Young Writers Society

Hello. This is my first Tracy Beaker Returns fan fiction. Tracy Beaker is a children's TV programme they show in Britain about kids in a care home. My story is based in series 2 of Tracy Beaker Returns, between episode 1 and 2. It is of when Carmen and Sapphire get transferred to Burnywood. Enjoy.

Carmen and Sapphire at Burnywood

Sapphire and Carmen stepped out of the car and looked at the building in front of them. “That’s it!” Carmen looked at Sapphire, who had her hair tied up. “I’m going to kill Lily if I ever see her again.”

Carmen said “Don’t say that Saff. We might be back at Elm Tree House soon. Tracy’s protest on the roof might have worked.” Sapphire took a step forward. “No it won’t. She got Lily to fall off the roof and everyone saw it. The Dumping Ground’s closed forever.”

A man came out of Burnywood. He looked at the two girls in front of him as if they were something in the toilet. “You must be Sapphire and Carmen. Come in, don’t just stand there. This is your new home.” Car men and Sapphire looked behind themselves one last time and entered Burnywood. Three teenagers with folded arms looked back at them.

“Who are you then?” said the tallest, a girl wearing a green bandanna. Sapphire said “Don’t talk to us. Don’t even look at us. We’re not going to stay here for long.”

A Boy with short hair laughed. “S’not what it looked like on TV. The reporter said that your dump would remain closed.

Carmen spoke up. “May, indicating possibility, not certainty, so just bog off.” The boy walked and stood inches away from Carmen's face. “You gonna make me?”

Sapphire put down her luggage and grabbed the boy’s shirt. “Right you, I told you to not even talk to us.” Carmen interrupted, “leave it Saff. Let’s just find our room.”

*

Carmen and Sapphire found out that their room was not much better than the rest of Burnywood. The windows were painted black to obscure the view of the outside. “What is this?” exclaimed Sapphire. “A room not big enough for one person, let alone two, and the windows are painted.” She noticed something else. “And it’s padlocked. How are we meant to escape?” Meanwhile, Carmen was unpacking her luggage.
H
The two girls went to explore Burnywood and then Carmen went to find the bathroom. The door was closed, so she opened it and the person inside screamed. It was the tall girl. “Oi! Get out of here. Can’t you see that the door is closed?” Carmen replied, “Sorry. I didn’t know—hang on, I thought that this room would have a lock.” The girl shouted “Nothing’s private in Burnywood! Just get out!” Carmen obliged, thinking why on earth a place which has padlocks everywhere wouldn’t even have locks on the toilet.

She was going back to her room, when she saw the boy from before. He was coming out of her room. “Oi! What were you doing in there?” she demanded. “Nothing,” he said and ran off. Carmen went inside her and Sapphire’s room and saw that some of her things were missing. Not some actually. A lot were missing. The books that Tracy had given her. Her special sunglasses that she had bought when she went on a shopping trip with Lily and Tee. And her priceless necklace that Gina had bought for her when she threw out her mum’s.

“SAPPHIRE!” shouted Carmen. Sapphire came instantly. “Where’s the fire?”

“Someone has nicked my stuff. Look!” Sapphire looked through the plastic bag that Carmen had taken with her from Elm Tree. It was empty.

“Who do you think took it?” inquired Sapphire. “Was anyone here?”

“Yes” exclaimed Carmen. “That boy. I saw him come out of here right before I went in. Is any of your stuff gone?” Sapphire checked quickly and sighed relieved. “No. Right, let’s find that boy.”

Both of them stormed down the halls and then heard a conversation from a room to the left. Carmen went in and saw the boy giving an older girl Carmen’s necklace.

“I knew you took it. Give that back.” Carmen walked up to the girl and tried to get the necklace. The girl said, “Get out of my room. And this isn’t yours. It’s Tyler’s; he was giving it to me.” Sapphire rushed into the room. “Look. All she asked is for you to give her stuff back. Is that too hard for you?”

Carmen was trying to get her bag back from Tyler, but he threw it behind the girl’s bed. Carmen was about to climb on the girl’s bed, when she suddenly received a punch in the face from the girl. “Get off my bed. And no, you’re not going to get your stuff back.” Carmen stopped for a second and touched just below her left eye which was throbbing. Then Sapphire suddenly jumped on the girl and started to pull her hair.

“Don’t punch Carmen like that. Give her back her stuff or you’re dead!” Tyler suddenly fled the room and came back with Dennis. “You two stop fighting!” He separated them, and Sapphire’s dress was a bit ripped around her shoulder. On her hand, she was holding a clump of the other girl’s hair.

“She ripped Michelle’s hair off!” called out Tyler. If Carmen didn’t have a black eye, she would have jeered.

In the lounge of Burnywood, Dennis was sitting between Sapphire and Michelle. “Both of you are grounded for two months, and you,” he said, looking at Sapphire, “I am going to have to cut some of your hair.”

“You can’t do that!” erupted Sapphire. “Oh can’t I?” said Dennis. He already took the scissors out of his pocket and snipped Sapphire’s fringe. “Hey!” she got up. “I’m telling social service about this.” Dennis smirked. “Well let’s see if they listen to you after they hear that you were a resident of Elm Tree House.”

Sapphire left the room, and Carmen entered. “What do you want?” asked Dennis. Carmen was about to speak, when Dennis broke in. “No, don’t even tell me that you need ice for your black eye. You shouldn’t be picking fights.”

Carmen shouted, “I wasn’t picking fights! She,” pointing at Michelle, “and that other boy Tyler were stealing my stuff. I want it back!” Dennis looked at Michelle. Michelle said, “I didn’t take her stuff. Don’t even think of accusing me without evidence.” Carmen said “Look, it’s in her room.”

In Michelle's room, Dennis was looking around to see if any of Carmen’s things were there. Carmen said, “It’s behind her bed!” Michelle’s eyes widened with panic, but they relaxed once Dennis didn’t find anything. He turned to Carmen. “There’s nothing here that’s yours.” Carmen said “No wait, I think Tyler has hidden...” Dennis walked past her and said “Don’t waste my time. I’m not going to look for your invisible objects that you misplaced.” Carmen also left the room and punched the wall, leaving a dent as big as an apple.

Back in Sapphire and Carmen’s room, Sapphire was organising her clothes. “Look,” she said, as Carmen entered the room. “While it’s night time, I’ll try and sneak in their rooms and take the stuff back.” Carmen said “OK” vaguely and lay on the bed. “At least you didn’t cry,” uttered Sapphire positively.

Sapphire’s plan to retrieve Carmen’s things was fruitless because she discovered that Dennis locked everyone’s room after lights out. “Stupid Burnyhell,” she murmured.

A few days later, Carmen left the bathroom one morning to see Dennis with an indignant look on his face. “Good news for you. Your ‘Dumping Ground’ had reopened, so you and that other wild girl can go back.” Carmen said, “So, do we leave after breakfast?” Dennis said “NO. You leave now. The car’s already waiting outside, so wake up your big sister and tell her to get a move on.” Carmen did not ever correct him that Sapphire was not her sister, but was elated that she would finally go back to Elm Tree House after what seemed like months in Burnyhell.

She slid into her room and saw that Sapphire had already gotten up. “Yes I heard. I got a call from Liam. He said that he was squatting in Elm Tree the whole time.”

Carmen and Sapphire left Burnywood and they didn’t even look behind because they did not want to remember their time in that place. However, if they had looked back, they would have seen Tyler and Michelle at the front door, grinning with glee because they had stolen from Carmen.

Sapphire practically jumped in the car that was parked in the courtyard of the care home. “I’m still going to kill Lily,” she declared. “When she gets out of the hospital, I’ll give her a few more broken bones.”

Carmen said, “Hold on. What if Mike loses his job? Then we might have to move back to a different home.” Sapphire clenched her fist. “Well no way am I going anywhere they send us. They’ll have to find me first.”

The car gave a lurch and rumble across the neglected road as it took the girls towards Elm Tree House.