. Who do you think she is related to?
2. What did you think so far?
3. Who do you picture Rosie as? (Actresses, singers or TV personalities with chest length curly brown hair, brown eyes and tanned skin aged between 16 and early 20's) I'd like to know this because there may be someone else who I haven't come across yet. Will post in coming chapters who I picture Rosie to be most like.
4. What would you like to see happen? (This is an optional question. I have some things planned but still there is things I'd like to get inspiration for. There are big gaps between things I'd like to happen. If you don't know you can either not answer or say 'Surprise me')

Thank you for reading and I will try and post the next chapter as quick as I can :)