A big THANK YOU to CharlieSmarts12 for getting caught up in the story and leaving many reviews.

Sorry, this is a boring filler- chapter with a lot of conversation. I hope you can stand it anyway.

I made an edit with things that will be in Jody and Maya's room while Polyvore was still up. Then, when it was taken down I downloaded all my edits so I still have it. It will be posted on my Instagram "Linneagbfanfiction" if anyone wants to see it. From the beginning I had planned to Maya and Candi-Rose to still share room. So one of the covers-sets there are ones that Candi-Rose would like. I have covered them up and you don't need to care about them.

I don't know which years and everything is set in. But let's say this is set in 2017, it makes the most sense with when the story was started. And if I'm wrong it sucks but I kind of need a date so we'll just have to act like it's 2017.

"I have to say though… some things about this place ain't so bad." I stood in the middle of the room that would soon be my and Jody's. "I don't know where else you could get all stuff moved out of a room and then all the walls and everything painted in only one day." I scratched the back of my head and looked around. "It feels like my whole life has changed since only when school ended on Friday and that's not even forty eight hours ago. Then, tomorrow when we get home we can just about put everything in place again and all because there are like a million people living here."

"Do you remember May- Li said she'd take us into town tomorrow afternoon to check if we can get something for this room? And to quote- you can't have your own TV or something. But your own sheets and maybe something to put on the walls. Or have you forgotten about that?"

"No. I remember that." I looked around. "But Mike said we already had a bed, right?"

"Yeah. He did… Sometimes when I have the chance of getting new stuff I pay a visit to a thrift shop. Maybe we should do so after school on Monday. There you can usually find a lot of great things, stuff that is as good as new- but a lot cheaper. Maybe we should go…"

I didn't say it right then- but probably about ninety percent of everything I owned were from thrift shops. Where else could you find perfectly useable clothes for only a couple of quid each?

With as much money as I could have ever had put away and saved I knew that the moment I turned sixteen and was out of the care-system I could be able to provide for myself and make an alright living.

"We have got an old dresser up in the attic as well." Mike was just coming up behind us. "It's just about the same dark- brown as that bunk bed. And it's split in half with three drawers on each side so you could both use it. It will save some more space with only one dresser instead of two, maybe you could use that for a desk or something else you could need."

"I think… yeah. Well, considering we are both in school and this is a house full of people maybe a private desk for us both could be a good thing…" I hesitated but Jody still nodded agreeing. "…I always found thrift shops quite interesting. Maybe we could go to that big one downtown and then just… see if we find something."

"All of the others can just keep painting here." Mike smirked slightly. "If everything was going to be painted white anyway we might as well get the rest done. I can come with you into town so you won't have to take anything with you on the bus or something."

I did like going to thrift shops. It was just that for the last couple of years I had literally never gotten any money, except possibly for my birthday in March, which I'd usually saved up. I might be a kid in care- but one day I would no longer be and I did want to have some money to use at the moment I was chucked out of the system when having turned sixteen.

Mike was able to provide us with some though, my allowance here was bigger than I could remember having before. So with my money, upon some Jody had, upon some Mike was able to provide us with we did go to the big thrift shop right one block from the main street downtown and at first went straight into the big back room where they had furniture.

I realized as we came there- they had loads more than what they had had the last time I was here.

"There's a desk…" I pointed after searching for a bit. "It looks as if it's just about the same color as the bed. But it doesn't have any drawers or anything…"

"I think that's okay. We'll just have to work somehow with folders or shelves or stuff like that. It's quite a nice one. It looks brand new and yet it's only ten quid."…

Our discussions back and forth during that day continued for almost two hours after we did find that desk that we ended up getting along with a dark des chair and a couple of other things. Among them two sets of sheets with galaxy- prints. Thankfully we also did make it without any actual fights which I knew wouldn't have been possible with some others.

"Look at these."

"I only heard about these." I took the cardboards with the wall stickers Jody held up. "I think they're only glued to the wall somehow but I mean… look at them. We need those don't we." I couldn't help to agree, but before I could say anything I pulled up all the money I had from my pocket- it wasn't much I could say. "We'll have to find a way to afford these…"

"Maya. Can you come with me over here?" I heard Mike behind me right then. "I think you'll like this one over here."

He didn't show me anything in particular when I came over. But he had seemed to have heard that I and Jody were running out of money.

"Act like you found more money in your pockets." Mike pushed down some bills into my hand. I'm actually not supposed to pay for things out of my own pocket like this. But don't tell anyone or everybody are going to want something." I nodded getting what he meant. "I want you to have those, and I think you're worth them after everything you're doing with getting us all together into this competition and everything."

"Thanks Mike." I looked over the shelves with paintings and looked out two with a poem on. "Oh, those are nice. Hey Jody… I counted my money a bit wrong. I had more than I thought at first."

I could see on the look on her face she realized Mike had given me some. But she didn't comment on it and soon we had collected everything we might need. And then, the next evening as I and Jody once again stood in the middle of the room and looked around for every single detail of what our new room looked like.

The walls were all painted white, but with the black picture- silhouettes of full size- people in different dance moves, and two framed pictures with text of a poem- half the poem on one and the other one right next to it, a big, black lamp hanging from the ceiling and each small lamp screwed up on the wall by each of our beds. A bunk bed in dark brown, both of our sheets with galaxy prints, a dark brown wooden desk, a dark- colored leather rolling chair, a dark- brown dresser which we could use half each, and at last a blanket with another galaxy- print and a picture of a dream catcher.

"I haven't been thinking about it before. But you really like galaxy pattern, don't you Maya?"

I looked down on what I was wearing, my tights, sneakers and beanie cap all had galaxy prints. The sweatshirt I was wearing had a print of Mickey Mouse- but yeah. Jody did have a point.

A couple of framed photos stood on top of the dresser, one of them being a photo I had had. Of a road continuing ahead of the camera and the person taking the photo, away over some hills and almost looking as if it disappeared into the mountains and the multi- colored skies in the background.

"Yeah. I just really like the way it looks."

Well that wasn't the whole truth was it?

"I used to dream when I was younger…" When I and Jody both got changed into our pyjamas for the night I had thought about it back and forth and at last decided to just tell what it was with me and galaxy prints. "That I'd run along that road in that picture… I'd just run and run and run and at the end of the road when I'd reach those mountains my feet would just lift from the ground and I would float and just fly away from everything, from the road, from the world- out towards the open skies and outer space and… to have a lot of stuff with galaxy patterns were sort of parts of those dreams- I know it's not that simple but… I never really grew out of those dreams…" I folded up my clothes and laid them in a neat pile on the floor. Jody didn't answer for a while, then at last- while I moved to pull the covers over me and I heard her do the same she said something at last.

"Those are nice dreams."

"Yeah…"

Now when I'd finally told someone about it I wasn't so sure if I'd done the right thing. Maybe Jody actually didn't care at all- maybe nobody did.

"I hadn't been in care for too long before my mum and my brothers came back for me." I suddenly heard from the top bunk. "I went to live with them and at first it seemed great but… people don't really change… And then he came back once more- only one of my brothers that time and only a little while ago and… Once again I thought he'd changed. And in those works I could have burned to death if it wasn't for Tyler… While Kingsley had just run away not to get in any trouble with the police or anything."

"Oh…" It had slipped out before I could stop it. "Jody I… I don't know what to say." I tried to shut out the pictures of fire and an older brother running away. "I'm so sorry…"

Jody didn't answer at first. And for a while we only laid there, I could hear she hadn't fallen asleep. And I just couldn't get myself to close my eyes and relax.

"There's a great thing about the dumping ground you know…" Jody sounded thoughtful when she said something at last. "I mean- we all come from different histories of different kinds of families. Yet we're kind of made into one and there's always someone who understands something of what you've been through."

Really? Understand? Did someone else here have a parent who tried to kill them multiple times?

I didn't speak out loud what I was thinking. It was not Jody's fault anyhow. No need to take it out on her.

"See you tomorrow. At least I will be trying to sleep now. But, now when our room's finished. Maybe tomorrow we could put some more concentration into what we should do for the choreography on the competition. Because we're going to have to figure that too sooner or later…"

I could hear Jody moving and getting into a more comfortable position, then. Almost right away her breaths started getting slower and deeper as she fell asleep. More carefully and quietly, not to wake her up I turned and tried too. But I just couldn't get myself to relax.

Thoughts were spinning in my head, and once again- like it would each and every time I was left alone and almost relaxed I suddenly remembered that I still hadn't told any adult or anyone at school I would have more surgery in December.

Sometime tomorrow I will have to remember to tell Mike or May- Li.

That thought didn't last for long though. Maybe inside I knew deeply I was just going to forget again. That surgery was just another such normal thing for me I kept on doing that.

And the thought was forgotten all of a sudden. When I suddenly hit me sometime within the nearest couple of days Mike might get an answer from the prison and the social services whether my dad could or could not come and watch us on the competition.

It had been years since I met my dad the last time, and after everything I didn't get why I had ended up wanting him there.

It was just I wanted to show him somehow I had managed to get my own life even though he had done everything to take it from me.

But I didn't get why I would want that. Maybe I should just forget he had ever existed. Maybe that would be the best for him, unlike making sure he got out of where he would be stuck for the next fifteen years.

I was pretty sure what I was thinking could keep anyone awake.

It was just that I was used to them.

And somewhere in them all I fell asleep.

The photo described is the cover photo for this story. It's shot in Lofoten Islands, I don't remember exactly where, but I know we stop and shot it a night we were going to see the midnight sun. And if you haven't been in Lofoten islands, or haven't seen the midnight sun- that's something for the bucket list. It is amazing! I've been to Lofoten loads of times since it's where my mum comes from, but I can just never get enough of it and it's one of my favorite places in the world.

Random fact

I know this is only a filler and actually very boring. But things should start finally moving again from the next chapter. Then I should be able to get the rest of the chapters up quite fast. Not promising anything but there is a chance, and I'm only having trouble with this part right here and then I've got the rest of the story planned out.

I'd say there are three or four chapters left of this story now.

Those who review will get a shoutout.