A/N: Ok so I decided to do this after all. For those that don't know this will be a collection of all the characters stories, minus Summer's, from my other fanfic Summer at Burnywood. If you've read that you will probably have read this chapter already but I have changed it a bit. At the end of every story Summer will write some notes about what she's found out. Hope you enjoy
Rick's story
I've lived at Burnywood for three years now. I was nine when I got sent to care but I spent a year with a foster family.
When I was younger my parents were scammers. I grew up not knowing better. My mum would use me to get money. I mean who could resist a cute boy anything. I realised I was being used when I was about eight and I properly saw what was going on in front of my eyes. Mum, dad and me had walked down the street, me in the middle. Mum had stopped this lady to ask her for directions to the corner shop claiming I wanted some sweets. I realised this was strange as mum knew where the corner shop was and I wasn't hungry. As the lady pointed in the opposite direction and mum kept her talking dad had stood round the side of the lady and was going through her bag. I looked at him confused and he held a finger up to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I saw him pull out some bank notes and place them in his pocket. I tugged at mum's arm to tell her dad was a thief but she didn't respond. When we walked round the corner, mum turned to me, "Never pull on my arm like that again, you could have given us away." That's when I knew. Mum knew what dad was doing, she'd been distracting the lady for a reason. To steal money.
I know it's wrong but it meant I got all the latest games and gadgets as well as loads of cool things I wanted. Money wasn't a problem and before then I hadn't realised why even though neither of them had a job.
A couple of weeks later me and dad were in a cafe. A customer stood up from the table in front of us and went up to order. She left her purse on the table in clear view. Dad stood up and told me to wait. I sat and watched. He took the purse, walked up to the lady at the counter and said some things to her. I saw her look back at the table and giggle. She said something else and dad must have mentioned me because he gestured towards me and I saw the lady smiled at me kindly. I'd learnt to keep my mouth shut about the fact we were scamming for money. The last time I'd almost told someone I'd been beaten up and locked in a cupboard for a week. She came and joined us at our table. "So Rick," she said to me, "your dad was saying how you saw me drop my purse and told him about it. Thank you. That's a very kind thing to do." I just sat and nodded. I tuned out when dad started going on about how he had no wife and was a single parent. I'd heard it before. Dad had his back to the window when the police car arrived. I looked at the officers getting out. They casually scanned the cafe until their eyes met mine. They opened the door and walked in. All I can remember is them arresting dad for fraud. Turns out the woman had been an undercover police officer and had planned a trick to get my dad caught. He went to prison. Mum was more careful after that. There were less expensive games and gadgets brought for me so as not to draw attention to the money we had. But less than a year later she got caught out by the trick and was also arrested. I was nine at the time and got sent to a foster home. After a year there was a robbery and of course they thought it was me. So I got sent here. To Burnyhell.
It really deserves that nickname it is like hell on earth. If I ever get to hell it would be like being back here. I'm gonna shut up now because this is getting long and Summer's looking angrily at me as she wants to get the stories of everyone else and I'm taking up a lot of space.
Sorry Summer.
Summer's notes: You will be sorry Rick. Anyway so we've learned these facts – 1, his parents scammed for money; 2, his dad got arrested; 3, his mum got arrested in the same way; 4, he was falsely accused of stealing; 5, that the nickname for Burnywood is Burnyhell. Well I didn't know that one anyway. Is it really? Well Rick and Kitty are both nodding so I will assume so. So one down another million or so to go, well not quite.
