It had been about a week since I made my deal with mother. To say my life had returned to normal would be an overstatement. I was constantly being watched and I no contact with the outside world whatsoever. I hadn't even spoken one word to my siblings in the past week. As far as I was concerned, my siblings didn't exist.

Mother was very pleased at the fact that I hadn't uttered a word to my siblings, knowing very well that I was not going to make the mistake of defying her again.

"Adeline, darling. How wonderful to see you again!" Mrs. Ryan said, kissing my cheeks. I smiled and nodded in appreciation. "I am terribly sorry about your sister. I know how much you loved her." Mrs. Ryan said. I didn't say anything, I just nodded and looked down.

"It's been terribly hard on our family, Adeline and Gianna especially." Mother said, grabbing Mrs. Ryan's arm. The woman looked at my mother with sympathy in her brown eyes. "That is understandable. It is very hard to lose a child, especially the oldest." Mrs. Ryan said. I wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of my lungs that Amanda was alive and residing with the newsies.

I felt awkward just standing there, listening to the two women talk. I looked from my mother, to the clock, to the door and back again. "Pardon me, but I feel intrusive on your conversation just standing here. Is it alright with you mother if I go and study?" I asked.

My mother sent me a sharp smile. "I suppose that would be okay. It will get awfully lonely without you to keep us company darling." She said. Mrs. Ryan looked between my mother and I, a curious look in her eye.

I smiled gratefully at my mother, and curtsied to the women before I left. I let out a breath I didn't notice I had been holding, and climbed the stairs to my room.

Sarah was cleaning up as usual, but something seemed off. "Is everything alright?" I asked her. The woman looked at me, then went to shut the door. "Sarah, what's wrong?"

The woman looked at me. "I received a letter today. A boy with a crutch instructed me to give it to you." She said, handing me the piece of paper. I smiled at the chicken scratch handwriting that could only belong to Crutchie. I smiled and carefully opened the letter.

'Dear Adeline, greetings from the Newsies!

It's been awhile since we've seen your face. We hoid the news dat you been accepted back in ya family. Don't let them big shots get to that pretty head a yours.

I want to meet with you. Talk. I miss having' someone to talk to. The lodging house ain't the same without ya. Meet me in Central park tomorrow.

Crutchie'

I smiled at the letter sadly and handed it back to Sarah. "What did it say?" She asked. I chuckled at her eagierness. She was like a little kid. "Crutchie wants to meet with me tomorrow." I say to her. Sarah looked at me with her bright blue eyes. "Well, are you?" She asked.

I shook my head, and tossed the letter into the trash bin. "No." I said, bitterly. Sarah looked at me shocked. "What? Why?" The confusion in her voice made my heart tighten. "Because." I spat bitterly. "I made a deal with the devil."

I walked with Violet the next day. We had our weekly stroll around Manhattan, chatting and laughing at the boys who tried to impress us. "They are just too funny." Violet said, as we passed the show-offish newsboys.

I looked at her in shock. "They're not too bourbon and cigars for you?" I teased. "No. They're more of peaches and lemonade." She says, shooting me a smirk. I rolled my eyes at her, and the two of us proceeded to stroll past Central park. The letter from last night slipped my mind, that was until I heard his voice.

"Adeline!" The ever-perky voice of Crutchie called. Violet stopped, but I kept going. "Adeline." Crutchie said again. I kept walking, but Violet pulled me back. "It is rude to ignore people." She hissed in my ear. I rolled my eyes, and looked over at Crutchie.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly. The blue eyed boy looked hurt at my tone, but brushed it off. "I want to talk." He said innocently. I looked around for any of my mothers connections before I spoke again.

"I can't talk. Not now, not ever." I told him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at my sudden change in attitude. "I don't understand" He said, his voice quiet. I looked at him with cold hard blue eyes.

"I want nothing to do with you or those other vermin you call friends. You are a disgrace to this earth and I want you nowhere near me ever again." I spat. Crutchie's eyes narrowed and darkened. "What happened to the Adelien I met two months ago? The one who didn't give a damn about her mother? The girl who would go to the ends of the earth for her sister? What happened to her?"

I looked at him, my eyes dark but my heart tight. "She made a deal with the devil." And with that, Violet and I were walking back to my house, leaving behind a hurt Crutchie and my heart.

The whole way back to the house, Violet said nothing to me. She was shocked at my outburst with Crutchie, and I could understand why. I was never normally like that.

I didn't even say goodbye to her, I just walked into my home and straight up to my room. I needed to think, and the only way I was going to do that was if my mother wasn't around me.

"What is this?" Was what I heard as I opened the door to my bedroom. Gianna stood with Crutchie's letter in her hand. "It's nothing. It's piece of garbage." I say, ripping it out of her hand.

"No it wasn't. You went to meet him didn't you?" She asked. I glared at her and sat at my vanity. "I don't know what you mean." I say, brushing out my curls. Gianna glared at me. "Yes you do. You went to meet with that boy. The one that I always see hanging around with Jack and Katherine, the one with the crutch." She said.

"I didn't meet with him. He stopped Violet and I on our walk and I simply showed him who was above him and who deserved to die in the streets." I shrugged. Gianna looked at me with the same eyes Crutchie did.

"What changed with you Adeline?" She asked softly. I didn't say anything. I couldn't. There was so much I wanted to be said, but it couldn't be.

"Get out." I said, calmly. My sister's blue eyes met with my own. "What?" She asked. I glared at her. "Get out." I say again more firmly. Gianna didn't move. She didn't speak.

"GET OUT!" I screamed. Gianna quickly scurried out of my room, tears threatening to spill. She paused at the door. "This is not my sister. This is not the Adeline I grew up with. You've changed, sister. And it hasn't been for the better." She said, before leaving.

I collapsed on my bed and the tears came. I let the dam break and the tears flooded out of my eyes. I cried myself to sleep that night for what I had become.