INTOLERANCE
"Ada, Please!" Sophie panted out between laughs that racked her tiny frame. The young girl was holding little Karl at arms length, his adorable little infant face coloured in curiosity with a small confused smile pulling at his lips. The freshly pungent smell coming from the young boy being the source of Sophie's humour.
"Please don't make me! He's your son for christ sake!"
The older girl stood hunched over and clutching her sides, her choppy dark hair bouncing as she laughed at the scene before her.
"Soph you spend days on end surrounded by horse shit, you can't handle changing a kids nappy?" Ada laughed, reaching out to take her son.
"I swear it never smells as bad as that, are you sure he's alright, Ada?" Sophie asked with her nose scrunched up in disgust at the reminder of the smell. Ada rolled her eyes and quickly left the room to change Karl.
Sophie had missed this. The house in Small Heath had been void of the two sisters' laughter for a good few months now and it was painfully noticeable. Even her brothers had noticed the house to be a bit quieter since Ada had run off to London. Ada and Sophie had always been close, being the only girls of the six Shelby siblings had caused them to stick together and grow close. Despite the two girls being polar opposites in personality, with Ada being fiercely political and independant (determined to do everything her way or else) and Sophie choosing to be much quieter and thoughtful (at least until she was out in nature, then she was as wild as the horses she befriended), their bond was impressively strong.
All of the Shelby brood was incredibly protective of the youngest female Shelby, even Finn felt a protective warmth for Sophie, regardless of being a few years younger than her. Of course, her older brothers were likely to blame for that, with Arthur encouraging Finn to beat up a man who had whistled and made derogatory comments towards Sophie as she had walked past.
So when Sophie began to mope around the house dejectedly in the days following Ada's speedy departure, Polly suggested that she go to visit Ada. Which is how she found herself trekking across to London once a week to spend time with her sister and baby nephew.
The dingy flat Ada had ended up in, left something to be desired. It was a one bed flat where the walls were so thin that as Sophie sat in the front room she could hear Ada cooing at Karl as she changed him as if she were right next to them. She could also hear the angry couple downstairs arguing over a look the man had given to another woman, another baby crying from the flat above and a loud tv blaring from god knows where. The once pale pink paint had faded and was peeling off the walls, revealing a murky grey mottled wall underneath it. The carpet was relatively clean, she could see where Ada had clearly scrubbed at it to remove the pre-existing stains that had littered it. Sophie sat on the worn green fabric couch which had a large yellow patch covering one of the cushions. It was the only furniture in the room and had been angled to face the open window, framed by soft pale pink curtains which floated in the breeze. From where she was sat she could see a small circular burn on one of the curtains, which Sophie gathered must've been caused by Ada smoking out the window and accidentally catching the fabric with her cigarette. The thought of her older sister letting out a panicked expletive as she swatted at the burn to try to put out any flame made a small sad smile grace her full lips. Ada was clearly happy to have her independence and her own space away from the watchful eyes of Birmingham, and though Sophie could understand the irritation of always being known and watched, was that really so bad that this shoddy apartment was so much more appealing? Sophie had never been particularly materialistic, the girl was happy to sleep in the fields amongst the trees and wild horses, but the damp smell permeating from the walls was enough to turn her stomach knowing little Karl was breathing the stale air into his tiny lungs. Ada and Karl deserved much better.
"What's that look for?" Ada spoke as she re-entered the room. She had settled Karl down for a nap after recognising the familiar sleepy look in his hazel eyes.
Sophie met her with the same sad smile which didn't quite reach her eyes. She shook her head gently as if trying to erase the melancholy thoughts that had just been plaguing her mind.
"Nothing." She whispered, not trusting her voice not to give her away. Ada's brows furrowed and her eyes hardened as she watched her younger sister.
"No." Ada warned. "I know what you're going to say and I'm not going back. I know it's not much but it's mine."
"I didn't say anything, Ada. I just miss you is all" Sophie said almost quieter than before, her head tucked low with wisps of her curly hair falling loosely from her tight french twist bun that Polly had pulled her hair into this morning. Her clammy hands defeatedly pushed the hair back from her face and tried to make it stay where it was meticulously placed before. The action only caused more hair to pull from the bun and fall down to frame her small face. A frustrated grimace appeared at this and her hands repeated the action, hoping it would somehow do the trick this time. As her hands reached up to pull the bun out in frustration, they were stopped by Ada's warm hands pulling them away and towards her reaching out to hug the small girl.
"I miss you too Phi', but I'm free here. You could always come stay with me? I know there's not much room but I really think you'd like the freedom of London. Maybe we could find somewhere closer to the outskirts so you know you'd be able to find some horses somewhere nearby." She tried to comfort the young girl as she pulled away from the embrace and sat her in front to begin to redo her hair.
"I'm not sure I could ever leave, Ada." Sophie spoke softly.
"Sophie Elizabeth Shelby, when have you ever not been able to do something?" said Ada. At this, a soft chuckle escaped from the smaller girl. A wide smile spread across Ada's face at the sound, knowing the matter had been settled for now. A comfortable silence filled the room as the older girl fixed her sister's hair back into the hairstyle it had originally been styled into by their aunt. Sophie's unruly dark chocolate hair had thick curls which were difficult to tame at the best of times, leading her to ask her aunt to pull it out of her face and atop her head on hot days like that day.
"I should probably be heading off, want to get back before it gets dark." Sophie stands once Ada has finished with her hair. The walk to the docks wasn't far, it was further than the train station but Sophie always preferred to travel by boat - it was far more comfortable to her than sitting in a stuffy train carriage for a couple hours at a time. Being born on a boat and growing up on and off them gave them a strong sense of familiarity to Sophie that was comforting. It made travelling to London a lot less daunting for the small girl.
"Right, I'll see you again next week?" questioned Ada, raising an eyebrow at her from her seat.
"Of course." smiled Sophie. The girl smoothed out her white blouse before she began to head towards the front door. Floorboards creaked beneath her feet as reached the door and turned to face Ada. "Be safe, Ada. We love you." Sophie said seriously. Her pale blue eyes, the exact mirror of Thomas', became solid ice as they fixed Ada with a strong look attempting to convey the conviction in her words. Though Ada may not always feel it, Sophie thought it her mission to remind her of that fact every time she saw her in hope that someday she would be drawn back home. It hadn't seemed to work as of yet, but Sophie was determined either way.
Sophie left the apartment and rushed down the stairs, wanting to escape the stuffy damp building as soon as possible. She burst through the flimsy front door of the building and took a deep breath of the fresh air (well as fresh as it got in London). Closing her eyes, she felt the sun kissing her skin and warming her face. The clouds had parted to let beams of sunlight stream through in patches. The sun in London felt different, it almost felt too hot and much more menacing than she had ever experienced in Small Heath. At home, the sun was a cosy blanket, like one you'd had since you were a child and pulled out for comfort from time to time.
Opening her eyes and letting them scan across the street, she easily identified where the Blinders stationed outside Ada's building were hiding. Giving them a subtle nod of the head, she turns on her heel and sets off down the street towards the Camden docks.
Sophie's dark purple ankle-length skirt swayed slightly as she walked and the heel on her laced up leather ankle boots clacked against the pavement. Despite her attempts to blend in by having her hair tamed back and wearing clothes typical to the modern woman, it was strikingly obvious that she was not local to London. Her features were fierce, jawline clearly defined and her slender button nose dusted lightly in freckles hinted at the underlying intelligence that filled her brain. Her dark thick eyebrows were a stark contrast to the pale pink skin that surrounded them, brushed neatly into sharp lines. Her wide round blue eyes and fluttery thick dark lashes would fool anyone into thinking she was an innocent doe sat in a flower-filled meadow. Sophie was always considered the baby of the family, even though Finn was a good few years younger, and her short and petite stature certainly didn't help her fight against that position. Her brothers had taught her to fire a shotgun and throw a good punch, thinking that she was far too naive for her own good as she chose to spend her days out in fields and speaking to animals. What almost all of her family failed to understand was that she was by no means naive or ignorant to the dangers that faced her as a Shelby. While she was never one to get involved with violence or even the roughhousing of her brothers (or Ada from time to time), her mind was always working a mile a minute - taking everything around her in with careful consideration. Sophie always picked up on things that those around her would miss. Polly claimed it was the gypsy in her giving her a second sense about these things, the girl had always been particularly gifted in Romani talents. When Sophie was no more than six or seven years old she had predicted her own mothers death after waking up from a dream where she was being dragged deep under thick murky water, only to find that her mother had drowned herself in the cut a few hours after. The girl had been terrified to fall back asleep for days afterwards believing that she had caused the incident, until Polly tearfully explained the gift and curse of those with strong Romani blood.
"Come on yer filthy kike! Pick them up then!" An ugly male voice spat, breaking the peaceful silence Sophie had been enjoying on her walk. A deep frown appeared on her face at the words, her eyebrows pulling together in slight confusion at where they had come from. Her ice blue eyes darted a few metres ahead of her to an older woman who was only a few inches taller than herself, hunched over in shame and embarrassment. At her feet were two large packages wrapped tightly in brown paper, they had clearly been knocked from her arms as her arms were still loosely held in front of her as if her mind had not quite registered that they had been swiped from her hold. The woman had greying hair, with strands of a dark brown shining from her braid that wrapped around the crown of her head. Her skin was a deep tan, giving her a slightly exotic aura as if she had grown up somewhere amazingly different. She had clearly lived an exciting long life given the deep lines around her eyes and mouth, glimpses of past smiles and laughter, however they were currently cast downward as if she was hoping for the ground to swallow her up and save her from the horrible man who had been tormenting her.
The man in question was barely taller than the woman and clearly not much older than Sophie, given his pathetic excuse for a moustache that was clinging to his upper lip. His mouth was purled up in a nasty snarl as he glared down at the poor woman. Although the man was not particularly tall, he was incredibly lanky with stick thin arms and legs visible through his tight trousers that seemed to be a few sizes too small for him. He raised his skinny leg as if to stamp on the brown paper packages on the floor.
"HEY!" Sophie felt herself yell. The man froze and turned his head to spot the young girl walking towards them. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
At the sound of the expletive leaving her pretty lips the man's eyebrows pinched together in confusion, clearly not expecting the harsh yell to have come from someone so tiny. The man glanced back at the elderly woman, then down to her feet at the packages, as if he was trying to find the fault in his actions but coming up blank.
"She's a kike, love." The man barked.
"And I'm a gypsy, what's your point?" Sophie retorted. The man grimaced deeply and turned to look at the girl. The hatred in his eyes was now directed at her and this caused the woman to glance up fearfully, scared for the young girl. The man spat at Sophie's feet, glaring at her intensely. Sophie knew not to react, it was certainly not the first time she'd been treated like that due to her heritage, and reacting in that moment would only give him the reaction he was clearly so desperately fishing for.
"The pikey coming to save the kike, how lovely. Why don't you tell me a fortune gypsy girl?" He sneered.
"Never heard that one before." Sophie spoke sarcastically, almost as if she was dismissing him. This, of course, only proved to make him angrier with an aggressive grunt leaving his mouth as he turned his whole body to face Sophie now.
"The bitch has a mouth on her, eh? Gonna put a curse on me?" He taunts leaning in closer to Sophie. She can smell his disgusting breath hit her face and that is when she decides to strike. Quickly she pulls her arm back and hits him square in the nose with a strong punch. Both women hear the man's nose crack as he lets out a yelp at the sudden contact. Sophie fixes him with a cold glare, tidal waves crashing loudly against each over in the storm inside her eyes - daring him to say another word.
"Now fuck off or it's your balls next." She spits through gritted teeth, not wanting to spend one more minute near the disgusting man. Something in her eyes frightens him off and the man scampers off clutching his nose.
The woman was standing straight and tall now, with her whole head lifted to look at her young saviour. Her warm chocolate eyes began to analyse the girl, feeling a faint sense of something familiar glimmer in her chest. Sophie turned back to look at the woman with a broad smile, her eyes now a calm open ocean. "I hope you're not too shaken up, no use paying any attention to pricks like that" She begins as she bends down to pick up the woman's packages.
"Oh no dear, don't worry about those. Probably ruined now and all." The woman spoke, her voice soft like honey and Sophie instantly felt at ease from it. Her motherly tone was something Sophie hadn't heard in years, Polly always did her best and was the reason Sophie was the woman she was today but she was not her mother. The woman bends down to help pick the packages up, peeling back the paper on one of them to check the condition of the items. She revealed what appeared to Sophie to be some kind of fancy bread with a braided effect on it and a shiny coat to it.
"What is this?" Sophie asked curiously. She'd seen fancy buns in the window shops of London but never anything with a pattern as complicated and beautiful as this.
"It's challah, my darling. It's a bread we make on days of Sabbath, Jewish traditions and what not. Though I made it specially for tonight for a community wedding. That's where I was heading before…" The woman trailed off sadly, remembering the previous events. At the disappointed look on the older woman's face, Sophie felt her stomach drop. The woman's demeanour seemed so lovely and charming, it was horrible to think of what she had endured.
"A wedding, huh? I love weddings, there's always lots of dancing isn't there? You know, I reckon these will be okay, the wrappings look like they've protected them pretty well and at least the pavements dry." Sophie rambled softly, trying to take the woman's mind off the terrible man.
"Yes I suppose they are, at least you stopped him before he stamped on them - then there really would've been no saving them. What's your name dear?"
"Sophie, but everyone always calls me Soph." Sophie beams.
"You're not from around here, are you hon?"
"Well no - I was just in London to visit my sister. I'm from Birmingham."
"Ah I've never been there, though i don't really leave London so that's not exactly a surprise." The woman chuckles warmly as she gently holds Sophie's upper arms. "My names Raisa, thank you for coming to my rescue earlier - people aren't very tolerant of others these days, though I suppose they never really have been."
"That's a beautiful name, I've never heard it before." Sophie contemplates, she'd certainly never heard of anyone named Raisa in Small Heath.
"It's Yiddish, sadly I know too many Raisa's in my community - doesn't seem as nice when you're the fifth one." Raisa chuckles warmly, her face pulling into a wide smile.
The two had begun to walk down the street together, with Sophie not knowing where they were going but just happy to be chatting with the woman. Sophie carried one package while Raisa carried the other. Raisa launched into the community gossip, explaining how Shayna's husband was an old oaf who didn't know his left from his right, and how Mary was an old bag who was terrible at baking yet insisted on making the baked goods for all her groups gatherings. Sophie chuckled along to Raisa's ramblings, feeling instantly attached to the woman and reeling in her warm and caring nature. The community she described seemed so lovely and familiar, it was almost odd to Sophie with it being so far from anything she knew. Most of Small Heath didn't dare associate with the Shelby's, and ever since the events that led to Ada leaving, the family just didn't seem as close or comfortable as they once were. Suddenly, Sophie was reminded of her discussion with her sister earlier in the day. Maybe moving to London didn't seem as off-putting as it had when it was first brought up.
A/N:
Hiya! Thank you for reading and I hope you like the story! I'm sure there'll be plenty of errors in it (like being able to travel to London from Birmingham by boat in a couple hours but we'll just pretend that that's somehow physically possible lol) but bear with me as I'm writing it chapter by chapter