Nowhere Child by Rachel Abbott

This isn’t the time to make her feel unloved and unwanted. She’ll just run away again, and all of this – everything I’ve tried to do – will have been for nothing.’ Emma’s voice breaks on the last bit of the sentence, and I feel myself tense. I know what’s coming.
    ‘She won’t run away from us, Emma.’ There is total confidence in the woman’s voice.
    Emma’s brows go down in the middle. She’s puzzled, but I’m not. It means I’ll be placed somewhere secure, where I can’t do any harm to anybody – in particular to Ollie.
    Tom at least seems to realise that I’m still in the room, and he turns to me, sitting down again so he’s at the same height as me and he can look me in the eye.
    ‘Tasha, neither Emma nor I believe you’re a threat to Ollie – but that doesn’t mean we can ignore the system. If you want to be part of this family there are things that have to be done properly, otherwise you could be taken away again in the future. That’s all we’re trying to do here. Make sure everything is sorted so that you can stay here forever. I promise, there’s no sinister plan. And we do need to keep you safe – not from anybody in this house, but you’re well aware of the threats from outside this room, aren’t you?’
    I know he’s right, but I want to stay here so much in my lovely room with my cute little brother. I want Emma to care for me and hug me again, every day. When she held me so tightly, it felt as if all my pain and unhappiness were escaping, seeping out through my skin.
    It doesn’t matter what I want, though.
    I put both hands on the table and push myself back.
    ‘What are you doing?’ Emma asks, her voice sharp.
    ‘Getting my coat.’ What did she expect me to do?
    ‘Sit down, Tasha. You’re not going anywhere. I’ve told you.’
    I see the Elizabeth woman bite the corner of her lip. She’s not pleased with Emma – that’s obvious.
    ‘Emma, we can go round and round in circles as often as you like, but if Natasha stays here, Ollie has to come with me. I’m sorry – I really don’t have a choice.’
    I start to get up again, but Emma flaps her hand at me.
    ‘You are asking me to choose between my children.’
    The woman gives her a funny look, which I think means what are you talking about – you’ve only got one child. Emma obviously gets the same message, and I can see the anger in her eyes.
    ‘As far as I’m concerned, these are both my children, and choosing one over the other isn’t acceptable.’
    ‘Come on now, Emma. You’re making this far more difficult than it needs to be. Ollie is your son.’
    ‘Of course he is. And from this point forwards, Tasha is my daughter. If I choose Ollie, what message is that giving Tasha? That she’s not as important as her brother?’
    ‘I understand how difficult it is for you. I’d like to think Tasha will understand why we have to do this and will appreciate that it’s only for a short time. That might be harder for a two-year-old to grasp, don’t you think?’
    Emma was fighting so hard for me, and although I knew what the outcome was going to be, it was kind of her at least to try.
    She starts to pace the room, not speaking, head down, hands on hips. She’s thinking, but I have no idea what her plan might be.
    Suddenly she stops and spins round, facing the Elizabeth woman.
    ‘What about if Tasha stayed with me, and Ollie went to stay with somebody that I choose – somebody responsible who you could totally trust?’
    The woman puts her head on one side. Her bottom lip sticks out as if she’s thinking, and her face looks like one of those pug dogs. I can hear Andy whispering in my ear, ‘Not a good look on her, is it.’ I push thoughts of Andy to the back of my mind for now, because the woman has sorted out her face and is talking, but she starting to sound impatient, as if she’s keen to get on – to take me away.
    ‘I don’t think that would work. There aren’t many people that we could have