MANHATTAN – JULY 1914
Sophie warned them to be back before sunset. The streets of New York at such a late hour were not kind to naïve young people. She'd made Henry swear to have everyone home safe by the end of the evening. He was to take them to Coney Island, buy a few red hots, play some games, and herd the others home.
"You promise me that you'll look out for them. And yourself," Sophie said, giving Henry a stern look as she gazed up at him, dishing out the motherly lecture he wasn't accustomed to. "Because if anything should happen, I will have to answer to my brother, Marquette, Alexei, Muggs, and your father. And quite frankly, I don't know which one I'm most afraid of. Best behavior, okay? No alcohol, no smoking, keep an eye on them at all times, not too much candy…" She wracked her brain for more things to add.
Henry just nodded with a reassuring smile, but he also had this sadness in his eyes like Grim. "What about taking the lord's name in vain?"
"I'm serious." Sophie kept her arms crossed, glaring at him as if she didn't believe him. Her expression of genuine worry never left her face.
"Oh my God, Sophie, we'll be fine," Henry teased, laughing a little as he pulled her in for a hug. Sophie broke into a soft smile, slowly relaxing her arms as she hugged him back. "You have my word."
After Henry and Jacob had settled in, Sophie saw the two boys and the others off as they left the flat. "I will be waiting up until you get back!" She called.
Misha rolled his eyes. "My old man doesn't care when I get home," he mumbled to Henry. "He's usually too out of it to notice."
"That's sad, Misha," Henry replied off-handedly.
"Actually, it's kind of nice. I can do whatever I want," Misha said. "The real obstacle is my mother. You should hear some of the fights they get into."
Amelie clung to Henry's arm as they navigated the busy streets, with Lilly holding onto Misha so she wouldn't get separated. Jacob trudged alongside Sadie, eyeing the swift and discreet way she dipped her hand in a passerby's pocket and resurrected a billfold. She immediately started going through it, discarding ticket stubs and sorting money.
"Sadie," Jacob began, but as soon as she met his gaze, she hushed him. "What are you doing?" He whispered.
Sadie shrugged. "What does it look like?"
"Where'd you learn to do that?"
She laughed, giving Jacob a sideways look. "What are you, a cop?"
The lights of Coney Island sparkled and shined bright as they came closer. Pony rides, elephant rides, Luna Park, Shoot-the-chutes, aerial swings, looping roller coasters. The New York kids go there every summer, but Henry's only been twice before, and Jacob's never seen anything quite like it in the west outside of traveling circuses. It's a safe, well-lit place, Amelie assures the frontier visitors, that's cheap to get in, and she usually sees people she knows. Jacob's only ever been to the county fair during the day with his parents – every other year, but less so now that Rosie's arrived. But he's not used to something like this, not without adult supervision, not at night.
Suddenly, Jacob wasn't sure if he wanted to go. For starters, after witnessing what Sadie had done, he realized how little he knew about his 'cousins.' They'd grown into such different people than how he'd remembered them. As he listens to Misha and Lilly talk about dope and burny and hooch and Gopher Gangs and Eastmans, he doesn't quite follow. How is expected to keep up and contribute when he has no idea what they're talking about? His parents don't talk about these things. He's tried alcohol a couple of times, with his dad's permission, but he didn't like the taste of it.
Amelie and Lilly are outgoing. They wear smiles and flit about, tossing their auburn hair wildly, and engaging in conversation with Jacob easily. Misha has a teasing yet cautious about him – he's all half-smirks and eye rolls and jokes that go over Jacob's head. His dark humor, rowdy laughter, and lighthearted, unwarranted ripping on Jacob makes the younger boy a little anxious.
Sarah had been apprehensive of letting Jacob go to the city, but Jack had encouraged Jacob, saying, "A boy his age should enjoy his youth. There's a whole world out there, and he should know about it. He's a smart kid, and I trust him."
Jacob wishes his father had come with him, but he feels safe in Henry's company.
The cloudy sky was now a dark blue, like a layer of dusk covering up everything, creating a wonderland for night owls all around. Jacob could barely see the moon as the wind bit at his face. He watched the few trees rubbing against buildings as the breeze picked up and the trash on the road swirled. He felt an overwhelming calm and comfort as the evening grew darker and the music from the amusement park grew louder. He found himself wondering if either of his parents had gone to Coney Island when they were his age.
His thoughts are interrupted as Lilly nudges him, explaining what the plan is for tomorrow: a vaudeville show before they all go out and meet up with some friends.
"Hold on," Henry says. "Go out? Where?"
Amelie gave his arm a light hit. "If you think the peak of your trip is going to be lame Coney Island, you're seriously demented."
From beside him, Lilly says, "Quit acting like you're so old, Henry. Live a little."
Misha looked over at Jacob. "I'll bet this one's never been to a bar," he said, exchanging a look with Lilly.
Jacob didn't say anything, too embarrassed to admit it.
Sadie remained out of the conversation, twirling a strand of dark hair in her fingers.
Misha nodded. "I figured. Hope your folks don't mind us corrupting you."
This made Sadie laugh a little, running a hand through her shiny raven hair as she winked at Jacob. "Try spending a week at my place, Jake. You can show me how they do things in the wild west."
Henry half-dragged, half-twirled Sadie away. "Okay, that's not happening." He handed her off to Amelie to mind.
As soon as they hit the park grounds, Henry breaks down his apprehensive barriers and allows them to split up, making them promise to meet up by the boats on the west side.
After several hours, Jacob and Sadie spy Misha and Lilly arguing over something by a hot dog stand, only to break into laughter seconds later. Jacob nervously wonders if Henry and Amelie have been kidnapped or fallen into the river or worse, but as he and Sadie round the corner of a game booth, he sees Amelie walking toward them, pulling Henry by the hand.
Henry pulls her close, whispering in her ear, and she blushes. She covers her mouth and giggles, then sees Jacob and Sadie. "Hey! We were looking for you. I was worried."
"Here we are," Jacob said.
"Did you have fun?"
"Yeah. I really like that roller coaster," Jacob said, pointing to the one behind him. "Have you been on any rides?"
Amelie glanced at Henry. "A few times." They both started to laugh again.
"I could go again," he said.
Sadie nodded. "It was kind of scary at first, but you get used to it."
"I'm still catching my breath," Jacob laughed. "I have to wait a little while between each time."
"No kidding," Henry said. He now has his arm around Amelie, squeezing her waistline, laughing as she smacks his chest.
"I'm getting hungry," Jacob said. "Anywhere we could get a late dinner?"
Misha and Lilly joined them, with Misha messing up Jacob's hair playfully.
"I know a place," Henry announced. "Stays open late. At least it did the last time I was here."
"It's gotta be on the way home," Jacob said seriously. "Or Aunt Sophie will kill us all."
"Relax, kid," Henry said, getting a laugh from Amelie. "It's a hop-skip from here. Just follow me."
The group made their way out of the amusement park and onto the street, buzzing with people. Lights line the street as the teenagers hoot and holler, teasing and talking over one another. Jacob's never been in an environment this dangerous and glamorous. It's exciting. He gapes at the scenery, the nightlife. It's all so foreign to him. Dazzling lanterns, glossy-steamed shop windows, and a carnival of different people.
He sees a woman sporting a smooth blue cap with a mesh that shields most of her face standing by an organ grinder with a monkey, giving him a few crisp dollars. A grey-haired old lady feeds a furry stray cat in a doorway. A man in a smoking jacket wearing spectacles, standing alone outside a pub, holding a cigar to his lips. Everyone minds their own business, looking tired, distracted, irritated, and self-assured. They look like they know where they're going. It's almost as if they can sense Jacob is an outsider. Henry, on the other hand, has no trouble blending in.
In front of Henry, the five younger ones stroll across the street, screaming with merriment, one of Jacob's arm's binding Sadie's waist, and the other around Misha's shoulder. Lilly and Amelie are singing some bawdy song Henry doesn't know.
"Henry!" Amelie suddenly shouts over her shoulder, looking back. "Catch up!"
"I'm going to have a smoke really quick," Henry replies, waving a hand. "I'll be in soon."
Misha yanks open the pub door, ushering in the cackling and murmuring others. He steps in behind them, not waiting for Henry.
Henry drags his feet and catches his breath outside the pub. He doesn't really want to go in. He's on a mission. He feels out of touch from this world, backwards and dull compared to his carefree friends. He's been anxious all night. Not even Amelie could take the edge off. Maybe he should get some fresh air and take a jog around the block.
Henry leans against the brick wall, surveying those who walk by. He spies an older woman with flowing red locks, stylishly blasé, gesturing for a taxi with a gloved hand. Wrapped in observing her as she slips into a waiting cab, Henry notices the stout, white-haired man across the street, stepping out of a building across the street. The sign above the imposing structure reads 'New York Children's Asylum, Est. 1854.' Right on schedule. Right at the end of his shift. The man looks exactly how Henry's father described him. On his last trip to the city, Henry had found out where he worked, but he'd never caught him in person.
Snyder didn't notice the tall, thin young man until he stepped right up to him.
Henry's lips curled in a snarl. "You're awful brave to be walking around alone at this hour," he said.
Snyder thinks he might be an escaped charge at first, but the boy isn't wearing the orphanage uniform. Maybe he's just a pedestrian concerned for his safety.
"Dad said you were one terrifying son of a bitch, but I have to disagree," Henry continued.
As Henry got closer, Snyder squinted at him, as though he couldn't see the boy clearly. "I don't know your father, boy," the man mumbles, stopping a few feet away. "Have I met him before?"
Henry observed the man's thick, white mustache and beady eyes. Snyder carried a cane, and he used it to point in Henry's direction as he asked the question.
"Yeah," Henry said, smiling a little out of discomfort. "You've met him alright."
"You've got the wrong guy." Snyder glared at Henry so keenly that it almost made the young man squirm. "Now move aside."
"My father might be able to forgive you for all the shit you did to him—" Henry stammered. "But I can't."
Within a split second, the man gives this faraway grin, and he says, "You're crazy, boy. Get out of my way."
Henry refused to budge, continuing to take steps forward, forcing Snyder to back up into the darkened alley. "You killed one of his best friends. You killed my mother. My mother. You may as well have killed Dad, too. He still has nightmares, you know."
"What?" Snyder's breath hitches. "Who the hell are you, boy?"
With a hard swallow, Henry stares right into Snyder's cold eyes. "Henry Krause," he replies slowly.
Snyder turns the name over in his mind for a second before something on his face changes. And then he knows.
"Henry…that's impossible…" Snyder whispers under his breath, staring at Henry in shock. "You were…I—"
"Sent me away? Told my father I was dead? That you watched me die in my crib?" Henry had to keep his voice from breaking. "Now I'll get to watch you die in this alley."
Snyder was still processing this revelation, grasping for words. His back hit one of the alley walls. "Your father...Miles didn't want you."
Henry shrugged, giving Snyder an emotionless glare. "Miles didn't want a lot of things." He took one last glance around to make sure they were alone. "But he got them anyway, right?"
Before Snyder could reply, Henry's hands were around his throat, knocking him to the ground, and squeezing Snyder's last breath from his lungs.