A sadness ached in her heart. Smalls took the helenium from behind her ear, its petals once red and orange and vivid now browned and dried. She took the brittle memory of a flower and crushed it in her hands, then let the remains fall onto the dirt. Smalls put her hands on the soft loam and closed her eyes, letting the energy flow from her heart and into the soil. A seedling sprouted from the dirt, green and frail, and slowly grew up, up, up. Out of the dirt, Smalls grew a single blade of vernal grass. She plucked it from the earth, ran the soft tuft across her cheek, and felt a little smile come to her lips. She tucked it behind her ear.

• • •

Smalls ascended the fire escape as the last of the sun's light was fading over the horizon. She reached the top and knocked on the metal frame to get his attention. Jack stood at the edge of the rooftop, staring out into the darkening sky. He wiped his face and turned around to see Smalls' head peeking over the wall. He gave her a hand up, and they stood next to each other, watching the sun dip behind the buildings of the city. Finally, Smalls turned to Jack and held out her hand – in it she held a marigold as brilliant as the sunset, along with a string of yellow agrimonies and a single osmunda leaf. Slowly, gently, he accepted the flowers. He brought them up to his nose and took in the aroma, then thanked her. They sat down together on the rooftop, watching the sky grow darker.

• • •

Smalls unleashed her grief and sadness into the soil. For an hour she cried, curled up in the alley, hoping, dreaming, praying. She pressed her hands into the dirt, and flowers bloomed to life. Light, dainty pink buds blossomed into flowering almonds. She ran her finger over the petals, lightly tickling her skin. They were so pretty. She felt a spark of hope in her chest, and she dug her hands further into the soil. Tiny white flowers of hawthorne emerged, and Smalls set them aside. One final stem grew from the earth, blooming bright pops of red that hung off the stem like a bunch of little scarlet butterflies. She grabbed the three stems and held them together, a beautiful bouquet of tiny flowers.

When the time came, she handed them to Specs. For Crutchie, she said. He nodded, took the flowers, and ran off into the streets.

• • •

Smalls smiled, danced, and played. In the deli, she stood with her brothers as they wished away the pain, celebrating their gains while mourning their losses. It wasn't sunny, nor was it rainy; it was overcast, dreary, and foreboding. Still, despite the overcast, they felt a brief moment of sunshine, even if it was only a moment. Energy returned to her, and she grew a little strand of ivy from her hand. She approached Katherine and placed the little purple flowers in her hand. Katherine smiled so sweetly, and so full of feeling. She put her hand on Smalls' face, sending a feeling of warmth and happiness through her body. She thanked her.

• • •

Race sat on the bed, fiddling with the sheet and staring off, lost in thought. He was weary. The boys were exhausted, but Race held something more in his eyes. Smalls went and wordlessly sat down next to him. He attempted a friendly greeting, but it got lost somewhere on the way out. Smalls revealed her hand and presented a sunflower and lily-of-the-valley to him. The sunflower's stem was long, and the flower stood big and proud, petals perfectly yellow. Meanwhile, the miniature bell petals of the lily-of-the-valley hung downwards, like droplets of dew on a blade of grass in the early morning mist. Race took the flowers and ran his fingers over them, not saying a word. He brought them to his face and inhaled the sweet perfume, closing his eyes and sighing with them still against his nose. Suddenly, he turned to Smalls and pulled her into a hug. He buried his face into her shoulder and murmured a thank you.

• • •

Davey showed up the next morning distressed, but excited. He called the kids up onto their feet and told them about his idea (with Les saying it was his, too, of course), and to spread the word as fast as they could. The boys started moving, zapped with confidence and eager to get going. Then, Davey asked, has anyone seen Jack? The group fell silent. No one had seen him. Worry overcame Davey's demeanor, but he shook his head in frustration.

Smalls snuck outside and into her alley, where she covered her hands in dirt and grew a scarlet zinnia. She went back to Davey and Les and handed him the flower. He seemed confused but took the flower. She held up her hand, still covered in dirt, and grew a tiny little spout out of the tip of her finger. Les was excited and bubbling with questions, but Smalls simply told Davey, try asking Miss Medda if she's seen him, and let them be.

• • •

Before the rally, Smalls returned to her patch of soil and poured her emotions in: hope, fear, anticipation, excitement – it fertilized the dirt into a soft loam, where new green stems emerged. Stems, leaves, buds, and finally, blossoms. A bouquet of colorful strawflower – purple, orange, red, yellow, white, and pink – grew from the earth. Smalls took the flowers and tucked them into her coat pocket.

She kept it with her through the rally. Then, Jack showed up, and her insides imploded at his words. She stood, empty, watching the Brooklyn kids chase him out.

She retreated to the alley. Again she poured her sorrows and anger and confusion into the earth, and grew a single flowering branch of a Judas tree. She held it in her hand and admired the little lavender petals, running her finger down the branch. She tucked it in with her strawflowers.

• • •

During the night, a storm thundered in The World's cellar. In the early morning, it came to a close. The rain trickled to a stop, and light was seen again. Jack still had his flowers, tucked on the inside of his vest. Race had his sticking out of his pant waist, Katherine wove hers into her hair, and Les stuck the zinnia in his sling. Smalls hadn't been this happy in a long, long time.

Crutchie returned, smile as bright as ever. He was beaten up bad, but still kicking. Smalls approached him, and he thanked her for the flowers, brimming with emotion and appreciation. She wrapped her arms around his middle in a hug, and with her hands behind his back, grew a French and water willow with her excess happiness. When she presented it to him, he laughed freely and took the flowers, then leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

He flicked the little tuft of vernal grass tucked behind her ear. What's that one mean? he asked.

Poor, but happy, she replied. Crutchie grinned.

Yes, happy, he said, very happy.

all flower meanings from languageofflowers dot com

helenium: tears

vernal grass: poor, but happy

marigold: despair

agrimony: thankfulness, gratitude

osmunda: dreams

flowering almond & hawthorne: hope

cardinal flower: health

ivy: friendship, fidelity

sunflower (tall): pride, appreciation

lily-of-the-valley: return of happiness

zinnia: thoughts of absent friends

straw: union

judas tree: betrayal, unbelief

french willow: bravery and humanity

water willow: freedom