Leave it to Eva by Judi Curtin Page B

permanent solution can be found, Kate. Eva’s family are only here on holidays, and soon they’ll begoing back home. Ultimately we’d like you to stay somewhere near here, so you can still go to your own school, and see your own friends and neighbours. We want your life to go on as normally as possible.’
    ‘But …’ Kate started to argue, but then she looked closely at the four adult faces lined up in front of her.
    ‘I totally get it,’ she said. ‘You’re ganging up on me. I surrender.’
    Then she picked up her rucksack and climbed back into Nicola’s car.
    Nicola and Tom climbed in too.
    ‘Bye, Kate,’ I said as she closed the car door, but she was already looking the other way.

    When we got back home, Joey played outside in the garden, and I had a very long, very serious talk with Mum and Dad. It sooo wasn’t any fun.
    Most of their sentences started with ‘Eva,darling, we know you were only trying to help your friend but …’
    Mum and Dad only had one point to make – basically, they were very disappointed that I hadn’t told them about Kate staying on her own. Even so, the conversation took over an hour.
    I didn’t bother arguing. For one thing, when Mum and Dad are agreed on something, nothing in the world will change their minds. And the other reason was even simpler – I knew for sure that they were right. I felt guilty and embarrassed that I hadn’t been brave enough to get help for Kate.
    Finally, after Mum and Dad had each made their single point in a hundred different ways, we all hugged.
    Then we sat down in the living room and waited for Nicola to come back.

    Hours later, after lots of trips back and forth toNicola’s office, and lots of phone calls to Martha, and lots of interviews, and lots of signing of long, complicated-looking documents, things were sort of sorted out.
    Everyone agreed that Kate could stay with my family for the few weeks that were left of our holidays. Nicola and Tom were going to use those weeks to find a local family who would then take care of Kate until Martha was well enough to come home.
    Kate didn’t look very happy as Nicola and Mum and Dad signed the papers.
    I hugged her.
    ‘It’s the best possible plan, Kate,’ I said. ‘It’ll all work out in the end. You’ll see.’
    She shook her head sadly. ‘All I see is that in a few weeks time you’ll be going back home to your real life, and I’ll be staying here. I’ll be the lonely foster-kid, relying on the charity of strangers.’
    Tom patted her on the shoulder. ‘Nicola’svery good at her job, Kate. She won’t rest until she’s found you the perfect family.’
    ‘So she’s going to miraculously cure Martha, and bring her home to me tonight?’
    I felt sorry for Tom as he flinched at her sarcastic comment. I wished he could see the real Kate – the clever, funny girl I’d known the summer before. I was beginning to think that that girl was gone forever.
    Nicola was putting all the forms into her briefcase, and everyone else was just standing there, looking awkward.
    ‘So,’ I said brightly to Kate. ‘You’re going to be moving in with us for a while. It’s going to be so cool. It’ll be like one great long sleepover.’
    Except it wasn’t.
     

    I often have sleepovers with Victoria, and they’re always totally fun. We rent a few DVDs, Mum makes pizza, and later, when everyone else isasleep, Victoria and I sit up all night, filling our faces with popcorn and laughing about nothing.
    That evening, Kate and I had the DVDs and the pizza and the popcorn.
    The two of us sat up all night.
    But there was no laughing at all – not even a single small giggle.
    For most of the time, Kate was lying on my bed crying like her life was ruined forever.
    I’m not blaming Kate. I wouldn’t like to be in her situation. If my life was like hers, I’d probably lie on my bed and cry too.
    But, after hours and hours of hugging her, and saying everything would turn out well in the end, I knew I