I do not own Sweeney Todd

Fifteen years ago My father, Benjamin Barker, was arrested and sent to Australia on a false charge when I was Six. A few months later my Mother committed suicide, after being raped by the man who would later be our guardian. When I say our, I mean me and my little sister Johanna. Judge Turpin always favored Johanna and when I was nine I realized why, that was the same day that I realized why he hated me.

Turpin often made it clear that if he could, He would have sent me to the work house and kept Johanna, but it would have been odd for him to take one child but dispose of the other.

As years past Johanna and I grew older under the carful eye of Judge Turpin. Six years younger than I, Johanna took after our mother, Lucy, who tragically died by her own hand. I grew to resemble my father Benjamin, with long curly brown hair and dark brown almond shaped eyes. Unlike Johanna I knew the truth about our father, but never divulged it in fear of Punishment from the judge.

When I was eighteen years old, I spared Turpin the trouble of throwing me out of the house by storming out myself. I knew that the Judge would not harm Johanna, whom was twelve at the time, thought it did break my heart when she begged me not to go.

(Three years earlier)

"Ellie, please don't go." She pleaded, "I'm sorry Jo, but I must, I promise one day I will come back for you but now I must go." I ruffled her corn silk colored hair, and snapped the copper clasps of my small suitcase shut. I didn't take much with me, a few dresses, money I saved over the years, the likes. I faced the mirror and straitened my long steely grey skirt and re-buttoned my black and grey pinstriped vest.

"Why are you leaving?" she asked innocently. "Won't you miss us?" I flinched when she said us, since she still held the judge in high respect. "I will miss you very very much, but there are just some things I have to do." I snatched my bag and pinned my knit shawl around my shoulders. I took a final look around the room in which I had lived in for twelve years, glad to finally be rid of it. "Well, Here I go."

I pulled the door open and nearly ran right into the most hateful, loathsome, person on the face of the planet, Judge Turpin. "Elinor." He said curtly, I merely hummed and slid past him and marched down the Hall. "I would like to reiterate that I think what you are doing is extremely rash and foolish." He followed me through the parlor, "uh huh, thank you for your input." I made it painfully clear that I wasn't listening.

This is how the past twelve years have gone for me, a long series of verbal sparring matches. I knew that my father was sent away on a false charge, but couldn't prove it, the Judge knew that I knew, but also couldn't prove it. So we managed to stay civil with each other by subtly despising each other until one of us moved out or was dead.

"So tell me, when can I expect your first crime to take place?" He asked sourly, "Somewhere around the fiftieth of never" I retorted, "Well, felonious activity is hereditary, and I would simply hate to see you share your criminal father's fate."

I bit my tongue to refrain from throwing a string of obstinacies which I learnt at the docks. Through the years I learnt to control my emotions, because Turpin would use any of them against me. "Well I guess we'll see then won't we?" I removed a large iron skeleton key from my waist coat pocket, "I won't be needing this." I pinched it between my thumb and pointer finger like one would a disgusting bit of rubbish.

He calmly snatched the key from my hands, "You know, you should be grateful, I could have left you and your sister to the work houses. And you know what would have happened there don't you?" He hissed.

I knew good and well what would have happened, one day, when I was being particularly naughty, the judge told the Beatle to show me what happened to bad little girls. Beatle took me into town and we entered a large brick building with a large smoking pipe coming out the top. We met an old dirty man, who was told by the Beatle that I needed to see what would have happened to me if the Judge had not taken Johanna and me in.

In that work house I saw children beaten bloody, and girls about my age working their hands to the bone, along with other horrors that I dare not say. That night I went home and had nightmares about little Johanna and I in the work house. Looking back now, I can't help but think that it might have been better than being with the judge.

"You won't hurt her." I challenged.

"And what makes you so sure?" He took a step forward.

"Because you need her, I know what you did to my mother, and I see how you look at Johanna. And so help me God if anything happens to her, anything at all, I will come back here. I will sneak into your room, Late at night when everyone is asleep. And I will kill you." I took several steps forward until I was nose to nose with him. Hell, I was leaving any how I might as well take what I can get.

"Young lady you are testing my limits." He forcefully gripped my shoulder, making my flinch in pain. "Believe me when I say, I will feel the greatest pleasure when you are found murdered on the streets."

I shook off his hand and snatched back up my bag, "Good Bye Judge Turpin, if I ever see you again, it will be too soon."

I marched out the door and slammed it shut behind me. The instant I did if felt like a weight had been lifted off of me. I glanced around the street that held a few drunkards and beggars. "Glory Hallelujah" I whispered into the night and walked down the street bag in hand, toward Fleet Street.

"Excuse me." I leaned over the counter of an inn desk. "Why hello there lassy." A portly older man eyed me, "What can I do for you?"

"I need to rent a room for the night." I explained, "Certainly," he checked a tattered notebook and handed me a key, "Go right on in." He grinned. I nodded and set the money on the desk.

I walked down the dusty, grimy, hall and unlocked the room door. "Well, it will do for the night, then I will go searching for a room in the morning,"

I sat on the bed which squeaked and moaned, in the next room I heard provocative moaning and rolled my eyes, "Very nice." I muttered and laid on the bed.

(Two weeks later)

I wandered along the street, my dress tattered and dirty, with black lace trimming the red skirt and bust, searching for any signs of vacancy. "Hello there sweet heart." A high nasally voice greeted. I Turned and found a man leering at me from a shadowy ally. "I beg your pardon?"

"Are you open for business?" He asked eyeing me up and down.

"Oh you think I'm a…No no no no no no no. I'm not a prostitute." I declined, The man shrugged and walked off. I looked down at my dress and realized that what I wore might be construed as provocative.

The bust was a bit tight and the skirt was higher than normal. "Well, no bother."

Hours later the sun had set and the night grew cold, I shivered and clutched my shawl around me tighter. I had little money left and could not afford a room at even the cheapest inn, for the past two weeks I had been out on the streets.

In my shivering hand I clutched a silver pendent, a gift from an ex suitor. Hermits and ladies of the night usually made their business at the docks, so I could probably sell it for some extra money.

"Excuse me sir?" I tapped a ragged man on the shoulder. "How much for this? It's silver." The man turned the necklace in his hands, "I'll give you four pounds for that" he estimated.

"Four?! It's worth ten!" I protested. The man laughed and shook his head. I huffed and pocketed the necklace

"Hello lovely." A young drunk sailor lean against the wall, "how much?",

"I'm not a whore." I hissed and fled the swarming men. "What pretty hair, what pretty locks you've got there." An old crone cooed and scurried around me "What looks you've got, it's worth a good bit my dear." She stroked my waist length brown curls, "I'll take the lot" she decided

"Don't touch me, leave me alone!" I cried and smacked her paws away, "Let's make a deal, I'll give you all of ten pounds." She offered, "Just think of it."

"I do need the money." I shrugged and fiddled with my shawl, "that money could help save my baby sister." I conceded. "Come with me!" the hag sat me on a dirty barrel and grabbed a pair of large scissors.

I closed my eyes as the woman cut away my hair and tried to block out the sound of whores and their clients. "Alright then." The woman thrust the money in my hands and shooed me out on the streets.

I felt my hair which was now cropped to my neck, "Hey, you new around here?" a scantily clad woman greeted, "I-I'm not a…."

"Well why not, you got the looks, you could get top dollar." The whore clapped me on the back, "I'll take you to Seamus." She took me by the hand and led me to a secluded corner.

"What do you have for me?" the man asked with a thick Scottish accent, "A newbie," the woman pushed me forward. The Scotsman circled me, "Fit enough. You got a name sweetie?" he asked, "Ellie"

"Alrighty, I'm sure there is a John around here for you." He stopped, "Ah speak of the devil, Georg!"

A sharply dressed gentleman sauntered up, "What have you got for me?" Seamus pushed me forward, "Our youngest."

Georg grinned, "She'll do." He took my hand and pulled me along, "What's your name?"

"Ellie." He hummed, and wrapped his arm around my waist "Not very attractive, I'll call you Roxanne." He nodded and led me to an inn. "I already have a room." We walked down the hall and into a dirty room, "Now" he pulled down the sleeves of my dress, "Let's Have some fun huh?"

I sat on the bed and closed my eyes, dreaming of being anywhere but there. Soon he stood with a sigh and set my money on the bed. "Thanks a lot sweet heart."

I rolled on my side, tear leaking out of my eyes. "My god, what have I done." I whispered. And stumbled out of the room. I found my self out on the street, stumbling along a brick wall.

"Who's there?" a womanly voice called, I turned around and faced a woman from my past. "Mrs. Lovett?"

"Who are you," the woman held a rolling pin in her hands, "Elinor Barker" I whispered, "Oh my God." dropped the rolling pin, "Come on, come inside." She rushed to my side and pulled me inside her meat pie emporium. "Can it be, Little Ellie Barker, What are you doing here?"

"I ran away" I sobbed and recounted my past two weeks of living on the streets. "Oh you poor dear." She cooed, "Don't you worry, I have a spare room, you can stay there." She led me up the stairs to my old home. It was just as I remembered, only older and more dusty, "Theres a bed in here, she steered me to the room and sat with me on the bed.

"Don't you worry darling, I'll help you." She whispered, "I couldn't stand it there anymore, I needed to get away." I sobbed. "Did he, did he touch you darling?" Nellie asked, "No, I look too much like my father he would never touch me, but Johanna is in danger, not right now but he will hurt her I just know it." I clutched at her hand, "Oh Nellie you have you help me." I begged

"Now, now, there's nothing we can do now. Just rest and we will talk in the morning." She stroked what was left of my hair. "Here, Just sit right here and I'll fetch you a nice tot of gin." She rushed down the stairs and returned with two glasses of the drink.

"Drink this dearie" I sipped the drink and grimaced at the taste but finished it off. "There, now sleep here and We'll talk in the morning." She soothed as I laid back on the bed and drifted off into sleep.