𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟓

Madeline groaned loudly and
forced a pillow over her face. She heard Esme hush her quietly.

"I'm trying to sleep!" The older girl scolded. Maddie opened her eyes and looked up at the top of the wagon despite being unable to see in the darkness. "Esme, i can't bloody sleep with that crying!" She complained.

Esme, clearly too tired to understand what the girl was on about, blindly reached for a small teddy on the bed and launched it across the wagon.

Maddie huffed in frustration and sat up, throwing it back at her. "Can you not hear it?"

"No, go to sleep!" Esme whisper-shouted. Maddie rolled her eyes and flopped back down onto her back. She had no clue where the crying was coming from, or who the cries belonged to.

All she knew was that it was keeping her up.

-

"Morning!" Maddie beamed happily as she walked through the camp. Johnny sent the girl a half-hearted smile and continued running a hand over the horse beside him. "It's the evening," he corrected.

"Where's mum?" She asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Johnny's face changed slightly and he avoided her eyes. "Sleeping. She had a rough night." He mumbled. Maddie raised her eyebrows and looked around at the camp that seemed almost empty.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph- do you ever stop asking questions?" He snapped. She blew air into her cheeks, making her look like a chipmunk. "I asked two questions, Johnny," She retorted.

Johnny hummed. "That's too many."

"God what is with men these days, you're all very odd." She shrugged. "But seriously, where is everybody?"

"Some of the lads have gone to the fair." He said bluntly.

It was all very strange.

-

𝐌adeline stood barefoot in the cold mud, her face stained with tears. "Did I miss it?" the five year old asked, looking around the camp. Johnny Dogs emerged from the wagon where her mother had been. "Madeline, i'm so terribly sorry," he spoke, his accent thick.

She looked around, frowning at the different members of the Lee family that stared at her.

How could she have missed it? It was only moments ago that a Lee boy had fetched her from the woods.

"Madeline, ya mother..she er..she's died. Whilst she was having the baby-" He struggled to break the news to the young girl. Madeline dropped her arms to her sides before barging past him. "Mum?" she asked.

Esmeralda Lee peered over her shoulder at the young girl.

"No, Madeline, go out to Johnny. You're too young to be in here," The dark haired woman tried to usher her out of the wagon. "What's happened?" she asked, her eyes wide at the sight of the blood soaked bedsheets. "Madeline, out." Esmeralda said softly.

Johnny lifted her off the floor and she began kicking about.

"Let go of me!" She squealed, growing angry with the man. "I said let go!" Madeline shouted. Johnny kept a tight grip on her and began dragging her to a separate wagon.

Madeline couldn't help but notice a man who was stood in the distance, staring at her. He had eyes that were cold but before she could ask who he was, Johnny had shoved her into the wagon where twelve year old Esme sat reading. "What's happened to me mum!" Madeline demanded to know what had happened but all Johnny did was bow his head, not wanting to talk about the situation. "I'm fucking asking you a question!"

"Watch ya language." Esme muttered, slamming the book close.

"She's died, Maddie. She's dead." Johnny snapped. "That's all I can tell you, it's as simple as that. Now stay here until someone says otherwise."

Madeline shrunk in her chair,
crossing her legs over. "No need to shout," she huffed and watched him walk off.

Madeline's mother, Helena, had died during child birth, they said. She remembered how the whole camp was practically silent for days. Nobody dared speak. Madeline was now an orphan.

She didn't remember much about when her mother died. All she knew was that the Lee family took her in, promised to raise her.

But there was one thing she did remember. Something was terribly off about it all. She just couldn't figure out what.

-

Madeline stood beside Esme who had a reassuring hand on the smaller girls shoulder as they stared at the wagon that held Helena's body.

Soon enough, it went up in flames. Typical tradition.

"You okay?" Esme whispered, earning only a grunt in response from Madeline. She didn't know how to feel. Madeline had been through it all before when her father died in a gang fight.

But this time it felt different. She didn't feel as effected by it. Maybe because she didn't fully understand. Or maybe because her mother had been so absent during her childhood, she couldn't bring herself to care.

One specific thing Madeline remembered after her mothers death was how for weeks, people treated her as though she was a fragile piece of China that would break at the slightest thing.

And she hated it.

-

𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟐

Esme and Madeline watched from the middle of the camp as two men walked up the small slope that lead to the camp. Both of them wore peaky caps.

They both seemed..young-ish. They wore tatty suits and kept their heads low.

"Who d'ya reckon they are?" Esme asked. "Some dickheads tryna make a name for themselves," Madeline mocked, quickly looking at one of the Lee men who passed her and quickly swiping the pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Esme scowled at her. "What?!"

"Already stealing an you're not even fourteen yet," she tutted, sitting on the wooden log beside them. Madeline shrugged, taking one and using the fire that was cooking their food to light it,

"I'm living with your fuckin family, what do ya expect?"

"I expect you to have some class. You're a girl after all," Esme reminded her. "Oh well, i never wanted to get married anyway. What use is a man?" Madeline raised an eyebrow, looking back at the two men who were now leaving.

"They must know Johnny," Esme stated.

"Yeah..must." Madeline muttered under her breath, giving one of the boys her full attention. He was definitely younger than the rest, possible her age, maybe older. He looked clueless, as if he didn't really know why they were there.

Madeline was intrigued as she watched the group talk with each other. The boy looked around, taking a cap from his pocket and letting out a breath. It was only when he looked over to the girl, he stopped listening to whatever it was the group was talking about.

He couldn't look away. "Come on John boy," A man grumbled, pulling him by his jacket and walking away. He shoved his cap onto his head and nodded at Madeline. Not even flashing her a smile.

"Caught your eye then?" Esme teased. Madeline scoffed, hitting the girl lightly on the shoulder. "As if." She retorted.

"Maybe you'll get married after all." Esme shrugged, walking off before Madeline could come out with some half-insulting statement that would annoy her more than it would annoy Esme.

"Yeah in your dreams." She rolled her eyes, watching the boy as he disappeared in the distance. "In your fucking dreams."

༻♡༺