Gracie Rose | tracy beaker returns {on hiatus}

26

ONE MONTH LATER

We were all sat in the living room, as always, minding our own business. It was sunny outside, but it was still freezing, meaning none of us could be bothered to play outside. We were all tired after a fun trip to the cinema the night before, so none of us had much energy anyway. Mike, Gina and Tracy were in the office with a new girl. I hadn't heard much about her, other than the fact her name was Elektra and she was a bit older than me. I'd just turned twelve, and she was about fourteen. I was looking forward to meeting her, but I was also a little nervous about what she would think of me. We hadn't had any new people for a very long time, so I wasn't used to introducing myself to people. That was something I never really liked doing. I always felt really awkward about it, but now I know it was my anxiety that was causing it, I just didn't know I had it at the time.

A little while later, a girl, who was wearing a lot of blue, including blue streaks in her hair, walked into the living room alone. I guessed that was Elektra, but was a little confused as to why she'd come in without any adults. I stayed sat down on the sofa with Tee, while Carmen got up to say hello.

"Hi, you must be Elektra." Carmen started. "Wow, amazing hair! How did you get it like—,"

"Shut up." Elektra interrupted. I turned to look at Tee with a worried expression on my face. I was expecting someone friendly, and already I could feel myself not liking this girl.

"Who's in charge?" she asked. Nobody answered.

"Are you all thick or something? I said who's in charge!" Elektra carried on. Liam was the oldest, so everyone turned to face him. He was playing pool. I didn't want to look at Elektra, so I followed everyone else and looked at Liam.

Big mistake.

Elektra began power walking up the living room, pushing everyone out the way as she did it. I kept out of the way because it was starting to get quite scary. She pushed Liam over the pool table, where he flipped backwards and fell to the floor with a thump.

"Come on then!" Elektra shouted.

"What do you mean, come on?" Toby said. Elektra groaned and left the room in a hurry, throwing a pool cue against the wall, giving me a fright.

"Well that was an awkward welcome." Johnny said.

"Why did you all look at me? Liam said angrily.

I put my head in my hands and tried to zone out until Mike came in and asked if we'd seen Elektra.

"Upstairs," we all said in unison without looking at him.

"Thanks guys?" Mike said before walking away confused.

"I'm going to go and talk to her." Carmen bravely said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I want to know why she acted like that. She might just be nervous about being new here." she replied. I nodded my head and let her go upstairs.

"Is everything okay?" Tracy asked, calmly strolling into the living room.

"I'm going to go and talk to Elektra. Be back in a sec!" Carmen explained before heading upstairs.

"Elektra was rude to us. She pushed Liam over the pool table." Gus informed Tracy.

"Liam, are you okay?" Tracy asked. He nodded and gave us all a glare. I sighed.

"Gracie?" Tracy asked. I looked up.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Just fine." I said sarcastically. It wasn't that I was upset, I was just bored and annoyed in a way.

Not long later, Carmen came back downstairs with Elektra.

"Everyone, I want you to meet my new friend, Elektra." she said.

"We've already met her though," Gus said.

"Yeah, but that wasn't the best welcome, so you're all meeting her again." Carmen explained. She gave Elektra a smile.

Elektra came and sat on the other sofa opposite me and Tee. She grabbed one of the building blocks that Harry had been playing with and broke his tower, but instantly apologised.

"Hi, I'm Tee." Tee said to Elektra.

"Hi, Tee." Elektra said with a smile. "What's your name?"

"I'm Gracie." I replied quietly.

"Oh hi," Elektra said.

*****

We played a game of pool in teams of boys and girls, and the girls won! We finished just in time for curry so we all ran into the kitchen to tuck in. I was starving, so I was really looking forward to it, even though Tracy was the one helping Sapphire with it. Her cooking isn't the best. That's the nicest way to put it I guess. I sat down in my usual seat next to Carmen and Tee, and waited for my plate to be passed to me. Sapphire was handing them out. However when she handed them out, the plates were half empty.

"I'm starving!" Toby said.

"Well, I don't think this is going to help!" Mike complained.

"Are you trying to put us on a diet?" Tee moaned.

"It smells like Gina's Wednesday pasta." Gus said. I started to eat it and noticed Tracy and Sapph looking at each other weirdly. They'd used it and hadn't told her. I had to hold in my laughter, but it was hilarious.

"Tastes like it too." I smiled, trying to control myself.

Gina then started banging on about going shopping the next day, and when Tracy said that her and Sapph would go, it made me realise that what I thought was correct. Carmen then pushed Toby along so Elektra could sit on that side of her. I still wasn't too sure about her, but it was early days.

"This is either a tiny amount of curry or a very big plate." Elektra said. A few sniggers filled the room.

THE NEXT DAY

Carmen and Tee had gone off with Elektra, and Tracy and Sapph had gone to the shops, so I was just sitting in my room listening to music. I had just finished some homework when Elektra knocked on the door.

"Hey, so me and the girls have started a little club, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us?" she asked.

"What sort of club?" I said.

"Well, so far it's the SGC and Frank, which is the secret girls club, but Frank wanted to be in it so that's why we've named it like that. Don't tell the others though." Elektra explained.

I had a think about it, because I was scared something bad would happen, but I ended up saying yes. I didn't fully trust Elektra yet, but Tee and Carmen were my friends, and Frank for that matter, so I thought I'd give it a go. I followed them to the attic, where they had decided to make the 'secret hideout'. Elektra had ordered in some takeaway, but while we were eating it, Liam tried to kick us out. He was shouting, and I didn't like it, but I tried to keep it together because Elektra hardly knew me.

About an hour later, Johnny and Toby had joined too. I still had a dodgy feeling about it, but there was nobody I could talk to about it, so, although Tracy has told me not to, I bottled my feelings up and pretended I was okay.

"So, we're all agreed then?" Elektra asked. We all nodded.

"Okay, great. From now on, we're SETA. Secret Elm Tree Army. Is that alright?" She carried on. Everyone was alright with that.

But this was where everything began to change, and I don't mean for the good...