Chapter 1
It was a Friday afternoon and Rachel was so glad to have finished work for the weekend, this week had been particularly stressful for her and she was really looking forward to spending time with her family for a couple days, her and her husband James and daughters Libby and Amelia were going out for a meal tonight at a fancy restaurant. James had a really stressful job as a consultant at the local hospital so it was very rare for him to have much time off.
Libby was 10 and Amelia was 13, they were both working really hard at school at the moment, so Rachel thought it would be nice for them to all go out together and just relax. Libby especially was finding school quite tough at the moment, she'd always struggled with it and recently they'd found out she had some additional learning needs, which seemed to have knocked her confidence quite a bit.
For once, Rachel decided not to stop late at school. About half an hour after the bell had gone, she grabbed all her stuff together, Amelia came up to her office.
"Hey how was school?"
"It was really good, I'm going to the cinema tomorrow with some friends"
"Oh that'll be nice, remember though I want you to make an effort with Libby this weekend, she's been so down all week with school and everything, I just want to cheer her up"
"Yeah I will do, don't worry" Amelia said, "Mum will you sign a letter for me?"
"What letter?"
Amelia reached in her bag and grabbed it for her "It's about the year 8 trip to Paris"
"Oh yeah I just signed the risk assessment for that today, I can't believe you all get to go there, in my day it was the local beach and that was about it"
Amelia laughed at this "Yeah but that was ages ago"
"Oi what are you trying to say?" Rachel joked "Right let's go and pick Libby up, I hope she's had a better day"
More or less every day this week Libby had come home upset about school, Rachel didn't know what to do to make it better for her, she knew it was hard when she was struggling with the work so much, she'd seemed so happy at school up until a month or so ago.
Amelia and Rachel walked out of school and got into the car to drive to Libby's school
By the time they got there Libby's after school group had just finished
Libby saw her Mum and sister so ran straight over. Libby still looked very young for her age, she was quite small, with long blonde hair.
"Hey darling how was school?" Rachel asked, giving her a quick hug
"It was okay" Libby said
Rachel knew she wasn't going to get much more from her about school so decided to leave it at that
"Can I go and play round Sophie's house when I get home"
"Well you can for about an hour but then you'll have to come in and get ready, we're going out for tea tonight remember"
"Yeah that's fine"
The three of them then got in the car and Rachel drove them home
As soon as they got in the two girls went upstairs to go and get changed
Rachel decided to make herself a cup of coffee, she felt like she'd not stopped all day and was definitely ready for a bit of a rest now
She noticed Libby had left her school bag in the hall so went through to pick it up, when she did though she noticed a letter inside
Of course, Rachel got it out to read, she was shocked when she read through it all, apparently Libby had been fighting with some of her friends , this didn't sound like Libby at all, normally she was so well behaved at school
Instantly Rachel went upstairs to talk to Libby about it
She knocked once on her bedroom door before going in
Libby had just got changed when her Mum came in, she could tell she wasn't very happy
"Am I in trouble Mum?" Libby asked sounding worried, she hated getting in any sort of trouble
"Well I'm not very happy about this letter I've just read, not one bit. And you obviously knew I wouldn't be happy which is why you didn't give it to me isn't it"
Libby didn't know what to say, she could feel her eyes fill with tears "I'm sorry, please don't shout at me"
Rachel sighed and sat down next to her
"I'm not going to shout Libby, but I do want you to tell me what happened" Rachel said
"Chloe was being horrible to me again and it just really upset me so I hit her" Libby sobbed
Rachel knew that Chloe had upset Libby quite a bit recently and it had really been getting her down
"Come on don't cry" she said putting an arm around her "Look I know that you and Chloe have been falling out a lot recently but the best thing to do is just ignore her and go and speak to your teacher about it, you know better than to hit people"
"I know I'm sorry"
"Okay, I'm not going to go on about it but please make sure it doesn't happen again okay?"
Libby nodded her head
"Right are you going to go over to Sophie's then?"
Libby nodded and then went off, Rachel knew she'd let her off quite lightly, but she was having a hard enough time of it as it was and she didn't want to make her feel even worse by shouting at her
The house was looking a bit messy, so Rachel decided to do a bit of cleaning
She was just downstairs when she heard the door go and James came in
"Hey Rach, I'm back"
"Oh hello I wasn't expecting you back for an hour or so, makes a change you being early for once"
"I know but we were quiet, and they owed me some time, so I decided to sneak off"
Rachel went over and put her arms around her husband
Amelia chose that exact moment to walk downstairs
"Eww you two are gross" She said causing Rachel to laugh
"We were only hugging" She pointed out "Have you got much homework and stuff to do this weekend?"
"Nope not really" Amelia replied "I'm starving can I get some crisps"
"Amelia we're literally going out in an hour, I'm sure you can wait until then" Rachel said
Amelia sighed before walking off
"She's getting more like a teenager by the second" James said laughing slightly
"Tell me about it, as if I don't have enough of it at work" Rachel joked
"Was Libby alright at school today?"
"Not really" Rachel sighed "Apparently Chloe was having a go at her and Libby ended up hitting her"
"That's not like Libby" James said
"I know, she just seems so unhappy at the moment, I really think we should look into that other school" Rachel said "I know the fees are ridiculous but it just seems like such a fantastic place and I know she'd be happier there"
"Yeah I think you're right, why don't you set up a meeting with someone there and we can talk things through?"
"Yeah that sounds like a good idea"
They chatted for a bit longer and then Rachel decided to go and get ready, she had a shower and then started doing her makeup.
She'd just about finished when Libby came in and sat down on the bed
"Hey love did you have a nice time at Sophie's?"
"Yeah it was really good" Libby said, "Mum when can I wear makeup like you do?"
"When you're older, you don't need to wear any makeup at the moment" Rachel replied
"You let Amelia wear it"
"Yes, because she's almost three years older than you are" Rachel said "You need to get ready for tonight Mrs"
"It won't take me long" Libby said but she went off anyway
A little while later they were all ready to go so, they headed off out
It was very unusual for them to all get to go out together, Rachel and James were so busy with work it just never normally happened
They got to the restaurant and went inside, it really was very nice in there
As they were looking through the menu James noticed that Amelia keep looking at her phone
"Amelia put your phone down at the table, especially while we're out"
"She's texting her boyfriend" Libby said giggling
"No, I'm not" Amelia said however she started to blush
"Don't be silly Libby, Amelia's far too young to be having boyfriends" James said
"Amelia does have a boyfriend though" Libby protested
"No, I do not, how would you know anyway?" Amelia asked
"I saw you had a text from a boy the other day" she said
"You shouldn't go on your sisters phone Libby, that's private" Rachel said sensing that Amelia was getting a bit uncomfortable with the situation, although she did hope that there wasn't any truth in it.
Luckily James quickly changed the subject and they ended up having a really nice evening.
Rachel and James had ended up having quite a lot of wine between them, Rachel had only planned on having one small glass so she could drive back but had ended up getting a bit carried away.
"Looks like we're walking back tonight" James said
"Oh well it'll only take us 20 minutes and we can pick the car up tomorrow " Rachel said
"Why do we have to walk?" Libby asked
"Because me and Dad have been drinking wine, a bit too much of it" Rachel said laughing slightly
They didn't really mind walking though; it was a lovely evening after all.
James paid the bill and then they left
It was quite nice walking; the two girls went ahead to chat to each other, so Rachel and James walked behind them.
"you don't think Amelia does have a boyfriend do you?" James asked
"No, anyway even if she does it'll only be a bit of fun it won't exactly be serious will it?" Rachel said laughing "I remember having daft boyfriends at her age"
"oh really, I don't know if I like the thought of you having a whole load of men before me" he teased causing Rachel to nudge him playfully
They were nearly home and suddenly Rachel thought she'd heard a noise behind her
She brushed it off though thinking she must have imagined it
However, a minute or so later Rachel got the shock of her life. She was walking when out of nowhere she felt someone jump out at her.
She screamed in terror; they were wearing a hood so she couldn't see their face.
They grabbed at her handbag and before Rachel could stop them, they had managed to get it off her arm and run off with it
Rachel couldn't believe what had just happened, her heart was pounding rapidly against her chest
James wasted no time in running after them, determined to find out who the culprit was and retrieve his wife's bag
James was very fit for his age and had always been a good runner, so it didn't take him long to catch up with them. He grabbed them and quickly managed to stop them in their tracks.
When he did however, he got a shock, they felt very thin and he could hear them sobbing loudly, they sounded very wheezy.
"What the hell were you doing grabbing my wife's bag like that?" He demanded
They continued to sob, eventually they pulled back their hood
James got a shock, it was a girl who only looked about Amelia's age, she looked awful, her face was very thin and pale, she looked like she hadn't eaten for days, despite what had happened James couldn't help but feel worried
"hey it's okay, take some deep breaths" he said gently
The girl was clearly distressed, and was shivering violently despite the night being warm
She tried to calm down a bit
"What's your name?"
She wasn't sure whether to tell him or not, but in the end decided to trust him "Georgie" she whispered
"How old are you Georgie?"
"15" she replied, he couldn't believe how old she was, she looked a lot younger
James was about to reply when Rachel caught up with him
"James did you get my bag back" she shouted from a distance "Is this who got it?"
James nodded
Rachel ran up to the girl, Amelia and Libby close behind her
She was about to give her a piece of her mind but then she saw the girl, and her fury turned to shock
Georgie was sat on the floor crying and shaking Rachel crouched down beside her, she could tell something wasn't right about this
"This is Georgie, she's 15" James explained
"Georgie my names Rachel" Rachel said "are you okay?"
It felt strange, she suddenly felt a great deal of concern over the person who, just 5 minutes ago, had tried to run off with her bag
The girl didn't answer her
"Amelia, take my keys and take Libby home, it's only round the corner" Rachel instructed
The two girls went off, feeling shocked at what had just happened
"Where do you live Georgie?" Rachel asked, something seemed very wrong with the girl and she wanted to make sure she got home safely
"Are you going to call the police?" Georgie asked sounding worried
"No, we're not" James said "We just want to make sure you're safe, you don't seem very well"
Georgie continued to cry
James exchanged glances with Rachel, they didn't know what to do for the best
"I stole your bag, why are you being nice?"
"Well something tells me you had your reasons" Rachel said "Now why don't you tell us where you live, and we can get you home"
"I don't have a home" Georgie mumbled
"What do you mean?" James asked
"Me and my sister, we were in a care home because no one wanted us, only a few days we ran away, we've found this empty place to live in, I smashed a window to get in, we haven't eaten all day and I needed money to buy my sister food, that's why I tried to steal your bag. My sister's waiting for me back at the place"
Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing, she didn't know what to say or do
"How old is your sister?" James asked
"5" Georgie said, causing Rachel and James to exchange another shocked glance
Georgie then turned to Rachel, "She's your sister too"
Rachel's heart missed a beat
"What? No sorry that's rubbish, I don't have any sisters"
"You do" Georgie said "your dad is my dad, I've seen loads of pictures of you before, Dad divorced your Mum and married my Mum 15 years ago, he had me then too and Lexi 10 years later, Mum died then too and it was just us and him, that's when he turned violent and we got taken off him and put in foster families, only none of them wanted us so we went to a care home, but it's awful in there and I'm not going back, me and Lexi ran away. I knew about you and I even got your address, so I thought maybe we'd come and see if you'd have us, I came to your house the other day and saw you with the two girls so obviously I knew then you wouldn't want anything to do with us, but I guessed you'd be pretty well off, me and lexi aren't staying far away and tonight I've been hanging round this area, when I saw you coming that's when I grabbed your bag, I only did it because I needed to, I'm really sorry"
Rachel was in shock, she couldn't believe what she'd just been told, half of her didn't believe it, but then why would she make it up? It was possible, after all she'd left home at 16, she couldn't stand her parents and wanted nothing to do with them.
"I've got a picture of me and Dad, so you know I'm not lying"
Georgie reached in her pocket and grabbed a crumpled piece of paper, Rachel couldn't believe it, it was her Dad after all.
She looked at the girl, not knowing what to say. She had a million questions but she knew she couldn't ask them.
"Do you believe me?"
Rachel just nodded her head in response
After a long pause, James spoke
"Georgie you don't seem very well" he said "don't you think we should take you back, you can't look after you sister out here alone, with no money and no one to take care of you, surely people are looking all over for you now"
"I'm not going back, it's torture for us" Georgie cried "I can look after Lexi"
"When was the last time you had something to eat?" Rachel asked, finally talking for the first time since Georgie had told her the news
Georgie shrugged, Rachel suddenly began to feel guilty about the meal they'd just had which had cost them the best part of £100 and they'd thought nothing of it.
"Look obviously we're going to have to call social services, but why don't you come back to our house while we do it?" Rachel said, she couldn't leave her, she was just so vulnerable
"no, you'll get them to send us back" Georgie cried
"Georgie, I know you're scared, and I know you don't trust me, but we can't leave you like this, especially when you say your little sister is with you too" James said
"I don't want to go back; you don't get what it's like"
"Georgie, I promise you I won't let them send you back" Rachel said, she didn't know how she was going to ensure this, but she also knew it was the right thing to do
Georgie looked up at Rachel, something about her made her trust her
"you must be starving, let us fix you up with something to eat and your sister too" Rachel said
Georgie didn't know what to do, but she knew if she didn't accept her and Lexi probably wouldn't eat tonight
"Okay" she whispered
Rachel helped her up, she was very weak and struggled to walk so she had to support her
She wondered how the hell anyone had let a child get into such a state
"How far away is it to where you've been staying" James asked
"About 10 minutes"
"Okay, you lead the way then"
The walk seemed to take forever, eventually they got to a deserted allotment type places
"How have the police not found you?" Rachel wondered out loud
"They're looking for us I think, but they're used to care kids going missing, and we've only been gone a day"
Rachel began to get really worried about what they would find inside
Georgie managed to open the door
Rachel and James gasped when they saw the little girl inside, like her sister she looked incredibly skinny, her clothes were filthy, and her hair looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks
Rachel felt like crying; she couldn't imagine how any child could end up like this
Lexi cowered away when she saw the two strangers
"Lexi it's alright, this is our sister Rachel" Georgie soothed
"Hey Lexi, Georgie's been telling me all about you" Rachel said "She also tells me your ready for some dinner, and I said if you come back to our house we can get you something to eat, how about that huh?"
Lexi looked up at Georgie who nodded reassuringly
"Come on then, let's get you sorted" Rachel said
Lexi shuffled out cautiously, she too was extremely weak and didn't seem to be able to walk well
"Do you want me to carry you?" James asked, he didn't really know what else to suggest
Lexi backed away again, the idea of this scaring her
"Okay, how about if I do it?" Rachel asked, thinking she might trust a woman more
Lexi nodded her head in response so Rachel picked her up, she was extremely light for a 5-year-old
Suddenly Georgie became conscious of how dirty Lexi was and how smart Rachel's outfit was
"Sorry, I have tried to keep her clean, it's just hard we've not had a change of clothes or anything and we couldn't shower"
"Don't worry" Rachel said simply, sensing her embarrassment
Eventually they got back home
The two girls stared round in amazement at the house, it was like nothing they'd ever witnessed before, Georgie felt so out of place there
Rachel brought them through to the kitchen, she wasn't sure what to give them but found some left over pizza and got some crisps out as well as two glasses of orange juice
As soon as she put it out the girls instantly grabbed at it, stuffing as much in their mouths as possible, Rachel had never seen anyone eat so quickly, it made her want to cry again
Within just a minute or so the two of them had demolished it, she had made some sandwiches up so put them on a plate
Again, they grabbed it as soon as they could, this was the first proper food they'd had in ages.
The girls looked so scared and fragile; Rachel didn't know what to do
"Girls just stay in here for a couple of minutes, me and James are just going to make some calls"
"I'm not going back there" Georgie said again
"I know" Rachel replied
James and Rachel then went out, closing the door behind them.
James turned to Rachel; he couldn't take in everything that had happened
"Oh my god, James I just don't believe it. I didn't even know I had sisters, never mind one's 20 odd years younger than me." Rachel said "I mean I haven't seen Dad since I was 16 but it's just such a shock"
"Those poor girls, did you see the way they were eating? How the hell have they got to that point?"
"God knows, it's just so awful" Rachel said "The police must be looking everywhere for them, especially Lexi, she's not much older than a baby"
"We need to call social services, they'll be able to set them up with an emergency foster family, even if it's just for a couple of days"
"Yeah I'll call them now"
Rachel picked up the phone, she quickly managed to get through to who she needed to speak to
Rachel seemed to be on the phone for ages, she'd gone in the other room so she could talk in private but James could hear a fair bit of arguing going on
Eventually she came back through
"Well, there's absolutely no emergency foster placements available, they need to send them back to the care home"
"You promised they would go back there"
"I know but what am I supposed to do?" Rachel snapped, she then instantly felt bad "I'm sorry I just really don't know what to do"
"Can't they stay here for a few nights, just until something's sorted" James suggested
Rachel wasn't sure at first, she just didn't know whether she could manage caring for such vulnerable children, even if it was for just a couple of days.
"I suppose we could" Rachel said "Do you think we'll be able to?"
"Well you are family after all, they'll have a record of that" James pointed out "I just think they're going to be better off here than in a care home"
"Yeah I guess"
Rachel then rang the social worker back, they ended up having another quite long conversation, but in the end it was agreed that they could stay, and she'd come round in about an hour to complete some checks and fill out some paperwork
"James, I'll go and talk to the girls, why don't you go and speak to Libby and Amelia" Rachel suggested "They have no idea what's going on"
"Okay"
Rachel went back through to the kitchen
The two of them were sat there, not really knowing what to do with themselves
"Girls, I've spoken to your social worker, look this is just a suggestion but how about if you stay here for a couple of nights, until something more suitable can be sorted out?"
"Really?" Georgie said, she couldn't believe her and Lexi were going to get to stay in such a fancy house for a while
"Yeah, if that's alright with you?"
The girls looked at each other and nodded
"Okay well we've got a few spare rooms, none of them are particularly tidy at the moment but I'm sure you'll be comfy enough" Rachel said "Georgie, you'll be able to use some of Amelia's pyjamas and stuff, Lexi I'm not really sure what we're going to do for you, maybe me and you can nip to Tesco and find something, it'll still be open"
"We don't have money" Georgie replied
"Well I don't mind getting you some things" Rachel said "Why don't I show you around a bit, and you can meet my two daughters"
It then occurred to Rachel that these girls were technically aunties to Amelia and Libby
Rachel showed them round a bit and then knocked on Amelia's door
"Yeah" Amelia shouted
Rachel walked in, the two girls following closely behind
Libby was also sat in there on Amelia's bed
"Amelia, Libby this is Georgie and Lexi" she said
Rachel couldn't believe how this evening had worked out, the person she'd assumed was a thug trying to steal her bag was now in her house getting introduced to her daughters
"Hello" Amelia said smiling
"Libby, you can have 10 more minutes in here then it's your bedtime, Amelia make sure she goes to bed" Rachel said
She then continued taking the girls round, she led Georgie up to the biggest spare room
"Right Georgie, do you reckon you'll be okay here huh? I'll bring some towels and pyjamas up, then you can a shower if you'd like?"
Georgie was looking forward to going in the shower, she hadn't had a wash in what seemed like forever, she felt far too dirty to be in Rachel's clean house.
"Why don't you go in and get settled" Rachel suggested, thinking Georgie probably needed a bit of time
Lexi felt scared now her sister had gone
"Right Lexi, let me show you through to your room"
Lexi felt very nervous about having her own room, she normally slept with Georgie
The room was very pretty, it just felt so big compared to what she was used to
Rachel realised Lexi hadn't actually spoken a word to her since they'd met
"Do you need anything else Lexi?"
Lexi just shook her head in response
"Okay, well I'm going to head out to Tesco now, I won't be long I promise"
Rachel grabbed her bag and then went out, despite being totally sober now after tonight's events she realised she still probably shouldn't drive, so decided to walk round.
While she was there she got some pyjamas and a few other bits for Lexi, she also got some toiletries for Georgie, thinking it would be nice for her to have her own stuff.
She then walked back home
She was going to go straight up and check on the girls, however, the social worker arrived
It took quite a while to go through everything but in the end everything was sorted so she left.
Rachel then went up to see Georgie, she knocked on the door before going in
Georgie had been in the shower and was already looking a lot better, she was a very pretty girl, but she just looked so unwell and neglected
"Hey, I just wanted to check you were okay?"
"Yeah" Georgie replied "Rachel, I'm sorry for trying to steal your bag earlier, I just didn't know what else to do"
Rachel went in and sat down next to her
"I know you only did it because you were so desperate" she said "I just want you and your sister to feel comfortable here"
"Thank you" Georgie mumbled "I'll make sure Lexi doesn't cause trouble"
"She doesn't really seem like she would"
"She gets scared at night, sometimes she'll wake up in a state"
"I'd say that's pretty understandable given what you've been through" Rachel said "I think any child would be the same, I'm going to run her a bath in a minute"
"She might not be keen on going in"
"Why?"
"Some kid at the care home dunked her head under and held it there, she took in a load of water"
"Oh god, the poor little thing" Rachel said "Well I'll go and run one and see if I can get her to go in, Amelia's downstairs watching love island, you could go and join her, even if it is the biggest load of rubbish ever"
"I might do" Georgie said
"Okay, well I'll leave you to it, if you need anything at all just come and get me okay?"
Georgie nodded her head
Rachel smiled at her and then closed the door
She then ran the bi jacuzzi bath for Lexi
She went over to Lexi's room, she realised how late it was and that she'd be really tired. She did really need a wash though; she was totally filthy and it broke Rachel's heart seeing her like that
"Lexi come on through to the bathroom" she said
Lexi followed her in
"Do you want to get in the bath? Look there's loads of bubbles"
Lexi cowered away and shook her head violently
"It's okay, I promise nobody is going to hurt you" Rachel said, however, she knew there was no way she would trust her on this, why should she? So many other people had let her down
"Your sisters been in" Rachel said "And nobody else is going to come in here"
Lexi still looked terrified
"Lexi it's alright I promise; you don't even have to go in for very long"
Rachel felt as if she was talking to herself, she knew she wasn't going to get a response out of lexi
"Please go in Lexi, you'll feel all nice and clean afterwards" Rachel begged
Lexi backed away even more
Rachel was about to give up when suddenly she had an idea
She disappeared and came back a few minutes later with a bikini on, she felt absolutely ridiculous doing this but hoped it might work
"Look I'll come in with you"
Lexi looked puzzled but still didn't respond
Rachel got in while Lexi watched
Rachel was sure this wouldn't achieve anything and felt a bit stupid, however, just a minute or so later Lexi slowly got undressed and got in, much to Rachel's surprise
"See it's nice and warm in here" she said "And we can give your hair a lovely wash with my special shampoo"
Lexi still felt very tense, however, she started to relax a little bit.
After a while Rachel washed her hair, before getting a sponge and gently washing her
By the time they were finished, Lexi looked significantly cleaner.
Rachel wrapped a towel around her and dried her off, she then got her to brush her teeth
"I got you some pyjamas, I think they should fit" Rachel said
"Thank you" Lexi whispered; it was the first words she'd spoken
"You're welcome, you needed something to sleep in didn't you?"
Lexi quickly got changed, it was the first time in ages she'd felt properly clean
"It must be way past your bed time, you must be absolutely shattered" Rachel said "Do you want anything to drink before bed?"
Lexi shook her head
"Do you need to go to the toilet before you go to sleep?"
Lexi nodded
"Okay, I'll just wait in your room"
Rachel went in and sat down on the bed, a minute or so late Lexi came back
"You know if you need anything at all during the night you can just shout, I do understand how strange it feels being here, but everyone here just wants to look after you I promise, nobody's going to shout or hurt you"
Almost as soon as she got into bed Lexi began to feel incredibly tired
"Night darling" Rachel said, squeezing her shoulder slightly
Almost as soon as Rachel had left Lexi fell fast asleep, it was the first time she'd felt anywhere near safe in a long time
Rachel then went downstairs and sat down with Amelia and James
"Mum how are they?" Amelia asked
"They're very fragile, I've never seen two children in such a state" Rachel said "I'm sorry, this must all be such a shock"
"It's okay, they seem really nice" Amelia said causing Rachel to smile, she was such a kind girl
"I can't believe I had sisters I never knew about and they managed to track me down"
"Why did you stop speaking to your parents Mum" Amelia asked, she'd tried to talk about this before with Rachel, however her Mum had always very quickly changed the subject
Rachel sighed, she always did hate it whenever someone brought it up
"Oh love it was a long time ago, things just happened between us that's all"
"But what sort of things?" Amelia persisted "It must have been really bad for you to never speak to them again"
"Amelia, I'm really tired can we talk about this another time?"
"But you'll never talk about it with me" Amelia said "I've never met my grandparents on your side"
"And I wouldn't want you to either, darling when you're older I'll explain it all to you, just not yet okay?"
Amelia sighed, she knew she'd never really get an answer out of her Mum on this
"Is Libby asleep?" Rachel asked
"Yeah, she was a bit upset before bed though so I sat with her a while"
"How come?" Rachel asked
"I think just school and everything, and it's obviously a bit unsettling for her having Georgie and Lexi her"
"I know, I should have spoken to you two properly about it but I just didn't have chance" Rachel sighed "It's only for a few days though"
"Mum it's fine, they need somewhere to stay, Libby will be fine too"
"I hope so" Rachel said
They chatted for quite a while before Amelia decided to go up to bed
It was getting late but Rachel and James decided to have another coffee, neither of them were relaxed enough to go to sleep
They'd been downstairs a while when suddenly the living room door opened and Lexi came in
She looked quite scared, as she was standing there Rachel couldn't help but think how young she looked
"hey Lexi are you okay?" James asked
Lexi didn't say anything for a moment or so, it was like she was trying to pluck up the courage to speak, then slowly her mouth opened "Can I have some water please?" she asked
Rachel smiled, it was the most the girl had said since she'd arrived
"Yes of course, me and James are just about to go to bed, so I'll get you that and then I'll take you back up"
Rachel went into the kitchen and poured her a glass of water
"Is there anything else you need?" she asked
Lexi looked round the kitchen, despite eating at Rachel's house earlier she still felt starving, after all her and Georgie hadn't eaten properly for ages, she caught her eye on the bread on the counter, she was too scared to ask for a piece though
Rachel caught her looking "How about some bread and butter?"
"Yes please" Lexi said
Rachel got a couple of pieces out and buttered them "There you go"
Lexi took the plate and instantly began to eat, she must still be ravenous Rachel thought to herself
"Thank you" Lexi said
"You're welcome, you know you can always have food here whenever you need it" Rachel said
She then took Lexi back up to bed
"How long are we here for?" Lexi asked when she was in bed
"I'm not sure love, a few days" Rachel replied
"I like it here" Lexi mumbled
Rachel smiled, she was glad to see Lexi looking a bit more relaxed now.
"You get some sleep, and remember we're just around the corner" Rachel said
She stayed with Lexi for a bit before going to bed, eventually feeling shattered after the evenings events
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