Crutchie's release was sudden and brief.
He had been sitting alone in his cell, away from the taunts and threats of the other prisoners. His body was starting to shut down on him, so exhausted to even move. The small amount of food he had been given tasted gross and didn't stay in his stomach for long. Stuck in a half-awake. half-dreaming state, he could see Jack and the other boys calling for him. They stood outside a tiny restaurant on Broadway, a place that they could only go to on special occasions, waving with grins bigger than he had ever seen before. Crutchie hadn't smiled for days now, not since Specs had come to visit and told him how the strike was going. It looked like Crutchie wouldn't be leaving the Refuge anytime soon.
Suddenly, a pile of fabrics was dropped on his face. Crutchie awoke and yanked them off as he sat up, finding them to be a pair of jeans, a tee, and a sweatshirt. Crutchie looked to the officer, who stood beside his cot.
Officer Snyder was Crutchie's least favorite person in the entire jail. He couldn't have been more than thirty, but his hair was streaked with gray. Snyder was built like a rock, solid and big. He had used some of his bruteness on Crutchie when he arrived, pounding the kid till he couldn't walk. Crutchie had tried to keep a wide berth, but somehow that officer always seemed to be around and never let Crutchie relax for a moment. Today was different though. Snyder didn't have his usual condescending smirk and harsh gleam in his eyes. He simple looked annoyed.
"You're being released," Officer Snyder announced, "by special order from the governor."
Crutchie blinked.
The governor had ordered for Crutchie to be set free, a boy he had never met.
"Be at the front office for paperwork in five minutes," Snyder said sounding like there was something else he would rather be doing than letting his favorite punching bag out of jail.
Crutchie nodded, and Snyder left the cell with a slam of the door. Crutchie changed quickly, shocked to find that though these clothes were roughly his size they hung off of him now after three weeks in this jail. After grabbing what few things he had, he walked out of his cell and didn't look back.
In order to get the the offices, an inmate must pass through the rec room. Crutchie was terrified of the place, but nothing was going to dampen his mood now. He was surprised to hear the room quiet as he entered. There were roughly fifty criminals in the space, but all were staring at the televisions with wide eyes. Crutchie glanced up at the TVs quickly, but didn't pay much attention to them. As he walked by prisoners that had beaten him up on countless occasions, they whispered to the others around him. Crutchie wondered what was happening, but soon enough he had reached the offices and went inside.
Within a hour, Crutchie stood outside of the Refuge as the door slid shut behind him, holding his belongings in a paper bag. He took a deep breath of the humid July air, letting the warm sun shine on his face.
He had made it out. He was free.
"Excuse me?" The question pulled Crutchie from his reverie. A short, balding man stood in front of him, dressed in a suit that had to have been uncomfortable in the heat. "Are you Crutchie Morris?"
"Yes," Crutchie said tentatively, unsure of who this man was and how he knew his name.
"I was sent to pick you up. Please follow me."
Crutchie did and soon found himself sitting in the back seat of a posh limousine with the strange man. The man went on to explain that he was the governor's assistant and was taking Crutchie to Newsboys Square at the request of one Jack Kelly. The pair had sat in silence for a minute or two, Crutchie left wondering what was going on.
"I realize it's close to lunch time so I made sure to grab a pizza before coming over. Would you like a piece?" The man asked, pulling a pizza box out from underneath a seat. The box opened, and the smell of pepperoni filled the vehicle. Crutchie's mouth watered, and he nodded.
Crutchie would have eaten the whole pizza if he could, but after four pieces, his stomach started to ache and his chewing slowed.
"Thank you," he said after swallowing his last mouthful. The assistant stared at him in disgust, his first piece flopping from his fingers. Crutchie ignored him, opening up the window and letting the breeze brush across his face. The car slowed to a stop, and the driver announced that this was as far as he was getting. The assistant got out without question while Crutchie wondered why the car wasn't able to go anywhere.
He understood when he climbed out of the vehicle.
The streets were packed full of strikers, holding signs and flags. Before he could lose his guide in the crowd, Crutchie followed the assistant into the masses. The people were celebrating, hugs being thrown all around. Crutchie saw a few familiar faces, but none of his own family of brothers. He didn't say anything as he and the assistant made their way out of the crowd and into a skyscraper know as The World. He had kept his eyes down at the floor, not really paying attention to what was around him.
Bad decision.
He was suddenly swarmed by a group of people, his name being yelled from every direction. It had caught him off-guard at first, but then he recognized his fellow newsboys, Specs, Race, Davey, Romeo, and others, all surrounding him in the biggest hug he could ever imagine.
"Hey Jack, look who we found!" One of the boys yelled. Crutchie spotted his brother on the staircase, shaking hands with the governor himself. He looked up at the sound of his name before seeing Crutchie among the group. He grinned. Before Crutchie even thought about it, he was running over to Jack and hugging him tightly. Jack did the same before taking Crutchie's arms and stepping back. His eyes scanned over his brother quickly, no doubt seeing everything wrong.
"You okay?" he asked, and Crutchie nodded.
He was now.