After 2 hours of rehearsing, the group made their way to the place Leonie suggested.

A sign on the door read 'Josephine's.'

"What is this place, Leonie?", asked Miss Laine.

"This is Josephine's. A shelter for children and teenagers who have been abandoned", said Leonie.

Miss Laine's heart filled with joy at the idea of the group helping children. "Oh that's amazing! Are you sure we don't need to have made appointments?"

Leonie shook her head. "I help out here and Joe said I can bring friends any time."

As if on cue, a burly man with a surprisingly kind face opened the door. "Nee!", exclaimed Leonie. "You come here so often you might as well move in! And I see you've brought some friends with you!"

Leonie smiled. "Is it ok for them to join in?"

"Of course! The more the merrier!"

Once they entered, the children swarmed Leonie, bombarding her with questions and hugs. She giggled as their hugs tickled her. "Ok, ok! Who wants to meet my friends?"

Some children cheered whilst others stayed quite.

Leonie turned to the group. "Spend time with them, get to know them. We'll help with dinner later."

As the group moved around, Leonie gently grabbed Eli's arm. "Eli, there's this boy who's Dad just got deployed for the first time. Would you be able to talk to him please?"

Eli nodded. "Of course! Where is he?" After being directed, Eli made his way over to the boy.

"Hi there, little man", said Eli. "My name's Eli, or El. What's your name?"

The boy scowled at Eli. "Get lost."

Slightly taken aback, Eli decided to take a different approach. "Do you like sports? Animals? Human interaction?"

The boy still didn't respond.

Eli sighed and rested against the wall. "I heard your Dad got deployed."

"What's it to you?"

"Well, my Dad's in the army too. Both of my parents are", said Eli. "He's getting deployed soon."

The boy, though still hesitant, turned to face Eli. "Your Mum and Dad?"

Eli nodded.

The boy bit his lip, as if he was deciding whether to speak or not. "Si."

"Sorry?"

"My name's Si", said Eli.

Eli smiled. "Cool name."

"Yeah. Not like Eli", said Si, a smirk on his face.

Eli raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. "I'll let that one slide."

After seeing that Si had relaxed, Eli tried to start up a conversation again. "Are any of your other family members in the Army?", he asked.

Si shrugged. "Don't know. It's just been me and Dad since I were little."

"And I'm guessing you're worried things will be different now?", asked Eli.

"Wow, you catch on quick for an airhead", he said, sarcastically.

"I don't condone this level of abuse. Especially not at my expense", said Eli.

"Why do you talk so posh?", asked Si.

"Why do you talk like a 40 year old pub owner?", asked Eli. That wasn't true. He just couldn't think of anything better to say.

It seemed to have worked because Si started laughing. "It's how my Dad talks."

"You two are really close, aren't you?", asked Eli.

Si nodded. "Yeah. He's my best mate", he said, before looking at Eli and pointing a finger at him. "Don't tell him I said that!"

"You're secret's safe with me", said Eli. "It was hard for me, growing up. With military parents. They're seen as heroes by some but villains by others. It makes you see the world differently too. Your family is out there fighting a war that could've been prevented."

"What will it be like? And I don't want any of that sugar coating. Everyone always says it'll be fine but I want the truth."

The truth?

"Everyone has a different experience", said Eli.

"Well, tell me from yours."

Eli sighed. "Well, you stay up every night watching the cars go by outside your house. Hoping that he'd be in one of them. You turn the TV on when you come home from school to see if there will be a news segment on the Army. Hoping to catch a glimpse of his face. The face that used to tuck you into bed every night."

Eli could feel the tears brimming in his eyes but continued. "Then, when months go by and he doesn't come home, you learn to get on with your life. Then you go to stay with your Aunt for a bit because your Mum also works in the Army, but comes home more often. You start to wonder what they're doing. If they're thinking about you", said Eli, looking at Si. "Spoiler alert, they are."

Si smiled, unaware of the tears in his own eyes.

"You worry about them dying every day. But when you see their face, their actual face after so long, and feel their arms wrap around you... you know that they're safe. And that feeling doesn't change no matter how old you get."

-

Kennedy and Maxon approached a young boy who clutched a toy bear. He rocked back and forth, shaking his head. "Hey buddy, are you ok?"

The boy shook his head and continued rocking. They stayed silent until he had calmed down. "Is everything ok?"

The boy nodded. "Don't like noises."

"Oh. Our entrance was quite loud. Sorry, mate", said Maxon.

Kennedy liked this gentle side of Maxon, and found herself smiling when he spoke to the boy.

"Why are you here?", asked the boy.

"We wanted to hang out with Leonie's other friends", smiled Kennedy. "I'm Kennedy and this is Maxon. What's your name?"

"Deacon."

"Cool name", smiled Maxon.

"Does that make me a cool person? Like you?", asked Deacon.

"What makes you think I'm cool?", asked Maxon.

"You have a black jacket on, a girl with you and an angry look on your face. That stuff's cool, right?"

Kennedy giggled at his description of Maxon. "I mean, yeah, he's quite cool."

"Then how can I be cool?", asked Deacon.

"What do you mean?", asked Kennedy.

Deacon looked at Kennedy. "Do you like him?"

Kennedy's eyes widened. "I-I mean, I...well, yeah. He's a f....he's friend. A friend! A friend, sorry."

Maxon smiled at Kennedy's response, trying to stifle a laugh.

"So how can I  be cool? People like cool things. If people liked me, I wouldn't have been left here."

Kennedy felt her heart being ripped out and stamped on. She wanted nothing more than to hug him but sensed that he might not want that.

"Hey, being cool isn't about what you look like", said Maxon.

"It's not?", asked Deacon. "So, autism can be cool?"

Good grief can someone please get Kennedy a tissue? And the number for whoever hurt Deacon.

"H*ell yeah! Sorry, heck yeah. Anyone can be cool. There are just 3 simple rules", said Maxon.

Deacon surprised them by getting out a small notebook and pen. "What are they?"

"Ok so one, is two treat people how you want to be treated. Two, is to always believe in your own worth. And three, is to remember that being cool is about being kind."

Kennedy smiled lovingly at Maxon, unaware that she was doing so. She was so used to the tough Maxon but always knew this side of Maxon existed.

"Your bear's cool", said Kennedy.

"Thank you", he said, though he clutched it closer. "When thing's get too loud, I squeeze it until it makes it stop."

"That's handy", smiled Kennedy.

-

Leonie leaned against a wall, with a young girl girl resting her head on her lap. Leonie braided small strands of her hair. "¿Como esta tu abuela?"

"Ella es mejor", she replied.

"¿Leíste el libro que te di?", asked Leonie.

"¡Si! Me gusta la hermana de Luna", answered the girl.

Leonie smiled brightly. "¡Yo también!"

The pair continued talking, as if they had all the time in the world.

-

A young girl tugged at Camryn's jacket sleeve. Her first instinct was to attack but she reigned it in, because, you know- there are kids everywhere.

"Oh! Hi there... small child", said Camryn.

"Your beanie is nice. I have one in my bag!", beamed the girl. "I'm Nicole!"

"Oh, cool. Hey Nicole. I'm Camryn", she replied. She noticed the girl was clutching a drawing of a rose. "That's nice, did you draw it?"

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. It took me ages."

Camryn noticed that it lacked colour, something she would've expected someone as energetic as Nicole to be used to using. "Do you not want to add colour to it?"

Nicole shook her head. "It looks better in black or white. Bright colours are for babies."

Babies, you say? Camryn bit her tongue. She wasn't offended- Nicole was really young. She just wanted to show her that art isn't about being professional, but she didn't know how to.

Camryn rummaged inside her pocket and found a small object. "Hey Nicole, want to see something cool?"

Nicole furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but nodded. The look of confusion only grew when Camryn showed her the object. "What is it?"

"It's a kaleidoscope. I carry it around with me wherever I go", said Camryn. She moved it closer to Nicole, allowing her to see inside.

An array of shapes and colours danced around inside this small object, each movement more eye-catching than the last.

Camryn's smile brightened as she saw the look of awe on Nicole's face. She could only describe it as the feeling of being a proud parent.

"Woah! That looks so cool", said Nicole. "Is it magic?"

"Magic and art are actually pretty similar", said Camryn. "Why do you prefer black and white?"

Nicole's face fell. The bright girl seemed to have faded. "My Mummy used to draw. She said it had to be neat. She made me go to lessons. One day, she ripped up my drawing because I did a rainbow."

"That's terrible."

Nicole shook her head. "No, no it's not! She just wanted me to be an artist like her. I love my Mummy."

Ah. Classic case of 'I never achieved my dreams so you have to.'

"Where's your Mum now?"

Nicole remained silent for a bit, and Camryn regretted asking. "She's playing with my brother in the sky."

Camryn could feel her heart shatter. She couldn't imagine life without her brother. "I'm sorry", was all she could say.

"It's ok. I have Joe and Jo now", said Nicole. "They took me in when my foster parents were bullies. "

"You were in foster care? I was too. Well, I spent most of my time in a children's home", said Camryn.

Camryn never really spoke about her past. But who would Nicole tell? Camryn didn't know Joe or Josephine well so it's not like she'd mind them knowing. And there's no reason for Nicole to tell Leonie.

"Really? Were your parents bad people?"

Camryn paused for a minute, unsure of how to answer. "Yes and no. My Dad... he's a bad person. My Mum... She's done some really bad things but... she's not a bad person."

Camryn's Mum was an addict. Nowadays, she comes round only to ask for money for drugs. Despite this, she still believes there's good in her Mum, that the drugs make her a bad parent.

"Does it ever get.... does your heart get better?", asked Nicole, the most heart breaking expression of sadness on her face. "It keeps hurting when I think about Mummy."

Camryn felt her eyes well up and a lump form in her throat. She coughed to clear her throat. "I-I don't know. It'll be hard for a while. You might forget what it's like to stop crying. But when the smoke clears... these people will still be here for you. So even if it doesn't get better straight away... you will never be alone."

She felt the tears roll down her face and quickly wiped them a way. Nicole rested her head against Camryn's shoulder, her eyes closing slightly. It was getting quite late.

Camryn stared at her kaleidoscope in her hand. Nico bought it for her a short while after they were separated, to remember he was always thinking about her and to never give up on art.

She reached for the sparkly golden bag that Nicole had and opened it up, pausing for a moment before putting it in her bag and zipping it up.

"¡Mila ten cuidado!", exclaimed Leonie. Camryn saw a young girl running backwards and almost crashing into her. She held her arm out onto the girl's back to steady her.

"¡lo siento!", exclaimed the girl.

Camryn shook her head. "Está bien."

Leonie gave Camryn a grateful smile before turning to the girl. "¿Por qué no ves si Ben quiere jugar?"

The girl nodded and ran off.

Leonie turned to Camryn, kneeling down beside her. "I'm sorry about that."

Camryn shook her head. "It's ok. I-I didn't know you spoke Spanish too?"

"Oh! Yeah, I learned it for- I mean, yeah I-I do", said Leonie. She noticed Nicole resting against Camryn and smiled. "She really likes you."

Camryn looked down at her and smiled. "She's pretty cool."

Leonie looked at Nicole as if she was her own child. "Yeah, she is. Not every kid comes here because they have no family. Sometimes, the family they do have doesn't deserve them", said Leonie, before standing up.

As Leonie's words sank in, Camryn pictured all the times her Mum let her down; all the times she said she'd get clean but never did.

"Uh, Leonie?"

Leonie turned to face her again. "Yeah?"

"This place...", she started, looking around. "...it's a good find."

Leonie smiled.

-

Weronika and Isaac sat with a boy who wasn't much younger than them. He had bad scarring on the left side of his face. "So what's your name?", asked Weronika.

"Asim", replied the boy, his voice a quite whisper.

"I'm Isaac", said Isaac, pointing to himself. He then pointed to Weronika. "And this is Weronika."

"So what sort of things do you like?", asked Weronika.

"I like football", he said.

"Oh no, I think Weronika should take this one. The only physical sport I do is dancing", said Isaac, making Asim laugh.

"I've played a few times. Who's your favourite team?", asked Weronika.

"Moorside", said Asim.

Isaac and Weronika looked at each other, a shared expression of acknowledgement on their faces.

Moorside Football Team were awful. They used to be amazing but thing's went downhill last year when they got a new manager. You don't have to like Football to know the team are terrible now.

"My Dad used to take me to see them. I know they're cr*p now but they used to be good", said Asim.

"Does he not take you to them any more?", asked Weronika.

Asim stayed quiet, putting his head down for a brief moment. "He passed away 2 years ago."

"Oh. We're so sorry... you don't have to talk about it, Asim", said Isaac.

Asim shook his head. "I don't mind. Just, thinking about him takes me back to that day. We were walking in a shopping centre, just minding our own business, when these two boys run past us and spray us with something. They started beating up my Dad but I started screaming so much that it attracted attention and the boys ran off. Turns out they had a*id in those bottles. My face kept burning in the Ambulance and I honestly thought I was dying. I made it out but the scarring was so bad. I found out later that my Dad died in the shopping centre from his injuries."

An uncomfortable silence krept up on them. They wanted to hug him, but didn't know if that's what he wanted.

"My Mum tried to look after me but found it too hard. They only targeted us because we're Muslims. It could've been any other Muslim that day, so in a way, I'm glad it was me and not someone else."

"Asim... I can't say I know what it feels like to go through what you have. But I know what it feels like to be picked on by people who aren't like you", said Isaac.

Weronika nodded. "Me too. People don't like different. They don't like what they can't understand but instead of trying to understand them, they turn to hate."

"When does it change?", asked Asim.

"I-I don't know", said Isaac.

An ominous silence filled the air again, as they contemplated the answer to this age old question.

-

Darius and Stanley were in a corner, looking out at all the children.

"They're so small, man", said Stanley.

"I know", said Darius.

Just then, two children barelled into them, knocking Darius and Stanley to the ground. "Jesus are they made out of rocks?", questioned Darius.

Darius saw that the two children looked eerily similar. One boy and one girl. Both had light brown hair. "Hey there, kids. What's your name?"

"I'm Barb", said the girl. "And this is Bob", she said, pointing to the boy. "We're best friends." The boy smiled. "Bestest ever."

Darius and Stanley looked at each other. "Bestest? Oh dear, someone hold my fruit juice."

Darius knelt down to the kids. "What's his favourite colour? Go. Now."

"Green!", they said in unison.

"Favourite animal?"

"Tiger!", they exclaimed, high fiving.

Darius squinted his eyes at them. "Fine. What are you both thinking right now?"

"Chocolate chip cookies!"

Darius slowly rose and looked at Stanley. He nodded at him. "Watch and learn kiddies. Ask us."

"Favourite colour?"

"Aqua blue!"

"Favourite animal?"

"Cross between a lion and tiger. A liger!"

"What are you both thinking right now?"

"Why does it matter if the grass is greener on the other side? What does the colour of grass have to do with anhthing?", they exclaimed, in unison.

The children stared in awe. After they had finished, Darius and Stanley laughed and the expressions on their faces, which made the children laugh too.

Jo walked into the room, a bright grin on his face. "LUNCH IS READY!"

-

There will be one more part of Helping Hands because I realised this would be too long if I included the other things I wanted to.

So, what are your thoughts on this chapter?

       ______________________________

Leonie and Mila's conversation:

¿Como esta tu abuela?: How is your grandma?

Ella es mejor: She is better

¿Leíste el libro que te di?: Did you read the book I gave you?

¡Si! Me gusta la hermana de Luna: Yes! I like Luna's sister. (Character in the book Leonie gave her)

And when Mila was about to bump into Camryn, Leonie said:

¡Mila ten cuidado!: Mila, be careful!

She said sorry to Camryn.

Camryn said:

Está bien: It's ok

Then Leonie said:

¿Por qué no ves si Ben quiere jugar?: Why don't you see if Ben wants to play?

-cherrysvalanxe

ATHENA-yeonnie

CaptainHermioneSwan

DoodleYeet

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