OH MY GOODNESS, OH MY GOODNESS, IT WAS TODAY. TODAY WAS THE DAY!!!!!

Rowan was SO UNBELIEVABLY EXCITED to be here. She felt terrible that she couldn’t drag Robin onto the train with her, but as much as she had begged and schemed, she’d been foiled at the last minute by her mother. Who was insisting they stayed at home with everyone else because they couldn’t all afford to go down to London.

And so Rowan was accompanied by Grammy Helen. Who was possibly her second favourite human in the whole world - next to Robin - but still wasn’t allowed to come with her. Her whole family had been excited about this, it was like, major news, but she had to LEAVE THEM BEHIND.

“Grammy come ON!” Rusty pulled at her grandmother’s sleeve, but the woman had her own pace and was going to stick to it, as always.

“Rusty, if you rush your way through life you’ll miss the best bits. Savour the moment.” Helen pushed along the trolley with Rowan’s trunk on it, her own eyes scanning around this amazing hidden platform, dying to be young and able to board the train herself... but of course that wasn’t her fate, so instead she was content with enjoying her granddaughter’s experience. “Do you have everything?”

“Yes!” Rowan sighed dramatically. “And if I don’t then I obviously don’t need it because I checked the list a million times.” So yeah... Gosh. She was glad her grammy was here though, even if she was a little impatient, because she was nervous too. Not that she’d ever show it - Rowan Elizabeth Fields was fearless, fierce, fantastic and fab. And funny. Mhm.

“Okay, good. Now wait just one second.” Helen stopped walking, just out of the way of the crowds, and put her hand in her pocket. “Don’t tell the others, but I have a special something for you.” She took out a charm bracelet that had two little stones hanging off it. “This is jet, and that’s tiger’s eye. They’ll bring you luck.” Helen gestured for Rowan’s hand, and attached the bracelet around her wrist. “I’ll miss you. But don’t think about us too much. Have fun and learn everything you can.”

Okay, so Rowan knew her grammy was going to get all sentimental, but the bracelet was a nice surprise. Her eyes lit up as she inspected the stones, knowing exactly what they were for, and loving them instantly. “Thanks Grammy. I’ll miss you too.” She gave her grandmother a BIG HUG. “You can go home now if you want. I need to start making friends straight away. There’s so many.”

Helen laughed, but Rusty took it well and grinned back at her. They exchanged another huge slightly-too-tight hug, then Grammy Helen took her leave, and Rusty sat on her trunk, looking around the platform...

Okay, who was going to be her next new friend??