For once the night dragged on, Anna couldn't wait to see the sunrise. She climbed the wall of the Fleet Street building and carefully navigated the small window in the roof, peeping through as she did so. The barber's chair was gone, replaced by photocopiers. She pulled her way up the steep slope of the tiles, using the chimney as a grip. The bricks were as black as she remembered them, and when the wind blew in the right direction, she could smell the lingering odour of burning human body.

London woke before Anna's eyes, the commuters came by more regularly, shops began to open and the roads clogged with early morning traffic. The sun rose from behind the horizon and Anna watched it, memories flooding back to her. Toby had begged her to take him up to that roof; he'd loved the rising sun. Reluctantly, she'd agreed and, before he awoke, the pair had climbed through Mr Todd's roof window and clung to the chimney as light illuminated the city. The smog had been below them, they felt like they couldn't be touched. Then they'd heard shouting. Mrs Lovett frantic, wondering where the children had gone. Anna had put her finger to her lips and they'd silently giggled until Toby slipped and fell over the sky window, alerting Mr Todd, then they saw they had no way to get down so they tried to fit back through the window. Toby could manage but Anna, older and carrying more weight, could not. They'd borrowed the neighbour's wooden ladder and Mr Todd had reached up to get her, he'd been angry but Anna had liked the roof, and hadn't minded the lecture that followed and her mum's claims that she had 'almost given me a bloomin' heart attack, Anna!'

Breaking Anna from her reverie, from the street below she heard;

'It's seven o'clock, Heston, we can't do it now!'

'Snap!'

Anna scrambled past the chimney, waiting until the street was clear before she made the jump, hitting the floor didn't hurt as it should have. She rolled to slow her momentum.

'Hey, what the-'She stood and spun round to face the man entering the now courier/copying shop. She smiled in a cheerful manner but the man looked shocked. Anna was still covered in blood. She scarpered, as fast as her immortal body would carry her. Once a safe distance away, she looked back to spy on the man, whose business partner had now arrived.

'Oh-oh!' She waited, biting her lip, a grin playing around her mouth. Anticipation bubbled up in her from her position behind the fence. Short lived pleasures these were but they gave her momentary amusement.

'…all covered in blood, and-and her hair! It was wild, crazy curls, right down to the middle of her back, all auburn and blood soaked! She was pale, too, mate, I swear I just saw a ghost!'

'Oh yeah.' His partner laughed, 'What, were her eyes red too?'

'No…brown, but a really deep brown colour, she smiled at me. It was like looking into the abyss!'

'Alright, Barry, whatever you say.' He moved to open the door.

'Wow…' The man, Barry, staggered in after his friend, taking one last longing look around the street. Giving him one last glimpse to talk about, Anna slipped out from where she stood and waved. When he blinked, she was gone.

Never before had Anna taken such care over choosing an outfit. Today, she was trying to find one minus the blood stains. For some reason, she didn't think that Pearl would believe the usual excuse of a nosebleed that she spun on everyone else that asked. Call it paranoia, but Anna felt that Pearl was already onto the fact that she had a secret never to be told.

'Anna! Are you up?'

'Yeah.'

'I'm going to work, will you be okay getting to school?'

'Yeah.'

'See you later.'

'Yeah.'

She heard the door shut and continued with her activities. A pair of jeans and a very old Black Sabbath t-shirt later, and Anna was out the door, off to meet Pearl.

'Anna!' Pearl hurtled towards her from the end of the road. Anna froze when Pearl threw her arms around her neck.

'Oh 'eck, it's a good thing I ate!'

'Man alive, Pearl!' Anna stepped backwards, pushing her away, 'gimme some space, it's early!'

'Sorry.' She grinned. 'Can we go the newsagent's first?'

'Yeah, 'fyou like.'

They walked down the road, Pearl chattered incessantly the whole way. Anna pushed the door open and they walked in.

'Cor, this kid could eat for London!' Anna watched Pearl grabbing sweets from the shelves. Then she whittled it down to what she could afford. Anna frowned.

'What cha' doing?'

'Picking what I want.'

'How much you got?'

'50p.'

She moved to the counter and smiled timidly at the shop keeper. Anna used this opportunity to put her quick reflexes into action by slipping various products into her satchel.

'You not getting anything?'

'Ahh, no, I'm not into this stuff.'

'Oh.' Pearl led the way out of the shop and towards the school. 'I hate this weather, you know…'

'Huh?'

'The sun. It annoys me.'

'What?' Anna laughed, 'why?'

'It's too cheerful, you know? Plus I always get burned!'

'Aha, yeah, I get that.' Anna shuddered.

They passed a billboard for a local newspaper, the words 'WOMAN FOUND DEAD AT TRAIN STATION' emblazoned across it.

'That's horrible.' Said Pearl, looking sick.

'Yeah, just nasty…' Anna averted her eyes.

'Anna?'

'Mm?'

'Why are you in foster care? I know about your mum and dad but…'

They cut across the park; Anna looked to the swings, creaking in the breeze, covered in early morning dew. She imagined the children playing there. In the sun, with their parents. Jealousy bubbled up inside her.

'They all deserve to d-'

'Anna?'

'I have no family to live with.'

'No other family?'

'I had a brother.'

'Is he older or younger than you?'

'You mean 'was', he's dead too.'

'Oh.'

The silence took them and cradled them, Anna felt safe in it. The day had barely begun, school hadn't even started and Anna wanted to go home.

'Home…'