Arabella Ruth is a fresh face in Birmingham. She naively takes up a job as a holster for the Shelby Company Limited, and slowly earns her way into the Shelbys hearts.
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"Although it's a pleasure having you with us...
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A house lay dark and quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the soft pitter patter of the rain hitting the cracked glass windows and the occasional turning of a news paper. On the cold hard wood floors laid a girl reading a news paper, with nothing but a candle light to see. She sat with her cheek pressed against her knee. Her brown eyes staring intensely at the page.
Shelby Company Limited hostler needed. Head down to Watery Lane.
A small smile crept up on the girls face, as she was reminded of home. Her smile quickly fell, when the front door slammed open. The girl shivered in fear and quickly folded the news paper, away from sight. A shadow loomed over her as her eyes widen and her body shrank away, with pure fear. An empty whisky bottle hung from the shadows hand.
The girl walked the unfamiliar streets of Birmingham, trying her best not to get lost. She held the news paper cutting in her hand, staring at it every so often. As she looked at the clipping again, the sleeve of her coat slipped down, revealing her newly painfully green bruised wrist. The girl hastily pulled the sleeve down and calmly looked around. The streets were semi full with people going about their day. Not a single person that would notice a stranger, walking their streets.
She continued walking until she found a sign that said 'Watery Lane'. All that was left to do, was to find The Shelby Parlor. Everyone in Small Heath knew of the infamous gang, but this new comer had yet to know the ways around town.
The girl found her way to the Shelbys large doors. Her eyes were filled with worry and doubt. She closed her eyes and inhaled, she had to put away her worries and put her mind to the task at hand. With an exhale, she opened her eyes, holding an intense stare. She then knocked on the door.
A beautiful older woman opened the door, and looked around, over the girls head. The woman then looked down at the rather short girl. "Shit!" The woman blurted, surprised. "I hadn't seen you there." The woman said. She sized the girl up. She was small, her head hardly reached the woman's shoulder. She was young maybe around 15 or 16 and pretty like a doll. Her skin was a light tan color and her brown hair short, thick and laid in ringlets. She was almost exotic looking compared to the pale faces in Birmingham.
What struck the woman the most was the look in the girls eyes, it was a look she'd seen before in the mirror. It was that very look, that tugged on her heart strings. She couldn't help but compare the girl to what she imagined her daughter to be like. They'd be around the same age if she was still alive today.
The woman then shook her head. She looked down to the girls hand, where she held the Shelby's news paper job ad. "You must be here for the job then. Come in girl." The woman said and put a hand on the girls back, ushering her in. She took one last look around outside before closing the door.
