They have an innocence about them and they project a need to be liked despite β maybe because of β the terrible fate that life handed them. These are former child prostitutes all, pretty as flowers ready to bloom, mostly petite with a naivete outsiders would not expect. They were placed for care, treatment and education in Children of the Night, a bed group home in Van Nuys.
Our whole social system is collapsed. Lee hit hard on another point. One year-old from San Bernardino was on the blade for a year and a half.
The newspaper does not use the names of children, who are victims of crime, which all of these children are. So the year-old chose a new name for herself for this story: LeeAndra, a nice choice but no nicer than her own. LeeAndra is a pretty child, who likely is of mixed race. Her skin is fair and black curls cascade to her shoulders framing her face. In her shy but straightforward way, LeeAndra told how she happened to end up at Children of the Night.
Dad was murdered in a love triangle. He was still married but had a girlfriend, while she had a boyfriend. Mom, LeeAndra said, was in and out of jail. Why she was there was a little unclear, just something about warrants.
She is the middle child of seven. When mom was away, she and her three little sisters were cared for by three older brothers. The brothers gave good care, but LeeAndra was stuck with mothering her three sisters, now aged 13, 10 and 3.
