Author's Note: This is the first in my 4-part "Lies" series. Originally posted in 2014.
1888
Lily stared out at the world outside the orphanage. The only part of the outside world she'd ever seen was the stretch of Chambers street right in front of her. People passed by every single day, pretending not to see the kids in the yard. When she saw couples pass by, she'd try to put on her best 'poor orphan' face in hopes they would see her, their hearts would be filled with compassion, and they would take her home. But none of them ever did.
Occasionally people did come into the orphanage, often looking for their children who'd run away. Some times people did adopt, but they adopted the pretty little blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls with the button noses. Not girls like Lily with her frizzy brown hair and perpetually dirty nose.
"Hey kid," said a boy on the other side of the fence. Lily looked around, wondering to whom he could be talking. "You…yeah you." The short kid walked up to the fence, staring at Lily through the wrought-iron fence. "What is this place?"
"It's an orphanage," said Lily.
"That like a zoo for kids or somethin'?" he asked.
"No. It's where kids with no families stay."
The kid looked at the bars. "Huh. Looks more like a zoo."
"It's not a zoo!"
"So how old are ya, kid?" the boy asked.
"Six and a half," Lily said, standing up straight.
"Huh. I just turned seven."
Lily frowned. "Seven? You're shorter than me." The kid frowned back. "What's your name?"
"Anthony," he said. "But my friends call me Racetrack, or Race for short."
"I don't see any friends."
Race rolled his eyes. "Well, they're not here with me, dummy. What's your name?"
"Lily."
A voice called down the street. "Hey Race! Last one to Tibby's is a rotten egg!"
"See ya!" Race said and then took off down the street.
Lily sighed and sat down, watching other people pass by.
The next day, Race came by again.
"Just another day at the zoo, huh?" he smirked.
"I'm not in a zoo!" Lily pouted and walked away.
"Oh, hey, come back, I was just teasin'!" said Race. "Please? Come on, I wanna talk to you."
Lily looked back and hesitated. She slowly walked back to the fence. "Why do you wanna talk to me?"
Race shrugged. "I dunno, you seem lonely." He nodded at the building. "So when do ya get out?"
"This isn't a jail, it's an orphanage. I'll get out when some one adopts me, or I turn 18. So it might as well be jail, I guess."
"You like it in there?"
"I just called it jail, what do you think?"
Race put his hands up. "Sorry."
"So where do you live?"
"Over at a lodgin' house on Duane Street with a bunch of other newsies."
"Newsies?"
"Yeah, the guys who sell papes. I sell papes." He held up the small stack of papers in his hand.
"So you sell papes and make money, and you live in a house with a bunch of other guys?"
Race nodded.
"Can girls sell papes?" he asked.
"Some do, yeah."
"I wish I could sell papes."
"It ain't an easy life. Some times papes don't sell, so you're stuck with a big ol' stack, and no money for food. At least in there, you get all your meals and a warm bed to sleep in."
"At least out there, you've got friends."
"You don't got any friends in there?" Race nodded to some of the kids playing behind Lily.
"No," said Lily. "I don't like making friends in here. They always leave. They either get adopted or run away some how."
"Hm." Race looked up at the bars that separated them. "How come you never tried to run away?"
Lily shrugged. "I wouldn't know how to."
"I may know some people who can help."