Chapter 3

By the time Luciana was close to London, she felt a little like Frodo Baggins when he first set out on his adventure. Her cape draped around her and a walking branch in her hand. Maybe she should take off her shoes and walk barefoot, like a true hobbit. 'Luciana Baggins.' She giggles loudly, amused by the thought despite her predicament. She made sure to enjoy the awful long way to the city by listening to music, dancing in her steps with elegant twirls and singing- probably off tune. From an outside perspective she must have looked mad, lunatic, but honestly who cared. She didn't.

"Just a little more." She grins as the city was already so close she could smell it. Seriously though, she could smell the faint smog of the workhouses and well, piss. If her history lessons taught her anything, she was sometime close to the industrial revolution. That was around the 18th and 19th century, so either she was in between those years or even after. Maybe even close to the 20th century. That meant electricity was already discovered. "Yay! I can charge my phone." She grins gleefully throwing her walking stick to the side and walking into London. "Home, sweet home." She smiles slightly, trying to figure out where exactly she was.

Walking through the crowds with her head lowered, she tried not to gain too much attention but still looked at the city with awe despite feeling a little miffed. She didn't really know where to go from here. She was stuck in the past, without a way back, alone, with no place to stay and no one to help. 'Well, the last part ain't anything new.' Luciana muses as she finds herself looking at Westminster Abbey. Her school should be close by, if it was already built that is. It may have been. The boarding school was old and traditional but there was no use in going there, they might trial her as a witch. She chuckles to herself before stopping abruptly. 'The witch hunts are over already right?' Luciana shudders at the thought of being burnt at the stake. Better not take that chance. She turns her back on the Abbey and walks towards the east end. At least now she knew where she was going. 'Back to the roots.'

Living in the east end shouldn't be all that different, maybe more brutal? At least, she knew the streets there like the back of her hand. Luciana knew that she really shouldn't worry so much, no matter what time period an orphan always had to survive on their own. She walked through the crowds with new resolve, careful of any attention she might receive while making her way to her destination. 'Might be a good idea to have some more money.' Luciana muses quietly as she takes in the well dressed people of London. 'Nobles? They look like- the Victorian era?!' She internally gapes, not wanting to make a scene. Okay, now she knew it was sometime in the 19th century. She shook her head lightly at the new found knowledge and tried to focus on the task at hand; money. Luciana smirks looking at the pouches around the nobles' waists. 'Easy. Just remember Luce, nimble fingers and don't run.' She replays the saying in her head like a mantra, taking a calming breath. In an instant her demeanor changes; her head lowers, shoulders slump slightly and her pace slows. With a steely gaze she takes in the surroundings through her lashes and peripheral vision, picking out a target; the pouch not too small and not too heavy, just enough to get by.

She smiles as the perfect target enters her view. A gentleman accompanied by two women, too busy entertaining them to actually pay any attention to where he was going. 'Perfect.' She walks closer into his oncoming path, moves her cloak opening it slightly so her hands could move swifter. '3,…2,…1,…now.' Luciana walks into one of the women and softly bumps into the man, she grabs into his pouch emptying it of its contents, looks at the woman apologetically and is gone into the crowds by the time the man begins to complain.

Rounding a corner into a darker alley she counts her winnings. In her hand was one pound and seven shillings. She sighed; it didn't look like a lot to her but it will have to do. With that she went off to the east end to find lodging.

Hiding her long hair and feminine face under the hood of her cloak she asks the keeper of the common lodging for a bed.

"If ye ain' go' no money, ye ain' gettin nothin." He spoke in a thick east end dialect. At least that hasn't changed much and Luciana was glad she could speak it too.

"How much?" She asks the man with a steely gaze.

"Three shillings, six pence." He cocks a curious brow at the lady in front of him as she slides four shillings over the counter.

"Keep the res." She smirks.

"Nice doin' business wif ye." The keeper grins showing off his missing teeth as Luciana subtly dips her head moving to find her bed in the attic.

Hope you liked that!

And don't hold me to that dialect, I'm just making it up as I go...The next update will be by the weekend.