Tracy stood, awestruck.
"Th....the.....the new girl," She pointed, confused, in the direction of the stairs. "She was at the top of the stairs and she said that she was a new girl here. I just thought...."
"Well, there's no newcomer at all." Gina pointed out, scrolling down a list of inmates on the computer.
"Maybe you're just seeing things, Trace'." Mike suggested. Tracy shook her head.
"No, I'm not. I shouted out that I was here, more than once and she replied. She was as clear as nose on the end of my face. I definitely saw her." She was SURE there was someone there. Confused, she walked out of the office to worried glances from Mike and Gina. Tee and her brother Johnny were trotting down the stairs.
"Hey, guys. Hey, have you seen any newcomers today?" Tracy asked, her eyebrow rising. Johnny shook his head.
"Nope, we've seen no one have we, Tee?"
Tee shook her head. "No one." She replied. Tracy smiled and shrugged.
"Okay, thanks guys."
Tee and Johnny ran off towards the lounge. Tracy decided to see what the others had seen and began to walk up the stairs. Just then, she looked up. There was the girl again.
"Hi Tracy." She said. Tracy stood speechless.
"......Erm....Oh, uh......Hi. Could I just ask, what's your name?" She was beginning to get even more confused. No sign of any newcomers, no one heard her come in, now she's seeing ghostly people??
"Sam. Short for Samantha. I don't like Samantha so Mummy tells everyone to call me Sam." Sam explained, curtly. Slowly, with her eyebrows furrowed, Tracy nodded.
"Riiight........when did you arrive?" She wondered. Sam looked at her watch.
"7am this morning. Mummy's ill in hospital. So they sent me HERE...." She glanced around, a disgusted look on her face.
"It's not that bad...." Tracy wanted to stay strong for the Dumping Ground. Sam sniffed.
"Yeah, with WEIRD people like Sapphire, a six year old boy who TALKS to his giraffe, a weirdo who likes to get into trouble all the time. Yeah, you're right. It's not THAT bad," She added sarcastically. Tracy sighed.
"If you're not happy, maybe you should talk to Mike," She felt eager to speak to Saph about the mysterious stranger. Sam shrugged and skipped down the stairs. She seemed to disappear down the hall but Tracy didn't take it seriously. Now she needed to find Sapphire.