Life Swap

The Next Battle

(Eleven months later...)

Deepdene was a very traditional school, and the same things happened every year, because they were part of the fabric of the school community. On the last Monday before Easter, year seven always visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, just as year eight would visit the British Museum on the Wednesday, and year eleven would go to the theatre, just before they started their exams. So, eleven months after seeing Professor Hoyte, I returned to the beginning of my journey, with the twins as my minders and Louise as my nervous conscience. I was a different person to the one who had arrived at the museum a year before with the Redstone gang. Not a better person, necessarily, although I think I probably was a nicer girl, but definitely a totally different one. My relationship with Grace and Chloe was so close that other people had started calling us the triplets for real, whilst my close friendships with Louise and Felicity were both incredibly important to me, and to them, I hope.

"Olivia, you four are with me?" Sheila Blackstone said, spotting me step off the coach onto the pavement before the others. We had been told to leave our heavy winter coats on the bus as we would be hot walking around, but we were all wearing our hats, chinstraps down and pinned behind our ears. I did not even really notice that anymore.

"Yes, Auntie Sheila." I grinned, hurrying over to her and giving her a hug.

"We'll go straight to the loo on our way in, sweetheart?" She laughed as the others arrived to embrace her as well, because we all loved her. We were supposed to call her Mrs Blackstone or Ma'am at school, to try and maintain a small veneer of professional respect, and to avoid spontaneous hugging, if at all possible, but we were all completely hopeless at remembering to do that. And she never seemed to mind too much, really.

"I was dry again last night...and I haven't had any daytime accidents for three weeks, Auntie Sheila?" I informed her, in a whisper, still embarrassed about it, but also proud that I was slowly getting better.

"I know darling...and you are growing...Felicity showed me the mark on her bedroom door and that is at least an inch in the last few months?"

"She cheats Auntie Sheila...she stands up on tiptoe?" Louise giggled, happily joining in with the banter. She was very happy at Deepdene, and happy to have friends who she could actually do things with. And she was a much better friend than Gemma, I thought, which was funny. I had not given Gemma or my old life much thought for months. But the museum was the place where we were last together as besties, as Gemma and Kelly, and she was suddenly right there in my mind, so clear that I could see her face, and hear her laughter.

"Well...she is full of mischief...but she needs a new blazer for the summer, so she must be getting a little bigger!" Sheila laughed, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"I've caught right up with Grace and Chloe," I pointed out, nudging Lou with my elbow as she took my hand and sticking my tongue out at her.

"But you all still fit in one cot!" Sheila laughed, patting my cheek affectionately. "Come on then, you four absolute horrors...let's get inside...you have worksheets to complete?"

Sheila Blackstone and Jenny Carter-Rogers were actually my godmothers, since I had been baptized at church, back in the summer. Mummy had suggested the ceremony, and I had chosen my godparents, with her help, after asking Daddy something else. He had agreed, and Caroline adopted me as her daughter at the same time, which had been a huge thing for me. Olivia was obviously her stepdaughter, but that was not a relationship that involved me, or satisfied me anymore. New Olivia wanted a Mummy. She still made me wear way too much pink, and I had been spanked three more times for letting my frustrations get the better of me, but I loved her and she loved me. I was so happy with my new family, and it showed, I suppose.