The blade slashed across her wrist drawing the blood to the surface. A
small incision was visible and she severed deeper and deeper. The cold
touch of the steel calmed her beating heart. She flicked the switchblade
into the street where it landed with a clank. This was how she would die.
Alone in the streets. Unnoticed and unimportant. By herself. Colors swirled
around her and she became increasingly dizzy until finally the world went
black.
Much later she awoke, bright lights shining into her eyes, nearly blinding her. She saw a passing man and went up to him, asking "Is this heaven?"
"Far from it, honey. New York City," the man answered and walked off chuckling to himself.
She glanced down at her wrists, thin precise cuts were visible and scarlet drops of blood littered the sleeves of her white blouse. She rolled the sleeves back to reveal more cuts from previous nights similar to this one, but no attempt had ever been so serious, so desperate as last night. Secrets were just far too hard to bear. She wanted out. She needed out. And it seemed like this was the only way.
The world passed by her fast and emotionless, people hurrying to get to work. First things first, she thought, time to get cleaned up. She walked to the nearest boarding house, attempting to find a place to stay. As long as she had to live she might as well live right.
"Any openings, ma'am?" she asked the lady at the desk of Wilkhert's Boarding.
The lady studied her ledger. "We've got an opening in room six. I'll give you a discount rate of a dollar a week. You have a job, I'm amusing?"
"That's where I'm headed," she answered. She knew the woman would interpret that as she was going to work rather than to go find work, but at least she wasn't lying straight out. She was just manipulating the truth a bit.
"Anything you need Jayce to bring in for you?" the lady asked her.
She shook her head. "I travel light. I'll be back by dark."
And with that she headed out to make a new life for herself in a new town.
Walking several blocks she looked for any shop windows with an advertisement for needing help to no avail. Eventually she passed by a nightclub with a sign outside that read, "Waitress needed."
She sighed. "It may not be the most reputable place, but I don't have many options right now." She walked through the door and towards the man who looked to be the manager. "You're looking for a waitress?" she asked.
He gave her a once over. "Yeah," he said back, once again looking her over.
"Well, I'm looking for a job," she stated, trying to draw his attention away from checking out her body.
"Then you've got the job, toots," the man said as he walked by her and intentionally brushed past her chest. "Chris'll show you how we work."
A dark haired man in his early twenties smiled and waved to her, hopping down from his seat on the bar.
"Is this that obscene of a place? I mean, I know it's a nightclub but still.."
Chris grinned. "Don't worry, we're more of an eating and dancing place. You don't have to run around stripping. Mr. Orion just isn't the most gentlemanly guy you'll ever meet. Most of the customers behave better than that." A small smirk crept across her face. "Before you get too cocky lemme show you the ropes."
"I resent that," she said, but her tone showed she was mostly joking around.
At that moment Chris looked at the blood speckled sleeves and noticed the fresh scars and old wounds on her wrists. "You aren't..?"
"Suicidal," she offered.
"Yeah. You aren't, are you?"
"Depends on my mood," she answered, trying to appear nonchalant.
He looked at her suspiciously. "And at the moment?"
"Would I be trying to get a job if I was planning on dying soon?" she said and he nodded.
"All right, that's that then. Now for your job. Do you have any waiting experience?" She shook her head in a distinctive no. "Okay, then let's get started. We normally get busy around nine, but shift starts at eight. I'll show you the ropes that hour so you can leave for now. Go and wash up and change your shirt, if you could."
"I can't," she answered.
"No place to stay?" he asked.
"No possessions," was the curt answer.
"No problem, here's one for you to wear," he said, removing his button down shirt. She stared in shock at his gorgeous, well-defined abdomen. She stared for nearly two minutes before he tossed the shirt at her face. "I just put it on, it's not dirty," he teased in the same way someone would say 'I don't bite.'
"Thank you," she said, trying to cover her blunder. "See you at eight."
"Yeah, at eight," he repeated. As she walked out the door he added, almost as if it was an afterthought. "What's your name, kid?"
"Shannyn," she said simply.
Chris climbed around the counter and over to her. "Well, Shannyn, you can call me Mush. Nearly all the boys do."
"The boys?" she asked, surprised.
He grinned. "The newsboys. I'm one of 'em actually. I just sell mornings and work here nights. I was in here early since we were short on help. Can't wait for you to meet 'em," he said. He took her hand and kissed it in a flirtatious manner.
She blushed. "Eight o'clock,' was all she said as she walked out of the club and into the street.
A/N: Bet you weren't expecting that to be Mush, eh? Truthfully I wasn't either, but it is! Haha. Okay, this is my first attempt at newsie fanfiction so please review and let me know what you think!!
-
Much later she awoke, bright lights shining into her eyes, nearly blinding her. She saw a passing man and went up to him, asking "Is this heaven?"
"Far from it, honey. New York City," the man answered and walked off chuckling to himself.
She glanced down at her wrists, thin precise cuts were visible and scarlet drops of blood littered the sleeves of her white blouse. She rolled the sleeves back to reveal more cuts from previous nights similar to this one, but no attempt had ever been so serious, so desperate as last night. Secrets were just far too hard to bear. She wanted out. She needed out. And it seemed like this was the only way.
The world passed by her fast and emotionless, people hurrying to get to work. First things first, she thought, time to get cleaned up. She walked to the nearest boarding house, attempting to find a place to stay. As long as she had to live she might as well live right.
"Any openings, ma'am?" she asked the lady at the desk of Wilkhert's Boarding.
The lady studied her ledger. "We've got an opening in room six. I'll give you a discount rate of a dollar a week. You have a job, I'm amusing?"
"That's where I'm headed," she answered. She knew the woman would interpret that as she was going to work rather than to go find work, but at least she wasn't lying straight out. She was just manipulating the truth a bit.
"Anything you need Jayce to bring in for you?" the lady asked her.
She shook her head. "I travel light. I'll be back by dark."
And with that she headed out to make a new life for herself in a new town.
Walking several blocks she looked for any shop windows with an advertisement for needing help to no avail. Eventually she passed by a nightclub with a sign outside that read, "Waitress needed."
She sighed. "It may not be the most reputable place, but I don't have many options right now." She walked through the door and towards the man who looked to be the manager. "You're looking for a waitress?" she asked.
He gave her a once over. "Yeah," he said back, once again looking her over.
"Well, I'm looking for a job," she stated, trying to draw his attention away from checking out her body.
"Then you've got the job, toots," the man said as he walked by her and intentionally brushed past her chest. "Chris'll show you how we work."
A dark haired man in his early twenties smiled and waved to her, hopping down from his seat on the bar.
"Is this that obscene of a place? I mean, I know it's a nightclub but still.."
Chris grinned. "Don't worry, we're more of an eating and dancing place. You don't have to run around stripping. Mr. Orion just isn't the most gentlemanly guy you'll ever meet. Most of the customers behave better than that." A small smirk crept across her face. "Before you get too cocky lemme show you the ropes."
"I resent that," she said, but her tone showed she was mostly joking around.
At that moment Chris looked at the blood speckled sleeves and noticed the fresh scars and old wounds on her wrists. "You aren't..?"
"Suicidal," she offered.
"Yeah. You aren't, are you?"
"Depends on my mood," she answered, trying to appear nonchalant.
He looked at her suspiciously. "And at the moment?"
"Would I be trying to get a job if I was planning on dying soon?" she said and he nodded.
"All right, that's that then. Now for your job. Do you have any waiting experience?" She shook her head in a distinctive no. "Okay, then let's get started. We normally get busy around nine, but shift starts at eight. I'll show you the ropes that hour so you can leave for now. Go and wash up and change your shirt, if you could."
"I can't," she answered.
"No place to stay?" he asked.
"No possessions," was the curt answer.
"No problem, here's one for you to wear," he said, removing his button down shirt. She stared in shock at his gorgeous, well-defined abdomen. She stared for nearly two minutes before he tossed the shirt at her face. "I just put it on, it's not dirty," he teased in the same way someone would say 'I don't bite.'
"Thank you," she said, trying to cover her blunder. "See you at eight."
"Yeah, at eight," he repeated. As she walked out the door he added, almost as if it was an afterthought. "What's your name, kid?"
"Shannyn," she said simply.
Chris climbed around the counter and over to her. "Well, Shannyn, you can call me Mush. Nearly all the boys do."
"The boys?" she asked, surprised.
He grinned. "The newsboys. I'm one of 'em actually. I just sell mornings and work here nights. I was in here early since we were short on help. Can't wait for you to meet 'em," he said. He took her hand and kissed it in a flirtatious manner.
She blushed. "Eight o'clock,' was all she said as she walked out of the club and into the street.
A/N: Bet you weren't expecting that to be Mush, eh? Truthfully I wasn't either, but it is! Haha. Okay, this is my first attempt at newsie fanfiction so please review and let me know what you think!!
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