The day after Billie's funeral Liam was on his way home from School he stood at the community centre door looking at a halloween Party Poster.
"Hey liam" Alex said walking up to him and tapping him on the shoulder. "Did you get into much trouble for bunking off school the other day"
"Hi Alex, No not really, There is too much going on at our place, for anyone to be bothered about what I get up to, What about you, did you get into trouble"
"I had to put up with Mum telling Allcock that his tie matched his eye colour" Alex said putting her hands to her cheeks "My Mum is worse than a teenager sometimes"
"Are you going to the Party" Liam asked pointing to the Poster.
"Yeah, Mum says I have to go with her and Amy, Ron and Rox are having a party of their own at the R&R and Me and Mum are Babysitting"
"you sound like you don't want to go" Liam asked looking at Alex strangley.
"I don't want to go, a load of kids dressed up as witches and devils screaming over some make believe ghosts" Alex said pulling a face. "I would much rather go to the party at the R&R"
"yeah and be with a load of grown ups dressed up as witches and devils screaming over some make believe ghosts" Liam mocked Alex "The ghosts here arn't make believe Alex, The bloke that used to run this place Murdered a load of people and their ghosts haunt the building, hoping to get their revenge" Liam said waving his fingers.
"Gotcha" Roxy screamed as she crept up behind Alex and grabbed her around the waist from behind, While picking her up and spinning her around, Alex nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Roxy, let go of me" Alex snapped, embarrest that she had freaked out.
"Come on moody, home, Mum is finishing early this afternoon" Roxy said still laughing at Alex's reaction. Roxy and Alex started to walk towards home pushing Amy in her buggy.
"Hey Alex, Their is a ten pound prize for best costume" Liam shouted after Alex, Alex turned around And gave Liam the loser sign with her hand. Liam sighed as he watched her walk away.
As Liam carried on walking home he was thinking about how much Alex's attitude and behavior confused him, Sometimes she was really sweet to him and other the times she was really bratty and horrible to him.
Alex Amy and Roxy arrived back at the flat as they walked into the living area Alex got another shock, Mr Allcock was sat in the arm chair, When he noticed the girls he jumped up,
"Ok Mrs Mitchell, I think we have discussed everything we need to for now" Allcock said shaking Glenda's hand. "See you tomorrow Alexandra" Mr Allcock said leaving the flat.
"What was he doing here Mum" Alex asked staring at her Mother.
"Who Mr Allcock, He was...Well...He just popped by to have a chat about how you are going to catch up with your school work, after you have had so much time off, Darling, Thats all" Glenda said nodding her head, but blushing at the same time.
Alex carried on looking at her Mother, in a disbelieving way.
"Oh yeah Mum, And what did you and the sexy head master decide" Roxy asked laughing.
"Whats she laughing at" Alex said still trying to work her Mother out. Roxy continued to Laugh, "Wonder what the other kids would say if they knew, your mum gets house calls from the head teacher" Roxy said in a teasing voice.
"You had better shut up Roxy" Alex said snapped at her sister and then turned to her Mother and sharpley said "And you had better not be up to anything with Allock"
Glenda was slightley taken back by her twelve year old "Excuse me, young Lady, Who are the adults in this family" she said bending down to her daughters hieght and wagging her finger.
"I sometimes wonder" Alex shouted chucking her school bag across the floor and flopping down on the sofa, Crossing her arms and taking deep breaths.
"Don't you dare Alex" Roxy said all of sudden turning very serious " I have warned you before about behaving like this in front of Amy.
"Oh its alright for you and Mum, to behave how you like" Alex said picking up one of Amy's Dolls and throwing it at Roxy hitting her on the leg.
"Right, if you are going to have a paddy, you can have it alone in your room" Roxy said dragging Alex up off the sofa and man handleing her and pushing her into her bedroom,
"I hate you both" Alex screamed as Roxy shut the door.
Alex shocked at being sent to her room by her elder sister, grabbed the door handle to open the door and come back out of her room, but the door wouldn't budge she realised that Roxy was holding the door shut on the other side.
"Roxy you cow, you had better let me out right now" Alex shouted banging her right fist on the door, then started kicking the door.
Roxy smiled over at Glenda who was watching from the other side of the landing "You are staying in there until you calm down" Roxy said in a calm voice.
"Mum, Mum tell her please, I want to come out" Alex said starting to cry but still banging on the door.
Glenda began to walk towards the door, but Roxy put her finger up to her lips and indecated for her mother to go back into the living room.
Alex sat on the floor with her back to the door and sobbed, Roxy listened to Alex Crying from the other side of the door and after a few minutes she heard Alex get up and move away from the door. Roxy let go of the door and walked back into the living area.
"Shes calming down" Roxy said picking up Amy.
"What if she has damaged her arm" Glenda said looking over at Roxy.
"She hasn't we would have known about it, if she had, And it would have been her own fault if she had, She as more likely damaged the door" Roxy said "She is lucky I didn't go in there and whack her"
"Oh and that would have really have settled her down" Glenda snapped at Roxy "If their is any smacking to do I'll do it"
"Mum she as thrown a tantrum other nothing, she needs sorting out" Roxy said looking seriously at her Mother.
Alex layed across her bed angry at Roxy for making her stay in her room and angry at Glenda for not helping her.
Glenda opened the bedroom door and came over and sat on Alex's bed.
"Go away" Alex said trying to push her mother off of her bed.
Glenda pushed Alex back, lifted Alexandra's skirt and gave her a sharp slap on her bare upper leg.
"Outch Mum" Alex squealed putting her own hand to her leg to try and stop the stinging.
"Right Alexandra, You don't tell me and Roxy What we can and can't do, You don't throw a tanrum, just because things arn't going your way, And you don't throw things around especially not in front of Amy do I make myself clear" Glenda said in a strict voice. "And you don't go around kicking doors,
"But Mum" Alex said starting to cry again still rubbing her leg.
"I am having no Buts, Missy, You go and say sorry to Roxy right now, And you can stop that sniffling, your like a baby you cry over nothing" Glenda said taking hold of Alex's arm and pullking her up off the bed.
"It isn't nothing" Alex said showing her mum the pink mark on her leg that Glenda's slap had left.
"Do you want one on the other leg to match, Stop being such a cry baby" Glenda said pushing Alex out of the room. Glenda had never been a great discipliner not even when Ronnie and Roxy were young but The girls were always afraid of Archie so it didn't matter, She had brought Danny up alone and he had always walked all over Glenda, She had been given a second chance with Alex, She was determined to do things differentley. She didn't even know if smacking was the right way to go with Alex, But she knew she had to turn things around and gain control, if only for Alex's own sake.