The sun was high in the sky now, roughly 8:00 AM. Birdie and I had been walking through a field for nearly an hour. I knew she was tired, hungry, and thirsty, but she had not complained once. My corset was growing uncomfortably tight and hot in the spring warmth, and every gunshot we heard made us flinch.

"Mum?"

"Yes, love?"

"Is London nice, do you think?"

"Yes, I believe it is. I went there all the time when I was your age, did you know that?"

"No, Mum."

"Well, the zoo has all sorts of beautiful animals. The people can be quite scary, but there are quite a few very nice people there as well. It's where my Mum and Dad met, and were married."

"Mum?"

"Yeah, Ladybug?"

"Was it true, what you said about Aunt Mary being sick?"

"Oh, no, sweetheart. That was just... a bit of persuasion, so we could be allowed to board."

"Okay, Mum."

We both went quiet for a while, until we discovered a little stream running through the field, the sound of water against rocks and bugs flitting back and forth filling our ears, the smell of honeysuckle and fresh, clean water delighting our noses.

We ran to it, berry bushes and trees not far away. I picked the berries and a few flowers as Birdie drank and splashed her face with the cool water, and I did the same. Then we both sat on the grass and ate our berries and flowers, the sweetness and the sudden tang bursting into our mouths so beautifully.

As little as we wanted to, we picked ourselves up and continued our trek, soon reaching a small town.

There must have been no more than 5 establishments within it, houses scattered around awkwardly, making the streets feel cramped. Smoke from chimneys made the sky feel much darker. There was a bakery and a butchery right next to one another, a pub not far from that, and a quaint market just down the street. Many more buildings were present but dark and boarded up, closed down due to the financial crisis of the war. Mothers and their children ran around running errands, and mean-looking men lurked outside of the pub and inside dark, claustrophobic alleyways.

Birdie squeezed my hand and I caressed it with my thumb comfortingly, and, taking a deep breath, we walked in.

People bumped my shoulder, men whistled and shouted at me, and it became hard to breathe. I aimed for the bakery, but it seemed we were being pushed backward more than we were trudging forward.

One man took hold of my shoulder rather roughly, his breath smelling of smoke and halitosis, and attempted to speak to me. I could hardly understand a word he said, his words were so slurred and deep.

"I beg your pardon?"

Frustrated, he grabbed my arm and tried pulling me towards him, but I punched his gut, kicking his leg in as he doubled over and tripped, and then I stepped on his hand as he walked away.

We were uninterrupted on our way to the bakery after that.

A delightful bell chimed as we entered the shop. Oil lamps lit the room, making it feel warm and homey. A plump little old woman sat behind the counter, dozens of cakes, breads, cookies, and pastries behind a glass window.

"Hello, dearie! How can I help you today?"

"Oh, I would just like two loaves of bread and some butter, if you have any, thank you. And two blueberry scones."

Birdie gently tugged at my hand, pointing at the glass. "Mum, may I please have one of those?" She was pointing at a large cookie with bits of red and brown in it.

The woman smiled. "Ah, yes, our chocolate, mint, and strawberry cookies. They're quite the delicacy around here."

Birdie's eyes lit up, and I could not refuse. "One of those as well, please."

She got to work wrapping the goods, setting them inside a brown paper bag, handing it to me as I gave her the money for it.

"Be safe out there, dearie. Lots of unfriendly people in this world out for people like you and me. Some places may be progressing, but they'll always have it out for us."

I sighed and gave her a sad smile. "I will. Thank you. You watch out, as well."

There was a glint in her eye as I walked out, and I was unable to tell what exactly it was. I had the feeling, however, that she would be in no danger, despite all the disturbing people in this rugged town.

The bell chimed again as we left, and we started heading out when we heard the shouts.

I turned around, instantly spotting the blue uniforms, and ran the other way.

"Mum? What's going on? Mum?"

"Not now, dear," I said, walking as fast as I could to get away. They had found out. They must have. How did they find us? Had they been following us? I didn't know. All I knew was I needed to get out and away.

It took a while, but we finally left the town and walked into a wood.

Everywhere we went, we heard leaves crunching and twigs snapping behind us, but every time we turned there was nothing to be seen. I just made sure we walked faster, but the sounds got faster as well.

Just then, a big, white, blurred shape jumped out from behind a tree and on top of Birdie. She screamed, and for a moment I was in shock. But then I realized what it was: a dog. It was white and looked like a wolf. It was attacking Birdie's face- no, that's not quite right. It was licking her. She wasn't screaming, no, she was laughing.

"Get off, get off!" she said, giggling. The dog then put its paws on my blouse, getting it dirty, but it kept trying to lick me.

"Okay, enough, go on!" I said. I kept walking, but it followed us.

"Mum, can we-?"

"No. I love you, but no."

"Please, Mum! She can help fend off mean people!"

"I said no, Ladybug."

"Muuum!"

The dog whined in agreement, sitting next to Birdie and looking at me so sadly. Oh, dear.

"Okay."

She screeched with excitement, scratching the dog's ears. "Pippet."

"What?"

"Pippet! That's what we'll name her."

I smiled. "I love it. Well, come on! London won't come to us, now will it?"

The woods thinned, and soon we reached a small city. It was rather large, it seemed, but the streets were a lot emptier than that of the town we passed through not very long ago. And I saw- oh my! There was a train station a little ways into the city! I marched in and headed for the station, but of course, something had to come ruin the moment.

Because that was when we heard the yelling. I looked back, just for a moment, and I saw the blue, and there he was.