Changed For The Better

(F)Luke

I woke up and instantly saw that I had slept in, and again, nobody came to get me up. And now I've missed breakfast. Brilliant.

I got up and got dressed into some comfy clothes. Not like I'm planning on going anywhere so what does it matter anyway? I brushed my teeth and hair and shoved it into a pony tail before heading downstairs.

I don't know why I suddenly felt compelled to be around other people, but it's like something changed and made me want to be near them rather than as far away as possible. I walked into the living room where everyone seemed to be gathered.

"Ah Marie, nice of you to join us. We were about to come and get you" Sasha started.

"What's going on?" I asked as I sat down.

"We're having a kids meeting" Dexter said like it was obvious. Sasha shut the door and everyone was talking really quietly. Obviously they don't want Mai Lee to know what's happening.

"Right. So...why?" I continued.

"The new guy comes today" Tyler said. "And we need to make sure he's up to it"

"Right" I agreed.

"Mai Lee said he will be arriving at eleven. What we're going to do, is basically just confuse him"

"Oh. That's disappointing . I thought we would be doing pranks or something" I sighed.

"No! Nothing that can actually get us in trouble with Mai Lee"

Wow he's a wuss. "So, we're gonna go against what's in our files, play for later bedtimes trick him into giving us stuff..."

"What stuff?"

"Oh you know, just food and that. Say it's normal and that we get it all the time"

"Ok, well I'm gonna leave you guys to it..." I said as I started getting up to go.

"Aren't you gonna help?" Candi asked.

"SHE never helps anyone but herself" Jody retorted.

"I'm gonna go against the new guy" I replied. "But not just for food or confusion, I'm gonna stitch him up big time. You guys just aren't thinking big enough"

With that I left them all in there. Hopefully I managed to irritate them. But if he's coming at eleven, that gives me a solid half hour of planning, or should I say plotting, to do.

I don't have much experience with practical jokes. In fact the only experience I have had is when Tyler water bombed me, but I want  something more than that. Water dries off, pretty quickly. I want something that stains or at least requires a shower or something to sort out.

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I'll be requiring a couple of things from the kitchen. I stood around the door and waited for Mai Lee to finish cleaning up after breakfast. Eventually, she headed into the office, so I took my chance.

I quietly ran in and rummaged around in the cupboards then left with the flour, the ketchup and a carton of custard. This might get messy. But, that's totally the point. While I was in there, I also poured a load of cereal into a bowl, and left it inside one of the cupboards that's high up, next to the stove. When somebody tried to open it, well, I just hope I'm around to see their reaction.

I checked the coast was clear, then ran up the stairs and into my room. I dumped everything on the floor and started getting them ready. Mai Lee took forever so I only have a couple of minutes maximum before the new worker gets here.

I split the flour into different bags and poured a butt tonne of ketchup in there so it made a thick, sticky paste. Then I twisted the tops of the bags and used hair bobbles to seal the top and make it so they're tight and will burst upon impact.

Just as I finished securing the last one, of three, the doorbell rang. There was a stampede of footsteps as everyone ran downstairs to meet the new worker. I shoved the custard and two of the ketchup bombs under my bed before walking to the landing.

I looked down to where everyone was standing in a crowd in the stairs, similarly to how they were when I first arrived. Mai Lee was at the door and greeted the new guy.

Luckily, they stopped right below the landing. The new guy started saying hello to everyone. He was quite tall and had blond hair that was stuck up with way too much hair gel. And his roots were showing. They were brown.

Wouldn't it be such a shame if something were to ruin that hair of his that he clearly spent so much effort on? Everyone is introducing themselves, but nobody thought to mention me, or even shout at me to come down.

Maybe this will be the thing that gets me noticed. I held my hand out, holding onto the ketchup bomb. Then I waited until he was stood perfectly underneath it. He was about to shake someones hand when I dropped the ketchup bomb, and released the pink floury mixture all over him, and all over Jody who was the person about to shake his hand.

For a moment, there was silence, then, there was laughter coming from everyone apart from the new guy, Mai Lee and Jody. I paraded down the stairs and made myself known as they all laughed at my prank.

"Marie!" Yelled Mai Lee. "Apologise to Luke"

Oh so that's his name. I looked at "Luke" who actually had a big smile across his face and looked like he was going to laugh.

"Looks like I don't need to" I said smartly.

"Well then apologise to me!" Snapped Jody. "My top's ruined!"

"Careful Jody. You're starting to sound like Carmen"

That wound her up more, and Mai Lee for that matter.

"Marie, go to your room!" She shouted. "And don't come out until I say so"

"My pleasure" I smiled smugly. What difference does it make wether I'm forced to stay in my room, of if I just do it on my own anyway?

And I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about ruining Luke's clothes and hair. I don't even know if he has a spare change of clothes with him yet. I'll laugh if he doesn't. The thing is, he's just another care worker in a long line of care workers who don't actually care.

He'll make all the same promises that everyone else makes and he'll say all of the right things. Then just as you start to trust him, or before you know it he'll just be gone. And suddenly you'll find yourself feeling like an idiot, wondering wether you should ever trust anybody else again.

I sat in my room holding the carton of custard. I just need to wait until the right time and I can do something brilliant! This new guy won't suspect a thing.

We can get rid of him before he has the chance to get rid of us or leave us. Then we'll do it to the next guy and the next guy and they will force Mike to come back because I won't even try to behave for anyone else! Nobody else can handle us!
The dumping ground is ready for him, but is he ready for the dumping ground?

I know this isn't my normal style, well, I don't really have a normal style for getting round careworkers. But we have to do something. We can't just let them replace our workers whenever they want.

Think about it, the workers are equivalent to our parents, or are supposed to be as good as. Would you let them take away your parents and give you a new set? Would you say something? Everyone is acting like it's normal if we don't.

Mind you, there's no such thing as normal when you're here. Everyone here has had a hard, probably weird, probably complicated life so far. And some here are only eight years old! It isn't fair. Why were we chosen to be the left out lot? The odd lot? The care kids?