"So, why'd ya kill her?"
"Kill who? I've never killed anyone!"
"Right, right. Nice accent ya got worked up there, Gypsy."
"Gyp-- my name is not Gypsy! It's Anita, and I've had this accent my whole bloody life." Anita glared up at the girl who stood over her. Her hair hung limply, with days of grime and oil built up. Her rosy cheek had a dark bruise marring it.
A second girl jumped down from atop a large box. "Fairy, ya hear dat? We'se got da wrong girl. Avi's gonna kill us!! Dis ain't Gypsy. It's some British girl."
Fairy turned to look at the other girl. "Shaddup, Fiona, dis is da right girl. She's jus' tryin' to make up believe dat so we don' kill her!"
Fiona blinked and said, "Well, she's good--"
"No, you're stupid." A small girl, Trick, walked in smoking a cigarette. "The kid's right, dat's Gypsy. Dat's Gypsy and' she killed Mello."
Anita sighed. How many times had she gone over this? "I am not Gypsy, I didn't kill Mello, and I've only been in this bloody country for 2 years!"
Fairy ignored Anita and got in Trick's face. "What'd ya call me?"
"'Kid', dat a problem?"
"Don't call me 'Kid'! You know I hate dat!" Fairy's face reddened when Trick laughed.
"You're 11! You are a kid!." Trick turned her hands palm up. "You're da toughest kid I evah met, though."
"An' don't you forget it!" Fairy turned to Anita and growled, "Giving a tomcat a bath is easier and less painful than a fight with me."
The loft door slammed and a boy's voice called out, "Trick! Gimme your knife for a second!"
Faster that the eye could keep track, Trick's hand flew to her waist, grabbed her knife and launched it toward the voice.
"Woah!" THe boy jerked back asthe knife just barely missed his heart. "If you don't stop doin' that..." He grabbed the hilt of the knife and yanked it out of the wall it had become imbedded in. He walked back out of sight.
"Breeze!" Trick whistled as she whipped her hat off. A bottle of beer came flying down and landed in her hat gently. "Alright..."
Fiona played with her shoelaces and commented to Fairy, "I can't remember when dis became a habit. Trick lets Breeze use her knife, and--"
"And Breeze brings her chugs. I know, neither can I." Fairy shrugged. "I wonder what he's using it for today."
"I'm cutting Marble's hair!" Breeze hollered.
"Yeah, sure you are!" Fiona yelled back. It was a joke anong them that Marbles would never cut her hair. She never had, and it nearly reached the floor. "He's got some good ears..."
"Thanks." Breeze tromped down the rickety steps with his hands behind his back. He pulled forward his left hand and tossed Trick her knife. Then he brought out his right hand, which held a 4 1/2 foot long braid.
Fairy screamed.
Marbles jumped down from the loft. Her long brown hair had been unevenly chopped to chin length. "I figured that I should lose 10 pounds." Her eyes shifted to Anita. "For the fight."
"Why-- why don't you just kill me now??" Anita exploded. "You all want to, that's quite obvious. It doesn't make any sense at all that you are waiting!"
Breeze chuckled. "Y'see, Gypsy, we'se waitin for our head honcho, Avi, to get back from Delaware. Den we'll kill ya."
Trick twirled her knife absentmindedly. "He should be back in the next week or so."
Fiona jumped up. "I'se starved. Does anybody wanna go an' get some food?"
They all got up and, after securing Anita's ropes and gag, walked out laughing and talking. They reminded her so much of the Manhattan newsies. They were so...human. Breeze was dashing and Fiona was silly. Why did they want to kill her? Anita squeezed her eyes shut. It wasn't worth trying anymore.
"Kill who? I've never killed anyone!"
"Right, right. Nice accent ya got worked up there, Gypsy."
"Gyp-- my name is not Gypsy! It's Anita, and I've had this accent my whole bloody life." Anita glared up at the girl who stood over her. Her hair hung limply, with days of grime and oil built up. Her rosy cheek had a dark bruise marring it.
A second girl jumped down from atop a large box. "Fairy, ya hear dat? We'se got da wrong girl. Avi's gonna kill us!! Dis ain't Gypsy. It's some British girl."
Fairy turned to look at the other girl. "Shaddup, Fiona, dis is da right girl. She's jus' tryin' to make up believe dat so we don' kill her!"
Fiona blinked and said, "Well, she's good--"
"No, you're stupid." A small girl, Trick, walked in smoking a cigarette. "The kid's right, dat's Gypsy. Dat's Gypsy and' she killed Mello."
Anita sighed. How many times had she gone over this? "I am not Gypsy, I didn't kill Mello, and I've only been in this bloody country for 2 years!"
Fairy ignored Anita and got in Trick's face. "What'd ya call me?"
"'Kid', dat a problem?"
"Don't call me 'Kid'! You know I hate dat!" Fairy's face reddened when Trick laughed.
"You're 11! You are a kid!." Trick turned her hands palm up. "You're da toughest kid I evah met, though."
"An' don't you forget it!" Fairy turned to Anita and growled, "Giving a tomcat a bath is easier and less painful than a fight with me."
The loft door slammed and a boy's voice called out, "Trick! Gimme your knife for a second!"
Faster that the eye could keep track, Trick's hand flew to her waist, grabbed her knife and launched it toward the voice.
"Woah!" THe boy jerked back asthe knife just barely missed his heart. "If you don't stop doin' that..." He grabbed the hilt of the knife and yanked it out of the wall it had become imbedded in. He walked back out of sight.
"Breeze!" Trick whistled as she whipped her hat off. A bottle of beer came flying down and landed in her hat gently. "Alright..."
Fiona played with her shoelaces and commented to Fairy, "I can't remember when dis became a habit. Trick lets Breeze use her knife, and--"
"And Breeze brings her chugs. I know, neither can I." Fairy shrugged. "I wonder what he's using it for today."
"I'm cutting Marble's hair!" Breeze hollered.
"Yeah, sure you are!" Fiona yelled back. It was a joke anong them that Marbles would never cut her hair. She never had, and it nearly reached the floor. "He's got some good ears..."
"Thanks." Breeze tromped down the rickety steps with his hands behind his back. He pulled forward his left hand and tossed Trick her knife. Then he brought out his right hand, which held a 4 1/2 foot long braid.
Fairy screamed.
Marbles jumped down from the loft. Her long brown hair had been unevenly chopped to chin length. "I figured that I should lose 10 pounds." Her eyes shifted to Anita. "For the fight."
"Why-- why don't you just kill me now??" Anita exploded. "You all want to, that's quite obvious. It doesn't make any sense at all that you are waiting!"
Breeze chuckled. "Y'see, Gypsy, we'se waitin for our head honcho, Avi, to get back from Delaware. Den we'll kill ya."
Trick twirled her knife absentmindedly. "He should be back in the next week or so."
Fiona jumped up. "I'se starved. Does anybody wanna go an' get some food?"
They all got up and, after securing Anita's ropes and gag, walked out laughing and talking. They reminded her so much of the Manhattan newsies. They were so...human. Breeze was dashing and Fiona was silly. Why did they want to kill her? Anita squeezed her eyes shut. It wasn't worth trying anymore.
