Too Much Trouble by Tom Avery

happy not to be in charge. I was happy that someone else was looking after Prince. I was happy to be away from my uncle and his friends. There weren’t many things that I’d been happy about before Mr Green found us. ‘Do you want things to be different?’ I asked.
    â€˜I don’t know, I think I want a proper home, Em. Don’t you?’
    A proper home? For the first time in a long time I almost shed a tear. I thought about my mother and father. I remembered when Prince used to really smile. I could see our old home and smell the dust in the air.
    â€˜I guess I do,’ I replied.
    Me and Terri were both lost in thought after this exchange. But we returned to the subject many times over the following weeks.
    A proper home.

Chapter 17
    I guess there are some things you are wondering about. Here’s one thing I think you would like to know the answer to. How did Mr Green always find empty homes to house the gang? I didn’t find out the answer to this till much later.
    Mr Green had a friend who worked for an airline. I think it was one of those really cheap ones. You know, the ‘fly somewhere for £5’ ones. Mr Green’s friend did something with computers for them. He was able to go into all the files on their computers.
    Mr Green paid him money each time that he found what Mr Green needed. A big family, who were going on holiday, leaving an empty house. Mr Greenwould make a phone call, his friend would go on his computer, and as if by magic we had a house to sleep in.
    Here’s something else you might be wondering about. Didn’t the neighbours ever notice? I guess a lot of the neighbours weren’t that bothered about what went on next door. But sometimes they were. Sometimes we got into trouble. Once we nearly got caught.
    We were staying in this massive house. It was in the south half of the city, over the river. It was full of loads of interesting stuff. Including thousands of books.
    We had been there for a few hours. Jamal and his friends had found some stuffed animals and were charging round the house with them. Julia and her friends were playing in the enormous garden. Carla and Sofina were upstairs trying on the clothes that the house’s owners had left behind. Terri was rooting through the book shelves, trying to find something she’d like to read. I was sitting close by, watching my brother.
    Prince had a stuffed fox’s head. He was holding it up in front of his face and doing silly voices. Ibby was giggling. I was smiling too.
    Prince smiled over at me. ‘Hey, Em, do your impression of an old man,’ he shouted.
    But before I could respond we heard a sound that made us freeze. Police sirens. Lots of police sirens, getting nearer.
    Carla and Sofina came charging down the stairs and Carla shouted, ‘They’re coming this way!’
    By the time the pair had reached the bottom of the stairs we were all heading for the door. We pushed each other out of the way. Terri was left at the back.
    I grabbed Prince’s hand and ran. Through the kitchen. Out the back door. Across the garden. Over a back fence. Another garden. Down an alleyway at the side of a house. Following the person in front. Being followed by others.
    That was terrifying. Not knowing whether it was a policeman you could hear two steps behind, or a friend. I held on to Prince the whole time we ran. We stopped a few streets away, in front of a closed newsagent, and I finally let go of his wrist as he shook me off with a tut.
    â€˜You didn’t need to drag me.’ I looked at him. He looked back at me angrily, then glanced over at Jamal. Jamal was leaning against the wall, staring at us.
    â€˜Whoa!’ Ibby screamed, his face to the sky. ‘We made it.’
    Everyone else was still catching their breath. I watched Jamal straighten up and then look around. ‘Everyone all right?’ he panted.
    People gave nods or breathed out a yes. I looked around,