Mummy's Little Girl, JANE ELLIOTT [mini ebook reader TXT] 📗

to say something, but the moment soon passed, and she went back to staring at the floor. “ I will be back in a few minutes,” Miss Sawyer said “Are you sure you dont wont anything, orange wile you wait?”

“What did you tell her?”
They were alone in the kitchen. Mum had arrived at school quickly with a dangerous kind of look in her face. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the damage to Dani’s face: this was the first time she had seen it. (Dani had left early in the morning before her mum woke). She rushed Dani out of Miss Sawyers office, despite the fact the teacher wonted to talk. They hadnt spoken a word on the way home. Mum walked fast and Dani had to run to keep up. Now she was looking accusingly down at her foster daughter, her eyes cold.
“What the hell did you tell her?”
“Nothing” Dani replied.
“ You just said you’d got in a fight?”
Dani nodded her head.
Mum seemed slight mollified. “Good” she muttered “She wouldnt have believed you anyways” She sounded to Dani that she was trying to persuade herself, but the little girl didnt know why, because it was true. No one would ever believe her if she told them what really happened. Mum turned away and took a packet of cigaretts from her bag. She lit one and sucked in deeply as the acrid smell hit dani’s nose. She felt the familiar sensation of tears welling in her; she tryed to stop it but never could, the others in school called her a cry baby and they were right.
“I didnt break rebecca’s toy,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
It was as if something snapped in her mum. She turned around and there was a look in her eyes that terrified Dani. Her mum looked crazy. She stepped towards Dani, and as she did so she raised the hand that had the lit cigarette. As a reflex, Dani cowered, falling to the floor raising her arms to cover the bruised side of her face as she waited for the blow. “Please dont hit me” she cryed.
The blow didnt come; insed just nasty words. “just get out of my sight, Dani, You’re always causing trouble. You should count yourself lucky you dont get punished more often. Go on get to your room, i dont wont to see you anymore, i am sick and tired of having you under this roof. Sick and tired of it, you ungrateful little-” and there her words deserted her.
Dani looked up her mum had moved her arm and was not somking the cigarette again. Dani knew when to take her chance. She stood up steadied herself on legs that felt suddenly very weak and ran up the stairs to her room. Downstairs, she heard something crash, but she couldnt tell what it was.

Miss Sawyer had been distracted all morning. Little Dani Sinclair’s bruises were terrible, something hadnt been right when the mother had come to pick her up. Mrs Sinclair seemed worried, certainly. Concerned. But not affectionate. There was no kind words or hugs, just a vague impression that this was a bit of an inconvenience. It wasnt just the mother. Miss Sawyer didnt believe for a minute that it was Dani who had started the so-called fight- she was clearly just scared, protecting whoever the real culprits were. And in the wake of the social worker’s warning the previous week, it all seemed as if there was something more going on. So, come morning break, instead of joining her colleagues for a cup of coffee, she made her way to her office and phoned social services. Short of going round to the Sinclair house and getting to the bottom of this herself, it was all she could do. Gina Sawyer just hoped she was doing the right thing.

It was mid-afternoon when the doorbell rang. Dani hadnt dared venture out of her room all day. She was hungry, but not hungry enough to risk a trip to the kitchen. Curiosity, however, got the better of her now, and she pulled back a corner of the curtains that she had kept shut all day and took a peek to see who it was.
Her heart stopped when she saw the social worker, Katie. She was a nice lady, but her presence scared Dani.
She had shoulder-lengh curly hair and was wearing a skirt with a smart matching jacket. Under her arm she had leather case. Through the window Dani could tell that the door had been opened, and Katie spoke for quite a long time before she was finally allowed into the house. Butterflies fluttered in Dani’s stomach. What was she here for? what does she wont? please god dont let her take me away.
Walking softly as she could, Dani crept out of her bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding the third one from the top, which she knew creaked loudly when it was steped on. The door in the sitting room was ajar, and inside she could hear voices, She approached the door quietly and stood listening carefully.
Mum was crying, which sounded strange cause Dani had never heard her cry before. Between the sobs Dani could hear “ I just cant cope with her any more,” she whimpered. “she ‘s gone off the rails and i cant control her.... not by myself. She always fighting, always bullying the little ones. We try to get her to behave and be part of the family, but she wont do it. I’m at my wits’ end ... I just dont know what to do”
Dani blinked furiously as she listened. She felt embarrassed by what she heard.
The social worker started to speak. Her voice was calm and gentle. “Mrs Sinclair,” she said “ You have to understand how disruptive it would be for Dani to be taken out of the home envoironment she’s known all her life-”
But as she spoke, a fresh wave of sobbing drowned her words. “What about my children? My real children? It’s affecting them too.” She dissolved into more tears.
“Mrs Sinclair,” the social worker asked, “may i talk to Dani please? Is she in the house?”
Panic surged through the little girl. She stepped away from the door and hurried up the stairs, doing her best to stay light footed despite rushing back. Back in her bedroom Dani sat on her bed and she tryed to slow her breathing and take the guilty look off her face.
There was a knock on the door “Dani” Katies voice came softly “can i come in?” Dani didnt answer. The door opened slowly and katie poped her head in. She had kind eyes which Dani had remembered from when she was her last. They suddenly widened when they saw Dani’s face. “Mind if i sit down? Do you remember me?”
Dani nodded.
Katie gave her a smile. “You look as if you’ve been in the wars. Want to tell me about it?”
Dani looked down at her bedclothes, feeling suddenly uncomfortable under the glare of Katie’s stare. Downstairs she heard that James and Rebecca had come home from school. Having the whole family in the house, being the centre of attention, when all she wanted to do was disappear into the background, made her feel worse.
“The teacher told me you got into a fight,” Katie persisted. “Did you get into a fight, Dani?”
She looked up, wide-eyed, and tryed to put as much honesty in her face as possible: then she nodded her head. The moment she saw suspicion in katie’s eyes she looked away.
“I want you to known Dani you can tell me anything you want without worrying that i’m going to tell anyone else. Do you understand that?”
Dani nodded still looking away.

“Miss Sawyer said that you started the fight, but you known what i think? I think that you are not the sort of girl that start’s fights with people.” Katie stretched out and touched Dani’s arm “Are you?”
Dani shook her head.
A silence fell between them. It was broken only by the sound of Dani’s mum downstairs, shouting something at James and Rebecca. Her voice made Dani start, and she looked guiltily up at katie.
Katie eyes narrowed, as if something had just made sense.
“Is there anything you want to tell me about your mum, Dani?”
She shook her head quickly and emphatically. Another silence. Then Katie spoke in a whisper. “Dani” she said “I want you to listen carefully, sometimes grown-ups do things that make children very sad. And sometimes when it happens, children think it’s their fault, Dani. if any grown-ups have done anything to make you feel sad, you Must tell me. You wont be any trouble, i promise, and we can try and make sure it doesnt happen again Ever.” Dani clenched her teeth, half wanted to tell kaite about what had happened: but the other half just wanted to clam up and keep it a secret. If she told it would only make thinks worse.
Katie squeezed her arm again. “I cant do anything about it if you dont tell me what happened, Dani” she said quietly “Who did this to you?”
It happened so quickly. Just a single word slipt Dani’s mouth before she even new she said it. A word she never intended to say, but which was teased out of her by the kind eyes of the we-meaning woman in her room.
“Mum”
Then astonished by her confession, Dani covered her mouth with her hand and felt the tears come again. She shook her head, as if sudden denial would somehow take back the word she had just said. but it didnt, Katie eyes narrowed slightly and they sat there in silence for what seemed to dani an age, though in truth it was little more then a minute.
“I wont you to wait here” katie said finally. There was something steely in her voice.
“You.....you wont tell, will you? You wont say I told you?”
To dani’s horror, katie didnt give her a answer. “Just wait here, Dani. I’ll be right back” She stood and left the room. Dani holded her breath and waited for the shouts.
They didnt take long to come.
“she’s a little fucking liar! Dont you see what i have to put up with!” Dani felt a cry coming inside, she heard footsteps rushing up the stairs. Then her mum was there in her room, the madness in her eyes was back. “What have you been saying? what lies have you come up with now, you stupid little girl?”
“Nothing” Dani whimpered. “I never said anything. I promise.” But she could tell her mum never believe her. She never did before why would she now. Suddenly she heard katie’s voice again “Mrs sinclair” Katie was saying firmly “Your foster daughter has just made a full disclosure of substantial physical abuse. First thing tomorrow morning I’m going to apply to the courts, for an emergency protection order, but in the meantime, i intend to remove Dani to a place safety. You can either let me do my job or you can obstuct me, in which case i will call the police.”
Katie’s ultimatum hung in the air as Tess Sinclair looked between her foster daughter and social worker, her lips thin and her eyes flashing. “All right all right!” she spat finally. and went back downstairs.
Katie then looked at dani who face looked a blur, “I am going to take you somewhere else, so we need to pack a few things.”