I get to reception and they are already there before I walk up, they are grabbing some visitor passes. I wait for a few minutes until they have their issued passes. They drop their shoulder bags and we give each other the tightest hug ever. I let a tear slip. They both notice, pick up their bags and Becca says “come on let’s go to your room, which way?”

I wipe my tear and say “room 12, just down there past the screaming girl.

“oh cool let’s go then.” Becca says trying not to sound freaked out.

They put their shoulder bags on the outside and sandwich me in the middle, arms linked as we walk. As we pass the isolation unit with the girl screaming “I am not crazy! LET ME OUT!”  They get a freaked out but we carry on walking. We get to my room and I have unlock arms to open my door and we all pile in and they dump their bags and we fall into a hug on my bed.

As we get up, we laugh and they see another tear has slipped my eyes.

Isabella says “come on spill the beans.” Which is our way of reminding each other know you are safe, and you can tell us anything.

“it’s just this place. I mean you saw outside, the nurses everywhere, someone screaming in isolation unit for hours, people in the living room spaced out and who are actually crazy. I don’t belong here. I have to have school in a room with other crazy people every morning and then eat food in a canteen and have no privacy! I have to take showers in a public shower room and if I need to shave I have a nurse watch me. Even in here a nurse comes in every 15 minutes for checks, and look…” I walk over to the window and point to the bars “there is bars on the window it’s literally a prison!!! I have to take multiple medications every day, even though I don’t need them because I am not crazy! I am missing school, yes I even miss maths and science! Worse of all this is probably making my mum and dad argue even more and I can’t be home for Aaron and Alice to help them get through the arguments. Saying goodbye at the school gates this morning broke my heart. They were both so upset that I had to leave Aaron especially he was hysterical. I don’t know how they will cope with me in here and I can’t mange being away from them like this.” At this point the tears just flooded and I couldn’t stop. I started to heavy breathe shake as well. Isabella and Rebecca knew exactly what to do, they sat me down on the bed and hugged me as tight as they could until my breathing calmed down. The tears slowed.

Rebecca wipes my tears with her embroidered handkerchief she carries everywhere. Her mum made it for her years ago.  “better? Look I know this must all be so scary and there is a lot to get your head around and the no privacy thing is a bummer but it’s only temporary and you are not alone in this. We agree you don’t need to be here but it’s your parent’s decision so we have to accept that plus I am not sure we could mange the great escape again. You are not alone in this okay me and Isabella will be with you every step of the way and before you know it you will be out of here.

“that’s right and as for Alice and Aaron we will keep an eye on them we will check in with them every day, and they know they can talk to us if they need to.”

“and I will get Mandy to keep an eye out for Aaron since they are in the same class. And remember you will not be on your own, we will be with you every step of the way and we will here so much they will have to admit us too!!”

“thank you that definitely helps, I know I can always count on you too.” That brightens me up. “So tell me about your day, how did the science project go?”

“We got an A, and don’t worry I checked with Mr Chalk and he allowed you to have an A too, since you helped with this on Monday.”

“Brilliant! What about the rest of the day, you had french and history and sports right?”

“yeah, french was fine, we did plural verbs, Madam Adele gave you some extra credit work so you can keep up with school and keep your grades up. History was okay, we did about Nazi Germany, and you have an essay to do for that. We also picked up a bunch of your school books from your locker, and we got given your maths homework and your English essay back you got an A on this assignment.”

“thanks you too are so helpful,” I said with a sarcastic tone looking at all the homework and books in front of me.

“don’t worry we will help you with it, you want to start with maths from the other day?”

“not really, but yeah lets do maths.” I went to grab my laptop of my desk, and the other supplies I need like pens and a calculator. Isabella and Rebecca grab their laptops out too, and we set a little work station on my bed. Even though we all have the same laptop we all have personalised them, I have youtube and harry potter stickers and Becca has a family photo, of her mum, dad and her and Mandy, that was taken just before the accident, along with pictures of me and Izzy and her even from when we were really young, and Izzy has flowers and clothes all collaged onto hers.  All very different but we all blend.

“so it’s algebra, page 394, we studied this in class and I finished my homework for this in class it’s very simple let me show you.” Rebecca stated she is such a genius with science and maths that she finishes homework in class along with class work and then teachers have to give her extra work.

“okay what do I do?”

For the next 45 minutes she helps me and Isabella complete our maths homework. She must get tired of me and Isabella asking her to slow down and repeat things because we don’t understand maths and science as easy as her. We move on to French since that’s something we are all equally bad at. Once French is completed we move on to history assignment and they catch up from what I missed in class and help me plan my assignment out which I will write up in full over the weekend.  During homework the nurse must have come in for ‘checks’ half a dozen times but because she saw I had company and was doing homework she stayed quiet and just popped her head around the door, checked something on her clipboard and moved on.

“Right homework done, my brain hurts can we do something fun now?”

“of course! How about you show her the designs you sketched for the winter formal Izzy?”

Izzy grabs her bag and finds her sketchbook. She flicks through all her designs and finds the ones for winter formal.  “Right so they are all very similar styles but all slightly different based on our personality. They are all in a light lavender and all knee length but very different. Rebecca this one is yours, you have a short sleeved, open shoulder and v neck look, with some glitter around the arm straps and around the chest and some glitter around the hem of the skirt part. You have a puffy hem with a few layers underneath we all have this on ours. I thought for shoes you could have wedges, and a simple shoulder bag that I can make with the same fabric. Mine is very similar but no glitter, instead I have flowers embroidered around the hem, my knee length is different as it’s slightly longer and has a small back trail and my neck line is different I have short sleeved and it covers my chest and shoulders. For shoes for me I am doing ballet flats and a clutch bag. I saved the best one for last, this is yours Anna. You have a collar and long sleeves, skater dress style with a small amount of puff underneath. You have a simple belt around your waist and you have a pattern on your hem. For a bag you can have a shoulder bag with glitter and shoes I thought you would like light lavender converse since you hate girly shoes.”

She looks at the shocked faces and says “so what do you guys think? They’re just rough sketches and if you don’t like anything I can change it.”

“Izzy I love it! You know our styles so well and it’s so creative! I love the fact we have the same fabric and simple adjustments to make them individual. I love my idea for converse and the collar and long sleeves and the pattern on the hem. Izzy your crazy talented!!!!” I give her a hug and I see her checks turn red as I tell her how talented she is.

“Anna is right Izzy, you have got our styles perfect and I love it so much!!”

“these are amazing, Izzy you must of spent all night working on these,” Becca chimes in.

“pretty much,” she yawns showing how tried I know she is, “but it was worth it, I am planning to escape some more from my crazy family this weekend and work on some samples, my mum planned a (she uses air quotes) “family bonding weekend” what ever that is meant to mean but I am not doing it so I will be working on some samples locked away in my room with my sewing kit.”

“well come here if you want to escape your family, I can help you with samples…’ she looks at me and we laugh both knowing I cannot help with samples as I cannot sew. “okay so I cannot sew but I can draw you while you sew and keep you company?”

“sounds good, what about you Becca, you joining us?”

“I would love to but I can’t, I actually have important plans this weekend with Mandy.” She says with a super big grin on her face as if she is hiding some new from us.

“Oh cool,” I spot the big smile on her face and I know she is dying to tell us something. “come on spill the beans, what’s the big grin for?”

“okay so this weekend is kind big and I have some big news which I found out this morning but didn’t want to say as I know your dealing with all this and I don’t want to take needed attention away from you…”

“Becca stop there, I know I have had a lot to deal with this week and yes I need extra attention and support but that doesn’t mean you have to hide anything from me, good or bad. You and Izzy should be able to tell me anything like normal and don’t hide it, especially if its good. To be honest some good news would be a great distraction. Okay?”

“Okay, so you know how my dad has been based in Fire house 43 in London, well he got a promotion to be a captain a few weeks ago, and as part of the promotion he gets to pick the firehouse. He was going to stay where he is as he loves the crew and they are like another family. But he wants to be around for me and Mandy now especially after mum passing away. Long story short he chose firehouse 78 which is the one just down the road, so as of Monday he is moving back home permanently and just working there for 4 days a week and two 24 hour shifts but we can visit him at the firehouse whenever we want.  He sold his apartment over there, just has a few things to clear up but yes he will be home Monday forever. So this weekend me and Mandy and Jamie were going to clean the house top to bottom and then bake brownies and pizza for him, and make welcome home signs. So that was our big weekend plan. He kept this secret a long time and only told me this morning on break. Mandy doesn’t know yet so I got Jamie to take her out for pizza later and I am going to set a surprise treasure hunt of clues around the house and then she will find the final gift of dad on video chat who will tell her the news.”

“oh Becca I am so happy for you. Its amazing that your dad is finally going to living at home and be working just around the corner. So even when he is working you can stop in for dinner and stuff.”

“I know I am just too excited!!!!!!”

“I am excited for you, but what will Jamie still work for you?”

“yes since dad does two night shifts a week and his day shifts are really long like 6am-7pm Jamie will still do the taking Mandy to school, picking her up, staying over when dad is away and helping him out as he is probably very out of practice of looking after us both full time.

“oh brilliant news, Jamie is amazing and so good with Mandy. Do you want some help writing the clues?”

“No thanks I am going to write them as I place them around the house. In fact I probably should be getting off looking at the time, Mandy will be leaving school now and I need to plant the clues and get dad on video chat. I am sorry I will be back at some point tomorrow I hope.”

“Don’t worry about me, Izzy is here to look after me this weekend, and I am not going anywhere clearly.” We laugh as I point to the windows with bars. “you go enjoy your weekend and set up for your dad coming home and the surprise. I want a video of Mandy finding out and plenty of pictures and updates of this weekend though?”

“Of course! I will video chat you as its happening so you can see and you will have so many pictures!!! Love you both so much!” she says as she pulls us both in for a tight hug, blows kisses from the door and runs off.

“just us now, what do you wanna do?”

“watch a harry potter movie?”

“I was hoping you were going to say that!” We laugh as I know she hates harry potter but she wants to because she knows it will make me feel better which I appreciate.

I start tidying some of my school books and put them in two piles on my desk ‘done and to be done’ and then grab my laptop and load my video player up and start with half-blood prince as that is my favourite. I check my phone as we set the movie up and my mum text to say she is going to collect Aaron and Alice and will be here in half an hour. I let Izzy know and she says that’s okay as she has to get back to help cook dinner for her sisters anyway.

We watch the movie and chat until my mum arrives with my brother, sister and even my dad which surprises me.

My brother and sister run into the room and jump on me squishing me on the bed. I sit up, close my laptop putting it on my bedside table and give Aaron and Alice a proper hug.

Izzy checks the time, “oh is that the time, I should be getting back I have to help cook dinner tonight, I gotta go or I will be late, I will be back tomorrow okay.” She gave me a tight hug and I reassured her I would be okay and thanked her.

“Let me give you a lift home Izzy, it’s very cold out there and I need to chat to the doctor on the way back anyway.”

“Thank you, Mrs Wilson, as long as it’s not too much trouble.”

“of course not, come on your mum would kill me if I made you late for dinner.” She grabs her stuff and heads out the door with my mum.

—TO BE CONTINUED—