"You need to learn some manners Sophia, nobody like a naughty girl." His voice traveled to her ears. He picked a napkin off the table and dabbed it in some water. As he cleaned himself off, Sophia stood up.
Her mother scowled as Sophia pushed her chair in. Everyone sitting at the table was now staring at the young girl standing. She hated the attention that was on her. She bowed her head to her father excusing herself.
As she walked past the servants and out the door, she heard hushed chattering. She had no doubt that she had just made her parents look bad, but she couldn't care less. She wasn't going to sit there all night listening to some jerk whisper crude things in her ear, or being the possible prize for any of the young men there.
She walked toward the grand stair case when she was stopped by one of the many maids that lived in the house. What was this one's name? Something with an "A." Sophia knew that much. Anne? Anabel? Alexandria?
"Miss Sophia, shall I get another dress ready?" She looked almost hopeful. Sophia wondered if she actually enjoyed working as a maid. She wondered if she enjoyed cleaning the dishes, and dusting every day. Did she enjoy cleaning up after Sophia's father, or being yelled at by Sophia's mother? No one could possibly enjoy that.
"No, that's fine…" She trailed off hoping the maid wouldn't notice, but she had no such luck. She didn't want to seem mean, nor did she want to hurt this woman's feelings.
"Mary-Sue." Ah! Mary-Sue. Close enough. There's an "A" in there.
Sophia smiled slightly but continued to walk up the stairs. They were made of marble; sturdy, safe marble. She lifted her dress just enough to make her ascend to her room. Her feet made a light clap on the marble from her heels. She couldn't wait to get those damn things off. When in her room she would rip off this dress and put on a nightgown, get into bed and read until she fell asleep. That sounded a lot better than sitting at a dinner with Gavin, the Devil and her mother, the wicked witch, while her father stuffed his face and the rest of the guests studied her.
She wasn't at all hungry. She felt sick and anything she would have eaten she would have ended up vomiting. She just wanted to read then fall asleep, a cup of tea would have been nice. She didn't want to think about anything that had to do with that dinner. What a disaster that turned out to be, as Sophia predicted. When she made little predictions about these sort of things, she was always right.
Walking down the hall wasn't like before. Now, Sophia walked with a slight hop in her step. If getting into her nice warm bed was the most worthwhile part of her night then she was fine with that. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle up with her latest book and read.
A large roar of laughter came up the stairs and reached Sophia. See? They could carry on without her. She wasn't needed down there. Her bed needed her. Her book needed her, and she needed them.
When the wave of laughter came once again, Sophia was finally at her door. She pushed it open and quickly slid into her room. With her back against the door, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. Why her mother did this to her was beyond Sophia. She would tell her mother she hated these things, but like everything else she has said, it would go in through one ear and out the other.
As she walked over to her bed, she noticed a letter on her dresser. She made note of it and continued to walk to her awaiting bed. She lifted the pillow that held her journal underneath it. Her golden locket fell out of it onto her bed, the one she snatched from her mother; she picked it up and pulled it over her head. Feeling the chain calmed her. She loved this locket. She loved nothing more than this necklace, and she wasn't sure where she got it from.
Her mother had tried to throw it away years ago but when Sophia screamed and attacked her, she gave the locket back. She has never been able to open it, but it was special to her none the less.
Placing the journal back in its place, she turned to her dresser. The letter was folded up neatly and placed under her hand mirror. Carefully picking it up, she noticed it was slightly crumpled, like it had been in someone's pocket.
Opening the letter was nerve racking. She thought it would be from Gavin, but he had no time to get up to her room and back downstairs since he had been there. He was always in her vision, unfortunately. Sophia opened the letter completely. It read:
Dear Sophia,
You have made a great choice by choosing Gavin. I wouldn't have had it any other way. He is simply the perfect match for you. You will respect him and do as he wishes, do you understand? You will appear happy when in public and when asked you will speak only wonderful things about him. You will be marrying him; there is no question about it. You will give Gavin your undivided attention, your love, your body, and anything else he asks of you. Your father and I will be leaving town for the remainder of the night, which means Gavin and yourself have the house to yourselves. You will not mess this up.
Love,
Your Mother
What?! This is ridiculous! No! This will not happen. It cannot happen!
Just as Sophia was trying to process the letter her mother had left her, the door creaked. She put the letter down and turned to see who the intruder was.
Her eyes hardened upon seeing him. She would not be spending the night or any other night with him.
"I see you want to get right to it then. I knew you would give in sometime." Gavin stood in the doorway. His arms crossed, his body relaxed. He followed her! How creepy! She should have expected this. She didn't hear his footsteps, which was odd. She was sure she would have at least heard the clap of his heel on the floor from his shoes.
Even if she wanted to marry the man, and by God did she not, she wouldn't have been happy. He wouldn't have stayed faithful. He would have had a mistress within the first week of their marriage. She wouldn't have been enough for him.
The look in his eye made her nervous. She knew she was cornered. She had to get out of the room. She didn't want to be alone with him. What the two of them wanted was very, very different. She wanted to read and he wanted to get under the covers with her.
She wouldn't give him what he wanted no matter what he did. She would fight him off if she had to. If he hit her, it wouldn't be the first time. There had been plenty of times where he hit her. She had bruises around her wrists from where he grabbed her. She could hold her own fight, just until help came. He never left a bad enough mark for people to question anything. He was good at that. He was a sneaky bastard.
"Let's go to bed Sophia, you look absolutely exhausted. Come here, I'll take that beautiful dress off you." His voice was rough and unpleasant. His hands were out stretched towards her. She took a step back. Even though he was across the room from her, she wouldn't take any chances.
Thunder cracked outside, Gavin looked toward the window as did Sophia. She saw the rain hitting the window. It wasn't light drizzle either. The wind looked dreadful and the rain made seeing two feet in front of you hard.
His eyes shifted from the window to the bed to Sophia and back again. There was no way she was getting in that bed with him. She would rather eat pea soup for every meal for the rest of her life if it meant she didn't have to sleep with this man. She would give her life if it meant she didn't have to be near the man.
"Sophia, sweetheart, you're going to have to warm up to me sometime. We will be married after all. Your mother probably told you already, but I wanted to ask you myself." He got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. He looked at her from across the room, a smug smirk playing across his face. She squinted her eyes at him. She wasn't going anywhere near him, so what was he playing at?
He rolled his eyes and got up. He started closing the distance between them. Each step he took the more she froze up. She needed to think of something and fast. She need to get out of the room and near someone.
She could scream for help, but be probably told the maids to leave. She could fight him, but that would leave her vulnerable for his counter attack. He could easily over power her. A plan, she needed a plan.
Thinking of any plan was futile. He had closed the gap between them, now standing a mere five feet in front of her. She held his gaze. She didn't want him to see that she was scared. She wanted to show no weaknesses.
As much as she wanted to believe she could get out of this, she knew she was in trouble.
She swallowed. He chuckled.
Jack tried to smile back, but he was too shocked. She smiled at him. She actually showed an emotion through her face, not her eyes. Speaking of eyes, they weren't as intense when she smiled. The edge was gone, and they were left a vibrant, pleasant green.
Her teeth were pearly white compared to anyone else's in the room. The boys' teeth looked rotted in comparison to hers. Her smile wasn't something he could describe. There were no words that he could come up with. He was utterly speechless.
His eyes then widened. He knew he had seen that smile somewhere; but where he wasn't sure. Where would the two of them met? He was sure it wasn't on the street, or in Tibby's or Medda's. He felt like her smile was very familiar; too familiar.
He finally smiled back, he had no choice. She could probably make someone who doesn't know what a smile is crack a grin; someone like Spot Conlon. That made him chuckle. He was sure he would figure out where he knew this girl.
In the mean time, he had more pressing issues. She hasn't spoken a word since she got there. He found this rather weird, considering the trauma she must have been going through. Running from a warm house, with all the food, money, and clothing she needed to the cold, raining streets of Manhattan had to have been scary. He thought she would want to get it all out, hear him say that she was safe. But she didn't say anything. He could tell she wanted to though. She had opened her mouth but then must have decided against it.
" Well, Jade, I'se gotta get back ta me game. I'll say g'night ta ya when you'se ready ta sleep." With that Racetrack walked back to the table of poker playing boys. Jade watched him leave. When she saw him sit down and pick up his hand of cards, she turned to Jack. She noticed he had been very quiet the past few minutes. He struck her as an outgoing person. His smile was easy going and comforting. She waited for him to say something, when he didn't say anything she turned her attention to the boys in the room.
Most of them were still awake. But the younger ones, including that little boy Teddy, were snug in their beds. Upon looking around she found a window. Still waiting for Jack to talk, Jade walked over to the window.
The rain had stopped, it was now lightly snowing. None of the snow was sticking to the ground or buildings because it was too wet. She knew it would be cold and icy tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, she had no idea what would happen to her.
Jack had mentioned that he wanted her to stay, but she didn't know if she wanted to. She wasn't sure if the guys here would ever warm up to her. Jack said they would, but she didn't know how they would treat her. She couldn't handle being treated like she was back at home.
She watched the empty streets, imagining what they would look like with sunlight hitting them. Surely they must be less scary. As of now, they looked like a perfect scene from a horror book. She could just picture Jack the Ripper strolling down the street right now, looking for his next victim.
Jack the Ripper. Jack! What if that's how he got his name! What if he's dangerous! She didn't know him, for all she knew; he had a stash of dead women in the basement. Oh no, oh no. I'm going to die at the hands of a man I just met tonight. She started to think of ways he could kill her. What a mind she had.
Jack watched her stand at the window. He wondered what could have been going through her mind. He was glad she ran through Manhattan and not Brooklyn or Harlem. She would have been in trouble, if not dead if she had. He knew she was safe right where she is, but she didn't.
He tried to think the way she was probably thinking. He knew she was scared; the tension in her shoulders told him that. The shaking had stopped which was a good sign. The way she crossed her arms across her chest told him that she was guarding herself, both physically and mentally. He was stumped about the not speaking part. Maybe she don't wanna tell us anydin case we'se go tad a bulls. Jack thought that made a lot of sense. She wouldn't want to be turned into the police. She was technically a runaway, a rich runaway but a runaway none the less.
He knew he had to talk to her, he just didn't know how to get through to her. He didn't want to make any sudden movements, or she may run. He didn't want to ask anything too personal, or she would clam up even more. He couldn't touch her or she would probably drop dead from fear.
Rape. She must have been raped. That's the only reason she wouldn't speak or let anyone touch her. It made too much sense. Maybe I'se jumpin' ta conclusions. She could have just been happy where she was for all he knew. She could just be mad at her mom so she ran away. It wouldn't be the first time. Jack had too many assumptions running through his head. He needed this girl to talk to him.
He shook his head and smiled. He could charm any girl in New York better than anyone…well…maybe not anyone… but almost anyone. He would try his hardest to make Jade comfortable.
He had killed her twelve times in her mind, each time more brutal than the next, before the assumed murderer came up behind her. She jumped a little when she saw his refection in the window. He had a big, sweet grin on. No, he can't be a murderer. He looks way to nice. Wait, I bet that's how they all started. Yup, still going to die. Jack must have found his voice, unlike Jade whose voice was still on vacation, because he spoke.
"Why don't we'se go somewheah private, so's we'se can tawk." Her eyes widened and she shook her head. Jack nodded, understanding her want to not be alone with a stranger, which supported his rape theory, but he needed to talk to her.
He never asked where the boys had come from due to the way they arrived. None of them arrived in such a mess, like Jade. None of them needed his protection; not that he thought Jade needed his protection, he just thought she would appreciate it.
The boys that stayed at the Manhattan lodging house all arrived out of poverty or losing their families. Jade was a rich, young woman who had a family from where she came from. There had to have been a reason why she was running. Race had said she was running from the police so Jack took that into consideration.
Her family must have wanted her back. Her parents would have the police looking for her tomorrow, if they're still not looking for her now. If she was going to stay, which he wasn't sure if she was or not, she would need to blend in with the crowd. He wanted to talk to her and see what was going on before he made any plans.
He wanted so desperately to help this poor girl but without her giving him any information about her situation, there wasn't much he could do. Maybe he had to talk to Race; she may have said something to him about what's going on. It's a stretch but a possibility.
He looked down at Jade. He didn't want to trick her or be mean but he had to. He had no other choice. He had to use one of his "street rat" talents. Bluffing, one thing every newsie was good at. He actually felt bad about what he was about to do.
"Well, I'se going ta go have a smoke. You'se come ta me'se when you'se ready ta tawk." He turned his back to her, walked out of the room and down the stairs. He wasn't sure if this would work. If it did, he would get what he wanted, if it didn't she would never talk to him which wouldn't help at all.
She watched him leave her. She stood next to the window, in a room full of boys, strangers. She didn't know what to do.
Should I follow him? Maybe I should find Race. Where is he? Oh there he is. Maybe I should just leave. Yeah, I think l'll leave. I'll thank Jack for what he has done for me, Race as well, and I'll leave. Jade had made her decision to leave.
She looked over at the card table and spotted Race. While walking up to the table, a few guys said "Hey, Jade!" and "Jade, where's Jack?" They said this like she had been living with them for years, like it was normal. Kid Blink even smiled at her.
"Jade, come join us." Race spoke over the roar of guys losing their money to him. Some grumbled but kept to themselves, others, like Blink, yelled at Race accusing him of cheating which he very well could have.
Jade shook her head and looked at the doorway Jack exited. Maybe I should just talk to Jack. I don't have tell him everything, I could just tell him what he needs to know. Yeah, maybe I could do this. Maybe I don't have to leave just yet.
Walking toward the door Jade fingered the locket around her neck. She knew she wouldn't tell Jack everything, but she would have to tell someone. She had a dark past, one she didn't want to bring up to anyone, but she really needed to. Maybe if she told a complete stranger she would feel a little better. She could tell a stranger her story then leave him or her, never having to speak to him or her again. Maybe telling a stranger was better than keeping it bottle up.
She walked down the stairs, still playing with her necklace. As she walked down, the stairs creaked and groaned She didn't trust them to hold up her, how these boys trusted these stairs to hold them up was beyond her.
The room, which she figured was the lobby, was empty. The old man that was once sitting, reading behind the dusty old desk was gone. The fire that was going before was now just a pile of embers. The room was still warm. The room looked desolate, and eerie.
The entrance door was cracked open just slightly, enough for Jade to know where Jack was. She felt the chilly December air coming through the small crack.
She opened the door just a little bit more, when she smelled the smoke from a cigarette she knew there was no going back.
The air was frigid; Jade didn't know how Jack could sit out here just for a smoke. Her hands were surly going to go numb as well as every other body part.
She looked up at the sky. There were barely any stars in the sky, and the snow falling came down consistently. The small white flakes falling melted on her outstretched hands, landed in her hair, and covered the boy sitting in front of her.
His hair was almost covered in snow. His shoulders were broad, and stiff. He wasn't shivering, just sitting there smoking. He didn't seem to be phased by either the snow or the below zero weather.
She knew he knew she was there. She didn't know whether or not he would speak first, or if he was waiting for her to start the conversation. Thinking of what he said before he walked away she presumed he was waiting for her to speak. It was only fair that she told him what he was getting involved with.
She moved to the step where Jack sat and took a seat next to him. She brought her knees to her chest and sighed. She knew she had to tell him something. She had to tell him anything, just something small.
"What do you want to know?" She murmured. She wasn't sure what he would ask, but she told herself that she will answer anything he asked her. She owed him that much.
He didn't say anything. He just sat there taking drags of his cigarette. She turned to look at him. He stared ahead of him, not appearing in thought. He just stared. She turned and stared where he was staring. She saw nothing.
She looked at the dark, wet street. It was ghostly, like no one has walked on these streets for years. She had never been in this part of Manhattan. She almost wished she was back at home. Key word n that sentence ALMOST. It wasn't as scary there, just a lot more mortifying. She wondered what was in store for her tomorrow. Jack shifted slightly which caught Jade's attention.
"Anytin. Tell me anytin." He looked towards her. They stared straight into one another's eyes. It wasn't the first time tonight this had happened. This time it was different though. His eyes didn't have an underlining of laughter, or any humor. They were desperate. She felt the need from him. He needed something from her and she knew what.
"I'm scared." She looked at her hands. She had started picking at her nails, a habit of nervousness.
"Sometin else." He knew she had no idea what to say. He should have asked why she was running, or where she came from, but he couldn't. He realized that she needed to be the one to pick what she wanted him to know and what she didn't want him to know.
Jade gazed forward to the empty street. She watched the snow fall to the ground. She didn't know how to explain anything. She knew she was scared and she knew she could explain it. She was sure of it. She wasn't sure of what she should tell the Manhattan leader.
Jack watched as Jade spaced out. She was so focused on nothing that she could have been mistaken as focusing on something. He squinted his eyes as he noticed that she seemed sad. Her eyes were cast down, and her lip was as well. She must be thinking of something that had happened earlier. She cleared her throat not moving her stare.
Her hair was covered in the snow that covers his hair. As he watched her hair turn white from the covering he followed her hairs length. And boy did she have a lot of hair. It looked soft; he could almost feel it in his hands. His attention was jerked back to her face when she spoke.
"I…" She didn't finish. She couldn't finish. A tear slid down her cheek. Jack was prepared for her to cry. He expected it to have happened a lot earlier. He knew it would have happened sometime. For some reason she was holding her tears back, she wouldn't let herself cry. He watched her struggle with herself. He wanted to rub her back and tell her it would be okay but he knew that wouldn't go over to well with her.
"Do you'se wanna stay heah?" He figured he would have a lead the conversation. He would have done anything at this point to know what was going on with the girl next to him. Seeing her fight herself made him want to make whoever did this pay.
"If it's no trouble, I…don't want to cause any problems." Jack nodded. Even if she said no, he would have convinced her otherwise.
"I'se want you'se ta stay. You'se won't be no trouble, honest." Jade smiled a tiny smile. Jack almost missed it.
They sat in silence once more. Jack knew he would have to talk to his newsies about protecting Jade. He was sure they wouldn't have a problem with it; he was more worried about Jade. He didn't want her to be afraid of the guy he assigns to protect her that day.
"We'se will protect ya, if you'se don't mind. We'se will make shoah da bulls won't getcha." She turned to him. She thought that was a lot to ask for, even if he did offer. She shook her head. He wouldn't take no for an answer.
"No, I'se serious. I'll make shoah dere's always a newsie widcha. It won't be no trouble." He smiled to reassure her, which worked to some degree. She sighed. Maybe this would work out; maybe I just need to let him help.
"Wheah ah you'se from? Coitenly not 'round heah." She smiled at that. The seriousness in his eyes was still there but the laughter was back. Well I might as well answer his questions. Here goes nothing.
"I'm from Upper Manhattan." Jack nodded, he figured as much.
"Wheah were you'se plannin' on goin'?" Jade shrugged. She had no clue where she would have went if Racetrack hadn't found her. She probably would have been dragged back to the hellhole.
"Why were you'se runnin'?" Jade shifted. She grabbed her locket then stood up. She paced in front of Jack. He silently watched her burn a hole in the ground. He knew the question was going to be hard for her to answer but he had to know. He needed to if he wanted to help her.
She paced for what seemed like an hour, which was actually ten minutes. She didn't know where to start. Gavin was a good place, but there was also her mother and father; not to mention the protocol and parties, arranged marriages and what felt like imprisonment.
I have to tell him. I have to tell someone or it will kill me. I need to learn to trust him. Jack only wants to help, he won't turn me into the police. He could possibly help. I could actually make a friend. Maybe I could gain a family from living here, a real family. That would be heaven.
She sat back down next to the newsie. A sigh escaped her lips. She looked at him knowing she had to do this. She needed his help.
"It's quite a story. Are you ready?" Jack slowly nodded. He was going to listen to every detail and figure out how to help the small girl in front of him.
She closed her eyes, let out a breath and began her story.
I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. I have been working and planning a vacation to Florida with my boyfriend, so it's been hectic. Not only that, but my computer had broke and I didn't have one for the longest time. I just bought a laptop so I'm back! (:
Tell me what you think.
To bE mY HEaRt: She was in shock, that's why she wouldn't talk. You will also find out why she didn't run away earlier in the next chapter.
A-Bookworm-Named-Steph: I hope it doesn't get boring to you. I'm trying to keep it interesting.
Lilmissmessy: Thank you so much! I will update as much as possible.
Everyone's reviews help me, so keep on reviewing! Thank you, it means so much.
Chapter 5 Preview
She watched as he picked up her hair brush and spun it around. He began to pick up and inspect the other objects on the small table. While do this, he began to sit down. She knew this would be the only opportunity. She knew if she wasted this chance another may not come. She couldn't risk it.
She spun around and threw open the window. With the rain pouring down on the roof, she knew she would have to be careful. She didn't have the luxury of taking her time and getting her footing. She threw both legs out of the window. She hoped that she was right about Gavin sending the maids away. She heard him shout from in the room.