Tricks gracefully leapt from catwalk to catwalk, making her way towards the center of the stage. The scene currently unfolding required silvery glitter to rain from above, softly falling over Medda and the four other dancers on stage. Tricks loved the thrill of shimmying up the thick rope, stretching to reach the first catwalk that was just within her reach, and then pulling her body up onto the narrow, suspended walkway. Some people blanched at the height, shook in terror, but Tricks relished in the inherent risk and danger of those moments.

Especially now that "risky" behavior was so hard to come by.

As she hauled sandbags, rolled away scenery, and tugged the rope that pulled the curtain closed, Tricks couldn't help but think of Amy and how completely appalled she'd be by Tricks's behavior. It was another thought that pushed Tricks even harder, made her want to break the mold expected of a typical girl. In the end, hadn't Tricks and her bad behavior won? All of Mush's affection (as claustrophobic as it made Tricks feel) was on Tricks.

These were the thoughts that consumed Tricks while at Irving Hall; as petty as they were, it was nice to step away from the sad letters and perceived threats that lurked around every corner outside of Medda's theater. Since the night in Brooklyn, neither Tricks nor Mush nor Jack had noticed anyone unusual hanging around the bunkhouse or any of Tricks's other haunts. In Tricks's mind, this meant they had given up. In Jack's mind, this meant they were waiting for her to get complacent, to slip up and make it easier for someone to attack her.

After the final curtain call, Tricks helped pull the scenery off the stage and set up for the open of tomorrow's show. Slowly, she'd formed friendships with the other stagehands and backstage runners, who initially didn't think a girl could be much help lugging equipment or climbing up scaffolding. That was what she missed most about hawking papes (which Jack forbid after the Brooklyn incident): the camaraderie. She was only around the guys at night, and couldn't help but feel out of place as they recapped the day's events.

Race was meeting Tricks and walking home with her that evening. Tricks finished rolling up a few yards of rigging rope and peeked out of the theater's backdoor. The street was empty, but she wasn't concerned: Racetrack Higgins was not known for his punctuality.

The last few people trickled out of the theater, leaving only Tricks behind. Knowing they needed to lock up for the night, she decided to wait for Race outside.

"Ya alright, Tricks?" Jimmy, one of the other stagehands asked as he pulled the keys of out his pocket. "Want me to walk ya home?"

The key turned with a reassuring click and Tricks Kelly made up her mind.

"I'm fine," Tricks lied with a smile, "walkin' home now, see ya guys tomorrow."

XXXXXXX

Jack Kelly was an impatient person. He did not like to be kept waiting, especially when he there were other things that needed his attention. His sister's situation took up most of his time and energy, leaving little time for anything else, including his own girlfriend. Luckily, Sarah understood that Tricks was the only semblance of a family Jack had left, and that her safety was important to him.

By 11pm, Race had not returned to the bunkhouse with Tricks. Jack glanced at the clock; Race was normally late but never by more than twenty or thirty minutes. Medda's last show ended over an hour ago, and Jack was beginning to worry and wonder if he should go out looking for Tricks and Race.

Mush, looking just at tense as Jack felt, was glancing at the clock every few minutes. Mush volunteered to walk Tricks home every night, but Jack declined, thinking it would be harder to spot a pattern if the group took turns. Tricks, probably feeling smothered by Mush's constant attention, quickly agreed. Jack began to regret that decision; Mush would have shown up an hour early and had Tricks home at the same time every night.

"Jackie Boy, Jackie Boy," Race said happily as he sauntered into the bunkhouse, "shoulda seen the girl I met at the track-"

"Only girl I wanna hear 'bout is my sister," Jack replied angrily, noticing the Tricks was not following behind Race as he had hoped.

Race's face turned white as the realization hit him. "Jackie, I forgot-I-"

"Ya forgot?" It was Mush who reacted first, leaping out of his chair and pushing Race up against the wall. Jack didn't even have time to yell at Race before he was grabbing Mush's fist, preventing it from connecting with Race's face.

"Don't hit 'im," Jack said as Mush attempted to pull his fist out of Jack's grip, "gonna need everyone we got on the street to find her."

XXXXXXXX

New York City at night was the polar opposite of New York City in the daytime. A peaceful calm settled over the city for a few hours as most of its residents fell into slumber. Though she knew she would catch hell for it later, Tricks was in no rush to get back to the bunkhouse. Even though the conditions were much better, being inside The Sun's office and Irving Hall all day made Tricks feel as trapped as she did at the factory.

The soft patter of footsteps against the cobblestone made Tricks pause for a moment, looking down an alleyway before continuing.

'Must have been a stray cat,' she convinced herself after seeing no one in the alley. As a precaution, she increased her pace and took a few shortcuts that brought her closer to the bunkhouse. Outside of Union Square Park, four figures emerged from the shadows.

"No one babysittin' ya tonight, girly?" Oscar grinned as he stepped in her path. Tricks circled around, getting her bearing and figuring out who else was there. Morris Delancey, and the two unidentified men in dark suits from Brooklyn. Henchmen.

Tricks didn't even bother throwing an insult or sarcastic remark back at Oscar. She was ready for his swing, ducking underneath the punch and running as fast as she could. There was a loud ripping noise as the back of her shirt tore; someone tried to grab it and stop Tricks from getting away. As her feet pounded against the pavement, she was grateful for working backstage that night: instead of a skirt and dress shoes, she was in pants and boots.

Tricks glanced over her shoulder as she ran; two of the men were following her, while the other two broke off to the left and right. They were hoping to cage her in, to trap her between city blocks. Taking a risk, she sped down a narrow alley that she knew had several entrances and exits to duck into and through. After running about halfway through the alley, she banked left and then ducked down two other alleys in the hopes of losing them. She ducked behind a row of trash cans to hide, hoping the Delanceys and their henchmen would run past her. Worried that her loud gasps of breath would give her away, Tricks tried to hold it in.

One of the henchmen passed by her alley. "She's here," she heard Morris reassure his partners.

"Didn't see her come up the main road."

"Look in the staircases, and behin' the bins," it was one of the unnamed henchmen who spoke this time. Tricks closed her eyes, knowing she only had a few moments before being discovered. Her heart beating out of her chest, she tried to come up with some semblance of a plan. A small head start was better than no start at all, she finally decided, popping up from her hiding spot and continuing on up the alley, towards the bunkhouse.

"Oy! She' ova there!"

The footfalls were closing in on her again; Tricks looked up and saw a metal fire escape ladder hanging within reach a few yards away. She would need to jump to grab on to it. Forcing herself to go faster, Tricks launched herself at the ladder, barely reaching it and pulling her body up behind her. As she ascended the rungs, she made a mental note to thank Medda for the increased arm strength that came with backstage work. Tricks climbed to the roof, jumping between several buildings until she came to a dead end. She looked down: the fire escape was a good twenty feet from the ground. Behind her, the four men were shouting, taunting her as they closed in.

Down was the only way to escape. She climbed down the rungs as quickly as possible, stopping at the last one to hang by her fingertips, a feeble attempt to get closer to the ground.

'You've been up higher,' she reminded herself, preparing for the drop to the ground below.

Tricks took the plunge, prying her fingers away from the rung and falling to the street below. As she landed, she felt a pop in her ankle, but she didn't have time to stop.

'Run, run, run!' Tricks repeated in her head, hoping to dull the sharp pain that was now emanating from her ankle down her foot and up her leg. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed the men were still trying to figure out how to get down from the building. The Delanceys doubled back looking for another ladder, while the two henchmen stood on the roof, contemplating if they should risk the fall or not. The taller of the two pointed toward Tricks, as if he was convincing his fellow that if the little girl could manage the drop, so could they.

Tricks didn't wait to see what they decided; the pain in her ankle was already slowing her down.

Barely four blocks from the bunkhouse, she slowed slightly, half running and half limping as the pain became worse. The shouts of the men were growing fainter and more frustrated; had Tricks managed to escape? She stopped for a moment to take several long breaths and grinned at the thought of the Delanceys returning to Gus and telling him Tricks Kelly outwitted them once again.

It was at that moment, the grin still etched on her face, that a hand reached out and grabbed Tricks, pulling her into a darkened alley.

XXXXXX