Allergic To Sunlight
Chapter 2
The boy's eyes went wide.
"Where'd you hear that name?" he asked sharply. Kathryn noticed that he, too, had learned to imitate the New York accent that neither one of them really had.
"Has it been so long," she said carefully, "that ya don't even reco'nize yer twin brother Kenneth?" She put slight emphasis on the words 'brother' and 'Kenneth' and shot him a look that said clearly, "Don't you dare reveal my secret!"
Anthony evidently got the message, because his eyes lit up and he threw his arms around her. "Kenny!" he exclaimed delightedly. He held her away from himself by her shoulders so that he could look at her. "Whatcha been doin' all these years?" he asked incredulously. "I thought fer sure you'd all given up on me by now."
"Well, sorry ta disappoint ya," she said, grinning widely. He hugged her again, and then Jack joined them.
"You need a place to stay?" he asked congenially. "'Cause there's open spots here at the Lodgin' House if ya wants ta join us. Seems like you two's got a lotta catchin' up ta do!"
"No!" Anthony and Kathryn exclaimed in unison, and Jack stared at them, affronted.
"I
means," Anthony explained hurriedly, "we do gots a lotta catchin' up ta
do. But I don' think it'd be a good idea if he stays here. I don't think he'd
fit in here. He's prob'ly better off stayin' in our old apartment." Kathryn
nodded emphatically to confirm this.
Jack
still looked slightly puzzled, but shrugged it off lightly. "Sure, whateva
suits the pair o' ya best," he said.
Kathryn shot a relieved glance at her brother, which he returned.
"So how's the fam'ly doin'?" he asked, throwing an arm around her shoulders.
"Er…" she said, and stuttered to a stop. He doesn't know, she remembered sadly. He was already gone when it happened. "They—they'se dead, Anthony."
He was not an emotional person, but at that, his eyes widened and a shocked look came into his face. "All of 'em?" he choked out. "Even… even Daniel?"
She nodded. She didn't cry; she had cried her last tears for them long ago. But she felt sympathetic for Anthony's situation—as did his friends.
"You gon' be awright, Race?" Jack asked quietly, putting a steadying hand on the boy's shoulder. He nodded, though he still looked slightly dazed. Kathryn didn't blame him. "I think you two's got a lot to tawk about," Jack went on. "Join us at Tibby's?"
That last had been directed at Kathryn, but she had no idea what he was talking about and looked at him blankly.
"Ain't you never been to Tibby's, boy?" Kid Blink asked her, grinning widely. She shook her head.
"Well then," Anthony spoke up, shaking off his apathy, "I ain't givin' you the option of declinin'! You'se comin' wit us!"
Kathryn found herself being swept out of the Lodging House, papers and all, by a huge crowd of the newsboys. She felt awkward, but grinned widely and decided she was simply going to enjoy this day.
Tibby's turned out to be a restaurant, and over the course of a meal Kathryn and Anthony exchanged their stories. She learned quickly to call him Racetrack or Race—he seemed as anxious to keep his past a secret as she was. And he, in turn, stuck to Kenny when addressing her.
They didn't part ways until well after sundown; they had sold the last of their evening papers and the boys reluctantly admitted they had to be getting back to the Lodging House.
"It's the on'y annoyin' thing, 'sides from these characters," Racetrack told her, gesturing at the laughing and chattering boys around him, at which Kathryn grinned, "but we does have a curfew. You gonna be okay all by yerself?"
"I awways am," she answered, grinning widely.
He grinned back. "It's been good ta see ya again, Kenny," he said sincerely, and then turned and ran lightly up the steps into the Lodging House.
Happy for the first time since winter had set in, Kathryn headed home for her own bed. She was asleep in ten minutes flat.