Gabriella's PoV:
The majority of all the Dumping Ground kids and I were in the kitchen making a beans&toast tower, a messy but fun game.
"What are you doing?" Tracy asked as she walked in and learnt against the breakfast bar that Harry was sat on.
"Making a tower, what does it look like?" Liam said, a cheeky grin gracing his features.
"Okay, why?" Tracy tried.
"You don't really expect us to eat this rubbish, do you?" Sapphire said, giggles erupting from the little ones.
"You keep giving us these cheap beans" I said.
"And I think you'll find they're past their sell by" Tee said, showing Tracy.
"Eugh" Johnny, Tee's twin said.
"Only by a few days. We've got to save money" Tracy said.
"Well look, we've had no takeaways" I said.
"No swimming!" Toby said.
"We cut down on electrical time!" Johnny added.
"Okay! Okay! I know it's a little bit rubbish" Tracy said.
"Mike cancelled my piano lesson!" Gus yelled, practically having a panic attack.
"I always have piano lessons on Wednesday! If I don't have piano lessons on Wednesday then Wednesday won't work!" Gus continued.
"Look me in the eye Tracy Beaker and tell me this is fair" Liam said and we all started tidying up the kitchen.
10 minutes later..
Tracy walked in and gave us all the news that we were being moved to Burnywood, the worst care home ever!
"BURNYWOOD?!" Liam yelled.
"They can't do that!" Carmen said.
"But this is our home!" Me and Tee said.
"That's why we're gonna need to make these cuts work" Tracy said.
"Nah, look. Just don't get sucked in. If they wanna shut us down, they'll do it, doesn't matter how much money we save" Sapphire said, walking out.
"Sapph! Come back!" Tracy said.
"I've done a stretch in Burnywood, I'm not going back!" Liam said and I nodded in agreement.
"Then help us make it cheaper here and you won't need to" Tracy said.
"And neither will anyone else" She added.
"Everyone! Let's show these council muppets how to run this place on the cheap!" Liam declared, forever the leader.
We had all separated to find everything and anything we could sell.
I popped out of my room to see Liam and Gus bound up the stairs.
"Get Johnny to, uh, take down the curtains. Me and Frank will shift them" He said.
"Okay, I've gone through like everything and you can have this!" Carmen said, holding a sock out to Liam.
"And this!" She said, showing him the matching sock.
"Carmen, we need to make money! I need to see two full bin bags" Liam ordered.
"Two?!"
"Give me attitude, it'll be double" Liam said and Carmen huffed, making me laugh.
"Got anything for us, El?" Liam asked.
"I've almost got two full bin bags, sir!" I winked, saluting him.
"Haha" He mimicked, turning to Tee.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, I thought if we put these on our feet then we won't miss the carpets" Tee said, showing Liam foot-shaped carpet cut outs.
"Good thinking Tee"
"Pointless" Sapphire sang as she flounced past.
"Well at least she's trying!" Liam yelled after her.
"Keep going" He said to me before walking off, Gus in tow.
Two hours later..
We had managed to clear most things into the front garden to sell and we had made two separate rooms where we would sleep.
We were all piled into one and Liam led Mike, Gina and Tracy inside.
"Tada!" Liam said and the younger kids cheered.
"What are you doing?" Mike asked.
"We'd like to present you with the results of our saving Elm Tree House campaign!" Liam said.
"Tee and Gabriella are gonna move in with me and Lily so we can save on heating" Carmen said, Tee standing up.
"What-"
"What have you done with the carpets? And where are the curtains?" Gina asked.
"All in good time! Tee?" Liam said.
"I made these!" She said, showing her carpet feet.
"So that we don't miss the carpets" She smiled, handing a pair to Gina whilst Carmen handed a pair to Mike.
"Gus?" Liam said.
"We've worked out the savings"
"Saving electricity, saving heating and also sharing baths" Liam said, mumbling towards the end.
"Stop talking!" Gus exclaimed.
"No, no. There is no way I am sharing a bath!" Sapphire said.
"Me neither" Frank said.
"I'm with them on this" I said.
"Not all at the same time! Just the water" Liam said.
"No, nah. Thats rank" Sapphire said, shaking her head.
"Stop talking!" Gus yelled again.
"Adding the savings to the money Liam got from the house clearance man-"
"The what?!" Mike said, cutting Gus off.
"Its all about the contacts Mike, 'ere" Liam said, handing the money to Mike.
"Talking!"
"Adding the cash to the savings means we're each going to cost £29.87 less" Gus said.
"That matches the Burnywood prices, right?" Tracy said.
"Yes" Mike said, causing everyone to cheer.
"Shut up! Shut up! Continue" Frank said.
"Right. We can see how hard you've all worked, yeah" Gina said.
"Oh spit it out, please" Frank whined.
"Um, look. There isn't a council in the country that would let us run a home like this. I'm really sorry guys but you're gonna have to buy the whole lot back" Mike said and I sighed, rubbing my forehead.
"See, I told you it was a waste of time" Sapphire said to Liam as I followed him out of the room.
"Well, let me remind Harry just how much you've helped when they cart him off to Burnywood."
Thirty minutes later..
Liam, Tracy and I were sat in Liam's room, Liam laid across his duvet on the floor.
"First place thats ever felt like home" Liam mumbled then shot a look at Tracy and I.
"We never heard that" Tracy said, throwing her hands up.
"What are we gonna do?!" Liam said, pushing himself into a sitting position.
"Plan B"
"I haven't got a plan B" Liam said.
"Neither have I yet" Tracy shrugged.
"But I'm not giving up until we get up to at least plan F" She smiled.
"I'm going to shower" I muttered, walking out.
It wasn't long before everyone was in their pyjamas and in their makeshift beds.
Next day..
I was in my room, sorting my bedroom out again.
"Here, your things" Liam said, placing the bin bags in my room.
"Get everything back?" I asked.
"Not for the price I sold it for" Liam said.
"Come on, everyone's downstairs" He said and the two of us went into the living room.
"Burnywood can't be that bad, can it?" Tee said.
"At least we'd all be together" She offered.
"You'd hate it" Frank said.
"I heard they sit on your backs when you get into fights" Carmen said.
"I heard they lock you in your bedroom all night" Toby said.
"Its worse" I sighed, tangling my fingers in my hair.
"What if they split us up?" I heard Tee ask Johnny.
"I won't let them. I'll persuade Cam to change her mind about fostering us" Johnny said and I rolled my eyes.
"Why don't you just shut up about that?! It's never going to happen Johnny, this is real!" Tee snapped and Liam walked out.
10 minutes later..
Tracy walked in and told us about her plan to save our home and we'd been set on making banners and other stuff for the protest.
Half hour later..
We were all outside and Carmen ran out, Lily hot on her heels.
"Its all gonna be alright! Lily's moving in with the Perry's and it'll save us money!" Carmen announced, all of us hurrying closer.
"Carmen, shut up!" Lily snapped.
"Why? This is great for you!"
"Carmen" Mike said.
"Its not that simple-"
"How much would it save?" Liam asked, completely cutting Mike off.
"Stop it, I don't wanna go!" Lily cried.
"Have you lost it?!" I yelled, everyone shouting protests over each other.
"Easy guys!" Mike said.
"Its not up to you" Lily said.
"Yeah?! Well, you've got an home to go to. We're losing ours and getting sent to a prison!" Liam yelled, all of us shouting again.
"Why is Tracy on the roof?" Gus asked and we all looked up to see Tracy stood with a megaphone.
"Save Elm Tree House! Don't let the council close us down!" She chanted.
"TRACY! COME DOWN HERE!" Mike yelled, deafening me.
"I wanna get up there!" Liam said.
"You will stay exactly where you are!" Gina snapped.
"TRACY!" Gina hollered and I winced then laughed when Tracy simply waved.
Gina stormed off inside as we all watched Tracy.
"What is she doing?" Mike said.
"Milking it" I said, glancing at the camera van that pulled in.
"And it's working" Liam grinned.
5 minutes later..
Loads of news reporters, men with cameras etc had arrived now and we were all talking to them, handing out leaflets and having our photo taken.
Someone from the council arrived soon after Chrissie Perry did and I walked over to Liam and Frank.
"This isn't going to end well" I said.
"Oh come on! It's great, look around!" Liam grinned and I shook my head, glancing at Tracy.
5 minutes later..
Tracy had stopped yelling and I glanced up to see Lily.
"Oh my god" I said, everyone crowding by the doorway.
"LILY!" Mike yelled.
"GET BACK IN OFF THE ROOF!"
Mike and the council man rushed forward when Lily's foot slipped, sending a roof tile falling to the ground at Johnny, Tee and Carmen's feet and I felt Liam's hand in mine.
"LILY! GET DOWN OFF THE ROOF NOW!" Mike yelled again.
"GO BACK! GO BACK INSIDE!"
Lily tried to turn but her footing slipped, sending her falling to the ground, smacking the roof over the door as she did so.
I whimpered, tightening my grip on Liam's hand as everyone crowded around her.
The ambulance was called and Lily was taken to hospital, everyone in a state of shock.
10 minutes later..
We all gathered around the kitchen table, not saying a word.
Sapphire, Liam and I all shot up when there was a flash through the window.
"Get out!"
"Leave us alone!" Sapphire and Liam yelled simultaneously as they opened the door.
"Um guys, listen up please" Mike yelled, walking into the kitchen with some woman in a suit.
"Uh, this is-"
"Ill take it from here. Thanks, Mr Milligan" She said, rudely cutting him off.
"I'm Leanne Spinks, I've been sent by the council" She said.
"We're launching a full investigation into how this accident happened. Whilst that is in progress, Elm Tree House will be closed and you will all be placed elsewhere" Leanne said.
That caused us all to start shouting our protests all at once.
"The decision has been taken and it's final." She snapped, shutting us all up.
I huffed and stormed upstairs to pack my belongings.
10 minutes later..
I heard Tracy walk around, calling everyone's names before she walked into my room.
"Where is everybody?"
"Don't know" I muttered, shoving more clothes into my bags.
20 minutes later..
I made my way downstairs when I heard knocking and yelling, Tracy coaxing Harry and Sapphire from Sapph's room.
Sapphire grabbed Leanne's phone when she started ringing the police.
"There'll be no need for that, we'll get them out" Sapphire said, ending the call.
"Liam!" Sapphire called, knocking.
"Liam, it's me and Sapph" I said.
"No tricks?"
"Its us!" Sapphire scoffed.
Liam opened the door and Sapphire and I slipped in, shutting the door behind us.
"She's gonna call the police" Sapphire said as I stood beside Tee and Carmen, taking their hands.
"We can't win this one" I said.
"We can try" Tee said.
"Look, they're gonna shut us down and there's nothing we can do to stop it" I said.
"So you can either be dragged out of here kicking and screaming" Sapphire said, only to be cut off by Liam.
"They'll be the ones doing the screaming" He snapped.
"OR we control how it happens! So we can go out of here with a bit of dignity. With our heads held high because I don't know about you but I wanna show them that they don't own me even though they think they do!" Sapphire said and we all formed an orderly queue and marched out of the cellar and outside to where all our stuff was laid.
I shrugged my coat and backpack on and sighed. ( cgi/set?id=68027479)
Liam walked over and tapped my shoulder, smiling at me.
I smiled back and he walked back through the garden.
Whilst I wasn't one for roughing it, Liam was and that was exactly what he was gonna do.