Chapter 2
~Early morning, New York Newsboys' lodge~
Opening her eyes lazily, Alex glanced out the window listening to the horses and people below. After a moment she realized what her situation was. She had just escaped from the refuge, again and was now lying on a bed in the New York Newsboys' Lodge. It took her a few minutes to really realize that she was in a room full of sleeping newsboys and that any moment Kloppman would be coming up to wake them up. But when it hit her she was up and out of bed and heading down the stairs quick as lightning. Little did she know that Kloppman was standing at the desk and heard her coming.
"Who wants ta sell papes so much dat dey's up dis early?", He asked expecting to hear one of Jack's smart alack remarks.
Upon hearing this, Alex paused and then decided that she might as well get it over with, he was going to find out sooner or later. "T'ain' nobody but me Klopp", she replied as she came into view.
"Oh, You'se dat kid Jack b'ought in las' night, ain'cha? What was you nam' again? Alan...Alec...Oh, What was it again?" He asked frustrated.
"Close ol' man, 'e called me Alex, but you knows me as Sassy", she replied calmly watching the old man's reaction. Kloppman squinted and he searched his memory for that name. He soon found it, followed by many other aliases that he knew of. Slowly a smile crept across his face and his eyes got wide with wonder.
"Come closah kid. So's I can get a bettah look at'cha", He ordered as he leaned over the desk a bit. Sassy smirked at his calling her kid and then walked up to him, waiting for his next question. "Is it really you? Yeah it is. So where ya been goil? Ain't seen ya roun' fo' a while, quite a while", he asked smiling.
"I'se been aroun'. Mostly runnin', but I'se been roun' non' de less. T'ain' non' o' your business any'ow", was her smart alack remark. He was right she hadn't been around for a while, 4 years to be more precise.
Shaking his head slightly Kloppman smiled and commented, "Still de same ol' Sas. Ain'cha kid?"
Giving him an annoyed look she replied, "'Ow many times I gotta tell ya, don' call me "kid". Lexi, Sassy, Alex, anythin' but "kid". Ok?", she replied sternly. "Any'ow, I gots a question, 'Ows me bruddah been doin'?"
Rolling his eyes and shakin his head Kloppman commented to himself,"Yep still da same ol' Sas. Always lookin' out fo' 'er rep and 'er bruddah, notin' else mattahs." Kloppman let out a sigh and then became quiet looking down at his desk.
"What's wron' ol' man?" she asked cautiously, worry starting to fill her expression.
Kloppman looked up at her hesitating. "I wish you didn' have tah hear dis from me. But...'bout a week ago some o' da boys over in Queens foun' 'im lyin' in an alley...dead."
Sassy's eyes filled with pain as she gasped taking a step back. Suddenly it felt as though the room was spinning, shaking her head slightly as if trying to wake from a bad dream, she leaned against the wall.
"I know dis is a shock, an' I'm sorry I 'ad tah be da one tah tell ya. Maybe you'se should sit down." he replied walking over to her.
Looking up abruptly shaking her head Sassy stated,"No, I don' need tah sit down. I'm fine."
"Now goil I can tell dat you'se ain't fine. Ya need tah sit down fo' a bit an'..."
"No! I ain' gonna sit down. What I am gonna do is fin' out what happen'". She argued standing up and walking towards the door.
Kloppman quickly moved in front of her. "Now Sas, don' let your tempah get da best o' you. Don' do notin' drastic'."
"I ain' gonna do notin' drastic'. An' my temper ain' got da best o' me. Jus' get out o' me way." She stated, anger rising in her voice.
"Den tell me what ya goin' tah do." he said firmly as he stared at her.
"I'se ain' gonna do notin', jus' go fo' a walk an' ask a few ques'ions." she replied staring at him with eyes full of anger and pain.
Shaking his head Kloppman answered, "No, goil I know you'se. You won't jus' go fo' a walk, you'll be out dere lookin' fo' da guy dat did dis an' den you'se 'ill try tah do somtin' 'bout it yaself. An' I can' let ya do it."
"Look ol' man. No mattah what you'se do, it ain' gonna keep me in 'ere. I'll jum' out da window if I 'ave tah." Sassy replied sternly.
"Now, Sas..." Kloppman started. Just then they heard someone coming down the stairs. Kloppman let his guard down momentarily wondering who was coming. Seizing the chance, Sassy opened the door and ran down the stoop and down the street.
"No! Annelexis, come back 'ere!" Kloppman called out the door after her.
"'Ey Kloppman what's all da yellin' 'bout?" Blink asked as he and Race came down the stairs.
"Yeah Klopp, what, did anudah cat get in durin' da night?" Race asked with a smirk.
"Nah, jus' someone dat ran out fo' I could say anythin.' Dats all." He replied slowly, still staring after Sassy.
"'Ey Klopp, I gots a question. 'Ow come you didn' wake us up dis mornin'?" Race asked as he sat on the stairs.
"Yeah, You'se is always makin' shore we'se all up. Dis mornin' Jack 'ad tah tip Skittery's matress ovah jus' tah get 'im out a bed." Blink Joined in.
"Oh? Well uh... I jus' tought dat you'se guys is gettin' ol' nuff tah get yourselves outta bed, dats all. I guess I was 'rong." Kloppman explained as he closed the door and headed to his desk.
Race and Blink gave each other quizzical looks and then turned to see Jack coming down the stairs.
"'Ey Jack, Ya finally get Skittery up?" Blink asked as Jack reached the bottom of the staircase.
"Yeah, 'e'll be comin' down any minute." Jack replied with a wide grin. He then turned to Kloppman who was acting hard at work on some papers. "'Ey ol' man, you seen Alex aroun'? 'E ain' upstairs, I t'ought dat he may o' come down early".
Kloppman looked up at Jack trying to think of an answer. Before he could say anything Race interrupted, "You know Alex, Cowboy?"
Jack turned to face Race and replied, "Yeah, I met 'im last night, 'e jus' got out o' dah refuge. I let 'im stay 'ere las' night".
Race's looked at Jack confused, "Wait, you said 'e jus' got out o' dah refuge?"
"Yeah, I ran inta 'im las' night. Why, somtin' wrong?" Jack asked as he leaned against Kloppman's desk.
Race glanced over at Blink before continuing, "Well, ya see Jack, Alex, de only Alex 'roun 'ere, was foun' dead ovah in Queens about two days ago. Dey couldn't tell it was 'im by 'is face on a count o' it was too mangled tah identify. But dey knew it was 'im by dah ring 'e wore on a chain aroun' his neck. So you couldn't o' met 'im las night".
"Den' who was dah da guy dat stayed 'ere las' night?" Jack asked thinking to himself.
"I don' know Jack, but I tink we may want tah fin' dis guy an' ask 'im a few questions," replied Race as he stood up.
Opening her eyes lazily, Alex glanced out the window listening to the horses and people below. After a moment she realized what her situation was. She had just escaped from the refuge, again and was now lying on a bed in the New York Newsboys' Lodge. It took her a few minutes to really realize that she was in a room full of sleeping newsboys and that any moment Kloppman would be coming up to wake them up. But when it hit her she was up and out of bed and heading down the stairs quick as lightning. Little did she know that Kloppman was standing at the desk and heard her coming.
"Who wants ta sell papes so much dat dey's up dis early?", He asked expecting to hear one of Jack's smart alack remarks.
Upon hearing this, Alex paused and then decided that she might as well get it over with, he was going to find out sooner or later. "T'ain' nobody but me Klopp", she replied as she came into view.
"Oh, You'se dat kid Jack b'ought in las' night, ain'cha? What was you nam' again? Alan...Alec...Oh, What was it again?" He asked frustrated.
"Close ol' man, 'e called me Alex, but you knows me as Sassy", she replied calmly watching the old man's reaction. Kloppman squinted and he searched his memory for that name. He soon found it, followed by many other aliases that he knew of. Slowly a smile crept across his face and his eyes got wide with wonder.
"Come closah kid. So's I can get a bettah look at'cha", He ordered as he leaned over the desk a bit. Sassy smirked at his calling her kid and then walked up to him, waiting for his next question. "Is it really you? Yeah it is. So where ya been goil? Ain't seen ya roun' fo' a while, quite a while", he asked smiling.
"I'se been aroun'. Mostly runnin', but I'se been roun' non' de less. T'ain' non' o' your business any'ow", was her smart alack remark. He was right she hadn't been around for a while, 4 years to be more precise.
Shaking his head slightly Kloppman smiled and commented, "Still de same ol' Sas. Ain'cha kid?"
Giving him an annoyed look she replied, "'Ow many times I gotta tell ya, don' call me "kid". Lexi, Sassy, Alex, anythin' but "kid". Ok?", she replied sternly. "Any'ow, I gots a question, 'Ows me bruddah been doin'?"
Rolling his eyes and shakin his head Kloppman commented to himself,"Yep still da same ol' Sas. Always lookin' out fo' 'er rep and 'er bruddah, notin' else mattahs." Kloppman let out a sigh and then became quiet looking down at his desk.
"What's wron' ol' man?" she asked cautiously, worry starting to fill her expression.
Kloppman looked up at her hesitating. "I wish you didn' have tah hear dis from me. But...'bout a week ago some o' da boys over in Queens foun' 'im lyin' in an alley...dead."
Sassy's eyes filled with pain as she gasped taking a step back. Suddenly it felt as though the room was spinning, shaking her head slightly as if trying to wake from a bad dream, she leaned against the wall.
"I know dis is a shock, an' I'm sorry I 'ad tah be da one tah tell ya. Maybe you'se should sit down." he replied walking over to her.
Looking up abruptly shaking her head Sassy stated,"No, I don' need tah sit down. I'm fine."
"Now goil I can tell dat you'se ain't fine. Ya need tah sit down fo' a bit an'..."
"No! I ain' gonna sit down. What I am gonna do is fin' out what happen'". She argued standing up and walking towards the door.
Kloppman quickly moved in front of her. "Now Sas, don' let your tempah get da best o' you. Don' do notin' drastic'."
"I ain' gonna do notin' drastic'. An' my temper ain' got da best o' me. Jus' get out o' me way." She stated, anger rising in her voice.
"Den tell me what ya goin' tah do." he said firmly as he stared at her.
"I'se ain' gonna do notin', jus' go fo' a walk an' ask a few ques'ions." she replied staring at him with eyes full of anger and pain.
Shaking his head Kloppman answered, "No, goil I know you'se. You won't jus' go fo' a walk, you'll be out dere lookin' fo' da guy dat did dis an' den you'se 'ill try tah do somtin' 'bout it yaself. An' I can' let ya do it."
"Look ol' man. No mattah what you'se do, it ain' gonna keep me in 'ere. I'll jum' out da window if I 'ave tah." Sassy replied sternly.
"Now, Sas..." Kloppman started. Just then they heard someone coming down the stairs. Kloppman let his guard down momentarily wondering who was coming. Seizing the chance, Sassy opened the door and ran down the stoop and down the street.
"No! Annelexis, come back 'ere!" Kloppman called out the door after her.
"'Ey Kloppman what's all da yellin' 'bout?" Blink asked as he and Race came down the stairs.
"Yeah Klopp, what, did anudah cat get in durin' da night?" Race asked with a smirk.
"Nah, jus' someone dat ran out fo' I could say anythin.' Dats all." He replied slowly, still staring after Sassy.
"'Ey Klopp, I gots a question. 'Ow come you didn' wake us up dis mornin'?" Race asked as he sat on the stairs.
"Yeah, You'se is always makin' shore we'se all up. Dis mornin' Jack 'ad tah tip Skittery's matress ovah jus' tah get 'im out a bed." Blink Joined in.
"Oh? Well uh... I jus' tought dat you'se guys is gettin' ol' nuff tah get yourselves outta bed, dats all. I guess I was 'rong." Kloppman explained as he closed the door and headed to his desk.
Race and Blink gave each other quizzical looks and then turned to see Jack coming down the stairs.
"'Ey Jack, Ya finally get Skittery up?" Blink asked as Jack reached the bottom of the staircase.
"Yeah, 'e'll be comin' down any minute." Jack replied with a wide grin. He then turned to Kloppman who was acting hard at work on some papers. "'Ey ol' man, you seen Alex aroun'? 'E ain' upstairs, I t'ought dat he may o' come down early".
Kloppman looked up at Jack trying to think of an answer. Before he could say anything Race interrupted, "You know Alex, Cowboy?"
Jack turned to face Race and replied, "Yeah, I met 'im last night, 'e jus' got out o' dah refuge. I let 'im stay 'ere las' night".
Race's looked at Jack confused, "Wait, you said 'e jus' got out o' dah refuge?"
"Yeah, I ran inta 'im las' night. Why, somtin' wrong?" Jack asked as he leaned against Kloppman's desk.
Race glanced over at Blink before continuing, "Well, ya see Jack, Alex, de only Alex 'roun 'ere, was foun' dead ovah in Queens about two days ago. Dey couldn't tell it was 'im by 'is face on a count o' it was too mangled tah identify. But dey knew it was 'im by dah ring 'e wore on a chain aroun' his neck. So you couldn't o' met 'im las night".
"Den' who was dah da guy dat stayed 'ere las' night?" Jack asked thinking to himself.
"I don' know Jack, but I tink we may want tah fin' dis guy an' ask 'im a few questions," replied Race as he stood up.