"I think I might have found a new technique," Magda said, her laugh with an edge of mania. She shook her head. "But this is all I have left from ten years in that studio."
O swept out of the kitchen, a large glass of red wine in either hand.
"You have your wonderful mind left, my love." She handed one glass to Magda and the other to Jamie. "And you both have my flat. What's not to like?"
She turned back into the kitchen, emerging with her own large glass and the rest of the bottle.
Jamie couldn't help but smile at O's optimism. In the face of everything they were going through, it seemed she still saw a positive side.
O looked at her watch.
"Quick, turn on the telly. The announcement about the Mayor should be on any minute."
The familiar sounds of the BBC news jingle filled the flat and they watched in silence as the announcement was made. Even O couldn't summon anything positive to say as they watched Dale Cameron step forward to accept the position.
Jamie felt a stone settle in the pit of her stomach, a heavy sense of dread. Riding high on a right-wing ticket of cleaning up the city, Cameron's patrician face was all smiles and promises, but part of her knew that he was entwined in some of the darker corners of government.
"Shit." Magda took a large swig of her wine. "There goes everything we've worked for. That bastard is in the pockets of the building development companies. Southwark will become a rich man's playground now he has a say."
O stood and downed her wine, then began to open another bottle of red. "Surely he won't have the power to change things so substantially?" she said.
Jamie sighed. "He has the mandate of being elected on his policies to clean up the streets, so he'll be able to act pretty fast."
"And with Amanda Masters in hospital …" Magda shook her head. "Maybe we should give up, leave London altogether. We can start again somewhere new. I can find a studio somewhere else."
O put down her glass and hugged Magda close, her pale arms stark against Magda's dark clothes.
"Don't say that," O whispered. "If we leave, they will have won. I won't let you go. This is your place, Magda. Your ravens are here, your people are here. Cross Bones needs you." O looked over at Jamie. "Tell her, please."
Jamie took a sip of her wine.
"It certainly seems as if we're being pushed out – arson, violence, evictions, all targeted at one part of the community." She frowned. "But if we go, then this area will be poorer for losing its diversity. You two are figureheads, leaders of the community. Tomorrow, we should start organizing for protest, contact the press and start taking control of the story."
Jamie's voice was stronger than she felt. A few hours ago she had considered leaving herself, and she knew the power that Cameron had on his side. It wouldn't be easy to go up against him.
O stroked Magda's tattooed arm.
"Sleep helps," she said. "Everything looks better in the morning."
Magda nodded and got up slowly, walking into O's bedroom, leaving O and Jamie to make up a bed on the couch.
"Are you sure this is alright?" O asked, patting the pillow.
"It's amazing," Jamie said. "I … don't have many friends."
O leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"You have us now. Sleep tight."
Jamie lay down and pulled the blankets tight around her. Somehow, despite everything, she felt hope.
***
Jamie woke to the early-morning sun peeking through the curtains. She unfolded herself from O's couch, her body aching from the uncomfortable night, but her mind felt refreshed and clearer now. They could make a plan to mobilize the community and take back what was threatened.
She heard the buzzing of a mobile phone in the next room.
Moments later, the door opened and O stepped out. She wore a plain white t-shirt that ended at the top of her thighs. Her hair was tousled and her face stricken.
"It's Cross Bones," she said. "There are bulldozers on site. They're beginning construction today."
"Bastard," Jamie said. "Cameron must have had this all lined up. And I bet I know which company is involved." She thought of Vera Causa and how much they stood to gain in the area by raising housing prices. That tiny patch of land was worth millions.
Jamie rolled out of bed, quickly pulling on her clothes. Magda emerged from O's room, tucking her black t-shirt into her jeans. Her eyes were puffy as if she'd been crying, but the angles of her face hardened as she made coffee for them all. She texted furiously as the kettle boiled.
"We have a text chain," she explained to Jamie. "Friends of Cross Bones. I'm telling people to get down there ASAP."
Downing their coffee, the three of them headed out into the early morning, through the streets of Southwark down to Cross Bones Graveyard.
Jamie could hear the sounds of trucks and heavy machinery as they neared the square and they quickened their pace. Rounding the corner of Redcross Way, the scale of the project was immediately evident. A whole construction team stood waiting at the gates of Cross Bones. There were two bulldozers ready to demolish what was left standing on the derelict ground and diggers idled on standby to begin excavation.
The building site foreman argued with two people who stood in front of the beribboned gates, their arms wrapped around the railings. Jamie recognized one of them – Meg from the Kitchen, her dreadlocks bouncing as she gesticulated at the graveyard.
"You can't come in here," Meg shouted. "This is sacred ground."
"We have the permits," the foreman said. "It's all been cleared by the Mayor. You have to leave or we're calling security to forcibly remove you."
O ran forward to help, Magda following behind.
"Please," O said. "You can't do this."
As O and Magda argued for more time to present their case to the council, Jamie took up a place next to Meg, winding her arms through the gate railings. The metal was cold, and Jamie shivered a little. Clouds gathered overhead, grey skies threatened rain and storms were forecast for later today. Jamie only hoped they would have reached a reprieve by then.
More people from the community arrived. One by one, they stood silently against the railings, backs to the graveyard, hands touching the fence behind them as if part of the structure. Some brought bike chains and padlocks, attaching themselves physically to the barrier.
The air of rebellion was palpable and Jamie found herself thrilled to be a part of it. As a police officer she had only ever been on the other side, viewing protestors as standing in the way of law and order. But now she had a very different perspective. If the graveyard fell to developers, it would be an end to old Southwark. The enrichment of corporations at the expense of the lively, diverse community. But they had this one chance to stop it.
More and more people arrived as O and Magda kept the foreman talking. Soon, the whole length of the side road was lined with people protecting the graveyard, living flesh and blood standing guard over the bones of those who came before.
"Shit," the foreman finally shouted, spinning away from the two women in frustration. He turned to his team. "Bill, get security down here to move this lot on. We have to break ground today. Until then, time out, everyone."