Astyr Tyr knew all about being the new girl. She found herself walking into new schools on a far too regular basis. Astyr was an orphan and a ward of the state, and since she had never been adopted in all her fifteen years, she was bounced around from one foster family to another with heartbreaking regularity.

Her caseworker told her quite often that a pretty girl like Astyr shouldn't have any trouble finding a home. In reality, being polite, well-mannered and fastidious, Astyr was very good at finding foster parents. The good parents were always delighted to meet her and proclaimed that Astyr would be part of the family in no time. The other kind of parents, the kind who took foster kids for the checks from the state, they would just list the rules and tell her to mind them. But no matter what kind they were, they all decided all too soon that Astyr was just too much trouble. She wasn't right for them.

She didn't fit in.

She wasn't a bad girl. She certainly wasn't the kind of girl who set out to make mischief. Not at all. More than anything, Astyr Tyr wanted to live a quiet life, a normal life. It's just that things in Astyr's life never turned out the way she wanted them to.

Her life began one night fifteen years ago when she was found by police on the side of a road in a mid-size town where nothing much ever happened. She had no clothes or blankets and there were never any clues found that could point to her parents. The only thing found with her was a small silver bracelet tied around her wrist. On one side was a carving of a beautiful woman carrying a shield in one hand and a spear in the other with an ornate crown on her head. The other side said simply Astyr Tyr. That was all that she had that she could claim as her own, a bracelet and a strange name.

The police ran a cursory investigation into the matter, but the town was not really big enough for the police force to put too much resources and time into looking for a woman who obviously didn't want a child. They did enough to be sure in their minds that Astyr wasn't the victim of foul circumstances, they checked hospitals for women who had had a child and they ran the story on the news, but they found no mother looking for her baby and so Astyr was put into the care of the state.

At first, there were plenty of parents willing to take in the poor baby found on the roadside. She was achingly beautiful with her soft, rosy pink skin and shimmery pale silver hair. Her lips were full and shaped like a Cupid's bow, the bottom lip far bigger than the top. Her eyes were large and a strange silver-blue color surrounded by long, thick, dark lashes. But she had a way of looking out at the world with those eyes that bore straight through those she saw and shook those people to the core. Most parents were so disconcerted by her stare that they could keep her for barely a month.

She was passed from hand to hand for the first few years of her life. Every exchange started with the call to her caseworker screaming that they just couldn't take it anymore and ended with Astyr walking into a new home with new parents and sometimes new siblings, but always with new hope.

That stopped when Astyr was five. She came with her caseworker to a new home, met her new "mom", and that's when she gave up on hope.

This new mom was one of the other parents. She took in foster kids for the income that came with them and she ran her house like a factory. Her foster kids were there to bring her money, not cost her money. Astyr was taken to a small room that had two bunk beds crammed into it along with two dressers, the drawers not able to close due to the jumble of cheap, second-hand clothes overflowing from them. The blankets were thin, the pillows looked so old, and out of shape, that Astyr doubted there would be much comfort found there.

She was given a sharp lecture about the rules and told that breaking any of them would get her a spanking. Astyr wasn't sure at that point what that meant because she had always been quiet and well behaved but she decided it would be best to try not to find out.

The other children who had lived there for a while were nervous and kept their eyes on Astyr, trying to figure out her place in their life. But as soon as she turned her large, silver-blue eyes on them, they decided right away that her place was anywhere but near them.

When her new mom found out that Astyr wasn't doing her chores, Astyr was rudely introduced to concept of spanking. Her new mom didn't care to hear Astyr's explanation that the other kids wouldn't show her how to do the work, it was Astyr's work, and Astyr's punishment when that work wasn't done.

Soon, Astyr came to understand that if she didn't look the other children in the eyes they would tolerate her presence. If it got her chores done, she was willing to keep her eyes down.

She stayed at that home for a long time. Her caseworker was pleased and started to use words like "progress" and "good behavior" in her regular reports. But Astyr started school and while her foster mother was willing to put up with "weirdos" as long as she was paid to, Astyr's newfound resolve to stop making people around her freak out was too new and unpracticed to help her in school.

When the school counselor, her caseworker and her foster mother all came to meet with the principal, Astyr started packing her few clothes in a brown paper sack. She was ready to leave when her caseworker got to the house.

After that, she kept her eyes down at home and school and learned to say as little as possible. But Astyr was far from a pushover. Growing up a foster child is a hard life and Astyr often found it necessary to protect her few possessions and sometimes herself with brutal physical force. She had learned well from those first spankings that pain worked and she knew that no one was going to step up and save her.

She would take martial arts classes whenever she could, whenever she had access and freedom and sometimes money for them. Her body was lithe and athletic and she worked hard to stay muscular and fit. She didn't want to be caught wanting in a desperate situation.

And so as she walked yet again into another new school, she walked with grace and carried herself like a dancer. She kept her head up and her back straight as she entered her first class with her slip of paper to be signed by the teacher. She carefully kept her eyes slightly down so that Mrs. Morgan couldn't accidentally catch her eye and waited patiently while she signed the paper.

"Class, we have a new student joining us. Please say hello to Astyr Tyr and try to make her feel welcome." Mrs. Morgan announced this to the other kids and pointed Astyr to an empty seat near the windows.

Astyr felt every eye on her as she crossed the classroom and she knew from experience that they were judging her from top to bottom to see where she might fit in the scheme of things. Astyr was a little more nervous than usual because this school was a lot smaller than she was used to. It was a lot easier to blend in when there were lots of other kids around and in a school this small, she would most definitely be the center of attention for a while. As she walked to her seat, she let her mind drift back to the day before.

The state liked to try to keep foster kids in the big cities so they would be close to their caseworkers. There were also more foster families to choose. But Astyr had run the gamut. She had been in and out of so many homes that it was increasingly difficult for her caseworker to find anywhere that might take her.

So in desperation, her caseworker had brought her two hours outside of the large city she had been living in for the last seven years; she had spent the first eight years in a larger city farther south but had been moved when there were no longer any families waiting to take her. The area was heavily wooded and close to a wide river that cut through the landscape but couldn't actually be seen until you were right beside it because of the thick forests surrounding it.

Her new foster home was right next to this river and set back from the white, rutted dirt road that came near the property. It was a dark red wooden house set on tall stilts to protect it from the occasional flooding from the river. There was an enclosed room on the ground floor but most of that level was open to the outdoors with a small, older model domestic car parked in the shade provided by the upper story.

There was a staircase that went up along the outside edge of the structure to what looked like a screened in porch. From there a door led to a large open space that was half kitchen and half living space. The living room was simply furnished with old, but clean and comfortable looking chairs and a sofa. There was a wooden coffee table in the middle and lamps set on similar tables at the corners. The wide windows had no curtains or blinds but the views to the river were so incredible that it would have been a shame to hide it. The kitchen was stuffed to bursting with all manner of pots and pans and cooking implements. The high island in the center was large and was covered with glass jars and baskets of berries and other things for which Astyr didn't know the name.

On one side of the kitchen was an open doorway that appeared to lead to a pantry. From the kitchen, Astyr could see shelves stacked to overflowing with more jars and pots and pans. Another door led to a small bathroom that had a tub and toilet and sink. It was old looking but spotlessly clean. There were two more doors off the main space and Astyr was shown to one and was told it was her room.

It was quite a surprise for Astyr. She had rarely in her life had a room to herself, and usually when that happened, it was just because the foster family was "in-between" kids and her room would still be set up for more girls to share with soon. But this room was different. It was hers. There was only one bed, a twin bed covered with a soft blue comforter that was decorated with small white flowers. The floor was polished wood and covered with a thick, dark blue rug. There was a desk with a comfortable looking wooden chair in front of it and beside that was a long dresser with large drawers that had a large, gilt-framed mirror over it. The large windows were covered with pale blue curtains patterned with the same white flowers from the bedspread. They were softly billowing and Astyr realized the windows were cracked open. She moved to the windows and was taken aback by the view.

Her room faced the forest and from so high up she had a clear view of the multitude of trees surrounding the house. It was autumn then and the trees were doing their level best to impress Astyr and make her feel welcome to her new home. They were dressed in an awesome array of yellows, oranges, browns and reds with shots of greens thrown in from the pines. The sky above the trees was a clear, bright blue with only the occasional white, puffy cloud to add contrast to the scene. Astyr turned and checked out the rest of her room and discovered a small closet behind a door. There was a low, dark blue love seat set against the end of the bed and Astyr had no problem seeing herself spending time there. She couldn't believe that all of this was just for her but after living in so many different places in her life; she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Astyr planned to enjoy this luxury for as long as it lasted.

When her caseworker left, Astyr got a chance to meet her new "mom". She was a kind-looking older woman. She seemed to be about sixty years old with dark grey hair with silver at her temples. Her skin was soft looking and didn't seem to be as wrinkly as most women her age. There were lines around her eyes that made her seem ready to smile and her lips were full and had only faint lines around them. She was taller than average and was solidly built, lucky not to have given over to fat due to a life of work and business. She looked Astyr up and down and smiled faintly.

"My name is Grima Thorrsen and I will be your guardian," she announced to Astyr. Astyr was used to the moving in day speeches and waited patiently to hear the rest of it. "I have three rules that must be followed. First, my room is strictly off-limits. Second, you must be inside the house by ten o'clock every night. And lastly, I expect you to behave respectfully at all times."

That was pretty simple as far as house rules went and Astyr was quick to nod and agree that she would follow them. She kept her gaze lowered to Grima's chin and gave her a small smile.

Grima continued, "The state provides a stipend of sixty-four dollars per month for your upkeep. I will give that money to you for your use. That will be sixteen dollars every week. You will eat with me and I will provide lunch for school. You are not sixteen yet so you may not apply for a job in town, so I expect you to dedicate your time to schoolwork and school activities. Please feel free to come to me with anything, Astyr. I know you haven't had the easiest of times with your history, but I do not intend to pass you off to the next home at the first sign of trouble. I hope that you will try to trust me."

Astyr waited to see if there was anything else. She had heard variations of this speech before and had learnt in the last decade not to put too much faith in these words. But she was excited that she was going to get an allowance. That was a first and she couldn't wait to see how it felt. Having her own money could mean she might save up for her future. The future she didn't know quite what she was going to do with at the moment.

Grima gave a soft sigh when she realized that she wasn't going to get a reply from Astyr. "Let's go then," she said, "we need to get everything you will need to start school."

Astyr followed Grima down the stairs and she got in the passenger seat of the car. Grima started the car and they drove off. Astyr didn't know the area and kept her eyes focused beyond the windows, taking in the sight of so many trees passing by. Astyr knew the names of most trees and plants and enjoyed trying to identify them all as they went by.

They drove for fifteen minutes before they came to a bridge over the river. On the other side of the bridge was a small town. A one blinking yellow traffic light kind of town. Grima told Astyr that this is where her new school was and Astyr looked around trying to see the building. But Grima told her it was too small of a town to have anywhere for shopping so they continued straight on the two-lane black top road and quickly left the small town behind.

After a quiet forty minute drive through a whole lot of nothing, the trees started to thin and houses started to be seen on the side of the road. Soon they were in a good-sized town and there were lots of businesses and buildings crowded along the sides of the road. Grima drove until they came to a large parking lot and they pulled into a spot not too close to a small shopping mall.

Astyr didn't have much experience with shopping malls of any size and kept turning her head from side to side to take in all the different sights and shops. Grima brought her to one of the large department stores at one end of the mall and led her to the young women's department. Most of the clothes Astyr had up to now had been hand-me-downs or bought at yard sales or charity shops. This was entirely new for her and she was slightly overwhelmed by the many racks of bright tops and dresses and skirts, and the huge section entirely devoted to denim.

"So, Astyr, I think from the size of the bag you brought with you that you would do best to get an entirely new wardrobe for school. Most girls in our area wear jeans and tees most of the time with a few dresses and skirts for variety." Grima led Astyr over to the denim section and looked Astyr over to try to determine her size. "You're very slim, but thankfully not that starved looking kind," Grima said with a smile. Astyr just smiled and opened her arms as Grima started handing her jeans. "Go take these to the fitting room and we'll start with seeing what size is best for you."

Astyr made her way through the racks and found an empty dressing room while Grima found a saleswoman to shuttle clothes back and forth between them. Astyr felt like she was trying on everything in the store twice and Grima had a huge pile of clothes put aside on a chair outside the dressing room. Just when Astyr felt that she couldn't take it for another minute, Grima announced that they had all they needed. With a sigh of relief, Astyr put her old clothes back on and came out to find Grima at the cash register waiting for the saleswoman to load up all the bags.

They took all the bags to the car and stuffed as many as they could into the trunk and put the rest on the small backseat. Grima locked the car again and took Astyr back inside the mall to get some dinner. As they sat down at a table with their trays, Astyr looked up at Grima's chin and said, "I really want to thank you for getting all of these things for me. Most new parents just throw whatever they have around to me..." She trailed off.

Grima looked at her for a while with a tight look on her face. "I'm not usually a foster parent, Astyr. I agreed to do this only for your sake." Astyr poked the food on her plate for a while trying to decide what that meant. Eventually she decided it wasn't something she needed to worry about and she ate some of her food.

"Astyr, you're old enough now that I really don't think you need to think of me as a new mother." Grima told her lightly, "It would be better for both of us if you were to think of me as a friend, or a mentor."

Astyr nodded her head but kept her gaze firmly on her plate.

The next morning found Astyr sorting through the fully stuffed closet in her room trying to decide what might be best to wear for her first day of school. She decided to play it safe with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans with a grey tee shirt and a silvery sweater and silver ballet flats.

She stuffed her new notebooks and paper into her new book bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. Grima gave her a nod of approval and they headed out for the small town where her new school was.

Astyr walked into the school office with Grima and waited around while papers were filled out and forms were signed. Astyr was handed a shiny new schedule and a slip of paper for all of her teachers to sign. She was told to return it to the office at the end of the day and then given a map. Grima told her which bus she should take to get home and then wished her good luck.

"Class, we have a new student joining us. Please say hello to Astyr Tyr and try to make her feel welcome." Mrs. Morgan announced this to the other kids and pointed Astyr to an empty seat near the windows.

Astyr felt every eye on her as she crossed the classroom and she knew from experience that they were judging her from top to bottom to see where she might fit in the scheme of things. With her long straight pale silvery-blond hair, delicate bones, full lips and large silvery-blue eyes, she knew that most people assumed her to be one of the cheerleader types. She was taller than average and was slim but had curves in all the right places due to her years of athletics and martial arts. She probably could have been a cheerleader if she ever stayed in one school long enough, but that had not happened yet.

Astyr tried to see the other students as she walked to her seat but was very careful not to catch anybody's eyes. She didn't need that kind of trouble on her first day.