Answers for reviews on the first chapter and the cast list.
xSakura-Blossomsx: I'm so happy you decided to submit. I hope I write your character right. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy the story.
x snow- pony x: I'm so happy you liked it. Pst, did you know that earlier when I planned wir Tracie was an only child, Marty didn't exist and instead there was a pair of twins named Clay and Clete. That twin thing where Emma thinks it's Tracie again when in fact it's Ella, was originally planned for them. I'm so happy you submitted and I'm really happy with the cast list I got in the end. And in fact, I can't wait for the rest of the story neither. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy the story.
WolfReinMoon: I'm so happy you're liking and reading it even if you didn't know Emma since before. I can't wait for you guys to read more neither. Thank you for reading and reviewing.I hope you enjoy the story.
GleeJunkie007: I can't wait to write Ashton and Marley neither. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy the story.
Leoni123: Oh just trust me when I say they're all great characters and I can't wait to write about them. Thank you for reading and reviewing and I hope you enjoy the story.
First of all- I am so sorry for not updating in so long. I have a bunch of stories, I didn't have any ideas on how to write the introduction chapter (Still haven't so if you think this is nothing but crap you're probably right) and honestly my life has just been upside down lately. But, here I am. With a brand new chapter for you all. I hope you like it.
Before I could actually start as a trainee at elm tree house, no matter if it was for two weeks or however long there was a bit of paper work that had to be done. The day I first came to my old home had been Monday, and every day that the children were in school for the next few days Mike came home to my tiny little apartment and filled the papers up.
We had already decided that the first day I would come and meet the rest of the kids, I'd still only met Marty, Shawn, Ella and Tracie- would be on a day that none of the children had school, and so at last decided on Sunday this week. The last paper work we finished on Friday and Mike gave me the Saturday off as a last day for free and so on Saturday before noon I came through the doors at Elm Tree House, and right through the hallway and into the office.
"You know." I stated to Mike and Luce who were in there and sat down in one of the chairs. "The last time I was here I wasn't actually allowed to be in here… Wow, sitting here like this feels just too weird. So… Is that my first signal of that I should go and meet the rest of the kids or do you want me to read their files first? Actually I'd kind of want to meet them and get my own picture of what they're like first if that's okay. Is that okay?" Mike nodded slightly.
"How you want to meet and introduce yourself to the children is totally up to you Em." Mike told me. "Although, if you want to go into their rooms and meet them one in one you should know that we have made the attic into a room now, and the room that was…. I think it was Tyler's when you were here and until only a year or two ago. Well, anyway. That room is empty right now, so you wouldn't have to go in there." I nodded. "So, how would you like to do it?"
"Actually, I had one idea. I've already met some of them, but if we got them all down into the kitchen or the living room and I introduce myself to all of them. And then we just ask them to go to their rooms and I can go and talk to them one or… two at the time if they share I guess. How many rooms are shared by the way?"
"That would be your old room. Ella and Tracie. Then both the room that Johnny had when you came here, then Jordan and then Johnny again." I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you didn't know? Oh well, Johnny and Tee's foster home that they were in when you left didn't quite work out. So they came back, end of story for now. But that room currently belongs to Shawn- you've already met him." I nodded. "And David. And then it's the attic that is a room that belongs to two boys named Nathan and Qwyn." I nodded, "And that plan you had sounds good so, let's call them down."
"Does that take a longer time now when Gina isn't here?" I joked. "Or do George or Luce or one of the kids have an as strong voice as she had?" Mike only smirked and gestured to Luce, and I followed Mike out towards the stairs where Luce stopped and looked up the stairs. And for a moment I didn't expect him to have an as very strong voice as Gina had had to get all the kids downstairs form their rooms.
"KIDS." The volume and the sharpness in his voice caused me to jump. "HOUSE MEETING IN THE KITCHEN. NOW." Right away I heard slamming of doors- even running down the stairs from the attic, and then footsteps down the stairs while I stood under watching the kids that came running down and they were curiously looking back at me.
"Smile." A girl with brown hair stopped in the stairs and held up a camera. Before I'd had the time to react her camera went off and then buzzed and by the time she was downstairs she held the photo that had gotten printed straightly out of the camera in her hand. But she didn't stop by me again on her way towards the kitchen and only continued walking with her camera ready in her hand.
A boy with short, dark hair smiled and looked up at me and then continued towards the kitchen, the only child who came after him was a blonde little girl dressed in way too mature clothes for someone her age and she looked at me as if I should have known she was loads better than me and then disappeared into the kitchen her too.
"Don't worry about her." Luce told me. "That is Violet and she is… well… You'll get to know her. Now come on and you'll get to introduce yourself. We came into the kitchen and I heard that it was just filled with the usual chattering sound of the dumping ground. "OY. Listen up you lot. I, Mike and George have been telling you about a new trainee and today is her first day. So, don't be afraid…." Luce said turned to me as if he could see how nervous I was. "…They don't bite." As on a given shoulder one boy that seemed to be among the older ones here ran up with his mouth open as if he would bite me. "Qwyn. Sit." The boy- obviously named Qwyn sat down. "Good boy. Hey, where's your brother Q? Go find Nathan." Qwyn nodded and ran out of the room, and it was all silent until Qwyn came into the room again pulling with him a boy that was obviously his identical twin.
"Another pair of identical twins." I moaned before I'd had the time to keep myself from doing just that. "I'd just learned how to tell the difference between Ella and Tracie. Those two are easy… you two however." I looked from Qwyn to the one obviously named Nathan and back to Qwyn. "Luce, help!" The other ones in the room- also Luce let hear a bunch of short laughs and Luce took a step forward to be next to me.
"They both wear hoodies, sweatshirts or T- shirts, they both wear jeans and sneakers. But the one with prints from Guardians of the galaxy or big bang theory is Nathan, and the ones with athletic teams- shirts or Harry Potter- prints is Qwyn. I glanced over both of their shirts.
"Then what if they're not wearing either of it…. Kind of like they're not doing right now?" I smiled nervously and the boy I thought was named Qwyn laughed slightly.
"…And besides Nathan is nicer than Qwyn." Qwyn grimaced at Luce. "You'll learn how to do it." I looked around one more time and decided I could just as well introduce myself and everything.
"Well, my name is Emilia Peterson, but I want everybody to call me Emma and nothing else than Emma. I lived here for a few months seven years ago, why isn't important. But I'm from Sweden and then I decided to move back there. A week ago I moved here again and I needed a job and heard from somebody that Mike needed to help and do you guys know for how long Mike has been here?" There were children and teenagers shaking their heads from the left and two the right. "Me neither, but for a very long time. And… I'd like to get a chance to talk on two- or- three- man- hand with all of you. So if you could all just go off to your rooms and wait there until I come it would be great."
The kids didn't seem way too happy when I basically sent them off to their rooms. But one after one they all left the room and I heard trotting up the stairs and slamming doors until the only one left in the room was that little blonde girl I had seen earlier- and she still had that look on her face as if I just didn't get anything, Violet or whatever her name was.
"You need to go to my room first. I'm meeting up with a friend in a little while and I need to sort out what I'm going to wear. Get it?" And it wasn't just in her facial expression she seemed spoiled and to think she was better than everything and everyone- it was in the way she spoke as well and I hesitated.
"I was going to go into my old room first. But I can come into your room later." Violet didn't seem amused or in any way used to not getting what she wanted because I couldn't help but noticing the angry look into her eyes. "It probably shouldn't take too long and while I do that why don't you start and finding new clothes? Not that I think that you have to change clothes because what you are wearing now would be just fine if you put on a pair of tights and a jacket. I can help you choose if that's what you need."
I glanced up at Luce, and he grimaced. Violet was peering angrily towards me. "You?" She said mockingly. "Help me choose clothes? I wouldn't think so." The way she said it, it was clear she thought what I was wearing were in about the same class as wearing an old garbage bag and I looked down on my white hoodie, my favorite one. Green cargo pants and grey sneakers- there as nothing wrong with this. Was it? Violet was on her way to say something else and I could sense a tantrum on its way but Luce was quicker and jumped in front of her.
"It won't take too long. So tell you what, if you go and start fixing your clothes before Emma's coming. Emma comes to you right after talking to Ella and Tracie and then you can just choose clothes and I'll drive you into town. I got to fix some things and it will be quicker than taking the bus. Is that alright?" Violet hesitated, but at last nodded and stomped out of the room and I heard her continue up the stairs before one of the doors closest to the stairs slammed so the whole house shook.
"She hates me now doesn't she?" I asked to Mike and Luce, Mike just smiled but Luce seemed like he wanted to say something while I decided to just keep my mouth shut for as long as it was possible so I wouldn't say anything more wrong. Even though I guessed I had to apologize. "I'm sorry for all of that. I should have just gave in."
"Don't worry about it." Luce stated. "I actually do need to get into town and fix a couple of things. Or I'll find something I need to do. And don't worry about Violet either. She hates everyone at this place. Or at pretty much any place she doesn't like. But, you should know that sometimes it's just easier to let her have what she wants. Or compromise like I did. Anyway, I'll just let you run off. Mike, can I borrow your car?" Mike pulled up a car-key from his pocket and handed it to Luce. "Thank you buddy. I owe you one. Or I owe you one drive with my car whenever I find one." Luce laughed to himself while I left the room and continued up the stairs where I at last knocked the door on what had been my old room.
"Come in." I heard two voices from inside and opened the door and found Ella and Tracie sitting on each bed. Ella was as usual dressed in clothes with prints and colors from Disney's frozen, and even though Tracie was wearing a hoodie with a print of Olaf the snowman from Frozen it was clear who was who- not least because Ella sat on her bed with Frozen covers and Tracie on hers with covers plaid in blue and grey.
The room looked a whole lot different than from what it had when I had had it. The pink color on the walls had been changed into a pale blue. By the wall where my bookshelf had been standing there now stood a dark- brown dresser on where it stood a few movies and books and even a magazine or five- or a hundred. And over it on the wall hung a lamp forming the words 'I love you' but with a heart instead of the word 'love'. When I had it my floor had been quite cold because it was so empty but now there laid a silver- colored, thick matt. And the bulletin board I had had was gone and instead there hung posters and canvases with prints from Frozen around the wall. And on top of it all there were two beds in here- when it was my room I had been alone in here.
"So girls." I smirked a bit and decided to joke a bit with them even though I knew it was easy to tell them apart. "Now when you are both wearing clothes with prints from the movie Frozen how am I supposed to tell who is Tracie and who is Ella?" Tracie lifted one of her pillows and threw it over the room at me before both of the sisters told me the exact same thing at the exact same time.
"Do you really think I would be wearing something like that?" They pointed to each other. And I just laughed and was on my way to tell them it was only a joke when Tracie continued.
"Ella wears so much more girly clothing than me that joke wasn't even funny." I held up my hand and nodded- at least she had gotten it was just a joke and finally Tracie seemed to calm down. "And we might look around the same but we are under no circumstances anything alike in person. Get it?" Now it was Tracie's turn to speak to me almost as if I was stupid and before she had the time to continue I interrupted.
"TRACIE! And Ella. It's fine. It was just a joke and I and everybody else who know you in the slightest can easily tell who is who. Now, we just pretend I never said that okay?" I tried to get them to concentrate on what I said next instead of what I had just said. "So, is there anything you think that I should know now when I'm going to work here? Like what do you think about living here or whatever else you think that I should know?" The girls thought for a few seconds and then Ella started talking first.
"Our parents left us outside Elm Tree House when we were newborns. So we have always lived here. I don't know what it's like to live at any other place and I like this. There's always someone to talk to or to play with." Tracie nodded agreeing and didn't add anything else when I asked if she had anything to say. "It's a bit annoying if it gets really loud and things though. But then we just stay in here until it's calmer."
"That's a good idea." I told them. "And I don't like it when things get all annoying and loud either but it's just a part of living at the dumping ground so whatever I do it's not really going to help against that. Now… If you can't choose each other and you can choose only one person, adult or child. Which one is your very favorite of the people in the dumping ground?" I was kind of trying to get a picture of who were friends and who were not and had certainly not even dared to hope for Ella's answer.
Ella crawled over her bed to where I sat by the foot of it and threw her arms around my waist. I was kind of confused by the sudden tight hug but clapped her back slightly and then she looked up at me. "You know that we two have almost the same names. Do you Emma?" I nodded. "Well, I think that might be why you are my new favorite person at this house."
"Aw, thank you Ella. You're so sweet." I stroke her hair a bit and looked to Trace who seemed to be putting more thoughts into who was her favorite person in this house- and in a house with thirteen kids- fourteen with herself and four adults. Including a number of social workers who came and went about when they felt like it, it took a bit of thinking.
"Marty." Tracie stated after a long while of thinking. "I really like him, but of course. My sister is my very favorite. I could live without Marty, even though I wouldn't want to. And I could live without everybody else in here. But I couldn't live without Ella." I smiled, behind that tomboy and tough cover… So I glanced to my watch and realized that someone would be mad if I didn't go and speak to her soon.
We talked for a few minutes more and I learned that even though both of the versions was in frozen. Ella preferred Idina Menzel's version of 'let it go'. While Tracie preferred Demi Lovato's version. They also liked listening to songs in other languages than English and one of both of theirs favorite songs was jag är fri by Jon Henrik Fjällgren. Tracie was- which I had known before a very big tomboy and the only thing she'd ever do with her hair was to put a hair clip with a butterfly (Since she loved butterflies) in her fringe to keep it away from her eyes, while Ella usually had her hair in plaits.
Tracie was more active than her identical twin and while Tracie usually enjoyed climbing trees, learning to ride her bike or at least playing hide and seek. Ella enjoyed slightly calmer activities like singing or playing with dolls. However, even though very split interests there were still always something they would be able to do and love both of them like dancing and making own choreographies to songs they liked.
"Sure we fight every once in a while." Ella told me while I was keeping an eye on my clock to realize I'd have to move onto Violet sometime soon. "And then we say, oh I'm never speaking to you ever again, and Tracie moves into Marty's room even though it's not allowed for girls and boys to share rooms. But then an hour later we are bored without each other and then we're friends again. That is just the way it is. Mike says it's called sibling- love."
"That might be right. But El, now you need to let go off me because if I don't get to Violet's room soon she's going to be really angry with me. Thank you. Where is Violet's room by the way?" Tracie pointed straight to the door. "Right across the hall?" She nodded. "Okay, thanks guys. See you soon then."
"Should we go watch a movie?" Ella asked while I was on my way out of the room.
"Okay," Tracie answered right away. "But if you make me watch frozen again. I will barf." I didn't hear the rest of the discussion as I closed the door after me and knocked on and opened the door right across the hallway.
"Oh sorry." I threw a hand over my eyes when I quickly realized the girl in the room wasn't fully dressed. It wasn't that I could see anything I shouldn't have- she stood with her back against the door anyway. But just before I looked away and put my hand in front of my eyes I could see that- even though she didn't look anywhere near as old when you would start wearing, I caught a glimpse of a bra before it just went because of my hand. "Can I look aga…" I hadn't finished the sentence when Violet interrupted.
"Haven't you EVER heard that you are SUPPPOSED to wait for an answer? Otherwise there's not a FREAKING POINT. With knocking!" I took my chance and glanced in between my fingers to see Violet standing- fully dressed this time and I pulled my hand away from my hands and saw she had her arms angrily crossed over her chest and… oh boy, if glares could kill!
Violet had now switched her earlier outfit into a sleeveless crop top with a white print of a moon and a sun, and turquoise short shorts and UGG- boots. It all just seemed to mature and everything for someone around the age as she looked, and wasn't exactly made better by the fact that she was still looking at me like she was just so much better than me.
"Ehr…" It took me a second to find the right words. "I'm sorry it took so long before I came in here., I lost a bit of track of time talking to Ella and Tracie. Is there anything you think I should know about you?" Violet only glared to me even worse and grabbed a turquoise shoulder bag that she pulled over her shoulder and then pushed me out of the way leaving the room.
"YES." Violet answered me sharply while continuing down the stairs and I hurried after. "When I say something I mean it. I'm eight years and two quarters old but everyone here are babies. What more do you want to know? Oh I'm in a care- home. Boo- hoo. I hate it here. And now I'm in a hurry and it's YOUR FAULT." She had stopped in the middle of the chairs and continued to glare up at me. "LUCE. WE GOTTA GO. NOW."
"Only one question more." I continued hurrying after her but still almost had to shout. "I've been trying to find out who are friends in here and such. So if you can choose one person in this house that is your very favorite person. It doesn't matter if it's a child or an adult but who would it be?" Finally Violet turned around and gave me a questioning look.
"I have no favorite person in here. But it's certainly not YOU. I HATE YOU ALL." She spun on her heel and went out the door right before Luce passed me, stopped for a second and sighed and gave me an apologetic look before he continued after Violet and towards Mike's car- what a great start I had been able to get myself here then!
"Mike." I walked into the office. "Have you got any post it's? I was thinking that I just do the rooms in, whatever order so I wanted to put some on the doors in the rooms I have been so I don't go into the same room twice or miss a room." Mike nodded and handed me a bunch of pink post- it's. "Thank you sir." I backed out of the office and half ran up the stairs where I put one on the door to Tracie and Ella's room and then reached into Violet's room to close the door before I moved on.
Before I did close the door inside the room I looked around though. When I lived here the room had been Carmen's and had simply been filled with pink from the ceiling to the floor. Now the walls were painted in a neon- ish pink color but otherwise had several more colors like the bed's headboard in peach, dresser and some kind of organizer for shoes and bags in white. And covers in white, blue and pink.
There laid clothes laid thrown over the floor and the bed and the dresser- at least one thing that was the same as when I had been here the last time. And on the shelf that had too been there making a part of the wall look like there had been a fire place or something here earlier stood a long row of Barbie dolls and Porcelain dolls of the kinds that I couldn't afford if I so saved all of my money for three decades. And on the dresser laid magazines of the kind of Elle and Seventeen and other magazines Violet definitely shouldn't be reading in at least another ten years.
The thought of that in the same room, laid a bunch of magazines for people my age, and for Barbie dolls for the people more for Violet's age made me kind of sad. It was just like this was a little girl who was just trying so hard to be big while at the same time she couldn't help but to hold on to what still made her little but in an adult way- those dolls had more expensive clothes than what my clothes all cost together… It was just sad that someone felt like they had to do that and not just be a kid like she should.
And with that I closed the door to Violet's room with a sad lump in my stomach and put a pink post- it at the door. Then I went as far into the hallway as I could. Span a few laps and then walked in whatever direction feeling with my hand towards the wall to find a door. And by the second I reached I opened the door and saw a sign reading 'Marley's room' and by the look in the hallway right here I could tell it was the room Jody had had when I was here the last time. I thought back and remembered it being painted in some brown colors, and that just a few items of clothing, way too big for the eight- year- old living there hung on a bar that had been put in the room in waiting to buy another wardrobe. I remember there always used to stand a jar of chocolate biscuits standing on the bedside table and that it had always seemed kind of tidy since Jody spent almost no time in there but running around playing pranks with Tyler or eating biscuits in the kitchen. And I felt a gust of sneakiness as I knocked on the door and heard a 'come in' from inside.
"Hello" I opened the door and stepped inside of the room to find a room with photos hanging just about everywhere, a bulletin board both built into a desk and over the bed also them full with photos. The furniture including a trash can, the headboard of the bed, the desk and a desk chair were all in brown and matched well with the grey- painted walls. Although the photos all around had many different colors in them and on the bed there laid a blanket printed with a picture from a beach and the text 'good vibes only' and on the desk laid the blue camera, and on the chair hung a blue rain coat so it still gave the shine of a very colorful person living in here.
The person in herself was walking around the room. "I'm going out to shoot some pictures in the rain. But I can talk to you first." She told me. And I realized I had noticed this girl earlier because of her clothing style and how she had mixed it well with a red hoodie with print of white stars, red jeans, mint green hairband and a bracelet with mint green pearls and a cross. "So what do you want to know about me? My name is Marley, I'm eleven. I like photographing. My parents are dead. What more do you need?"
I felt a stab right in the heart when she told me that her parents were dead. The usual when I heard about or met other people that had been orphaned at a way too young age and I knew that there was nothing I could say or do to change it- that it wouldn't even make a difference if I said that I understood- actually that would kind of be the worst thing to say since I absolutely hated people who even tried to understood what it was like to lose as good as everything you had at such a young age.
"So is there anything else you want to know or can I go outside now?" I shook my head and returned to reality with Marley speaking to me and brainstormed fast to realize where and who I was and what I was doing. Then the last few minutes returned to me seeing Marley standing there now dressed in the blue anorak that had been hanging on the chair and had a black and white backpack thrown over one shoulder and while she held onto the shoulder strap with one hand she was lifting the other hand with her camera in it and shot yet another picture of me.
"You just looked so funny. You seemed to be so far away." She said while the camera printed the photo and she took it. "So. Is there anything else you want to know about me, or do I have to be able to do a thousand sit- ups or something like that?" I shook my head, then answered her first question yes. "What?"
"I can see you really want to get outside. And I only want to get a fast introduction and the rest I'll learn while working here. But I'm trying to get a picture of who are friends in here and who are not. So if you could choose one favorite person of the dumping ground. Child or adult. Who would it be?" Marley stopped for a while and bit her lip while it seemed that she was thinking hard.
"I'd say that my favorite person in here is myself. Other people just… don't get it and… Talking to myself I just get the best answers." My chin dropped and I didn't quite know what to answer. For anyone to answer themselves wasn't exactly what I had meant but what Marley said left me in loss of words for an answer. "Anything else you need?" I tried to remember and nodded.
"I have now been into your room, into Ella and Tracie's and into Violet's." I walked outside the room and into the hallway after Marley's. "So I'd like to go and introduce myself to some boy after all of these girls. Can you just tell me the name of one of the boys or two if they share room, and show me where their room are and I'll go in there. Marley laid her head to the side and seemed to think hard again before she raised her head and answered with a… kind of weird name, wasn't it?
"Wheezy should be the next one you meet. His room is over there. There is a… why are you putting a post it on my door?" I explained it to her. "Oh, that's clever. Well, there's a note on the door with the name Wheezy on it so you'll find it. See you around." With that, Marley turned around and I heard her continue down the stairs while I looked for a door with the name 'Wheezy' on it.
I knocked on the door and already hearing the 'come in' from inside the door I got what he was called Wheezy for. Luce had told me it was because he had a kind of wheezing tone in his voice, but I never really got it to fit. What did a wheezing tone even sound like? Wouldn't it be better to describe it as hoarse or something like that, but as soon as I heard it I realized why it was 'Wheezy' His voice did sound wheezing.
Before I had opened the door fully I looked around in the hallway and realized that before I left this had been Gus's room. If this room would be anything like when Gus had had it, it would be tidier than the other rooms. Although maybe not as tidy as the overly tidy Gus Carmichael had been. But there was no chance he was still here… was it?
I had barely even opened the door when I saw the wallpaper and knew instantly that there was no chance that Gus lived here anymore. The blue, green, lavender and brown pattern almost made me dizzy and it was for certain nothing that Gus would have ever let himself be talked into even if they so tried for a thousand years.
And opening the door fully I found a room that looked totally different from what it had looked like the last time I saw it. It wasn't that it was untidy. It was tidier than all of the rooms I had been in so far. But unlike when Gus lived here- actually the total opposite it seemed like nothing had its spot except for the furniture. There stood a skateboard leaned against the dresser, there was a black desk and desk chair and on the desk there stood a laptop with a page open about some skateboard trick. One of the drawers in the dresser was half open and on top of it laid a hoodie thrown. In an orange shelf stood and laid a few movies and school supplies and the bed with a thin, black metal frame stood under the angled ceiling and on it sat a blonde boy, perhaps in his younger teens or right under. He had blonde, tousled hair and sat with a drawing block over his legs pulled up.
"Hey, I'm Wheezy." He laid the block to the side on the bed and jumped onto his feet to come and greet me and shake my hand. "Actually my name is Aidan Rowe but no one ever calls me that unless I'm in very big trouble." He smiled and gave a short laughter. "What would you need to know about me?" Wheezy bit his lip and seemed to think for a bit and while he did so I studied his outfit. And dressed in black running tights with light blue and green running shorts over a grey long- sleeved shirt and grey, black and white running shoes it seemed that he too was heading out.
"Are you going out?" The young male nodded. "So, where are you going?"
"I'll soon turn thirteen. I like to go out running. I do it every day before breakfast and after lunch. We had lunch earlier but I wasn't allowed to go because you would come. So I just changed into the running clothes so that as soon as I've spoken to you I can get out. Well… As you already know my name is Aidan Rowe but everybody calls me Wheezy and I guess you can hear why. When I was five I was learning how to skateboard, fell and broke a rib and because that made a lung collapse my voice now sound like this. I like going out running and going out for walks. I like drawing, painting, running, listening to music and sports. And I live by those words" He pointed to a grey sign with some text on. The big text on top read' life is short' but I didn't take the time to read the rest. "I only came here to Elm Tree House a few weeks ago. My room smells kind of funny. I don't really know why but I've gotten used to it now. I like girls and you." He pointed to me with both hands and blinked. "…Are hot. Now, if you don't mind I'll go outside." He passed me and half ran out of the door with a last smile.
"WAIT. I JUST NEED YOU TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS." I shouted to be sure he would hear me and I heard a slight sigh and then fast footsteps as Wheezy came back and leaned through the door. "I'm trying to get a picture of who here are friends and not, so can you choose one person. Child or adult that is your favorite person in this house? And I've been into Ella and Tracie's and Marley's and Violet's rooms. So can you tell me the names of someone in here or names if they share room and I'll go into hers or his or their room next?" Wheezy seemed to wonder. "Take your time."
"Luce's pretty cool." Wheezy said at last. "He doesn't care too much about rules and stuff. But he can be serious when he should be. And you should go into Brielle's room next. But just check the plagues on the door until you find the right one because my legs are just so itchy because I really need to go outside now. See ya!" In the end when he was talking to me Wheezy was so eager to get out he was running on spot and then he quickly turned around and jogged down the hallway.
I was still standing in Wheezy's room and got the chance if there really was that funny smell that Wheezy had been talking about. And I couldn't help but to notice it right away. It smelled kind of sour almost like vomit and I decided to tell Mike about it while I put a post it on the door after closing it and continued until I found the door with a paper that read 'Brielle Jackson' on the door that if I remembered it right had belonged to Rick's room.
"Come in or stay where you are. It's your choice." I heard a female voice from inside the room after knocking and I shook my head and laughed slightly while I opened the door and faced a room with one wall wallpapered in a black pattern on a silver background and the rest of the walls painted in light blue.
I looked around a few times but it didn't magically make more things turn up in the room. I just thought it was kind of weird how empty and tidy it was. It had a bed, a shelf on which there stood a few funko pop- dolls with characters from the lion king. A lion king poster, a dresser, a wardrobe. And then that was about it. It kind of reminded of Gus's room but with less things.
"Ehrm…" I took it all in and tried to find the right words. "You must be Brielle." The girl with reddish, brown hair who sat on the bed with a school book in her lap, nodded. "That's a nice name. So have you ever thought about actually putting a desk or another kind of actual table in here instead of having to put your homework in your lap like that to do it? May I?" I gestured towards the foot of the bed and Brielle nodded so I sat down.
"Mike did put in a desk here. But then Shawn's broke a year or so ago and he needed it more since I barely used it anyway. And I kind of like doing it like this anyway. So I guess it's okay." Brielle smiled. "So what did you want to know about me because… As you probably understand I can't tell you everything about myself, most of it you have to find out by yourself working here but I can tell you more than you know now since now you pretty much only know that my name is Brielle and I live in this house and in this room."
"Well… I'll leave it up to you what you want to tell me first and then I'll ask you a couple of question. But I can also tell that you like silver." I turned my head and looked at the wallpaper and then down to the bed covers and pillows that were also in silver. "And that you like lion king. So… anything apart from that and… How old you are."
"I'm fourteen. And I've been at the dumping ground since I was eight. For six years so the only one who's been here longer than me is Shawn by six months or something like that. I do like drawing and painting and going to art museums. And choosing out outfits…" I glanced over her clothes that for today was a pair of overall jeans and a button up shirt checkered in red and blue with bare feet and her hair just let out.
"And you're good at it." I smirked. "Choosing the right outfits I mean. You might get to help me with that a bit." Brielle laughed slightly at my bad joke. "I think there is someone in here that doesn't really approve with my clothing style." Brielle laughed again and shook her head.
"Violet?" I nodded. "Yeah, don't mind about her. She doesn't approve with mine either. She's only been here for six months but acts like she owns the place and like she's the queen and all of that jazz. I think your clothes look great. Anyway… well… I like eating too. Especially strawberry cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake ice cream or chocolate. And I'll only share it with you if you ask very nicely." She smirked at me. "And yeah… As you can see when I'm inside I like to be bare feet."
"Oh, and your feet look so cold." I whimpered. "Oh geez. I'm a care worker now, don't tell me I'll go all fussing and weird too." I smiled. "Anything else you want to tell me right now?" She shook her head. "Well, I've been trying to get a picture of who are friends here and not so can you tell one person, child or adult? What?" Brielle giggled and suddenly seemed shyer than before when I asked. "Oh… Is he cute? Or she?"
"I'm straight and…" She giggled again and held her hand in front of her mouth in a move that told me it might get hard for me to get it out of her and I brainstormed and remembered the names of the boys who would be around the same age as her.
"Is it Shawn?" Brielle shook her head.
"I've known Shawn since we were little, he's like a brother and nothing else." I bit my lip and brainstormed again.
"Is it Wheezy?" Brielle only looked at me with a raised eyebrow almost as if I had been out of my mind. "Okay, not that. Is it Qwyn?" She shook her head again but unlike from before she still seemed kind of giggly when I mentioned that name. "Oh, is it Nathan?" Brielle didn't answer for a few seconds then barely nodded. "Aw, he is cute though." I smiled. "I was going to ask you too what room I should go into next but I guess you're going to say Nathan's then. He shares the attic with Qwyn right?" Brielle nodded again. "Okay, anything else you want to tell me right now?" She shook her head. "Okay, I will put this post it on your door so I won't go in here again. Those are cute." I pointed to the funko pop's on the shelf.
"Nathan gave me those. He's got loads and he got to know I like lion king." Brielle giggled again but then put herself together and stood up to reach for her homework again while I closed the door and put a post it note on it before heading to the attic. And I had to say I was actually really curious about what it would look like nowadays.
Again, when I knocked on the door I heard two voices go 'come in' and pushed the only post it I had left into my pocket while I headed up the stairs to the attic where two beds had been put under the angled ceiling and the older pair of twins sat. I quickly brainstormed to remember who was who and remembered that the one wearing a hoodie reading 'loser' and light blue jeans was Nathan and the one with a tank top reading 'shhh no one cares' and darker jeans was Qwyn. It also helped that Luce had told me that Nathan was the nice one in this question.
"I'll talk to you in a minute I just want to… I don't know, check this room out. It was only a storage attic when I was here. And it sure looks very different." I looked around. The walls hadn't been painted so there were still the wooden brown color they had been before. But there stood two beds, with drawers under them. A pretty cool shelf with books, movies and funko pop- dolls, and a clock hung on the wall with something that- if I wasn't completely wrong- themed in Guardians of the galaxy.
On the bed that Qwyn sat on- that was pretty much alike Nathan's but dark brown instead of light like the other. There laid a big cover with a print of the Marauder's map from Harry Potter and on the other there laid bedding with prints from big bang theory. From the ceiling hang a simple light pear and there was a window in the angled ceiling taking in more light. And of course there was a couple of dressers, a desk and a chair squeezed in about where it could be squeezed in.
"Wow." I said at last. "This room sure looks a whole lot different than what it did the last time I saw it." I scratched the back of my head. "It's really cool… How come the attic was made into a room by the way? Do you guys know that?" I sunk down into one of the chairs while the boys looked to each other and Nathan answered.
"When we came here a year ago all the rooms were taken and none of them were big enough for both of us two to move in. And so, they had been working on cleaning out stuff from the attic and someone mentioned that it might be a cool place to live for two teenage guys and the rest is history. Mike, George and Luce's done a pretty good job with it." I nodded agreeing. "So what is it that you want to know about me and Qwyn now?"
"Well first of all…" I was just on my way of saying something when Qwyn interrupted and somehow I couldn't help but smile. "My name is Qwyn Tyler Lord, I'm fifteen years old and I'm gay." My smile faded fast. "What? Ugh, don't come and tell me you're one of those hyper- Christian's who believe homosexuality is a sin."
"Oh no. No, no, no." I reassured Qwyn. "No, I was just surprised. And you? Name and… well that's the only thing I need right now since you guys are obviously both fifteen." Nathan chuckled shortly and put his book to the side and sat up on the edge of the bed.
"My name is Nathan Robert Lord. And I'm straight." I felt my cheeks go bright red. "Haha, that is fine. Well…" I looked around the room to see if I could find something else to talk about and a couple of photo frames standing in the shelf caught my eye and I stood up to look at them.
In both of the photos were Nathan and Qwyn, but looking younger than they were now and I couldn't see in any of the photos who was who but in the photo to the left they looked around eight or nine years old and had lifted each little girl up in their arms. One of them a girl that looked about three, and the other around one. And in the other photo they were with a woman with brown- red hair and held each arm around the twins who looked around four, in the photo you could also see the woman was pregnant.
"That's our mum." I flinched, being so far away in looking at the photos I hadn't noticed Nathan coming up next to me. "Brenda. And that's me." He pointed to the photos with the girls. "And the one in my arms is our sister Emily- her middle name is Emma by the way and she's eleven now. And that's Qwyn." He pointed to the one of the twins holding the smallest girl. "And that's our sister Minnie who is nine by now."
"Oh…" I brainstormed for something to say. "Does your sisters live here too?" Nathan sighed slightly and looked down. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad or ask something too private." Nathan waved it off and laid a hand on my shoulder. He gestured towards the desk chair and I sat down and rolled it closer to the beds where Nathan now sat down too and Qwyn started telling me their story while he pulled out a photo of a quite big- looking, brown- haired man along with the same woman as in the earlier photo and showed it to me.
"That's our parents. See the bruise that she's been trying to put make up on?" I nodded- it really wasn't that hard to see, even in the photo. "He caused that. He was abusive, both to us and to Emily and Minnie. But mostly to our mum. Then when we were ten, we had this teacher who realized and after many if's and but's she managed to get us away from there. And the social services went to get Minnie and Emily too. But mum and dad had somehow gotten to know what was going on and had already taken off…."
"We ended up in one foster home and one care home after the other. Then one year ago we came here. And we and the police and the social services have been looking for our parents and sisters all along. But it seems like they move around and change their names because as soon as we think we've got something it turns out to be wrong. So we still have no idea where any of them are. They could all be dead or in Asia or in America or in freaking Narnia and we would have no idea."
I leaned back in the chair I sat in and looked from Nathan to Qwyn and back to Nathan and for several minutes no one said a word. "Well." Qwyn spoke at last. "To sit here and just pity about it…" I held up my hand to silent him. "Yes?"
"I just… I just wanted to say that… I am so, so sorry to hear all of that and. If there is anything… anything at all that I could do." Nathan nodded and smiled slightly, but Qwyn obviously wasn't taking any of this because he interrupted.
"There's no point with sitting here and pitying for either you, me or Nathan. It won't help us find them. So… We can just go on like we would have otherwise. Anyway, as you know my name is Nathan and I'm gay. Yes I'm completely out with it. I like Harry Potter and football. I also like star wars, science fiction and basketball. And eating pizza and chocolate chip cookies. I don't like doctors, needles, homophobia or people who just babble all the time." He looked to Nathan and seemed to want him to continue.
"Well, I'm Nathan and I'm straight. I like reading- especially books by Torey Hayden. I like watching TV especially big bang theory or Guardians of the galaxy. I like listening to music, especially the who. And I like drawing, playing the piano and collecting Funko pop figures." He pointed to his collection on the shelf. "I don't like needles, doctors, homophobia or chocolate."
"And that makes him crazy. Not liking chocolate I mean." Qwyn interrupted. "Please just agree with me." I agreed- I was probably the person most obsessed with chocolate that there had ever been walking on this earth. Nathan just laughed and shook his head. "And oh, now you know our middle names and Emily's. Minnie's full name is Minnie Marie Lord. And that's about it." I nodded.
I showed them the post it note and explained why I was going to put it on the door. "And then I have two questions, one. Choose each favorite person from the dumping ground- child or adult and not each other. And two. Who should I go to next? I've been to Ella and Tracie, Marley, Wheezy, Brielle and you. Oh and Violet. So otherwise you can choose whoever you want."
"If I chose a favorite person in this house…" Qwyn began. "Ashton. She is pretty cool. And since everybody knows I'm gay now anyway there is no longer anyone going around asking all the time if I fancy her. But she's cool." I nodded and turned to Nathan who had gotten a slight dreamy look in his eyes and a smile on his face, and I could only guess…
"Brielle." He said pretty quickly. "She's nice." And she was more than nice to him I could tell. "Yeah… And since you've been into her room already… Maybe Qwyn's favorite person- Ashton then. Come on. I'll show you where it is."
"Oh, you don't have to do that. I need to get downstairs to get more post it's and then I'll ask Mike who was living in Ashton's room when I lived here and then I'll find it myself. Thanks anyway. See you around." I walked down the stairs to the second floor and put a post it on the open door and then closed it behind me before I walked downstairs and into the office. "Mike have you got any more post it's? And have you noticed there's a weird smell in Wheezy's room. It smells almost like vomit."
"Yep. And yes, I'll take care of it but I can't find where the smell is coming from" He reached for a bunch of orange ones and handed them to me just as the phone rang and I kneeled and searched for something in my bag and then I couldn't help to hear what he was saying. "What?... Emily?... What about Minnie and their parents then?" Mike didn't say anything for a good while but I heard the person in the phone do and suddenly got a very distressed look in his eyes and whole expression and put a hand over his face. "Oh, okay yes. Two hours? Okay, I'll go talk to them. Thank you for calling. See you later." He put the phone away and put his head in his hands.
"Is everything alright?" I patted his shoulder and felt that a frown had formed on my forehead. "Is it something about the twins' two sisters? I didn't mean to listen but I heard their names being mentioned." Mike nodded. "Was it something about them? Where are they?" he hesitated slightly and sighed. "Oh… Are they?"… Mike laid his hands towards the desk and pushed himself up while I couldn't even finish the question.
"I want another adult to be in there while I tell them Em. But Luce's still in town and George has got the night shift so he's not here yet. Can you take a break and come with me?" I nodded slightly and was almost shaking out of nervousity and waiting for Mike to say something. "I don't want to tell anyone before I've told the twins, so you'll be hearing it then. But we really need to go and tell them what's happened to their sisters and parents and where they are. And that right now." And with me right behind him, Mike left the room and headed to the attic.
So, Emma is spending her first day as a trainee at the dumping ground. There are two pairs of twins, one pair who doesn't know why they're in care and one pair who doesn't know where the rest of their family are. One kid who's really, really spoilt. Two of the older kids are obviously more than friends but doesn't realize the other one feels the same. In one room there's a smell of vomit and just before the ending it seems like Nathan and Qwyn will finally find out what happened to their sisters and their parents.
I know this chapter is a lot of descriptions of appearance, rooms and outfits. And loads of conversation too. But it will get better in a couple of chapter
That part when Emma comes into Violet's room and she isn't fully dressed might seem kind of inappropriate. But I promise it will make sense later and it was a part of introducing Violet's character.
Random fact
The part where Emma fusses over the fact that Brielle isn't wearing shoes or socks is actually based on real life. Because I've got some disabilities, around once a month I go to this short time care home for a few days. And I like to go just bare feet and there is this person who works there that is just always fussing about how I look so cold.