Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns Law and Order SVU and the characters. I only own the idea for the story and the new characters.

Chapter 112: Menace

'The distributive property of multiplication over addition...' a voice from very far away droned on.

Hannah was sitting in the back of the class, her head in the clouds, staring at the backs of her fellow classmates' heads. Absentmindedly, she was doodling away in her textbook, only to realize they probably wouldn't appreciate that. So, she grabbed her eraser and started removing her drawings again.

'Miss Benson?' her teacher suddenly said, 'Still with us?'

Hannah fought the urge to make some smart comment and instead said, 'Yep. Sorry, sir, algebra.'

He looked at her from over his glasses and repeated, 'Multiplication over addition.'

'Correct,' she confirmed, not quite knowing what he was on about.

'Yes, but what does that tell us?' he pressed, 'in this case?'

Hannah sighed and looked at the board. She had no idea what it meant and for the life of her she couldn't see how she was going to need any of this in life. Olivia had talked to her about her future, and even though she didn't know what she wanted to do exactly, she knew math didn't play a part in it.

'It means...' she started, trying to remember and understand, 'that a and b are... both c?' Why in the hell did we start using letters instead of numbers, Hannah thought, what is even the point of it?

'No, and I'll see you after class,' her teacher then droned on, 'It means we get the same number when we multiply a group of numbers...'

Hannah sighed and studied her book hard. There it was, whatever it was he was talking about, but it still didn't make sense to her. It had something to do with the order of operations... Victoria would know, she suddenly thought, Victoria was brilliant at all things math. The problem was, Victoria never had time for her anymore.

After class, the students had written down the pile of homework they were expected to finish and Hannah shuffled over to her teacher's desk. She didn't dislike him, not at all, it wasn't his fault he was boring, it was just that Hannah really didn't care for his subject.

'Is it true what I've heard?' he started off, 'There's a rumor going around school you're trying to mend your ways.'

'I guess so, yeah.'

Mr. Stevens looked at her for a few moments and with a shock Hannah realized he probably wasn't even that old. Then he said, 'We are all aware of your special situation.'

In the end, Olivia had decided it would be best if everyone who had a part in Hannah's upbringing knew of her background. Well, ACS had told her to do so and they were right: communication is everything if when it comes to these kinds of situations and kids. But that didn't mean that Hannah liked it.

Mr. Stevens continued, 'If you're up for it, I'm willing to offer you some extra help and the opportunity for some extra credit, just to get your grade up. But the second I feel like you're not taking it seriously, I'm done.'

'I am,' Hannah replied, 'I am trying. I just suck at math.'

He nodded slowly, 'It's not that difficult, trust me, it just has to click in your brain and after that, it's just a matter of practicing it over and over again.'

'Well, so far, no click,' Hannah sighed.

'How about Victoria?' He suggested and her head shot up, 'Can't she help you out? She's my best student.'

Hannah opened her mouth to suggest something else, but Mr. Stevens had already walked into the hall and called out, 'Miss Alexander?'

Victoria waltzed in with a perfect smile on her face, looking as effortlessly as she always did. Hannah send her an apologetic smirk, but there was no need: Victoria agreed to help her at once.

During their lunch break, both girls sat up on the roof of the school. Victoria might have been every teacher's favorite, but she never felt like all the rules applied to her. So, as she ate her apple and Hannah munched on a cheeseburger she'd 'found', it was almost like old times again.

'Algebra is easy,' Victoria tried to soothe, 'It's just puzzles that you have to figure out, you know, like what Olivia does, only with letters and numbers instead of people.'

'Do the numbers ever get violently raped and murdered?' Hannah asked almost hopefully.

Victoria laughed, 'I'll come with you after school and explain then.'

Hannah looked down, 'I can't after school...'

'Oh? Oh! Did you finally hook up with that cute boy? The one with the guitar. Jamie?' Victoria had met him once and as she'd casually flirted with him, Jamie's eyes had almost rolled out of its sockets.

'No, me and Jamie are just friends... Besides, she's got stuff on his mind now after taken into foster care.'

'So, what then?' Her friend demanded.

'I kinda have to do community service? Down at the shelter.'

Victoria sighed, 'What did you do this time?'

Without really meaning to, Hannah got defensive at once, 'Oh yeah, because I'm such a screw-up! Why are you even friends with me, perfect little cheerleader slumming with the juvenile delinquent?'

'Stop,' she replied strictly, 'Don't be a bitch. It's not my fault you got caught. Besides, I'm not perfect and you know it.'

Hannah shrugged, feeling almost sorry for herself, 'You're not? Seems like it to me.'

'Look at me,' Victoria threw away what was left of her apple, 'I pretend to be this happy-go-lucky standard teenage wonder, I work hard at it too, and still it never feels like it's good enough.'

'Then why do you do it?'

'Because I'm not like you?' she wondered out loud, 'You don't give a fuck what anyone thinks and you're just... you. You never, ever pretend. I pretend all the time: I pretend I'm happy, I pretend I'm confident, I pretend I'm in control...'

'So, stop,' Hannah interrupted, 'Just drop the act.'

'It's not that simple.'

'Well, you don't have to pretend with me,' Hannah offered, 'I already know who you really are.'

Victoria looked at her and smiled. And for a few very comfortable moments, the girls just sat in silence.

The Hannah asked, 'How's Sunny?' while looking away.

'Oh, you know...' she evaded, 'He gets mad a lot these days. Has too much on his mind, he says.'

'Does your dad know about him?'

'Nope,' Victoria sipped her water, 'He'd absolutely lose his shit.'

Hannah decided not to press the subject further, but she still didn't like the idea of Victoria being with a much older boy. A part of her even hoped Victoria's father would find out, just so he could put a stop to it.

In the end, they'd decided Victoria would come over in the evening to help with algebra. Hannah didn't look forwards to it much, but thought it would be nice to see some more of Victoria again.

She took the subway to get to the shelter. In the crowded carriage, it was almost warm, while snow was piling up outside. It'd started snowing just as school had finished, which is just my luck, Hannah thought.

At the shelter, Hannah had her regular chores, but afterwards, she had a few more moments to herself. She'd started getting to know the people well who came there, and it was easy talking to them.

'Where do you live?' one boy asked her.

'Upper west side,' Hannah replied, while handing out some extra blankets.

'Shit! So, you're rich, right?'

Hannah laughed out loud, 'Sure, my adoptive mom is loaded.'

The boy nodded like he suddenly understood, and he added, 'Some of the kids here say you used to be with the Family. Is that true?'

'Yeah, but that was back when Joe was still in charge,' Hannah knew the Family hadn't disappeared. There would always be homeless kids and teens in New York and they'd always stick together like that. That was just how things were.

'Why?' she asked the boy, 'Your name's Lincoln, right? Came up from Arizona?' Hannah always tried her best to remember all of them, 'Were you with them as well?'

'Yeah...' Lincoln said, 'I got taken into foster care at first, but then I left, and went back to the Family.'

'Why did you leave?' Hannah looked at the kid, trying to determine his age but it wasn't easy. He looked maybe fourteen? 'It's alright,' she added, 'Whatever it is, I've heard worse, no worries.'

'They beat the shit out of me. Last I heard, they're still looking for me. So, I'd rather stay on the streets. Even if that means staying with the Family.'

'Yeah, under the bridge, where it's nice and warm?' Hannah joked, 'Seriously though, did you report them?'

He shrugged, 'There's no point, is there.'

'There is! At least they won't be able to take any more kids. Do they have any more foster kids?'

'Yeah, they're regular collectors,' he said darkly.

'But you can stop it,' Hannah urged, 'If you just tell someone…'

'Me?' he scoffed, 'The social workers and the police and then don't care about kids like me.'

'They do, you just need to get the right ones. Like some of them don't give a shit, I know, but like my mom and them? They really do care. That's how she adopted me.'

He shrugged again, obviously not having much faith in the system.

'How about I report them?' Hannah offered, 'You can stay out of it for now. I can make sure ACS looks into it and maybe get the police involved, but it won't have come from you.'

Lincoln thought about it for a minute, 'What would happen to me?'

'Depends, but you might have to give a statement at some point.'

'But they won't send me back?'

Hannah tried to comfort him best she could, but also thought about the mess she'd gotten herself in over Devon. So, she said, 'Let me ask the social worker here, but I won't mention your name just yet. Maybe she can report them or file some complaint. And if she's willing to help, I can tell her it's you, alright?'

'Okay,' he finally agreed. Hannah went back to the handing out of stuff, but then he added, 'You know, you're really easy to talk to. All the others are too busy and they're not... like us. At least you understand.'

Hannah felt an unfamiliar sensation well up inside of her: she was proud of herself. She told him, 'You can talk to me whenever. And tell the others, if they need to, I'm here.'

Maybe she could be of some use to society after all.

Please, please, please let me know if you're still interested in this story! Xx