Thirty eight

A/N: Please be aware that this chapter has a distressing bit at the end which will not be suitable for younger readers under, well probably eleven.

Summer's POV

They've been here a week now. We are all starting to wonder if Elm Tree is going to reopen. Sapphire and Carmen want to get back so badly. Sapphire has beaten up Lia and Alice twice because they were saying horrible things about Carmen, Carmen has been beaten up by Tyler, Jack and even Alex. Luckily Harry has been left alone but I suppose that could be something to do with the fact that I've constantly had my eyes on him and Sam. Denis came into the kitchen where we were having our usual toast.

"Elm Tree's reopening. Your social workers will be here to pick you up in a bit. Go pack," Denis said. When they didn't move he shouted, "NOW!" Carmen and Sapphire jumped down from the table and ran upstairs. I helped Harry down and followed him upstairs. I helped him to pack up his clothes as Carmen came in.

"Hey, I don't need these anymore but thank you for letting me borrow them," Carmen told me. She placed the clothes I'd lent her on the bed.

"Carmen wait," I said standing up. I walked over to the clothes and pulled out a bright pink dress I hated. "keep it," I told her handing the dress to her. "I won't wear it I don't like it. But it suits you." She smiled happily at me before hugging me, picking up Harry's suitcase and taking it downstairs along with hers. I led Harry back down the stairs. He, Sapphire and Carmen sat waiting in the office for the social workers to come. I sat outside the office with Rick. "I think I'll miss them. I mean they won't that bad were they?" I asked. Rick shook his head.

Then there was a loud commotion in the living room. We both jumped up and ran down the corridor. Inside Lia had stolen Kitty's sewing and were teasing it with her. Jack was circling behind her and Kitty couldn't do anything. Alice shoved her hard and she fell into the table and hit her head. We rushed over while Abby got Kitty's sewing back from them. "That's for being in the way and not moving when we told you too," Alice growled. I just glared at her.

The three older kids left and me, Rick and Abby tried to help Kitty. I went to touch her and she flinched away from me. Since I'd been here she'd started to trust me enough to let me hold her hand when she's scared and even when I'd first got here she'd never flinched away from me. Rick tried and she flinched even more violently. "Kitty, what happened? We won't to help at least let us bandage you up," I said gently and encouragingly. I spun round to Abby. "What happened?"

"She was sitting sewing on the sofa when they came in. They asked her to move so that they could watch TV and she was getting up but she didn't move quick enough for them so they stole her sewing and well you saw the rest," Abby explained.

Kitty's POV

"they touched me," I said quietly. I saw three concerned faces look in my direction. I could see they were worried about me and wanted to touch me, even just to bandage my head. But I was never going to let myself get so trusting in people again. Summer glanced at Rick and Abby before biting her lip and turning back to me.

"We get it. But Kitty why not trust us. All we want to do is bandage your head," she asked me. I shook my head so she continued. "In that case can we know why you don't like people touching you?" I went to shake my head but decided that these were my best friends so they were entitled to know so I nodded and started to explain.

Kitty's story

My dad ran away before I was born. My mum got drunk, a lot. One night when I was eleven she brought home her 'New' boyfriend. He was a drunk too. I didn't like him. He scared me but mum trusted him so I did to. Mum started leaving him in charge of me when she had to go out of an evening to work. By this point I'd persuaded her to stop drinking and she'd listened. But he hadn't he still drunk a lot and when he'd drink too much he'd get violent. He'd beat me up and lock me in cupboards, then just before mum came home he'd sort out any cuts and come up with a cover story to what happened. Mum always believed him even when I tried to tell her the truth. When mum started doing all nighters at the hospital, he looked after me and some nights he'd come into my room and... he'd make me do things I didn't want to do and it hurt and I was scared. So scared and he threatened that if I told he'd hurt me more. So I never told anyone but school worked it out about a year ago soon after I turned twelve. They knew I was quiet and I kept flinching when people came near me. They soon worked it out so I got sent here. Alone.

I looked up at my three best friends and saw they realised what I had been through. "That's terrible," Summer exclaimed. I nodded. "Come on, we won't do that. All we are going to do is get a plaster for your head and go and say goodbye to Sapph, Carmen and Harry." I nodded slowly and followed them down into the kitchen where Rick got out the plaster and they put it on. We went back upstairs just as the care worker arrived. We smiled at the three Elm tree kids and watched as they left.