The Soft Glow in the Dead of the Night (Part 1 - History Unedited)

Roman sees a book in his dreams every single night, until one day he finds it in a bookshop. It has no title, no author, nothing distinctive. But he just knows it's the book he has been seeing for as long as he can remember.

His life is ordinary. He goes to school (sometimes), he goes to therapy and he deals with his anxiety the only way he knows how to, through the escape of books.

He opens the book and is met with the story of Rue.

Rue is a poor girl living in Victorian England. Her parents don't give a shit about her, to them, she is a way to get money. She his nimble fingers and through thieving she pays her way for the house and prays that she can buy the love of her parents.

Until one day she meets a mysterious lady who treats her with nothing but kindness, Mars. She takes Rue off of the street and gives her a place to work, a bookshop. Rue takes the money home to her parents and they are none the wiser. While at the same time Mars teaches Rue to read and write.

But there is something strange about Mars, and Rue's world is about to get a whole lot bigger.

So does Roman's.
Strange things are happening in modern day London. Things Roman's therapist is putting down to his anxiety. His mind is playing tricks on him. But they are growing stronger, and turning physical.

Maybe the two aren't so different.