(Year 1910)
At seven she was a skinny little thing. Plain. Dirty. Like the rest of all the kids, except for the Shelby's of course, running around on the muddy streets. She always received a reprimanding session from her mother when she got home and had mud tracks streaking along her bare legs.
But it was worth it.
At least the times when she ran around with Ada Shelby.
Ada Shelby was the only girl in the Shelby family. Technically there was also aunt Polly - but she didn't always count. She wasn't a girl.
Ada was spirited, just like Adelaine. Or Lainey as Ada called her, and soon it stuck. Only her mother insisted on calling her Adelaine.
"That's the name I chose for ye', course' I'll be callin' ye' by tha'!" Lainey always shook her head when her mother spoke like that.
Ada was Lainey's best friend. And Lainey was Ada's best friend. As they grew older and into their teens, they also grew even closer. Soon you couldn't find one without the other.
They were adventurous as well, usually convincing the other to do something scary – but always staying close and backing the other one up.
Trying to steal some booze from the pub where the Shelby brother's often went, or trying to spy on the neighbouring boys who now had started to develop muscles and their voices went funny when they talked.
Sometimes John's voice went a bit funny, and the girls couldn't help themselves but giggle as he did. The first few times it happened, he got mad. And not only mad - but Lainey could see it really upset him. So she tried to not giggle at him anymore.
One time, when Ada were giggling and Lainey saw the embarrassed face he had - she made herself trip on purpose, falling right on her behind in the mud splashing Ada in the process. Ada, of course, first got silent in shock, but as John started to laugh at Lainey, both girls drew up mud in their palms and so began the mud fight.
She still smiled when she thought of it. The girls squealing, John laughing - soon more kids and teens joined and then they were all covered in dark grey mud.
It didn't end on a good note though; in the midst of a full-blown smile, a sneaky look in her eyes Lainey grabbed herself a big pile of mud to throw on Ada (hey, they were friends and it was all in good fun!) - when from a corner Ada's older brother Thomas Shelby appeared with his friends and the oldest brother Arthur and as Ada took a step to her left, the mud catapulting from Lainey's hands flew onto Thomas' chest and sprayed his face.
Lainey still swears she saw her life pass in front of her eyes. All activity stopped, everybody got silent and Lainey whimpered in fear as Thomas looked down at his formerly pristine white shirt and then at her. His eyes were ice-cold and his mouth in a hard straight line. As he took a step toward her, everybody but the Shelby family and Lainey left the streets in a hurry and Lainey kept backing up, matching every step forward Thomas took.
"I'm sorr-"
"Be quiet girl" he interrupted her soft voice and she whimpered again. She could hear from far away how Ada was trying to explain but Lainey couldn't look away from Thomas' eyes.
She didn't really think he would hurt her - she'd seen him being nice and kind with aunt Polly and Ada, but then again, they were his family - but you just never knew what Thomas had up his sleeve.
"I didn't me-"
"I said-" he interrupted again and at last she was stuck against a brick wall "-be quiet." She pressed her lips together at his tone, not looking away from his eyes as he kept her locked in his gaze. She felt like a caught rabbit, about to get skinned.
"Now-" he began and leaned forwards a bit so he towered over her. He was already a man in physique and aura. He had more control over his body then most men twice his years and knew how to express himself clearly "-why don't you calmly explain to me why ye' threw mud on meself'?" He growled out the last of his sentence, making his accent stronger.
Lainey took a deep breath, tried to look around him towards Ada, but Thomas widened his shoulder and took a mini-step closer, caging her against the brick wall.
"We- Well you see-" she cleared her throat softly and glanced up at his eyes before quickly studying their shoes again when she saw him stare at her "-we were just talking, Ada and me, with John, and then his voice got a bit funny - you know like how the boys' voices get- anyway" she interrupted herself quickly when she saw him narrow his eyes. Why did she think it was a good idea to tell him she was laughing at his brother? "-I saw how upset he got when we laughed-" she was not gonna rat on Ada completely "-so I accidentally tripped myself and fell on my bu-" she quickly blushed and flashed her eyes up to his in horror when she realized what word she was about to say "-well I fell, and then we got in a mud fight." She took a deep breath and bit the inside of her cheek in nervousness. When it became clear she wasn't going to say anything else, Thomas nodded but still gave her a questioning stare.
"A'right, that explains how it all got started, but it doesn't explain why I got mud all over me?" He raised his eyebrow in question and Lainey started to fidget.
"We- Well you see, I was going to joke with Ada when you suddenly-"
"Are you trying to blame me?" He raised his other brow as well and Lainey widened her eyes in horror.
"N- No of course not! It was all my fault, I just didn't mean-"
And then something horrible, fantastic, embarrassing and humiliating happened - Thomas Shelby and his brothers began laughing at her. Thomas took a step back while laughing, still a sneering look in his eyes that to Lainey said 'You embarrass me, I'll embarrass you.'
Lainey couldn't look away. Even when she felt her eyes burn. And her cheeks flush. And her fists clenching. She couldn't look away or stop spouting horrible names in her head until Ada appeared in front of her, her eyes also burning, her cheeks also flushing and her fists clenched. Ada stared at her brother who refused to look away from the little fourteen year old girl who looked so humiliated, until he felt his sister hit his shoulder. Then he looked at Ada.
"Ye're all horrible! Scum!" She then pierced someone behind him with an even madder look before she grabbed the silent girls arm and led her away.
And that was the day when Thomas Shelby saw Lainey Chadwick for the first time as something else then his little sisters scrawny friend.