ONLY REQUEST | Thomas Shelby

ONE

1918

"I'll be back soon, okay mum?" Sadie gently says while knelt down in front of her Mother, praying she at least looks into her eyes this time.

With no response and no sign of acknowledgment from her mother she lets out a deep sigh and presses a quick kiss to her forehead before heading out the door.

She walks across the road to the Shelby family home, ready for another day of work to help keep the Shelby family business afloat. It was tireless work but she knew it'd all be worth it to see the boys come back home to the strong business they left behind.

After a few hours of working with Polly, their usual routine is broken when Ada comes rushing into the home.

All it took was one look at the girls face and Sadie instantly felt her heart drop, only seeing that look once before. It was the same look on her Mother's face when she came to inform her of her Father's passing just six months into the war.

The Ashmore girl instantly drops everything, immediately running past Ada as she sprints across the road to her childhood home.

As soon as her eyes catch sight of the growing pool of blood on the floor, Sadie lets out a bone chilling scream.

Her legs can no longer hold her up as she collapses to the floor, her hands shaking while they hover over her Mother's lifeless body.

As soon as her hands feel the cold touch of Eleanor's usually rosey cheeks a child like sob breaks past her lips.

"Oh no. No... you're okay Mum. It's okay."

The sound of Sadie's quivering voice breaks Ada's heart in two, becoming completely speechless as she watches the scene unfolding in front of her. She's witnessing the moment Sadie Ashmore's life changes forever.

The once happy, ray of sunshine girl has lost both her parents in less than four years and Ada knows she will now never be the same girl she once was.

"She needs a blanket, she's cold. I need to warm her up. She's just cold." Sadie repeats over and over again in a state of shock until Polly comes to take her away from the scene.

"She needs a blanket! She has to warm up! I told him I wouldn't let him down! I promised!" Sadie screams while desperately reaching out for her Mother's lifeless body as Polly uses all of her strength to drag her away.

"Sadie?" The sound of Ada's voice causes the woman to come back to the present and she realises she's been scrubbing the same plate for an alarming amount of time.

"Are you okay?" The girl asks while glancing down to Sadie's hands that firmly grip the plate she's holding, her grip so tight that her knuckles show white. Sadie quickly breaths out a laugh, telling her she was just caught in a day dream. She seems to be able to brush it off easily as Ada has came to tell her the long awaited news.

"The boys are back!" Ada squeals as she grabs her friend's hands.

Sadie's jaw drops in both excitement and disbelief as Ada tells her their train is just ten minutes away.

They both run and don't stop until they get to their destination, completely unaware of the stares they get from other more socially acceptable at that moment women in the street.

The pair of them run to the trains, stepping on their tip toes as their eyes desperately search for a glimpse of their boys.

"Is that our sunshine girl?" A loud, now much deeper voice calls out and Sadie gasps at the sight of her best friend John.