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  Tumbledown

  By

  T A Frawley

  Copyright

  Tumbledown Copyright © 2015 Thomas Frawley.

  All rights reserved. No parts of this may be used in any manner whatsoever without written permission.

  All characters in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Dedication

  I dedicate this book to my beautiful wife Teagan and lovely daughter Lana. In a world that is forever changing the one constant in my life is the love I have for them both.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter one

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Thee

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter 1

  It was always the same thought Phoebe as she watched the scene before her unfold. Places like Clarendon Lodge seemed to breed bullies such as Kate Nolan, a big girl that used her size to intimidate the weaker girls in the home.

  Phoebe had so far managed to keep off her radar but that was all about to change.

  “Leave her alone you big ox.”

  There it was, no going back now.

  “Who said that?”

  “I did you big moose, leave her alone or I will make you regret it.”

  All eyes were now on Phoebe as Kate turned to the brave young girl.

  “Once I am finished with this little creep I will deal with your insolence.”

  Phoebe could not abide bullying in any form and refused to be silenced.

  “You will deal with me now you overgrown freak.”

  It was a challenge that the big girl could ill afford to ignore. Losing face in front of the other girls was not an option for Kate Nolan who had built a reputation as someone to be feared.

  “That is just fine by me you meddlesome little turd.”

  With that Kate and her two companions turned to face a lone Phoebe.

  “Come get me ox face I am waiting.” Phoebe did not feel near as confident as she was trying to sound but she knew that the only way to get Kate away from the girl that she was tormenting was to give her another target.

  “You are slow even for a big fat moose of a girl.”

  That was it, Phoebe had hit a nerve and Kate sped across the room in order to get at her.

  “What is going on here? You know that you are only allowed in the communal room in smaller groups.”

  It was Miss Hanlon and for once Phoebe was pleased to see the so-called care co-ordinator of the home.

  “Run along now and find something useful to do.”

  As the large group began to disperse Kate brushed past Phoebe and whispered.

  “This is not over yet.”

  Phoebe smiled back at the larger girl and replied sweetly.

  “I know I still have to teach you a lesson in manners.”

  Why thought Phoebe? Just for once could she not leave it alone, after all what business was it of hers anyway? The girl that was being picked on had victim written all over her and it was not as if she had even talked to the stupid girl.

  Phoebe had been getting herself into these kinds of situations all of her young life; it was as if she could not stop getting involved in other people’s business.

  Jolene Hampton came over to Phoebe and tried to thank her for saving her skin.

  “Thanks, I thought I was a goner for sure that time. Kate was real mad at me.”

  Phoebe could not bring herself to care about this pathetic specimen before her and told her so.

  “Look at you, you have loser stamped all over you. It is no wonder that you get picked on by the others, you need to stand up for yourself and if anyone comes after you make them wish they had picked on some other poor soul.”

  It was good advice thought Phoebe but with the size of Jolene she would definitely take some beatings if she took it. Still it had stood Phoebe in good stead and if it was good enough for her then it was good enough for the younger girl before her.

  “You need to take care of yourself in this world because there sure as hell ain’t no-one else going to look after you.”

  It was a harsh truth but the sooner you learned it the better and Phoebe Maddison had learned it at an even younger age than Jolene Hampton.

  “I still want to thank you and if there is anything that you need I will try and get it for you.”

  Although Phoebe appreciated the offer of friendship coming from Jolene she would not accept it. She did not need friends or relations to cause her more grief. No, you were better off on your own, that way no one could hurt you the way that…….

  “She will come after you now that is Kate will come for you. I can help, I want to help and there are others that we can get to help us.”

  Phoebe’s thought interrupted she began to look at the grateful girl a little more closely and maybe she was wrong about Jolene but it did not matter.

  “If she comes I will deal with her myself and I have no need of anyone else’s help.”

  As the disappointed young girl walked away from her Phoebe could not help but feel a small pang of regret at the way she had treated Jolene.

  It was a couple of days before Kate made her move and it came from a typical sneak attack. Phoebe was not expecting such a cunning move from the bigger girl and although surprised by the nature of the attack she still felt completely up to the task of dealing with the situation by herself.

  Miss Hanlon called Phoebe to the office for a meeting and to discuss her progress at Clarendon Lodge.

  Phoebe was surprised to see Kate Nolan sitting opposite Miss Hanlon when she stood before the head of the home.

  “Do you know why I have called you here Phoebe?”

  “I was told it was a progress report but with Kate here I suspect that is not the case.”

  Miss Hanlon looked very stern as she began to speak.

  “Phoebe we take stealing very seriously here at Clarendon and it will not be tolerated, do you understand me?

  “I understand you very well I just do not know what this has to do with me and what Kate is doing in here looking so smug.”

  “I am glad that you have mentioned Kate as it is her assertion that you have stolen a gold bracelet from her.

  Miss Hanlon paused to gauge Phoebe’s reaction before continuing.

  “I would like to hear what you have to say for yourself before we conduct a search of your belongings.”

  “Why would I want to take some gaudy piece of bling from anyone? It really is not my style; I cannot bear the cold touch of metal against my skin.”

  It was true thought Bridget Hanlon as she looked at Phoebe and took in the girl’s appearance. With her short hair, bib & brace denim dungarees and scrubbed face she was every inch the tom-boy.

  Although Phoebe Maddison was taller than the average girl for her age she made no concessions to her femininity at all. She was pretty enough but with her large accusing eyes and permanent scowl Phoebe gave off an aggressive vibe that was very disconcerting.

  “You may not be inclined to wear the bracelet young lady but that would not stop you from selling it.”

  As she said this Miss Hanlon realised that she did not really believe, for one second, that the girl standing,
so tall and erect, before her was guilty of any wrong doing.

  “You can think whatever you like I did not take any stinking bracelet and that is all I have to say on the subject.”

  Seeing that Phoebe was going to stubbornly stand her ground Miss Hanlon took charge.

  “Very well, we will search your room and if anything is found then law enforcement will have to be involved.”

  Thinking that the threat of calling the police might change the stubborn girl’s position Miss Hanlon paused before rising to leave her office.

  “Call whoever you want I did not take the damned thing and that is that.”

  Kate Nolan was silent throughout the exchange between Miss Hanlon and Phoebe and seemed to be enjoying Phoebe’s discomfort.

  “You can wipe that smirk off your face missy and if I find that you are making this up there will be hell to pay.”

  “I would never do such……..”

  Kate was unable to finish her protest as Bridget Hanlon said tiredly.

  “That is it Nolan you can go and you Maddison will be escorted to your room by Malgosia, who will search your room in your presence.”

  That was fine by Phoebe who wanted nothing more than to get out of the claustrophobic office and the idea of someone searching her room did not give her any cause for concern.

  “That is fine by me Mal can search all that she wants, she will not find any crappy bracelet.”

  The walk back to her room with Mal seemed to take a lot longer than usual and although Phoebe liked the woman by her side they walked in silence. Once they had arrived Mal asked Phoebe to stand at the door as she searched the room.

  “Sure, no problem, I have nothing to hide.”

  It was not long before the young polish care worker found something to Phoebe’s astonishment.

  “I am so sorry Phoebe it was under your mattress, what can I do?”

  Phoebe was still shocked to see the bracelet in Mal’s hand and could only say.

  “You have to do what is right; you must report what you have found.”

  “But I know that you did not take this, I know the Nolan girl and I know that she is a bully and a liar.”

  Phoebe was grateful that someone believed she was not a thief but that did not change the fact that the bracelet was found in her room.

  “If you do not report what you have found then you could lose your job and I do not want that to happen so you have to do your duty and report me.”

  “I could tell Miss Hanlon of my suspicions and see what she has to say about the situation.”

  Phoebe just smiled at Mal and said in a resigned voice.

  “They are just suspicions and I think that Hanlon already has the same suspicions as you do but without proof she will do nothing.”

  With that Phoebe walked away to await her fate and contemplate a way to get back at Kate Nolan. She had won for now but there would be another time and Phoebe would wait for her opening.

  It was a whole new day before Phoebe found herself back in Miss Hanlon’s office and this time they were alone.

  “It seems your protestations of innocence were but hollow words young lady.”

  “I stand by my words and have nothing more to say, so if you are going to call the police then I suggest you do so now.”

  Bridget was still inclined to believe Phoebe was innocent but with the bracelet being found in her room she had to act.

  “In this case I have decided to deal with this in house and you should feel grateful for that my girl.”

  Bridget Hanlon really did not want to involve any outside parties as she was under constant scrutiny by the governing commission that would like nothing better than to shut down the home.

  “Really grateful to be branded a thief without a proper investigation or trial? I should be grateful for that!? I would prefer you called in the police so that they could find out the truth as you clearly cannot be bothered to do.”

  “My decision is final Miss Maddison and you will abide by it and carry out any punishment I deem suitable.”

  Phoebe wondered how Hanlon thought she could punish her; she was already in a secure home that was run like a prison. It amused her that this woman thought she could make her life any worse than it already was.

  “You will have all privileges suspended for three months and for those three months you will be on supervised cleaning duties every day.”

  A huge smile beamed out from Phoebe as she replied.

  “Suspend my privileges that is a joke, I receive no visits, no mail and as for cleaning duties good luck with making me do anything that I don’t want to.”

  Bridget Hanlon was surprised by Phoebe’s attitude to her punishment but could also see her point.

  “If you do not wish to comply with your new duties then you will be locked in your room for the day.”

  Phoebe’s smile just got wider at this news.

  “I do love my own company and I could use a break from the Kate Nolan’s of the world. What else have you got?”

  Bridget although Impressed with Phoebe did not show it and dismissed her, feeling that she had been bested by a fifteen year old girl. A feeling that she did not like one little bit and would take some thinking about.

  After one month of assigning a member of staff to take Phoebe down to carry out her new duties it became obvious that the obstinate girl would be true to her word. She steadfastly refused to do any cleaning and would stand before her escort looking intently at the ceiling.

  This behaviour landed her once again in Miss Hanlon’s office.

  “You seem to have an aversion to good honest work Miss Maddison.”

  There was no answer from Phoebe who would have relished the opportunity to do some real work but would not participate in a punishment regime that she felt she did not deserve.

  “So be it, I have talked to Miss Nolan and she has given me her word that there will be no further trouble and that she holds no hard feelings against you for stealing her bracelet. Now if I have your word that you will not start anything between the two of you then I am willing to let you go back to normal duties and lift the restriction on your privileges.”

  There was still no response from Phoebe who seemed more interested in looking out of the window into the grounds of Clarendon Lodge.

  “Well girl do I have your word or not?

  This was not going as planned thought Bridget who really needed to put an end to this nonsense as Clarendon was short-staffed and she could not spare any personnel to escort Maddison to and from her room every day.

  “Not.”

  My God this girl was infuriatingly stubborn and would not budge an inch.

  “You are enjoying your daily lockups then Miss Maddison!”

  Phoebe looked directly at Bridget Hanlon and said.

  “You have accused me of a crime I did not commit and punished me accordingly. If you are now saying that you were wrong and that you are going to give my punishment to the ox then I will give you my word that I will not retaliate.”

  “Firstly I will not be dictated to young lady and secondly as far as I am concerned you are guilty of theft. As you are unwilling to be reasonable and trying to get you to Implement your duties has proven futile, you will be locked in your room from the early morning to the evening until your punishment is over.”

  After dismissing Phoebe Bridget Hanlon once again felt that the obstinate girl had won and that by sticking to her principles Phoebe had shown great strength of character. The file on Phoebe Maddison was not particularly pleasant reading nor was it a story that Miss Hanlon had not heard before.

  All of the girls in her charge had disadvantaged backgrounds, broken homes, abuse, neglect, violence; there was nothing so different about Phoebe Maddison whose father had died when she was ten leaving her to be raised by her mother.

  Jocelyn Maddison’s breakdown due to depression and an inability to cope with a young daughter was nothing new or special; it was a story that was repeated throughout the fil
es in her office. Yet Bridget felt there was something missing from Phoebe’s file, it was just a feeling but she was sure that it did not tell the full story of how the young girl had ended up at Clarendon.

  Three months of being locked in her room for extended hours every day had taken their toll on Phoebe. This surprised her as she kept her interactions with the other girls at Clarendon to an absolute minimum at the best of times. The isolation had given her too much time to think and all she could think of was her mother and how she had been weak, too weak to take care of herself. That would never happen to Phoebe, she would be strong and never show weakness even when everything was against her.

  Jolene was the first to speak to Phoebe once her punishment was up.

  “Everyone knows that you did not take the bracelet and that you were wrongly accused.”

  For some reason Phoebe was immensely grateful to the younger girl for saying this, perhaps it was the isolation thought Phoebe.

  “Thanks but it doesn’t matter the ox will get hers in due time.”

  “What are you going to do to her?”

  “Now that would be telling, just watch this space.”

  Phoebe really had no idea what it was that she was going to do but she knew that the ox needed to be dealt with before she came after her again.

  It was in the dining room that Phoebe first caught sight of Kate Nolan who was sitting with her little gang of followers. After getting her food Phoebe deliberately sat at their table and spent the whole of the mealtime glaring directly at her adversary without saying a single word.

  After seeing that this bothered the ox Phoebe took every opportunity to stare the big girl out, sometimes whispering insults that only Kate could hear. It was only a matter of time before she would snap thought Phoebe who was enjoying the game that she was playing.

  Sure enough after Phoebe had accidentally on purpose tripped Kate knocking her down in the corridor, the larger girl lost it.

  “I am so sorry Kate it was an accident I do hope you will forgive me.”

  Phoebe said this in the most mocking tone that she could manage.

  “You little bitch I will paste the walls with you for that.”

  The rage coming from Kate was uncontrollable and even with the corridor populated with staff and residents she could not stop herself from lunging at Phoebe. It was not difficult for Phoebe to sidestep the big girl’s clumsy attempt to grab her.

  “Really Kate you do remind me of a big slow ox in so many ways.”

  Phoebe said this quietly and the only one that could hear her was Kate Nolan who picked herself up and went on the attack once again.

  “MISS NOLAN YOU Will STOP AND DESIST NOW.”

  It was the unmistakeable voice of total authority coming from Miss Hanlon and it stopped Kate Nolan in her tracks.

  “But Miss Hanlon she tripped me up, I was just….”

  “You were just about to attack a fellow resident my girl and I will not have that.”

  At this moment Jolene decided to give her account of the incident.

  “It was awful Miss Hanlon, Kate just went after Phoebe for no reason, I saw it all.”

  Phoebe looked quizzically at the younger girl not understanding why she would involve herself to such an extent in her business. It would just make her an even bigger target for the attentions of an angry Kate Nolan who was glaring at Jolene with undisguised hatred.

  “Miss Nolan you will be escorted to my office where you will await my pleasure. As for you Miss Maddison I am not convinced that you did not have a hand in this incident but with young Jolene here backing you up I shall give you the benefit of the doubt for the moment.”

  As everyone went about their business Phoebe took the opportunity to ask Jolene what she thought she was doing.

  “Are you nuts? You know that the ox will come after you now and I won’t always be there to protect you.”

  “I don’t care, you helped me and I am not your responsibility so we are now even.”

  Jolene walked away from the confused Phoebe who could not fathom why the vulnerable girl would put herself in harm’s way like that.

  Miss Hanlon did not quite know what to do about the situation concerning Nolan and Maddison, it seemed to her that their dispute would just escalate further until it became out of control. Something had to be done and done quickly, Nolan would be much easier to handle once Miss Maddison was removed from her immediate vicinity.

  That was it, Phoebe Maddison had to go. It did not matter who instigated the trouble, Bridget Hanlon had found out the hard way that the Maddison girl would not bend or be swayed in any way from the path that she thought right.

  With the level of oversight that Clarendon Lodge and her-self were being subjected to Hanlon could not have the governors getting a hint that she could not control the residents in her charge. Already the new cuts had eaten deep into her budget making it Impossible to keep staff levels to the level she needed and the applicants that were willing to work for minimum wage were ill-equipped to deal with some of the more difficult residents that came to Clarendon.

  Phoebe was becoming quite the regular in Miss Hanlon’s office and fully expected this visit to be just as unpleasant as the ones that had preceded it.

  “I think that I was perhaps a little harsh in the way that I dealt with the theft of Miss Nolan’s bracelet and I am now prepared to accept that you may not have taken it.”

  Bridget waited for Phoebe to respond and was expecting some gratitude from the sullen girl. Instead she was greeted with silence and what looked to her as a triumphant expression that irritated her somewhat.

  “Did you hear what I said Miss Maddison.”

  “Yes I heard you.”

  It was obvious that Phoebe was not going to make this easy so Miss Hanlon decided to power through her news.

  “I have decided that you are to be sent away to stay with a family that are looking to temporarily foster a disadvantaged individual. I have given them your file and they are happy for you to come and stay with them for a period of six months. I hope that you know what a wonderful opportunity this is for you and would hope that you will make the most of it.”

  “Do I get any say in whether or not I go?”

  A perplexed Bridget Hanlon could not believe what she was hearing.

  “Of course you do, but I cannot think for the life of me why you would not want to take advantage of such a generous offer by the Harrisons.”

  “That is because you do not have to go and live in their house and eat their food all the while feeling like the poor relation that is only there to make them feel better about themselves.”

  It was typical of her charges to exhibit such a cynical attitude but with Phoebe Maddison it seemed to be a default position.

  “I have met the Harrisons and they are decent people that just want to do something good and I think that you will find they will treat you as if you were one of their family.”

  Phoebe had heard this speech before and been the guest of decent families in the past with mixed success.

  “May I ask where I would be going and if I would be allowed to visit my mother while I am there?”

  This was better thought Bridget, if the girl was asking questions then she was also thinking of accepting the Harrison’s offer.

  “You would be going to Sevenoaks it is in the South of England and as for visiting your mother that is not possible at the moment. You know that she is not well and is not in a position to receive visitors just now.”

  Miss Hanlon handed Phoebe a file which contained all of the information that she would need to help her make her decision.

  “I really think this would be good for you right now and I do hope that you decide to go but if you decide to decline this offer which is your right I cannot guarantee that I can be there next time to protect you when Miss Nolan inevitably comes after you.”

  It was supposed to scare Phoebe into accepting the Harrison’s invitation. A tactic that could never work as Phoeb
e had no fear of Kate Nolan or anyone else for that matter.