Three

Jessie was the last one down to dinner. Tee and Faith had left her a space between them. She smiled brightly at them as way of thanks. Her eyes were really bloodshot and everyone guessed she had been crying. She had zipped up her hoodie and refused to look at Josh who she knew was trying to catch her attention. She tried some of her curry and coughed. "Sorry but has Josh been anywhere near this?" she asked quietly. Gina nodded.

"how do you know?" she asked.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "I can just tell. Josh isn't a great cook and the chicken is cut in very even shapes and I just got a massive cube of onion at once and I just assumed it was Josh's cutting," Jessie said. Josh scowled while everyone else laughed. "Sorry Josh but I can tell what bits you did to help," Jessie told him still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Leave off Jessie, at least I helped," Josh told her sullenly even though he knew she was joking with him. Jessie shrugged and turned to faith and Tee on either side of her.

"No faith. Blue is better as there are so many different shades of it and it's a primary colour so can make other colours from it," Tee was saying. Faith shook her head in disbelief.

"No because without green you wouldn't be able to see trees or know when you are in the countryside. It also just has that feeling of being in a forest with dappled light," faith was arguing back. Jessie thought about intervening.

"What if I said both were equally great?" Jessie said. Both girls looked at her expecting her to continue. "Well without blue we wouldn't be able to tell where the sky started from the grass but without green we wouldn't know where the sky ended and the grass started. Blue goes in to make green so without blue you wouldn't have green but green is the colour of seaweed and shows a difference between water and plants in the sea. Although I have to disagree with both of you and say that rainbow is the best colour as it has every colour in it," Jessie said quickly. Tee and faith looked at each other.

"I suppose that's true," Tee agreed grudgingly.

Faith nodded, "yeah. And Jessie is also right about rainbow. It's got both colours in. Thanks Jessie. You've just resolved our argument," Faith said. She went to elbow Jessie in the rib but she ducked under the table and wouldn't get out. "Whoops. Sorry Jessie, forgot about that. Sorry. I wouldn't have hurt you," faith mumbled guiltily. Josh ducked under the table.

"Go on Jessie, faith wouldn't hurt you," Josh said comfortingly trying to ignore the silence above him. Jessie bit her lip, took a deep breath and slid out from under the table. She sat back down in her seat and stared down at her dinner and ate the curry without saying another word. Faith and Tee tried to get her to talk but she just shook her head at them. Once dinner was over Jessie followed Tee, faith, Carmen and Elektra into the garden. Tee and faith started playing football with the boys and Carmen got out her skipping rope. Elektra sat at a bench and got out her notebook. Jessie was unsure what to do, so she stayed standing a foot away from the bench.

"you can sit down you know Jessie," Elektra told her without even looking up. Jessie shrugged and walked carefully over to the bench and sat at the other end of the bench, as far away from Elektra as possible. Elektra finished writing and turned to look at Jessie. "I don't bite," Elektra said. "you alright?" she asked. Elektra was a little concerned about the other girl. Jessie shrugged.

"I don't really know," she muttered half to herself and half in answer to Elektra. "It's lovely here isn't it?" Jessie asked. Elektra shrugged.

"It's alright. Better than some homes and certainly better than the streets. You'll be safe here Jessie. Mike won't let anyone come who could hurt you within the door of the house," Elektra told her grudgingly. She looked at Jessie. "You realise talking sometimes helps," Elektra said repeating what she'd heard Tracy tell all the newcomers who had walked through the door. Jessie shook her head and sighed.

"I can't. It's too painful," Jessie said. Elektra sighed and got up.

"I'm going inside, do you want to come?" she asked. Jessie watched the other three girls and her brother and the boys playing. She nodded and followed Elektra back inside. Mike found as she was entering the kitchen.

"Ah Jessica, there you are. I was wondering where you'd got to," Mike said. "can you come into the office for me a minute?" he asked. Jessie nodded and followed Mike into the office. "sit down," he said. Jessie noticed Claire was still there filling in paperwork. Jessie sat down on the chair. "listen Jessica, your mum is up for trial of GBH but they need you and Joshua to make statements. We also need to know to what extent you've been abused," Mike told her carefully. Jessie pulled her hoodie tighter around her and shook her head violently.

"no," she said quietly.

"We have to I'm afraid Jessie," Claire added. Claire walked closer to her. "Just hand me the hoodie and we will take it bit by bit," Claire said gently. Jessie cowered in the corner but slowly unzipped her hoodie.

Mike and Claire were alone in the office. "It's awful. How could any mum cause that much damage to her own daughter?" Mike asked slumped in his chairs. It was worse than he'd expected. Jessica had had multiple lacerations to her back, six of which were still bleeding and four had scarred, a completely bruised body, four cuts along her hip and a long scar from hairline to ear and her arms were completely burnt, with some of the burns still weeping blood. She also had the burn on her neck.

Claire nodded in agreement. "it's terrible but we have photographic evidence and Jessica's statement," Claire told him. "it should be enough and neither of them will have to go to court to give their statements." Mike nodded.

"I'll get Joshua and ask him to make a statement," Mike told Claire leaving the room.

A/N: So Jessie has been burnt from her wrists to her shoulders by her mum. No wonder she doesn't like people touching her, it would probably hurt. Indigo :)