Chapter 8

The next few days came and went within the blink of an eye. I tried to spend as much time as I could with all my brothers and all their families. Every morning started with a surfing lesson with Brax and we were usually accompanied by Heath, Ash or Andy. Then I'd be sure to squeeze in a visit to the restaurant to see Kyle on his break from work. We'd catch up on the balcony that overlooked the sea and play guitar, singing a few songs to show each other what we could do. That was especially relaxing. Kyle was incredibly laid back and I felt like I could talk very freely with him and vice versa. He told me a lot about Phoebe, who was away at a gig. I gathered from what he said that she was a very important aspect of his life. That, in my opinion, was incredibly sweet.

After that, I usually joined Heath when he was taking Harley out for a stroll on the beach. It was something he did pretty often because it always seemed to calm little Harley down and send him to sleep. Harley took to me almost as well as his sister. She would wrap his stubby little fingers around my hand and refuse point-blank to let go. He giggled and babbled ecstatically whenever I made faces or smiled at him; always glad to see me.

I usually ended up hanging out with Darcy once she was back from school too. I even started waiting outside the school gates until she finished so that I could walk her home. This worked well for everyone because it meant that Heath didn't have to leave Harley and Bianca could stay and work late if she needed to. On top of that, I got more quality time with my awesome little cousin. She was so smart it was scary and she funny beyond belief. I barely ever saw her without a smile, which was really refreshing. Darcy was an incredibly uplifting kid.

At nights, I had dinner with the entire family and whoever else was joining us (sometimes girlfriends or friends). I helped Bianca and Ricky cook and loved sitting at a table and having a proper meal with a real family discussion going on around me. It gave me a very homely, warming, welcoming feeling.

By the end of the week, I'd developed really close bonds with almost everyone. It hit me the most on the one day when Bianca and Ricky took me and Darce shopping, where we searched out baby clothes for Ricky and Brax's unborn son. Despite my protests, they also brought me new changes of clothes, which I quickly fell in love with. Jeans, shorts, tops, even shoes. They insisted on getting rid of my old scruffy sneakers. Though, when they weren't looking, I slipped the old pair into my bag to take back home with me. The more trainers I had, the better. And though they were old sand roughed-up, we'd been through a lot together and I'd developed some form of stupid sentimental attachment.

"You really don't have to get me all this stuff, Ricky." I reminded her, feeling guilty as she dumped the heap of clothing in front of the man at the till. "I'm genuinely fine without them."

Ricky laughed sunnily and shook her head. "Alex, I know I don't have to. But I want to."

"But this is all your hard earned cash... I just don't feel right taking it." I protested. I really hated owing people.

"You're not taking it, I'm giving it to you. There's a difference." She insisted. "You can call it a gift. It's a thank you present for making everyone in the house so happy this week. You've helped Heath and Bianca out with Darce, you've made grumpy Kyle crack a smile or two - which is difficult to do when Phoebe's out of town, you've kept me company and Brax... Well, Brax has been a lot happier since you've been around. He's so much more... relaxed. I think he likes having another sibling to take care of. Brax just isn't happy unless there's someone else to worry about and take responsibility for. A fifteen year old sister fills that spot."

"I doubt he'd still be happy if he saw how much money you're spending on me." I muttered in answer, my eyes enlarging as I watched the numbers on the cashier climbing continually higher with each scan of every item.

She pulled a face and shrugged. "I doubt that'd bother him. Especially considering this was his idea."

"It was?" I quizzed, confused.

Ricky nodded. "He was going on and on about how he felt bad for putting you to work in Angelo's the other night when I had the baby's checkup. When Brax feels like he owes someone, I doesn't sit well with him. He'll do anything to make up for it. Then he remembered how he'd ruined your clothes when he asked you to help him with the Ute and he figured you might want to wear something that didn't have oil stains on them for the rest of your stay." She paid over the cash and handed me two massive shopping bags that made my arms feel like they were going to fall off with the weight. "But he couldn't exactly take you shopping himself, could he?"

"So he enlisted you?" I asked. "And Bianca?"

"No, we both volunteered." She gave me a kindly smile. "Believe it or not, we like spending time with you too. Besides, a girl's got to be a girl sometimes. It makes a nice change to switch a surfboard with a bag of new clothes."

I managed a grin. "Yeah, alright. I believe you."

She beamed and raised a questioning brow. "So, you're okay with me and your brother buying you this stuff?"

I chewed my lip and tried to let go of the strange feeling of my independence slipping away. It went way beyond my limits to let someone spend so much money on me, but it's not like I could turn down the offer now. Ricky was as stubborn as an ox and nothing I said was going to stop her from buying me all the new clothes and there was no way she'd let me pay her back. Besides, I desperately needed new outfits. I was in no state to turn my nose up at the generous offer. Who knew when a chance like this would come again?

"Okay. I suppose this once, I'll let it go." I said cautiously. "But no more freebies or charity. I'm not here to take all your money."

Ricky cocked her head to the side and fixed me with a playful smirk. "Can I not at least buy you lunch first?"

I sighed heavily. "Ricky..."

"Just let me look after you." She requested decisively. "You can't refuse a pregnant lady when all she wants is to make sure you've eaten. Besides, Brax won't be happy if you don't let me shout you a feed. So you might as well just accept-"

"Okay. Alright. Fine." I caved, knowing that Ricky wasn't going to budge on this. "You can buy lunch. Then, after that, I don't want you wasting any more money on me. I can take care of myself."

She grinned in triumph. "Why don't you like anyone doing anything for you?"

"Because I can do everything myself and I feel rude letting other people care for me." I admitted, before softening my voice slightly and offering Ricky a smile. "I'm grateful for everything. I really am. But I'm a pretty independent person. Relying on somebody else... that just doesn't come naturally to me."

She nodded in understanding. "I think I can get that." She said. "You're a lot like me in that respect. And Brax too. But you know... you don't have to face things alone just because you feel like you should. You're a part of this family now. We're all here for you. If you need us."

Ricky's speech caught me off-guard and brought a stab of feeling into heart. I was overcome with a mix of joy, gratitude and pain. Ricky's word's reminded me that I wasn't going to be completely alone when the cancer took my mum from me. I was so lucky to have met my family. I was so glad to be a Braxton.

Despite the crushing sentiment that had overwhelmed me, I tried not to let it show and kept as straight a face as possible when fronting Ricky. I hated being sensitive and letting my shields down. I had never cried in front of anybody and hated doing so.

Choking down the lump of emotion that had formed in my throat, I coughed into my fist and tried to construct a sentence. Eventually, I managed it.

"Thanks, Rick."

Ricky grinned and lightly shoulder bumped me as we carried our shopping bags out to where Bianca and Darcy had been waiting for us. "Anytime, Lexie. Now, come on. I don't know about you but I'm starving!"

"Are we going to get food?" Darcy's eyes brightened, having overheard Ricky. She naturally vaulted to stand beside me, the way she always did whenever I was around.

"Well... we are." I corrected, pointing to me, Ricky and Bianca. "But, unfortunately, the place we're going to doesn't allow pets, so I think you're going to have to stay outside."

Darcy's grin widened as she attempted to push me over. This had the kind of effect of being rugby tackled by a small, friendly gnome. That's to say, I didn't move more than an inch.

"I'm not a pet!" She laughed.

"Yeah, you are." I joked. "You're a... gerbil."

"No!" Darcy giggled as I tickled her.

"No?" I raised my brows. "Then you must be a capybara."

"A capybara?!" My little cousin repeated, her eyebrows knitting together in mock defense as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah. They're totally awesome and adorable." I insisted. "Did you know they're the world's largest rodent?"

"No." Darcy shook her head interestedly. "But that still doesn't mean I'm a capybara."

"In which case, you must be a bearded dragon." I kidded.

Darcy laughed. "What's one of those?"

"It's like a little, spiky lizard." I grinned. "My mate Flynn used to have one a few years back. I used to help feed him. Do you want to know what they eat?"

"What?" Darcy asked, completely captivated. That was nothing new though - she was always mesmerized by anything I had to say, even if it was as boring as what I'd had for breakfast or what colour socks I was wearing.

"Mealworms." I said, to which Darcy wrinkled her nose up and pretended to gag. "And crickets and cockroaches."

"Ewww!" My little cousin sang.

"What are you saying 'ewww' for?" I jested, poking her until she chuckled again. "Isn't that what you eat?"

"I'm not a bearded dragon!" She howled, doubling up with a fit of giggles.

"Alright girls," Bianca smiled, placing a gentle hand on both of our shoulders and steering us down the street. "Where do you want to go eat?"

"Wherever Alex wants to go." Darcy chirped, her eyes flitting to look up at me trustingly. Those beautiful blue-green irises that mirrored my own were brimming with an admiration which stirred up a warmth in my chest. It was nice having someone look up to and adore me unconditionally. I got the feeling I was much loved when it came to Darcy and I had only been around for about a week.

Eventually, we chose to go back to the diner at Summer Bay for food. There, I bumped into Olivia, who I'd been talking to and spending time with quite a bit since the catastrophic night at the restaurant. Upon her invitation, I went over to join her and the two of us chatted over milkshakes.

"Alex!" Ricky called over to me as I was laughing with Olivia about a comedy she'd come over to watch at my house - I mean, at my brother's house - the other night.

"Yeah?" I asked, still grinning from the joke.

Ricky was beaming. "Good news; Phoebe's coming back from her gig tonight. She'll be here in a few hours. We're all going to have a barbie to celebrate."

"Awesome." I nodded, pleased by the idea. "So I'll finally get to meet the girl at the center of Kyle's life?"

"That's right." Ricky agreed, chuckling as she got up from the table she was sat on with Darcy and Bianca. "Are you coming home with us now or do you want to stay out with Olivia for a bit?"

"Erm..." I looked over at my new friend who was smiling and motioning eagerly for me to keep her company. "Is it okay if I come home later?"

"Sure." Ricky smiled. "You've got your phone on you, right?"

I had the tackiest phone in the world. It was basically a brick with a cracked screen and about a thousand buttons that did nothing. It was an old, pay-as-you-go that I'd brought from a big supermarket shop for dirt cheap. All you could do on it was phone and text people, but I suppose that was all I needed it for. I'd given all of my family my number and they had given me theirs, so if we needed to stay in contact it would be easy enough.

"Yup." I chirped, waving the brick-like mobile at her.

"Okay. Then I'll see you tonight." She said, then paused to look back at me. "Don't be too late, okay? Just a few hours. And if we phone - answer. Brax will be on edge if you don't."

"Ricky, I've got it." I smiled. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll see you tonight for the barbie. I promise I'll be back in time."

After Ricky had gone and it was just the two of us, Olivia smirked strangely at me.

"What?" I questioned, wondering what the weird look was about.

"I know that tomorrow is your last day in the Bay, so I have a surprise for you." She told me enthusiastically. "Do you want to have some fun?"

I sat back in my chair and raised a brow. "What kind of fun are we talking about here?"

*

A group of kids my age from Summer Bay High had decided to throw a party on the beach. Someone had started up a small bonfire for people to sit around and see by. Someone else had brought out alcohol and it was being distributed between the bubbly teens. By the time Olivia and I got there, after having dolled up at her house, the place was buzzing with energy.

"You ready for some fun?" She asked me over the noise.

"You bet." I answered, accepting the beer I was being offered from some guy with sandy-colored curly hair and a crazy, mischievous smile.

"Thanks, Matt." Olivia said to him.

"Don't mention it." The guy called Matt smirked in return. "After all, I live to please women."

"Don't let Sasha hear you say that!" Olivia snorted.

"Oh, I won't." Matt replied seriously. "Anyway, you two ladies have a good night. I'm going to go talk to VJ."

True to what she said, Olivia and I both had fun at the party. We drunk a little bit but agreed not to go overboard. The last thing I wanted was to go back to my brother's house drunk out my mind. Knowing me, I'd end up spewing over the barbeque or doing something equally as embarrassing when meeting Kyle's girlfriend for the first time in front of all my family and their friends. I really didn't want that to happen.

Only just tipsy, Olivia and I weaved between her classmates. She introduced me to friends of hers and they greeted me warmly. It was incredibly nice being around people who were so welcoming. Back in the city it was rare to get such a hospitable atmosphere. I met a guy called Jett who turned out to be the neighbor's (John's and Marilyn's) adopted son and he had loads of questions to ask about how I was a Braxton.

A few hours into the party, some unexpected guests rocked up. I couldn't believe it when I turned around to find myself looking at Brody Ace Johnston and his crew from Mangrove River. When he saw me, he seemed to make a beeline for me.

"We have to stop meeting up like this." He grinned as he neared. Tonight he was just wearing surf shorts and a vest that showed off his body.

"Trust me, I'd love to." I replied. "Only I'm finding it really hard to get rid of you."

"I'm persistent." Brody shrugged easily. "It's one of my virtues."

"Oh? I didn't know you had any virtues."

Brody smirked at me, his eyes glinting with amusement and curiosity. "Can I at least know your name before you totally reject and insult me?"

"Alexis, but I prefer I when people call me Alex." I responded eventually, having carefully considered whether or not I was happy for him to know.

"You know, you're a strange girl, Alex." Brody smiled. "Don't worry; it's a good strange. You're pretty outspoken and I really like that. But there's one thing you should know about me - I'm not that easily put off. The more you play hard to get with me, the more I'm going to want to chase you."

I sighed heavily. "Chase all you like, Brody. But don't expect to ever get anywhere with me. I'm not interested."

"I disagree." Brody grinned. "I reckon you are interested in me."

"What could possibly make you think that?" I questioned, arching a brow.

"The fact that you're still stood here talking to me." Brody answered and the longer I hesitated to reply, the bigger his smirk grew.

"Only because I don't really have a choice." I said finally.

"You could walk away and talk to someone else." Brody pointed out.

"Not really." I said. "I don't exactly know anybody here except Olivia, so I couldn't just join any random conversation."

"Aw, want me to play my violin for you?" Brody teased laughing. "But seriously, that's just a pack of lies. You could try and talk to any guy here and I guarantee they'd listen to you." He took a sip of his alcohol before he finished what he was saying. "Pretty girls have that effect on people."

Just then, my phone went off in my pocket and when I took it out and checked the caller ID I realized it was Brax who was trying to get hold of me. He'd already sent a message saying he wanted me home, but I'd completely forgotten about it when I saw Brody.

When I looked up, I saw that the river boy's eyes were transfixed on me.

"Anyone important?" He asked, signaling to the phone.

"Erm... Yeah. Kind of." I said, switching it off and sliding it back into the pocket of my shorts. "I've got to go."

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" Brody chuckled. "Daddy and Mummy giving you a hard time for being out so late?"

"No." I fired back icily. "It was just my brother."

"Yeah. Because that makes it better." Brody laughed, before turning serious again. "Who's your brother? Maybe I know him."

"Doubt it." I snorted.

"Come on, try me."

I sighed, rolled my eyes and gave in. "Brax, as in, Darryl Braxton? Or Heath? Or Kyle? Stop me when you recognize a name."

Brody stared at me with owl-wide eyes. His jaw actually dropped a little bit in surprise.

"Brax is your brother?" He repeated in astonishment. "You're telling me that you're a Braxton?"

I shrugged. "Yeah... And?"

Brody speechlessly shook his head. "If I'd known that..."

"What?" I asked, genuinely interested now. Unfortunately, Brody didn't answer me. He appeared a little bit lost; like the carpet had been swept from under his feet or something.

"Look, I've got to go. The Boys are waiting for me." He told me, backing away with a perplexed expression pained on his handsome face. "You should probably get home. You're brother's probably worrying about you."

Wow. Now it was my chance to be gob smacked. That, I had not been expecting. What had happened to the douchbag that had been hitting on me two seconds ago? Why was he all of a sudden concerned with me getting back home? What difference did it make to him whether or not I was a Braxton and why did it quickly change the rules?

"What?" I choked, not believing what I was hearing.

"See you around, Alexis." He said, before turning away and disappearing into the crowd. I stared after him in confusion, wondering what all of that could possibly have been about. Why did he freak out when I told him who I was? Was being a Braxton that much of a deal breaker or what?

I shook him out of my head when I heard my phone go off another time in my pocket. It must be Brax. Again. I probably needed to get home. Deciding to put all thoughts of Brody and our odd conversation out of my head, I went to search out Olivia and let her know I was leaving. It had been a good night, but I needed to make tracks and head home. I didn't want to be any later than I already was for the barbeque, especially not when it meant meeting Phoebe for the first time. Moreover, my eldest brother was evidently pretty keen on talking to me about something. The sooner I found out what he wanted, the better.

*

By the time I finally got back home, I was an entire hour later than I should have been. Brax had texted me to be home ages ago. He had been phoning me non-stop since I'd surpassed the deadline. I brushed it off, thinking it wouldn't really be a big deal. When I stepped into the living room, I realized I'd thought wrong. My brother was in the kitchen, were he looked to have been waiting for me. His phone was in his hand and there was a crease between his brows as he scowled down at it.

"Where have you been?" He demanded, his gaze snapping up to me as soon as I'd come through the door.

"Oh, I was just..." I trialed off when I noticed the stormy expression on my brother's face. Was it just me or did he look kind of ticked off?

"I tried calling. You didn't pick up." He stated, glowering at me from where he was leant against the kitchen counter. "Didn't I text you to be back an hour ago?"

"Erm, yeah... you did." I answered carefully.

His frown deepened. "And you just ignored me?"

"No. That's not it at all, Brax." I said quickly, jumping to an explanation. "I was just with Olivia and we bumped into some other people we knew on the beach. I just lost track of time..."

For a few deadly seconds, Brax continued to glare at me, then his tensed jaw slacked and his eyes softened as he faced away from me and sighed. "Alright. Just... don't let it happen again."

I stared hesitantly at my brother from over the room, not completely sure how to react to his orders or his annoyance. This was an entirely new experience for me. I had never before in my life had to justify myself to someone for turning up late back home. In the city I was free to do whatever I liked, whenever I liked with whoever I liked. I didn't have to answer to anyone. So long as the rent was being paid and there was food on the table and no cops knocking on the door, then mum was content to leave me to it. Half the time she didn't even know where I was when I was out the flat. That suited us both just fine.

I narrowed my eyes at my older brother. I realized just how concerned he looked.

"Were you... Were you worried about me?" I quizzed, a teasing smile pulling at my lips.

"I didn't know where you were." Brax reminded me, his moodiness seeming to return at having to explain himself.

"So you were worried then?"I pressed. Brax's eyes jumped up to catch my grin before I had time to hide it.

He rested his hands against his hips and shook his head as he stared at me. As serious as he was trying to be, I could see that he wasn't all too angry with me anymore. There was definitely a smile he was holding back.

"No. Don't you do that." He growled. "Don't go getting smart with me, Alex. You might be my sister, but that doesn't mean I won't smash you if you start giving me lip."

I threw my hands up in surrender as I walked towards him. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't poke the bear." I said, suppressing my grin. "If it's any consolation, I won't do it again. Next time you phone me I'll pick up ASAP."

"Good. You'd better." My brother replied, before finally dropping the overprotective-big-brother act and managing to smile instead. "Come on - everyone else is already out in the back. We've fired up the barbie. Since you've been helping to cook for me every night, I reckon I should return the favor. You can have the first bite."

I shrugged and accepted a one armed hug from my brother as he led me outside into the garden. "Sounds good to me. Well, you know, if I survive your cooking that is."

"Oi. If you're not careful, I'll disown you, Alex." Brax warned, though I knew he was just pulling my leg.

The barbeque was amazing to say the least. It was great having the whole family gathered around in the garden, clinking beer bottles and having a laugh. The food was great as promised and I helped myself to plenty of it, since Brax and Heath kept insisting I eat more and were basically shoveling it down my throat. When Phoebe arrived, I got exactly what Brax and Heath had been warning me about her being very energetic. She was crazy as a box of frogs, completely full of beans. If we were in a room, she'd have been bouncing off the walls.

When Phoebe first saw Kyle, she ran at him full pelt and pounced into his arms. Then they kissed. It was so obvious that they were each other's entire world. They were so in love it was actually sickeningly cute.

I couldn't help smiling when I looked from them, snuggled and wrapped up in each other on the hammock to Brax and Ricky, who had their arms around each other as they sorted out the snags on the barbie and then to Heath and Bianca who were hand in hand, sat on the outside chairs, under the shading umbrella, with Harley next to them. Andy and his girlfriend Hannah were together there too, as was Josh and his girlfriend Evelyn. Ash came over to sit with me on the outside decking as I observed the peaceful scene before me and wished I could live in it forever.

"Are you alright sat over here on your lonesome?"

"I'm better than alright." I answered truthfully.

"You seem quiet." Ash mused, clearly searching for a clarification.

"I've just got a lot on my mind." I exhaled.

"Did Brax have a go at you for turning up late?"

"Not really." I shook my head, squinting because of the light of the sun and how it was angled every time I tried to look at Ash. "He's actually a big softy at heart. I can handle him no problem."

Ash laughed at that. "You know he was going out of his mind when you didn't stay in contact. He was convinced that something had happened to you. I thought he was going to end up sending out a search party."

"I don't see why. I was fine." I pointed out, my eyes landing on Brax and Ricky, who were visibly having a very pleasurable conversation that ended in him pulling her closer for a kiss.

"You don't see why he was worried?" Ash's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't it obvious?"

I blankly turned to stare at him. "What do you mean?"

Ash sighed as he shifted to get comfortable on the decking. "Well, think about it Alex. You're fifteen years old. You're his little sister. Right now, whilst you're staying in this house, that means you're his charge. The last person he had to look after was Casey and we all know how that ended up the one time that Brax let him out of his sight. I know it's only been a week, but he cares about you Alex. And he used to be protective of his family before, but since what happened to Casey, that protection has rocketed. I don't think he could bare anything bad happening to another one of his family members, especially not under his watch. You can understand that, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I said thoughtfully. "I can understand that."

"Righto. Well, I'll leave you to your thoughts then." Ash told me, pushing himself up to his feet. "Just remember what I said. Keep it in mind."

Just after Ash had left me, my phone went off again. Assuming it must be Olivia, I pulled it out and answered it. I was only half aware of what I was doing, because I was still lost on Ash's words of wisdom and wondering about what I was going to do about returning to the city and after mum had gone and how I was going to break the news to the family I had come to adore.

"Hello?" I piped up, expecting to hear my new friend's soft voice over the other end of the phone. What I got was very different.

The voice was deep and breathy and husky, like the speaker was in the middle of an asthma attack. It was also filled with urgency and desperation and an unimaginable amount of raw fear, far beyond that of nightmares. It also belonged, undoubtedly, to my mother.

"ALEX, RUN!" She screamed, to which I was instantly torn from my stupor. I almost dropped my phone for terror as I jumped to my feet. My heart began thumping in my chest, a thousand times a second as adrenaline coursed through my veins. This sudden reaction caused the nearest of my family members to turn and questioningly look at me.

"Alex?" I heard Brax say from somewhere ahead of me. "Alex? Is everything alright?"

I blanked out his words on focused only on my mother and me, as if we were the only two people in the world.

"Mum?" I called down the phone, my voice surprisingly stable and hard. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"You need to get out of there, Alex! You need to go now!" My mother shrieked at me, between short breaths and racking coughs. She sounded like she was sobbing fiercely. "They know you exist. They know that your there, with them. They're on their way to get you! To take you away from me!"

I was so desperate not to believe what I was hearing that I tried to block out her warning and play dumb.

"Who? Who's coming to get me?" I demanded. Only, I didn't need an answer. Just then, two cars pulled up in the drive outside the Braxton house. Once had sirens and flashing lights and was very obviously a police car. The other was just a normal, bland, grey vehicle, out of which came two very smartly dressed women and one suave-looking a man. With the police at their side, the group of newcomers invited themselves into the garden, much to my bewildered family's dismay.

"Hey, what's going on?" Heath challenged, shooting to his feet as a terrified Darcy ran to hide herself in his arms.

"What can I do for you, officers?" Brax queried, stepped up beside his brother to take control of the situation, even though he looked completely lost.

"We're here to collect Alexis Braxton. We have reason to believe she's been residing here for the past week." One of the women explained calmly. She had caramel blonde hair that hair that had been tied up into a tight bun on her head, every strand pulled back immaculately, so that it stretched her face. "We are going to make sure she is looked after correctly, Mr Braxton. I'm sure you'll be reasonable enough to understand that under the circumstances, she needs to be taken into our custody. We want what's best for her and so I'm sure that as her brother, you will make it easier by handing her over."

Brax's scowl deepened. "What are you talking about?"

"There, that's her!" The other woman exclaimed, pointing the police in my direction. She had short greying hair, cut to shoulder-length and crow's feet wrinkles around her sharp, beady little eyes.

I watched in petrified horror as the policemen came towards me. I had no idea what to do. All my life I had avoided the police. Since turning thirteen I had so much more careful. I had eluded them brilliantly, keeping under their radar, my head down low. Now, I felt as exposed as a deer in the meadow, with hunters ducking around every edge of the forestry to all sides of me. There was nowhere to run, and even if I did, where would I go now? I would have to leave my family and could probably never come back and there would be no chance of me visiting mum in hospital, because they would wait me out. For as long as they knew my existence, I would find it impossible to carry on living away from them.

Out of sheer dread and shock, I did nothing whilst the police held onto both my arms and started leading me towards the cars. The grey-haired woman came to stand in front of me, and was nattering on and on about how well they would ensure I was taken care of. Other police officers were having to practically push back my brothers as they fought their way towards me and demanded I was let go of. The blonde woman was busy arguing with Brax about what was best for me and my future.

"Alex!" Brax was yelling, trying unsuccessfully to reach me. For some reason, at the sound of his voice, combined with the nagging of the grey-haired woman, I was snapped out of my numbing lethargy.

Suddenly realizing what was going on and what was going to happen to me if I let myself go alone with it, I jerked out of the grip of the police officers holding me and dodged their flailing arms so that I could dash back into the safety of my brothers and the rest of the family. Ricky and Bianca held onto me as my brothers and Andy and Ash created a kind of barrier between me and the police and the social services.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be!" The blonde woman steamed. "We are just trying to do what's right for Alex."

"I'm not going into care!" I shouted at her. "I don't want to go into a home. If you try and force me, then I promise I will spend every waking second trying to run away. Just leave me alone!"

There was so much shouting and arguing that the next few minutes was just filled with the awful buzz of it. I was under so much stress, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to imagine I was anywhere else of earth, in any other situation. I held onto Ricky's hand like it was a lifeline, up until the moment that the police dragged me away from her and hauled me into the back of one of their cars. I wasn't crying, because I hated crying in front of people. But I was shaking like a leaf, and I knew that if I had been alone, I would have already become a puddle of stupid tears.

"Alex! I'm going to get you out of this, okay? You hear me?" Brax was shouting from outside the car.

"Don't let them take me away, Brax!" I pleaded, just as the engine roared to life and the vehicle began rolling out of the driveway. My head ached almost as much as my heart did when I looked back longingly through the window just to see my family stood motionlessly outside the house, getting smaller and smaller by the second, the further we drove away.

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Okay, so dramatic stuff right?! Anyway, thought I'd give you a big chapter since I won't be able to write for a while - I'm going to be really busy with college this week. Hope you guys enjoyed it. There might be a few mistakes because I didn't check over it. So, please vote and comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)