Chapter One: An Incident At School

                                    

                                              
It was a quiet week in Fleet Street's most popular business attraction. Not for a bad reason, business was just slow as usual. Nellie Lovett sat in her pie shop, with her chamomile tea and waited, bored out of her mind. I don't remember what times were like before this. I need to do something I can't just sit here and do nothing, she thought. 
                          
Meanwhile, up the stairs, waited an impatient barber, who wasn't taking this 'no customer' situation as calmly as Mrs Lovett. Sweeney paced around his gloomy parlour, his razor tightly in his grip, driving himself insane waiting for the shop bell to ring. 
                          
Toby and Victoria were in school. Toby was two years above Victoria, yet they were on the same academic level. Toby sat in his classes, watching the professor's hand scraping the chalk across the board, as his voice raised at the odd student in his class, purely for his own enjoyment. Many students in the school had a problem with Mr Atkins, including Vicky.

                          
It was late afternoon and school was coming to an end. Victoria sat in maths, day dreaming about walking home to greet her parents and relax. That wasn't going to happen. 
                          
"You are so stupid! You can't do anything right, you stupid girl! You're just like your mother; dumb and not fit to be in this school, you can't even do basic maths!"
                          
Vicky was awoken from her daydream by a sharp pain in her body that spread like wildfire. She turned to see Mr Atkins holding his cane tightly, a smirk painted across his face that soon disappeared as he struck Victoria again, in between her shoulder blades. She wanted to scream but she knew that he would only do it more if she did, so she forced herself to stay silent. He continued for another 20 minutes and seemed to enjoy watching Victoria Lovett pretending to be strong.
                          
Mrs Lovett was baking by the time it got to 2:00pm, and wanted to prepare for the lunch rush,whether it would come or not. She has to find some way of keeping herself occupied. She didn't want to go upstairs to her husband; he didn't sound as if he was in the best mood with the amount of banging, smashing and yelling she could hear through the floorboards. She concentrated on her pies again, rolling the dough out and preparing the meat, until the door flew open. Please don't be Sweeney she prayed. But it wasn't.
                          
Toby struggled through the door, holding tightly onto something. It looked beaten and destroyed. It didn't take long for Eleanor to realise who this was. 
                          
"Victoria..?"
                          
Authors note: I hope you like this first chapter. I based it on a roleplay I did on Instagram (follow me @mrs_nellielovett). My other story is on hold at the moment as I need some ideas. If you want me to continue it, let me know! Anyway let me know about your thoughts on this chapter and I shall update soon, if you want an update that is. Byeeee :)