Thank you:

M. Cullen Hightopp - Yay, more hugs! I'd love to hug Sweeney as well! But I can't, so I made Amy do it instead!

freakyfriday13 - Thank you! High fived her face? That's such an awesome way to put it! :)

and xBadxRomancesx - Thank you very much!

By the way, may I just add that I have begun a new story - 'Broken' - so I'd appreciate it if you read it and tell me what you think!

Chapter Twenty

They were staring at me.

It was odd. From the moment I stepped into the shop with Anna, I could feel eyes on me.

Deciding I was feeling slightly paranoid, I simply looked around at my surroundings.

The shop itself was fairly simple. Small and dusty, it had a lovely warm feeling to it.

I still couldn't shake the feeling I knew it, though.

"The woman that runs this shop is ever so lovely," Anna told me. "A bit…eccentric, but ever so lovely."

I smiled. "What is her name?"

"Mrs Lovett."

I jumped and spun around to see a tall, pale woman standing by the smaller window. Her dark brown hair was curly and tied back into bunches, a few strands falling down to frame her face.

"Ms Valentine?" I asked uneasily.

"No, I'm Mrs Lovett, love." The woman answered, mirroring my unsure look.

"Oh. Right."

I frowned as I pressed a hand against my head, hoping to reduce the stinging that emerged.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked, frowning. I nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine." I lied. Anna didn't look convinced, but left it.

I could still feel eyes on me.

I looked up just in time to see a figure spin around and run into the back room. I frowned, but shook my head and looked away.

"The pies here are very nice as well." Anna suddenly announced. I smiled.

"Oh?"

"Oh yes, very nice. I don't know what they put in them, but they taste ever so lovely."

"I haven't had a pie for such a long time."

I suddenly felt eyes on me again.

I was unable to stop myself as I glanced up in wonder.

My eyes met a child's.

To be quite honest, she could hardly be described as a child. She was a teenager, a young one, but still a teenager. Her thick blonde hair was tied back with a light blue ribbon that matched her dress and eyes.

Behind her was another teenage girl, this one a little older. She had the same fair skin as then younger one, so I presumed them to be sisters, but this one had dark hair and grey eyes.

Another stab of pain went through my head.

I knew them.

A cheery voice greeting us interrupted my thoughts.

"Hello dearies! Do forgive me, I didn't see ya there! Me old head isn't what it used to be, you see," The woman said. I presumed her to be Mrs Lovett. "Now, what can I get you?"

"Oh, just two pies please, Mrs Lovett." Anna said politely.

"Of course."

I watched as Mrs Lovett bustled around, chattering non stop as she worked. I would've found it annoying, but the sound of her burbling made me smile in amusement.

"Amy, you couldn't be a love and help, could you?" Mrs Lovett suddenly asked. I followed her gaze to meet the eyes of the younger girl again.

"Of course."

Amy walked forwards, keeping her head low as she passed me, and began helping Mrs Lovett silently.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Anna. How are you?"

"I'm quite well, thank you," Anna replied. "How are you?"

"Same as usual, love, same as usual."

Mrs Lovett's dark eyes darted to me suddenly, but then back to Anna. Noticing, Anna blushed.

"Oh, do forgive me! Mrs Lovett, this is…" Anna's voice trailed off as she tried to think of a name.

"Grace," I said quickly. It was a random name with no meaning I thought of, though it did seem to ring a bell. "My name is Grace."

"Grace," Mrs Lovett repeated.

I nodded.

"Do you have a second name, Grace?"

I turned towards Amy, who was staring at me with an odd expression on her face. She seemed to be concentrating…almost as if she were in pain.

"No, I do not. I…suffered a terrible bump to the head, causing me to loose some memories of mine."

"How unfortunate." Amy murmured, but she didn't sound convinced. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"That's a nasty mark on your face, Anna," Mrs Lovett suddenly said. "How did that happen?"

"Oh, um, I…er…"

"Turpin hit her." I announced. Anna's cheeks went bright red as she nodded silently.

"He hit you?" Mrs Lovett repeated. She shook her head in disgust. "That man gets worse by the day."

"Do you live there?" Amy asked.

"Amy," Mrs Lovett hissed.

"No, it's fine," Anna said, smiling at the young girl. "No. I am but a mere servant in the Judge's household."

"Oh."

I noticed Amy's eyes flickered to me once more. Why did she keep looking at me?

We sat in silence, the awkwardness coming out in endless waves. I clasped my hands, resting them on my lap, and gazed out the window, trying to ignore the feeling of a child's eyes on me.

Why did she keep looking at me? Did she know me? Would she tell Turpin about me? What would happen if she did?

I tried not to dwell upon the consequences of my actions.

After we finished our pies which, as Anna had promised, were exceedingly good (though, after spending several days refusing to eat much all, any food seemed good to me), we began sorting ourselves out to leave.

"Are you off already?" Mrs Lovett asked as Anna went through her purse (she simply refused to allow me to pay her back as soon as I could).

"Oh yes, but thank you for the pies. They were lovely." I told her with a smile, determinedly not looking at Amy, who was watching me in anguish.

"My pleasure, love. They are called the best pies in London for a reason!"

Mrs Lovett chuckled, and I anxiously joined in. I hadn't realised the time, and I was hoping to get back as soon as possible before Turpin realised I was gone.

"Well, goodbye Mrs Lovett. It was nice to meet you."

"Lovely to meet you too, deary."

As Anna and I turned to leave, Amy cried out suddenly.

"No! You can't go!"

I paused, turning to face her. She was staring at me with a desperate expression, her large blue eyes filling up with tears.

"Why ever not?" I questioned. I hated to admit it, for I believed myself to be a pleasant person, but she was annoying me ever so much.

"Please, you just can't!"

Amy stepped forwards, as if to embrace me, but I took a quick step back.

"Come on, love, you're a bit tired." Mrs Lovett said quickly, shooting an apologetic smile at me as she wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulders. The young girl shook it off quickly.

"No! She can't go!" She insisted, a few tears spilling over and trickling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, but I –"

"Amy, come on, love."

"NO!" Amy screamed, thrashing against Mrs Lovett's restraining arms. Her scream caused the other girl, the dark haired one, to rush into the shop.

"What the hell, Amy?" She asked, staring at the young girl.

"You can't go! You can't!"

"Why not?" I demanded. "Why can I not leave this shop? Why have you been staring at me ever since I have entered? Why are you so annoying?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE MY MUM!"