Refuge In The Shadows

8.

Days turned into nights, nights turned into days, and days turned into weeks as Carys learned to navigate the city. As much as she did not want to admit it, Carys knew she could never adjust to this environment. There were just so many people crowded together, taking up space, precious space that Carys craved every second of the day. Gone was the vast expanse of the land and freedom of privacy she loved, in its place was the small room that was her bedchamber. It was only this cramped space that Carys could rightfully claim as her own. A place where she could be herself. Whenever Carys went out on the streets of London, she had to suppress her instinct to retreat into the sanctuary of her room.

It was what she was doing right now as she prowled through the alleyways of Whitechapel, the hood of her coat concealing her face from the bitter cold. She was in search for information and what better way to start than to ask those who were the very eyes and ears of the city? Carys approached a group of courtesans huddled closely together by the back entrance of an office building in the hopes of attracting customers who were just about to head home for the night. At the sight of the threatening figure, the women shrunk away from her, but halted in their tracks when Carys lifted the hood slightly to reveal her eyes.

They stared at her in reverent awe as they begun to register the existence of a young woman such as Carys. Carys could hear the shuffling and conversation from behind the door of the office signaling the end of the workday and quickly ushered the courtesans into the next alley, out of sight of the departing workers. "W-ho a-are you?" a red-headed girl Carys's age stammered, drawing her shawl closer to herself in an act of security and comfort. Carys was about to brush off the question when she noticed the way the women looked at her with expectant, hopeful expressions. As a result of the difficult, cruel nature of their work, Carys understood the desire for any human interaction, especially between sisters.

"My name is Cordelia, and I would like to ask you what you know about John Carraway and his factories," Carys said. The red-haired girl widened her eyes momentarily at the mention of his name, but quickly composed herself. "That man runs a successful business but we know that something is not right. We all were short of money one night and decided to make the long trip a little ways from the city to one of his factories for some customers, but there were none." Carys raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue. "It was nearing seven o'clock, but not a soul stepped out of the doors. We had to bolt out of there as fast as we could when we saw that men were patrolling the area."

Carys's heart constricted as she glanced at every dirt-streaked, exhausted woman. In this corrupt society, they were all doing their best to stay alive, and for that, Carys had the utmost respect for them despite the culture's negative attitudes towards these ladies of the night. Carys brought the women closer to her and opened her coat to reveal the knives stored in the inside lining. She pressed a blade into the palms of the women's hands. "Please, keep yourselves safe. Do not be afraid to defend yourselves. I can teach you all how to wield them," Carys murmured, providing them with a secure location as they clutched their weapons as if they were their lifelines.

"Thank you, Cordelia. We will all try to be there," the red-haired courtesan whispered. Carys wished with all her heart that she could do more for these women, but she knew that little steps were necessary. "Seven o'clock" Carys said, briefly touching their shoulders before escaping into the night.

*****

The flames of the torches casted eerie shapes on the stone walls of the Hunters' temporary home. The click of the heels of Carys's boots on the floor sounded like gunshots as the noise echoed throughout the hallway. She felt blood drip down her cheek and hastily wiped it away with the back of her gloved hand, streaking the crimson liquid across her face in the process. On the way back, she had an unfortunate encounter with a street gang that resulted in a few dead and a bad tempered and famished Carys.