Chapter 11

Last Time:

"I love you so much too mommy." Alex passes the phone to Grace before hiding her face into Grace's shoulder and lets her tears fall. Grace talks to Petunia for a minute and agrees to Alex calling her in the morning and at lunch, and for her to taking pictures of Alex at the center. After agreeing, Grace hangs up and comforts Alex.

Soon Alex falls asleep in Grace's arms and Grace keeps rocking her side to side as she shuts down her computer after watching the clock hit 9pm.

Now:

The next morning after Alex calls Petunia, she skips happily outside with Dave, who is in charge of keeping an eye on the kids as Grace controls the front desk and making meals and snacks. Alex skips over to Meggie in a purple t-shirt and sandy shorts, with white running shoes. Meggie is on the pavement with Drew and Derek as Michelle, John and Stephanie are at the swings.

"Hey Alex!" Drew smiles.

"Hey Drew!" Alex gives Drew a hug, not noticing Dave taking pictures of Alex on Grace's orders.

"Hey Alex, want to play with us?" Derek asks.

"Sure." Alex smiles giving Derek and Meggie both hugs as well.

"Great, we are playing freeze tag." Meggie kneels down and begins to decide who's it. The first one out is Alex, then Drew. Meggie does it once more and she herself is out, making Derek the person who is it. They all take off running with Derek chasing them. Alex climbs onto the monkey bars and swings up so she is on top and out of reach of Derek. Derek climbs onto the monkey bars and as he goes across, Alex crawls so she is on the other end. As he gets closer and closer, Alex jumps over his hands and her hands grab the side of the bar. Derek jumps down as Alex swings up and back on top.

Derek shakes his head and touches Drew as he runs by. Meggie runs over to the slide with Derek chasing her, making Alex jump down and unfreezes Drew.

Thirty minutes later it is down to Derek and Alex. Alex is cornered against the wall, when a flashback hits her of Vernon and the dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Mason. Alex collapses onto the cement and breaks down crying. She curls herself into a ball as Derek frowns and runs over to Dave to help. Dave runs into the building and to Grace, where they switch places and Grace goes to Alex.

Outside Grace kneels down in front of Alex and talks softly to her. A few minutes later Alex is sniffling and has her face buried into Grace's shoulder. Grace picks her up and turns to the fifteen, eleven year olds.

"Ok guys, it is 10:30. Go watch TV as I go make your snacks." Grace lets the children go in first before she carries Alex in and closes and locks the door leading outside. She walks to the front desk and flips the sign of the front door to close. She closes the wooden door and locks it before turning to Dave, "The kids are watching TV."

"Ok Grace. Is Alex ok?" Dave asks.

"She's doing ok. I'm just going to take her into the kitchen with me or she could go with you." Grace looks at Alex to see her wiping her eyes, "Alex sweetie would you like to come with me or go with Dave to watch TV with the others?"

"You." Alex whispers shyly before burying her face into Grace's shoulder.

"Ok sweetie." Grace nods at Dave silently telling him he could go. Once Dave is out of the room, Grace walks to the kitchen and once inside, she puts Alex down on the chair, "Ok sweetie, I'm going to cook. Could you put the icing on the cake?" Grace picks up the cake she baked earlier that morning and places it in front of Alex. She puts the icing and a knife on the table and Alex begins to add the icing on the cake. Grace smiles watching Alex slowly do the task before turning to get the apple slices and celery sticks ready.

~A&H~

Over with Harry, he is sitting with Dudley in their bedroom. They are visiting Aunt Marge, who turns out to be coming over in two weeks to stay for the rest of summer.

"Harry?" Dudley asks.

"Yes Dudley?" Harry answers stiffly.

"Do you think Alex is ok?"

"I'm sure she is perfectly fine. Sure, she's most likely homesick and misses us, but doing ok."

"Good. Maybe we should ask mom if she heard and spoke to Alex."

"Maybe we should. Go find her and ask." Dudley gets up and leaves the room to find Petunia.

~H&A~

Petunia sits in the kitchen arguing with Marge.

"You are NOT bringing your dog Marge!" Petunia snaps as Dudley walks in.

"Hey mom, have you heard from..." Dudley stops talking when he sees Marge glaring.

"Heard from who?" Marge asks.

"Uhm... my teacher?" Dudley replies innocently, "You know, about my marks." Petunia looks over at Dudley and stands up.

"Let's go talk upstairs Dudley." Petunia leads him out of the kitchen and to his and Harry's room.

In the room, Dudley closes the door as Petunia sits down on the bed and puts her head in her hands.

"Alex is homesick boys. She called me last night crying. Plus you both know from experience that Marge's dog bites." Petunia looks up at Dudley and Harry, who are both sitting on Harry's bed, "That dog hates kids, which will mean it will hurt Alex badly. I'm scared Marge will hurt Alex or that mutt will. I know Alex can protect herself, but she's so small. She still looks like she is seven, that's how small she is."

"We know mom." Dudley agrees, "But how is she at the center?"

"She said she likes it there but wants us."

"Can't we leave early?" Harry asks.

"Sadly no. But as I told her, time will fly by and Monday will be here in no time."

What they don't know is Marge is listening outside the door.

Who is Alex? Either way I will find out and bring my dog. Marge thinks with a smirk.

~A&H~

It is Friday and Alex is swinging on the swing with Drew on her left and Michelle on her right. Derek and John have gotten picked up yesterday and a few others have been picked up during the week. There were sixteen total the day Alex arrived and now there are eight left. But the best part, seven new kids are coming on Sunday.

Meggie is playing in the sandbox with a little four year old girl and the girl's seven year old brother.

As Alex swings on the swing, not talking, Michelle and Drew sees Dave walking over to them with the cordless phone in hand.

"Michelle, your mother would like to talk to you." Michelle smiles and takes the phone before putting it to her ear and disappearing behind a tree to have privacy. Alex looks at Dave and sticks her tongue out, making him chuckle.

"Watch this!" Alex pumps her legs and when she's at a good height, she jumps off the swing and lands on the trampoline that the center bought two days ago.

"Great job Alex!" Dave claps his hands.

"Thank you. You try!" Alex takes off her shoes as Dave sits down on the swing and begins to pump him legs.

Alex jumps on the trampoline and moves to the side just as Dave lands on his butt in the center of the trampoline. Alex flies into the air laughing before landing on her hands and knees. She bounces over to Dave, who is now lying down, and sits cross-legged next to him.

They hear thunder rumble and see lightning crash before rain begins to fall.

"Get inside everyone!" Dave calls as Alex scrambles off the trampoline and grabs her shoes. She runs inside as it begins to downpour, making her soak and wet immediately.

Inside the center, Alex sits down on the ground removing her soaked socks and squeezing her hair.

Grace walks over after locking the door and setting the dining room for lunch.

"Ok everyone put your wet clothes outside your rooms and I will clean them. Put your pjs on and have showers in your rooms. Dave will help the boys and I will help the girls. Go on." Grace instructs them. The kids and Alex nods before getting up and leaves their shoes and soaks at the door to outside. Dave gathers the wet soaks after putting them in the kids' baskets with their names on them.

They gather the kids' clothes and put them in the correct baskets before going to the laundry room and washes the clothes in sections to keep them apart.

And that's the chapter. Please review.