The cold Liverpool air blew swiftly through the empty streets, caressing each building as it passed. It was late February and the winter was finally coming to an end after a harsh few months. However, on that particular day, the air was as cold as early January.

For the most part, the streets were empty. Apart from the sailors, who would often start work at the docks long before anyone else was up and about. Some would say Liverpool was a different city in the early hours of the morning. Before anyone was up. The streets were bare and quiet and all shops were locked firmly.

It was at this time in the morning, around 4:30am, that Frank usually awoke. She enjoyed the early mornings and how peaceful they were. She could ignore every other thing that was on her mind and focus on the beauty of the city.

Frank lived in a small house with her mother and father. Unlike their daughter, they didn't enjoy the peaceful mornings and so Frank was always alone while she sat. Under her window stood a stout little stool where Frank would sit in the mornings, looking out at the streets below and the rows of houses on the neighbouring streets. She would sit for hours and think to herself. She was a good thinker and had a bright mind, full of ideas. However, coming from a working class family, Frank was told to restrict her creativity as it would not get her anywhere in life.

This particular day, as mentioned before, was very cold. Frank awoke at about half past four and was overtaken by the chills. Pulling on a thick jersey that she kept by her bed, she got up and made her way over to the window. She was faced with a foggy view of the Merseyside. Many years ago, she had figured that if she was stood at a precise angle to the window, she got a clear view straight through to the harbour where she could see the sailors and dock workers arriving for their early morning shifts. She often sat and imagined she was one of them.

Frank closed her eyes and thought about the harbour, a place she knew all too well. She had fond memories of running around the docks with her friends. She was still in contact with her childhood friends: Charlie, Ronnie and Donna. However, at the age of 15, it was seen as immature to run around the docks and play around in the bombies. Instead, Frank spent most of her time by herself. She went on long walks, sat in the park or browsed around the record shop. Most of her days were spent out of the house in order to escape from her father.

Mr Boone, Frank's father, was a plump man with a purple face from excessive drinking. As Frank put it, he was the reason her life was miserable. Every spare minute he could find was spent critiquing her, reminding her how much he hates her and saying things like "I can't wait until you moves out" and "Your mother and I were much better off without you". He was often drunk and he could be pretty aggressive (and sometimes violent) when under the influence of alcohol. He was, as Frank said, the worst man to ever exist. But that may be an exaggeration.

Anyway, on this cold day in late February Frank was sat, as usual, on her little stool. She hummed a disoriented tune as she wrote and doodled on a spare piece of paper that she had ripped from one of her school jotters. She was finishing a picture of a some trendy flared trousers she had seen in a boutique earlier in the week. Her hand glided across the paper as she went to start another little drawing somewhere else on the page. The sound of the door snapped Frank out of her thoughts and she turned immediately. She was met with the face of her mother. Frank smiled, silently thankful that it wasn't her father. But her smile faded when she saw the expression on her mother's face. Her mother was visibly terrified.

"Ma' what's the matter?" She asked, standing from her stool to meet her mother by the door. But her mother just shook her head and motioned for Frank to sit.  As the young girl took a seat on the hard wood floor, her mother paced back and forth across her room. After a few minutes in silence, her mother finally spoke. 

"Listen Frankie, I need you to do what I say, okay? I don't want any questions, not a single one, you understand?" Her mothers stern tone caused Frank to nod her head obediently. It was clear that Mrs Boone was scared, petrified even. Frank, despite having so many unsolved questions, decided to stay quiet until her mother had calmed down a little bit. 

A few more minutes passed and Mrs Boone was still pacing, quicker than ever. Then, in an instant, she stopped pacing and turned to her daughter. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bin bag, just a regular black bin bag. She handed it to Frank who hesitantly took it.

"Okay Frank, I need you to fill this bag with the essentials. Some clothes, a blanket, some books maybe. Anything you want to keep." Frank's heart dropped at her mother's words. So many questions were flying through her mind but she couldn't ask them.

"Mum wha-"

"No questions Frank, please just do it." Mrs Boone turned, walked over to the window and sat on the stool. She lay her head in her hands and let out a deep sigh. Her breathing was heavy and uneven. This was the worst Frank had ever seen her mother.

"Mum," Frank whispered, not moving from her spot. "Mum you need to calm down." There was a pause. "Look, I don't know what's going on but I know that this kind of stress is not good for your health, please calm down," Tears started to prick in Frank's eyes as she walked over to her mother. But Mrs Boone knew what she wanted.

"We don't have much time Frank. Just get your stuff and meet me in the kitchen in 10 minutes. I'll explain everything on the way," And with that, she got up and walked swiftly out of the room before Frank could object. 

A very confused and reluctant Frank made her way to her drawers and pulled out some clothes at random. Three shirts, two pairs of trousers, one jumper and a handful of underwear. Then, realizing that she was still in her night clothes, she picked another outfit to change into. After changing into a pair of green trousers and a plane white shirt, she continued with her "Packing". She grabbed the books from her bedside table and the stack of magazines she had managed to steal over the years. Then she knelt down beside her bed and pulled a small cardboard box from beneath it. In the box were a few trinkets, a box of matches, a folded photograph and an Elvis LP that she had stolen recently from the record shop near Penny Lane. She grabbed the photograph, the LP and the matches (just in case). She threw all three item in the bag and tied a knot in the top. 

Her bare feet hit against the hard wood floor as she made her way across the landing and down the stairs to the kitchen holding her bin bag loosely. Her mother was standing by the door. Mrs Boone's head jolted up as Frank entered.

"Good Girl," The older of the two whispered, more to herself than to her daughter. Frank leaned down and pulled both her shoes on then grabbed her coat from the hook on the door. Then, without another word, Mrs Boone grabbed Frank's hand and pulled her out of the house, locking the door behind her. Despite being out of the house, Mrs Boone didn't let go of her daughters hand until they had walked for a good ten minutes. At this point, she seemed to calm down a little and let out a deep sigh. This, Frank thought, was a good time to ask what was actually happening.

"Mum," She started cautiously, putting her hand on her mum's shoulder. "Please can you explain whats going on. I'm confused and scared and-" But her mum cut her off by wrapping her arms around her and embracing her in a tight hug. They stood like that for a few minutes before pulling apart. Mrs Boone was the first to speak. 

"I've been thinking a lot and I've come to a decision," She paused as if catching her breath. "I don't want you living with that man anymore," Frank's breathing hitched. She didn't know what to say. Should she be happy or sad? Surely she should be happy, her father was horrid and she hated him. But that was her home and now she had nowhere to go. 

"Well where am I going to live now?" Frank's voice was unusually high out of fear.

"I'm taking you to stay with a family that I know and trust, they know we're coming" Her mother explained. Despite not being too keen on the idea, Frank stayed quiet and listened as her mother continued. "It's a small family. They live on the other side of town, near Penny Lane." 

"H-How long will we be staying there?" Frank looked up innocently and her mother froze, eyes wide.

"Frankie, I'm not coming with you," There was a moment of silence before tears started streaming down the young girl's face as she fell to the ground. This was all too much for her. She had to leave her home at 5 o'clock to get away from her dad, only to find that she would be separated from her mum as well and sent to live with strangers. Suddenly, she felt arms around her and she was lifted off the ground and into another hug from her mum. "Listen, everything's going to be fine. I'll come and see you all the time. We can get through this, together."

"But what's going to happen with dad? He'll want to know where I am." Frank squeaked once she'd calmed down a little.

"Don't you worry, I've sorted everything out. The government are involved and there are precautions in place to protect you from your father. Just forget him." At her mothers words, Frank felt comforted. She was glad to get away from her father, even if it meant separating from her mother as well. "Alright darling we have to get going now. I told Mary we'd be there for six," And so the two set off down the road. They turned right down a narrow path and continued on their way to Penny Lane.

Hello! I'm still kinda new to this so please don't expect much. This is just a fun little story for me to practice writing. I'm going to try and put a lot of effort into this story and update regularly. And I promise there will be more Beatles in the next chapter!