: : Summary : : The O�Connell girls are older, and as beautiful as Evie. They are beginning to find interest in other guys, the innocent type of interest, and their looks, so read and find out what happens
When time for starting school arrived, two months had passed since the family had moved back to England. Louisa was sleeping in the room she shared with her sisters, but in the same bed as Rebecca, still too afraid to sleep on her own. During that time Evelyn had re established herself with the British Museum, and had gotten hired on as the new Curator. That job required more time on her part, but since they had moved back, Rick had made the decision to stay at home and take care of the house and the girls. The other thing, Evelyn had focused on was getting the girls enrolled at St. Josephs School for girls, and while Rebecca and Elizabeth were excited about going, Louisa was not. Both Rick and Evelyn had made the decision to get her to try school, and if it didn�t work out for her, then Rick would teach her from home. The first day of school arrived, and Elizabeth and Rebecca had gotten up on their own both in the bathroom laughing as they got themselves ready for the first day. When Evelyn arrived to get her daughters up, the only one she found still in bed was Louisa.
�Louisa,� Evie said settling at her bedside.
�Go away,� she grumped. Evelyn lay beside her and in a moments time Louisa was snuggled against her.
�You can�t let me go mother, what if a boy finds me. They will know that I was taken, and they will think they can do the same as the other boys,� she said, her voice shaky with fear. Evelyn held her close rubbing her back.
�Listen to mother. The school you are attending is and all girls school. The teachers, all of them are sisters, who will take good care of you,� Evelyn said. She had gone to the same school and the Head mistress was the same as when she had been, and a wonderful woman.
�But daddy won�t be there if someone hurts me,� she said and began to cry. It was tempting just to leave her with Rick, but Evelyn was worried that if they didn�t get her back out into society, that she would never learn to function on her own, and while neither had a problem with caring for her as long as she needed them to, both wanted her to have the same chances at life as Alex and their other two girls.
�Will you try school for a week? If at the end you are still afraid daddy will teach you at home,� Evelyn said. That was something she agreed to do, and once she was up, Evelyn made a check in the bathroom with Rebecca and Elizabeth who had make up on their faces.
�I think that�s a little much my angels,� Evelyn said as she wet a washcloth and wiped their faces clean.
�But we want to look beautiful,� Rebecca protested as Louisa walked in to the bathroom.
�You are plenty beautiful without makeup, and when you are old enough, I will teach you how to wear it as I do,� Evelyn replied. She helped them fix their hair then they all went downstairs.
~*~
Since it was their first day of school, Rick and Evelyn had decided to take their daughters together. During the trip, Elizabeth and Rebecca chatted on, about how excited they were, and it was only Louisa who did not share that excitement, looking out the window as the drove. All to soon the arrived at the school, and as soon as everyone was out of the car, Louisa locked all the doors. Rick sent Evie in with Rebecca and Elizabeth and once they were gone he worked on getting her to let him in.
�If I let you in, you and mother must take me home,� she said, tears threatening.
�If I promised you that it would be a lie angel. I�ll wait here as long as I have to until you let me in,� Rick said, finding that he had infinite amount of patience when it came to her. Both he and Evelyn had learned to have that patience when she lashed out at them, and when she was stubborn. Louisa still got punished when she did things she knew was wrong, but most of her behavior they knew was from what had happened, and her having to cope with the changes in her life.
�I�m going to let you in, but you can�t take me in there,� she said. Rick agreed to that, and in a moment he was sitting in the back seat of the car holding her close.
�What if no one there likes me,� she said resting her cheek against his chest. That was a natural fear, and Rick realized with hope, that she was beginning to accept that she was going to have to at least try school out.
�You be the sweet young lady I love, and you will be fine,� he said. That got a smile from her, and after another few moments of cuddle time she got out of the car taking his hand and they went inside the old brick building. Evelyn met them at the door and they walked her to the classroom. The Head mistress had asked if it were all right to put the girls in separate classes, to see if they would cope on their own, and with reluctance both parents had agreed. When Louisa looked in she didn�t see her sisters and frowned.
�Where are they?� she asked as Evelyn knelt down.
�Mother Madaline needed to put you three in different classes, but you will see your sisters at lunch time,� Evelyn said. Louisa held on to her and both she and Rick sat with her for another few minutes until a young woman came out of the class.
�You must be Louisa. My name is Sister Dorothy,� she said, kneeling down so that she and Louisa were more eye level.
�I�m afraid,� she said to Dorothy. The staff knew what had happened to her, and all of them had instructions that if Louisa had a panic attack to call the museum or the house.
�I know you are, but there isn�t anything for you to fear. Today we are going to learn everyone�s name, and Father Andrew is going to have a special Mass,� she said. Louisa knew Father Andrew, from when they had lived in London before the war, and the few times the family had attended Mass.
�If I get too afraid can I go home?� she asked softly. Dorothy nodded her head and smiled when Louisa took her hand. Both Rick and Evelyn watched as she walked into the room, then both of them left to start their days.
~*~
By lunch, Louisa had made her first friend, a girl named Amber White, who was just as quiet as Louisa. Both of them found Rebecca, and Elizabeth sitting at a table with several other girls, and Louisa frowned when neither one of them took the time to recognize her.
�Let�s sit alone,� Louisa said trying not to feel sad. The two girls did, and were joined by more girls as the lunchroom began to fill up. Louisa�s spirits began to fall as throughout lunch she hoped that her sisters would come talk to her. Finally she stood up dragging Amber with her and went to their table.
�Why did you ignore me?� she asked as the both looked at her.
�Three?� one girl asked, getting ingnored by everyone there.
�Well you have two legs, you could have come to sit with us,� Elizabeth said. For so long they had done everything with just one another, and for the first time, now that they were making friends, it seemed at least that Louisa was the outsider.
�You know I don�t like a lot of other people,� came her soft reply.
�Issa, we will have time to spend at home,� Elizabeth said. Out of anger at her sister, Louisa picked up her milk and dumped it over her head then ran out followed by sister Dorothy who had seen what had just transpired. In the bathroom, Louisa sat crying, as Amber tried to comfort her.
�Making new friends is what you do when you go to school,� Amber said. Louisa shook her head.
�But they are my best friends,� she said. Sister Dorthy walked in on that note and gathered her in her arms.
�Shhh,� she said rubbing her back.
�I don�t want to be here anymore,� she said starting to shake.
�All right, we will call your mother,� She said as she led the distraught child out of the bathroom, deciding it better to let her parents address what had transpired in the lunchroom
~*~
Evelyn arrived at the school a few minutes after they called her, and found her daughter very upset, sitting in the office with Mother Madeline. Evelyn put her purse down, then sat down in the chair next to Louisa and gathered her in her arms.
�Will you tell me what happened to upset you so?� she asked.
�Ella and Becca made new friends,� she said and cried more. Evelyn held her closer kissing the top of her head.
�Angel that�s what school is about. You make new friends,� Evelyn said not sure why she was upset by this.
�But they forget about me. They sat at a table with the other girls and they didn�t even come over to talk to me and my new friend Amber,� she said looking into her mothers eyes. Now Evelyn was beginning to get the picture.
�Why didn�t you sit with them?� Evelyn asked.
�I don�t like sitting with a bunch of people I dont know mother, and they know that,� she all but yelled. Evelyn cocked a brow at her and usually that worked, but Louisa was angry now.
�They should have saved me room but they just want to be away from me,� she said as she walked over to the door of the sister office.
�Louisa, I�m sure they wanted you to sit with them, and I know that it�s different with all of you making new friends, but it doesn�t mean that they don�t love you just as much as they always have,� Evelyn said trying to get her to see that.
�I liked it better when it was just us mother,� she said turning to face Evelyn with a fresh set of tears streaming down her face.
�I know Angel, but you all need time to make friends, and that doesn�t mean you have to go your separate ways.� After they talked, Louisa went to her next class, which was Gym, and found her sisters there. Amber was with them, and they all had fun chasing big red bouncy balls around the floor. Lousia realized with time that her mother had been right, that making new friends was just a part of growing up, and once that realization came to her, everything else as far as school was concerned worked out for the better.