I've been doing a lot of one shots lately...Even though I should be working on my original fics of mine on here...Guess you could say that making one shots is helping my writers block.
Anywho! Enjoy, friends :)
My name is Estrella Satin and the year is 1900. I'm fourteen years old, living in France with my brother Fredwick, but to everyone else he was Fire so after a while I got used to calling him by his nick-name instead of his real name. When I was eight my mother died and when I was fourteen, which wasn't long ago, my father died too. But my life changed one summer when Fire ran up to me as I laid down on a dirty blanket looking at some pictures of my parents and of some famous people.
"Estrella! Estrella!" My brother's voice ringed in my ears and I turned over to see what he wanted. Together we lived in an old clock tower with a few other orphans. Most of us were starving theives leaving on the edge. We found ourselves here a week after our parents had left this world.
My brother waved two tickets in my face, shouting, "I won! I won!"
I groaned, sitting up, annoyed that he had interupted my alone time. "What did you steal this time?" I asked him.
He chuckled and said to me, "I didn't steal these, Estrella! I won them! In a poker game! These couple of dumb asses didn't think I was smart 'nuff to beat 'em, but I did. They were so angry that I won I had to run outa there like lighting!"
"Hrmm. Maybe people should start calling you lighting now?" as I was about to turn back around, Fire grabbed my shoulder and forced me back. "What is it now?" I asked with an irritated voice.
"Guess what these tickets will lead us to?"
"A play?" I guessed. He shook his head. "A ticket for free food?" I guessed again and he still shook his head. "What then?" I asked, wanting to know.
"You and me are going to...America." and with the word 'America' he sounded it out really long and proud. I laughed at him and told him to keep on dreaming and that those tickets were probably fake.
"They ain't fake, Estrella. They the real deal here!" he told me.
I couldn't help but almost believe him. Just then the clock stroke 12, letting everyone know it was time for lunch. And at that very moment, with all the ringing in my ear from the bell the thought of sailing to this America sounded fun. I was always up for an adventure.
So that's where life took me that day. The day my brother ran up to me, waving tickets into my face and the biggest grin I will never forget.
A month and a half later I found myself standing near the docks, fresh off the boat. We had already gone through the expectations' (which seemed to take forever and now my stomach was growling) and now we were left with nothing to do or anywhere to go. We had heard that this America, this New York City was paved in gold and people wore red robes and everyone was happy. It was quite the opposite. Everyone looked hustled. Woman fought to keep control over their children, men were at work and kids about my age were holding stacks of news papers and shouting out things that were probably from the paper. I saw them getting paid for it too and wanted to do it right away, but I didn't know where to go. I was lost in this new world with only my brother to guide me.
"Who are they?" I asked my brother, tugging on his shirt. He simply shrugged replying to my question. "They seem t'be getting paid! And I'm hungry!"
My brother looked around in his pockets and pulled out the ten cents our parents has saved for us, telling us to use this American money. It would only last us a day and we had that much time before we would have to go looking for a job. "Five cents for you and five cents for me."
"Great! Let's find a place to sit down and eat!" We locked arms, walking away from the dock in search for a meal.
When we did it was a small bakery. I figured the sign high above the door was in Italian and I couldn't read it. We walked in anyway and saw a plump blonde woman selling goods to customers. When it was our turn she simply looked down at us from the counter and glared. She said, "What can I get yee?" she said in an accent I had never heard before. (Guess I would have to get used to that.)
"Bread." my brother said in the best of English that he could. We had made a promise to ourselves that we would only speak English here in America unless in secret.
The plump woman scoffed at us. "Bread." she said, as if it were a question. "look all 'round yee boy, deres plentah o' bread heah!" she laughed and her stomach jumped up and down and so did her double chin and fat little cheeks. I wanted to take a needle to her and pop her, just too see what happened, but my brother started talking again and I came back to reality.
"That one!" he said, pointing towards a loaf that sat on a shelf behind her. The old woman turned around, looking at the bread he had pointed at and my brother snatched a muffin off the front counter and quickly stuffed it in his bag. The old woman turned back around, not noticing the missing muffin and said, "That'll be five cents, boy." she said. Boy. As if that were his name and mine Girl.
My brother then handed the lady the five cents and she swapped it from his hands, inspecting it. She then shoved it in her chash drawer and turned to take down the bread and wrapped some plane white paper around it. As she did this, Fire took another muffin and stuffed it in his bag again. I looked at him and he looked at me. My eyes became wide and my mouth became half a smirk. Then the lady handed us our bread and we turned away from each other to look at her. My brother took the bread and smiled at the plump lady and we were on our way.
A few moments later after we had headed back outside, we were knocked over by someone. I looked hard and saw a boy with a red bandana around his neck.
"Woops! Sorry 'bout that goil!" he picked himself back up and continued running. Another moment later we were knocked over again. (I heard my brother curse in French.)
Just as quickly as we were taken down the first time we were knocked over again. This time by two other boys.
"Outa the way!" the older one yelled.
"Yeah! You betteh-" but before he could say more we locked eyes. For a moment I could no longer hear the hustle and bustle of the streets; only the sound of my own breath. He got up soon after just like the other one and ran in the directions the boy with the red bandana was headed off too. They then disappeared from both of our sights around the corner.
As the day started to come to a close we found ourselves without shelter. I was afraid of spending my first night in New York City out on the streets.
"Look!" my brother said, pointing to a building.
I struggled to read the letters on the board. "Manhattan boys lodging house." I said.
"Let's go there." Fire suggested.
"But we don't have any money." I told him.
"Don't worry about that." he said to me. He then took my hand and led me to the lodging house.
As we entered an old man looked up from his desk. On his desk was the name: Kloppman. "How can I help you kids?" he asked us.
We walked a bit forward and then Fire spoke, "We need a place to stay." he said loud enough for the old man to hear.
He nodded. "Sure. It's ten cents per person per night."
I felt my hope being swept away from me as he said this. "We don't have that kind of money." I told him, pleading him to let us stay. "Just one night." I begged him.
Before the old man could say more I heard a voice come from behind us. "Don' worry 'bout it Mr. Kloppman. I'se can take care o' these two." We turned around and I realized that it was the boy with the red bandana around his neck. He must have noticed me and my brother because he got a smile on his face. "Ah! You'se the two I'se ran into t'day." he walked up to both of us and shook our hands. He then dug into his pocket and pulled out thirty cents. He put it on Mr. Kloppman's desk and told us to come head up stairs.
We did as we were told and found other boys up there as well.
"Pups and kitten's, this heahs our new bunch of sellin' newsies!" he said to the others. Some boys clapped, others just nodded. There was something else that I noticed too: I was the only girl. Out of all the heads I counted I saw not one other female. "Names jack Kelly." said the boy with the red bandana.
My brother spoke up before I had a chance. "The names Fredwick, but you'se can call me Fire. And dis here is my younger twin, Estrella."
"She got a nick name too?" asked a newsie off in the crowd. I shook my head. "Well she's gotta have a nick name." said another boy.
Jack Kelly walked up to me and peered right into my eyes. "I know," he said. "We'll call dis lil one, Star." I liked the nick name he had givin me and blushed a little bit. I then yawned and so did a few others. It was getting late and we would have to get up bright and early in the morning.
A few months had past and we had found ourselves a couple of natural born newsies. Cow boy was astounded by us and Racetrack enjoyed our company, my brother the most though, seeing how they both loved to gamble. Kid Blink was always a catch, but exactly my taste. Then one day I happened to run into the most peculiar boy. His name was Oscar. At first I was so shy to even look at him, but then one day he waltz right up to me and tipped his hat.
"G'mornin' miss." he said. His chocolate brown eyes looked up into my own. I turned away from him and blushed. "Aw. Newsie goil t'good ta talk to a guy like me?"
I shot a look at him, telling him that I was busy with my selling, but little did I know that that look would be the start of our secret relationship. I got used to Oscar and his games and tricks and suddenly found myself playing them too. It was fun and I found the long hard days more enjoyable and going by faster.
Not wanting anyone to know about us, I usually snuck out, no matter the day or hour. Tonight though was special. He had told me to meet him at the first place that we had met. No, not time square where I was selling my papes, but the little bakery shop that Fire and I first went to when we arrived in New York City. That was the day Oscar ran into me.
As I stood in the back, watching Medda's show, I watched my brother up there right beside her, singing and dancing. If he were of age I have no doubt he'd as her to marry him. My brother was in love with her, I could tell, but she was out of his ledge which he knew obviously but never stopped trying. Guess that's why people call him Fire. He never goes out.
Anyway, like I was saying; I was standing there, watching everything fly by me. Life was better here in America. Then suddenly I felt a hand tug on my sleeve. I looked back and my heart skipped a beat. "Oscar?" I breathed. "Why are you here?" I asked him.
"I couldn't wait any longer and I wanted to come see you." he looked down at me with puppy dog eyes.
I blushed. "Let's get outa here b'fore someone sees us." He took my hand and led me out of the building. I felt the cool summer air touch my face as we came outside and started walking to time square.
When we arrived he stopped and turned to look down at my hands. He had a look of confusion on his face. "Star..." he said. He then looked at me and a little smile crept on his face. "I'se been meanin' to tell ya somethin' for some time now...jus' neveh knew how..."
"Yes...?" I pressed him on.
"...I love you." The words came out so fast I didn't have time to make him stop. Perhaps I was just as nervous and scared as he was.
"I love you too..." I heard myself say back to me. After that, saying those words didn't seem so hard to say anymore and I said it again. "I love you..."
Oscar's face went beat red and he suddenly cupped my face and kissed me right on the spot! The kiss was long, wet and warm. After what seemed like forever of just standing there, we finally broke away from our kiss. I touched my lips and blushed and Oscar pulled me into a hug.
"Well, Star..." he started, "What do we do now?" he asked.
I smiled and said, "Kiss me again." And he did.
