Ella's PoV:
"What?" I groaned when there was a knock on my bedroom door and Mike stepped inside.
"Up you get, you missed breakfast" He said.
"I didn't want any" I said.
"Okay. Well, we've got a woman coming in today, she's gonna do some filming of you lot so I'd get ready" Mike said and I nodded, sitting up.
"Hurry up" Mike said, leaving the room,.
I quickly got dressed and ready before I hurried downstairs, spotting Floss stood outside the lounge doors.
"Morning Floss" I smiled.
"Morning" She said, letting me get past and step in.
"Hello, I'm Sasha" The woman said who was holding a camera.
"I'm Ella, nice to meet you" I said, sitting on the sofa so I could watch Sasha interview Carmen, knowing she'd be showing off in front of the camera.
"I really like my social worker because she's friendly, she's always there when I need her and just really good to talk to" Carmen said, flashing a grin at the camera.
"What do you like about being in care?" Sasha asked as Tee sat beside me.
"Are you listening to this?" I chuckled and Tee grinned.
"One of the best things about being in care is that there's always someone around your age to talk to and everyone just gets on really well." Carmen grinned and I let out a laugh, covering my mouth when I realised the volume and Tee giggled.
"YOU'RE NOT COMING IN!" Floss shouted from outside the door and I glanced over to the closed doors.
"NOW MOVE OR I'LL THUMP YOU!" Jody yelled back and then the doors opened, Mike and May-Li looking in to see Carmen, Tyler and Harry playing cards quietly as Sasha filmed.
"They're acting like they've had their brains sucked out by aliens! Why would I wanna be a part of that?!" Jody asked and I rolled my eyes.
"I'm just gonna go and get a new battery" Sasha said, leaving the room when her camera beeped.
"What's your problem?" Carmen said to Jody.
"Tyler! What's your problem?" She exclaimed when he threw cards at Carmen and Jody joined us on the sofas.
"What are you up to there, mister?" Mike said, taking the camera off Mo as Carmen and Tyler started arguing.
"If you can't handle my pace then you'll have to play a different game" Tyler said and Carmen flicked cards at him.
"Alright now, come on. Calm down" May-Li said.
"Isn't it funny how when they're not being filmed how everything goes back to normal?" Jody said with a smirk.
"Anyone else hear that buzzing? No? Just me? Oh, sorry Jody, I just thought it was annoying little insect ruining everything" Carmen said and Jody threw cards in her face.
"As per usual!" Carmen snapped, throwing them back.
"Hey, hey, come on you two!" Mike said, breaking them up as Sasha walked in.
"Have you told them?" Sasha asked.
"Erm, no. Not yet" Mike said.
"Told us what?" I asked.
"Okay, well, I need one of you to be the face of my film so I'll follow you around and I'll try and get one person's point of view of life in care" Sasha said, Carmen and Tyler's hands shooting up and Jody walked out.
"Uh, Carmen. She put her hand up first" Sasha said and I rolled my eyes.
"Right, I'll just get set up and you know, jeans, tshirt, you'll be fine" Sasha said and I let out a laugh as Carmen's face dropped.
"Don't know what you're laughing at, I'm the star not you saddos" Carmen grinned.
"Oh shut up, Carmen" I called after her.
"She's gonna be even more insufferable than normal" I rolled my eyes.
10 minutes later..
"Sasha wants me to make a film" Jody said as she walked into the living room where Floss and Carmen were sat with me.
"Jody, you're never gonna end up making this film. You always give up on things" Carmen said.
"Thats not true!" Jody exclaimed.
"You never finish anything" Carmen scoffed.
"Brownies, karate, boxing" I listed and she huffed, walking out and I shook my head, turning the TV on.
5 minutes later..
"House meeting!" Mike called as he stepped into the living room, a few of the other kids joining as most of us were already gathered in the lounge.
"I was watching that!" I said as May-Li turned the TV off.
"It'll only take two minutes" She sighed.
"Settle down now please! Settle down. Gentlemen, thank you for joining us young man" Mike said as everyone took a seat in front of Mike, May-Li and Jody.
"Quiet" Mike said and Jody stepped forward.
"I'm gonna make a film for social workers to watch, us telling them what they really need to know, what really matters" Jody explained.
"Well, we were already doing that" Carmen said.
"No, you weren't and Sasha didn't think so either. Sasha says the first few days of filming are always messing around, she has to wait to get the stuff thats real and thats what I'm gonna do" Jody said.
"Mike and May-Li have sorted it for me to use the utility room and I'm gonna leave a list in the corridor for you to sign up. Okay, thats it, thanks" Jody said, finishing her speech and Harry ran off.
"Any questions?" May-Li asked and Jody grinned when no one said anything before running out to the utility room.
"Does she really think anyone's gonna take her seriously?" Carmen said as May-Li and Mike left and I turned the TV back on.
"Leave her to it, stops her whining" I said, settling back into the couch.
An hour later..
"Move Mo" Jody said as she walked into the lounge, pushing past him.
"I've been waiting" She said, stopping at the sofa.
"Then you're gonna be waiting for a lot longer, aren't you?" Carmen said, Mo coming over to film.
"You had a lot to say to Sasha" Jody said.
"Yeah. Mo, do you wanna get that out of my face?" Carmen snapped, pushing his camera away.
"Floss?" Jody asked and she shook her head.
"Ella?"
"I'm watching something" I said, not even looking up at her.
"Harry?"
"No, thanks" Harry said.
"Mo, this doesn't even work" Carmen said, handing Mo the camera back.
"I'm just practicing" He explained.
"Mo?" Jody asked and I sighed when she stood in front of the TV.
"Jody, move!" I said, poking her with my toe.
"Mo!"
"Hmm?" He said, turning to her.
"Do you want to be interviewed?" She asked him.
"What happens when you walk backwards and zoom in at the same time?" Mo asked.
"Mo, it doesn't work!" I said, hoping he'd move so I could see the TV and Jody stormed off.
"So no one's helping Jody then?" Faith asked as she hopped in on her crutches.
"Guess not. Maybe she should have kept her big mouth shut and let Sasha make the film" Carmen said.
"Oh grow up Carmen, what difference does it make?" Faith snapped.
"No one?" Faith said.
"Not even you, Ella?"
"I was watching something, I said I'd do it later" I said.
"No one at all?" Faith asked, looking at the boys.
"What do I know?" Bailey said.
"Are you serious?" Rick sighed.
"Me? I haven't decided yet" Johnny said.
"Why aren't you doing it?" Carmen asked.
"I am actually" Faith said, turning and hopping over to the pool table.
"What about you, Floss Floss? Don't you wanna get that gorgeous face on camera?" Faith asked.
"I like Sasha's film" Floss declared and Faith give Carmen a nasty look.
"See ya later" Faith said, leaving the room.
"She is not telling me what to do" Carmen said, staring after Faith.
"I'm going to see Jody" Floss said and I stood up, helping Floss down from the pool table.
"Wait, no, no, no, thats not what we spoke about, is it?" Carmen said, stopping her.
"So it's okay to tell me what to do?" Floss asked.
"You wouldn't be trying to make everyone not do Jody's film, would ya Carm?" I asked, knowing she'd been influencing the younger ones.
"No, I just. Tell you what you should do, Flossy, I mean if you really wanna help Jody, why don't you go tell her the story about Millie and Bob?" Carmen said and I sighed, watching Floss run off.
"Just 'cos you don't wanna do Jody's film, let the others make up their own minds" I said, going into the kitchen to wait for Floss to finish.
"Get out!" Jody shouted and I spotted Carmen also waiting as Jody kicked Floss out of the utility room.
"I was only trying to help!" Floss shouted.
"Of course you were!"
"I'm not ever offering you help again!" Floss shouted as Tee walked into the kitchen.
"Good!" Jody yelled after her as Floss stormed off.
"Jody, I'll do it" Tee said.
"I will too" I said, moving to stand beside Tee.
"What are you going to say?"
"We'll just answer your questions" Tee said.
"Okay. What's the worst thing about being in care?" Jody asked us.
"Uh, I dunno. Trying to get thirteen people to decide what to watch on TV?" Tee offered.
"No, I mean, does anything else make you really angry about living here?" Jody asked.
"The TV" Tee confirmed.
"Anything else wind you up?" Jody asked Tee.
"Nothing really. I like everyone, y'know, it's nice" Tee said.
"Very funny" Jody said and went into the utility room.
"What?!"
"Did Carmen tell you to say that?" Jody said, slamming the door.
"No! I was just being honest" Tee sighed, walking off and I groaned, following Tee into the living room.
"Jody and Tyler are filming in the garden" Harry said as he walked in and we all crowded round the window, watching them.
"Tyler fell over" Tee laughed.
"It's not funny" Carmen said.
"This is what happens when you give someone like Jody a camera!" Carmen said as we went to sit back down.
"What else has she got to film?" Tee asked.
"These questions are pretty smart" Faith said, coming into the room.
"For Jody's interview?" She added.
"Right" Bailey said.
"Me and Tee were gonna do it but she just shouted at us." I said with a shrug.
"Are you gonna answer some?" Faith asked Bailey.
"I haven't got anything to say. Like I said, I just got put in care" Bailey said.
"Okay. Do you think your social worker listens to you?" Faith asked.
"What's so smart about that?" Johnny asked.
"Yeah, deep. They've actually got to stick around long enough to listen" Rick said.
"I reckon they only listen to the stuff they wanna talk about" Bailey said.
"Yeah, if you wanna tell them that somethings wrong, they're just like 'oh yeah, okay, whatever'" Carmen said.
"Unless you've done something wrong" Harry piped up.
"Oh yeah then they're all over ya" Rick agreed.
"What about the new ones?" Johnny said.
"They're even worse. I mean, they sit there asking all these dumb questions but it's like why don't you just go read my file?" Carmen said.
"I loved my first social worker, she was really funny but she only stayed for a month" Harry said.
"None of mine have ever been any good, they didn't listen to anything I said when I first got put into care" I said.
"I hate it when they lie to ya. When me and Tee kept getting promised a new foster home and I dunno, I just think they tell you what you want to hear so it'll shut you up for a bit" Johnny said.
"Why don't you tell Jody that?" Faith asked him.
"Yeah, I will" Johnny said, getting up and walking out of the lounge.
"I tried to help her" I said, standing up and heading up to my room to tidy up.
NEXT DAY
"What?!" I shouted when there was a knock at my bedroom door.
"You know this film Jody's making, you do know it's gonna be on TV right?" Tyler said.
"And?"
"It'll get this place known, it'll get us all fostered!" Tyler exclaimed and I groaned, pushing him from my room and following him and the other kids down to the utility room, Tyler knocking and stepping in.
"Jody" Tyler said and they both appeared out of the room.
"Can I be in your film please?" Floss asked.
"Yeah, I've got some stuff as well now I think about it" Rick said.
"Me too! I've got some really good stuff!" Harry said.
"What's going on?" Faith asked as she came into the room.
"Well, we thought about what you said and you're right, this is gonna be a really important film to make" Carmen said and Jody grinned.
"Alright. Put your name on the sign-up sheet and I'll set the camera up" Jody said, handing Floss a pen and we all went to scribble our names down.
"Ahh, I see. Now you know it's gonna be on telly, you want in on the action too" Carmen said when Mike and May-Li walked over.
"What did you say?" Mike said, sounding confused.
"Well, it's gonna be a fly on the wall kind of thing and you never know, we might be famous" Carmen grinned.
"Who told you that?" Mike asked.
"Harry" Carmen said and Harry nodded.
"Well, everyone kinda heard Tyler telling Harry but" Carmen shrugged.
"Tyler told me himself" I shrugged.
"And who told Tyler?" Mike asked.
"I dunno" Carmen shrugged.
"Well, I signed the paperwork on this and this film is being made to help train social workers, it has nothing at all to do with TV, I'm sorry" Mike said.
"But why would Tyler?" Carmen said then we all came to the same realisation, following Carmen into the utility room.
"Playing games with us, Jody?" Carmen snapped.
"No?"
"So we're really gonna be on TV, are we or is that just something you said so you could get your interviews?" Carmen spat, grabbing the camera.
"Give that back!" Jody yelled.
"Jody, you shouldn't have misled people" Mike said.
"I just wanted to finish something for once, do a good job for Sasha. No one cared about that" Jody said, storming out of the room.
"Oh, crocodile tears" Carmen rolled her eyes.
"Her heart was in the right place, Carmen. Come on, give her a break eh?" May-Li said.
"Alright guys, this needs fixing please" Mike said.
"What is wrong with you lot? Can't you see she's just acting like Miss Big Boots cos Sasha gave her the camera to play with!" Carmen says.
"Sounds like you're jealous that it wasn't you" I said, crossing my arms.
"No, it really matters to her" Tyler said.
"We need to fix this, come on" I said, walking out.
15 minutes later..
"So where's our director?" Sasha asked as Mike let her in.
"She's just coming" Faith said, all of us gathering in the hall.
"Erm, she just had some last minute stuff to do" Tyler said.
"Oh, perfectionist! Excellent, I can't wait to see the film" Sasha said, sounding impressed.
"Yeah, why don't we have a chat in the office?" Mike said to Sasha.
Jody came down soon after with Mo and plugged his camera into the TV and I sat down to watch, seeing the conversation we'd had yesterday about socialworkers and I realised Mo had been sneakily filming on his camera.
"This is so embarrassing, Johnny" I laughed when Johnny making a sandwich came on screen.
"It was actually really nice!" Tee laughed.
"Well done!" Mike said and we all clapped.
"It's just brilliant" Sasha said.
"Mo filmed it" Jody said.
"Yeah, obviously but you told him to, right? For the film?" Johnny said.
"Jody, I'm so impressed. Getting Mo to be a hidden camera like that, you've managed to catch everybody off guard, thats exactly what I wanted. I mean, the film quality is not brilliant but I actually think that adds to the authenticity" Sasha said.
"It wasn't my idea, I didn't have anything to do with it. Mo got it all on his own, I didn't even know. I didn't get anything, right? I'm just a phony" Jody said, running from the room.
"I'll go? If thats okay?" Sasha said, getting up.
"Yeah, sure" Mike said as Mo put the film back on so we could watch it in full.
5 minutes later..
"Is this Jody? Sasha has to see this" I said.
"I'll shout her" Faith said, going to the bottom of the stairs.
"Sasha! Sasha! You have to come and see this!" She yelled.
"Come on Sasha! Bring Jody!" Tyler yelled when Sasha didn't come right away.
"Okay Jody, you've gotta see this. Is it ready, Mo?" Tee said when Sasha and Jody joined us.
"Yep" Mo said, stopping it from rewinding when Jody was shouting about the importance of her film.
"'You know what she should be asking but she's not going to? What it's like to be a kid who's mum's just died or their dad's hooked on drugs and isn't safe to live at home anymore or their mum's in jail and theres no one left to look after them? Is she gonna ask them what it's like to be dumped in a house full of strangers when ten days ago, you thought you had a family? Realising you're not normal anymore 'cos you're that care kid and it's always gonna be like that dream at school where you've turned up at school in your undies and everyone is staring and it's just you. Gonna ask 'em about that? Yeah right, course she will.'" Jody's voice came through the TV and I bit my lip for being slightly horrible and we all clapped.
"Thats gotta be in the film, right?" Johnny said.
"Oh, you're not gonna get an argument from me. As long as you don't mind, Jody?" Sasha said.
"Yeah, why not? There's always airbrushing, right?" She shrugged.
"Exactly" Tee grinned.
"Right. Now, it's time for the bloopers" Tyler said and Jody and Tee came to sit down so we could watch all the clips of us that Mo had secretly recorded.
I let out a groan when there was a clip of me dancing around my room and everyone laughed, Rick poking my ribs.