New chapter! (With alternate language for the different accents...) Meeting the DG kids - this chapter's quite a bit longer, enjoy! xx

A short distance away, in a large house, a care worker sat in his office. He gave a sigh, getting up from his computer chair. He took off his glasses and put them in his shirt pocket. They were having a new arrival at the care home.

"May-Li!" He called, as three young children ran through the hall. A young Asian woman appeared in a doorway, dodging the kids as they ran past.

"Yes, Mike?" She asked older man.

"We've got a new kid coming in half an hour, may only be temporary," he explained. "A girl called Emily."

"Oh, right," she said, nodding. Then she looked at him. "Did you just say half an hour!? We've got to get the spare room ready!"

"Ah, yes!" Mike exclaimed, "They did apologise for it being so last minute."

A boy of about sixteen walked through the hall.

"What's going on?" He asked. He had short dark brown hair and was wearing a blue long-sleeved t-shirt. He looked slightly amused.

"Get Johnny to help you," Mike said, before disappearing back into his office.

"Ah, Johnny," said May-Li, "We've got a new kid coming so I need to to help me get the spare room ready."

"All right," he agreed.

"A new kid?" Asked a girl who came through the living room door. She had blonde hair and wore a white skater dress with a pink cardigan.

"Yeah, a girl called Emily," May-Li replied. "You can help too, Tee. Come on." She ushered Tee and her brother Johnny up the stairs.

Mike poked his head out of the office and shouted, "House meeting in five minutes!"

Emily sat in the car, head resting on the window. The car journey wasn't long. They soon came to a stop and Emily looked out to see where the social worker had taken her. The house was large and red-bricked. There was a large lawn out front with an oak tree and a white fence that surrounded the lawn.

"Come on then, Emily," said Andrea, getting out of the car. Emily followed her up the path to the house. The place looked nice, but Emily had no idea what to expect. Heavy metal music leaked out of her earphones and Andrea glanced at her in distaste. The door opened and a bald middle-aged man stood there, smiling pleasantly.

"You must be Emily," he said. "I'm Mike Milligan."

"Hi," Emily muttered. Mike showed them in. The hallway was large and spacious, and the walls were painted a cream colour. On one side there was an office with a large glass window and on the other side was a door to what appeared to be a living room. The hall was full of kids.

A young Asian woman stepped forward. She had long black hair and a kind smile. She was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt.

"Welcome to Ashdene Ridge," she said. "I'm May-Li."

Emily nodded awkwardly, fiddling with the wires of her earphones. She looked around at the people before her, feeling like an insect under a microscope. It was as if every detail of her appearance was being scrutinised by the kids of the house; her chocolate brown hair that fell in loose waves that could do with a wash, her pale skin and old clothing. She wished she had chosen a different t-shirt as she thought about the beer stains on the one she had on. These kids were well dressed and looked happy, mostly.

A few smaller chidren stood on the stairs, peering down at her. A boy with dark skin held the collar of a black and white sheepdog. Emily's chest tightened and she swallowed. Two girls a perhaps a year or two older than Emily, one fair and one with darker skin and hair, stood to one side. Behind them was a tall boy with brown hair.

She gave a nervous smile, tugging at her earphones, shaking slightly. The living room door was open, and Emily looked to see a lanky boy with fair hair slink through to see what all the fuss was about. Emily tugged at her earphones too hard and they popped out of her ears, the music cut off. She then realised how quiet it was. She looked again at the boy, who was wearing a black t-shirt, a red and black checked shirt on top with the sleeves rolled up, and black skinny jeans. He eyed her with one eyebrow raised, before disappearing out of view.

"Well, everyone," Mike said, "This is Emily. I'm sure you'll make her feel very welcome. Emily wasn't entirely sure, but Mike seemed to look meaningfully at the kids when he said this. Emily took a deep breath. What were these kids really like?

"Right, off you go, then," May-Li added. "We don't want to overwhelm her."

The hallway slowly cleared. Emily watched as the boy with the dog disappeared from view. She breathed a sigh of relief. The little kids thumped down the stairs and one of them, a fierce looking girl with red curly hair, came up to her. Emily eyed her nervously.

"I'm Floss," she introduced herself loudly. "Would you like a tour?" She was holding a cuddly toy giraffe and wore a green dress. Emily noticed that the skinny blond boy behind her also carried the same toy giraffe.

"Maybe later, eh, Floss?" said May-Li, taking her by the shoulders and leading her into the living room. The blond boy and another shy-looking boy followed.

"Has anyone seen Mo?" Mike asked.

"I think he's in the garden," said the blond girl.

"Right." He looked at Andrea. "If you'd like to follow me, please?"

Andrea follwed Mike into the office and the door clicked shut. Emily sighed. The blond girl came up to her.

"Hi, Emily," said the girl, "I'm Tee, and this is my brother Johnny." She gestured to the tall boy behind her who smiled at her.

"We've been here a long time, so if you have any questions, just ask," he said kindly.

"Ok," Emily replied quietly.

"I'm Carmen," said the girl with long dark hair and pretty clothes, holding out one hand. Emily made no move to shake it, and Carmen looked affronted. Tee laughed at her friend.

"Come on, Carmen," she said, taking her friend by the arm and they went up the stairs.

Emily was left in the hallway with Johnny. Though she had inherited her Dad's tall genes and was tall for her age, Johnny was about a head taller than she was. She guess he was at least two years older than her. She glanced at the office, seeing Andrea talking to Mike. She looked away.

"They'll probably be at that for a while," Johnny said, following her gaze. Emily turned off her ipod, shoving the earphones in her pocket. "They usually are. I could show you where your room is?"

"Sure," she said with a half-forced smile. She followed him up the stairs. There were many rooms along the corridor.

"It's not her fault, Carm," she heard Tee say.

"Yeah, well," Carmen retorted. "I was only trying to be polite." She huffed. "Why do you think she's here, then?"

"Don't be so nosy," Tee said.

Great. People were already talking about her. Like she wasn't used to that.

"This is your room," Johnny said, gesturing to a door. Emily went through to see a medium sized, pleasantly decorated room. "Tee and I helped get it ready earlier. It's not completely ready yet."

"That's ok," Emily muttered, giving a half smile. "It's much bigger than my room at home."

"Oh," Johnny said, eyebrows raised.

Emily clamped her mouth shut and looked at the floor. Thinking about home just made her think of dad. He would be feeling awful right now. She dreaded to think...

"Well," said Johnny, "I'll let you get settled in." He left the room and Emily heard him go back downstairs. She looked about the room. The bed was made and the pale green duvet folded back. The walls were painted blue and there was a small table by the bed, on which stood a lamp. Apart from that, the room was quite bare.

Emily sighed and threw her bag on the floor. She pressed her hands to her face, breathing quickening. Her face grew hot and she felt herself welling up. No, she thought, passing a hand across her eyes. Do not cry. Don't you dare. Emily flopped down on the bed, a tear escaping her cheek.

She imagined she was at home with dad. Her eyes were red as she rubbed at them. She sniffed. She looked up, seeing the boy in the checked shirt from before. He leaned casually on the door frame.

"What do you want?" She asked, sniffing and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. He frowned.

"Nothing," he muttered. He looked at her speculatively. "Are yeh alright?" In his liverpudlian accent, he sounded slightly concerned.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. She huffed. "I shouldn't even be here."

"Oh?" He straightened and entered the room, hands in pockets, eyeing her curiously. "Why's that, then?"

She scowled. "That's beside the point. It's that stupid social worker. Who knows what she's saying to Mike?"

"Yeh could always... eavesdrop," he suggested casually.

Emily thought about it. She had to know what they were saying about her. She stood up and passed the boy on her way out of the room. He smirked and followed.

She went downstairs and glanced at the office. She saw Andrea sat opposite Mike. She was talking to him and he looked concerned. Great. Another adult being concerned. It was probably the neighbour, out of 'concern', who had called social services and landed Emily in this mess. Mike seemed nicer though.

She glanced at Ryan who was leaning on the banister.

"Well, go on," he said, gesturing towards the office. "I'll warn yeh if yer gonna get caught."

Emily sighed, but crouched down and crawled on her hands and knees towards the office. She glanced up quickly to see that Mike and Andrea were still talking. She moved to the door and pressed her ear to the crack. The boy watched from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, well, here's all the information you need," said Andrea. There was a rustling of papers.

"It's all here?" Mike asked.

"Yes, she was already on our records," she replied. "You should receive an email updating recent information."

"Right," said Mike. "Well, thank you for telling me everything, it helps to know the kid's background."

Telling him what? Emily thought. About her dad?

"I'm sure Emily will settle in just fine," Mike continued.

"You might find her a bit of a handful," said Andrea reproachfully.

"Don't worry, we're used to that," Mike assured her. "She seems all right, just a little nervous, no doubt."

"The girl appears to have serious behavioural issues," Andrea said snippily. "You didn't hear how she spoke to me earlier, and we've had to deal with her before. It's to be expected, really," she added. Emily scowled. She glanced up at the boy, who raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Mike asked.

Emily had heard enough. Andrea was clearly making her out to be some problem child. She crawled back to the stairs where the boy crouched down beside her. He peered through the gaps under the banister.

"What did they say, then?" He asked in just over a whisper. Emily huffed, thinking about what Andrea had said.

"Not much," Emily muttered. "Though social services seem to think I have 'behavioural issues'."

He made a face at that. "Yer not the only one," he said, straightening up as the office door opened.

"You what?" She muttered, but got up as Mike and Andrea came out into the hallway. She leaned on the banister, turning slightly to see Mike showing Andrea out. Andrea threw her a distasteful glance and Emily scowled in response. The boy narrowed his eyes at the social worker.

Mike closed the door and sighed. He shook his head, taking off his glasses. He passed Emily and the boy by the stairs.

"Know where May-Li is by any chance?" He asked the boy. "I need to talk to her about," he glanced at Emily, "something."

"I think she's in the kitchen," the boy replied, exchanging a glance with Emily.

"Right," he said, heading straight down the hall. He went through a doorway and Emily huffed.

"So much for being subtle," she muttered. The boy looked thoughtful. He then seemed to remember something. He stepped down and awkwardly stuck out his hand.

"I'm Ryan," he said, his accent causing him to roll the 'r' slightly. She shook his hand.

"Emily," she replied. She supposed Ryan was about her age, thirteen. He gave a half-smile.

"Pleased to meet yeh, nice jacket, by the way." He looked at the ground, having let that slip out by mistake.

"Thanks," she mumbled awkwardly.

"I could... show yeh around?" Ryan asked, looking back at her, stuffing his hand back in the pocket of his skinny jeans.

"OK," she agreed. They went into the room on the left.

"This is the living room," said Ryan, "TV, pool table, computer, etc." He gestured to each in turn. The room was pleasant, filled with comfy furniture. There was a small table and a few chairs around it in one corner, and several bookcases packed with books and other bits and bobs. There were also two sofas by the TV. Floss and the other two young boys she had seen before sat on one. Johnny stood by the pool table, finishing off a game.

"Ha, Tyler, you got smashed," said a shorter girl with brown hair scraped back in a ponytail. She was laughing, perched on the back of the other sofa that was nearest the pool table. She was talking to a boy with curly afro hair who was wearing a brightly coloured patterned t-shirt.

"I'd like to see you try," he retorted.

"Hello, Emily," said Johnny, noticing her. She smiled at him.

"Are you the new girl?" The shorter girl asked. Emily nodded. "I'm Jody," she said, "and this is Tyler." She gestured to the boy with the curly hair.

"Watch out, Emily," said Tyler warningly, "There are crazy people in this house."

"Like you, you mean?" Jody laughed, punching him in the arm. Ryan was standing by the door watching them. Emily walked over to him and he turned and went through to the kitchen. She followed.

The kitchen was big and spacious, with a large table surrounded by a dozen chairs on one side of the worktop in the middle of the kitchen. May-Li stood by the window, talking to Mike.

"You alright?" May-Li asked when she noticed Emily and Ryan standing by the table.

"Yeh," Ryan replied with ease, "Just giving Emily the tour."

May-Li smiled.

"That's nice of you, Ryan," said Mike, sounding surprised. Ryan smiled innocently. Emily raised an eyebrow at this.

"Ehm, come on, Emily," he said, heading for the door that lead outside, "I'll show yeh the garden."

She followed as he went outside, glancing back once at the care workers. May-Li smiled encouragingly and Emily decided that she liked her. They went out into the garden and the sun was shining in the late afternoon. The garden seemed huge to Emily. There was a swinging bench, a little area with a table benches tucked away in a corner behind some bushes, and a large garden shed. There was a large lawn in the middle where the dark skinned boy was playing with the black and white sheep dog. Emily grew tense, and noticed that Ryan looked uneasy at the sight of the dog also.

The boy looked up and grinned. The dog barked and bounded towards Emily. She stumbled backwards as the dog got closer. Ryan drew back from the dog. Emily's heart rate quickened and her breathing was short.

"Hello, Mischief!" Yelled Floss who had run out into the garden. She patted the dog's head and his tongue lolled out in a canine laugh. The dark skinned boy ran up to her and took hold of the dog's collar.

"Hi, I'm Bailey," he introduced himself. Emily eyed the dog warily. Ryan had moved away and now stood by the washing line. She threw him a frightened glance but Ryan looked sort of helpless, eyes fixed on the dog. Emily looked back at the excited dog. "He likes you," said Bailey, petting Mischief.

"I'd rather he didn't," Emily muttered, hurredly taking a few steps backwards. Mischief barked excitedly. Emily remembered the last time she'd heard that sound. She had been eight years old and at the park with her parents. That was before her mum had left. Emily still had a tiny scar on her pinkie from where the dog had bitten her.

"What, are you scared or sumfing?" Bailey asked in his East London accent as Mischief ran towards her, jumping up.

"'Course not," she scoffed, though she sounded nervous. It was like there was a hand around her throat as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Emily was frozen, but her heart pounded in her chest. Mischief's paws collided with her chest. Emily collapsed to the ground and everything went black.

She saw her dad, no, that couldn't be right. He was smiling, happy. She saw her mum, too, sitting next to her dad on the sofa. A little girl of about nine shyly poked her head through the doorway. She had dark hair and Emily recognised her as herself. That's right, her parents were happy when they didn't have to worry about her. It was her fault that they had started fighting, she was the reason her mum had left. The darkness came again and they were gone.