I was back in Newcastle. Back where I started. Back to the rain, the cold, and the windy two-way streets. But I was back to the only place that ever really felt like home. Elm Tree House.

I had lived here when I was very little; it was the third care home I had been put into after it happened. While living at Elm Tree, or as us kids called it: the dumping ground; I had made lots of good friends, but I doubt they would still be there. It had been years since I had been back, they had probably all either grown out of the care system or been fostered. I hadn't kept in touch with any of them. I was eight when I had left so it wasn't exactly the first thing I was thinking about.

As the cab passed the local park, I couldn't help but smile. Thinking back to the times I had spent in that park as a young girl: running around with my two best friends, laughing as we pulled pranks on the others. What I would give to be little again.

I let out a sigh; I had been through a lot since I was last in that park. Moved in with a new foster family, moved to Houston through my foster dads work, and ended up finding three of my real brothers. All of which I lost when 'he' announced who he was.

I let a single tear fall down my cheek as the cab turned into the drive of the dumping ground. I wiped my face before looking up at the house. It looked the same, almost as though I had never left. As the cab came to a stop, I smiled to myself. After every thing, I was back.

I step out the cab slinging my backpack onto my shoulder and pulling my suitcase out the boot. I turn and look up to the house in front of me. It's just as I remember it. It's a beautiful big house; pale walls, big red door, reddish brown door and window frames, and ivy growing up the wall.

The big red door opens and out comes a forty-year-old man with decreasing blond hair. He gives me a smile and a wink before paying the cab driver. Mike. I couldn't believe that he was still here.

Mike had been the head care worker when I was here, many years ago. He was a total push over, although he could be strict when he needed to be.

While the cab drove of into the distance to take someone else to their path in destiny; I turned to Mike and smiled. He looked at me, probably trying to compare the little eight year old to the one that was standing right in front of him.

"Come on then you," he chuckled, putting an arm around my shoulder, leading the way into the house and helping me with my case, "I trust that you had a safe flight."

"Yeah, it was fine, got a bit of sleep," I reply politely staring around the house I grew up in, "I see that this place hasn't changed a bit."

Mike laughed, "Nah, kids come and go but the place stays the same." He looked around smiling before looking back at me, "The argument topics stay the same as well," he added giving me another of his winks.

"Come on then, there's still paper work to fill out."

I nod and start to make my way to the office; it's where everyone new goes to first, to get paper work filed out before they meet everyone else. "Where you going?" Mike calls to me.

"Office," I answer confused at his question, "to fill out paper work." I add.

"Everyone's still at school," Mike explained, "there's no need to go to the office, so we'll fill out your form in the kitchen over a cup of tea and a biscuit." He gave me a cheek smile.

"You're on."

I forgot that everyone in Newcastle were still at school, my school had broke off a week ago. Seeing as it was Friday I assumed that their last day would be today. What a great day to arrive, I sarcastically thought to myself, everyone will be twice as excited to meet their new housemate seeing as it was the last day of school, and an entire summer holiday was ahead.

I was in the kitchen laughing and joking about people that used to live and the dumping ground when I was here and also all the pranks that had been played, when the primary kids came in. They ran shouting around the house about how they had no school all summer. Typical children! While what sounded like a foghorn bellowed through the house: "SHUT UP AND GO TO THE KITCHEN!"

They all obeyed and ran through to the kitchen laughing and giggling. Until they say me sitting at the breakfast bar. Each of them took their place around the table, waiting for either Mike or foghorn lady, who I now know another care worker called Gina, to explain what this 14 year old girl was doing sitting in the kitchen.

"Everyone," Mike said, "This is Ana, and she is going to be staying here. She's 14 and she used to live here when she was little." He smiled to me, I returned his smile, relieve that he didn't say why I was here; I guess they didn't need to know that, yet.

A second later, I was bombarded with questions and name's.

"Hi, I'm lily…"

"How many care homes have you been in…?"

"I'm Carmen…."

"What's your favourite colour…?"

"I'm Jody…"

"I'm Tyler…"

"QUIET" Gina bellowed, I gave her a smile of thanks, "let the girl breath, one at a time."

A girl dressed completely in pink spoke first, she had lovely long dark brown hair, "Hi, I'm Carmen, what's your favourite colour? Mine's pink"

"Hi Carmen, I have two favourite colours: blue and green."

A boy with cream trousers and a blue polo shirt spoke next, he was holding a black notebook, in which he was taking notes, "I'm Gus, and I need to give you the tour." He demanded.

"It's okay, I won't need the tour, I already know my way around this place; as Mike said, I used to live here."

"But on the tour, I would tell you who everyone is." Gus was obviously really wanting to give me this 'tour'.

"Tell you what," I compromised, "introduce me to everyone here, then I won't need a tour."

"Okay," he didn't really seem happy with this arrangement, but wasn't going to argue. "That's Lily Kettle," he said pointing to a girl wearing grey and purple, "She's 11, and she has two sisters called Poppy and Rosie. They were both fostered." I smiled at Lily; she gave me a smile and a wave. The list went on with smiles and waves until Gus had introduced me to everyone.

There was: Harry Jones, a small 6 year old with blond hair who carried around, and apparently spoke with, Jeff the giraffe; Tee Taylor, a 10 year old who also liked the colour blue; Johnny Taylor, 12, Tees's older brother; Carmen Howle, 11 and obsessed with the colour pink; Tyler Lewis, 12, he had crazy, curly, brown hair; Jody Jackson, also 11, loves chocolate and biscuits; and of coarse, Gus Carmichael, 10 and writes down everything that goes on in the dumping ground.

"So what's your full name," Gus asked me after he had told me who everyone was.

"Anastasia Claire, but I hate my name, so everyone calls me Ana," I smiled around at their happy faces before adding, "so is that everyone?"

"No the older ones haven't come back from school yet, your still meet Rick, Electra, Frank and Liam," Gus informed me.

"Liam, and Frank," I couldn't believe my ears, " Liam O'Donovan and Frank Matthews? They still like here?" I stared at Mike with disbelief

"Yes, they're still here," Then adding giving Gus a look, "it was meant to be a surprise!"

"Do they know I'm coming?" I asked, ideas already floating around my head.

"No," Mike replied, afraid of what I might do or say next, "it was supposed to be a surprise for them too."

"Right then," I said jumping up from the table and walking out the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Mike shouted after me.

"Where do you think," I shouted back, "I'm going to organise a surprise party for them!"

"What does she mean by that?" Tyler asked Mike.

"Be downstairs when the boys get home, and you'll find out," Mike replied then smiling at the thought of what I could be preparing for my old friends before putting his cup away and heading to the office. Leaving the kids of elm Tree House in the kitchen, confused about what I was up to.