Hello everyone! Hope you liked tonight's episode as much as me! Also, to understand the kind of craft they're doing in this chapter, Google 'pysanka' or 'Ukrainian easter eggs'. Theirs aren't nearly as elaborate, it's about the process! Enjoy!

Andrea looked around the apartment and nodded. She usually wasn't this nervous about having anyone over but it was Rosie's first outing with friends since she'd had the shit kicked out of her at school, she wanted everything to be just right.

The cops had actually pressed charges, and there would be a short court case just after Easter for the oldest ones. There would be no question, those kids were going to jail and the teachers at the school were all going to be put on probation for their failure to see the situation ran deeper than regular schoolyard name-calling.

After the few weeks of homeschooling and counseling Rosie wanted to see more people beyond her actual cousins, so she'd asked if she could get together with Nessa or Kelley or someone like that over the weekend and Lili had called Andrea up right away.

'Mama.'

Andrea looked over and saw Heddie walking out with Nessa holding her hand. 'Hey baby girl, you ready for a visit?'

'Wosie beddah?'

'She is much better.'

'Um oushie?' Heddie patted her wrist with the flat of her left hand. 'Cas'?'

'She suh-till has her cast, Heddie,' Nessa told her, 'but it be off soon, righ' Mama?'

'I think so, sweet-pea.'

The intercom buzzed and Andrea pushed the button to let Rosie and Lili in. Nessa walked Heddie over to the living room where they'd set up their activity for the afternoon - they were going to make Easter eggs since Easter was just two weeks away, and it was goign to be a fun and messy afternoon.

'Niss, pay nice?' Heddie asked, blinking her deep blue eyes.

'Yes, we're going to play nice. We always play nice, Nessa, because we aren't bullies.'

'No boo-lees.'

'That's right.'

Nessa glanced over at the door when it opened and she saw Rosie there, looking so much unlike her usual self that Nessa popped up immediately and went to go and give her a hug. 'Hi, Rosie!'

'Hi Nessa!' Rosie loved how the girl rocked back and forth on the spot, and she grinned at her friend. 'Thank you for inviting me over today.'

'We doin' a super-neat art puh-roject today. We doing Easter eggs like the You-cranies!'

'The Ukrainians, Nessa,' Andrea laughed, and gave Lili a little kiss on the cheek. 'Just call when you're on your way to pick Rosie up.'

'C'mon, Rosie.'

Nessa took Rosie by her good hand and led her into the living room where they had their hardened eggshells blown out and ready to go. She pointed to the wax crayons and the different coloured dyes. 'I learn how-a do'em at the hosuh-pital suh-chool.'

'No oushies,' Heddie added. 'Mama hep.'

Rosie nodded, then heard Andrea turn on some music, a lady with a very pretty voice singing about love. 'Who is that singing?'

'That Peg-Glee. Mama love her music.'

'Peggy Lee, sweet-pea,' Andrea corrected her nicely as she joined the little girls and showed them how to use the wax crayons to create the layers of colours on their eggs. Rosie wanted hers to look like a rainbow spider-web so she carefully doodled out the lines and pretty soon, she could see the colourful layers coming through.

'Wow, tha' way puh-retty,' Nessa breathed, meaning it one hundred percent. She knew her friend needed to feel good about something and like her cousin Tessi, Rosie was very good at art so she would boost her friend's spirits that way. 'You so good at art, Rosie.'

'Way goo',' Heddie added.

'Thanks you guys.' Rosie studied her egg, then looked at Nessa's. 'That's very nice too, Nessa.'

'Thank you. I like my un'er-water pattern.' Nessa held up her egg, decorated with fish and seaweed and bubbles. 'They so puh-retty. You gonna take yours for show-an'-tell?'

'Maybe. I'm nervous to start at my new school.'

'Why? Tessi be there, she help you.'

Rosie looked at Nessa, so young but also so wise. 'But she's in grade one, I'm in grade three.'

'But she be there an' help you,' Nessa insisted. 'She know where ever'thin' is! The bath-room, the suh-nack room, the...Mama where get books?'

'The library?' Andrea supplied, so proud of her little girl trying to bolster her friend's lagging spirits.

'Uh-huh.' Nessa looked back at Rosie. 'She know all tha' suh-tuff. She be a big help.'

'Tessi hep.' Heddie smiled her angelic smile and picking up her brush, put two little dots and a curved line on the newspaper covering the table. 'Wosie 'mile.'

For whatever reason, whether it was being in the company of friends or their unwavering cheeriness, Rosie gave them each a genuine grin. 'Thanks you guys.'