NOTHING'S AS IT SEEMS
By Angel St. Matthew
3/1/01- 11/16/01
Chapter 1: The Stranger
He stared up at the drab, unfriendly looking building with a nervous expression, his hand shading his eyes to keep the rain away. There was light in some of the windows, and the sign outside the door read, "Newsboys Lodge House".
And he stood with uncertainty outside the building, his clothes soaked completely through. His long ignored, slightly long black hair clung to the sides of his face and neck, but his brown, almost ebony eyes were wide and alert, as if he were waiting for someone from inside the building to come to him.
A crash of thunder made him jump, and he whirled around, as if it had been someone standing behind him.
After a moment, he turned back toward the front door of the building, trying to build enough courage to enter. Saying a small but fervent prayer in the back of his head, he ascended the steps and reached for the handle, pausing only for a second before grasping it and pushing the door open.
Upon entering, he found himself in a different surrounding then outside, which he expected. The sudden warmth that hit him just by entering seemed only so much to him because he had just stepped in out of a heavy September storm.
Behind the front desk sat an old, balding man, reading a chart or notepad of some sort.
A light bulb glowed from the ceiling, illuminating the room and making it all the more appealing to the soggy figure that had just entered.
Kloppman looked up from what he was doing, and what he saw didn't surprise him much.
He'd seen worse come in through those doors.
The boy stood there speechless, he wasn't certain what he should say.
Seeing this, Kloppman sighed and put his pad down. "Lookin' for a place to sleep?"
The boy only nodded.
"Six cents a night, no less. Got washrooms and such, electricity, 'bout twelve bunk sets to a room, ain't no hotel-" The old man explained in a dry, bored tone as he stood and dug around for a pencil. This routine got old after a while.
"Sign here". He said then, holding a dull pencil out to the boy and motioning toward the sign-in book lying on the counter.
With a shaking hand, the boy took the pencil in his damp fingers and scribbled rather messily in the book. "You can come and go as ya please as long as ya pay for whatever night's ya stay". Kloppman continued as the boy handed the pencil back to him, and then he paused, looking him up and down. He wasn't much to look at, with his appearance being what it was.
Tall, pretty thin, all around lanky, that was for sure.
After a moment, the old man sighed again and came out from behind the counter, walking over to the flight of stairs by the wall.
"Kelly!!" He shouted up the stairs, and after a moment, there came a voice from atop the stairs.
"Yeah?"
"Come down here". Kloppman said.
There came a rapid *thump-thump-thump* on the stairs before Jack Kelly was visible, hopping the last two steps and landing with a large *thud* on the hard wood floor.
When his eyes fell on the soaked figure near the door that, needless to say, had left a rather large water mark, Jack gave a sarcastic little smirk.
Judging by the boy's height, he knew exactly what Kloppman expected of him.
Also expecting this, Kloppman rounded the front counter and went back to whatever he was doing without another regard to the situation whatsoever.
"I'm Jack Kelly". Jack said casually as he thrust a hand toward the boy, and the boy shook it lightly, despite the fact that his own hand was still pretty damp. Jack didn't seem to mind, he didn't even wipe his hands on his pants afterwards.
"You got a name, kid?" He asked after seeing that the boy wasn't going to say voluntarily.
"Gabriel". Said the boy in a raspy voice tinted with an obvious Irish accent, the first word he'd spoken since he entered the building. Jack maintained his casualty, despite how puzzled he was about this boy, as he motioned for Gabriel to follow him up the stairs.
"Well, Gabriel, welcome to the newsies lodge! I's got a bunk upstairs near the window with your name on it and some dry clothes for ya". Jack explained as Gabriel followed him up the stairs and into one of the large rooms. He entered the room and crossed over to his bed, but Gabriel lingered near the door, unsure. Half of the boys in the room were lounging in bed, few asleep. And a small group of them were sitting around playing cards on an upturned crate. Most of them looked up at Gabriel.
"Hey, Jack, who's this?" Asked one of them.
"Keep your pants on and I'll tell ya". Jack replied, coming back over to where Gabriel was standing, a fresh change of clothes in his hands. "Everybody, this here's Gabriel, he'll be joinin' our ranks". Jack announced, and then turned to Gabriel. "You's'll learn name's as y'go. For now, you can change outta them wet clothes". He handed the small pile to Gabriel and pointed him in the direction of the washroom. Gabriel mumbled a small thank you as he turned and left the room, and Jack shook his head as he plopped down onto a crate where some boys were playing cards. They looked at him questioningly.
"So where'd ya dig him up?" Asked Mush, and Jack only shrugged.
"Didn't".
"Ain't much if y'ask me". Said Racetrack as he put down a card and picking up another.
"Yeah, well, nobody asked you". Jack said, drawing himself a hand from the deck. "Anyway, like I was sayin', you'se guys shoulda seen it-"
The topic of Gabriel drifted quickly as the small group continued their normal routine, or what could be considered normal, and he was quickly forgotten about.
It wasn't until about ten minutes later that Gabriel returned to the room, standing once again in the doorway with a pile of wet clothes in his hands, making no move to enter. Jack looked up at him.
"Hey, Gabe. You'se wanna play some cards with us?"
Gabriel politely shook his head, and a couple of the newsies exchanged glances.
"OK then, your bunk's that empty one by the window". Jack said, pointing to the bunk he was referring to, and Gabriel nodded, heading in that direction.
Jack watched as he did, like a couple of the other newsies sitting there, then turned and continued with the game.
Gabriel was unaware of this though, as he sat down on the bottom bunk of the bed, the top bunk being occupied. He set his wet clothes on the floor at his feet and slip them under the bed, then he laid his head down on the pillow, pulling his feet up onto the bed and curling up into a ball.
It was an odd position for a boy as tall as he was, but no one paid much mind to him that night. It was just as well.
By Angel St. Matthew
3/1/01- 11/16/01
Chapter 1: The Stranger
He stared up at the drab, unfriendly looking building with a nervous expression, his hand shading his eyes to keep the rain away. There was light in some of the windows, and the sign outside the door read, "Newsboys Lodge House".
And he stood with uncertainty outside the building, his clothes soaked completely through. His long ignored, slightly long black hair clung to the sides of his face and neck, but his brown, almost ebony eyes were wide and alert, as if he were waiting for someone from inside the building to come to him.
A crash of thunder made him jump, and he whirled around, as if it had been someone standing behind him.
After a moment, he turned back toward the front door of the building, trying to build enough courage to enter. Saying a small but fervent prayer in the back of his head, he ascended the steps and reached for the handle, pausing only for a second before grasping it and pushing the door open.
Upon entering, he found himself in a different surrounding then outside, which he expected. The sudden warmth that hit him just by entering seemed only so much to him because he had just stepped in out of a heavy September storm.
Behind the front desk sat an old, balding man, reading a chart or notepad of some sort.
A light bulb glowed from the ceiling, illuminating the room and making it all the more appealing to the soggy figure that had just entered.
Kloppman looked up from what he was doing, and what he saw didn't surprise him much.
He'd seen worse come in through those doors.
The boy stood there speechless, he wasn't certain what he should say.
Seeing this, Kloppman sighed and put his pad down. "Lookin' for a place to sleep?"
The boy only nodded.
"Six cents a night, no less. Got washrooms and such, electricity, 'bout twelve bunk sets to a room, ain't no hotel-" The old man explained in a dry, bored tone as he stood and dug around for a pencil. This routine got old after a while.
"Sign here". He said then, holding a dull pencil out to the boy and motioning toward the sign-in book lying on the counter.
With a shaking hand, the boy took the pencil in his damp fingers and scribbled rather messily in the book. "You can come and go as ya please as long as ya pay for whatever night's ya stay". Kloppman continued as the boy handed the pencil back to him, and then he paused, looking him up and down. He wasn't much to look at, with his appearance being what it was.
Tall, pretty thin, all around lanky, that was for sure.
After a moment, the old man sighed again and came out from behind the counter, walking over to the flight of stairs by the wall.
"Kelly!!" He shouted up the stairs, and after a moment, there came a voice from atop the stairs.
"Yeah?"
"Come down here". Kloppman said.
There came a rapid *thump-thump-thump* on the stairs before Jack Kelly was visible, hopping the last two steps and landing with a large *thud* on the hard wood floor.
When his eyes fell on the soaked figure near the door that, needless to say, had left a rather large water mark, Jack gave a sarcastic little smirk.
Judging by the boy's height, he knew exactly what Kloppman expected of him.
Also expecting this, Kloppman rounded the front counter and went back to whatever he was doing without another regard to the situation whatsoever.
"I'm Jack Kelly". Jack said casually as he thrust a hand toward the boy, and the boy shook it lightly, despite the fact that his own hand was still pretty damp. Jack didn't seem to mind, he didn't even wipe his hands on his pants afterwards.
"You got a name, kid?" He asked after seeing that the boy wasn't going to say voluntarily.
"Gabriel". Said the boy in a raspy voice tinted with an obvious Irish accent, the first word he'd spoken since he entered the building. Jack maintained his casualty, despite how puzzled he was about this boy, as he motioned for Gabriel to follow him up the stairs.
"Well, Gabriel, welcome to the newsies lodge! I's got a bunk upstairs near the window with your name on it and some dry clothes for ya". Jack explained as Gabriel followed him up the stairs and into one of the large rooms. He entered the room and crossed over to his bed, but Gabriel lingered near the door, unsure. Half of the boys in the room were lounging in bed, few asleep. And a small group of them were sitting around playing cards on an upturned crate. Most of them looked up at Gabriel.
"Hey, Jack, who's this?" Asked one of them.
"Keep your pants on and I'll tell ya". Jack replied, coming back over to where Gabriel was standing, a fresh change of clothes in his hands. "Everybody, this here's Gabriel, he'll be joinin' our ranks". Jack announced, and then turned to Gabriel. "You's'll learn name's as y'go. For now, you can change outta them wet clothes". He handed the small pile to Gabriel and pointed him in the direction of the washroom. Gabriel mumbled a small thank you as he turned and left the room, and Jack shook his head as he plopped down onto a crate where some boys were playing cards. They looked at him questioningly.
"So where'd ya dig him up?" Asked Mush, and Jack only shrugged.
"Didn't".
"Ain't much if y'ask me". Said Racetrack as he put down a card and picking up another.
"Yeah, well, nobody asked you". Jack said, drawing himself a hand from the deck. "Anyway, like I was sayin', you'se guys shoulda seen it-"
The topic of Gabriel drifted quickly as the small group continued their normal routine, or what could be considered normal, and he was quickly forgotten about.
It wasn't until about ten minutes later that Gabriel returned to the room, standing once again in the doorway with a pile of wet clothes in his hands, making no move to enter. Jack looked up at him.
"Hey, Gabe. You'se wanna play some cards with us?"
Gabriel politely shook his head, and a couple of the newsies exchanged glances.
"OK then, your bunk's that empty one by the window". Jack said, pointing to the bunk he was referring to, and Gabriel nodded, heading in that direction.
Jack watched as he did, like a couple of the other newsies sitting there, then turned and continued with the game.
Gabriel was unaware of this though, as he sat down on the bottom bunk of the bed, the top bunk being occupied. He set his wet clothes on the floor at his feet and slip them under the bed, then he laid his head down on the pillow, pulling his feet up onto the bed and curling up into a ball.
It was an odd position for a boy as tall as he was, but no one paid much mind to him that night. It was just as well.