The Storm and the Snow
Kristin Bennett ran through the crowded streets of New York, New York. Her blond almost white hair flattened out on her face, she rubbed it away.
"Mom?! Dad?!" The rain pounded down and drowned out her small voice as the realization hit her. She had been abandoned. She had heard something about it last night, but she was only 10 years old. She didn't understand. She looked up at the rain clouds, then at the crowd, all dispersing into their homes. Leaving Kristin alone. I'm left alone, like the storm coming in, everyone runs away from it. No one comes to it. I'm just like this storm. She silently wandered down further into the lonely streets.
*~*~*
Storm looked at the rain clouds above her. Aw man! She sighed. She never could figure out why, but every there was a storm, something happened. When it was sunny, everything was normal. But always, without fail, when it rained, or snowed, or hailed, or some storm of any kind, something happened. Sometimes she was hired, sometimes fired, she had been given money, found money, been invited in, been beat up. You name it. She groaned as the clouds started to pour down rain.
She felt a rough hand grab her arm and tug her into an alley. Here it goes again. Another pair of hands spun her around. She glared at her mugger and wiped some of her hair out of her eyes.
"This girl looks like a ghost." The first whispered to the other. Storm rolled her eyes. She got that a lot, from her light hair and pale complexion. The second mug smacked the first across the head.
"I don't care numskull. We are just after money." He turned to her "Give us yer money!" Storm sighed and brushed her now wet bangs out of her eyes. The first tapped the second.
"How do we even know that she has money anyways?"
"We don't know! Alright, don't you remember the plan, we get money, if we don't get money, we soak um. simple!" Storms mind reeled.
"Look," she said "Its been real nice talking to ya boys, but I gotta scram." She elbowed the boy closest to her in the nose and running for it.
"Get her!" Storm ran out and threw some alleys. The boys were close behind. She saw a door closing from a nearby building. She rushed and followed. She threw open the door and slammed it behind her. In the room were about 15 boys, all staring at her, and an old man behind a desk.
"Please, just hide me for a minute!" The old man behind the counter ushered her under the desk. A moment later the door burst open again. Two mugs entered.
"Any of you seen a goil round here?" One asked. Storm squeezed herself smaller.
"Boys get outta here!" tThe old man shouted. "Your getting my floor all wet."
"I told you, we are looking for a girl!"
"A girl?" One voice said. He sounded like a gambler, knew how to keep a straight voice, no hint of anything. "Yeah there was a girl in here" Storms eyes grew wide, was this guy giving her to them?
"So?" The muggers asked, anxious.
"She went out the back and told us not ta tell two guys that she went towards the Bronx. I'm only guessing that she meant you. But I didn't trust her. She had looks to kill."
"Lets get 'er" Storm heard footsteps and the door open and close. The old man came behind the desk, and pulled her up. He smiled at her.
"Thanks fer helping me out." Storm said. "But you all probably want me outta here, so see ya later." She started to walk towards the door, but a hand gently stopped her.
"You're soaking wet. Stay a while and dry off at least, or wait for the rain to stop." Storm thought for a moment.
"Sure" It was better than staying out in the rain. She looked at the old man. He smiled.
"Someone get this young lady some dry clothes" A few boys ran up the stairs. The man turned to her. "My name is Kloppman." The boys came back down and gave her a bundle of clothes. "There is a washroom upstairs. You can get changed there." Storm nodded and ran up the stairs. At the top of the stairs she saw about 20 bunks and a shabby door. She looked at the other end and saw a doorway to the washroom. She walked into a stall and got dressed. She walked out of the stall and back into the washroom feeling warm and dry. She looked out the window. The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy, dark, and to late to go out now. She would have to stay the night. She sighed loudly.
"What's da sigh fer?" Storm jumped slightly and turned around. Another female figure loomed in the shadows.
"My clothes fit ya well." she said, stepping out of the shadows. She was about Storms height, 5'6''. She had brown shoulder length hair with red streaks in it. She had on black pants , a green shirt, and a black choker topped off her wardrobe. Storm blinked.
"Who are ya?" Storm asked. The girl raised an eyebrow.
"Shouldn't I be da one askin' youse that? Yer da one in me home and got me clothes on." Storm blushed, after all, it was true.
"My name is... well, you can call me Storm. And your name is?" The girl nodded in approval and grinned.
"You can call me Blade. Now come on,we gotta get you a bunk before all the guys pile back up stairs. They only stay downstairs cuz that's where the big furnace is. They don't turn on the ones up here till lights out. But when the boys get tired enough, they will come up, heat or no heat." Blade ushered Storm to a small room opposite of the bunk room. Here there were only a few bunks with even fewer belongings.
"This is the girl's room. You can stay here for the night. Your probably tired after being chased after and soaking wet from the rain, so I'll leave you here until tomorrow. So till then, C Ya!" Blade turned to walk out of the room, but stopped and spun around. "Oh yeah, since this is a newsie's Lodging House, I expect you to come and sell with us tomorrow, OK?" Storm smiled and nodded.
"Alright, I guess ill stick around for a while."
*~*~*
A few months later...
Bumlets waled back towards the lodging house one night. The cold December winds blew his black hair all over the place and tugged at his thin jacket. He pulled his jacket closer and looked around. It had smowed that afternoon, but now most of the snow was brown with dirt from the road where people had stepped on it. He did see one patch of snow, however, that was still white. It lyed in front of an alleyway and he walked past it. Achoo! Bumlets spun around to stare at the snow. Snow didn't sneeze. It didn't move either, but this snow was. Bumlets walked closer to the snow and brushed it aside. Under the snow was a girl, uncountious, blue, and shivering.
"Oh my-" Was all Bumlets said before grabbing the girl gently and running the rest of the way to the lodging house.
*~*~*
Bumlets brought thte girl to an attic room, one of the warmer rooms in the lodging house, then ran downstairs to get Kloppman. Kloppman was the caretaker of the Duane St. Newsboys Lodging House. He was an old, kind, and gentle man, like a father or grandfather to all of the boys and girls. Bumlets hurrily explained the situation to kloppman. Kloppman rushed to get some warm clothes, while telling Bumlets to go get Ice, one of the older girls in the lodging house. Bumlets ran to the bunk floor where all the beds were and ran tot eh girls bunkroom, flinging the door open.
"Whoa! Whoa! Can't you knock?" One girl asked, hands on hips, already in pajamas. Bumlets gasped for air then said, "Ice," he turned to her, "We need your help!" Ice rolled her eyes and brushed her black, shoulder length hair out of her face.
"Jeeze Bumlets. What did you boys do this time? Stub their little toes on the stair?" She said mockingly. Bumlets shook his head.
"I... I found a girl in the snow1 And she's cold, and wet, and shivering and stuff!" He gasped out.
"Well why didnbt you say so in the first place?!!?" Ice said running out of the room, smacking Bumlets on the bzck of the head. Bumlets followed her up the stiars tot he attic rooms. Kloppman was just going up there with the clothes in his hands. As soon as theya ll reached the top, Ice shooed them away.
"How am I supossed to get her dressed with you guys in here?" Was her explanation. Ice got to work with them gone. She carefully peeled off the wet clothes, rubbed the girl dry, then putting on the dry clothes that Kloppman had provided. When Ice slowly walked out of the room a while later the girl was warmin up. Ice looked across the hall. A girl stood there.
"So?" The girl asked. Ice sighed.
"She has bruises on her arms, legs, and neck among other places. Most likely an abuse runaway." Ice reported.
"Alright. I'll go in and see her shortly." Ice nodded and walked down the stairs.
*~*~*
Kristine slowly opend her eyes and sat up. She looked around. She was lying in a bed, pushed to one side of a small room. In one corner was a rocking chair, and in the other, a furnaace. She wasn't sure how she got there, or where she was. All she knew was that she was warm and out of the snow. She looked down at herself, noticing that she was no longer in her wet clothes, but in a pair of light brown long pants and a light blue faded shirt, it almost showed a beige from age, but they were warm. Her short, blonde hair had been dried and brushed. And oh, she was warm. That was all that mattered. Suddenly the door opened, Kristine's head snapped up.
"You all right?" Asked a girl from the doorway. She looked older than Kristine, but then again, most people did. Kristine was always mistook for a 12 year old when she was almost 16! She returned her thoughts to the girl. She had below the shoulder brown hair with some highlights of red. She wore faded black pants and a faded green shirt. Her eyes were mostly brown, but if you looked closely, the brown was accompanied by some specks of green. Her neck held a choker the color of midnight. Freckles spotted her face as she smiled warmly.
"Hey, you OK?" She repeated. Kristine shook out of her daze.
"I'm feeling much better thank you. Um... who are you?"
"The name is Blade." She said smirking. She paused, "So kid, what happened to ya? Why'd they find ya in the snow? You a runaway? Oh, sorri, sorri I dont mean ta interogate ya."
"I...I ran away. I couldn't take it, you understand?! I had to find him!" Kristine yelled. Blade went to her and hugged her.
"Its OK. Your safe now." Blade looked at her. "Oh, your tag's sticking out." she went to tuck it back in, but stopped. "I think there's something written on here. K-a-t-i-e K-l-o-p-p. Huh, i wonder what thats for... Katie Klopp. Oh! Must be like Kloppman!" Kristine Shot up.
"Kloppman?! Is that what you said?!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Yeah, thats what I said. Why?"
"I came to Manhatten to find my Grandfather! My mother's name was Katherine Kloppman! I came looking for Grandpa Marc!" Blade shook her head.
"Another one?"
"Huh?"
"Since last week we found out that two other kids here are grandkids of Kloppy."
"Two others?" Kristine said confused. "Oh my- it must be my cousins, Ivan and Kristin!" Blade shook her head.
"No, Dutchy and Storm."
"What do you mean?" Kristine asked.
"Oh, you don't know about that? Well, everyone here has a name. Well, a newsie name that is. Do you have a name?"
"...Kristine?"
"No, no, that won't work. You need a newsie name." Blade thought for a moment. "Snow. We'll call you Snow. Cuz thats were we found you. Is that alright with you?" Snow nodded smiling.
MORE TO COME...