Rain. It was raining. No, it wasn't a light drizzle. It was a full on down pour. The rain was cold and the wind was dreadful. It was Christmas which meant it was December. December in New York was a nightmare. It was below freezing at night and the rain didn't help. The wind she fought against felt like glass cutting her skin. She was running. The tight curls in her hair were falling on her face. Her lavender dress was stuck closely to her body. Her well put on makeup was running down her face. She looked terrible, but at the time she didn't care. She needed to get away.

She didn't know where she was going, she was lost. She noticed that the buildings weren't as nice as the ones in her neighborhood. She started to get scared but she didn't care. She needed to get away from where she was living. Her heels were hurting her. She stopped for a minute to take them off. She heard the sound of whistles and horses close behind her. She picked up her heels and started running again. Her breath was getting short and heavy.

She didn't know where to go. She saw an alleyway and turned into it. She ran into a boy. They both fell over. She quickly got up and scurried behind a trash bin. He was confused. He stood up and walked over to her. They both heard the whistles and the horses. She started to panic, the tears flooded her face. The boy keeled down beside and held out his hand.

"Come wid me. I'll git youse somewhere safe." He said lowly. She didn't know him, how could she trust him. She shook her head. The horses and whistles were really close. She saw the shadows of the horses at the end of the alley.

"Come on! It's now or neva!" He whispered. She took his hand and they ran off. They ran through alleyways and back streets. She had no idea where she was but she knew the police wouldn't find her. She was still holding on to the boy's hand. She looked at him. He wasn't much taller than her. In fact, he was just about her size. He wore a vest and a pocket watch. His pants were a bit to big for him so he wore a belt. He had a filthy hat on. His hands were covered in dirt and what she suspected, ink. He smelled like a mix of a cigar and newspapers.

He stopped running and turned to her. He looked her over.

"Youse okay?" He asked as he lit a cigar he pulled out of his pocket. She nodded. She wiped her eyes and tried to get as much makeup off of her face as possible with out a mirror. She didn't want to look to horrible in front of the stranger that had just saved her. He had his back to her. She sniffled and wiped her nose. She had stopped crying while they her running. They were now standing in an alley. The boy looked out and motioned her to follow him. She didn't argue, she followed the boy close behind.

He lead her to a large building. There was a sign that hung above the door. It said, "Newsboys' Lodging House." The boy walked up to door and opened it. He bowed and put his hand out.

"Afta you Miss." She nodded and gladly walked in.

Please review. (: Sorry for it being so short. It will get longer, I promise.

~Miya