Disclaimer: All of the characters I have used in my story belong to Disney, except for Joanna, Dodger, Slink, and Joanna's mother and stepfather whom I have created myself.
It was just after midnight and a new day was dawning. It was February 4. Joanna found herself sitting in an alley in Brooklyn, shivering in the cold. Her body shook violently with the strength of her sobs.
She would be 16 in week. Her brother would be 18. When they were little, they had hated sharing a birthday. Joanna began to dwell on the memories of her childhood before everything changed. Before Francis left.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
'"Francis! Wake up!" Joanna said to her brother as she shook him awake. "It's our birthday! I'm 6 and your 8! Come on and get up. Mamma's got a surprise for us." The little girl kept shaking her brother until he flung her away.
"Okay Okay. I'm awake," he grumbled. Then her words sunk in and he grinned a little. "Happy birthday Jo," he said. He hated sharing a birthday but his little sister loved it. Joanna grabbed her brother by the hand and dragged him down the stairs.
"Happy birthday children," their mother said smiling as Joanna flew down the stairs dragging Francis behind her.
"Mamma, what's our surprise?" Joanna blurted as she hugged her mother.
"You'll have to wait until Francis gets home from school to find out, darling. I can't give it to you with your father here so it will have to wait until later." Joanna's smile faded at the mention of her "father". Francis's face got beet red.
"He ain't our father Ma," he yelled. "Our father died two years ago and you got married to that bum."
"Hush Francis. He'll hear you." Joanna warned.
"I already heard him," boomed a voice from the stairs. A large man stood there looking as angry as Francis had a moment ago. Francis's face was completely white. "You ungrateful little brat. I feed you and clothe you and let you sleep in my house and this is the thanks I get? Well, no more. Get out of my house and stay out." The man punched Francis's jaw and grabbed him by the collar. He dragged him to the door and tossed him onto the street. He slammed the door as he turned around, his eyes blazing.
"Jonathon," Joanna's mother pleaded. "He's only a boy. Let him come home."
"Don't try and defend him Debra. He has crossed the line this time." Jonathon's eyes shifted to Joanna who was trembling behind her mother's skirts. "Do you want to follow your brother's example?" he asked her menacingly. She shook her head frantically and ran upstairs. She threw herself on her bed and cried for hours.
Francis never returned home and Joanna missed him horribly.'
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
It had been almost ten years since that terrible morning, but Joanna still cried when she thought about her brother. He was the only reason she had had to live in those days. When he had left, she had wanted to die. Now, her mother was dead and her stepfather was after her. So she left the home in Queens where she had grown up, and roamed New York looking for her brother. He had written one letter to her on her 7th birthday telling her he was in Manhattan for the time being.
She hoped against hope that he was still in the city. When they were little he had dreamed of going to Santa Fe so she had christened him Cowboy. She wished with all of her heart that he had stayed in New York.
The only problem now was that Joanna didn't know where Manhattan was. She didn't even know where she was right at that moment. So she just sat on the curb and cried.
******
Spot was walking along the streets around the pier. It was just after midnight. He hadn't been able to sleep so he decided to take a walk. As he was walking, he heard muffled sobs coming from one of the side alleys. He turned into the alley to see what or who was crying.
He almost didn't see her, she was huddled in such a tight ball in the shadows. But just as he was about to turn around, a lock of her copper colored hair fell over her shoulder and caught the moonlight so it sparkled. He walked over to her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
She jumped at his touch and turned around to see who it was. There was fear in her dazzling emereld eyes. Spot's breath caught in his throat when he saw those eyes, but he regained his composure in record time.
"You all right?" he asked her cooly, sitting down next to her.
She hesitated before answering, wondering if she could trust this boy. She decided not to push her already rotten luck. "Yes, thank you I'm fine."
"My name's Spot," he said. He spit in his hand and held it out to her.
"I'm Penny," she said, quicly coming up with a name for herself. She mimicked Spot and shook his hand. He gave her his infamous half-grin. "What are you smiling about?" she asked him.
"Your name. It matches your hair. It's the color of a penny." He touched a bit of her hair and she pulled away.
"Thank you for your concern, but I have to go," she said standing up and getting ready to walk away.
"Wait," Spot said standing up. "Do you got a place to go?"
"Well…not really," she admitted.
"Why don't you stay in the newsboys lodging house here in Brooklyn." She tought about it for a moment and then agreed. She Spot's outstretched hand and followed him to the Brooklyn lodging house.
**Chapter 1 is done. What did you think? Please review. This is my first attempt at writing a story so all suggestions are welcome. But be kind. Updates coming soon. The more you review, the faster I update so, review review review!!!**
It was just after midnight and a new day was dawning. It was February 4. Joanna found herself sitting in an alley in Brooklyn, shivering in the cold. Her body shook violently with the strength of her sobs.
She would be 16 in week. Her brother would be 18. When they were little, they had hated sharing a birthday. Joanna began to dwell on the memories of her childhood before everything changed. Before Francis left.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
'"Francis! Wake up!" Joanna said to her brother as she shook him awake. "It's our birthday! I'm 6 and your 8! Come on and get up. Mamma's got a surprise for us." The little girl kept shaking her brother until he flung her away.
"Okay Okay. I'm awake," he grumbled. Then her words sunk in and he grinned a little. "Happy birthday Jo," he said. He hated sharing a birthday but his little sister loved it. Joanna grabbed her brother by the hand and dragged him down the stairs.
"Happy birthday children," their mother said smiling as Joanna flew down the stairs dragging Francis behind her.
"Mamma, what's our surprise?" Joanna blurted as she hugged her mother.
"You'll have to wait until Francis gets home from school to find out, darling. I can't give it to you with your father here so it will have to wait until later." Joanna's smile faded at the mention of her "father". Francis's face got beet red.
"He ain't our father Ma," he yelled. "Our father died two years ago and you got married to that bum."
"Hush Francis. He'll hear you." Joanna warned.
"I already heard him," boomed a voice from the stairs. A large man stood there looking as angry as Francis had a moment ago. Francis's face was completely white. "You ungrateful little brat. I feed you and clothe you and let you sleep in my house and this is the thanks I get? Well, no more. Get out of my house and stay out." The man punched Francis's jaw and grabbed him by the collar. He dragged him to the door and tossed him onto the street. He slammed the door as he turned around, his eyes blazing.
"Jonathon," Joanna's mother pleaded. "He's only a boy. Let him come home."
"Don't try and defend him Debra. He has crossed the line this time." Jonathon's eyes shifted to Joanna who was trembling behind her mother's skirts. "Do you want to follow your brother's example?" he asked her menacingly. She shook her head frantically and ran upstairs. She threw herself on her bed and cried for hours.
Francis never returned home and Joanna missed him horribly.'
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
It had been almost ten years since that terrible morning, but Joanna still cried when she thought about her brother. He was the only reason she had had to live in those days. When he had left, she had wanted to die. Now, her mother was dead and her stepfather was after her. So she left the home in Queens where she had grown up, and roamed New York looking for her brother. He had written one letter to her on her 7th birthday telling her he was in Manhattan for the time being.
She hoped against hope that he was still in the city. When they were little he had dreamed of going to Santa Fe so she had christened him Cowboy. She wished with all of her heart that he had stayed in New York.
The only problem now was that Joanna didn't know where Manhattan was. She didn't even know where she was right at that moment. So she just sat on the curb and cried.
******
Spot was walking along the streets around the pier. It was just after midnight. He hadn't been able to sleep so he decided to take a walk. As he was walking, he heard muffled sobs coming from one of the side alleys. He turned into the alley to see what or who was crying.
He almost didn't see her, she was huddled in such a tight ball in the shadows. But just as he was about to turn around, a lock of her copper colored hair fell over her shoulder and caught the moonlight so it sparkled. He walked over to her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
She jumped at his touch and turned around to see who it was. There was fear in her dazzling emereld eyes. Spot's breath caught in his throat when he saw those eyes, but he regained his composure in record time.
"You all right?" he asked her cooly, sitting down next to her.
She hesitated before answering, wondering if she could trust this boy. She decided not to push her already rotten luck. "Yes, thank you I'm fine."
"My name's Spot," he said. He spit in his hand and held it out to her.
"I'm Penny," she said, quicly coming up with a name for herself. She mimicked Spot and shook his hand. He gave her his infamous half-grin. "What are you smiling about?" she asked him.
"Your name. It matches your hair. It's the color of a penny." He touched a bit of her hair and she pulled away.
"Thank you for your concern, but I have to go," she said standing up and getting ready to walk away.
"Wait," Spot said standing up. "Do you got a place to go?"
"Well…not really," she admitted.
"Why don't you stay in the newsboys lodging house here in Brooklyn." She tought about it for a moment and then agreed. She Spot's outstretched hand and followed him to the Brooklyn lodging house.
**Chapter 1 is done. What did you think? Please review. This is my first attempt at writing a story so all suggestions are welcome. But be kind. Updates coming soon. The more you review, the faster I update so, review review review!!!**