Hey! Yay I'm updating! I'm gonna try and do this every weekend now, just to keep things consistent.

Chapter 12-Making friends

I examined the side of my face in a piece of silverware. Already there was a large purple bruise where the tall man had hit me with I-still-don't-know-what.

I was so wrapped up in pity for my face that I had hardly noticed that a bell had rung and the group of women had left. I stood up, tried not to look any more foolish then I already did, and struggled to find my way back to the dormitory where I was to sleep. I almost got lost on the way there, but somehow managed to find my direction.

When I got to the room, the women were all sitting on the beds chatting. I was a little taken back by the conversations that the usually silent women were now having. When I walked in a few heads turned toward me. I stopped at the front of the room, a little lost at what I should do next.

"It was pretty naïve wot yah did in there," Someone said to me. My head snapped in the direction of the voice. An older woman, around 15 or 20 years older than me had spoken. She had short, wild brown-gray hair that was barely tamed by her bonnet, and a very tiered looking face.

"But brave," said another voice. This one from who seemed to be the youngest in the room. The girl, perhaps only 16 sat on the bed next to the older women, her long, perfectly straight black hair falling down her back and her big brown eyes looking at me as if I was the most amazing person in the room.

I just stood there, not really sure what to say. "Wot's the matter? Don' you speak?" The older women asked. I nodded and then opened my mouth to say something. It wasn't until then that I realized how much it hurt the bruise on my face to even simply move my jaw. I took in a deep breath, tried to show some strength and said, " 'eah, I do,"

"Good," the younger girl said. She motioned to the back of the room where some women laid in beds, just staring at the ceiling and others at the wall. "Some of us have forgotten how to," She added, sadness in her voice.

"I hardly knew we were permitted to," I managed to a say, simply glad that someone had struck up a conversation with me. Glad that I wasn't one of the girls staring at the corner of the room so mute.

"Yeah. We're lucky though. Some workhouses never let the paupers speak. We're lucky. We get mornings and evenings." Said the older women.

Yes, we seem lucky.

I wanted to say, but the pain in my cheek seemed to catch up to me before any sound escaped my throat. I sighed and touched it with my hand, closing my eyes to stop the automatic stinging tears from coming.

"Are you alright?" The teenager added.

I mustered a smile through the pain. "Of course," I said.

"Yah don' have to try and act tough around us. If that bruise hurts half as bad as looks, yah're not alright," The older women said as she stood up and tore a small piece of fabric off of the small sheet that covered the bed. She walked across the room and turned on a faucet that was very much randomly sticking out of the wall, "Don' tell the headmaster we found this," The women said with a smirk. She ran the cloth under the water and then walked over and kindly handed it to me. "Now, come sit 'er down," She urged me over to the small bed where she sat before.

I uncomfortably sat next to her, not use to living with anyone but Ben.

"Was that you're boy out there? Crying in the dining hall?" Asked the black haired girl, full of wonder.

I held the cold rag to the bruise on my face and nodded. "Yes, that was Benjamin," Saying his name only made me miss him more.

"You're lucky," The old women said.

There's that word again, lucky. I don't feel lucky...

"One of them older children took 'im in. Ones that don' get taken in usually sleep on the floor. Tend to get diseased," She continued nodding to the younger girl.

"Disease?" I asked. Nobody had told me about disease when I applied here!

"Mostly scarlet fever," She said a little too calm for my likings.

"And measles," The younger girl added. I frowned. I never in a million years would have moved us here if I knew of such disease!

"Well then we should leave! I'll go! I'll go file me leavings now!" I said, standing up. The older women stopped me.

"It's alright dear. It's rare, very rare."

"And your boy, he's got Stephanie. She's one of the best. Has a heart for the kids, she does; Likes taking in two or three at a time. Good job she does with 'em too. I pity the day she grows old enough to move in with us," The younger girl pointed out. The confidence and sureness in her voice made me feel better. Not a lot, just better enough to sit down and relax. I was exhausted anyway. I sighed.

"If you don't mind me asken'," Said the younger girl. "what'd yah call yourself?"

I was a little thrown off by the question, I don't know why, I just was. "Nellie. Nellie Lovett," I answered.

"Lovett," The girl repeated. "I like that name. I'm Juliet, and that's Elizabeth," Juliet said pointing to the older women. Elizabeth nodded.

"Pleasure to have yah here Nellie; Maybe not for you, but it's always nice to have a new face. As naïve as some can get,"

I smiled. It hurt, but I did it anyway.

I had made friends.

I'd never really had friends, not in school or anywhere. The Barkers were the closest to friends I had ever had. But this here, this was nice.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and the skinny man walked in. "LIGHTS OUT!" He screamed, blowing out a candle next to him. Everyone in the room proceeded to grab a candle and blow it out, except me; I just sat there confused.

"Already?" I asked in shock. "But it can't be but eight pm,"

Juliet nodded as she blew out her candle. "Ah, but it is. And that's the time for lights out."

I stood up off of Elizabeth's bed for her and took a look around. All beds were taken, some even by two people. I sighed. The whole room fell silent. "Here," I heard a whisper. Juliet? "Nellie, take my bed. I'll sleep next to Rosaline, we're both tiny slips of a thing anyway,"

I smiled at Juliet's offer as I struggled to find the empty bed in the dark. I lay down and relaxed for what seemed to be the first time in years. Not that it helped any; I wasn't able to get much sleep.

Thanks for reading!

Random fun fact- When I wrote this I was reading Romeo and Juliet in school (Where is where I got the name Juliet, obviously) and now as I post it, I'm in my school's production of Romeo and Juliet. =)