Life starts now - A Bondi Rescue story

Tensions

A/N: I'm posting this chapter a little ahead of schedule, but I'm sure you won't mind :)

As always, a massive thank-you to all of you who took the time to read, vote on and/or leave comments on this story. You guys are fantastic and make my day!

It was Hailey who discovered that Melanie had been in contact with Child Services.

The teen was helping the twins unpack their suitcases when she had the afternoon off the day after the lifeguard challenge. They were sitting in the living room, surrounded by piles of clothes, personal items and souvenirs from all over the world. Hailey was trying to find her keys, which had disappeared in the chaos.

"Check by the phone", Alice suggested, tossing a handful of socks into the basket with the dirty laundry.

Her twin got up and rummaged through the stack of documents and papers they had set on the table.

Suddenly, she stopped, holding up a small card. "Lisa McConnell, Child Services?", she read, staring at her younger sister with a puzzled expression.

"Child Services?", Alice parroted, turning to look at Melanie as well.

The teen ducked her head, feeling her face growing warm. "Yeah", she mumbled.

Hailey plopped herself down on the floor again and Alice shuffled closer. "Why?", they wondered, even though they both had an inkling if the furrow of their brows was any indication.

Sighing, Melanie put away the clean shirt she had folded and told them the story of what happened after they had left on their journey around the world.

***

After she had finished, both her older sisters were quiet and didn't meet her eyes. For a moment, nobody spoke or moved, silence reigning in the room.

Then, Hailey got to her feet and hurried off, the front door slamming closed a few seconds later.

Alice sighed softly, running a hand through her hair and looking at her little sister, who was back to folding clean clothes with a dismayed expression on her young features.

"She'll be back", she offered. "You know how she gets when she's upset."

Melanie looked up and smiled slightly. "Yeah."

"So...is Lisa...is she a good person?", Alice wanted to know. "I mean, does she listen and actually try to do what's best for you? Or is she one of those 'it's all in your best interest'-types?"

The teen smiled. "Lisa's a top woman", she said. "She helped me get the job at Michele's and she was really excited for me when I told her about the lifeguard try-outs."

Alice nodded, a smile gracing her lips as well. "That's good." The smile vanished again and she took a deep breath. "Listen, um...I need to talk to you."

Surprised by the sudden change in her sister's voice, Melanie nodded and decided to wait and let her continue in her own time.

***

"I know that saying sorry won't be enough", Alice said, her voice and face filled with remorse. "The way we left – without telling you beforehand, without proper goodbyes and with the things we said – there's no excuse for that. We left you completely alone. We hurt you, a lot."

Melanie nodded. "It hurt, yeah", she admitted. "But-"

Alice held up a hand to stop her from trying to take the blame, continuing: "No but. It's unacceptable. It was always us three against the world, right? And look what Hailey and I did. We are just as bad as mum, no, we're worse than her. But...since an apology won't make things right, I just want to try and explain why- how we ended up there."