"I wish I could see Mathias, just to make sure he's alright," Rose voiced one day in lessons.

"He's got the boys, they'll look out for him," Mary explained.

"You wouldn't get near him, Matron's all over him like the pox," Harriet sighed.

"You think she's punishing him?" Rose asked.

"Obviously. He ran away," Harriet told her.

"But he looks awful," Mary shrugged.

"He's probably already in the tench," Sheila said as she leant down, hearing what the conversation was about.

"What would you know?" Rose snapped.

"More than you, I caught him-"

"You snitched on him-"

"He was stealing-"

"And you're just sucking up to Matron," Rose snapped.

"You're jealous because Matron trusts me and not you," Sheila said.

"No she doesn't, you just follow her around like a toady poo-fly," Hetty told her irritably as the four other girls laughed.

"Sheila!" All of them turned to see Nurse Macclesfield. "Take the crate and leave it by the storeroom."

"That's not fair! Rose and Hetty are-"

"Now!" Macclesfield was not to be argued with.

Sheila gave Rose and Hetty looks of poison as she stalked over to Macclesfield, picking up the crate and walking out.

Rose gave her a sarcastic smile and wave as she left before nudging Hetty.

"Nice one."

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Mr Cooper was this dealer that came to the hospital every month, taking all the handiwork from the foundlings' lessons and delivering it to rich charities that the government picked.

But this time it was different. After the escape, the governors were concerned at the 'lack of discipline' the foundlings were shown, so they had set them a target to build a hundred toys for a charity for tomorrow's afternoon. Jack in the boxes, to be specific.

So whilst the boys manufactured and painted the boxes, the girls sewed the dresses for the jacks as well as making the doll heads as well.

However, it was abundantly clear that all the foundlings were absolutely exhausted from the labour they were being put through.

So, that night, Gideon called a meeting in the tower, and everyone went.

But Rose didn't see Mathias there.

However, she heard that he was... different. He hadn't been punished, but something had clearly happened, as he wasn't speaking to any of the boys, nor was he cooperating with them or even looking them in the eye.

But then Gideon told another story. One that said that Matron and Cooper weren't giving the toys to charity. One that said they were selling them for themselves and getting a fat load of cash for it, too.

One that said that the foundlings were being put to work illegally.

"I knew something was up," sighed Ned.

"She's using us as slaves," Polly shook her head.

"So what are we gonna do? We have to do something," Will's voice was gentle, but firm.

"Well, we have to stop the sale," Rose said simply. "So Matron and Cooper can't do it again."

"How?" Mary said hopelessly.

Ned suddenly came to his senses. "We should sabotage the toys."

"Sabotage? Are you nuts?" Harriet asked.

"If they don't work, Matron can't sell them," explained Ned.

"Macclesfield checks everything before it leaves the classroom!" Mary exclaimed.

"So does Cranbourne," nodded Walter.

"But everything's taken to the storeroom after, right?" Rose raised her eyebrows. Everyone nodded. "So we'll do it in there, start of break before Cooper gets back."

"How are we gonna get in?" Ned raised his eyebrows at his sister.

"Not going to lie," Rose started. "That's something I don't know."

"What's to stop Matron punishing us? When she sees the toys are broken?" Harriet asked.

"We can't let Matron scare us, she's breaking the law!" Rose shouted.

"But she does!" Harriet said.

Walter started to cough as Harriet continued. "You know what she's capable of."

"She can't lock us all in the tench, it wouldn't be nearly as scary with lots of people," Rose said reasonably. "Listen-"

Her voice was interrupted by a soft thump.

As Walter fainted onto the tower floor.

"Walter? Walter!" Gideon shouted, gently shaking the boy.

Rose took this chance to look at Will, her eyes wide and questioning.

Will just stared back at her, his eyes the same.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Gideon, Ned and Will had escorted Walter to the infirmary that night, Rose begging to go with them but the three of them refusing resolutely.

Next morning, the girls were working on putting frills on the boxes when Monica started coughing her guts up. Elizabeth was refused when she asked to take her to the infirmary.

"I heard Winterson told Macclesfield it was the paint," Polly whispered to the group.

"Is Walter gonna be alright?" Rose frowned.

"So long as he's not painting Jack in the boxes," Polly replied.

"Right, let's stick to the plan," Harriet said warily.

"Alright, what about the boys?" Rose frowned.

"No time to tell them," Polly sighed.

"How do we get into the storeroom?" Mary whispered.

"I'll make some kind of... lock pick," Rose shrugged. "Worst comes to worst, we don't get in, but we have to try."

None of them noticed Monica, lurking nearby.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Fifteen minutes later, the whole group, girls and boys included, were gathered round the storeroom door, Rose furiously trying to pick the lock.

She was knelt down, her ear to the lock as she tried to listen to it click.

Finally, she did.

As she looked up, Will grinned. "You're a genius."

Rose shrugged, smirking. "I know."

She opened the door hastily, and they all hurried out.

The storeroom had clearly been cleared out for space, as all that sat in it right now were crates and crates of Jack in the boxes.

"There's a lot of them," Mary commented.

"Any ideas, then?" Gideon asked, talking about ways of sabotage.

From his pocket, Ned took a pair of pliers. Rose smiled. "Brilliant."

She took the pliers from him, opening one of the jack in the boxes lifting up the dress of the door, finding the spring and using the pliers to cut it. The doll popped back into the box and the lid shut, but the Jack in the box was no more.

The friends grinned round at each other.

"Let's get a move on before Cooper gets here," Polly smiled.

Whilst Ned kept an eye out for Matron, the rest of them formed a strict production line, and got to work.

Eventually, they had done just about all of the Jack in the boxes-

And then Ned rushed back into the room.

"There's someone coming!"

Rose pulled him with her and shut the door, trying to lock it before the person got there-

She heard footsteps, but kept going-

Click.

As everyone extinguished their candles, Rose heard a voice from the other side of the door.

"They're in there."

Sheila.

Rose clenched her fists as she and Ned stepped back into the group, all of them just praying that Matron wouldn't-

A knock.

"Who's in there?"

Rose's breath hitched.

"Come out! This instant!"

She heard some knocking and fumbling, then Matron saying to someone, probably Sheila. "You wait here, make sure no one leaves."

As footsteps retreated, it became plainly apparent that it was Sheila waiting outside the door.

She had leant into the keyhole, hissing venemously.

"Got you now, Green!"

Rose froze, every muscle in her body locking up. Sheila was right. She had. She had completely and utterly got them. She couldn't see any way of them getting out of this.

And the worst part was, all her friends would get in trouble, too.

In a flash of hope, Rose saw a back door in the back corner of the room, and ran to it, taking her lock pick with her. She began to furiously try to pick the lock, everyone around her desperately-

She was too quick, too urgent.

Because the pick broke in the lock.

"No-" she whispered desperately, because now there really was no hope.

Now they were going to get caught.

She felt like crying as the footsteps returned back down the hall.

But Rose also knew that she was the ringleader, so she resumed her formation at the front of the group, because she hoped that then, Matron would see it was her fault.

The sound of a door opening made her jump.

But it also made her turn, because Matron hadn't got in yet.

No. It was the back door that had opened.

And Mathias was coming through it, holding up a set of keys. "Need a way out, anyone?"

Rose was saving everyone to the exit faster than she could run, and soon, everyone was hurrying out.

Mathias was last, and he shut the back door just as Matron opened the front one.

"Shh," Mathias said, as they climbed the steps outside the storeroom, seeing Cooper there, tying his horse up. Rose smirked knowing they'd sabotaged his little slave labour plan.

When Mathias signalled, they all ran across the yard, sneaking in the door just before Cooper turned round and saw them.

Once they were out of danger, Rose turned to Mathias. "You're a life saver."

Mathias smiled. "It was nothing. I was just done being Matron's little informant."

Rose frowned. "She made you snitch on us?"

Mathias nodded.

Without hesitation, Rose said. "Well, whatever you'd done before, what you did today makes up for it."

And that night, according to Ned, Gideon showed him the tower.

And Rose couldn't've been happier.

Finally, their gang was complete.