"Katherine? What are you doing here?" Emma asked. Katherine walked over to Emma's mat and sat down. "Jack told me what happened with the Delanceys and how you're really a girl." Katherine said. "I thought I could keep you company for a little while." She really looked at Emma's face taking in every bruise and cut with the same kindness in her eyes that Emma saw in Jack and Crutchie's.
"How are you feeling?" Katherine asked her. Emma shrugged but regretted doing so. "My whole body just hurts ya know?" she said to Katherine. Katherine shook her head. "No. No I don't know." Katherine said gently holding Emma's hand. "I have never had to go through what you've had to go through. I'm sorry that this happened to you Emma."
Emma dropped her eyes to the ground. "But let's talk about something else." Said Katherine trying to change the subject. "It's freezing up here!" Emma laughed and nodded. "It's even worse at night. I wish we had a chimney or something." Katherine thought for a moment and then her face lit up. "What about a fire pit?" she asked. Emma cocked her head to the side, "A fire pit?" she asked sounding confused.
"Yeah!" said Katherine growing excited. "You take rocks and make them into a circle and gather wood to make a fire. We could make one and you could use it at night to keep warm." Emma's face perked up. "That sounds great!" she said. She took off her blankets and put on her boots. The two climbed down the ladder and looked in the alley for rocks but ceased to find any. "We could get some from the planters in front of my apartment." Said Katherine. Emma nodded and climbed back up to the rooftop to get her bag to carry them.
They walked down the streets just talking and Emma enjoyed every second of it. She absolutely loved Jack and Crutchie but it was nice to have some girl time. They finally reached Katherine's apartment building and they picked out several good sized rocks and put them in Emma's bag. "That should be good." Katherine said wiping the dirt of her hands. She shivered and said, "Why not we go up to my apartment and make some tea?"
"That sounds great." Said Emma happy to get out of the cold. She grabbed her bag which was now full of rocks and the two girls headed up to Katherine's apartment. Her apartment was exactly as Emma would have imagined it with a desk, bookshelves, and a typewriter. Katherine walked over to the stove and put a kettle on to boil some water. Emma shivered still cold from being outside. Katherine looked worried, "Emma, why don't you go take a bath? It might help you feel better." Emma nodded, "Ok." She said.
Katherine led her to the bathroom, turned on the water, and handed her a towel. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." She said shutting the door behind her. Emma stripped of her shirt and pants and stepped into the warm bath and pulled the bath curtain closed. Living on the rooftop, they were able to bathe but not like this. They usually just scrubbed themselves with a wet rag and a bar of soap. Emma worked out the knots in her hair and covered her whole body with a bar of soap that smelled like vanilla.
When she was done she pulled the drain out and grabbed her towel. Neatly folded on the table next to the tub was a Button down long sleeve white shirt and a royal blue skirt. "Katherine must have set these in here for me." Thought Emma as she slipped them on and tucked the shirt in. She hung the towel up and walked into the kitchen where Katherine was pouring tea into two mugs. She turned and looked at Emma. "Great!" she said. "They fit perfectly. Those were way too small for me." She handed her a mug with steaming hot tea and then placed cream and sugar in front of her. Emma sprinkled in some sugar and braided her while she waited for the tea to cool.
Katherine took a sip from her own mug. "So how is living on the rooftop and being a newsie?" "I actually love it." Said Emma stirring her tea. "When I lived with my mom and my um, my uncles, I was always forced to stay inside and there were so many rules and strict punishments. Being a newsie and living with Jack and Crutchie, I'm free. And they care more about me than my family ever did." She took a breath, "And I honestly think I care more about them than I ever did about my family." Emma took a sip of her tea which had finally cooled down. Then she looked at the clock. "I should probably go," she said with a shy smile. "The boys will be back soon and Jack kinda told me not to leave the rooftop."
Katherine laughed, "That sounds like Jack, always the protector." She said standing up. "Hold on one second." She said before disappearing into her room. She came back with Emma's bag which now not only had the rocks but a couple of skirts and shirts along with her old newsie boy clothes. Emma gave her a confused look. "They're too small for me." Said Katherine. "You should take them." Emma threw her arms around Katherine. "Thank you so much." Said Emma. "I love the boys but it's nice to be able to talk to a girl!" Katherine laughed. "Anytime!" she said opening the door for Emma. "Come over anytime!" she called after her. "I will!" Emma called over her shoulder. And then she set off home to the rooftop.
Meanwhile Crutchie was standing on the corner trying to sell his last paper. He had been thinking about Emma all day and was usually excited to finish selling his papers and meet her at the fountain, but now the excitement was gone and he was just anxious to get home. A fancy lookin' lady began making her way around the corner and Crutchie made his way over to her. "Pardon me ma'am," he said clearing his throat. "Would you like to buy a newspaper?" The lady gave him a sad smile. "Sure thing honey." She said as she dug a coin out of her purse and handed it to him. Crutchie handed her the paper and quickly began to hobble home.
He finally made it to the alley and began to climb up the ladder one rung at a time holding onto his crutch. He was halfway up when he saw Emma lean her face over the rail to see who it was. Her face lit up, "Hey Crutchie!" she yelled. "Hey." He called back and continued to climb. When he reached the rooftop and saw Emma he was stunned. "Wow," He said. "Geez Emma, you look really pretty." Her cheeks turned pink and she smiled. "Thanks Crutchie." She responded. He looked at the circle of rocks with wood in the center. "What's that?" he asked her. "It's a fire pit." She said. "Katherine and I made it so that we can stay warm at night."
Crutchie nodded. "Good, it's getting cold at night." He set his bag down next to his mat and leaned against the railing. "Well," he said. "Jack's gonna be out with Katherine tonight. Why not we go out and get something for dinner?" he said nervously. Emma smiled, "That sounds like a great idea!" she said. "Let me just grab my jacket and let's go." She walked over to her mat and picked up a brown jacket as Crutchie started down the ladder. She put it on and then started down the ladder herself. When she reached the bottom and saw Crutchie leaning on his crutch waiting for her she asked him, "So where do you wanna go?" He smiled, "I have an idea." Then the two walked out of the alley together holding hands.