Tracy opened her eyes. Time to get up. Tracy stepped out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. What's for breakfast today? How about toast? Or eggs? Or both? Yes, both. Before frying two eggs and toasting the toast she put the kettle on. Tea is always a good way to start the day. Tracy went upstairs and knocked on her mum's door.
"Mum, I have tea. Breakfast's almost ready."
Her mum didn't answer her but she heard a soft giggle coming from inside the room.
"Mum?"
"Tracy, I'm sleeping!" She said.
Tracy went back down and drunk the tea up herself. Why would she only make toast and eggs for herself? She could have cereal. She put corn flakes in a bowl and poured milk in it as well. She actually wanted to eat by the TV but it was broken. What day was it actually? If it wasn't a Sunday maybe she should call a repairman. If there was enough money for that, of course. But she could always sell her bike if it was too expensive.
Tracy looked outside while eating her corn flakes. She saw children playing in the park. She'd love to play with them, but she couldn't. Those children probably had two parents. Tracy only had one. Tracy didn't even know who her father was, and neither did her mum. But she didn't mind. She liked taking care of her mother. That's what an only child is supposed to do. She'd be free when she's an adult. She'd be a writer. A very famous writer. A bit like J.K. Rowling, but much more glamourous. That writer who arrives at premieres in limousines. But for now, she was only seven year old Tracy Beaker. A nobody. A girl without a father, without brothers, without sisters. But obviously there were children who had a life much worse than hers. Abandoned children, abused children, children who lived in care homes or foster families because their own families wouldn't want to take care of them. If Tracy thought about that she was so happy she still had her sweet mother.
"Hello, this is Tracy Beaker. I need a repairman to repair our telly." Tracy said through the phone.
"Is this some kind of prank?" The man on the other line said.
"No, no. Of course not. Our TV is broken, you see?"
"Where are your mum and dad?"
"My mum's upstairs, she's still sleeping."
"Well alright then, I can be there between 12 and 5, is that alright?"
"Yes, of course it is. Thanks a lot."
Tracy hung up. She forgot to ask him how much it would cost. But she tried her best. Her mum loved watching TV, she didn't like it being broken.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. Tracy ran to the door and opened up. There was a very ugly woman with very ugly clothes standing in front of the door.
"Hello there, is this Tracy?" She asked.
Tracy nodded.
"Hi Tracy! This is Elaine Boyak. I am a social worker and I am here to help you!"
"What do you want to help me with?" Tracy asked.
"Well, the neighbours called me and they said you are not living a very fun live, are you?"
Tracy shrugged. She didn't need that woman's interference. She was okay. No, she wasn't living a very fun life, but she was only a kid.
"Can I come in please?" Elaine asked.
Tracy shrugged again, and Elaine took that for a yes. She walked in and sat down on the couch.
"Why aren't you at school Tracy?" She asked.
"My mum can't afford it."
"She can't? But Tracy, do you know that going to school is very important for a bright girl like yourself?"
Tracy wondered why this woman came to help her. What if she stayed forever? Tracy and her mum didn't have enough money for more people in their house.
"Miss Elaine. What exactly are you doing here?" Tracy asked.
"Well, like I said. I'm here to help. I'm here for you. But I do wonder where your mother is."
"Upstairs." Tracy said. "She's sleeping."
"Sleeping? It's 11 am! Can you wake her up for me?"
"No, I can't. And I won't. She went out last night and came home at six this morning. She needs her sleep."
"But this is abnormal. I'm going upstairs now!"
Elaine stood up and walked up the stairs. Tracy ran after her, shouting: "NO! SHE'S SLEEPING! LEAVE MY MOTHER ALONE!"
But Elaine didn't listen. She opened the door to Tracy's mother's room and saw her lying in bed, in some random man's arms.
"Mr and Mrs Beaker, I presume?" Elaine said.
Tracy's mum stood up, walked over to Elaine and said: "No, this is Miss Beaker. He's not her… Well, he's my new boyfriend. Tracy, have you already met Tim?"
"No…" Said Tracy.
"Well… Um… Tim, this is my daughter Tracy. Tracy, this is my new boyfriend Tim."
Tim walked out of bed too.
"You… You have a daughter?" He asked.
Tracy's mother smiled, without answering him.
"YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER?" He asked again.
"Yes." Tracy's mother whispered.
Tim grabbed Tracy's mother by her hair and pulled her to the ground.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" He shouted.
"I didn't think you'd mind." She said.
Tim started kicking Tracy's mother in her stomach and punching her in her face.
"NO!" Tracy ran over to them and tried to pull Tim off her mother.
Elaine just stood there, not even moving.
"Stop it!" She said a few times.
But obviously no one listened to Elaine. After a while Tracy got Tim off her mother and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Leave my mum alone." She said.
Tim spit on Tracy's mother's face and left the room. Tracy's mother started crying and Tracy hugged her.
"You'll be alright mum, I promise you, you will be alright. Would you like a cup of tea?" She asked.
Her mum nodded.
Elaine acted as if nothing of all this had ever happened and started telling: "Miss Beaker, I'm so sorry to interrupt you, but I'm Elaine Boyak from Social Services and I'm here to tell you that what you're doing to your child is wrong. And that I will be here today to examine your parenting skills and after working as a social worker for twelve years, I've never seen something like this before. This is outrageous. You should…"
Tracy's mother looked up to Elaine and said: "Can you please just shut up? I'm taking good care of my little girl and how I raise her is none of your business."
"No, no… Of course it isn't. But Miss Beaker…"
"You can call me Carly."
"Um… Yes. But Carly, she isn't even going to school."
"She's being homeschooled. I can't even afford a uniform for her. Schools in this neighbourhood are very expensive, you see? And Tracy and I are happy together. She's very smart."
"Is she? Well, if you lie in bed for most of the day, then when do the classes take place Miss Bea… Carly?"
"Wow, Miss Boyak. I can see why you're concerned but this is not what our days normally look like. Did you really think you could visit us for one day and conclude I'm not a good mother from what you see this very day? Well I…"
"No, of course not! But from what I've heard from your neighbours and what I've seen now… Tracy should be taken away immediately."
"What?" Tracy and her mother said.
"Yes! Normally this process takes weeks, but I've seen enough. You will be deprived from parental rights as soon as possible and Tracy will be coming with me."
Tracy was scared? Where would Elaine take her? To her house? To jail? To a care home? To an orphanage? To a foster family? To her father she didn't know?
"Where will you take me?" Tracy asked.
"Well… Tracy… Of course I don't know where I'll take you. There are a few good care homes here in London but first we need to check if there's room for you. That will take approximately 4 to 6 weeks."
"Wow… Wait Miss Boyak." Tracy's mother said. "So in four to six weeks you'll be taking my daughter to a care home without even asking my permission?"
"I'll make sure I don't need your permission anymore, Miss Beaker. You shouldn't be a parent. You should be ashamed of yourself, looking after a child like this!"
Tracy was so angry. Why were they doing this to them? Who would take care of her mother if she wasn't there?
"BUT WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHAT HAS SHE DONE?" Tracy shouted.
"Tracy, sweetheart, she…"
"DON'T CALL ME SWEETHEART!"
"Tracy. Your mother has not taken proper care of you. She treats you like you are her mother instead of her child and that is wrong."
"So? What if I tell you that this is what I want? I want to take care of my mother."
She gave her mother a kiss on her cheek.
"Miss Boyak, can you please leave us for a minute?" Tracy's mother asked.
"Yes, sure. I will have to call some people too now. I will be back when I'm done." Elaine said, and she walked out of the room.
"Tracy… You know. You should go." Tracy's mother said.
"I should? Why?"
"Sweetie, it's not easy for me, taking care of you. I love you, but… As you know, you were an accident. I didn't expect you'd be here so soon… And I still have so many things to do."
Tracy started crying.
"You – you… You don't want me?" She asked.
"I do… But… Oh Tracy."
She put her arms around Tracy but as soon as she did that the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?"
"Oh, I know!" Said Tracy. "It's the repairman, he's here to repair our TV."
Tracy went downstairs to open the door and her mother followed her.
"Hello there, so… Where's the telly?" The repairman asked.
"Oh, it's over here, in the living room." Tracy said, as she walked to the TV.
As he started working on the TV Tracy asked him: "Umm… How much will this cost?"
"Well, I don't know." He said. "Depends. It will most likely be something about 150 pounds."
"150 pounds?" Tracy's mum shouted. "Tracy! How dare you! What were you thinking? Do you think we have enough money for that?"
Tracy's mother walked up to her and slapped her in the face.
"Go to your room, now!"
" Hey, hey, hey, easy love!" The repairman said when he saw Tracy being slapped in the face by her mother.
Tracy's mother looked up and smiled to the man.
"Hey… How about… We go upstairs to my room for a discount?" She whispered in his ear, loud enough for Tracy and Elaine to hear.
"I've had it!" Elaine said. "Come on Tracy, pack your stuff, I know where you're going. Pack your stuff now."
"NO!" Tracy shouted.
"Yes, you will! You go upstairs now, take your stuff and follow me."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Tracy ran outside. She didn't want to come with Elaine. She didn't want to be stuck in a care home for the rest of her life. She loved her mother, more than anything. And her mother loved her too. She even wanted Tracy to go there so she could be alright. So she didn't have to take care of her mother anymore. But Tracy couldn't leave her alone. She didn't even want to leave her alone. Tracy ran so fast and so hard she was out of breath. But when she looked over her shoulder she saw Elaine getting closer and closer. Why was she so tired? She tried running further but it was too late.
"Well Tracy, if you don't want to get your stuff yourself I'll get it for you later today. Now, you come with me into the van."
Elaine lifted Tracy, who kept on kicking Elaine, hoping she'd release her, and put her in the van, got in herself, locked the doors and drove away.
In the van Tracy cried like a baby. She didn't even have time to say goodbye to her mother. She knew her mother never said goodbye when she left. But when Tracy left, not that that was something that happened very often, she always gave her mother a hug and told her how much she loved her. Why was she taken away from the only person she had?
"It's normal that you cry. Don't be ashamed. Of course this is a big change for you, but you will feel better as soon as we arrive there." Elaine said.
Oh Elaine, that woman just came into her house that morning and took her to a children's home. What kind of help was that? That morning she thought it would just be a day like any other. If only she knew she'd never see her house again.
After an hour or so they arrived at a gigantic house somewhere. It said Stowey House. Was this where Elaine lived?
"Tracy, welcome to your new home! Are you excited?" Elaine said with a big smile on her face.
"NO!"
"Tracy… I know it looks very big and scary from the outside, but you'll get used to it. It's lovely. You'll make friends as soon as we enter."
"NO!"
"Do you want to get out now?"
"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Tracy dear, you need to get out. Or do you want to stay in the car forever?"
"Don't you mean, do you want to stay in care forever?"
"Tracy… Please… You'll love it here."
Tracy sighed. She didn't stand a chance against this woman. She didn't even know where she was. She would never find her way back home again. The only thing she could do was looking her mother up in the phone book and call her, to ask her if she wanted to pick her up. Unfortunately they didn't have a car. Tracy knew this was it. She'd be imprisoned for the rest of her childhood.
Tracy opened the door, ignored Elaine and walked inside herself. From the inside the house looked like a school. But she didn't see any children.
"Hello?" She said.
Elaine walked in too.
"Phew, you're fast, Tracy!" She said.
Tracy only gave her an evil look.
"I think it's lunch time, so they're probably in the dining room. Do you want to see your new friends?"
Tracy shrugged. Her new friends? Why would other children immediately be friends? They probably weren't as cool as she is. Before Elaine forced Tracy to go to the dining room a girl walked out of one of the doors.
"Hey! Who are you? Are you new here?" She asked.
Tracy nodded.
"Oh! Hi, I'm Louise! Who are you?"
"Tracy."
"Nice name! I love your hair by the way!"
"Thanks…"
Tracy didn't want to talk to the girl. She seemed very annoying. The only thing Tracy wanted at the moment was going home. She didn't care how "sweet" the people there were, she wanted to go home.
"Don't you want to eat lunch? We have pizza." Louise said, when she noticed Tracy wouldn't say anything else.
"Oh yes!"
Tracy loved pizza! She went inside the dining room, sat down and took a slice of pizza. There were a lot of other children. Most of them were older than Tracy, but a few, including Louise seemed to be her age.
"So, this is the new girl?" A man asked.
Tracy nodded while devouring the pizza as if she was starving.
"Hi there. My name is Duke. I work here with Jenny and Mike."
"And Elaine?" Tracy asked.
"Oh, don't mind Elaine the Pain. You won't see her here that often." Duke said.
Tracy giggled. Elaine the Pain. Luckily she wasn't the only one who hated her with passion.
After the pizza Duke showed Tracy her new room. It was quite big. Much bigger than the room she had with her mum. But still… That was her room.
"How do you like your new room, Tracy?" Duke asked.
Tracy shrugged.
"I don't know…"
Duke put his arm around Tracy.
"I know you're not here because it's fun. But all the kids here have gone through the same. You won't believe me, I know, but you'll feel at home in a tick."
Tracy sighed.
"I won't. This would never feel like home to me. Children coming and going. Unhappy children. Always having to explain to people why I have no parents... Why me? I feel like I'm garbage. Taken away to a dumping ground."
Duke laughed.
"You see! That's what all the children call it here, the dumping ground!"
"Do they?"
"Yes, they do! Now Tracy, I suggest you go downstairs. Louise is a very nice girl. She's very excited about you! Maybe you can play a game together or something?"
"A game?"
"Yeah, have fun, you deserve that."
Duke was right. After an awful day like this, she did deserve having fun.