The sky was fully light now, few clouds floating lazily above the world, blissfully unaware of the problems us humans were facing. We would hear the occasional plane fly past, but we didn't dare look up. Soon, we had reached a forest not far from the house, trees hiding us from any danger above. Every dry leaf we stepped on sounded so painfully like the crack of a pistol, every tree could have been a hidden soldier. But the flowers and the berries provided beauty in the creepiness, and Birdie picked some that I knew were edible. And then we were out of the forest, and after a few minutes we had reached the town.

The station was on the edge, and we walked quickly to the gate. Freedom was at the tip of my fingers, all we needed to do now was board the train and leave this old, raggedy place behind.

"Jane!"

I spun around, spotting the blue uniform instantly. A weight placed itself upon my shoulders, but I forced a smile.

"Constable Thomas! Fine morning, wouldn't you agree?"

"Indeed it is, ma'am. And how many times must I insist, call me George! Loads of work to do today. Is William well?"

My heart sank.

"I believe he is! He does have quite a great deal of things to attend to, and he insisted on being left alone for a few days. I was going to take Birdie here to go see the London Zoo! She simply adores animals, and I thought it quite the educational trip. Isn't that right, darling?"

"Yes, Mum!"

"Ah, well, I best be off, then!" He patted Birdie on the head and kissed my hand, then tipped his hat to us and walked away cheerily.

My heart panged for him. I knew he was good friends with William, and it pained me to know he would never speak with him again. It shocked me how such a good man could befriend such a monster. Perhaps he had no idea of how much torment William had put his family through. He had always been good at hiding and disguising, pretending to be a kind, charitable, rich ex-policeman. It was sickening.

I cleared my head of these thoughts and held Birdie's hand a little tighter, holding my head high and proud and walking to the station. Since it was so early, there was no sign of the usual crowd, and it took hardly any time to reach the ticket booth. There were two men, both looking grimy and tired. One was tall, thin, and had a moustache that would make any walrus proud. The other was short, quite muscly, and dirtier than a pig in mud.

"Morning, gentlemen! I would like a train to London, preferably as soon as possible. One ticket for me and one for my daughter." I opened my purse and began taking out money, but the men made no motion to give us tickets.

"Is there a problem, sir?"

"Yeah," the tall one said in a very thick London accent, "what's a pretty little lady like you doin' on a train to London this early? The moon ain't even set."

"Well, my sister is very sick. She's been living with our mother for years to take care of her, but ever since my dear Margaret came down with pneumonia, I fear every day may be her last. I wished to see her once more, and give her a chance to see her niece one final time."

I could see the pity on the man's face. But then the shorter one barged in. "Oi, where's your 'usband, lil' missy? Shouldn't he be goin' with you?"

"Oh, I don't have one."

He snorted and grumbled, "A woman of her age? No husband? Ought to have at least two laddies." I made it a point to ignore him, though I was quite disgusted.

"Then what's with the little bugger?" the taller one asked.

"Oh..." I was stuck. Then Birdie chipped in, "We don't have a Daddy any more. He died when I was little."

The tall man softened a great deal, clearly having a soft spot for children. However, the shorter one didn't budge. "Sorry, miss, we can't letcha go. Two little ladies like you, alone, walkin' the streets of London? You're simply askin' for trouble."

"Mate, c'mon, she's got a kid and no husband, a sick sister, take pity on her."

"Nah, mate, can't." Then he lowered his voice. "She's a woman. No woman goes alone on a train. 'Specially not to London."

I was outraged. I stuffed my money back in my purse and turned my heel, walking back out.

"Mum? What will we do now?"

"We walk, Ladybug."