Chapter 1:

14 April 2017

It had been a difficult year for Pauline Anouk Lenoir. Ten months earlier, there had been an accident. Her parents, Marthe and Emiel, never came home. Pauline remembered them as being so happy in the weeks before that day, as they were preparing for the birth of her little sibling. The little sibling who would never be – dead before ever seeing the light of day.

It had been so hectic afterwards – the funeral, and leaving Belgium for England, where her grandmother Heléne lived. She could barely remember the first weeks afterwards, still in shock, unable to comprehend what had happened.

That situation hadn't lasted long – three months later she was in a care home. Heléne hadn't managed life with a child in the house, unable to even care for herself properly, as she was becoming more and more forgetful and confused.

And again that was temporary – Pauline had been transferred to another care home. To Pauline's dismay, it was too far away from Heléne to visit easily.

So now she was alone – Pauline's parents had had no siblings that could have taken care of her. Her father's parents had died before her birth. Marthe's father Clemens had passed away when Pauline was five.

She was, however, resilient – even at age eight. The library was her escape from reality, each book a new world to discover.

School bored her with its simplicity, even though she was a year ahead, now that she had adjusted to class being taught in English instead of French.

So, after school was out, she hurried back to the care home and up the stairs to the room she shared with Scarlett, an eleven-year-old taken from an unstable home, in anticipation of finishing her book.

Pauline opened the door and tossed her bag onto her bed, but realised quickly that the girl sitting in the room was not Scarlett. It was a girl with dark brown curls who looked about her age.

The girl jumped in surprise. Pauline asked loudly, perhaps a bit harshly in her confusion: "Who are you?"

The girl answered a little angrily: "Hey! You scared me!"

After Pauline had muttered a quick apology, the girl answered: "Hi, I'm Holly Knight", before adding: "You must be Pauline."

"Yeah, that's me. What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to be your new roommate. It seems like Scarlett will be going back to her family tonight. She just went downstairs for something."

"Oh, alright. Nice to meet you, Holly."

"You too. I didn't know you were French."

"I'm not French, I'm Belgian – "

Just then, Scarlett returned, cutting off their little conversation.

They helped her pack and clean up, chatting a little at the same time and getting to know each other a bit. At last, the time came to say goodbye.