Long Way Home The Dumping Ground

-Please Mike, please.

-Mike, the groceries haven't arrived yet.

-But why can't I sleep in the garden?

-Cos you'll freeze to death.

-Bailey and Mischief did it.

-My stuff isn't rubbish.

What? I never said it was.

Oh, girls, give it a rest.

Mike, we've got no bread, no beans, no milk...nothing.

-What are we going to do?

-We've got cake.

Ah, little Marie Antoinette.

"Let them eat cake." Good night.

-Yeah.

-Mike.

-Come on, keep us happy...

COMPUTER BEEPS

DOOR SHUTS

Who you texting?

It's private, man.

DIALLING TONE

-Hello?

-Oh, hi. I wanted to speak to Harry.

He's not on this number any more.

-Sorry.

-Who is this?

-Um, it's just a mate.

-You've got the wrong number. Sorry.

DISCONNECTED BEEP

-Morning, Ryan.

-Morning.

What have I done with the office keys?

Arr!

-Excuse me.

-Anyone up for a game?

I've got a book to finish.

Come on, Floss.

I'm doing a card for Harry. It's his birthday.

Why don't you take Mischief for a walk, Tyler?

The best offer I'm going to get.

Harry's going to love that.

Won't you need his address, though?

-Oh, yeah. Do you have it?

-No.

It's on the computer. I'll go get it. Come on.

That's really weird. I'm...

I'm sure I locked the cabinet last night.

-Why is the computer on?

-What?

-GIRL:

-You have to use the most common.

Turn the page, it explains it. Yeah.

-Done it.

-Oh, cool. I was just about to go out so I can post it for you.

Thanks.

Oh, what? You call that a walk?

You was out there for, like, five minutes.

What's that?

Trumpet. Found it in the skip down the road.

Someone's dumped a load of old instruments.

-It's a trombone.

-Come on, then. Give us a tune.

-OK.

TROMBONE SOUNDS

I... I think you should put it back in the skip, mate.

No way. I'll teach myself how to play.

TRUMPET SOUNDS

Whoever's been on here has opened a lot of the residents' case files.

They're confidential.

No-one should be looking at those.

There's one not open.

Where's Ryan?

-Yeah?

-Is Harry in?

Ryan, please. You need to go.

There's me thinking you were pleased to see me.

Here you are.

Harry...mate.

What's going on?

-Nothing. It's fine.

-Oh, really?

-Well, someone's got your phone for starters.

-Mr Aycliffe, my foster dad.

He was angry with me for using it.

Why? Because you sent me that text?

-I never sent you any text.

-Harry.

-Who's this?

-Finn. He's fostered here as well.

-Hi, Finn. I'm Ryan.

-Ryan's from that place I told you about.

-Ashdene Ridge.

-Have you come to take us away?

-OUT OF BREATH:

-Hello.

How you doing?

Ryan, isn't it?

I'm Adam.

-Was that you on the phone earlier?

-Yeah.

Sorry about that. I...I thought you were a crank caller.

-Harry said you were angry.

-I never, honest.

Well, he knows phones aren't allowed in the bedrooms, don't you? Hm?

So, you two. Birthday outing, I thought we could go to the pictures.

Then maybe a pizza. Hm?

-Really?

-Sounds great, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Right, what we waiting for?

Can you give us a minute, please?

Of course.

-Don't be too long, Harry.

-HE CHUCKLES

Pizza and a film, sounds all right.

-You don't know.

-Yeah, you're right. I don't.

I get a weird text saying help.

I never sent that.

So, I come in here...

and everyone's nice as pie.

There's something going on, but you're not telling me anything.

So, next time...I'm not going to bother, OK?

Happy birthday, yeah?

Harry, say something.

Tell Mike...tell Mike he has to come.

TROMBONE SOUNDS

Why can't he have just found a banjo, or something like that.

-Yeah, or a triangle.

-Hang on.

Tyler said that there were loads of instruments in the skip, right.

So I'm thinking, if you can't beat them...

You broke in here.

You rifled through that filing cabinet.

Found the password.

And got on the computer.

To read everyone's files.

-Well, you left it open.

-No, I didn't.

Ryan...this is serious.

Look, it's Harry. He's in trouble.

-Define trouble.

-At his foster home.

He's scared, something's wrong.

What, Ryan? What's wrong?

-I don't know.

-His foster parents have passed all the criteria.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but...

-The house, it was...

-You went there?

Yeah.

-I went over this morning.

-What did Harry actually say was the problem?

He didn't.

-So there's actually nothing wrong?

-Yeah, he texted me.

-He said he needed help.

-Show me the text.

I deleted it.

You've betrayed...every single young person in this house

by looking at their personal files.

-RAISING VOICE:

-And that's the best that you can come up with?

Go! Get upstairs, go to your room!

And stay there!

This...this house, it's built on trust.

It's...it's the mortar between the bricks.

If we let Ryan stay...

Aren't we saying that that doesn't matter?

GIRL SCREAMS

Floss? What is it? You OK?

I thought I saw a mouse.

It was just really a sock.

FAINT VOICES

RAISED VOICES

-WOMAN:

-It just isn't good enough, is it?

-MAN:

-I am doing my best. I am!

YELLING AND ARGUING CONTINUE

What are you doing here? Why aren't you in there with the others?

-We're not allowed in that room. Where's Mike?

-He's not here.

Listen, you need to leave. You don't know what he's like.

How angry he gets.

-Mike said you've to come with me.

-What? Now?

-Yeah.

-Come on, we need to go.

-What's going on?

Come on, we need to go.

SHOUTING CONTINUES

Wait. What about Finn?

We can come back. We need to go.

-I'm not leaving without Finn.

-Harry, no.

-ADAM:

-'Harry?'

-Come on.

'What's going on?

'Harry!

'Finn!'

CAR HORN BLARES

-Come on.

-Why are we running?

-Ryan, I think we should go back.

-No.

-We'll be in trouble.

-Right.

-Come on.

-OK.

Harry!

Boys!

Are you there?

Ryan.

Ryan.

TROMBONE SOUNDS

OTHER INSTRUMENT NOISE

-What's going on? What are you all doing?

-Come on, guys, please.

What? So it's all right when he does it but not us?

Look, has anybody spoken to Ryan?

Did he say anything about what he was up to today?

-I'll go to Harry's foster home.

-Why? What's going on?

Are we going to the Ash Ridge place?

Harry said it's always warm.

And there's things to eat.

And it's full of idiots. And...it's safe.

Yeah, that's about right.

Why didn't Mike come?

He's just a bit mad at me, OK? It's got nothing to do with you.

He said he'd help, didn't it?

Well, yeah, but he's not going to turn you away.

What about Finn? He said Finn too, yeah?

Look, I got you out of there and I'll get you to Ashdene Ridge,

but that's all I can do, OK?

Look, I don't know about Finn, but... I'm sorry, mate.

I go back, it'll be fine.

No, no, Finn. Come on. You're coming with me.

-GIRL:

-Don't you dare. I came down here to get away from you.

-All I wanted was some peace and quiet.

-So do I.

-Oh, funny.

I can't learn this thing with all that racket going on.

INSTRUMENT NOISE Listen.

Was I really that bad?

Worse.

I'm sorry. I just thought that...

maybe this could be something I could do.

-You're doing it wrong.

-Sorry?

-You need to do it properly.

You're not even holding it right.

-What do you mean?

-Give it to me.

I know what happened to you.

-Before you came to Ashdene Ridge.

-Well, how?

I looked on the file, it's all on there.

I know...I know I shouldn't have opened it, but...

People are cruel, Harry.

How do you know?

Did...those things happen to you, too?

Something like that.

Someone's coming.

Finn!

In the car now!

Have you completely lost your minds?

I will deal...with you.

Both of you...when we get home.

Stupid, stupid idiots.

Right.

You've done this before?

It's my dad.

He's a musician.

-He plays trombone?

-The trumpet, too.

-That's how I know.

-And he taught you to play?

He was going to.

But then some of his friends who are in the band...

They...disappeared.

Disappeared? What? They just ran off?

They were killed, Tyler.

Because they made music.

That's how it was in Somalia.

One day my house was attacked.

Soldiers took my dad and my brother.

I haven't heard from my dad or my brother since.

And I haven't heard that sound either.

I'm really sorry.

-I didn't know.

-It's OK.

Maybe I needed to hear it.

Played by someone better than me.

But you haven't given up. That's good.

I'm tired...and I feel sick.

Look familiar, Harry? We're nearly there.

Where? Is that it?

-You'll be safe, mate.

-But he won't, will he?

Listen. When you get back to the house,

you're on your own.

Cos Mike's not going to listen to me, so...

Whatever went on in that foster home...you need to tell him, OK?

But, what if Finn has go back there?

He'll be on his own. You've seen how angry Adam gets.

What? So say nothing and you both go back? Is that better?

Come on. What are you waiting for?

What do you reckon's up with Ryan?

-I don't know, he's probably off robbing again.

-Robbing?

-What? Has he done that before?

-Hasn't he told you?

He used to break into cars and steal sat navs when he was a little kid.

-What?

-Yeah his family made him do it.

He reckons he can get into any car in, like, three seconds.

-Well, what about the begging?

-Begging?

He was in some gang and his mum and dad died.

-They used to make him beg on the streets.

-No, that's not right.

That can't be right.

Tee, I don't know about any of this. You'll have to talk to Mike.

-Talk to me about what?

-Any sign of Harry?

Ah, apparently...his foster dad took him out for his birthday.

So, Tee. What's up?

Ryan's been telling everyone different stories.

-Stories? What stories?

-DOORBELL RINGS

Well, lies about his past.

First of all, he was a car thief.

Then he was in a begging gang and his dad

used to make him fight people.

Yeah, it's not true, is it? Any of it?

-Tee...

-Mike, someone needs to see you.

-Oh. Right.

No, we haven't seen them.

Ryan, where have you been?

Harry. Finn.

Am I glad to see you.

HE GROWLS

Look, why don't you come in here?

Stay.

Tee, can you excuse us, please?

Ryan, what have you been up to?

-He's not safe in that house.

-Oh, and he is with you?

Who's been telling people that he's a car thief or...what is it?

A bare-knuckle fighter.

Room, now. Stay!

I'm surprised you gave that lad permission to visit alone.

Er, we didn't. I'm...I'm...

-We're very sorry, Mr Aycliffe.

-That's all right.

Look... It's still your birthday.

So, why don't we go for that pizza?

Um, if that's all right with you, Harry? Yeah?

Harry. Would you like it if I came back with you?

Yeah.

-That's really not convenient.

-Oh, no, no. It's...

it's just till he gets settled in.

No. You've no legal right.

-We could call Social Services.

-Sure.

But you can't stop us from leaving.

Come on.

-Harry's going nowhere.

-Ryan!

-Get out of my way.

Harry, remember what I said. You have to tell Mike.

I can't.

Harry?

Tell me what, Harry?

Can Finn stay here if he needs to?

-Yeah, of course he can.

-For goodness' sake!

Excuse me, one second.

OK, you heard. You're both safe.

Don't make us go back. You don't know what it's like.

Please, Mike.

We wanted to give Finn a home.

A good home.

But when he arrived, he didn't...

He just didn't seem to fit.

I was on my own all the time.

I tried to be brave, but I cried.

All he did was cry. Day and night. It was exhausting.

I was taking time off work.

The business was in trouble. Nina and I started fighting.

Finn was a problem.

-You could have done something about it.

-We did.

We got him a friend.

Harry.

When Harry came, things got better...

for a while. For us.

But not for them.

We just stayed in my room.

We weren't allowed downstairs.

Like, they forgot about us. Never wanted us there.

They were always shouting.

-What about their daughter?

-Clare?

She hated us.

She says, "Everything's your fault."

Clare tried really hard.

But they didn't get on.

Nina and I were fighting all the time.

The whole house...

It was just awful.

We should have done something about the boys.

You, um...

-You could have picked up the phone.

-No, I couldn't.

Because I lost my job.

We needed the money.

Money.

This was all about money?

Ohh!

Last night was the worst.

They had this huge fight.

Adam saw me with my phone and grabbed it. Screaming at me.

Really angry at me.

Why was he angry?

I was trying to call you.

Oh, Harry.

I stole it back this morning.

-And I replied you that text.

-What text?

The one from Ryan.

So, there was a text?

I'm so sorry.

Those poor kids.

What's going to happen?

Um, Harry's social worker will have to report back.

They may involve the police.

You won't see the boys again.

Can I at least say goodbye?

You're kidding me!

HE SIGHS

So, here we keep all the cereals. And here we've got Cheery Rings.

Someone's happy to be home.

Yeah. We'll have to find Finn a room.

-My guess is that he'll be staying.

-That's not a problem.

We'll sort something out.

-Oh, we're chock-a-block.

-One, two, three, four...

ALL: # Happy birthday to you

# Happy birthday to you

# Happy birthday, dear Harry

# Happy birthday to you. #

CHEERING

Oh! If you don't mind, kids,

I'm going to take my cup of tea outside.

For a bit of peace and quiet.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

Always remember...it's all about number one.

TRUMPET PLAYS THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING

-Is that coming from outside?

-What? Tyler?

Let's go and have a look.

-CHEERING

-Hey, that's amazing.

I never knew you could do that.

Well, it's never come up before, to be honest.

-But I haven't played it in years.

-You've still got it.

Thank you very much. Here, I believe this is yours.

-No, keep it.

-Oh.

I think I've...given it my best shot.

All right then. So, who's hungry?

-ALL: Me!

-Let's go eat.

-Let's go eat.

-Fish and chips?

-No!

Not eating?

OK.

I should have listened about Harry. I'm sorry.

But that in no way excuses you

for looking at those files, right?

-I was just being nosy, I'm sorry.

-Why?

These are people's lives.

You can't just go dabbling in them.

Well, can I stay here?

Yeah, for now.

But one more step...and you're over that line, all right?

I know about all your lies.

I'm going to find out the truth.

Good luck with that.

Of course, I already know all about you.

Soon, you won't have your big brother to watch over you.

So I'd be very careful about making enemies.

Know what I mean?