The next few weeks were quite eventful. Stephanie had managed to find a nice, spacious apartment in the central city - right in the middle of the distance between the school and the theatre - and had also found a convenient job vacancy at the Perkins Home For The Infirm. She and Porsha had also begun to gradually integrate themselves into the local community, and Stephanie had found herself getting along particularly well with the gorilla mother they'd befriended on the first day.

"Grandma...?!"

Mary stopped in her tracks and propped herself up against a streetlight as she burst out laughing, trying not to drop the two cups of coffee she and Stephanie had just bought.

"Bloody hell... first she thinks I'm Florence Fletcher, and then she thinks Nana Noodleman's her grandmother! Next thing you know, she'll be saying Clay Calloway's her godfather!" She added, making Stephanie laugh too. "I'll tell you this much, dear, your Porsha's got a wonderful little imagination."

"Yeah... she's one special kid." Stephanie chortled back, giving the gorilla a moment to get back up before they continued walking down the street together. "But uh... b-but kids don't like... need grandparents, right? I mean, obviously they need 'em, but y'know, they don't need 'em, like... around...?"

"Well, it... I suppose it depends, really..." Mary shrugged, though Stephanie couldn't help getting the impression that the gorilla was thinking some rather uncomfortable thoughts. "Johnny's got Bruce and Diedre on his Dad's side, but um... but we don't talk to my Dad."

"Oh...?" Stephanie clicked her tongue, hesitating whether or not to question this further. "But what, um... w-what about your Mom...?"

"My... m-my Mum...?"

This question made Mary freeze up on the spot, and she stared off into space for a good few seconds. Stephanie tried to study the gorilla's face during this brief silence, trying to get a sense of what was going on inside her head, before Mary finally snapped out of it and cleared her throat.

"Well, that... that's one of many reasons why we don't talk to my Dad..." Mary took on what sounded like a more hurt, and perhaps even bitter, tone as she said this. "And... and that's all I want to say about that."

"Oh... oh yeah, sure... sure..." Stephanie winced a little, barely feeling able to look the other woman in the eye as they continued walking quietly. "Look, I... I really didn't mean to prod, Mary, I never woulda -"

"No no, Steph, it's fine! Yeah, it uh... that was years ago, so..." Mary forced a smile, trying her best to look and sound casual again, though it didn't do much to salvage the awkward moment. So they remained mutually silent for most of the walk after that point, but Mary finally lit up again when they reached their destination. "Oh hey, we're here!"

"Ah, great! Come on!"

Stephanie was unusually giddy as she grabbed Mary's forearm, pulling the gorilla across the street so they were standing right in front of the Prairie Theatre. As Stephanie had previously observed, most of its windows were cracked and shattered, the few that weren't were boarded up like the doors, and the walls were all covered in messy but still surprisingly artistic neon green graffiti. But other than that, it was actually in fairly good condition, and its name was still emblazoned above the door in big, weathered letters.

"Hmm... Pray-rye the Tree..." Mary snickered to herself, while Stephanie tilted her head curiously. "Oh, it's uh... that's what Johnny called it first time I showed it him. He was only six then, so... not much of a reader."

"Aw..." Stephanie clicked her tongue, then looked back up at the sign. "Hmm... God... really is amazing seein' the old girl again."

"Yeah..." Mary held a hand over her heart, letting out a small, happy sigh. Though this quickly faltered when the wolf beside her suddenly knelt down and opened the bag she'd been carrying. "Uh... Steph, what are you doing?"

"What?" Stephanie stood back up again, having fished out a long, but fairly lightweight, iron crowbar. "Ya can't expect me to buy the place before I get the full tour..."

"Um... I don't actually think you're allowed to do that... ooh!" Mary winced a bit as Stephanie began yanking off some of the wooden boards, catching them as the wolf threw them in her direction. The gorilla straightened her glasses with her free hand, quickly glancing around to make sure they weren't being watched. "But... b-but what about the owners?"

"Pah! What owners...? Mary, this place was ditched years ago, no one's gonna care!" Stephanie chuckled, letting out a final forceful grunt as she pulled down the last few planks. "Alright, that oughta do it..."

Due to the fallen beams, rubble and other obstructions that had piled up behind the door, it took a bit more of struggle to finally open it, and they both had to step back to avoid the thick cloud of dust and smoke that came belching out of the long-neglected lobby. Stephanie switched on her phone's flashlight as she walked into the dimly lit interior, making sure to avoid treading on the broken glass and other sharp objects that were littered all over the floor, and after some hesitation, Mary followed cautiously behind her.

"Steph, I'm not even kidding. We could both get arrested for -"

"Oh-ho, would ya look at that!" Stephanie's voice echoed out as she ran into the auditorium, joyously spinning in the impromptu spotlight of the massive hole in the ceiling. "Doesn't it just make you wanna cry...?!"

"Uh-huh... yeah, for more reasons than one..." Mary held a hand to her face, trying to block out the musty smell of abandoment that met with the scent of old popcorn and stale fabric seats. "Still looks to be in good nick, though..."

"Oh yeah, it needs a little spit and polish here and there, but on the whole she looks great!" Stephanie headed over to the front row of the empty audience, pulling herself up onto the old and very creaky wooden stage. "God, would ya look at that view..."

Mary followed suit, carefully making her way to sit beside Stephanie on the edge of the stage. They sat here for the better part of a minute, neither saying a word as they gazed up at the sun shining down on them through the roof, and the oddly graceful way that the millions of dust specs danced and glowed in its rays.

"So, um... so what about your parents, Steph...?" Mary finally broke the silence, taking the wolf slightly off-guard as she turned to face her. "I mean, y'know... if you don't me prodding."

"Parents? Oh God, ya... ya mean my parents...?" Stephanie's eyes widened a little more when Mary nodded, and she stammered for a few seconds as she drummed her fingers on the wooden floor. "Um... well, that... it's gonna sound kinda crazy, but uh... I never met 'em."

"Never met them...?"

"I mean, I guess I technically did cause they had me, obviously, but uh... but no, they didn't raise me..." Stephanie shut her eyes and bit down hard on her bottom lip, trying to prevent some bittersweet - but mostly bitter - memories from resurfacing. "Cause the thing is, I uh... I was a foster kid."

"Oh... well, that... that's surprising... I mean, not in a bad way, I just... I um... well, I..." Mary stuttered, before clearing her throat again. "W-what was it like, then? The whole foster care thing. Y'know, did you ever, um...?"

"Get a family? Yeah, I kinda bounced around a few..." Stephanie sighed. "Longest family I stayed with was probably the first one. The McBrides."

"Oh yeah?" Mary said, now even more intrigued. "So how old were you...?"

"Eh, about nine, ten, I dunno. But yeah, I was there about a year or so... was pretty good startin' out, actually." Stephanie answered. "They already had a couple kids, and they were both great, and... and the Mom was just wonderful, but uh... well, I... I kinda started actin' out."

"Acting out?"

"Yeah, y'know... basically, it was Fourth of July, and I stuck a firecracker down the Dad's pants. He... and if ya asked me, he totally deserved it, but... but it was still real funny at the time!" Stephanie pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a hoarse, rather bitter-sounding laugh, though she seemed more regretful as she hunched forward. "But obviously then, they uh... they put me back in the system after that, so most other families wouldn't go near me. Anybody who did, well... I'd just act out again, and... and then it all circled back to square one, y'know...?"

"Oh..." Mary pursed her lips, looking away from a moment as she removed her glasses and wiped her face. "Hmm... and I thought I had it rough."

"Nah, it was fine..." Stephanie smirked, crossing her legs while she let her tail drape over the edge. "I mean, yeah, it was a rough couple years, don't get me wrong. But then I came over to this place, joined Nana's troupe, and well... this kinda became home for a while. Y'know, singin' and dancin' and stuff, and... all the old gang, like Caleb, and Jane, and Gerald, and... and Florence... hmm... closest thing to family I've ever had, really..."

"Yeah, it sounds great." Mary sighed, taking a more forlorn look around the big, empty theatre they were standing in. "When I was little, I'd have given anything to be up on this stage... singing my heart like you lot used to do. Hmm... wasn't meant to be, I suppose."

"Says who...?" Stephanie chuckled, gently nudging the gorilla's shoulder. "Hey, first thing I'm gonna do when I buy this place, I'm gonna make you my opening act. How's that sound, huh...?"

"Ha ha, very funny..."

"No no no, it's not a joke, Mary, I'm serious!" Stephanie laughed, but she still sounded completely sincere as she held her friend's hand. "Come on, it... I don't believe it's ever too late for ya to chase your dreams."

It was clear by the look on Mary's face that she was rather touched by this, but after a moment of what seemed to be consideration, she let out a small sigh and looked away again.

"No, it... it's alright, Stephanie. It's nice of you to say that, it is really is, but... but my time's gone..." She said, not noticing the wolf beside her completely freeze up when she said this. "Though I think if you do find yourself looking for something with a future in showbiz, my Johnny'll be the first one in -"

"TIME...?!" Stephanie suddenly shot up off the stage, lifting up her sleeve to check her watch as her eyes bulged wide. "Oh crap, it's ten thirty!"

"Ten thirty?! Doesn't your shift at Perkins start at eleven?!"

"Yeah, it does, I just... ugh, dammit!" Stephanie scrambled to pick up her back, putting her phone and crowbar back into it, then immediately bolted off towards the front door. "Oh yeah... crap, I uh... I'll see ya at the school later, Mary! Usual spot, okay!"

"Oh, uh... y-yeah, okay... take care, dear..." Mary gave a small little wave as the wolf took off, before glancing around at the big, empty husk of a building she was now sitting completely alone in. "So... do I, like, lock up or something...?"

"She shoots, she scores! WHOO-HOO!" Porsha yelled out dramatically after the ball flew into the net. Admittedly, she had initially been fairly nervous at the thought of playing soccer, but she soon found herself quite adept at it.

The class had been split into pairs to practice scoring and defending goals and Porsha, naturally, went with Meena. But while the young wolf had effortlessly gotten the ball in the net seven times in a row, she wasn't entirely certain whether it was her own talent or her partner's reluctance to even try to catch it.

But then the teacher blew her whistle, signalling the pairs to swap places. So Porsha quickly ran over to stand in the small, plastic goal net while Meena awkwardly shuffled over to the marked white area on the grass.

For the better part of a minute, the elephant quietly fidgeted with her trunk as she looked down at her feet, studying the ball that was only a few inches away. Porsha knew all too well that her friend was shy and nervous about pretty much everything she ever did, and while she was normally perfectly happy with that, the four-and-a-half-year-old couldn't help rolling her eyes impatiently.

"Ugh... come on, Meena..." She whined, though still sounding fairly playful. "All ya gotta do is kick it!"

"Um... uh, y-yeah, okay..." Meena gulped. She hesitating for a moment before giving the ball a small, dispassionate nudge with her massive foot, which only sent it quietly rolling a few inches away from herself. "Sorry..."

Despite Porsha's advice and encouragement, Meena's next four attempts weren't much better. While she'd at least gotten it closer to the goal each time, the elephant's kicks were still too weak and uncoordinated to actually make an impact, and Porsha found herself having to leave the net just to pick it up and send it rolling back to her partner.

"Meena!" Porsha groaned, no longer trying to hide her annoyance. "You're not even trying!"

"Well... well, I am, it's just.." Meena sniffled a bit, wringing her hands together. "It's just hard."

"Well then, ya gotta try harder! Like this..." Porsha demonstrated by doing a short run, then swung her foot forward to kick a small patch of grass flying into the air. "See? Don't even think about it, ya just gotta run up and kick it over!"

"Um... y-yeah, okay..." Meena placed the ball back on its white marked area, then stepped a few paces back. The elephant eyed the ball, then the net she was meant to kick it to, and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay... here goes..."

And finally, she ran up and kicked!

The teacher and all the other children turned at the sound of the resounding THUD! as Meena's foot connected with the ball. They all watched with awe as it flew off the ground and sailed through the air, gaining even more speed as it closed in on its target. Meena's heart raced with a mix of fear and exhilaration, and what was actually less than a second almost felt like an eternity as she held her breath, watching the ball spiralling right towards the goalkeeper.

But then, rather than the soft ripple of hitting the fabric net, the ball instead made contact with the sound of a loud, sickening CRUNCH! which was then followed by a pained, piercing shriek that echoed throughout the entire field.

"AAAAAAOOOOOOWWWWWW!"

"Okay... okay, here goes..." Stephanie took a deep breath, keeping her tail tucked between her legs as she padded through the halls of the home.

She had perhaps been expecting something more rustic or old-fashioned, but she'd been pleasantly surprised by the contemporary but still welcoming décor of the home's interior, with it's cool white walls, navy blue carpets and various amateur pieces of art displayed all over them. The residents she'd already met also seemed quite happy and friendly, though the client she'd actually been assigned to apparently had a reputation of keeping to herself.

Stephanie was snapped out of her thoughts as she finally reached the door at the end of the hallway. She straightened down the stylish but still modest shirt and skirt she was wearing, while straightening herself up to project an air of confidence, then finally turned the handle and gently pried the door open.

The room was simple enough, and very clean, though it was cast in a rather dull semi-darkness with the blinds on the large window being half-closed. There was a flat-screen television in the corner, and the wooden closet and chest of drawers were slightly aged but still in good condition.

"Hello...?" A soft but slightly gruff voice spoke up, prompting Stephanie to turn to the figure sat on the bed a few feet away. "Who's that...?"

The koala was somewhere in her sixties, but was clad in a rather stylish black turtleneck and white jeans, while her thin-framed, circular glasses magnified her bright blue eyes. Though sounding rather suspicious at the wolf standing in her doorway, she looked peaceful enough as she put down the book she was reading and carefully clambered off the bed to get a better look at her visitor.

"Oh... who are you...?" She asked, straightening her glasses as she squinted a bit.

"Hmm? Oh, uh... yeah, it's um... Bernadette?" Stephanie said, before letting out a scoff. "Sorry, no, it's... I'm not saying I'm Bernadette, I just... y-you're Bernadette, right...?"

"Well, it's Bernie, but... but yeah..." The koala answered, itching under her chin before repeating her question. "So who are you?"

"Oh right, yeah!" Stephanie cleared her throat then reached a hand forward for the koala. "I'm Stephanie, I'm gonna be your new carer."

"Ah...?" Bernie gently shook the wolf's hand, then turned back towards her bed. "What happened to the last one? Uh... w-what was her name again...? G-Grainy, or something?"

"Oh, you mean Gráinne?" Stephanie hesitated for a moment as Bernie tried to climb up onto the bed, then gently held the koala's waist to help her up. "Yeah, she doesn't work here anymore..."

"She doesn't...?" Bernie raised an eyebrow. "She wasn't stealing anything, was she? Cause one of the fellas down the hall there was complaining about his carer taking stuff."

"Oh no no, she didn't do anything like that..." Stephanie chuckled. "Yeah, she just went to college. Y'know, they uh... they said she was saving up during the summer, so..."

"Ah, good... yeah, good for her... really wish my boy had that kinda sense when he was that age..." Bernie let out a small scoff, then turned to the younger woman who was now sat on the corner of the bed. "What about you? Did you ever go to college...?"

"College? No no, I uh..." Stephanie wasn't sure if it was appropriate discussing the last few years with someone who was still a stranger, but after some hesitation she figured it would be a good icebreaker for her client. "I actually moved to Redshore when I was around that age. Y'know, I uh... I was wanting to be a singer."

"Singer? Aw, geez..." Bernie pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well, since you're here now, I take it that didn't work out, then?"

"I guess not..." Stephanie chortled, though she had to try her best not to relive some of her most recent traumatic moments. "Yeah, it uh... it wasn't all it was cracked up to me. Me and my daughter, we... well, we barely made it out alive..."

"Really? Well, I'm real sorry to hear that..." Bernie looked down. "Y'know, my son's always dreamed of going up in the big leagues like that, but... but I always tell him, it... it's a real dangerous way of life under all that glamour and stuff..."

"Hmm... yeah..." Stephanie stared off into space for a moment. "Yeah, it really is..."

"Stephanie!" They both jolted up as one of the other carers, a young white rabbit, opened the door and ran in. "Honey, we... w-we just got a call from Calatonia Infirmary, it's about your daughter!"

"WHAT...?!"