Florence and Sian rushed into A&E while Lorraine parked her car. "Hello, can I help you?" the receptionist asked.
"I'm asking after Harper and Ethan Jones. They came by ambulance from a fire at Waterloo Road?"
"Are you immediate family?"
"I'm their sister."
"Okay. I can't tell you anything now, but they're being treated. Please wait here and I'll try to get some more information for you."
Sian and Florence took a seat in the waiting area when Lorraine joined them. "How are they?" she asked.
"They can't say," Sian answered.
"Oh. Michael just rang, the school fire has been put out without much damage. It was most likely started by the pupils who were smoking behind the curtains at lunch. The firemen said that Harper and Ethan were alive when they were put in the ambulance, and they hope they get better soon."
"Speaking of Harper and Ethan, we need to call your parents," Sian said.
"No! Please don't! That's the reason they're hurt. I took them away to stop dad from hurting them, but they got hurt by me instead."
"It wasn't your fault," Sian said as she wrapped her arms around Florence. "Why were they going to get hurt?"
"Dad. He hits them, does stuff to us all. I needed to get them out, Miss. I'm not letting them go through what I went through. The only way out was to run away. Run away to a safe place. I thought Waterloo Road was a safe place to stay."
"It's okay, Florence, it's okay. You're not going back to that family. We'll find somewhere truly safe for you to stay," Sian explained.
"Yeah, and for tonight, you can stay with me," Lorraine offered.
"Thanks, Miss," she said as Lorraine gave her a hug.
"Are you Florence Jones?" asked a nurse in a pale purple uniform.
"Yes?" Florence answered.
"I'm Ruby and I've got some news on Harper and Ethan. Can you come with me? Your Mum can come too," Ruby said, indicating to Lorraine.
"She's not my mum," Florence said defensively, "but she's coming!"