Today was the day that Polly-Anna Wallace turned fourteen.
For her, it was just another summers day where her plans were nonexistent and work wasn't a priority. To say she was at a loss on what to do with her day was an understatement. She hadn't had a full day to herself in what felt like a lifetime. Had she been a normal teenaged girl of the era, she'd be off with some boy, gallivanting the streets of Small Heath with nothing but adventure on her mind.
But Polly-Anna was far from normal.
Instead, she had the desire to pop down to the church, just to watch the birds in the courtyard perch on-top of the cherry trees. Maybe she'd even take her sketch book with her, or one of Amber-Jacks beginner books so she could get used to seeing words on pages.
The church courtyard had been a place where Polly-Anna seemed to flock during the summer months. It almost felt like she could become anyone she needed to be between the pillars, and sometimes she'd sit by her mother's grave. For no particular reason, other than to feel closer to her.
"Anna!" A booming voice called out from the cloakroom just past the kitchen.
Polly-Anna decided to ignore Amber-Jacks calls. For once, she could manage on her own, there was a step stool inside of the cloakroom too- so it wasn't as though the girl couldn't reach anything. Having come to the conclusion the previous night that she did far too much for the girl, she decided to take a reluctant step back. One day, she wouldn't be there to help her with her every need.
She, of course, hoped for that day to be so far into the future that it wasn't necessary to picture it, but God had plans for all living things on earth and that included Polly-Anna. Once those plans were in motion, nothing could come between them, no matter how many gypsy witches were involved.
"Polly-Anna, PLEASE!" The youngest Wallace shouted once more, causing the elder to rather aggressively get up off of her seat and head towards the source of the ungodly screech.
With a huff and a sigh, she carefully pulled the door open, only to reveal a rather entangled Amber-Jack who had gotten one arm stuck in a fancy; yet fake, set of pearls and the other firmly in a jacket that was still hung up. Though, in her little hands, there was a plain little box. The exterior gave nothing away but the look on the girls face was enough to tell a thousand words.
Before untangling her from the mess she had somehow created, she placed one hand on the door frame whilst the other pulled at the chain of pearls.
"First thing we've learned from this experience?"
"Shout you by your full name?" Amber replied without missing a beat.
That girl was magnificent at missing the obvious, but that had ran in the family for generations. Something else she was magnificent at alongside that, was being able to miss the cues that were almost handed to her on a silver platter.
"No, the first thing we've learned is we unhook the coat from the hook before we try and get into it." Polly-Anna's motherly tone seemed to calm the flailing Amber, just enough for her to be able to squeeze her arm out of the viperous grip of the coat, yet her fingers still gripping tightly onto the string of pearls.
Ambers eyes seemed to widen when she saw how her sister was trying to remove the pearls from her clutch and only gripped onto them harder than before. Neither were ones to argue, especially over something as frivolous as chained pearls.
Silently thanking God, Amber pulled her big sister into a hug, her head resting on her as she did so.
"Can we go on an adventure today?" A small pause followed before she unburied herself from her sister, adding onto her question with another, "Just the two of us?"
With her big, bug like eyes staring up at her, there was no way that Polly-Anna could say no. It was such a harmless request, and spending a day, a full day- with her little sister sounded like a dream. Sure, they spent every day together, but never truly spent their time with one another, uninterrupted. School, work, John, Thomas- they all got in the way of quality Wallace time...
Not that either of them truly minded, of course. The boys were if anything, refreshing and slightly annoying from times- but boys were.
"I'll grab my coat—"
"And a jam jar!!"
After finally letting go of the pearls, Amber ran into their shared room and vanished for a good five minutes. Nothing but mumbles and an occasional clatter could be heard, but Polly-Anna just left her to it. Whatever it was, was a secret and even though she hated surprises and secrets, this one must've been important for her to be going to any lengths to keep it that way.
Whilst the eldest was in the kitchen, placing a jam jar into one coat pocket and an apple into the other, she leaned against the kitchen counter- for a moment, just staring blankly out of the window.
One year closer to becoming something more than a teenager, a year closer to becoming greater than what she was now. One year closer to the inevitable, but so many years away from it too. Without Amber running into John Shelby, she wouldn't have been able to become an independent tailor on the side of her normal sewing girl job. That added sense of freedom and originality made her happier than she had been in a long time.
"We're going to be late if you keep staring at the— whatever's out there." Amber called out, giving Polly-Anna a wake up call from hell.
Had Amber been able to see out of the window, she'd see a whole lot of widows facing one another, but the horizon in the distance. The horizon was what Polly-Anna always fixated on, until it made her blue in the face.
"Late? How can we be late when we've no plans?"
Not only did the eight year old refrain from replying to an incredibly simple question, but she grabbed hold of her sisters hand and began to drag her out of the house- giving her barely enough time to lock the door behind them.
Amber had Polly-Anna practically running with how quickly she had began to walk.
Wherever the duo were going must be of some importance for her to get them both in a speed walk.
"Do you want the watch too, so you can have us running here, there and everywhere within your apparent time crunch?" Though her statement was a mere joke, Amber stopped them both in their tracks to hold out her hand.
Had she have been paying attention to anything other than the blonde haired gremlin that was in front of her, she very well could've gone arse-over-tit. Thankfully, having known Amber-Jacks actions weren't always thought through before being executed, she knew to expect something along the lines of abrupt halts and harshly rounding corners.
This little creature! Polly-Anna thought to herself, begrudgingly handing over her mother's watch with only a little bit of internal one sided argument.
"I promise, cross my heart and everything." Amber said as Polly-Anna carefully fastened the watch to her wrist.
Though worth nothing on the market; sadly known to Polly-Anna as harsh times weren't always easily monitored and predicted, the little piece of mechanical genius meant more to her than almost everything in the world.
"I know you will. I have my utmost trust in you."
The eyes that once were almost mischievous, instantly switched. Now, they held honour, happiness and pride- who knew such little words could make Ambers day. Before the two set off on their aimless wander to a mystery destination, Amber once again threw her little arms around Polly-Annas waist for a split second.
That was the second, no- third hug that day, which was unusual for just gone noon. She wasn't complaining though, maybe after the fourteenth she'd start.
As the duo walked once more, they passed many a faces who neither necessarily recognised, but all seemed to know them by name. A few wished Polly-Anna a happy birthday and others said that Amber had grown into a lovely young lady- it was all... strange. Even for Small Heath, this was a strange occurrence.
With each road, Avenue and lane passed through, and a quick stop into Comptons Chemist for a larger jar that Amber had requested days prior, they had finally reached their intended destination.
The horses field just past Charlie's Yard.
It had been transformed from an almost quiet and abandoned field with only two horses - Marigold and Trigger, to the Wallace girls very own version of utopia.
Clearly, Amber-Jack had been given a hand in the garlands that hung from the big hazel tree, but that didn't matter to Polly-Anna. The thing that made her eyes swell with tears of happiness and joy, was the effort people were willing to put in for her.
What on earth—, Polly-Anna almost audibly gasped, her head tilting up to see the strings of dyed cotton so effortlessly put up. The dyed twine that the boys and Amber had helped her with- the colours that had worked and those that didn't, blended so well into the trees leaves.
"This is—" Polly-Anna was cut off by a little rustle that came from just east of the big tree in the middle of the field.
At first, she had thought it was a horse, until four footsteps turned into twelve. Slowly, turning on her feet she saw everyone she wanted to. From little Michael bundled up in Pollys arms, to Arthur who wore an actual smile instead of the haphazard attempt she was so used to seeing.
Ada came running right up to the Wallace duo, wrapping her little arms around Polly-Anna's legs tightly. The six year old was almost as tall as Amber was at almost nine. It was definitely nice to finally see her awake and talkative instead of silent and hiding behind Mabels legs- but Amber had done that all the way up until seven and a half.
"Surprise!" John yelled, running rings around the tree, with each passing throwing a hand up in a wave to his favourite grown up- despite Polly-Anna being anything but an adult.
Once Amber saw how much fun her best friend was having, she dropped everything she had- though carefully enough to not break the glass jar that was in her pocket, and joined into the fun.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed that everyone else had brought their own jars along with them and even a small picnic basket with enough sandwiches for everyone to have one. Ada had her little cockles jar clasped in both hands, Polly carried two, and Arthur had to have an old beer bottle that had been perfectly cut in half by some glass worker down by the big industrial factories.
"I have to say, Polly-Anna, it's not every day that you turn fourteen." Mabel called out, placing a gentle, motherly hand on the middle of the girl in questions back.
Thomas noticed the exchange between his mother and the girl he was so reluctant to admit that he liked, and saw how Polly-Anna looked at his mother in the exact same way that Amber looked at her. Polly noticed that, too, but knowing that the relationship between Ester Wallace and her stepdaughter was more than strained was enough reason to leave their innocent interaction alone.
Had Thomas known, maybe he would've left it too.
"Amber-Jack!" Polly bellowed, using her free hand to shield Michaels little ears from the yell.
Both John and Amber skidded to a stop, heels digging into the soft ground, muddying their shoes. Though, John hadn't put enough pressure into his shoes to stop him, using Amber as his bollard. Unlike their first ever meeting, Amber stayed upright, practically unfazed by the thud she had just felt.
"We're going to pick flowers and leaves that are pretty—" Amber paused, elbowing John in his arm, "oh, yeah! And we're gonna see if they turn stuff colourful! Got a pot and some twigs, river water will work, won't it mum?" John continued, with his cheeky little grin.
It was such an Amber and John idea, so caring and thoughtful. Helpful, too. Polly-Anna let out a light hearted giggle, her smile rivalling that of the Cheshire Cat. Her birthday was going to be perfect.
"You all get an hour to scavenge, and then we can stop and have food." Amber then ordered, as she would have if it was just the two Wallace's.
Polly and Mabel let out a laugh, glancing at Polly-Anna who held her hands up in feign surrender.
"Ready— Set—"
"Amber, this isn't a race." Arthur cut her off, earning himself a Wallace glare.
"Right, okay- just go and pick nice things."
With that, the lot of them set off in all different directions. Some went off in little groups, and Arthur walked straight to the tree to climb up it.
In his eyes, the next best things always came from high up and hard to reach areas. The stars and the planets, other worlds, other realities that were different from the one they were living- anything he could have ever thought of, out there- just inches away from his fingertips.
Polly-Anna on the other hand, went off to find one of the two horses.
She had remembered once upon a time, braiding flowers into Marigolds hair when she had been tame enough to stand still. But that was a lifetime ago, all she wanted to do was see them up close and personal just one last time before they were given to a ranchers farm up in Scotland.
Though, on her way to see the horses, she saw Thomas with a jar half full already. It hadn't been too long since they had all been set off with the task, but he seemed to take to it like a duck to water.
From what she could see, flowers , raspberries and blackberries- all in intricate layers.
Thomas only noticed Polly-Anna when she was a few inches away from him. Her jar, in comparison to his, was painfully empty. Not even a strand of grass could be seen. She saw beauty in everything, and he knew that- maybe that was why her jar had been empty. To leave one thing out would be a disservice to nature.
"Happy birthday, Anna— you look..." Thomas paused, biting down on the inside of cheek to stop him from saying something stupid, "really happy."
She was, the happiest she had ever been and it was all thanks to him and his family, Amber-Jack and John... they had all given her so much in so little time.
"Here— come with me for a minute." Thomas added, not giving her the chance to thank him for the birthday well wishes. Without a second, his fingers laced through hers, tugging her towards the hedges.
There, stood several fruit bushes from gooseberries to blackberries and everything that resides in between. The rule had always been the wilder the fruit, the better the taste and they had been right. Thomas had placed a blackberry between Anna's lips, pushing it into her mouth gently. The sudden tartness made her eyes squeeze together, before the sweetness hit and soothed away the tingle in her jaw.
Forgive me, Father, Thomas said in his head before placing a hand onto Polly-Anna's jaw. His thumb gently caressing her skin, he was about to kiss her and the butterflies within his stomach were creating tornadoes that not even Noah's Arc were surviving.
Before he could think about it any longer, he leaned in- his lips gently touching hers. The kiss lasted no longer than five seconds and it was— well, for Thomas it was what he had been expecting it to be.
For Polly-Anna, it was more. It sent shockwaves through her body. For her first kiss, it was more than she was expecting.
"That was—"
"Nice, yeah it was nice."
The two looked at each other, before glancing back down at the floor. It took a moment or two before it dawned on either of them what they had just done and it showed.
The moment Polly-Anna realised, she went from looking at her hands, to picking berries from the bushes in front of her and Thomas uttered an awkward thank you, before walking off.
What neither of them knew, was they hadn't gotten away with that. No, almost everyone but Arthur had noticed the little exchange and were almost determined to make them both happy.
Whether that be with each other, or apart.
"Times up!" Amber-Jack yelled from the top of her lungs, making sure that everyone living and dead could hear her.
Back at the middle, Arthur was the first there. Of course he took the best sandwich and seat at the table. After him was his mother and aunt, who, unlike him- had the decency to wait for the girl of the hour to arrive back. After those two, it was Polly, shortly followed by Ada, John and Amber. Last, but certainly not least was Thomas, who's jar was almost bursting at the seams with flower petals and leaves he had picked up after kissing the birthday girl.
All of the jars were placed onto the table, and Amber was judging them. She was pretending to be her headmistress, with an imaginary clipboard and prizes.
Of course, she gave herself first place, but surprisingly Arthur had gained second. His untouched leaves won him the spot due to the variety of colours in the same plant- or maybe that was just Ambers innocent little crush on the oldest Shelby finally coming to light.
Third place was a tie between the two that had been secretly caught red lipped, but no one made it obvious that there was an ulterior motive behind it.
"Can I just say?" Arthur stood up, a glass of whatever he had been given in his hand, raising it like a toast, "you are one weird but very special lady, Polly-Anna.
Thank you for making my mother that pretty dress and to stop our Tom from moping about all the time."
"To Anna!"
Glasses were raised, clinked and then swiftly downed, allowing for the rest of the days plans to unravel. The day was only just beginning though, Amber had a whole lot more planned for them.
But first, they had to do what any good person would- and have a nice and chilled day under the summers sun.
The Garrison could wait another hour or two.
It wasn't like it would spontaneously burn down in their absence.