Grow with me

-twenty nine-

Jade

I desperately needed to know about Perrie's past. I've searched every where for records on her, I've contacted many people over night, I've researched for hours through government websites, trying to find anything that can link me to Perrie and her past. I won't lie, I'm apprehensive about what I find but at the same time, it's needed to give her the best care we can. It's clear that Perrie doesn't have the mental capacity to act and be treated as the 18 year old girl she is. Therefore I'm trying my hardest to get through the rights and regulations about security on records etc.

I sighed and stretched out on the sofa. Only then I realized the sun was rising. I've been awake all night. I knew that if I went to sleep now, I wouldn't get up until mid day and that would mess up my sleep schedule even more so I'll stay awake until tonight. Just then I heard the little patter of feet scurrying across the hallway above me and I heard the laugh of Leigh-Anne too. Jesy texted me last night letting me know Perrie's fairy had gone missing and the amount of upset it had caused but I'm praying that today, we can find it. Perrie appeared at the door with the cutest morning smile on her face.

"Hewwo!" She cheered happily. I giggled and opened my arms. "Goooood morning baby," I chuckled as she ran towards me. She jumped onto the sofa next to me and snuggled into me. "Wha dat?" She asked sweetly pointing to my laptop screen. "That is big girl stuff which you don't need to worry about my baby," I chuckled and held her tighter. "Otayyy," she sighed and snuggled into me more.

Leigh then walked through the door too. "Have you been up all night?" She asked me. I nodded and smiled. "It baffles me how you do that, it really does. Did you find anything at least?" She asked, turning my laptop screen around.

"Not exactly yet, but I've contacted quite a few people and there will most likely be some legal stuff we have to go through to become like people for Perrie and get access to her records etc. I'm hoping I hear back from a few today so we can get a hold of this ones medical records. I need to contact social services too," I explained. Leigh just nodded as she clicked on different tabs.

"We should do that when Jesy is here, maybe go in and have a face to face meeting with them. You've seen the movies, usually people recognize her and things come flooding back," Leigh suggested. I chuckled and ran my fingers through Perrie's hair. "Not everything is an American blockbuster babe," I smiled. She rolled her eyes but nodded. "I know that but I still think it would be a good idea," she smiled. "It is, I'll ring up later and organize a meeting." Just then Perie's belly let out a big rumble. She gasped and looked between us. I giggled at her and raised my eyebrows.

"I think there is a monster in Perrie's belly Jade," Leigh-Anne giggled causing Perrie to gasp more. "I think there is too!" I laughed along. "N-no no monster in dere!" Perrie said, shocked, almost as if she didn't want to believe it. "I think there is, a big hungry monster that's ready to gobble up some yummy pancakes!" Leigh enthused as she came over to Perrie with wiggling fingers. Perrie screeched and curled into me laughing. I laughed too. She was too cute, seriously too cute. "I wan 'ancakes Wadey," she muttered at me quietly, eyeing Leigh suspiciously. "Me too," I muttered back. "Now 'ancakes?" she asked me. I nodded. "Leigh go make pancakes," I chuckled. She nodded and went to the kitchen. "Me 'oooo!" Perrie jumped up and followed Leigh-Anne quickly into the kitchen. I laughed and followed.

---

"Hi there Miss Thirlwall. It's lovely to meet you," Joanne smiled at me, shaking my hand and greeting the other girls too. "And this is Perrie?" She asked. Perrie was practically stood behind me, staring at the colours on the wall. It wasn't a normal office, it had boxes of toys and books and art supplies. It was obviously the office of a social worker. "This is indeed Perrie." I smiled and moved around a little bit but Perrie just screeched and hid behind me again. "She's a bit shy," Leigh laughed apologetically. "Ah that's okay, do you want to take a seat?" Joanne pointed to the seats. We all sat down and Perrie looked at us confused then sat herself on the floor next to my feet. "Baba, there's a chair here. Do you want to sit next to me?" Jesy asked sweetly and tapped it. Perrie looked at me, Joanne and then Jesy and quickly shook her head. She hid in my legs. I smiled at Jesy sadly and stroked Perrie's hair.

"Well let's get started, why are you here?" Joanne smiled, resting her arms on the table in front of her and clasping her fingers."We were wondering if there were any traces of Perrie in the system. She's been doing some things that are confusing us and we thought it could possibly be someone who used to live with her," Leigh explained. I mentally face palmed at the amount of loop holes there were in that introduction. Joanne's face met mine with a confused glance. "Things?" She muttered, indicting us to elaborate. I began explained how we found Perrie, what we found her with and the dots we've already joined. She nodded as she began to understand. "So the confusing things? Such as what?" Joanne asked. That's when Jesy took over, explaining the bath situation and the fairy situation too. "Okay, wow. Has she had a psychiatric evaluation?" Joanne asked sincerely. "No not yet, that was next on the list if we got no where with this," I smiled. "Okay, well do you have her passport on you now? It will hold relevant information which we need to look," She said. Leigh-Anne nodded, pulled out Perrie's passport and slid it across the desk.

"Ah Alexander Edwards. Perfect," she began typing into her computer. We all shared a look, a hopeful one. I felt Perrie tug on my jacket so I looked at her. "You okay bub?" I asked. She pointed to the box of colours. "Want to go colour?" I asked her excitedly. She nodded and looked at Joanne, scared but then back at me and nodded again. "Come on then, I'll come with you,"I whispered, standing up. I walked over to the table and she crawled behind me. I opened up a colouring book for her and found a toadstool picture with a fairy on top- bingo!"I-it fawy," she giggled and pointed at it. "It sure is munchkin, do you want to put some pretty colours on?" I said, picking up the pencil crayons and moving them closer to her. A few minutes later we were interrupted by a voice: "Perrie Louise Edwards, born on the 10th July 2002." I looked up and went to sit closer. Not too far from Perrie but closer to Joanne so I could hear.

"She's in the system alright," Joanne muttered. "What does that mean?" Jesy asked- eagerly. "That means her family put our system through hell. They were a nightmare and we tried for years to take her away but we could never get the evidence we needed. Her parents always had a back up plan, excuses, witnesses." Joanne explained. "You mean, you knew she was being abused?" I scoffed. "Not exactly, we had an incline, nothing for certain. Once her sister died, they moved and we couldn't fin-""Her what whatied?" Leigh interrupted. "Her sister died," Joanne reiterated. "She had a sister?" I asked shocked and looked to Perrie. Joanne nodded. "You didn't know?" She said, shocked. "We had no idea!" I gasped.

"Wadey, wook it doned," Perrie giggled holding up her colouring book. I looked to her with tears in my eyes, Leigh looked too, a tear slid down her face. "Wh-wh... sad?" Perrie whimpered, tilting her head to the side. "What was her name?" I heard Jesy whisper to Joanne. I opened my arms for Perrie, she crawled over slowly. "Billie," Joanne replied. Just then Perrie stopped in her tracks and stared at Joanne. "B-biwwie?" She whimpered as tears formed in her eyes.