I don't know if the place I mention in this story was real but I think it makes for a good story. I have no idea if a place like this really existed so don't take it as historical fact. I'm not really sure. Thanks for reading. REVIEW ME please.

"This is it. This is it." Sara chanted as she ran into the store. Unbeknownst to the girls their companion was across the street.

They entered the store and walked around. They saw that all Sara said was true, and much more.

"Aunt Marcie. Aunt Marcie are you here?" she called running into the back storage room.

A loud crash was heard. The girls ran to find Sara wrapped around a very stunned, plump middle aged woman.

"Sara?" The woman stated in shock. Sara nodded and would not release the woman, whom had fallen into the flour.

Rose decided that was their cue to leave. "Bye young one. Ms. Marcie take good care of our Sara." She walked up to the clutching child and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. Kayle hugged the child and Meilin patted her head softly.

"Be safe and may god protect you," she murmured as she walked out of the store room.

"Bye midget," Meilin called.

And the girls disappeared into the night.

Racetrack Higgins walked into the lodging house. He had been told by Jake that their was someone at the house to see him. He didn't know who would need to talk to him. Jake had gone all the way to the Sheepshead races, to get him. And that wasn't very close. He saw Specs talking to a girl.

She was about average hieght. She was slender and kind of dirty looking. Her hair was a dark brown but looked soft and it hung down her back. He couldn't see her face yet.

"Heya Race," Specs said. The girl turned away.

He heard a soft murmur come from her and saw a nod from Specs.

"Yeah hey," he said still staring at the girl. "Who is dis?"

The girl turned around. Racetrack was shock still. Those hazel eyes and the way her nose complimented her face.

"Race??" she asked. "My god, you look well off." she set her hands on her hips and looked at him with her eyes sparkling.

"Angel?" he said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"I ain't no ghost." she stopped for a moment and looked at herself. "Am I?"

He rolled his eyes, remembering her lame jokes. "What youse doin' heah?" he asked.

She stared at him for a moment and then turned to Specs. "I need your help." as if it was an afterthought add. "Again."

Race stared at her with concern and nodded. "Alright so what do ya need?"

"Sanctuary," she mumbled.

His eyes grew wide. "Youse had bettah explain everythin'." he said taking her hand and leading her to one of the chairs. "My god, youse so thin. Even Newsies ain't that thin."

"It's not like they fed us," she snapped. She looked down immediately. "Sorry, Race. I need to tell someone so we can get help. The cops wouldn't care. They don't even look at the place anymore."

"Where," Race asked.

"The Factory." she said bluntly.

"Which one?" Race asked her.

"Race, You know the place. The Factory, girls go in, they are never seen again." Angel stared at her blistered and chapped hands. "Instead of girls that get into trouble with the law, now they have started taking girls right off of the streets." she stared at him. "As young as four years old."

Race stared at her with disbelief. He had always known about 'The Factory' but most thought it was a myth.

"Dats where youse been," he said solemnly staring at her hands himself.

She nodded. "They beat us, if we didn't work. Canings were common. They even whipped girls that fell asleep on the job. Most were so young, we older ones took the canings for them. Some of us did. Others were so weak they looked away and tried to block out the cries and the screams of pain." she stared back at her hands. "If we disobeyed we didn't get food. Which was like gruel. It was awful. I would give my food to a girl who needed it more than I did. Some starved to death.

"We were caged like animals. All of us. Like criminals. Even the girls that would have been sent to the Refuge were treated like convicts and murderers. All of us. Some tried to escape, they were beaten, some beaten to death. But, we escaped. We took five young ones with us and ran. We came back home so that we could try to start again. But, I am afraid they will come after us again."

"Who?" Race asked, very interested and worried.

She looked up her eyes were full of tears. "The men. They might even heir the Crib." She stared down again. "I don't know. I wish I did. They had men that chased after the runaways. We called them the Jackals. But that was the name we gave them. They were like wild dogs."

Race took of his hate and wiped the sweat from his brow. He knew that his cousin was serious and needed help. Refuge and Sanctuary. Someplace to hide.

"I'll see what we can do, Angel. Honestly, we all thought you were dead," he said rising from his knees and heading towards the door. "I'm going to go find Jack."

"Wait," Angel called after him. He turned towards her and stared. "Is Mush here. Or Blink. Skittery. I need someone to help me find the others. Even Bumlets."

Race nodded. "Specs can help ya find 'em. I need to go find Jack."

Angel nodded and turned to Specs.

"Alright, lets get goin'" he said as she rose to her feet.

"What are we going to do now," Meilin said exasperatedly. "I mean Angel had all these connections and we have nada. Well we might have more if Kayle remembered something about her family here."

"Niente," Rose said. "Meilin is right, for once. We have niente to go on."

Kayle sat on the fountain. "Well I know were in central park."

They stared at her. "Duh," they said in unison.

"We know that," Meilin stated bluntly.

"We aren't that stupid," Rose agreed.

They sat on the fountain just sitting there. Preying that Angel would find them so that they could give her a piece of their minds.