"Are you okay now, Kitty?" Gina asked as Kitty came down for breakfast in the morning.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Kitty said with a bright smile. "It was just a bit shocking last night, that's all."
"Well, if you're sure you're okay." Mike said.
Kitty sat down in between Liam and Carmen with a smile. "Seriously, Liam, thanks for doing that last night." She said.
"No problem. It was more Johnny's idea, but still." Liam said.
"Well, then thanks to both of you." Kitty said to Liam and Johnny. They both grinned.
As everyone ate, Tracy entered.
"Morning Tracy!" the kids said in unison.
"Hey, guys…" Tracy said. She seemed distant, unhappy.
Kitty frowned.
"What's up, Tracy?" Elektra asked.
"You seem really sad." Tee agreed.
"Well…here's the thing, guys." Mike said.
"I'm leaving." Tracy said.
Some forks clattered to the table, and the other kids looked to see Kitty, Elektra and Jody all getting up and storming out of the kitchen.
"Guys, I'm sorry, but…" Tracy called after them, but sighed. She looked at the other kids. "I want to stay, I really do, but…"
"It's okay, we understand." Lily said softly.
"You've got to move on sometime." Carmen agreed.
"Don't worry, they'll come round." Liam reassured her.
"Liam…you know…your brother called again today, asking if you changed your mind about going to live with him." Mike said.
Liam sighed. "I already said, I like it here way too much, so I can't leave."
"Well, he said when you're 16 and you have to leave this place anyway, you can go live with him." Gina said.
"I know. That's when I'm going to go, when I have to leave here, I'm going to go live with Jack. But for now, this is where I belong." Liam said.
Kitty was lying on her bed, her face in her pillow.
Tracy couldn't leave! Not after everything she'd done, not only for Kitty but for the others as well. Didn't she care about them?
Kitty didn't feel like she could talk to anybody else about anything. Except from Johnny and Carmen, but adult-wise she couldn't talk to anybody but Tracy, and now that was going to change, and it wasn't fair!
"Kitty?" Tracy entered her room and sat on Kitty's bed beside her.
"Go away!" Kitty said.
"What's up? Look, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. It's my only chance to move on with my life, it's not like I want to leave you guys behind…"
"I know!" Kitty snapped.
"Then what's the problem?"
"It's just…I can't talk to any other adults but you! Mike and Gina never understand me like you do." Kitty said, sitting up next to Tracy.
Tracy put an arm round Kitty. "You just need to trust them, Kitty, they will understand, you'll see."
It was the leaving party. Tee handed over a book to Tracy. When Tracy opened it, it was full of pictures, of her time at the Dumping Ground.
The girls were crying and the boys were upset too.
"I'm going to miss you all." Tracy said.
They all group hugged her tightly, and then they waved her off, tears at everybody's eyes.
They were all going to miss her.