Tessa Gray ran down the cobbled streets of London fleeing her brother's mangy apartment. He'd hit her again. He promised he wouldn't but that was when he was sober. The harsh late November air stung as she tried to put as much distance between her and Nate and she wished she had at least pulled a shawl on.

The night was dreary and laughs were heard from nearby taverns. Nate had been there only a few hours earlier, she thought bitterly to herself. It hadn't been the worst beating she'd ever received, but it still was a beating and Nate usually resented it in the morning, however she'd had enough. Being a seventeen year old girl in Victorian times no one could care less of the life at home, no everything was about how you dressed in public, how you acted in public, never of your personal life, except if it was gossip.

I will be gossip.

So there Tessa was, wandering the grimy streets of London at three in the morning with a split lip, a hairstyle that was falling out and not an item of clothing to shield her from the icy air outside. She shivered as she stepped into an alley way, it was a relief to be out of the frozen wind but it was darker in the alley and Tessa had to squint to see her surroundings.

It was a small street between two weathered buildings the air was still and shouts could be heard from the pubs on the high, the shriek if a lady echoing between the walls where Tessa stood. It was still, not a stray rat or any movement at all. She squinted up, unable to see much farther than the buildings that towered above her she concluded that they were about five stories high. She felt small, which was an odd feeling as she was taller than most girls her age.

Tessa's grey eyes shone, despite the darkness, in fear.

All of a sudden she felt vulnerable, a girl alone on the streets of London, penniless, the situation couldn't get worse.

Just as Tessa slid down the brick wall to sit and finally let the tears consume her, three drunkards rounded the corner and into the alley where Tessa leaned against the wall.

At first they didn't seem to see her and for a fleeting moment she thought, no hoped, they'd passed by her remaining unnoticed, blending into the shadows.

But of course one of them in their drunken state lays his beady eyes on Tessa. He stopped his slouched walk and tapped his companions on the shoulders.

"Look what we have here." He nodded at Tessa.

Tessa slouched in exhaustion and acceptance, this was it. They would beat her, finish her off. Why not, there's nothing much else that can go against me now! She closed her eyes and felt the presence of the men pinning her to the wall. One of them stroked her cheek and her pale eyes shot open. He was smiling at her, his teeth were beer stained and Tessa felt queasy. His hands were rough and his finger nails grimy, liquor lingered around him, a smell she found particularly noisome.

Another of the men played with her hair like a cat with string. She wanted to run, but new that she was now trapped and her attempt would be futile; there was three of them and they were all bigger than her.

"Shall we have some more fun boys?" The one with gross teeth asked.

"Yes! That wench at the Tames wasn't worth those 4 pence." The beady eyed one exclaimed.

She now understood, they weren't going to beat her, they were going to violate her.

She screamed. Louder than he knew she could. A hand found its way onto her mouth and her scream was muffled.

"Shut up you whore." Said the quiet man, who until now hadn't touched her.

She was dragged away from the wall, she made every attempt to make it difficult for them, but there was three of them. She was pushed against the opposite wall, and one breathed down her neck, she could smell it. One of them was trying to unbutton her dress and was failing; so he ripped it off her, momentarily released from all holds of the men, she screamed.

One of them threw her onto the ground and sat on top of her, straddling her and her petticoat. He place a hand on her clothed breast and one on her mouth. The other men dropped to the dirty pavement and began to undress Tessa, she wriggled in attempts to get free, but the man on top of her slapped her and for a moment she was blinded. Tessa was now wearing nought but a thin underdress, the men began to touch her.

Her legs, her neck and her abdomen. The man who was sitting on top of her crushed his smelly mouth onto hers and she screamed into his mouth. He continued down her neck and Tessa screamed. He slapped her again and the tears began to fall.

She cried, for Nate, for herself and for her aunt.

Just as the man hopped of her and was about to rip her underdress off, a voice came from the opening of the alley.

"What's going on down there?"
Relief washed over Tessa and she screamed yet again, just to catch the voices attention. This earned her another slap.

The man who's the voice belonged approached, one of the men stood up,

"Go away kid," he said gruffly.

The boy lifted up the man and threw him, but Tessa's view was obscured by the man on top of her, she still saw him crash against the alley wall.

She screamed again, drawing the boy's attention to her. The other two men were thrown away like garbage and Tessa curled into a ball. She sobbed and sobbed, eventually her saviour scooped her up just as she passed out. But before consciousness left her she saw the brightest most concerned blue.