A/N: Here it is the last chapter. I have loved writing this story and really want to thank everyone for their support and reviews and I will be starting an new story very soon.
Chapter Thirty
Hecate Hardbroom walked into the staffroom clearly annoyed and the rest of the teachers who were having a staff meeting looked up at her curiously, she was after all the first teacher their normally.
"Ethel Hallow is a bad influence on her sister, I have had to give Esmeralda Hallow another detention for being in her sister's room when she should have been in bed, I think I preferred it when Ethel did not want to know her" Hecate told the staff as she sat down.
"I think it is a good thing, the girl is a teenager it is not healthy to only worry about studying all the time she has to give herself time for fun sometimes too" Miss Drill replied happy for the girl to be having some fun.
"There is fun and then there is a complete lack for the rules" Hecate replied angrily not liking these changes in the girl.
"Hecate you have never had a sister but from what I have heard they are just doing what sisters do, we should be happy as Ethel's therapist said she does not feel the girl needs counselling next year so she will not have set appointments that is a huge step" Ada said with a smile proud of how far she had come.
"I suppose you are right" Hecate said with an annoyed look on her face.
The end of the year passed by quickly and before anyone knew it the summer holidays were upon them. Esmeralda had passed her exams with the highest marks and Ethel no longer needed counselling for the time being. At her last session her therapist had been impressed. She did not even recognise the girl she was counselling anymore as she was so different from the quiet girl who had entered her office full of things she disliked about herself and her life.
"I think the problem I had was gaining my parents love was an obsession, I didn't think or care about everything else and I failed to see the people around me who actually do care" Ethel told her counsellor at the last session.
"That is exactly what I was trying to get through to you" Sandra told her as she beamed that the girl had picked up what she was supposed to pick up. "Focusing on the people who don't care will not make them care but when we really start to look we see a whole lot more people who do love and care for us and they are the ones who will be there through ups and downs" Sandra carried on speaking "That was a quote I read in a book a long time ago, maybe you will come across it one day as I know you love to read" Sandra told her giving her a hint that it was a book that was easily found that she had read it in.
Since Ethel had stopped pushing her sister away Esmeralda was not as serious as normal, she had learned she could have fun sometimes and still do well and her life did not have to be all about studying.
The last day of school the two eldest girls were very excited as it was their first day of living with their grandmother, their grandmother's new place was two streets way from their parents so they would not have to worry about losing touch with Sybil. Knocking on the door of their new home the girls were giddy with excitement.
The door opened and the two girls fell into their grandmother's arms before seeing their new house for the first time.
"It is amazing" Ethel said trying to look at everything at once.
"I am glad you think so sweetie" Grandma Josephine said happily.
"I am really hungry" Esmeralda complained as neither of them had eaten that day yet as they had left so early.
"Do you have any chocolate spread Grandma?" Ethel asked her being hungry.
"Of course I do, I remember you both like it" their grandma said. It was true both girls did love it but their parents never let them have it as it was bad for them.
"Can we have it with apple?" Esmeralda asked. Their grandma pulled a face and shook her head.
"I still think that is disgusting but if you like it you can have it" she told them. The two girls sat down and then their grandma cut up two apples into slices and gave them the jar of chocolate spread and both sisters happily dipped the apple in the chocolate before eating their slices of apple. Both smiled happily as they ate their favourite treat.
The two girls soon settled in and soon discovered living with their grandmother provided them with happiness and love, their parents had not liked noise and had not liked them to misbehave and for once the two girls could act as silly as they wanted without fear of being told off.
One day a week into the holidays Grandma Josephine was sitting on the sofa relaxing when she heard banging and shouting from upstairs. She rushed up thinking her granddaughters were injured but nothing was further from the truth.
The two girls were jumping around dancing and singing loudly clearly having a good time.
"What are you two doing?" their grandma asked concerned what they were doing.
"Watching Mamma Mia, sing-along version" Esme replied happily sharing why they were making noise.
The woman watched the two sisters singing along and chuckled to herself deciding to leave them too it.
Sybil went around fairly often when her parents were at work and the three sisters had a good time watching films and talking and laughing.
"Are you looking forward to your last year at school Esme?" Sybil asked her sister.
"Not really, I will have so much work I will barely have time to sleep" Esmeralda replied knowing the workload was going to be really big in the last year.
"Plus HB has been bugging us these last few months so you will be constantly being bothered" Ethel replied sitting on her bed next to Sybil.
"She is way less annoying then you two" Esme replied with a laugh.
"Hey!" Ethel said grabbing a pillow and hitting her sister with it.
"Hey don't hit me" Esmeralda replied getting another pillow and hitting Ethel back.
Sybil picked a pillow up and the three of them had a pillow fight laughing as they had a good time.
Ethel was finally happy and for the first time she was experiencing what it was like to be in a household where the adult in charge of her loved her. Grandma Josephine loved her and she did not have to find ways to impress her, she naturally loved her.
Esmeralda and Ethel did not see their parents again that summer but away from their parents the girls were finally able to grow and neither girl felt awkward bringing up the subject of their parents by accident.
Esmeralda was no longer on edge as her sister was no longer blanked. She did not have to choose whose side to be on anymore which took a massive weight off her shoulders. Both girls could relax in their home.
Ethel at the moment was happy, no-one knew if her depression would cause her problems again in the future but at the moment it did not, she was also less jealous of her sister as her Grandma did not compare the two girls but instead talked about the good in both of them.
"Grandma we are going to the library" Esmeralda said one day as her and Ethel linked arms ready to go.
"Okay be careful, come here" she replied wanting to see the girls before they left.
The woman took both of the girls into her arms one in each arm and kissed them both on the head. Ethel closed her eyes not able to believe this moment was real, the girl smiled as she smelled the woman's perfume.