Beth Haywood turned down a side-alley shortcut on her way home from school, her mind distant with concerns of the ever nearing, mid term tests and her date on Friday night with Ryan. Her blonde hair was tied back with a thin blue ribbon and her tanned arms and legs had goose bumps from the bitter wind that was pushing against her small profile. Her rucksack was carelessly flung over her right shoulder and her brow was creased in thought.
She often came this way because it was quieter than the main road and it allowed her to walk at her own pace, slow and lazy. Mandy got concerned when Beth was but five minutes late and would threaten to phone the police if it became a constant habit. It wasn't that Mandy meant too upset Beth, she was over-protective and extremely morbid; she fretted about Beth opening windows or pouring hot water from the kettle in fear that Beth would be scratched by a shard of glass or burnt. At first, Beth had assumed it was just a facade that Mandy kept up too make it look as though she cared but as she learned to love her foster mother, she realised that it wasn't. The middle-aged, grey haired woman, who was more like a grandmother than a mother, actually did care for Beth's welfare. Beth had guessed that she was going to be adopted by Mandy and George when they had decorated her room and bought her a whole new wardrobe full of clothes and promised her a pet; she took this as a sign because she was only due too stay with the Buchanan's for no more than a year and then was supposed to be sent back into care, awaiting another possible family.
Beth had been in and out of care her whole life and had long ago given up any hope of ever having a permanent home and family. She had once been adopted, though; when she was just a few days old, a couple came too the hospital where she had been born and spoke to her mother. They arranged a home for her and Beth lived happily with them until she was five. Hannah Haywood had always loved Beth and Beth had loved her but Christopher, a published author, had very little time for a young child and the couple often had disputes about the time they spent with Beth. In bed each night, Beth would cry herself to sleep because she felt she was at fault for the constant disagreeing of her parents. In the end, Chris left and Hannah decided that it was for the best that Beth went back into care. Even to this day, Beth still loves the Haywood's and consequently, kept their name in case they should ever try tracking her down, although she knew they wouldn't.
Beth barely thought about her maternal mother, though every now and then, the subject caught her attention and she would wonder what her mother was doing, what she looked like, were her and her real father still together; had they even been together in the first place? All Beth knew about her mother was that she had only been seventeen when she had given birth too her and her father the same age, Hannah had told her but she claimed to know nothing else. Beth had no desire to find her mom for it was clear that she was unwanted or she would not have spent her life changing hands and responsibility, living in children homes with other girls in the same or similar situations and she would definitely not be living with a complete stranger who was by no means related to her, not even by marriage.
By now, Beth was just entering the front garden and walking up the path toward the front door. She turned her key in the lock and stepped into the immaculate hallway.
"Oh my gosh, Bethany, I nearly died! Lucy Hart's mother just phoned me, claiming to have seen you going down Creak End Alley; do you know what sort of people hang down there? Druggies, alcoholics..." Mandy began checking the groups of people off on her fingers.
"Mandy, Mandy, it's okay, Lucy's mum must have seen someone who looked similar to me go down there, because I didn't," Beth could lie so convincingly that Mandy did not even appear too chew this over before she said, "There's someone in the front room to see you."
"Oh, hey Caroline," Beth called to her care worker as she entered into the front room.
"Hi there, Beth, how are things at school?"
"They're so-so. What are you doing here, you're not due 'til Saturday?"
"Well, Beth, I have some news... It seems that someone who knows your mother has got in contact with us and wants to meet you. I mean, we'll have to run some tests, make sure they're safe but after that, it's all up to you..."