The Care System

Chapter Four

There was music drifting out of the room that Alice had been directed to. She recognised the song as one of her favourites. This calmed her nerves slightly as whatever kind of person lived behind the door had good music taste, that had to count for something. Alice took a deep breath and tapped lightly on the door.

She heard someone rustling behind the door and waited expectantly. Alice assumed whoever was behind the door had heard her knock, yet she stood there for almost a full minute without any indication that the door was going to open, she didn't want to knock twice. She heard something heavy being moved out of the way and seconds later the door opened a crack and a tousled-haired boy poked his head through the gap.

"Yes?" he asked curiously.

"Mr Murphy told me to bring you some dinner," replied Alice politely. The boy had vibrant green eyes that sparkled even in the dim light. Alice knew that a lot of boys their age would be jealous of the light stubble that dusted the boy's chin. He looked older than seventeen, but Alice knew that he couldn't be.

"Come in then." The boy grabbed Alice's wrist and pulled her into his room, shutting the door behind them with his foot. He sat on the corner of his bed whilst Alice stood frozen in the middle of his messy floor.

Alice had never been alone in a bedroom with a boy before. She could scarcely believe that she'd been away from her mother for only a couple of hours and she was already breaking one of her strictest rules. She watched dumbly as the boy stretched out his shoulders and grinned at her.

"Introduce yourself," he said, as if she were at a job interview.

"I'm um Alice."

"Hello, um Alice," the boy replied, "Here's a tip for you. Mrs and Mr Murphy are well aware that their food tastes like shit. They know full well that I won't eat it. Yet they've sent you up here nevertheless."

An unplanned nervous laugh escaped Alice's lips, which seemed to amuse the boy.

"I think they want you to spy on me," the boy continued seriously, "So when you go back downstairs. You're going to tell them without a shadow of uncertainty that I wasn't smoking."

Alice looked at the open window and the flecks of ash on the windowsill and realised that the boy was serious.

"Ok."

The boy's smile was beautiful. "Brilliant," he said and offered his hand, "I'm Ralph."

Alice shook his hand and then paused. Ralph's voice was familiar. He was the one who thought Alice was stuck-up. She wondered if he still thought that now that he had spoken to her.

"Do you want to put that down?" Ralph gestured to the plate that Alice was still holding. She nodded and hastily stuck it on Ralph's cluttered desk.

"What are you in for?" Ralph asked.

"What am I in for?" Alice repeated, "Why do you all ask that? This isn't prison."

"It isn't?" Ralph asked.

Alice told Ralph about her mum and he listened carefully.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ralph said sincerely.

"What about you?" Alice asked.

"Ah, never ask a foster kid why they're in foster-care."

"But you just-" Alice began but Ralph interrupted her.

"Where do you go to school?" he asked.

"Leeds Grammar School."

Ralph raised his eyebrows; his mouth formed a silent 'wow'.

"Do you always ask these many questions?" Alice asked. She was rather like a subject of interrogation, but she had no idea how to excuse herself from Ralph's room.

"Do you always stand awkwardly in strangers' rooms?"

Alice jumped slightly. With his foot, Ralph pulled out the chair from his desk and gestured for Alice to sit. The chair was slightly wonky on top of the clothes that it had rolled over. Alice sat down and listened to the music on Ralph's stereo.

"Do you know The Kooks?" Ralph asked watching curiously as Alice bobbed head in time with the music.

"Yes," Alice replied, "They're actually one of my favourites."

Ralph looked impressed, "I didn't know you lot listened to this kind of music."

"My lot?"

"Private school girls," Ralph explained, "I thought you'd be into new-wave European house or something."

"New-wave European house?" Alice laughed disbelievingly, "Have you ever even met a private school girl?"

Ralph thought about it for a moment. "Yes. You."

"And?"

"You're not what I expected," he said.

Alice smiled; she wasn't exactly sure why she was smiling. Nothing Ralph was saying was particularly funny, yet every time he opened his mouth she wanted to smile or laugh. She took a moment to look around Ralph's room, trying to gain a better idea of his personality. A brochure sticking out of some paper on his desk caught her eye. It was shinier and newer than any of the other things in his room. She pulled it out and read the title. Embossed text her told her that the brochure was for a culinary academy. Beneath the school's name was a photo of several smiling young adults with cooking equipment. The tagline promised that graduates of the school would go on to work in Michelin star kitchens.

"What's this?" Alice asked.

"Ah," Ralph plucked the brochure from her hands, "My exit plan."

He held up the brochure next to his cheek and grinned proudly like the chefs in the picture, emphasising how fake and cheesy the image was, "I applied a few weeks ago, I find out soon if I got an interview."

Alice smiled and took the brochure from Ralph. She flicked through it briefly before saying, "I hope you get in then."

"Me too," Ralph said with a touch of sadness that Alice couldn't quite place.

The sound of thundering footsteps grew louder. Dinner was finished and the Murphy residents were returning to their rooms.

"You better go," Ralph said abruptly.

"Oh?" For some strange reason Alice felt disappointed.

"You're not actually allowed to be in here," Ralph explained and pointed towards the rules on the back of the door, "Number six."

Alice peered at the rules and ran her finger down to number six. It read: No members of the opposite sex in your rooms.

"Ralph!" Alice squealed indignantly. She had never been in trouble before. Her heart began to race.

"It's fine," laughed Ralph, "Just sneak upstairs quickly."

Alice nodded and nervously opened the door. She glanced back at Ralph and whispered goodbye before dashing upstairs as quick as she could. It was only when she'd reached the safety of her bed that Alice realised that her stomach was full of jittery butterflies. Maybe the Murphy House wouldn't be so bad after all.