Chapter One
Lying in her bed, Ray stared up at the water stain on the ceiling just above her. She had been in the orphanage for two years, and every night she dreamed of leaving.
"I have to get out of here!" She whispered.
"Ray? You still awake?" Genna, Ray's best friend since coming to the orphanage, sat up in the bed next to her. Her round face was framed by her curly brown hair. She often had a little pout on her lips, and she looked at Ray with admiring brown eyes.
"Yeah" Ray sighed.
Genna got out of her bed and wiggled under Ray's sheet with her. "I overheard Mrs. H. say that someone is coming tomorrow who wants to adopt a girl." She said, a bit of excitement in her voice.
"Yeah, but I'm not going to be here by then." Ray replied.
"What? What do you mean, of course you will!" Genna's brow wrinkled into a frown as she turned her head to look at her friend.
"I hate this place, I have to get out of here! I'm sneaking out tomorrow, as soon as I can. Mrs. H. is always busy with everyone else, so she won't notice I'm gone for a long time, maybe even 'till the next day!"
"You can't leave! You might get adopted." Genna protested.
Ray put her finger to her lips, "shhh, you'll wake up the others!"
There was a moment of silence, and then Ray replied, "No one wants to adopt a 16 year old. I can't stay here. I don't want to be adopted anyway, I want to be my own person!"
"Where will you go? What if you get caught? When you came to this orphanage we became friends right off, I don't wanna be here without you!" Genna pleaded.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, and it's not like I'm going to Santa Fe, I'll come and visit!" Ray replied.
Genna's frown deepened, "You'll get caught, you can't come visit!"
"Relax, I'm good, I won't get caught!" Ray said proudly.
"But…" Genna began to protest again but Ray cut in, "You could come with me, we could get jobs, and make something of our lives!"
"I can't, I'm still waiting for the right people to come for me. I've been here almost 15 years, and I havn't lost hope yet! My family is out there somewhere!"
Ray nodded, "I'll miss you!" she whispered.
There was a long pause, then Genna smiled, "Let's talk about boys!" she said.
Ray laughed out loud, "do you ever think of anything else?" she smiled.
For the last time the two girls laid in bed talking and laughing until they both fell asleep, just as they had done every night for two years.
*~*
Jack sprinted up the stairs to the boys' lodging house, avoiding an occasional sleeper. Racetrack sat at the far end of the room gambling with a few others.
"Hey what happened ta yer face Cowboy?" Racetrack questioned.
Jack reached up and felt his face, blood trickled down from more than one gash. "Ah, just had a little run in wid a couple old friends!" Jack said, walking toward the small circle of boys and sitting on a nearby bunk.
"A couple did dat to ya?" Racetrack asked puzzled, "You must not be yerself today Jacky!"
"Yeah well dey had a few new pals." Jack said, taking off his shoes and throwing them.
Suddenly one of the boys stood up, "I'm through with this, take yer lousy money!" he shouted, throwing down his dice and storming off.
Race counted out 50 cents, "You still owe me ten cents, but don't worry, I'll consider dat a loan!"
Jack laughed, "take it easy on 'em Race!" He joked. "Hey, where's da others?"
Race looked up, "still sellin' their papes I guess."
One of the two boys that were still playing stood, "or dey're just smaut enough ta stay away when I gamble wid you, ya lousy cheata!" He lunged at Race and they tumbled onto the floor together.
Jack laughed, "hey Race, ten cents that Johnny wins!"
"Wait, hold!" Race yelled, ducking a punch. "fifty cents that me 'n Jack soak you 'n West, whatta ya say?"
West, a short kid with a red nose and constant sneer on his lips jumped up, "deal!" he said and reached for Race's hand.
"Wait!" Johnny yelled, pushing them apart. "West is new, he don't know about da Cowboy!" He said, looking nervously from West to Jack, sitting on the bunk and smiling. "Can't take da heat Johnny boy?" Jack asked, standing.