Robert Graham, Robby to his friends, was twelve rising thirteen. His early life had been horrendous. His step father pimped out his mother to buy the drugs they both used, and it would not have been wrong to say Robby had been subject to daily torture. Robby got lucky, for his plight was brought to the attention of the authorities before his step father murdered him, at which point he would merely have become the latest statistic in a long line of murdered children after whose death the authorities would say, ‘Lessons have been learnt.’ After a short spell in hospital he was fostered with the Carpenters, a couple unable to have children of their own who had adopted three other children after first fostering them and who had the same intentions for Robby should all go well. Life with the Carpenter family was in Robby’s eyes as good as it could get, and he was thrilled at being able to attend school. The boys at school had been appalled the first time they saw the scars and burns that covered his entire body when he was showering after playing football [US soccer].

Penny, Mrs. Carpenter, was a loving mother who worked in the local hospital as a physiotherapist. Harold, Mr. Carpenter, owned a small, recording studio that produced both audio and visual materials for commercials and artists who mostly sang and played what many would consider to be niche musics. Robby had never met an adult male before who hadn’t hurt him and it took a while for Robby not to be nervous in his presence. Helen, the Carpenters’ oldest child was seventeen and was studying Advanced level sciences at college with a view to studying medicine at University. She was like a second mum to Robby and the others. Next down was John-Paul who was thirteen and was in the same class at school as Robby. John-Paul and Robby had completely dissimilar characters and interests, but despite that, or maybe because of that, were close by the end of the first week that Robby lived with the family. Holly the youngest was nine and still at primary school. Holly was looking forward to going to secondary school with the boys who were both the subject of considerable interest to her friends.

John-Paul was a medium height, well built boy who was of moderate intellect and who enjoyed sport, and Robby helped him from time to time with school work. Robby on the other hand was tall and slightly built, didn’t particularly enjoy sport, but was very bright. John-Paul kept the thugs off Robby’s back and Robby kept the intelligentsia from giving John-Paul a hard time.

Peace McBride was according to the promotional literature not quite sixteen and was a singer song writing phenomenon who had burst onto the global music scene at the age of fourteen singing a song of her own entitled ‘Fly Free Little Angels’ which had been part of a UNICEF fund raising program to provide shelter, food, running water and education for children in the slum cities of South America. The song had been an immediate international hit. Peace had a voice like an angel and most of what she sang was her own work. Equally at home singing music of every genre, including opera, rock, pop and much more, she was the subject of intense media interest, for little was known about her, she was heavily protected and gave no interviews. She was tall, blonde and pretty, and in the terms of the music industry a hot property. Many wanted to be associated with her for the money it would make them. Nothing was known about her family, and her agent and manager were completely closed mouthed about her and turned down all offers of anything. They approached venues and asked if they were interested in Peace making an appearance, and were completely inflexible concerning Peace’s security. It was not known where Peace’s work was recorded and produced. It was reported via an unknown source that she had laughed when her agent had told her she’d been offered modelling work.

It had been a surprise to the Carpenters when Robby admitted he loved his family, all of them, but he didn’t wish to be adopted by them. He said that he had his reasons and that he would discuss all with his parents in a month or two when he had got his head round all the details of what he wished to say. He’d added maybe then they wouldn’t wish to adopt him. Robby talked with Penny first. She was adamantly supportive and said she perfectly understood his reasons for not wishing to be adopted by them. “After all it makes perfect sense to keep all your options open, though I admit I’d never have considered that angle. Few would. I’ll talk to your dad first. I know he’ll feel the same as I do and we’ll do whatever we have to. Your sisters and brother will have to be informed of the situation soon, but not of why you don’t wish adoption. Don’t worry, Love. All will be well. Your dad will know who can help you best with music and I’ll deal with the rest. Okay?”

It was to be many years before any outside her immediate circle realised that Peace’s work was released via her foster father’s recording studio. It was even longer before it became known that Peace Carpenter as Peace McBride was by then had originally been Robert Graham. Peace didn’t become a Carpenter as a result of adoption, but as a result of her marriage to John-Paul which would have been illegal had Robby been adopted.