Chapter One

Happy Birthday

(This is for you, Twannee)

"Denny, would you please put your shoes on?" Elodie took her little brother's plate and plonked it in the sink. She was late for school for the second time this week, and Denny was in one of his difficult moods this morning. He was only four- five next week, and had just joined school himself. Both of them were right in the middle of their 'new start,' one of many they had faced together in the last few years. Denny was all Elodie had, and she his whole world. Her move to MSA had been tough, but it was a good school, and Denny' school was just down the street from her so she could check on him if she needed to. Sometimes she would nip out in her lunch hour to watch him in the playground, just to make sure he was still there. Today he was being difficult- neither of them had gotten much sleep due to the drunken rave next door. Their flat was tiny and the walls were very thin, and added to the general selfishness and bad habits of their neighbors, sleep was not easy for either of them. Denny looked up at Elodie and grinned.

"I'm sorry, Elle, here." He handed her a tube of colored paper, which she took from his chubby fingers.

"What's this Den?"

"It's a present for my big sister, cos she takes care of me. Mrs. Monroe helped me to make it yesterday."

Elodie smiled. What was ten more minutes when she was already this late? She unrolled the paper and a picture fluttered onto the table. Denny had drawn the two of them, and stuck a photo underneath. It showed them on the roundabout at the park, and then feeding the ducks. Denny hugged her waist.

"Happy birthday Elle. Love you." Elodie looked at the ceiling and hugged him back. She swallowed the lump in her throat and grasped the picture tightly.

"I love you too, Den. Thanks for my present. It's beautiful."

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"You are late again," Miss Williams said sternly. "By almost half an hour."

Elodie slammed her bag down and tried to catch her breath.

" I know, I'm sorry, my little brother…. The bus was late…."

"It's not good enough Elodie. Director Collins wants to see you."

"Am I in trouble?"

Miss Williams looked at her over her half moon spectacles.

"Perhaps you should go and find out before you give him any more reason to be."

"Great," Elodie thought as she traipsed out into the hallway. "Called to the director's office a week and a half into term." Director Collins hadn't been around at the start of term, and Elodie had never met him. She knocked on his door and waited for an answer. He was on the phone she could hear, but he called her in and ended the conversation. He was not a bit like she had expected. He was young- much younger than his reputation conveyed him to be, and vaguely attractive for a teacher. He was leaning back in his office chair, looking troubled.

"Ah, Miss Garett?" he asked, looking down at a file on his desk.

"Yes, that's me." She stood awkwardly in front of his desk picking bits from the spine of one of her folders.

"Am I in trouble?"

He looked up at her blankly.

"Why would you be? Is there something I should know?"

She shook her head, realizing that he had not called her there because of her punctuality issues.

"I am taking some time this week to get to know all of our new students, especially those on scholarships, as I believe you are?"

She nodded again, sitting down as he gestured to the seat opposite him. He looked down again at her file, which she noticed was fairly thick.

"So you are nineteen- today?"

"Yeah, that's right." She looked just past him, avoiding eye contact.

"And you have joined us from Washington. Your scholarship was based upon your academic achievements and your acting and singing abilities. Tell me Miss Garett, do you dance at all?"

Well that question was bound to come up some time or other, however much she had hoped it would not.

"No, not really. I did ballet as a kid but I kept falling over. Got no balance. Mum pulled me out of classes because of the bruises." He laughed quietly.

"Well we'll see what we can do about that then. After all, our aim here is to give all of our students a varied and well-rounded education in the arts as well as the academic subjects. Your parents' names have not been listed on our files- can you…"

"My parents are not around." She cut in. "It's just me and my little brother. My mum is in Montana and I have no idea where my father is." Might as well get the disapproving stares out of the way now- that way they wouldn't dig too much if she misbehaved or fell ill. Director Collins looked at her for a moment.

"Well In that case who can I name as your next of kin?"

She thought for a moment.

"My aunt, she lives in Washington. Drusilla Fox." Elodie read out her aunt's telephone number, hoping and praying that he would never try to ring it. If anyone contacted Drusilla she would not hesitate to take Denny back to Washington, and that just could not happen. For his sake and for hers.

"Ok, well thank you, and now I think you had better get to class, time is getting on." He closed her amended file and put it in a drawer under his desk. She nodded and stood up. She turned to leave his office and turned her mindset to wondering how long she could keep this up. Looking after Denny, paying for their flat, bills, food and clothes, whilst trying to keep her studies going at MSA. This was such a great opportunity, and for now they were happy. How long could it last this time?

"Miss Garett?" she paused as she reached the door.

"Yes?"

"Happy birthday," he said quietly.

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

Perhaps there was a chance this time.