The Dumping Ground is saying goodbye today to Lily and her younger twin sisters — Poppy and Rosy. They've been fostered by a lovely couple.
Aria stands in the corridor next to the others, snickering to herself as a sweaty, out of breath Tracy runs through the door.
She hunches over breathing heavily before looking up at everyone. "Travel card empty. Got kicked off the bus. Ran the whole way here," she explained before running up the stairs to check on the girls.
"Well that was a sight," Liam snickers, standing up from the piano seat he was sharing with Aria. He sticks out his hand for Aria to grab, helping her stand up.
They both head into the living room to wait for the sisters.
The group stand outside the house, watching Carmen say goodbye to her best friend. Aria clutches Liam's hand, slowly taking Franks as well as a tear slips down her cheek.
Saying goodbye to people you have lived with for so long is always hard no matter if you aren't that close to them. It's even worse having to see their best friend break down while everyone else gets on with their lives like it didn't affect them.
When it was Aria's first time saying goodbye to Liam it was like her whole world shattered around her for the second time. (The first was when she was taken away). But luckily she had Frank by her side who was also missing him. It also helped that they both go to the same Secondary school.
However, by the second, third and now fourth time of saying goodbye to Liam, she doesn't worry as much knowing he will always come back.
The car in front of her pulling away brings her back to real time, the other children running with the moving car, waving goodbye. Aria stays back with the adults and Carmen, her arm sling over the younger girls shoulders for comfort.
"It'll be okay," Aria whispers, kissing Carmens hair line. The younger girl sighs, pulling her friend into a much needed hug.
**
"So what's new at home?" Chris asks, gulping down some Pepsi, staring at Aria intensity.
The two are sat at a random bench in town sharing a box of chips from the local fish and chip shop. Liam was with them but he wandered off somewhere, probably to go scam some person for chips instead of paying for them himself.
Aria shrugs, "The usual— oh Lily and her sisters got fostered today." She says drinking her own coke.
"The two little girls who are always quiet and never really talk?" The slightly older boy asks wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Mhm they're the ones."
The two talk for a little while more about anything and everything until Liam comes walking over.
"Time to go, Gina's here," He tells Aria grabbing her drink and taking the last gulp of it. "Frank's with her. Just came back from his Grandads."
"That was my drink," Aria says frowning.
"I know that's why I drank it."
"That was probably all my slober. You just drank my saliva!" Aria teases him.
Chris' eyes dart back and forth between them like a tennis match, grinning as he watches them with interest. "It's like watching an old married couple."
The two arguing teens look at him at the same time. "Shut up," they both say with a slight smirk from talking in sync.
"Well I have to go, say Hi to Gina from me!" Chris says, quickly hugging Aria and dabbing Liam up like lads do.
Once they're back home, Liam, Frank, Aria, Mike and Gina crowd round Frank's Grandads watch in the main entrance.
"Tracy come here and have a look at this before you go," Mike calls Tracy over who was about to leave. "How bout that?"
"Wow."
"Franks Grandad gave it to him." Mike informs her.
"It was his great-great-great granddads." Gina also says.
"See that's where you're wrong Gina," Aria shakes her head like she caught the older women out.
"It was his great-great-great-great Grandfathers," Liam finishes for her causing everyone else to laugh.
Aria picks it up, swinging it in the air. "Alright you're going to hypnotise me." Gina laughs, putting the younger girls arm down with a laugh.
The next morning Aria is in the middle of the crowd of children, all yelling at Mike and Gina from the bottom of the stairs. Through the night someone — Carmen — had gone into al their rooms and took something precious from them.
For Aria it's a memory book with photos and other things stuck inside to remind her of important moments in her life.
"QUIET!" Gina's loud yell silenced everyone including Mike. She gathers herself up before continuing to speak. "I will explain everything without any interruptions." She tells Tracy. "All the children have had something stolen from them — including Franks pocket watch. And now Carmen has gone barricaded herself in her room and she won't talk to anybody."
Tracy tries to get past the crowd, squeezing between Mike and Gina not listening to what they're trying to tell her.
Gina sighs and turns back to the upset children. "Go on — go wait in the living room. We'll deal with this, yeah?" No one moves. "Look I said we will deal with it!"
"Okay, okay, okay," Liam says putting his hands up and turning to the others who are lower down to him. "We'll let the 'adults' deal with it," he winks at the lot to secretly tell them he has an idea. The children agree, knowing he has something planned.
Together, they sneak out of the living room and into the kitchen, filling up water balloons and putting them into a brown paper bag.
"Then what?" Sapphire asks curiously.
"I'll ... just tell her I want to talk." Liam says imagining his plan. "She'll let me in. I'll get in. Throw the water bombs, grab our stuff then leave."
"And if she doesn't open the window?"
"Well.. i'll just smash it."
"Yeah right," Aria snorts in disbelief.
The children sneak outside into the garden with bags full of water balloons. They grab a ladder, putting it against Carmens bedroom window unfortunately alerting Gina and Mike.
"Right," Liam says making sure the ladder is safe. "Give me the bags."
"It's not going to work," Aria calls up at him, standing away from the others who are crowded around the steps. "You're so gonna get busted!" She laughs, shaking her head.
"Hey!" Gina yells, passing by Aria with her arms spread wide. "What are you lot doing?"
The children, including Aria, quickly spring up some lies not wanting them to spot Liam. Unfortunately, that doesn't work.
"Get down from there Liam!"
Suddenly, one of the bags Liam is holding rips open at the bottom causing some water balloons to fall out and splash those below him.
Gina, trying to get Liam down. Sadly stands right under the other bag that also rips. It's like time slows down as the balloons fall onto her silencing the whole house from shock.
"Right... house meeting in the kitchen NOW!"
///
The children sit around the kitchen getting a lecture from Mike and Gina. Their soaking shoes and socks hung up in the laundry room.
"Your behaviour was totally out of oder. And dangerous!" Mike says pointing a finger at Liam at the last part.
Said boy turns around so his back is facing the adults, mimicking Mike causing Aria to laugh a little. But covers it up with a cough when Mike turns to glare at her.
"Am I making myself clear?" The last bit of Gina gets ignored as Tracy walks into the room with a box full of their stolen things.
"Jeff!" Harry cries, hugging his Giraffe close to his chest. The rest of the children charge towards the table, each one taking their own precious item out the box.
Liam grabs both his and Aria's before they both walk out the room into the living room.
"She better get punished for this," Sapphire says typing away on her phone.
"But your phones okay innit?" Liam says, laying on top of the pool table.
"Yeah but what if it wasn't?"
"Yeah but it is!"
"Are you on her side now?"
"Frank your watch is okay Innit? Ari, none of your photos have gone missing? Listen. Well all got our stuff back. In good nick didn't we?"
"Well that's not the point." Sapphire tries to explain to him. "She stole our most precious things."
Johnny, who is actually thinking straight, speaks up. "Maybe that is the point."
Tee, who also realises what her brother is going on about continues, "Carmens not going to get her precious things back."
"Lily and her sisters."
"That's it!" Guss exclaims standing up. "She was trying to find a less direct way of telling us something."
"And we weren't listening."
They sit there for a while realising what happened. Aria sighs, walking over to the table and dishing out some playing cards, the others following. Guss soon joins them again, sending a nod to in form them that the message has gone to Carmen.
"I haven't done too good this time." Johnny sighs.
"Me neither."
"I gave up a while ago," Aria sighs.
"Is it really hot in here?" Liam exclaims waving his cards. "Cos the champ has arrived!"
"Nah it's cause i'm here," Aria dramatically claims.
Carmen slowly makes her way over to the table, sitting in a seat Guss just pulled over. "I'm sorry."
"Anyway—" Liam says after a few seconds. "Got a new player."
The children carry on playing like nothing happened.
Aria reaches a hand out to grasp Carmens. Giving it a gentle squeeze.