A/N: Hellooo. Long time no see, eh? Sorry for the extremely long wait, I have been occupied with all kinds of stuff… Anyways, I promised myself I'll try and finish this fic, and really, I think it has a pretty okay plot so I don't want to let it go…

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gemma Doyle trilogy, nor do I own the book "Crime and Punishment" which is mentioned in this chapter. It belongs to Dostoevsky.

Thank you for the people who've reviewed so far, it means a lot to me!

So with no further delays, I present you with the next chapter…

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CHAPTER FIVE

~The Other Side of London~

---

"So how can you tell me you're lonely,
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I'll show you something to make you change your mind"

Ralph McTell, "Streets of London".

_/_/_/

I am still half asleep when Amanda's head emerges from behind my bedroom door.

"Dawn!" Her excited voice wakes me to my senses. I rub my eyes.

"Amanda, remember what your mother told you about knocking?" I scold gently. Her eyes widen as if caught doing something forbidden.

"I—" she stutters.

I smile slightly in her direction. In the three weeks I've been here I've gotten used to my two cousins, and somehow grew fond of them. The initial shock I have received upon first meeting them has worn out. It is quite sweet, really, the way the two of them, especially Amanda, try to win my attention.

"How about we try doing this all over again?" I say.

The girl nods swiftly and closes the door. A few moments later there is a soft knock on the door.

I smile. "Who is it?"

There is a moment's hesitation. "Santa."

"Really? But it is not Christmas quite yet."

I hear muffled laughter from behind the door. "Yes, ho!"

"If so, then of course you may come in!"

I swing the door open. Amanda stands there, her cheeks puffed. I ruffle her hair slightly.

"Why, Santa. What have you brought me for the holiday?"

Amanda tilts her head to the side, thinking. Her face then brakes into a smile and she raps her arm around me.

"A hug!" She announces.

"Thank you," I pat her head, smiling. "It is the best gift I've received so far!"

I watch her satisfied reaction with triumph.

"Mother wants to go on a few errands today. She let me come, and she said you could come too!" She announces excitedly.

"That's great," I say, yawning.

"Are you tired?"

"A bit," I say. I've stayed awake late last reading the last pages of Crime and Punishment. Actually, for the past two weeks I've been mostly reading books and studying for what I am to learn at Spence. The man who told me not to enter the realms hasn't shown up in these weeks, either. Perhaps he has forgotten about me.

That is what I tell myself, at least.

_/_/_/

At breakfast Genalyn clears her throat very loudly. For a second I am afraid she has choked on a piece of her omelet.

"Dawn," she turns to me, her voice cheerful and showing no sign of trouble in breathing. I sense Mother glaring at her from the other side of the table.

"What do you want from her now, Genalyn?" She says.

Genalyn's eyes fix on Mother. "Always jumping to conclusions, aren't you, Gemma dear?"

"Well you were using that tone of voice. It's obvious you want something," Mother states.

Genalyn chooses to ignore her and turns back to me. "All I was going to ask you was if you wanted to accompany Miss Sharol and the girls into town today. They are going to go on a few errands."

"Yes, Amanda has told me about it this morning," I say. "But aren't you coming to do some errands, too?"

"Yes, I am going a tad later, but Miss Sharol will be with the girls while I go on my errands."

"Oh," I say. I feel a bit sorry for Amanda; she seemed so excited at the prospect of going out with her mother.

"Well, would you like to come?" Genalyn asks.

"Sure!" I say, smiling. My feet desperately want to step outside, and I won't mss out on this opportunity. Even if it means I have to go around London with two annoying little girls.

We finish our breakfast and Miss Sharol, Amanda, Elizabeth and I are about to step out the door when Genalyn stops us.

"Dawn!" She exclaims, horrorstruck. "Its December, you will freeze dressed like that!"

She pulls me to the living room and drops a heavy fur coat on my shoulders.

"That's much better," she says. Then she leans closer and lowers her voice. "I would like it if you watched Miss Sharol, since I cannot come with you. Just make sure she doesn't take anything—"

"Genalyn, what makes you think—" I stammer.

"Do not worry about it, Dawn," she smiles. "Now, you should go, you are keeping the girls waiting."

Is that why she wanted me to tag along, I muse as our carriage crosses the streets of London. So I could watch Sharol and report her every move?

I glance at her. She seems like an honest girl, not much older than me. Maybe she is a little timid and has trouble controlling the girls, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't be trusted. I sigh; this world, will I ever understand it?

_/_/_/

The normally gray streets of London our flourished with the festive scents of Christmas. Luxury shops are advertizing their upcoming holiday sales, little stores are decorated with colorful lights and ladies and gentlemen are crowding the streets, chatting about their morning or their latest purchase. We are in the midst of it all, jumping from shop to shop like a wave guided by Amanda and Elizabeth. Occasionally, an – "oh, I'd love to have this" or "this is just perfect!" would be voiced, and then purses would be opened and money would be exchanged.

Eventually, as it has begun, the tide lowers, and we find ourselves sitting on one of the benches with two out of breath yet satisfied girls.

"where shall we go next?" I ask Miss Sharol.

"Is there anything you wish to purchase, Miss Doyle?" she asks me. The sun makes her freckles decorating the bridge of her nose stand out against her pale skin. Really, she is no more than a few years older than me.

"Just Dawn, please," I say. "There is no need for such formality with me, I'm just an ordinary girl. We could even be friends!"

She looks taken back for a moment before her face breaks into a grin. "Do you make a habit out of it, trying to befriend maids and servants?" she laughs.

"And what is wrong with that?" I smile. She shakes her head slightly and I wonder how one could've ever suspected her to commit such a crime as stealing. It is just not right that one should be mistrusted for the sake of his or her status.

I let my eyes close for a few moments, breathing in the London air in slow, refreshing gulps.

"It is time we go home," Sharol says after we've been sitting on the bench for a while. She picks up the basket of purchases and heads towards our carriage, the girls in tow behind her. They turn around, expecting me to follow.

"I think I'll walk home, I remember the way," I say. Jumping from shop to shop has not quenched my hunger to explore.

Sharol hesitates. "I am not sure that is advisable, Miss."

"I can take care of myself," I assure her. "I feel suffocated in the carriage and in the house, surely you'd understand."

She smiles slightly. "All right, but be back before dark," she says, her nanny tone catching in.

"Miss Sharol, there is no need to speak to me like I am Amanda!" I joke.

She laughs slightly and enters the carriage. "Goodbye, Miss!"

I lay back slightly on the bench as the carriage drives away, wondering where I shall go next. From the corner of my eye I see something rustling in the bushes. I hear a strangled squeak. After a few moments I hear it again. And again. And again.

Meow.

I lean down and gaze into the bushes. There is a little black thing curled within itself. It is no bigger than my head, really, but it makes the loudest noise.

"Oh, you're so cute!" I say.

I lean over to reach it, my arm outstretched. The kitten retreats a little, but then slightly sniffs me and allows me to hold it. It looks up at me, revealing piercing green eyes.

"You really are adorable," I say, petting her softly. "Did your mother abandon you?"

The kitten meows. It is staring at me and somehow, I find her gaze accusing.

"Hey, are you staring at my coat? It's not cat fur, don't worry. And I wouldn't have worn it hadn't Genalyn forced me to," I say in my defense.

The kitten closes her eyes halfway. Yeah right, she seems to be saying.

"Fine, don't believe me," I say. But I notice she is shivering so I place her in the pocket of my coat. She doesn't seem to complain, even though it is fur.

It is from there – hidden behind the bushes – that I hear a familiar voice, low and horse, which sends shivers down my spine.

The stranger! Has he come to get me, now that I'm all alone?!

I hear another voice, noble and commanding, and my heart calms down as I realize he was not calling for me. No, he is talking to someone. He does not even know I am here!

I crouch down lower, heart pounding, straining my ears.

"… According to plan," the other man is saying.

The stranger reply is muffled. "… Two weeks…"

"… crucial…"

"I understand…"

I lean in closer to the bushes, so I can hear them better.

"You were supposed to watch her, Asif!" the other man says.

Asif. So the stranger has a name.

"I am sorry. I was occupied…"

"Do you understand what will happen if she enters now?" the man cuts him off.

"Yes. But I scared her enough, she won't be entering."

"Do you understand that we need her? You were supposed to gain her trust, not scare her completely!"

I am perplexed. There is someone who is commanding the stranger – commanding Asif. He is speaking to him as though he is his servant. He is empowering over the man who has threatened me with a knife. Who is this man?!

I raise my head slightly so my eyes can see above the bushes. The two men are standing not far from where I was sitting earlier, huddled together. I recognize the stranger immediately – a dirty cap, brown messy hair sticking out of it; bulky shoulders. The man speaking to him to him is rather short and plump. His hair is neatly combed back and a neatly cut mustache decorates the space above his lip. His clothes, even I can tell, are fancy and expensive. A nobleman's clothes. He is standing straight, Asif is hunched over. He is shorter that Asif, but somehow it seems as though he is empowering above him. The way he's talking... The way he's treating the stranger…

"You work for me, understand that. We will be the first to obtain the little Doyle's power," says the nobleman. With that he turns around and disappears into a carriage.

Little Doyle… They were speaking of me!

Asif's words repeat in my head. "I've been sent…"

Could it be that this is the man he is working for? From the way he spoke to him it is clear this is a servant-master relationship. But what would this man want of me? He clearly knows of the realms, he wants to gain my trust and… he needs me.

Why?

I am lost in my thoughts as I see Asif turning to leave. It has given me much satisfaction to see him being spoken down upon by his master. But I am still curious. He heads sown the street, his pace like a steady rhythm, and I fallow him, keeping a fair distance between us, my steps as light as possible.

It is always you watching me, I muse silently. Now it is my turn. Where are you heading to?

He seems to be hurrying somewhere, yet he doesn't run. He blends almost naturally into the crowd but I can still find his dark cap and black cloak among the people. He stops before crossing a street and I am forced to stop as well so he won't notice me. Only then do I notice the steady pounding of my heart.

He crosses the streets and heads for one of the alleys. I continue following him, quickening my pace when he does, slowing down when needed. I have lost count of how many times I've turned and how many streets I've crossed. I don't notice it at first, but gradually there are less and less people around me. He is heading deeper and deeper into the city, and I realize for the first time how different these streets look from the main streets. It is grey everywhere, and a horrid stench fills the air. Asif has not noticed me yet. He turns abruptly and heads to what looks like a dark alley, and I start to head towards there when I hear a voice behind me.

"Look out, Miss!"

Hooves are thumping wildly on the ground; a man is screaming somewhere behind me. I turn around in time to see a carriage heading towards me in full speed and manage to glimpse the driver. He is screaming at me, his mouth opening and closing, but my brain cannot decipher what he is saying. In the split second that I realize my situation, my brain registers on one thing.

I won't make it.

Instinctively I close my eyes. I feel myself being flung sideways by some force. My head hits the pavement beneath me. I hear a strangled meow. Scurrying. A gush of wind hits my face as the carriage drives by the place I was standing at mere seconds ago. My breath comes in shallow gulps. I try to allow more air to enter my lungs but something is stopping me. There is a weight on top of me.

I open my eyes.

A boy's face is inches from mine, filling my vision. I register his hazel eyes before I fling him off of me.

"What the – "

I hear a screech as the carriage halts at the end of the street. Heavy footsteps. Screaming.

"Are you crazy?!" the carriage driver's face now fills my vision, bellowing. "You can't just jump into the street like that!"

"I-I'm s-sorry," I stammer.

"Now my horses are wild and the couple I'm driving is going to be late!"

"I'm sorry…"

I feel a hand on my shoulder. "She said she was sorry," I hear a boy's voice from behind me. "She'll be careful next time."

I turn around. The hazel eyed boy is standing behind me, his head tilted sideways.

"She better be," the driver mutters before entering the carriage and driving away.

I feel a pat on my shoulder. "Are you okay, Miss?"

I stand up and brush my skirt. My head is pounding from where it hit the sidewalk.

"Yes, I am deeply sorry. Thank you. It won't happen again," I mutter.

I try to recollect my senses. I was following the stranger, following Alis… I look around at my surroundings. I am clearly at a far different part of London that I am used to. The streets are narrower and filled with litter. The air is gloomy and grey. What is this place?

Alis went to that dark alley, I should follow him…

I turn around. There is a small girl huddled up against the stone wall. She is hugging her knees and I notice she is shivering. I bend over so my face is level to hers.

"Are you all right?" I ask the little girl. She couldn't be any older than Amanda. She is so thin she looks as though she would break any moment.

She stares at me with big grey eyes and shakes her head. She is wearing a tattered rag and her feet are bear.

I put my hand in my pocket. The kitten is gone, probably jumped out of the way when I was flung to the ground. It takes me a split second to decide.

I take off the fur coat, instantly feeling the rush of could air hit my bones. "Here," I say, wrapping the coat around her shoulders. "Take this. It will warm you up. Keep it with you and don't give it to anyone. When winter is over you can sell it and get a lot of money for it." I pat her head softly.

She nods slightly and wraps the coat tightly around her body. The shivering gradually stops. I pat her head softly.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

She nods.

I smile. Now that the coat is off I feel so much lighter. Really, it was so suffocating inside that fur coat.

Before I notice it I am surrounded by a group of boys. They look around the ages of twelve or thirteen. Their eyes are dull and their clothes are filled with holes.

"Please," one of them says, holding onto my dress. "Will you give us one too? We're cold."

"I'm sorry," I say. "I don't have anymore coats, I'm sorry…"

"Then give us some money, Miss," another boy says.

"I don't have any money with me," I say.

"But you look rich!"

"I'm sorry, I can't give you anything – "

The boy holding onto my dress starts pulling at it. "Surely you have something to give us!"

"That's enough, Percy," I hear an older voice.

The boy lets go of my dress. Approaching us is the hazel eyed boy. His clothes are worn out, too, and his hair is a bit of a mess. But the boys look up at him as he approaches with respecting eyes.

"They were going to pick-pocket you," the hazel eyed boy says in a matter--of–fact voice. He looks to be around my age.

Percy lowers his head. "Sorry," he says to me.

"No, you're not," the older boy laughs. He ruffles the younger boy's hair.

I suddenly remember what I am here for. I turn my head and stare at the dark alley. It has a menacing glare to it.

The older boy follows my gaze. "That's not a place for young ladies," he says.

"Or for anyone," one of he boys adds.

I stare at the alley one more time. It is intimidating, and by now I have probably lost Alis. I might as well head home.

"It was nice meeting you," I say, about to turn around.

"Aren't you going to thank me for saving you from the carriage?" the boy asks.

"Yes. Thank you for banging my head on the sidewalk. It still hurts."

He laughs. "I never heard a lady speak like that."

"There's a first time for everything, I guess."

He tilts his head sideways, his gaze perplexed.

"You're a foreigner, aren't you?" he asks.

"I am not from here, yes. How did you know?"

"Your accent, first of all. And you're in the slums, even though you're obviously rich. Not to mention the fact that you gave a fur coat to girl on the street."

"She was cold," I say in my defense. "I'll be going now, so – er, have a good day."

I turn around and take a few steps. Then I stop.

Wait, did I come from this way? Or from that one?

I'm lost.

"You're lost, aren't you?" the boy says behind me.

"No, I'm just… debating where to go."

"I'll be your guide if you pay me. Where do you live?"

Do I have any other choice? I rack my brain. I can clearly picture Tom and Genalyn's house in my mind. But what street was it on?

"I… don't know," I say finally.

"You don't know where you live?"

"No, I don't," I say, frustrated. The back of my head hurts and the warmness from the fur coat is wearing off. I take a few steps, deciding that I will walk until I find a familiar place.

Wait, maybe…

I stop and turn around. "Do you know where Bethlem Hospital is?" I ask.

His eyes widen and he stares at me. "Oh."

It takes me a moment to realize what he is thinking.

"No! It's not like that! It's just, my uncle works there, so…"

"All right, I'll take you there," He says, clearly skeptical about my explanation.

"I don't really live there," I say.

"Okay."

He doesn't believe me. Well, it doesn't matter, as long as I reach Tom before he leaves the hospital. I could go home with him then.

"But," I say. "I don't have any money with me."

He sighs. "Then I'll be your guide for free."

"Thank you! I'm sorry to be such a bother…"

Something rubs against my leg. I look down to see the black kitten huddled against my leg.

"Are you cold again?" I ask her.

"Meow," is her reply. I pick her up und hold her against my chest.

"I'm ready," I say.

He raises his eyebrows slightly but nods and signals me to follow him. We walk in silence for a few minutes; me walking behind him and studying the streets. It is not the way I came from. I remember Uncle Tom saying something about it being on the other side of London.

"How much longer do you think it will take to get there?" I ask.

"Maybe twenty minutes," he replies.

We continue walking in silence and I replay the events of the day in my mind. It seems so long ago that Amanda barged into my room. Since then I have managed to eat breakfast, enter numerous shops, eavesdrop on a conversation, follow a man who has threatened to kill me, and nearly get run over by a carriage.

"Thank you," I say suddenly.

He slows down and turns around. "It's okay. I have errands to do in that area anyways."

I quicken my pace so I am walking besides him. "No, thank you for before. For pushing me out of the way of that carriage. I could've been trampled to death by that carriage, just like what happened to Marmeladov," I say quietly. The realization of how close I was to meeting my end with that carriage finally sinks in.

"Marmeladov? You know someone who died form getting hit by a carriage?"

"No," I laugh. "Marmeladov form the book, Crime and Punishment. I just finished reading it," I say.

"Oh. I haven't read it," he says.

"You should. Thank you, again," I say.

"No problem."

I sigh quietly. Genalyn was right – I did need the coat. Now that the coat is off the cold air hits my bare skin with all its force. I wish I hadn't worn such a flimsy dress. I hold the kitten closer to my body. It is also shaking.

"You're pretty weird," he says suddenly.

"Huh?"

He laughs. "Judging by your clothes, you're obviously the daughter of some rich noblemen, yet you still wonder around in the slums. You don't speak so politely. You gave a stranger an expensive bear fur coat."

"Oh, so it was bear fur," I mutter to myself quietly.

"And you're holding a stray cat," he adds.

"The kitten's cold. So was the little girl," I say in my defense. A shiver runs through my body.

He stares at me and then shakes his head. "Here," he says, taking off his brown jacket and handing it to me. "Wear this."

"No – I can't."

"You're shivering."

"But what about you?"

"I'm used to it. Besides, if you freeze to death next to me I'll get in trouble for it," he says.

He drops the jacket over my shoulders, his finger grazing the back of my neck as he does so. The jacket is pretty worn out, but it is warm nonetheless. I give up and put my arms through the sleeves. I tuck the kitten inside the jacket.

"Thank you," I say.

We continue walking. I look around. By the looks of it, we are no longer in what he calls the slums' area. The streets are wider and cleaner. The air is no longer so stiff anymore. I wonder at this city called London. It has been only a few hour, yet I still witnessed so many different areas of this city – each area so different it is like a foreign country to the other.

"How much longer?" I ask again, trying not to be rude.

"Maybe five minutes," he replies. "You know, you're pretty stupid."

"Oh, so now I'm stupid, too."

"Yes. How do you know I'm taking you the right way?" he asks.

"I—"

"For all you know, I could kill you any second and steal your clothes. The slums are full of those kinds of people, waiting to prey on English girls."

"But you saved my life," I say.

"That's not what I'm saying. Just try to be more careful. The slums aren't a place for people like you. You trust people too quickly."

"How long do you know me that you can decide something like that?" I say, annoyed.

He shrugs. "You're trusting me."

I don't know what to reply so I just stay silent. I wonder what he meant with that comment. Should I really not trust this person? He seems reliable.

"Here," he says after five minutes. "Bethlem Institution for the Mentally Ill."

I see the peeks of the great building in the distance. "I'll be okay from here, thank you."

"You're welcome," he says.

I wonder if I should say anything more. "I'll be more careful next time," I say.

He smiles. "Good."

I open my mouth to say something else but he already turns to leave.

"Wait!" I remember. "Your jacket…" But he doesn't hear me. He has already disappeared into the crowd.

I wonder if he has another jacket and wish I had something to give him. Today I have seen an ugly side of London. I have seen kids on the bridge of death, hollow faced and hungry. I have seen filth and dirt so unlikely of the London glamour.

"Meow," the kitten brings me back to my senses.

"I wonder," I say out loud to the kitten. "What it is like to live in those streets. Or what it is like to live in that hospital. I've been having funny dreams lately. I wonder if that means I am crazy too."

You're not crazy, I hear a voice in my head. The kitten looks at me with half closed eyes. I shake my head. No, surely it hasn't come from her.

"I hope I'm not," I say to no one in particular as I enter the Bethlem Hospital for the Mentally Ill.

-----

"In our winter city,
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care"

_/_/_/

A/N: Yay :) finished! Hoped you enjoyed reading it like I enjoyed writing it! This chap has been in my mind for a while and now I've finally had a chance to write it. Next chapter is Christmas.. and Felicity and Ann! Charlie, too…

Anyways, I hope the next chappy comes soon. BUT – I am going to use my power as an author and do something kinda evil. I don't know how many people are interested in this story. I know I'm interested in finishing it, but I need the feedback from you guys… SO I'll try to post the next chapter once I get say… 30 reviews. Deal? Deal :D

Okay – I know Alis is a bad name, but I really couldn't think of anything. So if anyone has suggestions, I'm free to hear them.

And finally, I would like to show my gratitude for those who have read this far.

THANK YOU.

You deserve a hug. (um… that sounded kinda bad. No, I'm not an internet stalker. Really.)

Yours till the police come and arrest me, (just kidding, really!)

Mariaty