Lonely Hearts

Chapter fifteen: Lincoln

Apparently, Elliott was something of a computer whiz. After giving him the name of my sisters and my mum's name and some other details, he found Emma Johnson on Facebook.

What the hell? I've been looking on Facebook for years. How did he solve it in five minutes?

"She doesn't appear to post much. A few pictures of artwork. Follows all these adoption centers and charities. Follows the Children's Center, the Children's Home."

"The Children's Home has a Facebook page?" Skye asked.

"Yeah." He clicked on the page and scrolled down, showing us posts and pictures the Home had put up. "Mostly events and trips the Home has organized. Charity work. The soup kitchens. That sort of thing."

I remembered some of those activities. The youngsters got so giddy and excited at the idea of a trip out and the older kids planned tricks on the day guards as they escorted us and landed in trouble.

He clicked on one episode I remembered clearly. A trip to the cinema for some Christmas movie. It had been hyped up and talked about every evening for weeks, people held quizzes on the movie, the little ones drew pictures or made sculptures of the characters. It was considered the highlight of the month.

I could go, Emily had said, if I behaved myself from now until the trip. And for once, I listened. There were no explosive moments, no sarcastic comments. I was a model pupil.

Until Child X came along.

He was the newbie. Cried all the time. Needed a security blanket. Asked for his mum constantly. And like vultures circling a carcass, some of the tough lads started to pick on him.

I had two options, I could either find Charlie or Fred and have them take care of him. Or I could sort it out myself.

I didn't even realise I had chosen an option until one of the bullies was on the ground and whimpering with pain.

"You sick monster. Picking on a child like that. How do you like it?"

"Get off me." He coughed as I punched him again.

"Johnson. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Fred shouted, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me until I came to my senses.

"Fred, leave him to me." Charlie said quietly, and he let go.

I blinked back to reality and looked around the hall, everyone was watching me, tense. Waiting for my next move. The kid I was defending stood to one side, trembling and wide-eyed.

"Come on, Johnson. We need to have a chat." Charlie said, pushing me out of the hall and all I could see was the look of the kid.

It was the same look my sisters used to give me when I lost my temper. The one that broke my heart and made me promise to do better. To be better.

In the office, Emily sighed and shook her head, writing in my file and frowning before she put me in confinement and cancelled the appointment to see my sisters yet again.

"I'm sorry." I whispered the meaningless words she'd heard over and over.

She shook her head again in disappointment and sent me off to a foster home that almost broke me.

Almost.

I shook off the memories and focused on the screen.

"There's nothing there we can use." Elliott said.

"What about Instagram? Twitter? There must be something." I said, desperately.

He made a few more searches.