"Amanda. I've got to go out for maybe 30 minutes, Izabela and Ola are still in my office can you keep an eye?" Olivia asked.
"Sure, why?" Amanda asked.
"Every girls deserves some gifts on her 11th birthday. I'm going to Old Navy to buy her some clothes of her own, and to the toy store so Jessie can have her bunny back." Olivia smiled.
"Jessie won't notice." Amanda smiled and handed Olivia a few bills. "She deserves something cute." Amanda smiled.
"You're tired aren't you Izzy-bug?" Ola asked her sister who was lay across some chairs head in her lap.
"Yes" she replied sleepily "jestem Zmęczona" she told her big sister. "Will you sing like you used to?"
"Of course is Amazing Grace still your favourite?" Ola asked and Izabela nodded.
"Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see" she sang stroking her sisters hair as she drifted off to sleep. Safe finally.
"'Twas grace that taught
My heart to fear
And grace my Fears relieved
How precious did
That grace appear
The hour I first believed." Amanda had walked into the room and watched the scene before joining in
"Through many dangers
Toils and snares
We have already come" Ola smiled wildly at Amanda as they sang.
"'Twas grace hath brought
Us safe thus far
And grace will lead us home.
When we've been there
Ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We'll have no less days to sing Gods praise,
Than when we first begun." They dueted and smiled at each other.
"That's a beautiful song. One of my favourites. You have a lovely voice."Amanda smiled.
"Thanks. It's one of Izzy's favourites too. I always used to sing her to sleep. When she was a baby in Poland and When we moved back to Bristol- Thats in England. All three of us girls shared a room when we rented for a few months. She hated England at first. Missed her friends and our Babcia- our grandmother in Poland and she was struggling to sleep. Nice to know it still has the same effect." Ola smiled wryly "I always worried we'd sing it in Church and she'd fall asleep."
"How are you doing." Amanda asked Ola.
"Me? I'm fine." Ola answered.
"Really? This must be a shock for you?" Amanda asked.
"It's not really sunk it yet. It's a lot to process. Looking at her she looks the same as she did as a 7 year old who stole and ruined my makeup, who always wanted me to do her hair for school Because I did it better than mama and knew exactly how to wind me and Anna up but was the sweetest little thing. But she's different, like she's lost her sparkle. I know it's been 3 years and she's exhausted today." Ola tried to reason. "She's been through a lot." Amanda said.
"I feel awful." Ola said tears in Her eyes. "This is all my fault." She aggressively wiped the tears that had just spilled from her eyes.
"How's that?" Amanda asked coming to sit by Ola who ran her hands through her sleeping sisters hair. "At the Aqua park I was ment to be minding my sisters. Mama and dad were at the cafe. They were done with swimming so asked me to watch Izzy and Anna. I was 15. We went on this big slide and at the end Izzy went under the water and started coughing. We went back up to go on another slide but Izzy got a bit scared and didn't want to go down but Anna and I did so I told her to go back down the stairs and meet us at the bottom. She never did."
"Ola, that doesn't make it your fault. Believe me I did far worse things when I was 15. The person responsible for this is whoever took her and all the pimps in sex trafficking rings, not you, her sister."
"My dad blames me. For Izzy going missing and what it's done to mama and Anna, and now I feel worse. I always hoped maybe she'd been taken by some Babcia who had never had a child or something, that she was warm and fed. You just have to look at her to know that's not the case. Sex trafficking." She shook her head "She's just a little girl from a Polish/British, Christian family."the tears threatened to fall from Ola's eyes again.
"Listen Ola. She's been through a lot but people can and do get through it and can live brilliant lives, especially when they're as young as Izabela. With help and love. She can get through it. She will." Amanda put her hand tenderly on Ola's arm. "Amanda." Ola said sheepishly "this is really cheeky but would you be able to get some chocolate bars or something. I think i mentioned before but Izzy's birthday is tomorrow and I'd love for her to have a gift."
"Of course. I have some in my desk. I'll grab them for you." Amanda did and Ola put them in her purse. "Ola?" Amanda asked as the girl was staring into the distance. "Sorry, I was away with the fairies there. I think I always imagined that if we found Izzy everything would go back to how it was before but it's not is it? I'm not going back to 15, Anna's still going to have panic attacks, dad's still going to blame me. It's all such a mess." Ola shook her head. She usually found it hard to open up to people. Everyone knew about her missing sister but other than that she was a closed book but there was something about Amanda that made her feel that it was safe to be vunerable.
"I'm a big sister too. My little sister is in jail." Amanda said emotionlessly. "I'm so sorry."Ola said. "Sisters hey." Amanda smiled wryly. "Do you know if Izzy been spending time with Russians? She's speaking Polish with a slight Russian accent?" Ola asked Amanda.
"Yes she has I think. And she's not been using any English. Her English is a little disjointed." Amanda replied.
"Izzy's always has been. Anna and I were born in England, so although mama took maternity leave and 'raised us' as such speaking to us only in Polish all our baby groups and preschools and early school years were in English. You start school age 4 in England. So Anna and I had a lot of exposure to both languages. Whereas Izzy was born in Poland so all of her baby groups and stuff were in Polish and although Daddy and me and Anna would occasionally talk to her in English she didn't have the same exposure as we did. Mama and daddy we so annoyed at themselves when we moved back to England and realised Izzy didn't have the language skills we had and realised why. Although I'm sure she'll catch up soon when we're back in the U.K." Ola suddenly had a worrying thought "We will be able to take her home won't we?"
"Yes. You might have to stay for a bit while we catch the pimps but of course you will be able to take her back to the U.K." Amanda reassured Ola. "I'll just have to not let her speak to Babcia for a bit with that Russian accent" she laughed to herself. "I'm not saying my Grandmother is a massive xenophobe, she's not she's just not a fan of Germans or Russians. Which makes sense if you know the recent history of Poland and that my Grandmother bares a grudge." She laughed again
"Oh hi Izzy-bug." Ola cood to her sister who seemed to be waking up agitated. "hey it's okay you were asleep. It's just Ola. Jestem. Ola." She reassured her sister. "Moja siostra Ola?" Izzy asked. "Tak, yes, that's me." Ola smiled.
"Hey it's Amanda, you're with us now and your safe." Amanda smiled at Izzy who curled into her sister. "Sorry. I confused when I woked up." Izzy apologised. "You have nothing to be sorry for Izzy-Bug." Ola smiled.
"Hey Izabela,Ola , you're coming home with me this evening." Olivia Benson said smiling at the girls. Amanda looked at Olivia "their parents have given permission." She justified.