All That Glitters
~~Chapter One~~
"Brooke!" A feminine voice called from down the hall. Quickly, she shoved the bag of money into the drawer of her vanity table and resumed brushing powder across her face. She tried her hardest to smile brightly, as she would expect most newly engaged women might do. With a sigh she thought, "I wonder what everyone would think if I burst into tears at the engagement party tonight?" For that was all she really wanted to do-cry. But she couldn't do that. She was expected to be happy with her engagement to Chauncey Eugene Smithsford III.
There was a knock at the door and before she could ask who it was, her best friend Savannah burst in. "Oh Brooke, isn't is splendid?" You and Chauncey are going to be so happy together!" she said. She smiled at her friend, hoping Savannah couldn't see right though her. "Yes, I'm absolutely thrilled, I just don't think it's hit me yet." she said. Brooke turned again to face herself in the mirror. She could see Savannah over her right shoulder. Savannah seemed to be studying her, looking for some kind of indication of what was running through Brooke's mind. Little did she know all Brooke could think about was the bag of coins in the drawer close to her. Brooke caught Savannah's eyes in the mirror and said brightly, "Well, are you going to help me do my hair for this engagement party or what?" Savannah giggled and came over to help figure out what to do with Brooke's long curly hair.
About an hour later Brooke was left alone to dress for the evening. She opened her closet and viewed the rows of fine silks and petticoats. If there was one thing she had learned over the years, it was the all the silks in the world couldn't buy happiness. They couldn't replace having never known your father or having your mother simply become the woman she passed in the hall each morning as she left for the two jobs she worked to keep Brooke in school. Brooke could look pretty on the outside but no one would want the real person inside: a bitter, untrusting young girl. But that was the side of her that remained hidden, just like that bag of coins. She reached in a chose a pale yellow dress with white lace edging. Chauncey always said that yellow brought out the red tones in her hair, and since she should be playing the part of adoring fiancée, she figured she might as well dress the part. She tugged on the petticoat and adjusted her corset. "I hate these things!" She thought. "If only I were a man, then I wouldn't have to be forced into this marriage or wear this corset!' But the thought was quickly dismissed as she noticed the time. She was due to be downstairs in less than five minutes. After she pulled on her boots and laced them, she faced herself in the mirror again. "Well, let's see how many people we can fool tonight."
The night had reduced itself to a blur of faces and congratulations by the time the last guest was ushered out the door. Brooke's face hurt from the smile she had been forced to keep plastered there all night, and if she had to feel Chauncey's hands on her waist any longer, she feared she was going to go crazy. The man disgusted her. She had yet to figure out exactly what it was about him: the squinty blue eyes, the rolls of flesh that strained against his clothes, but she suspected it was his smile. That smile that clearly said, "I'm above you and I know it." This man was to be her husband. "I'm expected to love, honor and cherish him?" she thought. If she hadn't been so close to tears she would've laughed.
~~Chapter Two~~
Brooke lay in bed that night, wondering by what cruel twist of fate she had ended up where she was. Her father had died when she was young, killed in a fight following a poker match. Her father had never learned that he had no talent for gambling, even if he did feel he was a gambler at heart. She didn't remember much about him, other than that fact that he always smelled faintly of cigars and the scotch he drank after dinner. She had taken to thinking of him as some sort of guardian angel, looking down over her. Brooke's mother, determined to provide the best life for her child, worked two jobs the majority of Brooke's life. It was by her talent as a seamstress that she was finally able to open her own shop and make some money. But the build of her reputation had taken many years and created a distance between herself and her daughter. She often said that it was luck that she came into money right before it was the time for Brooke to debut into society. So, dressed in the most stylish fashions, sewn by her mother's hands, Brooke had entered the Season and been declared a success. The first man to ask for her hand after the Season had been Chauncey. Brooke's mother, seeing the step up in society and security he would provide, convinced her to accept the proposal. Perhaps in time she could come to care for him, her mother said, but Brooke highly doubted that. There was something about him that made her spine stiffen when he walked in the room. But finally she consented to the engagement.
~~Chapter Three~~
A few more weeks and she would be Mrs. Brooke Smithsford. The thought made her stomach churn, but she had devised a plan. Very carefully she had saved the money she was given each week to spend as she pleased. She didn't really need the gloves and things the money would normally buy, and no one would ever be the wiser, at least not until later. As the days slipped away, Brooke realized that there were still details to be worked through. She had to money to leave, but where was she going and how was she getting there? Something about New York City had always appealed to her and she decided that was where she was headed. However, what she was going to do there, she had no idea. "I just want to get there first, then I'll figure something out." she decided. Each day she worked out a few more small details to her plan. After all, in her situation you couldn't exactly just walk away. It wasn't that easy.
Now that everyone in town knew of her engagement to Chauncey, Brooke found it was nearly impossible to go anywhere without her whereabouts being reported, as if she was a criminal or a lost puppy. The only way to get out and not be noticed was to go in disguise. It didn't take long to realize that she'd have to pose as a boy.
Upstairs in the attic was a trunk full of her father's old clothes, memories her mother couldn't destroy. As a child, Brooke had once dressed up in them and came down the stairs, nearly falling down over the long legs of the pants. Her mother had laughed at the sight, but even then Brooke noticed the tears in her eyes. That had been the last time she'd ever looked inside of the trunks in the attic.
Climbing the stairs in stocking feet, Brooke tried in vain to recall where the trunks were that held her father's clothing. But it had been too many years; she would have to search for them. After a long search, and a few sneezing fits due to the dust and mildew that had collected, she hit the jackpot. Most of the shirts had some ragged seams-her guess what the some mouse had needed something warm to sleep on-but everything was in good shape. Besides the shirts and two pair of pants, she found a cap and shoes. She took the cap but left the shoes, knowing that they would be useless. Quickly she gathered the clothing and retreated to her room. She shook the dust out of the clothes and laid them on her bed for a closer inspection. Everything seemed to be in place, except for a few missing buttons, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, after all her mother was a seamstress. She had been taught to sew years ago. After making sure the hallway was clear and her door was securely locked, she undressed. She pulled the slacks on first. They were a loose fit and hid the curve of her hips well. She muttered a small thank you under her breath and reached for a long sleeved white shirt. The sleeves ran a little long but that wasn't the major problem. She couldn't get the shirt to button over the swell of her breasts. The curse fell from her lips before she could stop herself. "Damn! Now what am I going to do?" she said.
She rustled around in her chest of drawers, looking for something to bind her breasts with. Nothing. If she could get downstairs into her mother's sewing room she could take a long scrap of fabric and try that. She opened her door and called down the stairs, "Is anyone home?" There was no answer. As though the devil himself were on her heels, she all but flew down the stairs and into the sewing room. In the pile of remnants her mother made quilts out of was a long strip of pale fabric, almost the same shade as her skin. She stuffed it in her pocket and raced back upstairs. The shirt came off and she began to figure out how she was going to manage this. Standing in front of the mirror again, Brooke lifted her arms and wrapped the fabric tightly around her. Hopefully this would be tight enough, it would've worked better with someone else to help but given the circumstances, that was impossibility. Once there was a knot tied securely under her arm, Brooke reached for the shirt again. It buttoned up without the slightest problem. Brooke studied her reflection and thought, "Not too bad; the make-up's got to go, and what I am going to do with all this hair?"
It seemed she had two choices. She could figure out some way to hide her hair under the hat or she could cut it all off. Brooke ran her fingers through the curls (well, as best as one can run their fingers through curly hair, they tend to get caught). She loved her hair, especially the ways the tones of red and gold mixed with the boring brunette color. It gave it a nice color, one that was unique to her. "Well if it's cut my hair or marry Chauncey..." she thought to herself. She ran downstairs and grabbed the pair of heavy silver scissors on the table and hid them under her bed as she heard her mother calling her.
~~Chapter Four~~
A few hours later, she returned to her room. Lighting the candles, Brooke thought to herself, "I've got to get this figured out soon or else I'll be stuck here forever...with Chauncey. Eww!" As she settled into bed that night she made a mental list of what she had to do, and how soon it could be done.
*A Week Later*
Brooke had checked on the price of a train ticket and discovered that she had more than enough money saved up for that. But would her disguise work? There was only one way to find out. She'd have to try it out.
Brooke had become somewhat of an expert at getting into her disguise. She could wrap, button and lace so fast one would think she'd been doing it all of her life. Of course that was only from practicing. The only problem she was still encountering was her hair. Sitting at the vanity table she tried in vain to hide it. "If I stuff it under the hat, I look like I have some kind of growth on my head." she thought with a giggle. No that would never do. Finally, as a last ditch effort to avoid cutting her hair she took small sections and pin curled them to her head, tucking the ends in. The result was small knot looking things, but with the hat on they were covered. "Yay! Now I don't have to cut all my hair off!" she cried to herself.
The house was empty that afternoon, and now that her disguise was complete, Brooke felt adventurous enough to go out into town. Walking along the street in front of her house felt odd, but she liked the freedom of being able to smell the fresh air and not being restrained by the skirts and corsets she normally had to wear. When she reached the center of town she headed over towards the railroad station. Brooke kept her eyes downcast, she was sure someone would figure out she was a woman if she looked at someone. As she entered the noise and bustle of the station she realized she'd have to talk to the man at the counter. Her voice! What was she going to do? She cleared her throat a few times as she walked up to the booth.
"What can I do for you, young man?" The elderly gentleman with wire-rimmed glasses stepped up and inquired. "Ahh, I need a ticket to New York City." Brooke said in her best deep voice. The man eyed her curiously. "You look a little young to be traveling alone. Why, your voice hasn't even changed yet." he said. Brooke's cheeks burned. Her mind was racing. She had to come up with a reason, and fast. "Well, I'm going to visit some family. My, uh, uncle." She said quickly. After a moment of silence, the man said, "Alright, well the ticket will cost you twenty dollars." Brooke handed him her money and took the ticket. "Now you be careful!" the man called after her as she walked away.
~~Chapter Five~~
When she returned home, Brooke hid the ticket along with what was left of her money, back in her vanity. The rest of the day passed quietly, and she could hardly contain her excitement. Her disguise had worked! She had exactly two weeks until her train would be due to leave. So little time, but most of what she had needed to do was finished. The clothes of her father's had been mended as best as she could, and packed in a bag in her closet. Really all she could do now was wait.
The next morning Chauncey appeared on her doorstep. She greeted him coolly, "Good morning Chauncey." His eyes roamed over the cut of her neckline and curve of her hips. "And a good morning to you, Brooke." He said. An uncomfortable silence followed and finally Brooke said, "Is there something I can do for you?" He smiled and every muscle in Brooke's body tensed. "Actually, yes, I wanted to talk to you about some of the details of the wedding." He said. Brooke eyed him skeptically. He'd never wanted to discuss the wedding before. What was going on? "Well, alright. Would you like to come inside?" Brooke asked. Normally, she wouldn't want Chauncey in her immediate vicinity, much less in her home; but social custom deemed that she must play the good hostess. And the man was her fiancé.
She offered him a drink as he took a seat on the sofa in the living room. He declined, and then jumped right into what he wanted to say. "I've been thinking, and I want to have only family at the wedding. No one else. More specifically Savannah." Brooke's temper got the better of her and she retorted, "This is as much my wedding as it is yours. Savannah is my oldest and most dear friend. No matter your personal problems with her, you shall have to put them aside for a few hours. I never understood what you don't like about her anyway. But regardless of how you feel, she will be at my wedding." Then it seemed the fight was on. Chauncey jumped to his feet and came to stand in front her. Although the top of her head barely grazed his shoulders, she wasn't about to be intimidated by this man. She raised her chin defiantly. He looked down on her and snarled, "She will not be there." Brooke eyes narrowed and if looks could kill she would've been shooting flames at this man. "If she's not there, then I won't be there either!" she said. Before she could realize what was happening, she felt a sharp pain and she fell to the floor. He had stuck her! As she lay there he continued to tell how how things would be. "You will not disrespect me in such a manner. I will tell you what to do and how to do them. If say no then the answer is no, period." He was practically screaming at her.
Her head was pounding, and she tasted something metallic. She raised her fingers to her lips. Blood. Once he finished his tirade, the room fell silent once again. All that Brooke could hear was the ragged sound of her breathing. Chauncey's eyes locked with hers. Before he could say anything or move toward her she said in a low voice, "Get out, now!" He opened his mouth to say something and she said, "NOW!" He turned on his heel and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
~~Chapter Six~~
She lay on the floor in shock for a few minutes, as the silence of the house enveloped her. He had hit her, made her bleed. She couldn't believe it. No one had ever raised his or her hand to her. She lightly touched the rest of her face with the tips of her fingers. "Ouch!" she exclaimed as she felt below her eye. Her cheek was a little tender and so was her jaw line on the right side, but everything seemed to be in working order. "I've got to go clean myself up before my mother comes home!" Brooke thought. She picked herself up off the floor and went to clean off her face and assess the damage her so-called loving finance had done.
The imprint of his open hand still lingered on her face, a bright pink color around the edges. She dabbed at the blood coming from her bottom lip with a rag and tried not to cry. But it was no use. The tears started slowly, and soon she was sitting in the bathroom floor sobbing. After what seemed an eternity, she took a few deep breaths and collected herself. She'd have to somehow avoid her mother for the night, until she could see exactly how much was going to show of what had happened. The easiest way to do that would be to tell her she wasn't feeling well and was going to rest, then to ask to not be disturbed. Brooke scrawled a note for her mother and left it on the table in the kitchen.
With that taken care of she went upstairs, undressed and crawled into bed. Around an hour later she heard her mother arrive home. As she heard the footsteps on the stairs, she rolled over and shut her eyes. The door opened and closed, then the footsteps walked away. Brooke sighed deeply. "What a day! I've been beaten, humiliated and now I've got to lie to my mother...can it get worse? Wait, I don't want to know." she thought. As the sun went down and shadows began to fill her room, finally Brooke slept.
~~Chapter Seven~~
When she awoke the next morning, her jaw was throbbing and her eye felt as though it was the size of a small orange. She went to look at herself in the vanity mirror. What she saw before her was disturbing. "I don't even look like me! I look like...God, I don't know what I look like, I just look horrible!" she said inwardly. Her bottom lip quivered but she managed to control the urge to cry again. Instead of the peaches and cream complexion she was blessed with, her eye was encircled with various shades of blue and purple. Another long bruise ran down her jawbone. The entire right side of her face was puffy. There was a cut on her bottom lip. She closed her eyes and tried to figure out how to remedy the situation. She couldn't avoid her mother until all the bruises faded.
Brooke went to the bathroom and rummaged through the bottles of medicine in the cabinet until she found an antiseptic. She cleaned the cut on her lip and went into the kitchen to get some ice to apply to her face.
When she returned to her room she laid back down with the pack of ice on her face. She stayed that way for a good part of the morning then got dressed and began to figure out how she was going to try to cover the bruises with makeup. It took her almost an hour to get her face to resemble what it normally should. However, the colors of the bruises only faded, not disappeared. She would have some explaining to do.
When her mother came home that night, Brooke was ready. She had decided that, should she be asked, Chauncey had "accidentally" hit her with the door. She had been ready to open it to walk out as he entered the room. The door had hit her, and that was why she was bruised. Then she would laugh and comment on how she'd never be known for her grace. If her mother noticed anything at dinner, she never said. Things went as they normally would. The only question that got asked was, "Brooke dear, are you feeling better?" To which she answered, "Yes Mama, much better thank you. I guess that extra sleep was what I needed." However, when they went into the sewing room to begin the preparations for Brooke's wedding dress, the mood changed as soon as her mother got a good look at her under better lighting. "Oh my Lord! Brooke! What happened?" she asked, horrified. As her mother patted gingerly at her face and looked her over, Brooke told the story of the incident with the door. Just to make sure she sounded extra sincere she added, "Chauncey was so sorry, he must've apologized for an hour. I told him it would probably look worse than it was, and I'm sure it does."
~~Chapter Eight~~
Shortly after that talk with my mother she headed to bed. Brooke didn't want to have to think about what had happened anymore than she had to. "I'm going to leave tomorrow. Life with Chauncey is going to kill me. Literally." Brooke thought to herself.
The next morning Brooke went downstairs to kiss her mother goodbye, knowing that this was likely to be the last time she ever saw her. "Goodbye Mama, have a good day at work!" Brooke called out the door as her mother left. If her mother was at all surprised by her actions, she never mentioned it.
Brooke ran upstairs and changed into her disguise in record time. She pinned up her hair and put on her makeup to conceal her bruises, being careful not to look too feminine in the process. After all, she was going to be traveling as a boy, at least until she got out of this city.
As she walked to the train station, Brooke marveled at how free she felt. She didn't have to ride in a carriage; she didn't have to wait on a man to assist her for everything-it was amazing. When she arrived at the train station, she waited patiently for the train to call to boarding. She kept her eyes on the ground, worried that someone would figure out that she wasn't who she claimed to be. Finally the conductor called out her train. She boarded quickly and found her seat. "Good, a window seat. Now I can look out the window if I get bored." Brooke thought. She reached inside her bag and felt for the book she had brought to keep her occupied.
~Chapter Nine~
When the book lost it's thrill and the scenery turned into what seemed to be a never-ending mountain view, Brooke found herself without anything to do. So she curled up in her seat and took a nap.
The jolt of the train stopping awakened her. She looked around her, and listened to the conversations around her for an indication of what was going on. Someone mentioned lunch and Brooke came to the conclusion that the train was stopping in a town somewhere along the way so that it's passengers could feed themselves. A meal had never sounded better. Her stomach was growling, and the noticed that she had a headache.
She got off the train and stopped in the station to look around. "Where should I go?" She wondered. Her head was pounding. "First I've got to take down my hair. I'm far enough away that I doubt it will matter anymore, and my head is killing me." She said to herself.
Brooke took her cap off and dropped it in the dirt. She reached for the pins in her hair, never realizing the she was being watched.
~Chapter Ten~
He noticed her the minute she set foot of the train. At first he had thought her a boy, but even in trousers he noticed the subtle sway of her hips as she walked. He wondered why she would be traveling in disguise as a boy. "She must be running from something." He thought.
He watched as she took off her cap and tossed it to the floor. He tilted his head, wondering what she was doing. She reached into her hair and pulled something out. A few more movements like this and suddenly a cascade of autumn colors tumbled down her back. Tones of gold and red danced in the sunlight. His breath caught. Something inside of him knew that he had to meet this girl, to find out who she was.
~Chapter Eleven~
Brooke studied the town as the people around her rushed off to wherever they were headed. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten all day. Brooke clamped her hand over it guiltily. Surely there was someplace to eat in this town. There was only one way to find out, so she picked up her hat and set out into town.
As she began to walk off, Bandit followed her. He kept a safe distance until he could find out some way to approach her. He listened as she talked to herself. He thought he heard her mumbling something about lunch. "That's perfect! I can show her the way to that little place next to the hotel." He thought. He took a few quick more steps, and came around to the left side of her.
"You look a little lost ma'am." He said. Brooke jumped away, surprised by the stranger. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. "Pardon?" she said. "I said, you look a little lost. Can I help you find something?" he asked. Brooke couldn't take her eyes away from him. He had dark brown eyes, with little gold flecks that shimmered in the sunlight. She could get lost in those eyes. She let her gaze travel over his face. He had a bit of a five o'clock shadow, which she found surprisingly attractive. He had a rough quality about him, although his voice was soft and pleasant. "What is wrong with me? This guy's a complete stranger!" she thought. She turned her face straight ahead. "I don't even know you." She said. He stepped in front of her and yanked his hat off his head. "The name's Chris, but you can call me Bandit. That's what everyone calls me." He said. She stared at him. Finally she recovered her wits and said politely, "My name is Brooke." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Brooke was shocked. She never would have thought him so much of gentlemen, not with a name like Bandit.
"So, now that the introductions are made; may I show you the only place in this town that's worth eating at?" Bandit asked. Brooke sighed and said, "I suppose so, and I wouldn't have the slightest clue where to start looking." They walked in silence the rest of the way there. When they were seated and the food was ordered, they began to become better acquainted. "Can I ask you something?" he said. Brooke studied him skeptically. "What would you like to know?" she asked. He leaned across the table and said quietly, "I saw you get off that train. I saw that get-up. What are you running from?" Brooke's jaw all but fell onto the top of the table. She tried to play it off, hoping he hadn't noticed, and said coolly, "What does it matter to you?"
~Chapter Twelve~
The waiter brought the food but the conversation continued on as though they had never been interrupted. "Well, I look at it this way. You shouldn't be traveling by yourself. A girl like you could get hurt or taken advantage of easily." He said. Brooke raised an eyebrow. "A girl like me? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked. Bandit chuckled under his breath. "Let me tell you something Silver, you might think you're able to take care of yourself, but you're not. Just trust me on this. You need someone with you." He said. "I can take care of myself just fine, let me tell you a thing or two you chauvinist-wait a minute, you called me Silver. That's not my name!" she said. Bandit shrugged and said, "The name fits, those eyes of your are as silver as the coins I hear moving around in your pockets. You better keep those somewhere else; you're liable to get them stolen. And like I said, you need someone with you. That's where I come in."
"And since when did I decide that you came in anywhere?" Brooke asked. Bandit reached across the table and took a drink of her water. "I don't normally run in and take over things like this, but I don't want anything to happen to you. It's obvious you're traveling alone and that just ain't safe. There ain't no way I can let you walk out of here alone and not worry about you. I am not going to have something happen you, cause it'll be on my conscience." He said. Brooke was taken aback by his statement. "Why do you care so much? You don't know anything about me. You don't know where I've been, where I'm going...the only thing you know is that I'm alone." Brooke asked. There was a silent moment, then Bandit said, "Well we can change that. Tell me where you've been, where you're going and who you are."
Brooke looked across the table at him. Part of her was furious that he had the audacity to just waltz in and take over her plans, another other part of her was relived, and another part of her...well, she was ignoring that part of her. She was silent for a moment, but the longer she gazed into his brown eyes, the more she wanted to tell him everything. Brooke closed her eyes and gave in to the part of her that wanted to tell. She hadn't told anyone about what had happened, and the burden of it all was heavy on her soul. "Look, I can't talk about it here. Can we go somewhere else?" she asked. Bandit noticed the seriousness in her eyes and laid some money on the table for the bill. "Sure, let's go." He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and they went outside.
~Chapter Thirteen~
They walked along the main road that ran through town as the sun set, and Brooke told Bandit everything. Starting with the engagement and ending with when she set foot on the train and left her old life behind. Somewhere in the "he hit me" part, the tears began to fall. Bandit reached over and put his arm around her, trying to comfort her. Brooke leaned against him as they walked. Just as the last words of her story fell from her lips, they stopped walking. Bandit stood in front of her, wiped the tears from her face, and said, "Look at me Silver. I don't know if you want me around, but I ain't going nowhere. That guy could be out looking for you." Brooke said quietly, "I just want to start over. If you want to go with me, I'd like that." Bandit took her face in his hands. "If you want to start over, that's fine. But I'm going with you and I'll do whatever you need me to. Something inside of me not going to let me walk away from you." Brooke nodded, because she knew exactly what he meant, and deep down inside she wanted him to stay with her. She felt safe with him.
~Chapter Fourteen~
Since her train wasn't due to leave out until in the morning, Bandit suggested they sleep in the hotel next to the restaurant they had eaten in. When he suggested it, Brooke blushed five shades of red and he said quickly, "I don't mean it like that! I'll sleep on the floor!" She giggled and agreed that getting a room would be a better idea than sleeping in the alley. So they went inside and Bandit got them a room. The man behind the counter must have thought they were newlyweds or something, he kept giving Bandit a knowing look, thus making Brooke blush a deeper shade of red.
Bandit carried Brooke's things up the stairs to their room. Once she got everything in the order she wanted them they sat on the bed and talked more. She asked Bandit about his family. "Well, there ain't much to say. All I know is they died when I was real young. The only part of when I was little that I remember was being in the orphanage. I hated it there. It always smelled like dirty water and boiled cabbage. So when I was around 13 or so I ran away. I've been making it on the streets since then." He said. "Do you have any friends?" she asked. Bandit shook his head. "You're about the closest friend I have. I've never told anyone about my life, and I've never had anyone tell me about theirs." He said. Impulsively, Brooke leaned over and took his hand in hers. "I know this might sound silly, but I feel so close to you. I mean, it's like I've known you less than a day but you know more about me than any of my so called friends back home ever did." Bandit smiled and said, "You know what? We keep this up and I might go as far as to call you my best friend." Brooke laughed and said, "I would be honored." She jumped off the bed and did a small but still elegant curtsy in his direction. He rolled his eyes and tried to bring up another subject before she really got into giggling.
~Chapter Fifteen~
They talked for a few more hours and finally Brooke began to yawn. Bandit noticed and said, "Well are you ready to go to bed?" She smiled and stretched out on the bed. "Yeah, was it that obvious?" she asked. Bandit got up from the bed and looked down at her. "What?" she asked. He reached down and picked her up, setting her on her feet next to him. "It's too cold for me to sleep on the floor without a blanket, and I can't get one with you layin on top of them." He said. She stood there while he took a blanket off the bed, as well as one of the pillows. Once he got settled she crawled into the bed where she curled up in a ball and fell into a deep sleep
Bandit lay in the floor and listened to Brooke's breathing beAll That Glitters
~~Chapter One~~
"Brooke!" A feminine voice called from down the hall. Quickly, she shoved the bag of money into the drawer of her vanity table and resumed brushing powder across her face. She tried her hardest to smile brightly, aAll That Glitters
~~Chapter One~~
"Brooke!" A feminine voice called from down the hall. Quickly, she shoved the bag of money into the drawer of her vanity table and resumed brushing powder across her face. She tried her hardest to smile brightly, aend. That was better than nothing.
~Chapter Sixteen~
Noise out in the hall woke Brooke. She stretched out in the bed, then looked around in confusion. Where was she? The memories of the past night came back to her. Oh yes, the hotel. She rolled onto her stomach and peered over the edge of the bed to look at Bandit. He was curled up in a ball on the floor. She looked at him for a few moments, then his eyes popped open. She shrieked and hid under the blanket. There was a moment of silence, and she waited for him to speak. There was a scuffling noise then the blanket was yanked back away from her. "You were watching me!" Bandit said, laughing. Brooke's eyes widened in mock innocence. "I was just seeing if you were awake is all, I swear!" She said.
He didn't believe her for a second. "Well come on, get outta bed. Your train should be leavin soon, we don't want to miss it." He said. She swung her legs off the side of the bed and said, "WE?" He shrugged his shoulders as he began getting her bags together. She sighed and began to help him. As they were on their way out the door she realized she hadn't combed her hair or anything. She ran her fingers through the curls, untangling them. Bandit looked over at her. "What are you doing? You look fine, leave your hair alone." He said. Brooke stuck her tongue out at him as he turned his back and they walked out of the hotel.
The walk to the train station wasn't long, and after Bandit had purchased a ticket they waited for the train to board. Bandit pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. Brooke didn't notice at first, but when the smoke drifted into her face, she began coughing. Bandit dropped the cigarette as if he burned himself. "Are you ok?" he asked. She coughed a few more times and said, "Yeah, I'm allergic." Quickly Bandit stepped on the cigarette to put it out and said, "Well I won't smoke around you then." The whistle blew and the conductor announced that it was time to board.
~Chapter Seventeen~
Bandit settled into the seat next to Brooke. They rode in silence for a long time. Finally Bandit asked, "You ok?" Brooke turned away from the window to look at him. "Umm, yeah I think so. I'm just wondering if he's out there looking for me. What am I going to do when we get to New York?" she asked. He reached over and took her hand, ignoring the knots in his stomach as he felt the heat of her body. "It's gonna be ok. We will figure something out, I promise. And even if he is out there, I'll protect you. I swear it on my life." He said. She sighed, knowing that he was telling the truth, but still worried about what might happen. It was almost as if he could read her thoughts when he squeezed her hand gently and said almost in a whisper. "Nothin's gonna happen to you Silver."
Again, he had called her Silver. It was only then that she realized that she liked it. She glanced over at him. He had leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, a smile gracing the contours of his face. "What did I ever do to get so lucky?" Brooke thought. She leaned back in her seat, finding a comfortable place and sat in silence with him, content with the comfort of his presence and the fact that he was holding her hand.
~Chapter Eighteen~
Hours flew by, and before either of them knew it the train was coming to a stop. Bandit had fallen asleep, and Brooke tugged at his shirt sleeve. "Wake up! We're here!" Lazily he opened one eye and looked over at her. "Huh?" He mumbled. She sighed and said again, "We're here!" He rubbed at his eyes and leaned around Brooke to look out the window. They were pulling into the train station. Brooke looked out the window as Bandit began to gather their things. She had never seen so many people. They were milling everywhere, like ants. Brooke laughed to herself at the thought. There was a quick whistle behind her. She turned and Bandit grinned at her. "Let's go Silver. We have things to do."
As they stepped off the train Brooke took a deep breath of the air. Since this wasn't exactly the same was living out in the country as she was accustomed to, the dirt and such in the air sent her into a coughing fit. Once she recovered her wits Bandit took her hand and they began to find their way out of the station and into the city.
There were buildings everywhere, and the amount of people just amazed Brooke. She kept wanting to stop to look around, but Bandit kept pulling her forward. "If you stop it'll get dark and we need to find a place to stay. We should find a paper." He said. Up on the corner stood a small dark haired boy, yelling something about a fire that killed a family. "Oh, there!" Brooke said. The pair made their way over. Brooke walked up and said, "One paper please."
He presented the paper with a flourish and a little bow. "One penny please ma'am." She reached into her pocket and handed a shiny coin to him. Bandit walked up next to her. "Where should we look?" he asked her. Brooke opened the paper and began skimming the articles and sections. "Ah, 'scuse me? Can I help the two of youse ta find something?" Bandit jumped right in and said, "Yeah, we're looking for a place to stay for the night."
~Chapter Nineteen~
"Well, dat depends on how much money ya got to spend. I can direct ya to some boarding houses, some hotels and things like dat." The boy's accent was so thick Brooke had to rethink what he was saying to them before she could understand it. Bandit however, took up with the boy as though he was speaking the clearest English in the world. "Aight, so what do you think we should do? We ain't got too much money, and we're going job hunting in the morning. By the way, the name's Bandit." He said. The boys exchanged a handshake while the newsie introduced himself as Race.
Brooke could have sworn Bandit perked up a little. "Race? As in like the racetrack?" he asked. Race plucked his cigar out of his mouth and said, "Yeah, like da track. I got a weakness for dem horses. Too bad dey ain't got one for me." Before she could get a word in to remind Bandit and they needed a place to stay, the two boys were deep in conversation about racing. Brooke decided to just stand beside Bandit and read the paper until she could find a lull in their conversation to remind Bandit that they still needed a place to stay.
She became so caught up in a story about a fire in an old warehouse building that she didn't hear Bandit talking to her. "Silver? Hey!" he said. Quickly she was pulled back into reality. "Huh?" she asked. Bandit was grinning at her, and so was Race. "Like I was saying," Bandit continued and Brooke could hear the laughter in his tone. "Race here said we could stay at the lodging house he lives at, and if we want to we can become newsies. We'd go with some of them tomorrow and see what selling is like, then decide."
~~Chapter Nineteen~~
Brooke folded up the paper and stuck it under her arm. She looked over at Race and said, "Since introductions never were made, my name's Brooke." She stuck out her hand and the Italian took it and shook it firmly. "I noticed dat Bandit here called ya Silver. 'Round here we all got a nickname, we don't go by our real names." Brooke exchanged a glance with Bandit and he said, "You ok with that, bein known as Silver?" Brooke shook her head and smiled. "Yes, from this day forward I leave it all behind, and I'll be known from now on as Silver!"
Race looked a little confused at her statement but Bandit nodded, knowing what she was talking about. Her past was going to be a secret known only to her and Bandit.
"Well, let's get goin. I wanna get you guys all settled in, cause morning comes early for a newsie." Race said. He began to walk down the streets, darting into and out of alleys. Bandit and Silver hurried to keep up with him. When he finally stopped Silver said under her breath, "Ohmigod. Look, it's the Brooklyn Bridge." A grin spread across Race's face as he said, "Yeah, it's a beaut ain't it? Tha house is right down here. Now you know why it's called Da Bridge." Bandit took Silver's hand as Race began to go inside the building where they would be staying for the night. He could tell that she was nervous, and he felt the tension in her body. He tugged her close enough to whisper in her ear, "You ok?" She nodded and they followed Race inside.
~~Chapter Twenty~~
As they walked in Race called out, "Hey Luna? You 'round here somewhere?" From behind a desk off to the right of the room a girl popped into view. "Yeah I'm here." She said. Her brown eyes went from Race to the two people behind him. She smiled at them and said, "Welcome to Da Bridge Lodging House! I assume the two of you need someplace to stay." Bandit stepped forward to the desk and said, "Yeah Race said it would be alright if we stayed here." Race jumped in and said, "I happen to know you got at least one empty bunk in da goils room and we have two in our room Luna. Ya don't mind if they stay do ya? I'm takin em out tomorrow to show dem the ropes of what we do round here." Luna thought this over for a moment then said cheerfully, "Well, I ain't in the habit of turning people away, so you're both more than welcome to bunk up with us tonight. Like Race said, my name's Luna and I'm co-leader of this house. You'll meet the other leader Key sometime."
Bandit looked back at Silver and she came up to join him at the desk. Introductions were made and Bandit and Silver were signed in as lodgers for the night. As they climbed the stairs to the bunkrooms Luna went over the rules. "Bandit will stay in the room upstairs with the rest of the goils and Silver, you're in here with me." She waved the boys away and pushed open the door to the room. There were about ten girls in the room. Some were playing poker, others were sitting on the bunk talking. Luna whistled sharply to get everyone's attention and announced, "Listen up. Dis here's Silver and she's stayin with us for the night. I need someone to take her out in the morning and show her how we carry da banner here at da Bridge. Any takers?"
From a bunk over by the window Silver heard someone say, "Sure, I'll take her out. " The voice belonged to a blonde girl who was in the middle of a game of poker. Luna nodded in her direction and said, "Dat's Blaze. She'll teach you everything you'll need to know." She scanned the room, obviously looking for something or someone. "Hey, who's got an empty bunk?" There was a silence then someone piped up, "Spades' lower one is empty." A dark haired girl over in the corner by the window started mumbling, "Thanks a lot Goosey." Luna giggled and said, "Silver meet Spades Fia. Looks like you two are gonna be bunkmates for awhile. That is, if you like us enough to stick around." Silver eyed the dark haired girl curiously. Spades saw the look on her face and shrugged as she said, "Don't mind me, I had a lousy selling spot today since someone took my usual one. You're more than welcome to da bunk under mine." The two girls exchanged shy smiles. With that, the ice seemed to break as the girls surrounded Silver, welcoming her to the house. Within an hour she was settled in, talking with Blaze about what to expect the next day. Somewhere close to eleven Luna made the rounds, announcing it was time to bunk up for the night. Silver settled into her bunk and only then did she realize how tired she was. As she drifted off, she wondered how Bandit was doing in the guys' bunkroom.
~~Chapter Twenty-One~~
The next day was a blur. All Silver could remember was hearing Luna shout, "Time to get up! Carryin da banner!" She stumbled out of bed, and managed to get out the door with the rest of the girls. The next thing she knew she had papers, or papes as she was learning to call them, hoisted over her shoulder. What seemed moments later she was yelling out, "Child mauled by rabid dog!" She glanced over at Blaze, who was shaking her head. "What?" Silver asked, thinking she might have been doing something wrong. Blaze grinned and said, "That story's bout a kid who tried to take a sandwich from a dog and was bitten on the hand. But you're doing great at improvin' da truth a little." Silver looked around nervously and waited for her to continue. "Good job, I think you'll be a great newsgoil." Blaze said triumphantly.
Ten long hours later Blaze and Silver entered Tibby's, which Blaze explained was where everyone went to eat and cool off after a long day of work. As they approached the door Blaze laughed at the noise coming from inside. "Guess da guys beat us here." She said. The door swung open and they ended up meeting Blink. "Heya goils! How was the day?" Silver smiled and rubbed at her shoulders. "I hurt. That's how that day was." She said. Blink grinned at Blaze. "So you worked her hard, huh?" Blaze chuckled and said, "Yeah, and she's pretty good too." With a sigh Silver cut in, "Well thanks but could we get inside. I wanna sit down." The two girls said their goodbyes and went inside.
It was chaos, to put it simply. People were crammed into booths and crowded around tables talking about who had taken whose spot, and other gossip. Silver spotted Bandit over with Race and the two were laughing about something. She excused herself to go over. Race leaped up and offered her his seat next to Bandit. "For da lady." He said. Silver threw her head back, laughing. "Me? Well thanks Race. Although it's hard to feel very ladylike when you're all sweaty and dirty." She slid into the booth next to Bandit, who put his arm around her shoulders. "Let me tell ya Silver, you may be sweaty and dirty but so are the rest of us." A chorus of laughter came from those surrounding them. Silver ordered a sandwich to split with Bandit. The couple stayed at Tibby's for well over an hour before heading out back to the house. Bandit had whispered in her ear that he wanted to talk to her about something.
They walked along the alleys as the sun went down; talking about the things they'd learned that day. Silver said, "I never realized how pampered I was until I came here. It's like going from one extreme to another." Bandit nodded and said, "I can see how you'd feel that way, but this is nice for me. An honest living for the most part." Silver laughed. "How'd we ever end up here? You--a street kid and me-a spoiled little rich girl living in what could be called a world of golden luxury." He thought for a moment and said, "You found out that all the glitters is not gold. Your golden world turned into something tarnished." There was a silence while she pondered his words. They were so true. Her whole life story in just a few words.
With a smile she said, "Yeah, you're right. All that glitters is not gold, but if you're lucky it can turn into Silver!"
~~Chapter One~~
"Brooke!" A feminine voice called from down the hall. Quickly, she shoved the bag of money into the drawer of her vanity table and resumed brushing powder across her face. She tried her hardest to smile brightly, as she would expect most newly engaged women might do. With a sigh she thought, "I wonder what everyone would think if I burst into tears at the engagement party tonight?" For that was all she really wanted to do-cry. But she couldn't do that. She was expected to be happy with her engagement to Chauncey Eugene Smithsford III.
There was a knock at the door and before she could ask who it was, her best friend Savannah burst in. "Oh Brooke, isn't is splendid?" You and Chauncey are going to be so happy together!" she said. She smiled at her friend, hoping Savannah couldn't see right though her. "Yes, I'm absolutely thrilled, I just don't think it's hit me yet." she said. Brooke turned again to face herself in the mirror. She could see Savannah over her right shoulder. Savannah seemed to be studying her, looking for some kind of indication of what was running through Brooke's mind. Little did she know all Brooke could think about was the bag of coins in the drawer close to her. Brooke caught Savannah's eyes in the mirror and said brightly, "Well, are you going to help me do my hair for this engagement party or what?" Savannah giggled and came over to help figure out what to do with Brooke's long curly hair.
About an hour later Brooke was left alone to dress for the evening. She opened her closet and viewed the rows of fine silks and petticoats. If there was one thing she had learned over the years, it was the all the silks in the world couldn't buy happiness. They couldn't replace having never known your father or having your mother simply become the woman she passed in the hall each morning as she left for the two jobs she worked to keep Brooke in school. Brooke could look pretty on the outside but no one would want the real person inside: a bitter, untrusting young girl. But that was the side of her that remained hidden, just like that bag of coins. She reached in a chose a pale yellow dress with white lace edging. Chauncey always said that yellow brought out the red tones in her hair, and since she should be playing the part of adoring fiancée, she figured she might as well dress the part. She tugged on the petticoat and adjusted her corset. "I hate these things!" She thought. "If only I were a man, then I wouldn't have to be forced into this marriage or wear this corset!' But the thought was quickly dismissed as she noticed the time. She was due to be downstairs in less than five minutes. After she pulled on her boots and laced them, she faced herself in the mirror again. "Well, let's see how many people we can fool tonight."
The night had reduced itself to a blur of faces and congratulations by the time the last guest was ushered out the door. Brooke's face hurt from the smile she had been forced to keep plastered there all night, and if she had to feel Chauncey's hands on her waist any longer, she feared she was going to go crazy. The man disgusted her. She had yet to figure out exactly what it was about him: the squinty blue eyes, the rolls of flesh that strained against his clothes, but she suspected it was his smile. That smile that clearly said, "I'm above you and I know it." This man was to be her husband. "I'm expected to love, honor and cherish him?" she thought. If she hadn't been so close to tears she would've laughed.
~~Chapter Two~~
Brooke lay in bed that night, wondering by what cruel twist of fate she had ended up where she was. Her father had died when she was young, killed in a fight following a poker match. Her father had never learned that he had no talent for gambling, even if he did feel he was a gambler at heart. She didn't remember much about him, other than that fact that he always smelled faintly of cigars and the scotch he drank after dinner. She had taken to thinking of him as some sort of guardian angel, looking down over her. Brooke's mother, determined to provide the best life for her child, worked two jobs the majority of Brooke's life. It was by her talent as a seamstress that she was finally able to open her own shop and make some money. But the build of her reputation had taken many years and created a distance between herself and her daughter. She often said that it was luck that she came into money right before it was the time for Brooke to debut into society. So, dressed in the most stylish fashions, sewn by her mother's hands, Brooke had entered the Season and been declared a success. The first man to ask for her hand after the Season had been Chauncey. Brooke's mother, seeing the step up in society and security he would provide, convinced her to accept the proposal. Perhaps in time she could come to care for him, her mother said, but Brooke highly doubted that. There was something about him that made her spine stiffen when he walked in the room. But finally she consented to the engagement.
~~Chapter Three~~
A few more weeks and she would be Mrs. Brooke Smithsford. The thought made her stomach churn, but she had devised a plan. Very carefully she had saved the money she was given each week to spend as she pleased. She didn't really need the gloves and things the money would normally buy, and no one would ever be the wiser, at least not until later. As the days slipped away, Brooke realized that there were still details to be worked through. She had to money to leave, but where was she going and how was she getting there? Something about New York City had always appealed to her and she decided that was where she was headed. However, what she was going to do there, she had no idea. "I just want to get there first, then I'll figure something out." she decided. Each day she worked out a few more small details to her plan. After all, in her situation you couldn't exactly just walk away. It wasn't that easy.
Now that everyone in town knew of her engagement to Chauncey, Brooke found it was nearly impossible to go anywhere without her whereabouts being reported, as if she was a criminal or a lost puppy. The only way to get out and not be noticed was to go in disguise. It didn't take long to realize that she'd have to pose as a boy.
Upstairs in the attic was a trunk full of her father's old clothes, memories her mother couldn't destroy. As a child, Brooke had once dressed up in them and came down the stairs, nearly falling down over the long legs of the pants. Her mother had laughed at the sight, but even then Brooke noticed the tears in her eyes. That had been the last time she'd ever looked inside of the trunks in the attic.
Climbing the stairs in stocking feet, Brooke tried in vain to recall where the trunks were that held her father's clothing. But it had been too many years; she would have to search for them. After a long search, and a few sneezing fits due to the dust and mildew that had collected, she hit the jackpot. Most of the shirts had some ragged seams-her guess what the some mouse had needed something warm to sleep on-but everything was in good shape. Besides the shirts and two pair of pants, she found a cap and shoes. She took the cap but left the shoes, knowing that they would be useless. Quickly she gathered the clothing and retreated to her room. She shook the dust out of the clothes and laid them on her bed for a closer inspection. Everything seemed to be in place, except for a few missing buttons, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, after all her mother was a seamstress. She had been taught to sew years ago. After making sure the hallway was clear and her door was securely locked, she undressed. She pulled the slacks on first. They were a loose fit and hid the curve of her hips well. She muttered a small thank you under her breath and reached for a long sleeved white shirt. The sleeves ran a little long but that wasn't the major problem. She couldn't get the shirt to button over the swell of her breasts. The curse fell from her lips before she could stop herself. "Damn! Now what am I going to do?" she said.
She rustled around in her chest of drawers, looking for something to bind her breasts with. Nothing. If she could get downstairs into her mother's sewing room she could take a long scrap of fabric and try that. She opened her door and called down the stairs, "Is anyone home?" There was no answer. As though the devil himself were on her heels, she all but flew down the stairs and into the sewing room. In the pile of remnants her mother made quilts out of was a long strip of pale fabric, almost the same shade as her skin. She stuffed it in her pocket and raced back upstairs. The shirt came off and she began to figure out how she was going to manage this. Standing in front of the mirror again, Brooke lifted her arms and wrapped the fabric tightly around her. Hopefully this would be tight enough, it would've worked better with someone else to help but given the circumstances, that was impossibility. Once there was a knot tied securely under her arm, Brooke reached for the shirt again. It buttoned up without the slightest problem. Brooke studied her reflection and thought, "Not too bad; the make-up's got to go, and what I am going to do with all this hair?"
It seemed she had two choices. She could figure out some way to hide her hair under the hat or she could cut it all off. Brooke ran her fingers through the curls (well, as best as one can run their fingers through curly hair, they tend to get caught). She loved her hair, especially the ways the tones of red and gold mixed with the boring brunette color. It gave it a nice color, one that was unique to her. "Well if it's cut my hair or marry Chauncey..." she thought to herself. She ran downstairs and grabbed the pair of heavy silver scissors on the table and hid them under her bed as she heard her mother calling her.
~~Chapter Four~~
A few hours later, she returned to her room. Lighting the candles, Brooke thought to herself, "I've got to get this figured out soon or else I'll be stuck here forever...with Chauncey. Eww!" As she settled into bed that night she made a mental list of what she had to do, and how soon it could be done.
*A Week Later*
Brooke had checked on the price of a train ticket and discovered that she had more than enough money saved up for that. But would her disguise work? There was only one way to find out. She'd have to try it out.
Brooke had become somewhat of an expert at getting into her disguise. She could wrap, button and lace so fast one would think she'd been doing it all of her life. Of course that was only from practicing. The only problem she was still encountering was her hair. Sitting at the vanity table she tried in vain to hide it. "If I stuff it under the hat, I look like I have some kind of growth on my head." she thought with a giggle. No that would never do. Finally, as a last ditch effort to avoid cutting her hair she took small sections and pin curled them to her head, tucking the ends in. The result was small knot looking things, but with the hat on they were covered. "Yay! Now I don't have to cut all my hair off!" she cried to herself.
The house was empty that afternoon, and now that her disguise was complete, Brooke felt adventurous enough to go out into town. Walking along the street in front of her house felt odd, but she liked the freedom of being able to smell the fresh air and not being restrained by the skirts and corsets she normally had to wear. When she reached the center of town she headed over towards the railroad station. Brooke kept her eyes downcast, she was sure someone would figure out she was a woman if she looked at someone. As she entered the noise and bustle of the station she realized she'd have to talk to the man at the counter. Her voice! What was she going to do? She cleared her throat a few times as she walked up to the booth.
"What can I do for you, young man?" The elderly gentleman with wire-rimmed glasses stepped up and inquired. "Ahh, I need a ticket to New York City." Brooke said in her best deep voice. The man eyed her curiously. "You look a little young to be traveling alone. Why, your voice hasn't even changed yet." he said. Brooke's cheeks burned. Her mind was racing. She had to come up with a reason, and fast. "Well, I'm going to visit some family. My, uh, uncle." She said quickly. After a moment of silence, the man said, "Alright, well the ticket will cost you twenty dollars." Brooke handed him her money and took the ticket. "Now you be careful!" the man called after her as she walked away.
~~Chapter Five~~
When she returned home, Brooke hid the ticket along with what was left of her money, back in her vanity. The rest of the day passed quietly, and she could hardly contain her excitement. Her disguise had worked! She had exactly two weeks until her train would be due to leave. So little time, but most of what she had needed to do was finished. The clothes of her father's had been mended as best as she could, and packed in a bag in her closet. Really all she could do now was wait.
The next morning Chauncey appeared on her doorstep. She greeted him coolly, "Good morning Chauncey." His eyes roamed over the cut of her neckline and curve of her hips. "And a good morning to you, Brooke." He said. An uncomfortable silence followed and finally Brooke said, "Is there something I can do for you?" He smiled and every muscle in Brooke's body tensed. "Actually, yes, I wanted to talk to you about some of the details of the wedding." He said. Brooke eyed him skeptically. He'd never wanted to discuss the wedding before. What was going on? "Well, alright. Would you like to come inside?" Brooke asked. Normally, she wouldn't want Chauncey in her immediate vicinity, much less in her home; but social custom deemed that she must play the good hostess. And the man was her fiancé.
She offered him a drink as he took a seat on the sofa in the living room. He declined, and then jumped right into what he wanted to say. "I've been thinking, and I want to have only family at the wedding. No one else. More specifically Savannah." Brooke's temper got the better of her and she retorted, "This is as much my wedding as it is yours. Savannah is my oldest and most dear friend. No matter your personal problems with her, you shall have to put them aside for a few hours. I never understood what you don't like about her anyway. But regardless of how you feel, she will be at my wedding." Then it seemed the fight was on. Chauncey jumped to his feet and came to stand in front her. Although the top of her head barely grazed his shoulders, she wasn't about to be intimidated by this man. She raised her chin defiantly. He looked down on her and snarled, "She will not be there." Brooke eyes narrowed and if looks could kill she would've been shooting flames at this man. "If she's not there, then I won't be there either!" she said. Before she could realize what was happening, she felt a sharp pain and she fell to the floor. He had stuck her! As she lay there he continued to tell how how things would be. "You will not disrespect me in such a manner. I will tell you what to do and how to do them. If say no then the answer is no, period." He was practically screaming at her.
Her head was pounding, and she tasted something metallic. She raised her fingers to her lips. Blood. Once he finished his tirade, the room fell silent once again. All that Brooke could hear was the ragged sound of her breathing. Chauncey's eyes locked with hers. Before he could say anything or move toward her she said in a low voice, "Get out, now!" He opened his mouth to say something and she said, "NOW!" He turned on his heel and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
~~Chapter Six~~
She lay on the floor in shock for a few minutes, as the silence of the house enveloped her. He had hit her, made her bleed. She couldn't believe it. No one had ever raised his or her hand to her. She lightly touched the rest of her face with the tips of her fingers. "Ouch!" she exclaimed as she felt below her eye. Her cheek was a little tender and so was her jaw line on the right side, but everything seemed to be in working order. "I've got to go clean myself up before my mother comes home!" Brooke thought. She picked herself up off the floor and went to clean off her face and assess the damage her so-called loving finance had done.
The imprint of his open hand still lingered on her face, a bright pink color around the edges. She dabbed at the blood coming from her bottom lip with a rag and tried not to cry. But it was no use. The tears started slowly, and soon she was sitting in the bathroom floor sobbing. After what seemed an eternity, she took a few deep breaths and collected herself. She'd have to somehow avoid her mother for the night, until she could see exactly how much was going to show of what had happened. The easiest way to do that would be to tell her she wasn't feeling well and was going to rest, then to ask to not be disturbed. Brooke scrawled a note for her mother and left it on the table in the kitchen.
With that taken care of she went upstairs, undressed and crawled into bed. Around an hour later she heard her mother arrive home. As she heard the footsteps on the stairs, she rolled over and shut her eyes. The door opened and closed, then the footsteps walked away. Brooke sighed deeply. "What a day! I've been beaten, humiliated and now I've got to lie to my mother...can it get worse? Wait, I don't want to know." she thought. As the sun went down and shadows began to fill her room, finally Brooke slept.
~~Chapter Seven~~
When she awoke the next morning, her jaw was throbbing and her eye felt as though it was the size of a small orange. She went to look at herself in the vanity mirror. What she saw before her was disturbing. "I don't even look like me! I look like...God, I don't know what I look like, I just look horrible!" she said inwardly. Her bottom lip quivered but she managed to control the urge to cry again. Instead of the peaches and cream complexion she was blessed with, her eye was encircled with various shades of blue and purple. Another long bruise ran down her jawbone. The entire right side of her face was puffy. There was a cut on her bottom lip. She closed her eyes and tried to figure out how to remedy the situation. She couldn't avoid her mother until all the bruises faded.
Brooke went to the bathroom and rummaged through the bottles of medicine in the cabinet until she found an antiseptic. She cleaned the cut on her lip and went into the kitchen to get some ice to apply to her face.
When she returned to her room she laid back down with the pack of ice on her face. She stayed that way for a good part of the morning then got dressed and began to figure out how she was going to try to cover the bruises with makeup. It took her almost an hour to get her face to resemble what it normally should. However, the colors of the bruises only faded, not disappeared. She would have some explaining to do.
When her mother came home that night, Brooke was ready. She had decided that, should she be asked, Chauncey had "accidentally" hit her with the door. She had been ready to open it to walk out as he entered the room. The door had hit her, and that was why she was bruised. Then she would laugh and comment on how she'd never be known for her grace. If her mother noticed anything at dinner, she never said. Things went as they normally would. The only question that got asked was, "Brooke dear, are you feeling better?" To which she answered, "Yes Mama, much better thank you. I guess that extra sleep was what I needed." However, when they went into the sewing room to begin the preparations for Brooke's wedding dress, the mood changed as soon as her mother got a good look at her under better lighting. "Oh my Lord! Brooke! What happened?" she asked, horrified. As her mother patted gingerly at her face and looked her over, Brooke told the story of the incident with the door. Just to make sure she sounded extra sincere she added, "Chauncey was so sorry, he must've apologized for an hour. I told him it would probably look worse than it was, and I'm sure it does."
~~Chapter Eight~~
Shortly after that talk with my mother she headed to bed. Brooke didn't want to have to think about what had happened anymore than she had to. "I'm going to leave tomorrow. Life with Chauncey is going to kill me. Literally." Brooke thought to herself.
The next morning Brooke went downstairs to kiss her mother goodbye, knowing that this was likely to be the last time she ever saw her. "Goodbye Mama, have a good day at work!" Brooke called out the door as her mother left. If her mother was at all surprised by her actions, she never mentioned it.
Brooke ran upstairs and changed into her disguise in record time. She pinned up her hair and put on her makeup to conceal her bruises, being careful not to look too feminine in the process. After all, she was going to be traveling as a boy, at least until she got out of this city.
As she walked to the train station, Brooke marveled at how free she felt. She didn't have to ride in a carriage; she didn't have to wait on a man to assist her for everything-it was amazing. When she arrived at the train station, she waited patiently for the train to call to boarding. She kept her eyes on the ground, worried that someone would figure out that she wasn't who she claimed to be. Finally the conductor called out her train. She boarded quickly and found her seat. "Good, a window seat. Now I can look out the window if I get bored." Brooke thought. She reached inside her bag and felt for the book she had brought to keep her occupied.
~Chapter Nine~
When the book lost it's thrill and the scenery turned into what seemed to be a never-ending mountain view, Brooke found herself without anything to do. So she curled up in her seat and took a nap.
The jolt of the train stopping awakened her. She looked around her, and listened to the conversations around her for an indication of what was going on. Someone mentioned lunch and Brooke came to the conclusion that the train was stopping in a town somewhere along the way so that it's passengers could feed themselves. A meal had never sounded better. Her stomach was growling, and the noticed that she had a headache.
She got off the train and stopped in the station to look around. "Where should I go?" She wondered. Her head was pounding. "First I've got to take down my hair. I'm far enough away that I doubt it will matter anymore, and my head is killing me." She said to herself.
Brooke took her cap off and dropped it in the dirt. She reached for the pins in her hair, never realizing the she was being watched.
~Chapter Ten~
He noticed her the minute she set foot of the train. At first he had thought her a boy, but even in trousers he noticed the subtle sway of her hips as she walked. He wondered why she would be traveling in disguise as a boy. "She must be running from something." He thought.
He watched as she took off her cap and tossed it to the floor. He tilted his head, wondering what she was doing. She reached into her hair and pulled something out. A few more movements like this and suddenly a cascade of autumn colors tumbled down her back. Tones of gold and red danced in the sunlight. His breath caught. Something inside of him knew that he had to meet this girl, to find out who she was.
~Chapter Eleven~
Brooke studied the town as the people around her rushed off to wherever they were headed. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten all day. Brooke clamped her hand over it guiltily. Surely there was someplace to eat in this town. There was only one way to find out, so she picked up her hat and set out into town.
As she began to walk off, Bandit followed her. He kept a safe distance until he could find out some way to approach her. He listened as she talked to herself. He thought he heard her mumbling something about lunch. "That's perfect! I can show her the way to that little place next to the hotel." He thought. He took a few quick more steps, and came around to the left side of her.
"You look a little lost ma'am." He said. Brooke jumped away, surprised by the stranger. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. "Pardon?" she said. "I said, you look a little lost. Can I help you find something?" he asked. Brooke couldn't take her eyes away from him. He had dark brown eyes, with little gold flecks that shimmered in the sunlight. She could get lost in those eyes. She let her gaze travel over his face. He had a bit of a five o'clock shadow, which she found surprisingly attractive. He had a rough quality about him, although his voice was soft and pleasant. "What is wrong with me? This guy's a complete stranger!" she thought. She turned her face straight ahead. "I don't even know you." She said. He stepped in front of her and yanked his hat off his head. "The name's Chris, but you can call me Bandit. That's what everyone calls me." He said. She stared at him. Finally she recovered her wits and said politely, "My name is Brooke." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Brooke was shocked. She never would have thought him so much of gentlemen, not with a name like Bandit.
"So, now that the introductions are made; may I show you the only place in this town that's worth eating at?" Bandit asked. Brooke sighed and said, "I suppose so, and I wouldn't have the slightest clue where to start looking." They walked in silence the rest of the way there. When they were seated and the food was ordered, they began to become better acquainted. "Can I ask you something?" he said. Brooke studied him skeptically. "What would you like to know?" she asked. He leaned across the table and said quietly, "I saw you get off that train. I saw that get-up. What are you running from?" Brooke's jaw all but fell onto the top of the table. She tried to play it off, hoping he hadn't noticed, and said coolly, "What does it matter to you?"
~Chapter Twelve~
The waiter brought the food but the conversation continued on as though they had never been interrupted. "Well, I look at it this way. You shouldn't be traveling by yourself. A girl like you could get hurt or taken advantage of easily." He said. Brooke raised an eyebrow. "A girl like me? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked. Bandit chuckled under his breath. "Let me tell you something Silver, you might think you're able to take care of yourself, but you're not. Just trust me on this. You need someone with you." He said. "I can take care of myself just fine, let me tell you a thing or two you chauvinist-wait a minute, you called me Silver. That's not my name!" she said. Bandit shrugged and said, "The name fits, those eyes of your are as silver as the coins I hear moving around in your pockets. You better keep those somewhere else; you're liable to get them stolen. And like I said, you need someone with you. That's where I come in."
"And since when did I decide that you came in anywhere?" Brooke asked. Bandit reached across the table and took a drink of her water. "I don't normally run in and take over things like this, but I don't want anything to happen to you. It's obvious you're traveling alone and that just ain't safe. There ain't no way I can let you walk out of here alone and not worry about you. I am not going to have something happen you, cause it'll be on my conscience." He said. Brooke was taken aback by his statement. "Why do you care so much? You don't know anything about me. You don't know where I've been, where I'm going...the only thing you know is that I'm alone." Brooke asked. There was a silent moment, then Bandit said, "Well we can change that. Tell me where you've been, where you're going and who you are."
Brooke looked across the table at him. Part of her was furious that he had the audacity to just waltz in and take over her plans, another other part of her was relived, and another part of her...well, she was ignoring that part of her. She was silent for a moment, but the longer she gazed into his brown eyes, the more she wanted to tell him everything. Brooke closed her eyes and gave in to the part of her that wanted to tell. She hadn't told anyone about what had happened, and the burden of it all was heavy on her soul. "Look, I can't talk about it here. Can we go somewhere else?" she asked. Bandit noticed the seriousness in her eyes and laid some money on the table for the bill. "Sure, let's go." He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and they went outside.
~Chapter Thirteen~
They walked along the main road that ran through town as the sun set, and Brooke told Bandit everything. Starting with the engagement and ending with when she set foot on the train and left her old life behind. Somewhere in the "he hit me" part, the tears began to fall. Bandit reached over and put his arm around her, trying to comfort her. Brooke leaned against him as they walked. Just as the last words of her story fell from her lips, they stopped walking. Bandit stood in front of her, wiped the tears from her face, and said, "Look at me Silver. I don't know if you want me around, but I ain't going nowhere. That guy could be out looking for you." Brooke said quietly, "I just want to start over. If you want to go with me, I'd like that." Bandit took her face in his hands. "If you want to start over, that's fine. But I'm going with you and I'll do whatever you need me to. Something inside of me not going to let me walk away from you." Brooke nodded, because she knew exactly what he meant, and deep down inside she wanted him to stay with her. She felt safe with him.
~Chapter Fourteen~
Since her train wasn't due to leave out until in the morning, Bandit suggested they sleep in the hotel next to the restaurant they had eaten in. When he suggested it, Brooke blushed five shades of red and he said quickly, "I don't mean it like that! I'll sleep on the floor!" She giggled and agreed that getting a room would be a better idea than sleeping in the alley. So they went inside and Bandit got them a room. The man behind the counter must have thought they were newlyweds or something, he kept giving Bandit a knowing look, thus making Brooke blush a deeper shade of red.
Bandit carried Brooke's things up the stairs to their room. Once she got everything in the order she wanted them they sat on the bed and talked more. She asked Bandit about his family. "Well, there ain't much to say. All I know is they died when I was real young. The only part of when I was little that I remember was being in the orphanage. I hated it there. It always smelled like dirty water and boiled cabbage. So when I was around 13 or so I ran away. I've been making it on the streets since then." He said. "Do you have any friends?" she asked. Bandit shook his head. "You're about the closest friend I have. I've never told anyone about my life, and I've never had anyone tell me about theirs." He said. Impulsively, Brooke leaned over and took his hand in hers. "I know this might sound silly, but I feel so close to you. I mean, it's like I've known you less than a day but you know more about me than any of my so called friends back home ever did." Bandit smiled and said, "You know what? We keep this up and I might go as far as to call you my best friend." Brooke laughed and said, "I would be honored." She jumped off the bed and did a small but still elegant curtsy in his direction. He rolled his eyes and tried to bring up another subject before she really got into giggling.
~Chapter Fifteen~
They talked for a few more hours and finally Brooke began to yawn. Bandit noticed and said, "Well are you ready to go to bed?" She smiled and stretched out on the bed. "Yeah, was it that obvious?" she asked. Bandit got up from the bed and looked down at her. "What?" she asked. He reached down and picked her up, setting her on her feet next to him. "It's too cold for me to sleep on the floor without a blanket, and I can't get one with you layin on top of them." He said. She stood there while he took a blanket off the bed, as well as one of the pillows. Once he got settled she crawled into the bed where she curled up in a ball and fell into a deep sleep
Bandit lay in the floor and listened to Brooke's breathing beAll That Glitters
~~Chapter One~~
"Brooke!" A feminine voice called from down the hall. Quickly, she shoved the bag of money into the drawer of her vanity table and resumed brushing powder across her face. She tried her hardest to smile brightly, aAll That Glitters
~~Chapter One~~
"Brooke!" A feminine voice called from down the hall. Quickly, she shoved the bag of money into the drawer of her vanity table and resumed brushing powder across her face. She tried her hardest to smile brightly, aend. That was better than nothing.
~Chapter Sixteen~
Noise out in the hall woke Brooke. She stretched out in the bed, then looked around in confusion. Where was she? The memories of the past night came back to her. Oh yes, the hotel. She rolled onto her stomach and peered over the edge of the bed to look at Bandit. He was curled up in a ball on the floor. She looked at him for a few moments, then his eyes popped open. She shrieked and hid under the blanket. There was a moment of silence, and she waited for him to speak. There was a scuffling noise then the blanket was yanked back away from her. "You were watching me!" Bandit said, laughing. Brooke's eyes widened in mock innocence. "I was just seeing if you were awake is all, I swear!" She said.
He didn't believe her for a second. "Well come on, get outta bed. Your train should be leavin soon, we don't want to miss it." He said. She swung her legs off the side of the bed and said, "WE?" He shrugged his shoulders as he began getting her bags together. She sighed and began to help him. As they were on their way out the door she realized she hadn't combed her hair or anything. She ran her fingers through the curls, untangling them. Bandit looked over at her. "What are you doing? You look fine, leave your hair alone." He said. Brooke stuck her tongue out at him as he turned his back and they walked out of the hotel.
The walk to the train station wasn't long, and after Bandit had purchased a ticket they waited for the train to board. Bandit pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. Brooke didn't notice at first, but when the smoke drifted into her face, she began coughing. Bandit dropped the cigarette as if he burned himself. "Are you ok?" he asked. She coughed a few more times and said, "Yeah, I'm allergic." Quickly Bandit stepped on the cigarette to put it out and said, "Well I won't smoke around you then." The whistle blew and the conductor announced that it was time to board.
~Chapter Seventeen~
Bandit settled into the seat next to Brooke. They rode in silence for a long time. Finally Bandit asked, "You ok?" Brooke turned away from the window to look at him. "Umm, yeah I think so. I'm just wondering if he's out there looking for me. What am I going to do when we get to New York?" she asked. He reached over and took her hand, ignoring the knots in his stomach as he felt the heat of her body. "It's gonna be ok. We will figure something out, I promise. And even if he is out there, I'll protect you. I swear it on my life." He said. She sighed, knowing that he was telling the truth, but still worried about what might happen. It was almost as if he could read her thoughts when he squeezed her hand gently and said almost in a whisper. "Nothin's gonna happen to you Silver."
Again, he had called her Silver. It was only then that she realized that she liked it. She glanced over at him. He had leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, a smile gracing the contours of his face. "What did I ever do to get so lucky?" Brooke thought. She leaned back in her seat, finding a comfortable place and sat in silence with him, content with the comfort of his presence and the fact that he was holding her hand.
~Chapter Eighteen~
Hours flew by, and before either of them knew it the train was coming to a stop. Bandit had fallen asleep, and Brooke tugged at his shirt sleeve. "Wake up! We're here!" Lazily he opened one eye and looked over at her. "Huh?" He mumbled. She sighed and said again, "We're here!" He rubbed at his eyes and leaned around Brooke to look out the window. They were pulling into the train station. Brooke looked out the window as Bandit began to gather their things. She had never seen so many people. They were milling everywhere, like ants. Brooke laughed to herself at the thought. There was a quick whistle behind her. She turned and Bandit grinned at her. "Let's go Silver. We have things to do."
As they stepped off the train Brooke took a deep breath of the air. Since this wasn't exactly the same was living out in the country as she was accustomed to, the dirt and such in the air sent her into a coughing fit. Once she recovered her wits Bandit took her hand and they began to find their way out of the station and into the city.
There were buildings everywhere, and the amount of people just amazed Brooke. She kept wanting to stop to look around, but Bandit kept pulling her forward. "If you stop it'll get dark and we need to find a place to stay. We should find a paper." He said. Up on the corner stood a small dark haired boy, yelling something about a fire that killed a family. "Oh, there!" Brooke said. The pair made their way over. Brooke walked up and said, "One paper please."
He presented the paper with a flourish and a little bow. "One penny please ma'am." She reached into her pocket and handed a shiny coin to him. Bandit walked up next to her. "Where should we look?" he asked her. Brooke opened the paper and began skimming the articles and sections. "Ah, 'scuse me? Can I help the two of youse ta find something?" Bandit jumped right in and said, "Yeah, we're looking for a place to stay for the night."
~Chapter Nineteen~
"Well, dat depends on how much money ya got to spend. I can direct ya to some boarding houses, some hotels and things like dat." The boy's accent was so thick Brooke had to rethink what he was saying to them before she could understand it. Bandit however, took up with the boy as though he was speaking the clearest English in the world. "Aight, so what do you think we should do? We ain't got too much money, and we're going job hunting in the morning. By the way, the name's Bandit." He said. The boys exchanged a handshake while the newsie introduced himself as Race.
Brooke could have sworn Bandit perked up a little. "Race? As in like the racetrack?" he asked. Race plucked his cigar out of his mouth and said, "Yeah, like da track. I got a weakness for dem horses. Too bad dey ain't got one for me." Before she could get a word in to remind Bandit and they needed a place to stay, the two boys were deep in conversation about racing. Brooke decided to just stand beside Bandit and read the paper until she could find a lull in their conversation to remind Bandit that they still needed a place to stay.
She became so caught up in a story about a fire in an old warehouse building that she didn't hear Bandit talking to her. "Silver? Hey!" he said. Quickly she was pulled back into reality. "Huh?" she asked. Bandit was grinning at her, and so was Race. "Like I was saying," Bandit continued and Brooke could hear the laughter in his tone. "Race here said we could stay at the lodging house he lives at, and if we want to we can become newsies. We'd go with some of them tomorrow and see what selling is like, then decide."
~~Chapter Nineteen~~
Brooke folded up the paper and stuck it under her arm. She looked over at Race and said, "Since introductions never were made, my name's Brooke." She stuck out her hand and the Italian took it and shook it firmly. "I noticed dat Bandit here called ya Silver. 'Round here we all got a nickname, we don't go by our real names." Brooke exchanged a glance with Bandit and he said, "You ok with that, bein known as Silver?" Brooke shook her head and smiled. "Yes, from this day forward I leave it all behind, and I'll be known from now on as Silver!"
Race looked a little confused at her statement but Bandit nodded, knowing what she was talking about. Her past was going to be a secret known only to her and Bandit.
"Well, let's get goin. I wanna get you guys all settled in, cause morning comes early for a newsie." Race said. He began to walk down the streets, darting into and out of alleys. Bandit and Silver hurried to keep up with him. When he finally stopped Silver said under her breath, "Ohmigod. Look, it's the Brooklyn Bridge." A grin spread across Race's face as he said, "Yeah, it's a beaut ain't it? Tha house is right down here. Now you know why it's called Da Bridge." Bandit took Silver's hand as Race began to go inside the building where they would be staying for the night. He could tell that she was nervous, and he felt the tension in her body. He tugged her close enough to whisper in her ear, "You ok?" She nodded and they followed Race inside.
~~Chapter Twenty~~
As they walked in Race called out, "Hey Luna? You 'round here somewhere?" From behind a desk off to the right of the room a girl popped into view. "Yeah I'm here." She said. Her brown eyes went from Race to the two people behind him. She smiled at them and said, "Welcome to Da Bridge Lodging House! I assume the two of you need someplace to stay." Bandit stepped forward to the desk and said, "Yeah Race said it would be alright if we stayed here." Race jumped in and said, "I happen to know you got at least one empty bunk in da goils room and we have two in our room Luna. Ya don't mind if they stay do ya? I'm takin em out tomorrow to show dem the ropes of what we do round here." Luna thought this over for a moment then said cheerfully, "Well, I ain't in the habit of turning people away, so you're both more than welcome to bunk up with us tonight. Like Race said, my name's Luna and I'm co-leader of this house. You'll meet the other leader Key sometime."
Bandit looked back at Silver and she came up to join him at the desk. Introductions were made and Bandit and Silver were signed in as lodgers for the night. As they climbed the stairs to the bunkrooms Luna went over the rules. "Bandit will stay in the room upstairs with the rest of the goils and Silver, you're in here with me." She waved the boys away and pushed open the door to the room. There were about ten girls in the room. Some were playing poker, others were sitting on the bunk talking. Luna whistled sharply to get everyone's attention and announced, "Listen up. Dis here's Silver and she's stayin with us for the night. I need someone to take her out in the morning and show her how we carry da banner here at da Bridge. Any takers?"
From a bunk over by the window Silver heard someone say, "Sure, I'll take her out. " The voice belonged to a blonde girl who was in the middle of a game of poker. Luna nodded in her direction and said, "Dat's Blaze. She'll teach you everything you'll need to know." She scanned the room, obviously looking for something or someone. "Hey, who's got an empty bunk?" There was a silence then someone piped up, "Spades' lower one is empty." A dark haired girl over in the corner by the window started mumbling, "Thanks a lot Goosey." Luna giggled and said, "Silver meet Spades Fia. Looks like you two are gonna be bunkmates for awhile. That is, if you like us enough to stick around." Silver eyed the dark haired girl curiously. Spades saw the look on her face and shrugged as she said, "Don't mind me, I had a lousy selling spot today since someone took my usual one. You're more than welcome to da bunk under mine." The two girls exchanged shy smiles. With that, the ice seemed to break as the girls surrounded Silver, welcoming her to the house. Within an hour she was settled in, talking with Blaze about what to expect the next day. Somewhere close to eleven Luna made the rounds, announcing it was time to bunk up for the night. Silver settled into her bunk and only then did she realize how tired she was. As she drifted off, she wondered how Bandit was doing in the guys' bunkroom.
~~Chapter Twenty-One~~
The next day was a blur. All Silver could remember was hearing Luna shout, "Time to get up! Carryin da banner!" She stumbled out of bed, and managed to get out the door with the rest of the girls. The next thing she knew she had papers, or papes as she was learning to call them, hoisted over her shoulder. What seemed moments later she was yelling out, "Child mauled by rabid dog!" She glanced over at Blaze, who was shaking her head. "What?" Silver asked, thinking she might have been doing something wrong. Blaze grinned and said, "That story's bout a kid who tried to take a sandwich from a dog and was bitten on the hand. But you're doing great at improvin' da truth a little." Silver looked around nervously and waited for her to continue. "Good job, I think you'll be a great newsgoil." Blaze said triumphantly.
Ten long hours later Blaze and Silver entered Tibby's, which Blaze explained was where everyone went to eat and cool off after a long day of work. As they approached the door Blaze laughed at the noise coming from inside. "Guess da guys beat us here." She said. The door swung open and they ended up meeting Blink. "Heya goils! How was the day?" Silver smiled and rubbed at her shoulders. "I hurt. That's how that day was." She said. Blink grinned at Blaze. "So you worked her hard, huh?" Blaze chuckled and said, "Yeah, and she's pretty good too." With a sigh Silver cut in, "Well thanks but could we get inside. I wanna sit down." The two girls said their goodbyes and went inside.
It was chaos, to put it simply. People were crammed into booths and crowded around tables talking about who had taken whose spot, and other gossip. Silver spotted Bandit over with Race and the two were laughing about something. She excused herself to go over. Race leaped up and offered her his seat next to Bandit. "For da lady." He said. Silver threw her head back, laughing. "Me? Well thanks Race. Although it's hard to feel very ladylike when you're all sweaty and dirty." She slid into the booth next to Bandit, who put his arm around her shoulders. "Let me tell ya Silver, you may be sweaty and dirty but so are the rest of us." A chorus of laughter came from those surrounding them. Silver ordered a sandwich to split with Bandit. The couple stayed at Tibby's for well over an hour before heading out back to the house. Bandit had whispered in her ear that he wanted to talk to her about something.
They walked along the alleys as the sun went down; talking about the things they'd learned that day. Silver said, "I never realized how pampered I was until I came here. It's like going from one extreme to another." Bandit nodded and said, "I can see how you'd feel that way, but this is nice for me. An honest living for the most part." Silver laughed. "How'd we ever end up here? You--a street kid and me-a spoiled little rich girl living in what could be called a world of golden luxury." He thought for a moment and said, "You found out that all the glitters is not gold. Your golden world turned into something tarnished." There was a silence while she pondered his words. They were so true. Her whole life story in just a few words.
With a smile she said, "Yeah, you're right. All that glitters is not gold, but if you're lucky it can turn into Silver!"