"For cryin' out loud, where is she?" Brianne gently shook off one of the newer toddlers, Lisa, who was now clinging to her skirts. "Amelia!"

There was a moments' pause before the familiar sound of the too-big boots hurriedly made their way into the kitchen. Amelia looked abashed as she wiped her hands down the sides of her dress. Brianne gave her a quick once-over before speaking.

"I've been calling you for the past ten minutes, at least. We're almost out of coal."

"Will you be needing me to head over to the market, then?"

"Well, where else would you have me send you? The bakery?" Brianne sighed and picked up Lisa, who was unrelenting in her conquest to get some kind of attention. "Run along now and get this week's coal money, and don't be keeping any for yourself— I'll know if you do, I mean it."

"Right away, mum." Amelia turned back towards the counter where the money jar was. Reaching up, she took hold of it and unscrewed the lid, shaking out a few coins and dropping one or two back in. She nearly tripped over Brianne in her hurry to grab the scarf she and some of the other girls shared.

"Make sure you get the money's worth," she warned. "And you best not take too long either, or you'll definitely hear it later." Amelia simply nodded; she knew Brianne well enough to realize that she didn't mean half of what she said, she just liked at least pretending to have a degree of authority. Lightly hitting her pocket to make sure the money was intact, Amelia slid the lock open and braced herself against the wind. For early winter, the temperatures in London were especially brutal this year.

"Don't fall, miss!" a man in a large hat jeered as she slipped on the doorstep. Amelia regained her balance and hopped down off the porch of the orphanage. She didn't bother addressing the man—likely he was some drunken brute who wouldn't even remember her the next day.

The road to the market was a fair way, so she kept herself amused by filling in other peoples' footprints with hers. Occasionally the blustery air would whip at her scarf, causing her to slide backwards a foot or so. She was usually the one sent on errands, Amelia said to herself, only because she'd been with Brianne for so long. She knew her way around much better than any of the new orphans, and anyway they'd have no idea what to do about the random people who liked to throw comments their way.

Upon arriving at the rows of shops, Amelia rolled her eyes. "The whole town's here today," she muttered, trying to squeeze through a row of women in overly large bustles. They responded with shocked gasps, and fanned themselves repeatedly despite the already more-than-healthy breeze.

"Spare change, miss?" a ragged-looking young urchin wheedled, giving her a sideways glance.

"Bobby, I know you," she said after a moment's pause. "Go bother someone else." He grinned and adjusted his leg that was tucked into his trousers.

"Only if you don't tell them I'm not really missing a leg." With that, he hopped off pitifully, using the crutches he'd found lying at the curb a few weeks back.

"Pity the woman he convinces to marry him," Amelia sighed. She turned and stood up higher, trying to locate the coal vendor this week. He was usually right by the fish seller, who was always trying to get her to buy some. That would've been all fine if they had been dead, but the ones he constantly tried to push on her were very much alive. Amelia never seemed to be able to get through his head that there was no use for fish at an orphanage. After careful evaluation, she found the cart at the far end of the road, by another one selling brightly colored jewelry. All sorts of women were clustered around that one, because unlike Amelia, they had money to buy it.

"Pardon me," she mumbled as she edged through the crowd to the shop she needed to be at.

"Ah, Miss Amelia, back for more coal?" Geoffrey, the vendor, had grown accustomed to her coming by over the years. He was considerably older now, but he distinctly recalled her trying to reach the counter when she was about seven. She'd gotten taller in the nine years that followed, but not by terribly much.

"It's like this is a routine or something." Amelia smiled and shook out the coins while Geoffrey shoveled some into a sack for her.

"How's Brianne doing?" he asked her that every time, and every time the answer was the same.

"Insane."

It had become something of a joke between them, even though they both knew Geoffrey fancied Brianne plenty.

"Tell her I say hello, then?"

"I'll make sure to." Amelia dragged the sack of coal across the counter and backed up slightly. She hadn't expected it to be quite so heavy, and looked at Geoffrey questioningly.

"It's been cold lately." He shrugged. Amelia smiled again, and backed up a few more steps, trying to adjust the bag. She wasn't counting on tripping on the icy gravel and nearly crushing someone else.

"Oh!" She registered the voice of the person behind her as sounding just as surprised as she was. Amelia dropped the sack and slipped into the snow, also letting out an 'oh!'

"I'm sorry, really," she spluttered, wiping snow off her face and groping for her coal.

"My apologies," the other girl said at the same time. Amelia froze—just her luck to knock over someone refined from town. She shook her hair back. At least it wasn't anyone too much older than her. If she'd happened to collide with an elderly woman, she'd have really gotten it once Brianne heard about it.

"My fault, I slipped." Amelia stood up, brushing herself and at the same time attempting to help up the other girl.

"If you slipped, it was an accident." She bent to pick up the sack, but found she couldn't. Town girls tended to have that air of delicateness about them.

"It's heavy, I've got it." Amelia hauled it up onto her shoulder.

"Have I seen you around before?" the girl asked, cocking her head. She had a wide-eyed look to her, and despite her excessive coats, was quite pretty. Her hair was just the color yellow Amelia had always secretly wished for.

"I doubt you have, I live over at the—down that way." She jerked her head. "Where do you live?"

"Over by the bookstore, only I don't get out very much." The girl sighed. "I got to come today because no one wanted to leave me at home unattended."

"You're unattended right now." Amelia gave her a quirked smile.

"Not for long." She rolled her gray-flecked eyes towards a man striding their way. "I'm always in trouble with him, you watch."

He was an imposing figure, and looked none too happy to see his ward in the presence of a common street child. Amelia felt the need to look away as he gave her a condescending glare.

"Johanna, I've told you not to make conversation with these urchins. What were you doing over here anyway?"

"They—I—someone here was selling jewelry, and it looked rather lovely." Her voice seemed to change from harmonic to almost forced as she spoke to the man.

"Johanna?" Amelia spoke up without thinking. "I like that name—"

"Get out!" the man brandished his cane at her, narrowly missing her arm.

"Stop that," Johanna pleaded. "She was just being nice, and besides, I had to apologize for knocking her over."

"You don't apologize. She was the one who knocked you over, you fool. Come along." He forcefully pulled her by her arm, and she had no choice but to follow. Amelia, quite shocked, gave her a brief nod of farewell, but Johanna's arms were held too tightly for her to attempt a wave back.

Amelia had absolutely no idea what to make of the situation, and so she simply shook her head a moment before making her way back home.

This is most definitely experimental, but I know where I'm taking it. Tell me what you like, dislike, etc. Otherwise I'll have to take it off (again).

- Katie