I wake up to sunlight on my face. That feels good. Wait a second, this bed doesn't feel like mine. I sit up, and look around the room wondering where I am. Oh, that's right. Snyder let me sleep in here for the night because he was in a good mood because of the newsie strike. I hope those dumb newsies all get stuck in here. They deserve it.
Just then, Coleman walks in carrying a tray of food. "Here, kid. Eat up, then I'll take ya back to yer cell," he says.
Oooh, food. Yum. "Any news on the newsie strike?" I ask him in between bites.
"None as of right now. But the Delanceys are gonna come get us if it's too much for them ta handle," he says as he waits for me to finish.
I nod, not wanting to waste any more time talking, and just focusing on eating. I haven't had a good meal like this in weeks.
When I'm finished, we walk back to the cell I stay in. Right outside the door he whispers, "Sorry, kid," and grabs my arm. He opens the door and roughly shoves me in. I put on a face that shows more pain than I'm actually in as I stumble and fall to the ground.
After he slams and locks the door, Ghost rushes to my side. "You's okay, Letters?" the "doctor" asks.
I nod, still pretending to be in pain.
"Let's getcha inta bed," he says as he helps me up. I try to make myself go as weak as I can, and lean into him as we walk over to my bunk. It's not very hard now to keep up the face, because I might as well be in pain from being this close to the invisible street rat. That's how he got his "name" of course. He always seems to make like a ghost and disappear around Snyder. Every time I remind him of the sneaky little rat though, he beats me harder for letting him disappear. I don't get it. I'm just trying to do my job.
"Can ya get into yer bunk?" he asks.
I nod again.
"Kay."
Just then, Wheezy starts coughing. Dang sickie can't shut up.
"I gotta go take care've 'im," says Ghost. "Will ya be alright?"
I nod for the third time, not trusting myself to speak for fear that the hatred in my head might spill into my words. Can't have my cover blown after almost eight years of putting up with these street rats. Snyder might actually kill me if that happens.
I squeeze my eyes shut, and try to drown out the sickie's coughing. Kid can't ever stop coughing, wheezing, sneezing, hacking, and sniffing. Gets on my last nerves.
And that's pretty much how my morning went. Wheezy wheezing, Ghost tending to him, Owl snoring, the twins groaning in pain with Snaps muttering curses, Ghost tending to them too, Pockets plotting his escape, and Tenpin doing… whatever the heck Tenpin does. I still don't really know what he does after six months of him being here. Snyder keeps tacking on to his sentence to see if I can find out, but the rat's a pretty private person.
Later in the afternoon though, is when things start to get interesting.
Very interesting indeed.
I think you all know what's going to happen next, but Ima leave it at that for now ;)
Bye!