✓ | GOLDEN LIAR ↠ Thomas Shelby.

01.

"Fuck off," the boy muttered, "you are telling me that you can see the sunshine and all that crap in this place we call home? Get out, Felicity Woods, you liar."

She snorted with disbelief. "It isn't as hard as you lazy fuckers think, y'know."

With the smallest shake of her head, Felicity brought the cigarette back up to her lips and inhaled deeply, drawing in the bitter aroma and feeling her lungs fill with warmth. As she turned on her heel, away from the factory boys, she expelled the smoke back into the frosty, late October air and did not watch it as it drifted away in silvery trails. Felicity only continued on her way along the street, into the factory that was only a metre away from where she had been conversing with the miserable males. She had one aim, and that was to see the boy she had known since her childhood.

"Lis?" A deep voice called from above her as Felicity entered the building.

A smile grew upon her lips and she looked up to see the boy making his way down the rickety, wrought iron steps.

"Jack!" Felicity replied happily, rushing to him to close the distance between them once he was on the ground floor and beaming at her. A hint of surprise was clear on his face as she had not warned him that she would be making such a sudden appearance, but truth be told, she had not thought it would make such a difference. With long hours and a tendency to slave away behind a machine longer than was legally required of him - for reasons Felicity could only assume had something to do with him not being keen on going hungry during the colder months of the year - her childhood best friend was hardly likely to pull Felicity Woods out of the door and talk with her for what would feel like an eternity... no matter if that was what they did in their earlier years of life.

"What are you doing here?" He exclaimed breathlessly.

Felicity shrugged with a grin taking over her features. "I just wanted to say hello."

"Well, hello." The boy couldn't help but smile as he released her from his embrace, holding her out at an arm's length and swooping his eyes over her small body. "My God, Lissy, you've grown!" He teased.

She returned his quip with a tight-lipped smile of her own. "Shut it, Jacky," she returned, using his old childhood nickname just as he was using hers.

Jack only laughed. "How've you been?"

"The same as bloody always. Bored out of my mind."

The pair spent the next five minutes sharing laughter and mocking words and for that small space of time, it was as though they hadn't spent a second apart from each other. It was as though they were best friends again, with the same old nicknames and jokes and everything that was of their friendship. Everything felt perfect.

Until the doors on the other side of the factory slammed open and four men stood in its threshold.

"Freddie Thorne?"

Beside her, a gasp left Jack's lips and before Felicity could register what was going on, he grabbed her hand and spun her towards him, so that they were facing one another properly once again.

"Get out," Jack hissed, "go out the back door and don't come back. Not today, at least."

Felicity pulled a face that mirrored the confusion that was surging through her person. "What's happening?"

He tugged her further towards the door roughly. "Coppers," Jack explained hurriedly, "looking for communists. You need to go, Lis."

"Jack!" Felicity continued to protest as his fingers fumbled for the latch on the back door, "You're not making any sense! Why would they come here?"