It was the first Halloween I was allowed to go trick or treating without my brother. I was going with a number of my school friends and one of their mother's so mom thought it would be ok. Andy had a new part-time job after school and couldn't get off until late. He blamed himself for everything that happened.

I was excited to go trick or treating with my friends. I loved my Elsa costume and just wished my big brother Andy could have come with. I was getting tired and my bag of candy was really heavy. The other girls and the mom didn't notice me falling behind but he did. When he pulled up and offered to give me a ride I didn't hesitate. I trusted him.

It took trips to several houses before the woman realized Amy wasn't with them. She asked the girls if they knew where she was. They had been so busy talking that they had no idea. The other children weren't happy when she made them backtrack looking to see if Amy had gotten tired and stopped to rest. She didn't panic until she spotted the bag with candy spilled all over near the street. She dialed 911, trying to keep calm and not upset the other girls.

The search started from that spot and radiated outward with no luck. Dogs couldn't pick up a scent but they caught a break. An early morning jogger spotted something colorful poking out from under the bushes in a park miles away. It was almost too late. She was rushed to the nearest hospital where doctors and nurses held back tears as they worked to keep her alive. Andy and their mother waited for hours until a doctor finally came out to talk to them.

I woke up in great pain and then remembered and tried to cry out but there was no sound. It hurt but I couldn't scream. Then it was like I was in a cloud and all the pain went away. My brother Andy was there crying and I tried to hug him and tell him I was ok, but he got scared and ran away somewhere.

I didn't work it out until much later. At the moment there was a lot of confusion as the machines in the room suddenly all went crazy. All sorts of people rushed into the room. There was a little girl in a bed. She even looked like me. All the people were going nuts for some reason. They were shouting at me to get out.

I didn't understand why but when grownups tell you to do something you are supposed to do it. I left and then saw mom and ran to her. I was crying and she was shushing me like she always did. I didn't understand how she got so small. She didn't kiss me like she did when I cried. She just hugged me and kept saying, "my poor Amy."

Just then one of the men came out of the room smiling. It looked like he'd been crying but he was smiling. He said something about how they thought they'd lost her but suddenly she came back. I was happy for the little girl until mom called me Andy and said it would be alright, that my sister was going to live.

I wanted to say of course she would live, She was holding her! Everyone had always told me how smart I was but at the moment I felt pretty dumb. She thought I was Andy! And I was. At least I had Andy's body. That was why I was bigger than mom. I didn't hurt anymore but I remembered everything that happened to me.

I got angry. I tried to tell mom about him and what he did but she didn't understand. And then I knew if mom didn't believe me no-one would. No-one would believe I was Amy and no-one would believe that I knew who did it.

I was big now. He couldn't hurt me like he did before. But I could hurt him! I ran out of the hospital and just kept running until I got to the Sheriff's Office. And there he was sitting and smiling all happy like he didn't do a thing. The deputy was there too. He asked me why I was there. I told him the sheriff was the one that hurt Amy.

He didn't believe me until I told him about the radio call he made saying he wasn't feeling well and he was going 10-7 at home. That's when the deputy drew his gun but the sheriff was faster and shot him. He turned toward me but I was already running at him. I grabbed the the gun and shot him - right between the legs until the gun ran out of bullets. He would never hurt me again.

I just sat there until someone came in and saw them and me holding the gun. I was arrested and locked up but I didn't care. The man I had trusted had raped and tried to kill me and maybe he did 'cause I wasn't in my body.

Mom came to see me and ask me why. I'd already told her but she didn't believe me then and still didn't understand. They tried me for murder of the deputy and the sheriff. They said I shot the sheriff and the deputy when he tried to stop me. They got it all wrong but I didn't care. He would never hurt another little girl.

I was found guilty and given two life sentences and went to prison. I didn't know until mom brought her to visit where Andy had gone to hide. He'd hid in my body and was confused for a long time. They thought it was because of the rape but Andy was lucky. He was in my body but he didn't have my memories. He'd recovered from the hurt and tried to get back in his body but I wouldn't let him. I didn't want him to spend the rest of his life in prison. He wouldn't like being a girl but he'd get used to it. At least he didn't have to live with the memories. I told him what happened. He was the only one who believed me and begged me to let him have his body back every time he saw me.

It took months but he finally gave up and accepted he would be Amy and said she would become a lawyer and one day prove what happened. I told her I didn't care except for one thing. I was more than willing to admit that I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy!