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"It isn't fair." Fry complains, watching Rahne pack.
"Fry, you're not helping." Mum says, folding Rahne's school jumper. "The court has awarded Rahne's parents custody, they feel they deserve another chance. You'll still get to see each other."
"Did you say you wanted to stay here?" Fry asks Rahne.
Rahne hesitates.
"I said I was happy here, but... they're my biological parents Fry, I still love them. And together, they can look out for each other. So I think they took that as 'unsure'."
Fry sighs. He's certain he knows why the court said Rahne should go back to her biological parents - because of him getting beaten up casting doubt on whether she was being fully supervised here. The thought is eating away at him.
"Fry?" Rahne looks at him. "You'll always be my brother."
"And you'll always have a room here." Mum says, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Much as I hope things work out with your parents."
"You're still going to Coral's school, aren't you?" Fry asks.
"Yeah, social services don't want me being homeschooled again. Nor do I." Rahne says. "Plus I've been able to settle down in Coral's school, since everyone was new at the same time and I wasn't labelled 'care kid'. I didn't stand out as much."
The doorbell rings, and Fry goes down to answer it. Rahne's parents are there, with her social worker, Becca. Fry looks them up and down suspiciously.
"Can we come in, Alexander?" Becca prompts.
"I'm not allowed to let strangers in the house." Fry says. "You haven't told me who you are."
"I'm Rahne's mother." Rahne's mum says, staring at him. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Not really." Fry says, looking her up and down for signs of intoxication or recent drug use before conceding to let them in. Rahne hovers at the top of the stairs, then comes downstairs. Her mother dashes over and grabs her in a huge hug, which clearly startles her significantly.
"She doesn't like to be hugged, don't you know that?" he says. Rahne tries to signal to him to let it go, but he misinterprets it and moves over to try and help disentangle her mother.
"Fry, can you put the kettle on please?" Mum says, intercepting him.
"How many millilitres?" Fry asks.
"A thousand two hundred should do it." Mum says.
Rahne's Mum stares at Fry as he goes into the kitchen. But only for a moment, as she jumps when Brooke slides down the bannister.
"That's dangerous." Mum says, frowning at Brooke.
"I'd rather we didn't stay for tea, go get your things Rahne." Rahne's mum says.
"Thank you so much for looking after her." Rahne's Dad says, speaking up for the first time. "I can see you have a lot on your plate already."
"I realise it looks a little chaotic." Mum says. "But we've always got room for one more. Rahne's been no trouble, she's a lovely girl, and if you ever feel you need a break we'd be more than happy to have her overnight any time."
"Haven't you enough children to be getting on with?" Rahne's mum says. "Rahne is ours, and we're not letting go of her again. Come on love."
Rahne thanks and says goodbye to her foster-family. Her mum picks up Rahne's bag and takes her hand. Becca thanks the Sandhus, and they head towards the car.
It feels strange, going back into her old home. Her room has been cleaned, and most of her precious things are in her bag, but it's strange to get back to toys and things she hasn't seen for over a year. It's even more strange having Mum in the house, who hasn't been there since she was six.
Her phone bleeps. She takes it out of her pocket and looks at it. She's been distracted and not heard it go off.
'Call me if you need me. Coral xxx'
'Soz 4 slidin down on2 ur mum. Brk xx'
'Going to miss u big sis. <3 Gil.'
'Sorry. Fry.'
Hm, strange text from Fry. She's about to reply when the floorboard creaks, and she automatically looks up at her Mum.
"Where did you get that from?" she asks. "You know how your father and I feel about mobile phones."
"Oh, Uncle Guppy got it for me." Rahne says. "I pay for the credit out my pocket money, but we can claim back essential calls."
"I'm not having you waste money on that, give it to me please."
Rahne hesitates. She doesn't want to start off on a bad foot, but on the other hand, she certainly doesn't want to hand over her phone.
"All kids my age have them these days." she says. "Please don't take it away from me. It's like three pence a text."
"Pardon?"
Rahne hesitates. Mum used to do this but she can't remember why.
"'It's three pence a text.'" Rahne's Mum says.
"Oh. Soz." Rahne says.
"Are you doing that on purpose?"
"No. Sorry."
"That's better." Rahne's mum sits next to her. "I suppose it's not your fault, being with that chaotic foster-family. It's a wonder you learned anything with her having to deal with that retarded boy."
"Fry isn't 'retarded', he's highly intelligent." Rahne says. "And I learned loads. I was really backward when I started school in most of my subjects, and half of what I did know was wrong, and I had to explain that Dad couldn't teach as well when he was ill and..."
"Rahne." Mum says, in a warning voice. "Don't talk about family matters at school. Or with the Sandhus, for that matter. It's impolite. I'll let you keep the phone for now." She kisses Rahne on the head and goes back out the room.
And then, it's deathly quiet. Well, Auntie Fran said it would be weird at first, being back here. She gets up and goes over to her wardrobe, where her old hidey hole was in the bottom, and sits in there. She reckons she'll need to keep the phone out of Mum's eyeline if she's going to keep it. She turns it onto silent, and texts back.
'Thanks Col, I'll be okay. ''' xx <3'
'Don't wry Brk, it was fny. ''' xx '
'Miss u 2 lil bro ''' xx '
'Don't be sorry, I'll be ok. ''' xx'
"Fry, you're not helping." Mum says, folding Rahne's school jumper. "The court has awarded Rahne's parents custody, they feel they deserve another chance. You'll still get to see each other."
"Did you say you wanted to stay here?" Fry asks Rahne.
Rahne hesitates.
"I said I was happy here, but... they're my biological parents Fry, I still love them. And together, they can look out for each other. So I think they took that as 'unsure'."
Fry sighs. He's certain he knows why the court said Rahne should go back to her biological parents - because of him getting beaten up casting doubt on whether she was being fully supervised here. The thought is eating away at him.
"Fry?" Rahne looks at him. "You'll always be my brother."
"And you'll always have a room here." Mum says, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Much as I hope things work out with your parents."
"You're still going to Coral's school, aren't you?" Fry asks.
"Yeah, social services don't want me being homeschooled again. Nor do I." Rahne says. "Plus I've been able to settle down in Coral's school, since everyone was new at the same time and I wasn't labelled 'care kid'. I didn't stand out as much."
The doorbell rings, and Fry goes down to answer it. Rahne's parents are there, with her social worker, Becca. Fry looks them up and down suspiciously.
"Can we come in, Alexander?" Becca prompts.
"I'm not allowed to let strangers in the house." Fry says. "You haven't told me who you are."
"I'm Rahne's mother." Rahne's mum says, staring at him. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Not really." Fry says, looking her up and down for signs of intoxication or recent drug use before conceding to let them in. Rahne hovers at the top of the stairs, then comes downstairs. Her mother dashes over and grabs her in a huge hug, which clearly startles her significantly.
"She doesn't like to be hugged, don't you know that?" he says. Rahne tries to signal to him to let it go, but he misinterprets it and moves over to try and help disentangle her mother.
"Fry, can you put the kettle on please?" Mum says, intercepting him.
"How many millilitres?" Fry asks.
"A thousand two hundred should do it." Mum says.
Rahne's Mum stares at Fry as he goes into the kitchen. But only for a moment, as she jumps when Brooke slides down the bannister.
"That's dangerous." Mum says, frowning at Brooke.
"I'd rather we didn't stay for tea, go get your things Rahne." Rahne's mum says.
"Thank you so much for looking after her." Rahne's Dad says, speaking up for the first time. "I can see you have a lot on your plate already."
"I realise it looks a little chaotic." Mum says. "But we've always got room for one more. Rahne's been no trouble, she's a lovely girl, and if you ever feel you need a break we'd be more than happy to have her overnight any time."
"Haven't you enough children to be getting on with?" Rahne's mum says. "Rahne is ours, and we're not letting go of her again. Come on love."
Rahne thanks and says goodbye to her foster-family. Her mum picks up Rahne's bag and takes her hand. Becca thanks the Sandhus, and they head towards the car.
It feels strange, going back into her old home. Her room has been cleaned, and most of her precious things are in her bag, but it's strange to get back to toys and things she hasn't seen for over a year. It's even more strange having Mum in the house, who hasn't been there since she was six.
Her phone bleeps. She takes it out of her pocket and looks at it. She's been distracted and not heard it go off.
'Call me if you need me. Coral xxx'
'Soz 4 slidin down on2 ur mum. Brk xx'
'Going to miss u big sis. <3 Gil.'
'Sorry. Fry.'
Hm, strange text from Fry. She's about to reply when the floorboard creaks, and she automatically looks up at her Mum.
"Where did you get that from?" she asks. "You know how your father and I feel about mobile phones."
"Oh, Uncle Guppy got it for me." Rahne says. "I pay for the credit out my pocket money, but we can claim back essential calls."
"I'm not having you waste money on that, give it to me please."
Rahne hesitates. She doesn't want to start off on a bad foot, but on the other hand, she certainly doesn't want to hand over her phone.
"All kids my age have them these days." she says. "Please don't take it away from me. It's like three pence a text."
"Pardon?"
Rahne hesitates. Mum used to do this but she can't remember why.
"'It's three pence a text.'" Rahne's Mum says.
"Oh. Soz." Rahne says.
"Are you doing that on purpose?"
"No. Sorry."
"That's better." Rahne's mum sits next to her. "I suppose it's not your fault, being with that chaotic foster-family. It's a wonder you learned anything with her having to deal with that retarded boy."
"Fry isn't 'retarded', he's highly intelligent." Rahne says. "And I learned loads. I was really backward when I started school in most of my subjects, and half of what I did know was wrong, and I had to explain that Dad couldn't teach as well when he was ill and..."
"Rahne." Mum says, in a warning voice. "Don't talk about family matters at school. Or with the Sandhus, for that matter. It's impolite. I'll let you keep the phone for now." She kisses Rahne on the head and goes back out the room.
And then, it's deathly quiet. Well, Auntie Fran said it would be weird at first, being back here. She gets up and goes over to her wardrobe, where her old hidey hole was in the bottom, and sits in there. She reckons she'll need to keep the phone out of Mum's eyeline if she's going to keep it. She turns it onto silent, and texts back.
'Thanks Col, I'll be okay. ''' xx <3'
'Don't wry Brk, it was fny. ''' xx '
'Miss u 2 lil bro ''' xx '
'Don't be sorry, I'll be ok. ''' xx'