!Thank you so much for being patient! The characters are finally only the verge of going back in time. If you have some spare time, please feel free to review. I would love to know what you think of the story and what you might like to see happen.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Chapter Four

Cat's Perspective:

"And here we have the cell that once housed the famous...or infamous...Queen Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded on May 19th, 1536 under what is believed to be completely made up adultery charges. What you may not know is Anne Boleyn stayed in the tower twice during her life. Once the night before her coronation, as was customary for queens of England, and, of course, in the days leading up to her death. Any questions?"

Jade raised her hand. "Yeah. Do you still have the block?"

The tour guide's smile faltered. "You mean the block used during Anne Boleyn's execution?"

"Jade, stop startling the employees." Sikowitz chided.

Backing away from the group, I circled around the parameter of the room, my fingers tracing the cold stone walls. Unlike the rest of the cells we've toured, filled with etchings from prisoners over the centuries, this room has been kept relatively bland. Perhaps, because it was only used for the most distinguished of prisoners, such as Anne Boleyn herself. I tried to imagine how frightened Anne must've been as she waited for her execution, knowing there was nothing she could do to save herself.

I saw Beck move closer out of the corner of my eye, his eyes on a portrait the museum had hanging of Anne. Or, at least, the closest one can get to her likeness after all these years.

"You know, in a final act of mercy, Henry VIII granted Anne's request to be executed by French swordsman, instead of by Ax. It was so quick, she didn't even feel it." I told him.

His lips twitched. "Is that so? I guess, if you have to die, you might as well make sure it doesn't hurt."

"Katherine Howard's death was sadder." I continued. "They say, the night before her execution, she had her jailer bring her the block, so that she could practice laying her head on it."

"They were the only two that he executed, right?"

"Yes. Jane Seymour died too, but it was from labor complications, I think. Katherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleaves were sent away and his last queen, Katherine Parr, outlived him."

"I don't remember. Did Henry VIII ever have a son?"

"Two confirmed." I nodded. "An illegitimate son by a mistress that died really young and his official heir by Jane Seymour; Edward. He didn't live very long after taking the throne..."

I trailed off, my eyes on a little etching too faded for me to discern. I ran my fingers over it.

"What are you thinking?" Beck asked after a minute of silence.

"That these walls have seen so much. This whole city has. As old as some things can be in America, none of our buildings are older than a few hundred years. Here, some things are over a thousand years old. Imagine older civilizations."

"Like Egypt." He finished my thought. "I know what you mean. It's a little daunting to acknowledge that kings and queens have entered this room."

"You two coming?" Jade shoved herself between us. Grabbing Beck's arm, she dragged him from the room, leaving me to follow behind. Carefully making our way down the chipped, uneven stairs, we eventually returned to one of the newer installments of the tower, to view some more displays.

At the end of the hall, we were given the chance to shop at the gift shop. I wandered through aisle after aisle, admiring everything in the glass cases. Old editions of books, ornate crowns, replicas of various pieces in the crown jewel collection and more. Calling over the clerk, I picked out a little 14K gold pendant with a Tudor rose etched on it and a broach with a hand painted blue silk butterfly. As I was about to pay for both, a case of coins near the register caught my eye, each with a series of dates from over a hundred years ago.

"We have some older ones up there." The clerk pointed to a row of cases on a shelf. "I think the oldest is a gold Sovereign from 1590. It's more expensive than these, though."

"Can I see that one?" I pointed at a silver shilling coin with an elaborate coat of arms etched on one side. Taking it out of the case, the clerk showed me the date on the other side. 1875. The same date Tales of Church Street is set.

"I'll take it."

Ringing up the three items, she smiled. "Sixty-five pounds, love."

I winced. Bye-bye butterfly. "I'll just take the coin and the necklace, please."

Wrapping them both up, she handed me my bag and turned to take the next customer. Rushing over to a mirror near the shop's exit, I pulled out the necklace and tried putting it on. Struggling with it, I was about to turn around and look for Tori when someone grabbed the clasp and fastened it. I looked over my shoulder, up at Beck.

"Tori's looking for you." He told me before I could thank him. Shooting a nervous glance at Jade, Beck slipped past a crowd of people and hid in the shop, the one place Jade won't go. To quote her, she 'doesn't do the souvenir shop thing'.

Slipping the coin and my receipt in my pocket, I threw away the bag and retraced my steps through the museum. I found Tori pacing back and forth in front of one of the crown jewel display cases.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Tori whirled around, one of her long nails between her teeth. From the looks of it, she's been chewing on them for a while. "Things went bad, last night."

"Bad how? You weren't caught, were you?" I paled. Has the entire trip been put in jeopardy, already?

"No, we were fine. No one seemed to notice us gone. By the time we came inside, the person manning the check in desk had changed."

"Did the date not work out?"

"It did." Tori sighed. "Then it didn't. It was so romantic. We ate ice cream, found a park doing a late night showing of Romeo and Juliet and walked along the river. It was perfect. I was waiting for him to ask me to be official. And...he didn't."

"Why didn't you ask him?"

"I can't do that." Tori whined. "It wouldn't have been as romantic."

"It's two-thousand and thirteen. Girls can ask guys out, too." I reminded her, a little surprised.

"I know. I guess I'm just..." She shrugged. "...old fashioned. My dad asked my mom out on a school trip to New York. The story always sounded so romantic. I want the same."

"It's just establishing what the two of you are. It's not like he was proposing." I nearly laughed. I resisted, worried I'd end up hurting Tori's feelings. "So, what happened?"

"In the end, it got a little too cold and we headed back to the hotel. I thought he might at least say something in the elevator, but he was really quiet. He didn't walk me to my room, either. He said goodnight, smiled like everything was fine and went into his own room. It was kind of a downer."

"Maybe, he was too shy. We'll be in England until Friday morning. That's a lot of time and a lot of places for him to ask you to be his girlfriend. Maybe, he wants to wait until we're at a castle or something."

Tori's tense expression relaxed. "I guess...The river did smell a little. It would be better if it happened at a castle. I hope he doesn't do it today, then."

"Why not?"

"A torture tower, a busy shopping center and a haunted maze doesn't exactly scream romantic to me."

"The last one sounds kind of romantic. You could pretend you're scared and cling to his arm." I suggested.

"No." Tori walked around me. "Let's just spend the day enjoying the trip. We'll see how tomorrow goes."

She walked off. Unsure if I said anything to make her feel better, I made my way back to the shop. I found Beck looking through a case of replica weapons. "Tori okay?"

"Andre was supposed to ask her out, last night. From what Tori tells me, he blew it."

"Andre snuck over to my room to talk about it, last night. He said he planned to, but he couldn't work up the nerve. He mentioned asking her later today."

"Let's hope not." I grimaced. "I'm afraid, if he chooses the wrong place to ask her, she'll say no."

He rolled his eyes. "They're gonna have to work that out on their own. There's not really a rush. Neither of them are interested in other people."

True. It will eventually happen naturally and Tori will feel ridiculous for saying it needs to happen in a perfect setting.

"Did you decide on anything?" I pointed at the case.

"I'm not picking anything out I can't bring through airport security." He stepped away from the display. "There's still time to find something."

On our way out of the shop, we watched Trina, who's tour group had joined us after Hampton Court ended up being closed, skid to a stop in front of Tori, to show her the glittering tiara she had picked out. "They sell crowns!"

"Miss, you have to pay for that!" A clerk called after her.

Slipping past them, Beck and I went to wait by one of the windows. The steely blue sky overhead started to darken, signaling rain. Here's hoping it doesn't start until after we finish at Cheapside. After that, I'd love to see another storm. It rains so rarely in L.A. And when it does, it's always so light. I loved the sound of last night's storm. It helped me get to sleep.

"This trip sucks." Jade nudged me out of the way, so she could stand next to Beck. "We barely spent any time in the torture chambers. All the tour guide wants to talk about is famous prisoners and the crown jewels. Eww. Is it going to rain? I spent way too long on my hair for that. Cheapside after this, right?"

"Right." Beck took a careful step away, putting some distance between them.

"Good. I want to see Whitechapel."

"Why do you want to see a road where someone was murdered?" Robbie wandered over, hearing the tail end of the conversation.

"Well, you know how, if someone has died recently enough, their presence lingers a while?"

"No, but go on."

"There are some places where spirits never leave. Especially places like the tower, where terrible things have happened. Jack the Ripper's victims each died in a horribly painful way. Their presence is said to cling to the stones of Whitechapel road, crying out for justice. And, since the true identity of Jack the Ripper was never found, they should still be there, waiting."

Robbie shivered. "And you want to see that?"

"I want to feel that." Jade said firmly. "Smell that...Taste that...Yeah, you heard me right. I'm gonna lick the ground."

"Okay, that's enough." Beck told her firmly. For whatever reason, Jade didn't try to argue.

Tori hurried over, Andre in tow. "We have to leave for Cheapside, soon. Sikowitz says it's going to rain by four or five."

"That's right! Line up for roll call and then we can head to our next destination." Sikowitz shooed us towards the main group with his clipboard. Taking attendance, he led us back out to the buses. On the way to Cheapside, I sat by Tori and looked at her souvenirs. A small pair of dangling pearl earrings and a little music box the size of her palm. Twisting the key, I opened it, filling the bus with the the tune. When Jade snapped at me to shut it, I handed it back and checked my purse. Three pounds left.

"I'm going to talk to Sikowitz while we're in Cheapside, to see if I can arrange for one of tomorrow's tours to be at a castle." Tori whispered, her eyes on Andre.

"When it happens, it happens. It doesn't need to be planned out." I tried convincing her, again. "It'll just feel right."

Tori sighed. "I know, I know...I'm just hopeful. It would be amazing if, years down the road, we could tell our children about how he asked me to be with him in the tower of a castle, overlooking a beautiful moonlit lake...or something like that."

I resisted the urge to tell her to slow down. They're not even official and she's already mapping out their future. "I hope it happens that way. But, so long as you plan to say yes, don't set yourself up for disappointment."

The bus stopped in front of a several story tall department store. Filing onto the sidewalk, we took a moment to look around and take pictures of Cheapside's iconic visage. A woman in a colorful outfit stood nearby, handing out maps of London to tourists. I took one and tried to locate Church street, only for Jade to rip it out of my hands. Laying it out on a bench, she called us all over and pointed.

"There's Whitechapel. It's only a mile and a half away. We could make that walk in half an hour or less. Let's go."

"Sikowitz never gave us permission." Tori reminded her. "We'll need to find him and ask."

"Where is he?" Jade stood up and looked around. "He's gone."

"Let's just...look around and do some shopping. Eventually, we'll run into him. We'll be here two hours."

Jade crammed the map in her back pocket. "Fine."

Heading into a department store, we wandered around for a while. Eventually, we all separated, promising to meet back up at the entrance in twenty minutes. If one of us manages to find Sikowitz, Jade ordered us to keep him on a leash until she could get permission for her macabre excursion.

I'm not sure how many aisles I wandered through before finding a familiar face. Following Beck, I managed to catch up to him in a long aisle of books. Glancing at me, he handed me one of them. Tales of Church Street. "Do you want a physical copy?"

I immediately checked the sale tag. I have just enough. This'll be the end of my spending money. Flipping through the book, I found where I left off on Beck's phone and doggy-eared the page. My eyes scanned over the words, a heavy feeling forming in the pit of my stomach as I thought of the last physical book I tried reading that had nothing to do with a school assignment. Even knowing I'll never return to my childhood home, having this book in my hands feels like a violation. I've only read five chapters and I know beyond a doubt it wouldn't be approved. Even the first chapter would have mom running to light the fireplace.

Maybe, in a way, she's right. Some of the books I've tried to read have been questionable. Full of curse words and descriptive scenes that would probably be enough to make Jade blush. I know it's wrong to limit my reading material entirely...but, is it reasonable to avoid some things?

"Beck?" I kept my eyes on the shelf in front of me as I spoke. "What makes a book bad?"

"Bad?" He hummed, only half paying attention. "I suppose...Any books that encourages the reader to harm themselves or others. Aside from that, I don't really think there are bad books."

"What if it's offensive?"

"They say a truly great library has something in it to offend everybody. A book that offends you might not offend me and vice versa."

I ran my hand over the faux leather cover, a tribute to the original publication of the book. "So, if the book isn't actually bad, it's wrong to burn it."

"Burn it?" He raised a brow. Oh, that's right. I failed to mention that part when talking to him the night before the trip. "I would say so. Burning a book to deny someone the information has been going on for thousands of years. That doesn't make it right."

I looked up at him, shocked. Without me even saying what I'm referring to, he's seemingly already put the pieces together. "If...my mom finds out I'm buying this book, she'll be furious."

"You're going to be eighteen. Sooner or later, you'll need to create your own rules. I'll be the first to admit that I've read some questionable books, not all of them recommended by Jade. But I don't regret it. General knowledge isn't anyone's to hide. Reading about a group of working class people trying to survive in Victorian London isn't a forbidden topic. One character might be a thief that curses like a sailor, another character might be a prostitute. That's fine. Read what makes you happy."

He tapped the cover of the book, then tapped my forehead. I smiled. "I'll buy it."

"Good." Throwing an arm over my shoulders, he led the way to the counter. Handing off the remainder of my spending money, I watched Beck wander towards the main doors. "It looks like Jade found him."

"Sikowitz, please!" The sound of Jade begging was shocking, to say the least. It doesn't happen often and it's usually reserved for when she's truly desperate. "I don't know when I'll get the opportunity to come back to England. This is my one chance."

Spinning around, Sikowitz crossed his arms. "In order for you to walk up to Whitechapel, you would need to get permission from all of your chaperons and find one willing to walk with you. I've just been informed that there's a whole foods store on this block and will probably spend the remainder of our shopping time there. You'll have to ask someone else."

"Like who?" Jade scoffed. "Mr Vic is a stick in the mud, Miss Yates will probably faint when I tell her where I want to go, Mr Delph hates me and Mr Baker hates everyone. You're my only option."

"My decision is final." Waving her off, Sikowitz left the store.

"Now, what?" Jade threw her hands up. Stepping into my view, Tori shrugged. "We'll just have to ask another teacher."

"None of them will agree." Andre arrived, a shopping bag in hand. "Sikowitz is the only teacher that would even consider letting us leave the group."

"So, there's nothing we can do." Tori smiled, clearly not bothered by Sikowitz' refusal. "Oh well. Let's just keep shopping. I want to check out some other stores."

"Not so fast!" Jade grabbed Tori by her collar as she attempted to walk away. "What if we go anyway?"

"You mean, sneak off?" Tori paled. "No way. I'm not ruining my trip just so you can lick the ground where you think a dead body might have been."

"I've done my research. I know exactly what parts of Whitechapel he committed his crimes." Jade smirked. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Jade sighed. "I guess I should've known better. Pristine little Tori would never break the rules."

"Pristine?" I could see Tori's face twitching from here.

"Pristine." Jade reaffirmed. "Teacher's pet, class president...might I suggest...daddy's girl?"

"I'm not class president." Tori didn't attempt to argue against the other two. "I lost the election...Fine. You said it's just half an hour's walk?"

Jade slapped Tori on her back, triggering a coughing fit. "That a girl. Yes. Half an hour each way, at most. Our group will be shopping for at least another hour and a half."

"On one condition..." Tori held up a finger, her other hand on her throat as she attempting to stop coughing and catch her breath. "We immediately turn around and head back if it starts raining, since it will probably cut the shopping trip short."

"Sure, deal." Jade shrugged. "Anyone else coming?"

"Sure." Beck shrugged.

"If Tori's going." Andre agreed.

"I'll go." I readily agreed, my eyes on the map in Jade's hands. Maybe, if it's close enough, I could use this as an opportunity to see Church street.

"Robbie?" Tori called behind her, prompting him to step forward. "Coming to Whitechapel road with us?"

He grimaced. "Yeah...But, only because Rex wants to go."

Rex chuckled evilly. "Let's go sniff some death fumes."

"You scare me when you talk like that." Robbie told him.

On our way out the door, I put my book in my purse and threw away the bag. With my journal already taking up space, it barely fit. Adjusting the strap, so I could throw it over my shoulder, I hurried to catch up to the group. If any chaperons were within viewing distance, they didn't make themselves known. Jade played it cool as we walked past shop after shop. She paused at a few display windows, her eyes peeled for anyone we should worry about. Sidestepping a particularly big group of people, we left Cheapside and headed down a side street.

I lost track of time as we walked. How long has it been? Far too long to be away from the group, I'll bet. Slowing down, Jade stopped on a stretch of cobbled road, a brick building to her right. Up ahead, I could just barely make out a shipping dock alongside the river.

"This is it." She turned around. "Can you feel it? It's like electricity is moving through the air all along this street."

"I don't feel anything." Tori wrinkled her nose. "I kind of smell something. What is that?"

"It's the river. It's not the cleanest body of water." Beck explained. "Especially in this part of town."

"Just imagine it..." Jade interrupted, her eyes on me. "You've just finished servicing a client and decide to head home for the night. Though it's August, it feels unseasonably cold at night, due to your close proximity to the river. You begin to hear footsteps behind you. Pulling your shawl more tightly around your shoulders, you speed up, but you can only walk so quickly in your heels. You keep throwing worried glances over your shoulders. You know you're being followed. But, by who?"

I swallowed heavily, drawn into Jade's story. For a moment, I almost forgot who she was referring to. "Who..?"

"The steps get louder, closer...Spinning around, you attempt to defend yourself, but it's too late. Jack the Ripper tackles you to the cold, wet ground and slices you open. You lay in a pool of your own blood as he works over you, choosing which organs to take and which ones to leave. You know you'll be cold meat by morning. Letting out one last agonizing breath, you—."

"Jade!" Beck snapped. "You're gonna make us all sick."

"It's just a story. Relax." She turned her sharp green eyes on Beck. As she spoke, she dropped to her knees and, as promised, licked the ground. She looked far too pleased with herself as she stood back up. "Alright. We can head back."

"I hope you're up to date on your vaccines." Robbie grimaced.

I checked the time on my phone. "Do we have to head back immediately?"

"We could probably spare a few minutes, but we really do need to head back, soon." Beck told me. "None of us want to get caught."

"Church street." I whispered.

He sighed. "Jade, hand me the map."

"No." She hid it behind her back.

Reaching around her, he snatched it out of her hands. He looked over it for several minutes before turning it around. "Cat, Church street is a fifteen minutes cab ride from here. There's no way we could walk it."

"Oh..." I stared down at the map, unable to hide my disappointment.

"What if we took a cab there and took a cab back to to Cheapside." Robbie suggested. "It would cut several minutes off our trip and give us enough time."

"I don't know." Tori shook her head. "It's one thing to walk a little ways away. It's another thing to drive off. Why do you need to see Church street, Cat?"

I didn't answer immediately. Why do I feel such a strong need to see Church street? I've felt some unexplained urge to see it since I first read about it in Tales of Church Street. Almost like a magnetic pull. It just feels like the right place to be. The more I think about just heading back to Cheapside, the more disappointed I feel. "I don't know."

"I'll cover the cab fare." Beck offered. "It'll cut down the time it would take us to walk back."

Grinning, I stepped forward and hugged him before I could stop myself. I didn't have to look at Jade to know she was glaring at us. I could feel it boring into my back. "Thank you."

"Come on. I want to see more of these old streets. It feels wrong to visit England and not explore a little." Andre nudged Tori's shoulder with his own. He looked at me. "Lead the way, little red."

Spinning around, I hurried up the road, closer to the through traffic nearby. Hailing a cab, we all piled in and gave directions. On the way, Tori sat up front and made small talk with the cab driver, who told us about some places we should try to see before we leave the area. Parking by a curb, Beck paid the fare and we piled out. By the time I had gotten a good look at the area, the driver had already driven off.

My face fell. This...Doesn't look like the Church street described. It's so modern...only some of the original cobblestone is still here. Many of the shops have neon signs. I don't even see a building that resembles the section of flats the characters stay in. I looked up at Beck. "Is...Is this Church street?"

He pointed at the sign mounted to a nearby brick wall. "It is."

"This isn't right." I shook my head. "It doesn't look right."

"It's not going to look the way you were thinking." Beck put an arm around my shoulders. "Tales of Church Street was written in 1890, about the year 1875. The buildings that existed at that point might not now. They might not have existed during the time the author was writing the book. He may have been recalling parts of London from memory."

Tears pooled in my eyes. Staring down at the cement sidewalk, I tried to process my emotions. Why am I crying over it? What was I expecting to see? All cobblestone streets, cute little shops that look like they haven't changed a bit and children in apron dresses playing in the streets? It's two-thousand and thirteen. All the things mentioned in the book are fading. One day, not even traces will remain.

Well, some will...

I pulled the silver shilling out of my pocket and examined its faded etchings. 1875. At one point, this coin was held by someone from that year. It passed from hand to hand, used as a currency that was, at one point, very common. Instead of a book costing a few pounds, it might cost a few pence. Even nice leather bound journals like mine would have only cost a shilling or two at most.

Taking a few steps forward, I rested a hand on a street lamp, not unlike the one mentioned in the book. At one point, this was probably lit by candles, then gas...now, electric light bulbs. Why does that feel wrong? All of this feels wrong...I wrapped my arms around my stomach as a bout of nausea threatened to take over. I felt someone's hand on my back.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Tori ask.

"I don't know." Beck murmured. "Cat, why don't we head back. Sikowitz might not cover for us if one of the other chaperons discovers we left."

I sniffed. "This is wrong."

"What's wrong?" He leaned in, barely able to hear me.

Backing away from him, I raised my voice. "I don't know! It just all feels off! This shouldn't be here!"

I pointed at a neon sign in the window next to us. Somewhere in the back of my mind, the term Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria rattled around. It was one of the most recent topics being discussed with my therapist, as it seemingly connects to my ADHD.

Beck held up both hands. "Cat...It's okay."

"This is ridiculous. Let's just leave her here. We've been gone too long." Jade glared.

Beck gave her a frosty look before returning his attention to me. His look of pity just made me feel worse. I'm so confused... "I know you're disappointed. I'm sure there are other areas of London that don't look so modern. Let's see if we can find them during another tour."

"No, you don't get it!" I pointed at a little grass covered median in the middle of the road, covered in trash. "None of this should be here! It's, it's..."

I trailed off as the area in front of me shifted. It happened so quickly, I convinced myself I must've imagined it. One moment, the median was there, then it wasn't...now, it's back. Turning in a slow circle, I gaped as other areas started to shift as well. Signs disappeared, buildings changed shape, people appeared that weren't there before...I can hear something. Horses..?

Covering my mouth, I stumbled forward, looking for someplace I could throw up that isn't so visible. Flinging myself into an alley, I pushed the metal lid off a trashcan and emptied my stomach. Struggling to put the lid back on, I fell to my knees. I'm so dizzy...

Beck knelt in front of me, the rest of my friends close behind. "Cat, are you alright?"

I nodded slowly. I closed my eyes in an attempt to steady myself. "I just...wanted to see it. The world from the book. Take a walk down Church street, then head over to Trafalgar Square to feed the birds. For just a second, I thought I could actually do that. I'm stupid..."

"You're not stupid." I could hear the smile in his voice. I opened my eyes. "It's a nice thought."

"You have two heads." I mumbled as my vision started to blur even more. Everything looks so warped. The sky is getting darker. No...everything is getting darker.

I heard Tori gasp. I followed her gaze. The entrance to the alley appeared to be coated in a thick dark cloud. It rapidly made its way down the alley, pulling at everything around it, sucking in all the light. Before anyone could react, it swept over us.

For a long, terrifying moment, I couldn't breathe. All I could see in the darkness was a faint light. Am I hearing bells? Clawing at my throat, I struggled to find air. The sounds around me grew louder, clearer. Forcing myself to my feet, I stumbled forward, desperate to escape the darkness and everything in it. Reaching the edge of the void, I stepped forward, into heavy fog. I left the alley and went to stand in the middle of the street. The bells stopped. Only then was I able to breathe.

Taking in several gasps of air, I turned in a slow circle. This place...So much has changed. I can feel the edges of my rational mind creeping in, urging me to panic. Dragging my eyes away from the cobbled streets, I took a step towards the nearest building. All the metal and neon signs are missing, the street markers gone. A not so pleasant smell is filling the air, seemingly coming from my left. Down the road, several people stepped out of a row of buildings that weren't there before. A horse drawn carriage sharply turned a corner, heading this way at a frightening speed.

Unable to react fast enough, I stared at it in shock, my brain too fried to even care that I'm about to be hit. Before it could, someone jerked me out of the way. Stumbling over my own feet, I fell into Beck's arms. He immediately dragged me off the road and back into the alley, a shell shocked look on his face. It mirrored the one I could feel on my own.

"Where are we?" I whispered. I clutched at his arm, still too dazed to right myself and move away. He opened his mouth to answer, only to snap it shut. Taking one last wary look at the scenery just outside the alley, I fainted.

The peace of being unconscious only lasted a minute before voices came flooding into the void, starting with Tori. "Cat? Can you hear us?"

"She's out cold. Give her a moment." Beck whispered.

"Where the hell are we? If someone doesn't tell me, I'm going to start hitting people." Jade practically shrieked.

"Hey, don't look at me! One minute, Cat's freaking out about the street not looking right and, the next thing I know..." Andre trailed off. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"I can't find Rex!" Robbie practically shrieked. "I think I left him in the cab!"

"What did she do? She better wake up right now and tell me!" Jade barked.

"It's not Cat's fault! Don't blame her!" Robbie snapped at Jade, a rare occurrence.

"Of course it's not Cat's fault. We don't even know what happened." Worry crept into Beck's voice. "Just...let's all calm down. Lower your voices. People are starting to stare."

Opening my eyes, I looked up at all my friend's worried faces. Shifting me in his arms, Beck tried to help me sit upright.

Andre shoved himself between Tori and Robbie, his eyes full of dread. It just made the heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach worse. "Just be honest with us...You're a witch, aren't you?"

"No." I frowned. "Why?"

Looking back out at the street, Beck shook his head. "Cat...I don't know how, but your comments about nothing looking right might've been right on the money. Whatever you sensed that was throwing you off, it's brought us somewhere. I don't think it's the same Church street..."

"I refuse to believe that." Jade took several steps away. "Obviously, this is a movie set. We're probably interrupting their filming."

"Jade..." Beck began. "The road wasn't all cobblestone five minutes ago."

"Someone must've rolled out a faux stone carpet or something." Jade crossed her arms, refusing to believe her own eyes.

"And the smell of overpowering horse dung? Where did that come from?" Beck tried, again.

"Sewage spill." Tori joined in on Jade's denial. Scrambling to her feet, she put as much distance as she could between herself and the opening to the alley. "It has to be a sewage spill...We've all breathed in toxic gases and are currently hallucinating. We're all going to wake up in the hospital, strapped to respirators."

Ignoring them, Beck looked back down at me. "Can you stand?"

I used Beck's shoulders to slowly hoist myself up. When I was sure I wouldn't fall back over, I hurried to the edge of the alley, to get another look. About twenty feet away, two middle aged women dressed in worn brown and black dresses passed by. Quickly backing up, I nearly fainted, again. The feeling of wrongness I had felt now gone. Now, all I feel is fear. Fear that I really have somehow caused this. "This can't be real."

"Take us back." Andre begged me. He stared down at the coin in my hands. Throughout all this madness, I had kept a tight hold on it. His eyes flashed as something seemed to click for him. "Use your little coin and take us back."

I bit my lip. Could it be the coin? It would make a lot more sense than me being the cause. I can barely use my powers of wishful thinking to pass a test, let alone something as insane as this. Wishful thinking doesn't seem to be the right term...Yes, the thought of seeing the Victorian era is appealing, but I logically know it can't and shouldn't happen. Something else led to this. Led me to panic as soon as we reached Church street. This constant feeling of disquiet and unease. I've felt it for hours. When did it start?

At the Tower of London's gift shop. It must've started as soon as I purchased the coin. I felt drawn to it. The moment it was placed into my hands, something clicked. In the short time I kept it in my pocket, it filled me with a gnawing feeling that went beyond my vague interest in seeing Church street. An uncontrollable desire to be right here. Like the coin knew where the veil between the present and the past is thinnest.

I took another step towards the street, only for Beck to pull me back by my arm. He spoke gently, but seriously. "We can't stay here. It's not safe. Whatever you did the first time, try it again. Try getting us back."

Common sense set in. England...1875. Not a safe place at all. Holding the coin tightly, I pressed it against my chest and shut my eyes. "Please take us back to 2013...Please take us back. Please...Please. Please! 2013. 2013. 2013."

Opening one eye, I looked down at the still visible cobblestone. Andre threw his hands up. "What now?"

"Is it really the coin that did all this or was it the location?" Beck mused. "If it was the coin, it might be the year. She was holding an 1875 coin before. She might need a 2013 coin to get us back."

"Check your pockets." Tori perked up. Digging through her purse, she knelt down and sat all her money on the ground. When did that layer of grime get there? Sorting through various coins, she sighed. "None of them are 2013. Should we..."

"No." Beck stopped that thought in its tracks. "If we show up even a year too early, it could cause a problem. I don't have a 2013 coin either..."

The rest of us followed suit. After several minutes of searching, we stared down at the pile of modern currency in front of us, defeated. Jade glared. "You've got to be kidding. Not a single 2013 coin!"

"Ssh." Beck shushed her. When she opened her mouth to argue, he covered it. "Don't make a scene."

"What do we do, then?" Robbie asked. "Rex is missing! He's got to be freaking out, right now. I remember sitting him on the floor of the cab, by my feet."

I ignored Robbie's rambling. I stared into my open purse, at my copy of Tales of Church Street. "It's just like the book."

"Forget the stupid book." Pulling Beck's hand off her face, Jade tossed a British shilling at me. "Maybe, there's a reason your mom won't let you read anything but children's picture books. You just have to go and wish for something like this. Now, we're all screwed."

I gaped at Jade. "How do you know..?"

"I read some of your stupid diary, last night. You fell asleep holding it."

"Jade." Beck admonished her before I could get a chance. I couldn't even bring myself to speak. Rage threatened to boil over. How could she..?

"What?" Jade glared back at him. "I read, like two pages. Nothing crazy. I couldn't sleep."

Shaking his head, Beck turned his back to Jade. "Cat...Has anything like this happened to you, before? I mean...Did you wish for something you read in a book, only for it to happen?"

I shook my head. "Of course not."

"No, her mom's just crazy. She treats her like a little girl, all because her dad left." Jade explained, still sour faced.

"Shut up!" I screamed, my entire body shaking. I couldn't figure out if the anger or anxiety would ultimately win out.

A group of men, all dressed in shabby pants and shirts, passed the alley, snapping me out of my mood. None of them paid us any mind. Beck started picking up the money. "We need to find somewhere else to talk about this."

"I'm not moving from this spot. This is where we were standing when Cat opened a damn rip in time." Jade planted her feet.

"Look at yourself." Pocketing the money, Beck stood up. "Look at what you're wearing. You're in skin tight jeans and a low cut tank top. Tori's in a skirt with a hemline above the knee. We can't stay here."

Jade narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying we look like prostitutes?"

"Well, technically...in this time period..." Robbie began, only for Jade to reach over and hit him in the stomach.

"Next person to comment on what I'm wearing is getting a busted lip."

"You hit my ribs." Robbie gasped.

I looked at Beck. "Oliver, from Tales of Church Street..."

Beck immediately picked up on my thought. "The book suggests, at several points, that Oliver is a time traveler. Not just new to London but new to the time period. The first thing it describes him doing is stealing clothes, so he can look more like the residents of Church street. I used to think it was talking about class distinction."

I nodded along. "Then, he went to find shelter."

"Unfortunately, I doubt there's a kind old Mrs Mable willing to take six strangely dressed teens in. We're on our own."

Tori tried to follow our conversation. "So, what you're saying is...we need to find clothes."

"We've got some money." Robbie mentioned.

"Modern money. If we try to use any of it and someone sees the mint date, they'll probably assume it's fake and get us arrested." Beck pointed out.

"What are the odds they're going to look at the year before accepting the coin. They'll just assume it's a typo. I've got a few one pound coins." Robbie fished them out of his pocket.

"You can't use those." I held a hand up. "There weren't one pound coins in the Victorian era. Just shillings, pence, tupence, six pence, farthings—."

"Okay, we get it." Jade cut me off. "Just tell us which coins are safe."

I thought for a moment. "Nothing higher than a shilling. Even then, it's pushing it. People in districts like this tend to work with very small coins. Shillings go straight to paying rent and debts."

"That means no paper money." Beck returned his paper notes to his wallet. "Collectively, we have eight one shilling coins and a dozen pence. That's not including Cat's coin. It shouldn't be spent. Especially if it's what's going to help us get back home."

"That's not even half a pound." I racked my brain, trying to remember all the stores the book characters shopped at. "We need to find a thrift store."

"This isn't modern day London, Cat." Tori handed her shillings off to Beck.

"I know. Victorian London had secondhand thrift stores, where you could go to buy ready made clothes. It said so in the book." I pulled Tales of Church Street from my purse.

"What did we say about it just being a book?" Tori sighed, exasperated, her passive mood quickly going out the window.

"I also read about it in a history book." I defended. "Follow me."

Spotting the map Jade had been carrying on the ground, I picked it up. I checked the area outside the alley, to make sure no one was nearby, before stepping out and heading towards the main street. Ducking down another side street, I did everything in my power to keep on the path while avoiding leaving the alleyway skirting behind the buildings. A step onto a main road will bring unwanted attention. Looking over my shoulder, to make sure everyone was following, I paused behind what smelled like a bread shop.

"Look, Cat." Beck finally spoke up. "I'm on board for finding some way to blend but you've got to tell us where you're leading us."

"Here." I pointed. "This street. It's nicknamed Petticoat Lane. We'll need to get back to Whitechapel to reach it."

"That's going to take us hours." Jade snatched the map away. "Why can't we just wear something like that?"

Jade gestured down another alley in viewing distance of our own. Clothing lines trailed between the two rows of buildings sandwiching the narrow road, all filled to the brim with clothing.

I shook my head. "We can't. If we come back down here and they see us in their clothes, they'll be angry. We can't do anything that might get us in trouble."

Jade shoved the map back in my hands. "Alright. Get us to Petticoat Lane and get us there fast."

"I'm trying my best. What do you expect me to do?" I snapped, the earlier rage seeped back in.

"Cat, don't think about anything but what we have to do." Beck smoothed out the map for me. "We can worry about everything else later."

He's right...One step at a time. Taking a deep breath, I continued leading the way.

Beck's Perspective:

London has always been such a labyrinth of alleys, it was surprisingly easy to avoid main streets on our walk. Unfortunately, the closer we got to East End, the more people we found frequenting those allies. None bothered commenting on our clothes, but many stared and shooed their young children away. At one point, a couple of elderly women whispered the word 'whore' under their breaths. Jade had to be physically restrained.

Pausing in a vacant area, Tori leaned against a building. "My feet are killing me. How much further?"

"Half an hour, maybe?" I shrugged. "It's all guess work. We keep running into buildings that aren't on the map. I'm not even sure if we're still heading in the right direction."

"The sun is setting behind us." Jade gestured with her head. "We're heading East."

Slipping off my boot, I shook a few pebbles out and put it back on. "Come on. If we keep stalling, we'll be out after dark. If I'm remembering correctly, East End is the slums. That's not somewhere you want to be at night. Not without a locked door between you and whatever's out there."

Resting for a few minutes, we continued. Finally, just as the sun began to set behind some taller buildings, we reached our destination. In the time it took us to get here, it had grown colder. Most of the vendors had already put up their outdoor stalls and closed their shops. A few were still open. Mainly one labeled Percy's Secondhand Wares.

"Which one of us is going to go buy the clothes?" Tori looked down at herself. "I'm honestly afraid to let anyone out there see me."

"I'll go." I volunteered. I'm, arguably, dressed the most conservatively, in a pair of black jeans, black leather boots and a blue plaid button up shirt. Slipping off my leather jacket, I put it around Tori, her thin clothes not cutting it in this weather. "Stay out of sight until I'm back. Hand me the safe to use money."

Taking our meager funds, I pocketed the coins and ran across the street, straight into Percy's. The shop smelled like a flea market. Piles of cloth were everywhere. Inside wooden boxes, hanging on hooks, dressing the two wooden mannequins near the store front. Behind a counter, a young girl with ruddy skin and brown hair was staring up at me, her doe eyes wide.

Stepping around the counter, broom in hand, she gestured at the door with her broom handle. "Me father's run out for a moment. 'e should be back soon."

I took a quick breath. If we're stuck here, I better sell it, accent and all. I bowed my head, prompting the girl to give a quick curtsy. "Evening love. Mind if I check the racks a moment? I'm looking for a few things."

"Better not." She frowned. "Father would rather I wait to serve ye when 'e's here to mind the till."

Reaching into my pocket, I held one of the shillings up, year side facing away from her. I gave her my most convincing smile. "Just for a minute. I'll make sure you have a few coins to hand your father."

Blinking rapidly, she put her free hand to her reddening face. "Yes, sir...Just a minute. What 're ye lookin' for?"

Looking at the pile of men's dress pants sitting in a box near the door, I picked up a dark green pair and held them out. They look like they might fit Robbie. The tag pinned to the leg priced them at four pence. "A shirt to match these?"

Nodding, she sat the broom down and hurried behind a wooden shelf. Taking a moment to go through the box at my feet, I found several more pairs that might work out. Holding a black pair up to myself, I threw them on the counter, along with Robbie and Andre's. Checking the dresses, I picked out some things for the girls.

The shopkeeper's daughter returned with a brown button up and a jacket that vaguely matched the green pants. "That alright, sir?"

"Yes." Determining that my boots and Tori's black flats would be alright for the time being, I selected shoes for everyone else and paid. Accepting six pence in change, I waited as patiently as possible for the girl to wrap the clothes in brown paper and tie them up with twine. If I'm still here when her father returns, I might not fare so well. Taking them from her, I smiled again. "Thank you."

Clutching the four shillings and six pence I paid her to her chest, she saw me to the door. "Come again!"

Stepping back outside, I ran back across the street and ducked into the alley. I shoved the packages into Andre's arms. "It's the best I could do without everyone there to try the stuff on. That's for Tori. The black dress is Jade's."

"It better be black." Jade tore off the paper and held it up. "What about corsets?"

"You think we can afford corsets?" I scoffed. "We used most our money to afford what we've got. Tori, will your shoes be alright? I wanted to save as much as possible."

"Yeah, mine are fine." Tori slipped a mauve colored gown over her head. "Will someone get the buttons?"

Doing up the back of the dress for her, Jade tried her own on. She gave me a dark glare. "I look like a school house teacher."

"What did you expect?" Turning her around, I fastened the buttons. Pulling a hair tie off her wrist, I tried putting her hair up in a bun. She pulled away from me and did it herself.

Ducking behind a few barrels by a shop's backdoor, I changed into my own clothes. I waited as Cat and Jade laced up the leather boots I'd picked up for them. Standing, Cat smoothed out her ankle length hunter green skirt before throwing on a brown vest over her tan button up shirt. Aside from the dresses either being too long or not quite long enough, I'd made fairly good guesses on clothing size. Even the shoes seem to fit. If we hadn't spent the last four years working on costumes together, I likely wouldn't have fared so well.

I held up a brown shawl the shopkeeper's daughter must've thrown in. Cat took it and wrapped it around her shoulders. While her hair is a little more vivid than is typical for the time period, it's a far cry from the cherry red it was not too long ago. It'll be fine.

I gathered up all our discarded clothing and wrapped it up in the brown paper. "I think we can comfortably say we're not going to get arrested."

"Now, what?" Tori wrapped her arms around herself. "It's nearly dark."

"East end has doss-houses. They're kind of like motels." Cat's expression fell. "They're dirty. Some people sleep in coffin beds and some have to sleep sitting up."

"We can't sleep in a place like that." Tori looked about ready to cry.

I stared at each of my friends. All tired, all cold, all miserable. "We don't have any other choice."

Defeated, we left the alley and made our way further East. The conditions around us grew worse. The buildings started to look older, the air fouler, the people meaner. We had to actively try to avoid piles of muck and literal shit. Tori had to grab Andre's shoulder and point her face upward, to avoid throwing up. Cat and Robbie were both starting to cough.

The wind picked up. The storm clouds that had loomed on the perimeter of the city for most of the day, even before we went back in time, finally closed in. Within a few minutes, we were caught in a torrential downpour. Ducking back into an alley, we huddled together under the closest door frame and examined the map in the fading light. Luckily, the waxy textured paper kept the rain from smudging it.

Jade buried her face in her hands. "I can't."

"We have to." I tried putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away.

"Stop saying that!" Swiveling around, she started rushing up the alley, pulling on doors as she went. Halfway down, one opened and she ran inside.

"Stop her, Beck." Tori gaped. "She's going to get us arrested."

"I don't know why you think she's ever listened to me." I yelled over a loud clap of thunder. Running after her, I paused in the doorway she'd just entered, finding a small storage room at the back of a shop. Jade had fallen onto a pile of burlap bags, eyes vacant, completely drained from the events of the day.

She looked up at me, eyes dark. "Let's stay here. Just until the storm stops."

"If we're caught, they won't believe we were just looking for shelter. They'll accuse us of stealing."

"Just tonight." Jade whispered. Leaning up, she pulled a black cord off her neck and threw it at my feet. I picked up the gold ring hanging from it. At one point, we both wore one, as a symbol of our former relationship. After we broke up, I shut mine in my bedside drawer.

"You still have this?"

She nodded. "We can sell it, tomorrow. It's real gold. It'll pay for a place to live...Do you still have yours?"

I shook my head. "Not with me. I'll go get the others."

Stepping back out into the freezing rain, I waved everyone over. Putting a finger to my lips, I brought them inside and shut the door, locking it. Pulling some spare cloth off the shelves resting against the far wall, we dried ourselves off with some of it and spread the rest on the floor.

Tori leaned in to whisper in my ear. "What are we going to eat?"

"We'll worry about it in the morning." I glanced down at Andre. He'd curled up on the burlap bags, next to Jade. Both were already asleep, too emotionally and physically exhausted to stay awake. Robbie was crawling around the room, checking the boxes stacked on the bottom shelves. They all held mostly junk. The most tempting box contained some seed packets. None were the type you could reasonably eat. Robbie tried, anyway. Spitting them out, he returned to the group, shivering.

Several minutes passed. One by one, we laid down, too tired to concern themselves with anything but sleep. Unable to do so myself, for lack of space, I leaned against the wall and let Cat rest her head on my leg. I listened to her softly cry for a while. I didn't need to ask her why. Most of us are ready to break down. I absently ran my fingers through her hair, my eyes scanning the dark room, barely illuminated by a lone window set directly above the door.

I'm not sure when I fell asleep. When I woke, my head lulled to the side, I found the room bathed in early morning light. The storm had abated sometime in the night. Birds chirped nearby. It was far too tranquil a sound, considering the circumstances. Carefully pulling Cat's head off my leg, I bunched up a section of cloth and laid her back down. I stood and went to check for my phone in the pile of modern clothing sitting near the door. Checking the time, not sure at all if it's accurate, I went to wake everyone up. I started with Tori, the least likely to hit me out of reflex.

She stared up at me, bleary eyed. "What is it?"

"It's six in the morning. Shops are going to open, soon."

For a moment, she looked completely confused. As yesterday's events slowly returned to the forefront of her memory, her face crumpled. "I don't want to go back out there."

"Neither do I." Helping her up, I showed her Jade's ring. "We need to find out the cost of gold and find a place to sell this. It will buy us food and shelter."

Tori's eyes widened as she touched her earlobes. "I'm wearing gold earrings."

Removing them, she handed them to me. Each had a single blue topaz rough cut gem hanging from them. I don't really want to think about what would happen if we tried selling to the wrong buyer. If anyone accuses us of stealing the items we try to sell, it would be game over. We'd all die in a filthy prison. Or...Whoever tries to sell the jewelry could be arrested, leaving the others to try to survive on their own. I can't decide what would be worse...Dying together in a prison or being separated, one by one.

"We'll tell the buyer the gems are glass." I determined. "We'll charge whatever the gold is worth."

"Why do that? We could get so much more." Tori frowned.

"I won't risk any of us getting arrested. None of us are dressed well enough to be selling any kind of jewelry. I'll wake Jade. You wake everyone else. Make sure they don't yell."

Crossing the room, I crouched down and ran a ringer over the bridge of Jade's nose, like I used to when we slept by one another. Opening her eyes, she gave me a confused look. "Don't do that."

"You would have lashed out, otherwise...We need to get out of this room. Shops are going to start opening." I whispered. Sitting up, she rubbed at her face. Eyeliner came off on her hands. Grabbing a piece of discarded cloth, I handed it to her. "Wipe off all your makeup."

Glaring darkly at the cloth scrap, Jade licked it and started wiping at her eyes. Encouraging Tori and Cat to do the same, I located an empty burlap sack and shoved all our clothes in it. I unlocked the door and peeked into the alley. There are several people on the main street. "Hey, look."

I looked back at Andre. He'd opened one of the smaller burlap bags, revealing dried beans. "Take a couple of them."

Grabbing one, Andre handed another bag to Robbie and ran out into the alley. We could hear movement on the floor directly above the storage room. Shutting the door, we returned to the main street, better rested, but hungry.

"We'll need a pot and some water to eat those." Tori looked at the bean bags.

"That's money we don't have." I checked the map in Cat's hands. "Where would we find one of those doss-houses?"

"I watched a tv show where a few families had to live in a recreated Victorian slum house. There was a doss-house on the first floor. It was on a street called Old Nichols. It was filthy. They said lots of Victorian people died there."

"What other choice do we have?" Andre curled in on himself, wrapping his oversized jacket more tightly around himself. Tori did the same with the shawl Cat had been using yesterday.

"Lead the way, Cat." I encouraged her.

Lucky for us, the map appeared to be a promotional piece and contained both modern streets and historical mentions of ones long gone. Studying the map for a second, she pointed towards a side street, about twenty feet ahead. "This way."

After all the walking we had to do the previous day, we all were grateful for Old Nicholas street's proximity. It was only a short fifteen minute walk from Petticoat Lane. Walking down rows of warehouse-like buildings, we paused in front of a four story brown brick house. Next to the open doorway was a wooden sign, advertising beds for three pence a night. Leading the way, I was only halfway in the door when someone appeared at the other end of a short hallway.

"What tis it? Be needin' a bed, boy? Tis a bit early." The man ran his sleeve across his dirty face.

Waving my friends inside, I nodded. "Yeah...Six."

Examining each of our faces, the man leaned back and opened a door behind him. "Got six. Threepence a night. I also 'ave some rooms for four shillin's a week."

"We've got three." I lied. We can't give everything away just to get a roof over our heads. We need to be able to afford food and two little bags of beans isn't going to cut it.

"Wait here." The man ordered, his tone gruff enough, Cat instinctively took a step back. Disappearing around the corner, we heard him knock on a door. For a minute, he spoke with someone, his voice too low for us to overhear. Returning with another man, he pointed at us.

The other man, a brawny fellow that might have blonde hair, if it were a little cleaner, sized us up. "Can any o' you work?"

I nodded. "Yes. All of us."

The man sneered. "Not the women. You three."

He pointed between Andre, Robbie and myself. I stepped in front of Jade, to hide what I suspect is a less than kind expression. "Yes."

"Can you lift a sledge? What 'bout an ax? You all look soft."

"We're not." I used a gruffer tone, nearly forgetting to use an accent. "Let us prove it."

Giving us another look over, the man pointed to me. "The tall one. Come along."

Giving my friends a worried look, I followed him around the corner and through a backdoor, into a muddy courtyard. Tucking the hems of my pants into my boots, I worked my way through the muck, towards a small mountain of wood chunks. Introducing himself as Timothy, the man shoved an ax into my hands and ordered me to quarter the wood, for kindle.

"Work hard or go home, boy." Timothy barked when I didn't immediately get to work. Shaking my head, I swung the ax over my head and brought it down on the piece positioned in front of me.

After the first couple pieces, my hands began to hurt. Slipping, I drove a large splinter into my thumb. With Timothy scrutinizing my every move from his position near a chicken coup, I had only a moment to rip the thing out with my teeth and keep moving. A smear of blood soaked into the handle of the ax.

Ignoring it, I kept up a steady pace, my mind on the others. If I'm sent away, this will all be for nothing. He may not give Andre or Robbie the same chance. I can try to repress the reality I'm in, but it will do none of us any good. The reality is that none of us have eaten since yesterday morning, at the hotel. We would have likely stopped somewhere for a late lunch after shopping in Cheapside. Clearly, that's no longer an option. If we want to eat at any point in the next twenty-four hours, we have to work for it.

Pulling my suspenders off of my shoulders, I picked up the pace. I could hear Timothy muttering something, but I paid him no mind. Time slipped away. By the time I paused to catch my breath, the sun was starting to lower from the highest point in the sky. Jerking me back by the shoulder, Timothy took the ax.

"There's two bags o' feed in there." He gestured towards a shed. "Lug em out, then finish the wood pile."

I did as he said. I barely managed to hoist up one of the fifty pound bags when my vision began to blur. Leaning against the nearest wall, I caught my breath. I'm really not used to going this long without food. Adding the work I'm doing, it's a recipe for disaster. I'm sure Timothy will drag me onto the curb if I pass out on his watch.

Pushing through, I dropped the bag near the chicken coup and went to get the other. No sooner did I finish, Andre was led into the yard and told to feed the chickens and the pigs. I couldn't see the latter, but I could definitely hear and smell them.

"You okay?" Andre whispered. Nodding, I backed away and returned to the wood pile. We can check in with each other later.

The rest of the day went like that. There were no breaks, no offer of water. The closest to food I got was when Timothy sat down to eat some bread and cheese wrapped in a cloth. I could smell it even over the pigs. Spitting out some dust, I turned my back to him.

What year are we supposed to be in? What I know of the Victorian era is that most of it was spent forcing the poor to work for well below a living wage. I'll be lucky to get enough from this day to feed myself, much less six people. With Andre's pay, we might be able to swing it. What are Robbie and the girls doing? Did they find someone in the area willing to give them work? Failing that, are they at least keeping out of trouble?

I really hope Jade isn't picking a fight with anyone that could get her arrested. Jade...She wouldn't do anything illegal, like steal food, would she? Shit! She would! It was risky enough taking those two bags of beans!

I slammed the ax down a little too harshly, sending the two chunks of wood flying in opposite directions. Fetching them, I was about to cut both in half again when Timothy chuckled. "Not as soft as you look, eh? Gotta name?"

"Beck Oliver." I grunted.

"Scottish, huh?"

"Somewhere on my family tree." I shrugged. It's true. I was born in Canada, but it's not my family's place of origin. My mother's Colombian. My father's family immigrated from somewhere in Europe shortly before World War one started. I never bothered asking and my father never spoke about it.

"What's your family do?" Timothy asked after a minute.

I racked my brain for an answer. My father has an office job selling insurance. I doubt that would be believed. Mom's a mechanic. Cars don't exist, yet. What does exist? "They were builders. Worked for a carriage company."

To say they're still alive would leave one to wonder where they are and why I'm here, struggling to feed myself. Timothy muttered his condolences and changed the subject. "You married?"

That's a good question...This is the Victorian era. People don't just live together without a reason, or others would have talked. A bunch of unmarried teenagers cramming together under one roof would cause a lot of rumors. So, what should the story be? I suppose Tori and I have tanned enough complexions to pass for siblings. Robbie and Jade both have dark hair and pale skin, Jade more so than Robbie. They could be related. As for Andre and Cat, they could be married into the group.

"I'm married." I finally answered after cutting another piece of wood up.

Timothy chuckled. "Which one?"

"Mahogany red hair, amber brown eyes." I glanced nervously at the doss house directly behind me. Are the girls close enough to hear? "Caterina."

"Sounds Italian." Timothy guessed.

"She is."

"What about yourself?" I asked, less out of curiosity and more out of politeness.

"English, born and raised." He announced proudly. "My wife, Bess, is upstairs with the little ones. Got any children o' your own?"

"No." I felt a blush creep up my face at the thought of him asking that within earshot of Cat.

"Oh, give it time. You're both still young."

The conversation trailed off after that. Finishing up the first wood pile, I was about to work on the pile behind it when Timothy called both Andre and me over. The sun had set below the surrounding buildings several minutes ago, leaving little light for us to see by. Reaching into his pocket, he handed both of us a threepence coin each. Collectively, we made sixpence. That'll cover a bed in the doss-house for two of us. We already have enough to cover the rest.

We all went inside afterward. In the doss-house's main room, I found Tori, Cat, Jade and Robbie sitting around a table with a woman roughly Timothy's age, a baby in her arms. They waved Andre and me over.

"We're paid through the night." Tori explained softly. "Our stay includes a small meal."

I felt myself immediately relax. The knowledge we had one more night before we would need to resume our struggle was an immense relief. Tomorrow's another day. We'll worry about it then.

"Eat." Timothy handed me some bread. Falling into a chair, I gratefully accepted a slice of cheese and dug in. Jade was unusually quiet. Every now and then, she glanced at me, irritation in her eyes.

Later that evening, we were led to a long row of coffin-like boxes. Thin straw mattresses lined the bottoms. Getting into one, I watched as a large group of men filed in the door, all looking for a place to stay as well. One or two glanced at the girls, but ignored us after that, all too tired to do more than get to sleep.

It smells in here. I'm not sure if it's the beds or me, at this point. I worked up more of a sweat today than I have in my entire life. Judging by her wrinkled nose, Tori's noticed the smell, too. Giving the men on a nearby bench a worried look, she rolled to face Andre.

I tried to stay awake a while longer, to keep an eye on everyone. In the end, sleep won out.