A small sigh escaped my lips. The clock was ticking away, and it was annoying me. I sighed and leaned my head against the dull wall behind me. If that clock interrupted my thoughts once more, I knew I'd break it with my bare hands, no joke.

"Where the hell is she?" I muttered under my breath, letting another sigh, this time in annoyance. I checked the annoying clock - it had been three and a half hours since she had left for her date. She had promised me, this time, she wouldn't leave me alone. But then, I never believed her.

When Maya, Katie and Billy were around, she had never done anything. But then her boyfriend (at the time…he was long gone by that point) had chucked them out and they decided they were tired of Mum, so they left. I didn't even get a chance to see them. At first Mum pretended they'd run away, but I had known that they wouldn't leave without me, and she admitted that it was her boyfriend's fault.

I stood up, shaking my blonde hair from my face as I did so. I tied it into a messy ponytail before exiting my room and stepping out into the dampness of the living room. Our whole flat was damp, but the living room was the worst. My mum let me have the best room, and that had cracks everywhere and it stank and…well, it wasn't perfect, but you can imagine what the rest of the flat was like.

I walked into the kitchen and pulled out the many tins of chocolate my mum hid away. Roses, Quality Street, Heroes…there were tins and boxes…loads of them. It took a few trips, but I sneaked them into my room anyway. It wasn't really because I wanted them…well, I did, but it was more to spite my mum that I was doing it.

I heard someone knocking at the door. I frowned. Had she forgotten her key again? I walked towards the door and opened it. Police were standing there. I almost rolled my eyes but restrained myself. What had my mother gotten herself into this time? She was always in trouble with the cops. It was so bloody typical. But she wasn't with them.

"Hiya." I said calmly. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Samantha Cloverleaf?" a policeman asked.

"It's Sam. But yeah." I replied. "What's wrong?"

"Could you pack your things away, Miss Cloverleaf, and when you're done, you're coming to the station with us. We will explain everything there." A policewoman said.

I walked into my room, heart thudding. Maybe…maybe my aunt had showed up or something? I knew deep down that it was probably unlikely but I didn't want to think about those places again. I packed my stuff away, including the stolen chocolates and our camping bags. Then I lugged the stuff to the door.

I was bundled into a police car with my stuff, and we drove away from my house.

.

.

.

I was sitting in the waiting room, my bags piled up next to me. My heart was thudding and as soon as the door opened, I forced myself to look up. It wasn't any adults though, it was a girl about a year older than me, with a boy the same age as her. The girl had blue streaks in her hair and the boy was glaring at her. They saw me and stopped.

"In trouble with the cops?" the girl asked, sitting next to me. She seemed glad to get away from the boy.

I shook my head. "They won't tell me why I'm here…I just had to pack my bags and they brought me here. They said they'd explain, but they haven't." I sighed. "I think they're going to put me in a care home. Wouldn't be the first time, but…" I rolled my eyes.

"You too, huh?" the boy said.

"We're care kids." The girl added.

"Ever been to Burnywood?" I asked.

"Yep." They both said.

"My friends don't know that, but I have been." The girl said.

"It's hell under a roof." The boy agreed.

A bald man walked in and the girl and boy stood up.

"Elektra." The girl told me.

"Liam." The boy said.

"Sam." I replied.

They nodded and walked out. Some minutes later, a plump Jamaican woman walked in.

"Sam, right?" she said.

Wow, she actually got my name right, I thought. "Yes." I replied.

"I'm Gina Conway." She told me. "I'm a care worker. You'll be coming back to our care home to stay for a while." Gina said.

I gathered up my bags and followed her out. Elektra and Liam had vanished.

Here we go again, I thought to myself, as we left the police station.