Just a bit of a warning, this chapter has some tough and sensitive issues in it about alcohol and abuse. I don't mean to upset any of you with it but just to give you all a bit of preparation!

Chapter 7:

After making his way round the school Michael had finally managed to find all the Wildings and herd them into his office. He found Jack sat in the cooler with Mr Clarkson finishing his lunch, Matt in his room staring into space and Natalie outside with Dynasty and Imogen.

"Right, I've invited you all here to sort out whatever it is that is going on with you as a family." Mr Byrne said as he looked around the room; Natalie sitting at the round table with Josh and Jack, Matt sitting on one of the chair in front of Michaels desk.

"I was speaking with Josh earlier and he told me about your Mum being in hospital." Michael stated as he looked around the room. Natalie and Josh both stared down at the table, Jack turning to briefly glare at Matt before he too diverted his eyes to the floor.

"Why didn't anyone think to tell me?" Michael asked as he gazed around the room at the confused faces, pausing longer on Matt who was looking at the ground. Michael thought he would have at least told him this bit. It might explain why the twins are playing up so much.

"What? We all thought Matt had told you." Natalie explained as she looked at Matt who still had his eyes fixed on the ground. She didn't understand why he hadn't told Mr Byrne why they were at Waterloo Road.

"I didn't tell you because I thought you would start asking questions." Matt said keeping his eyes down. He could feel the stare coming from his siblings and he couldn't bear to look at them.

"About what?" Michael asked as he turned to Matt who was sat nervously playing with his thumb as he sat in the chair.

"Our past." Matt said simply before briefly looking up at Michael then tilting his head down again.

"Why didn't you tell him? Is it because you're ashamed? Or is it because you know you're in the wrong?" Jack asked from the table as he stared right at Matt causing him to look up at stare right back at Jack.

"Jack, just leave it. It's all in the past." Natalie said to her younger brother as he lent across the table to place her hand on his arm.

"No Nat. Mr Byrne here has the right to know what Matt is really like. How selfish he is." Jack said as he continued to stare his brother deep in the eyes.

"It wasn't like that Jack and you know it. You know what Dad was like." Matt said explained but he knew Jack wasn't having any of it.

"Are you going to tell him or am I?" Jack asked sternly and he watched as Matt glanced around the room, Natalie and Josh both sat awkwardly not wanting to go through their past, Michael sat wondering what on Earth had happened.

"Neither of you are. I will. I know more about it than you do Jack, you and Josh were only little. Matt you might have to help me though, there are some bits even I don't understand." Natalie said before taking a deep breath, turning her chair so that it faced Mr Byrne.

"When I was a baby, Harry must have been 5 and Matt was 11, Mum and Dad split up because they were always arguing. Dad was an alcoholic you see and Mum was getting sick of him as she had to look after us as well as him and it was too much for her." Natalie started and she could see Michael listening attentively, Matt sat awkwardly as he listened to his past being recited back to him, Jack and Josh listening nervously. They had been told little information about life before they came into the world so they wanted to get it all clear in their heads.

"When they split Dad never left even though Mum told him to. He said he was looking for a place to go but Matt never saw him looking. He just stayed in the house and continued to drink. Anyways, a year later Mum decided to get back with him which Matt wasn't happy about but he was only 12, there was nothing he could do about it. A year later Jack and Josh were born and Dad tried to sober up. He realised he had missed Matt and Harry growing up and didn't want it to happen again. But it didn't work and he went back on the booze not long after leaving Mum with us again. She couldn't cope looking after us and Dad and Matt ended up looking after us a lot of the time. I remember him taking Harry and I to school, the twins to nursery, doing the shopping whilst Mum stayed at home." Natalie explained, pausing as she thought about the next part in the story. She didn't know how Matt was going to react. They had never talked about it before and Natalie wasn't sure if Josh and Jack knew this part of the story. She glanced nervously over at Matt who briefly looked at her, then back to the floor.

"Dad's drinking got worse and he started getting violent. I remember him throwing things in the next room and shouting at Mum but one day I got ill at school and Matt had to take me home. Mum was out and Dad was drinking so Matt told me to go upstairs. I could hear them talking downstairs about why we were home and Dad's voice kept getting louder. I heard some thudding, something breaking and then lots of shouting from Matt. I was too scared to go and see." Natalie said, her voice getting shaky as she thought back to the memory. She looked at Matt who was looking straight at her.

"I didn't know you heard me." Matt said heartbroken as he looked at his little sister. She shook her head before glancing over and Jack and Josh, both looking as confused as the other.

"Heard what?" Jack asked confusingly looking from Matt to Natalie, wondering who was going to continue.

"I was shouting at Dad to stop." Matt said quietly. He had lost the power to project his voice above a whisper as a large lump emerged in his throat. He glanced at Michael and had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"To stop what?" Jack asked again as he leant forward in his chair towards his older brother.

"He...he was hitting me." Matt said quietly, Jack shooting up out of his seat, pacing around the room with his hands rubbing the back of his head before sitting down to continue listening.

"He was annoyed that Natalie and I had disturbed him. From that point on whenever I was alone with him whether it was when you lot had popped out somewhere with Mum or you were asleep in bed he would hit me." Matt explained before looking up at his siblings. He couldn't believe Natalie had heard it happening. She must have been so scared but it explains why she tried to keep away from him. Matt always thought it was because of the drink. He then looked at Josh who was sat in complete shock, unable to say or do anything.

"Why didn't you tell Mum?" Jack asked.

"I was scared. I was scared that if I told her then he would turn on her so I kept it to myself. However, one day when Mum took you all to the shop Dad kept me back. I knew why but Mum was getting suspicious, she thought I was starting on the booze as well. She took you all next door for a few minutes and came back in to try and catch me in the act but all she saw was Dad hitting me with his slipper. She was horrified. She told him to stop but he wouldn't and said that he wouldn't turn on her if she promised to keep it a secret and that's what she did. I continued to get beat up even though she knew!" Matt exclaimed, all the anger from years of abuse finally letting itself out.

"Bullshit!" Jack shouted. "Mum wouldn't have let him do that and you know it! He didn't beat you at all!" Jack continued.

"Jack, he did! I heard him! I even saw some of the bruises when Matt did the washing up and had his arms showing. You were only toddlers when this was happening so you wouldn't remember!" Natalie replied letting out another secret that Matt didn't realise she knew.

"Anyways, I eventually got sick of being Dad's punch bag. I couldn't take it anymore and I knew Mum couldn't get him to stop so that's when I left." Matt said. He looked at Mr Byrne and he could tell that he certainly wasn't expecting this. He glanced over at the siblings briefly before taking a deep breath. He needed to continue so that everyone would understand.

Well, that was a bit of a full on chapter! I was going to carry on and put the rest of the 'back story' in this chapter but thought you all might need a bit of a breather so I'm splitting it over two chapters. Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter (I would name you all but I'm too excited to write the next chapter!) and please let me know what you think of this chapter!