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— Birmingham, 1922 —
AT THIRTEEN, DARCY BARRY was kicked out of her mother's flat. She never had a father, her mother lazily raised the young girl all on her own. She lasted about thirteen years until deciding that Darcy was too much responsibility. After all, her parents did have her at quite an old age. It was surprising to many that they had lived that long.
But Darcy wasn't in the streets for so long, after less than an hour— a chubby, middle-aged woman approached the thirteen-year-old. Naturally, Darcy was a very attractive young girl who was popular around town if she passed the wrong group of teenage boys who were up to no good.
The woman looked very approachable, her sweet features and makeup that were very up-to-date with the upcoming fashion. She had thin eyebrows with short curly hair, along with a beauty mark on her left cheek. Her eyes covered in dark-shaded eyeshadow and dark-colored lipstick-covered lips to match.
"Hey, Pumpkin! What're you doin' out in this dirty city all alone? A pretty little bird like you might as well be a starlet!" The fat woman told her in a high-pitched, loud voice.
Darcy blushed at the high praise, "Kind of in a predicament at the moment, ma'am." She sighed, crossing her legs. "I've been kicked to the curb."
"Well...are you in need of a job, Love?" Darcy's eyes widened and she perked up. At the time, Darcy was very naive. She knew not to trust strangers but this woman was just so...trustable? "Oh, of course you are, My Dear!" She giggled. Darcy noticed two things about the woman, as she talked, she practically flapped her hands around. Secondly, she was very insistent and seemed to love using nicknames.
"What kind of job?" Darcy narrowed her eyes.
"Let me ask you this...are you confident and comfortable in your body? Are to talkative? And has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are? I have the most wonderful vision for you! You could be an actress." The woman ranted.
"I guess it couldn't hurt—..." Darcy began but was almost immediately cut off.
"Oh, of course, you want a job. Come along, Love." She waved her over, turning around and striding off without another word. Darcy glanced around before jogging after the woman, not wanting to be left around the gross and perverted factory men.
—
That was how Darcy was pulled into the vile world of prostitution, drugs, and show business. Darcy Barry became a popular name around Birmingham in less than a year. She was the city's biggest hit, despite her young age, she was known as the best dancer around.
The large, older women's name turned out to be Sissy McClaren. Just the woman that Darcy's mother had warned her about. But unknowingly, her mother had practically thrown her daughter into the chunky arms of the dark-haired woman.
Darcy had never seen prostitution in the act, but now she had. She'd seen it gradually increase every day since the second week of her job. Fortunately, Darcy would always come up with an excuse as to why she couldn't be pimped out yet. Darcy was quite disappointed because, at thirteen, Darcy still hadn't gotten her period. So, therefore, she wouldn't be impregnated if a man didn't pull out. Thankfully, Darcy hasn't had to deal with that yet. The girl was still a virgin, but the eyes of old men who came to watch her shows, practically undressing her with their eyes...made it seem like she wasn't.
Darcy had her first bump of cocaine a month into the job, a man offering it to her after a performance. She wasn't addicted, no, not at all. But she would have a couple of bumps if she knew the show would be a hassle.
As for how Sissy treated the girls that she took in...it varied. She wouldn't let any man hurt them, that was a no, no. Well— as long as they didn't bruise the girls. Darcy would only pinch the girls or give them a slap light enough to not bruise their pretty faces. That'd cost her a lot of money if she did bruise.
—
So, for two years straight, Darcy was the talk of town. Old men tended to gloat about their experiences with her, even if she only winked at them or bent over in front of them during a show. That's how much she affected them. But she wasn't seen much in town, it wasn't safe for a small, young girl like her. So, she would often stay in the flat with a couple of other girls. But they weren't much company, as they were so high all of the time that they usually stayed passed out the whole day before and after their shows.
Everyone knew of her, even the Peaky Blinders. But Darcy had only heard things about the gangsters when Sissy ranted about how much she hated them. But Tommy Shelby learned about Darcy so quickly that it was almost as if she was wildfire.
Tommy's view of the young girl was simple. He didn't think highly of her and was quite jealous that she had so much attention. He didn't stop to think that maybe— just maybe, she didn't want to have the life she did. He didn't spare a thought on the fact that maybe she didn't want to be drugged and shoved on stage for men to try to grab and rape her right then and there.
But one thing he did think of was...he needed to see what all the fuss was about. And that's just what he did— with the help of his two brothers who seemed quite ecstatic to see her. Tommy would roll his eyes at the boys as they drooled like dogs at the excitement that they'd see her at a live show. He wondered, 'Do they even think about her age?' Not that he cared about her age, nor her at all...but it was just a thought.
