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1.	Life as we know it is about to change...	Read it Now
2.	Life as we know it is about to change - Part 2	Read it Now
3.	Life as we know it is about to change - Part 3	Read it Now
4.	The challenge	Read it Now
5.	The Challenge - Part 2	Read it Now
6.	The challenge - Part 3	Read it Now
7.	A dream come true?	Read it Now
8.	The tree house	Read it Now
9.	Home	See below


	Home

	Penny woke up in the car still confused. She must have been given stronger painkillers than she realised. Something didn’t quite feel right but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It wasn’t that her parents were being so nice, or treating her like a child - well she had just nearly died! - it was more how they were with each other. They actually liked each other. It was as if the last nine years had never happened, like her father had not had an affair with some blonde bimbo, then come crawling back with his tail between his legs. Her mother had taken him back but things had never quite been the same. The thought was pushed to the back of her mind as they pulled up onto her parent’s drive. At least home would be familiar, she reasoned to herself, and once some of these drugs had worn off she would be able to start to sort the remnants of her life out. “All this over a bloody horoscope” she muttered to herself as she got out. “I beg your pardon?” her mother snapped, and then turning to her father, “I don’t know what’s come over her today! First it’s asking about whether the press want an interview and then it’s asking to borrow make up and now it’s swearing!” Her father grinned at Penny affectionately “Our little girl is growing up” Penny shook her head - something was definitely not right. Entering the house, Penny smelt the comforting familiar smell of home. Whenever things had gotten too tough in the past, just coming home even for an hour or so, always made her feel better. What she liked the most was how little things changed here, how everything seemed to be constant, from the leaky kitchen tap drip-dripping it’s lonely tune to the squeaky third step that always gave her away when drunkenly sneaking in. All reminded her that she was loved and were full of memories, some sad, lots funny, most happy. “Right Missy, I hope you’ve gotten everything ready for Monday. You can spend the rest of the weekend making doubly sure. This is an important year for you. No messing, no cheek just good honest hard work. You’ll thank us for this one day darling.” Her mother smiled, and hugged Penny to her tightly. “You know that your daddy and I love you so much. Make us proud” “What about work? Shouldn’t I try and sort things out? What about Peter?” Not that Penny really was that bothered about him too much. Her mother just looked blankly at her. “Peter? I thought we’d agreed no boyfriends until the summer. No distractions.” frowned her father. “And don’t worry about work dear, you’ll be well enough by next week” smiled her mother whilst guiding her up the stairs. She leant forward, kissed Penny on the forehead and told her to get a good nights sleep. Penny now wondering whether she was dreaming or not, complied, entered her room and gasped. The room was exactly the same as it had been ten years ago. It was like stepping back in time. It must have taken her mother and father weeks to arrange just so. They’d even recovered the fraying poster of Take That that Penny was convinced she’d thrown away. Odd. Very Odd. The room admittedly looked good and brought back happy memories, but even so, it had been a spare room for years, pink rose wallpaper and frilly net curtains. Now the wallpaper was back to the pink and white paint job she and the girls and created with handmade pink curtains. Wow. But how…? Looking at all the messy cosmetics Penny smiled fondly, the 17 beauty products and the cheap lipstick free in her girly magazine that she‘d had to sneak out to wear. She had no idea any of this had been kept, nor why now they had been gotten out. It was actually a bit creepy, like she’d died and her parents had concocted a shrine for her. The mirror even had a picture of Sam, Caroline and her with Sophie and Andrea giggling off to one side. Checking to see how big the spot on her nose was, Penny looked at her reflection and hid. The person looking back was not her. At least it was, but not for ten years. The face looking back was her fifteen year old self. She peeked in the mirror again, expecting she’d perhaps imagined it, a side effect from the trauma she’d suffered for the last day or so. But no, it was most definitely her younger self. Sitting on the bed, Penny didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Remnants of a dream kept flitting around in her head, visions of a beautiful well dressed woman telling her something…. But what? Running her fingers through her shorter hair, twiddling the curls comforted her as it had always did. It didn’t how ever stop her from feeling very alone. Ok life hadn’t been that interesting up until now, but at least she knew where she was. Now, although she’d been here before, everything had changed. Penny began to cry. Sometime later, she decided that maybe it would be better to get into bed and reassess things after a goodnight’s sleep. Climbing into some freshly laundered pyjama’s she realised how good her body looked before she had begun the grown up’s game of drinking and partying. Before Cellulite had come to visit (and not gone…) Her skin was lovely and firm and plump. Why had had she never seen this when she was younger (apart from now?) Remembering how she had always covered up, embarrassed by her changing body, embarrassed because in her eyes she was flawed, she laughed.



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