Author's Note: Wow, dis is an incredibly long chaptah. Not bad if I do say
so myself.Well, peoples I haven't been gettin' many reviews lately, but
Thankyou ever so much ta Vix who did review, an' please everyone staht ta
review!
Chapter 5:
Calli stared at the girl in front of her. From the front, she could be Spot. Her figure was covered mostly by a loose shirt, pants, and suspenders. Actually, come to think of it, she was dressed in the exact same style as Spot, except her clothes were just a bit looser. Her face was dirty, yet you could tell that her facial features were just right. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, and she watched the Manhattan newsies alertly. Her eyes rested on Jack, and Calli detected a small hint of amusement in those ice blue eyes. Her attitude towards Calli was bored, and she looked around for better prey. Spot put his hand on her shoulder and came up next to her.
He smirked half-proudly and looked at Calli. "So dis is Michaela." Spot looked at his twin and gestured towards Calli, "Michaela, dis is Curt." The girl jumped, startled and looked at Calli as if seeing her for the first time. "Hi."
A brown-haired boy who was slightly older-looking and taller than Michaela joined her protectively. Michaela turned her head towards him and stretched out her hand. He placed a slingshot in it, and she looked at Calli. "Coming?"
The following several hours were spent with Michaela unsuccessfully trying to teach Calli how to shoot a slingshot.
~*~*~*~*~
After that first afternoon, Calli spent alot of time in Brooklyn, trying to perfect her shooting. To most of the newsies, it looked like Calli was falling in love with Michaela, but actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. Calli enjoyed going to Brooklyn and swimming or using a slingshot. She felt safer moving around, just in case Thomas really was in Manhattan.
Eventually however, she got over her case of nerves, and settled back into her regular Manhattan routine. One stormy night, she and 'her boys', as she had come to think of them, were thinking of a way to sneak out of the Lodging House and wander the streets, having fun.
"We could just climb out da window." Bumlets.
"Nahhh...Kloppman's office window is right below da roof." Race.
"Go down da stairs and slip out?" Snipeshooter.
"Kloppman would see us." Kid Blink.
"Go one at a time out da back door." Skittery.
"Da back door's locked at night." Itey.
"Or...we could climb onto the roof and crawl across to the other side of the building and climb down." Calli.
The boys looked at each other.
"Oh, well yeah, we could do dat."
"I was just about ta say dat, how'd ya guess?"
"Well, I guess, if it's da best youse could come up with."
Calli just rolled her eyes and picked up her rope. "Remind me again, why don't we just ask Kloppman?"
"He doesn't allow us out past eleven, especially not ta play pranks on people," Kid Blink replied, slipping out the window.
"Why is Jack out then?"
"Oh, he's not supposed ta, but he'll manage ta get out of it somehow," Race informed her, pulling his hat on tighter and taking his turn at the window.
Once they were all safely on the ground, they headed for the refuge. The guard was at the other side of the archway in front of the refuge, so the newsies managed to climb up the building unnoticed and blocked by the shadows.
They reached the roof, and Race lowered Calli until she was level with the office window. She signaled up and pried open the window. Calli glanced around the room furtively and, satisfied, climbed through and quietly put her feet on the ground.
Calli carefully walked across the room towards the file cabinet. She opened a drawer, and winced as the drawer creaked noisily. *Great, just advertise to everyone your here.*
She listened for a minute or two, but when nothing happened, turned her attention back to the folders. She flipped through them and located one that read "LOCAL CRIMINALS", in big print on the front.
She quickly opened it and scanned the contents. Inside was a picture of the newsies with Jack's face circled, and then some information on him. "His real name is Francis Sullivan?" She asked out loud, surprised. Calli covered her mouth immediately and looked around.
Their were other newsies in there too, such as Race, Blink, Crutchy, Spot, and many others. *Well, this won't do at all, can't have evidence against them in here.*
Calli walked over to the window and whistled, and a single sheet of rolled up paper dropped into her hands. Calli unrolled the paper and put it in the very front of the folder. *That fits just fine.*
On the paper was Snyder's name, a picture, and some "true information", that they had put together hastily. Calli grinned in delight at what Snyder would do when he found it, and hastily shoved it back into the file cabinet, and slammed it shut. As she did, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor from the desk.
Calli picked it up, and started to put it back on the desk, when she saw herself staring back at her. She jumped and examined the page nervously. There she was, in a blue fashionable dress, with her hair piled on top of her head, and a few stray ringlets framing her face. She was looking at the camera seriously, because she hated to smile for cameras. Calli saw the newspaper article about her on the back, her full name, and some background information on her. In big letters at the top were written, IMPORTANT. Calli also saw a picture of her father above the words, "Deceased. Bankrupt due to gambling debts."
*
Callicia tried to see through the tears that streaked down her face as her father's coffin was laid in the ground. His death had not come as a shock, for he had always been sick, but it still hurt.
Later that day, Calli heard yelling coming from Hearst's office. "I can't have my son marrying a poor girl! She'd ruin us!"
A deep voice spoke up, "That is why we must follow through with the plan."
There was a pause, and Callicia could hear Hearst's breathing slow down. "Do you have everything ready?"
"Yes, the Detention Center understands the orders. She is not to be released under any circumstances, and she will be put into a separate cell."
"Good, good. And did you give them a convincing story?"
"Yes, I told them she had attempted to steal valuable jewelry, Thomas had caught her, and she had tried to kill him. She is a dangerous criminal and thief, they seemed to buy it, and even if they didn't, they still won't give us any trouble."
Callicia's eyes widened and she gasped as she realized what they meant to do to her. All talk immediately stopped in the room. She could hear footsteps coming towards the door from the office, and she fled down the hallway. They saw her running and quickly caught up with her, not hindered by skirts as she was.
"I won't! You can't make me, I'm not a thief!" Callicia screamed and kicked at them.
"Oh, yes, we can." Hearst said as he came up to her, and nodded to somebody behind her.
That was the last thing she remembered before she woke up in the refuge, in streetrat's clothes.
*
Calli shook herself and folded the piece of paper, quickly putting it into her pocket. *Okay, back to reality.* She ran to the window, and was just about to climb out, when the door opened and Snyder walked in. He noticed her, and froze for a second.
Calli yelled, "Let the rope down! Hurry!"
Snyder snapped out of it and blew a whistle. He ran across the room and grabbed her, just as she was climbing out of the window. *Oh, my gosh, I'm dead.*
Calli looked at him frantically, and stared in horror at the door, as guards filled the room. " Quick! Help you guys!"
Snyder yanked her onto the floor and shut the window. NO!! She thought despairingly. The guards tied her to a chair, while Snyder rummaged through everything looking for what was missing. Calli stared at him, *please don't find it, please don't find it, not yet.* Fortunately, he skipped right over the file when he went through. Not seeing anything missing, he turned to her angrily.
A mean look crossed his face, and he turned to the guards. "Get out."
Several minutes later, only Calli and Snyder were in the room, and she stared at him defiantly.
Snyder frowned, "You know, I know most of the criminals around here, but I don't think I recognize you."
Calli smirked at first, then widened her eyes, *Uhoh, what if he finds that page is missing? He'll sure know that that's me...* At that moment, her hair slid out of her customary bun at the back of her head, and her hat slid off. Calli groaned inwardly, *All the scuffling around must have loosened the bun.....great. Just great.*
Snyder stared at her, as if trying to match a face, and then grinned. He picked up her hat, and handed it to her politely. "Your hat, Miss Callicia."
Calli winced, *This is definitely not good. Well, it's back to jail for me.*
"Well, this is a fine predicament." Snyder said slyly, obviously pleased with the situation. "Hmmm...what should I do now?" He tapped his fingers to his chin in fake thoughtfulness.
"I could return you to The Queens Youth Detention Center...but no, because with you here I could get money for your care... Oh, decisions, decisions."
She stared at him like he was crazy. Snyder looked at her and began rearranging papers on his desk. "You see, Miss Callicia, I know all about you. Even though Hearst tries to pretend you are a thief, you're really not."
Snyder saw the question in her eyes and smiled sardonically. "I know that you are wondering how I know this. You see, Hearst isn't very smart. Sticking someone into the refuge with special orders causes a lot of attention from his enemies.
"After a little checking up on you, I found out everything."
Snyder suddenly straightened and dismissed Hearst with a wave of his hand. "Well, now the question is, do I want to keep you here in my refuge, or hold you as a ransom to Hearst. I'm sure that it wouldn't look good for Hearst if it gets around that he put his future daughter-in-law in the refuge, simply because her father died penniless. I think he would pay a nice sum of money if I could give you to him safe and sound, don't you?"
Throughout this speech, Calli sat angrily glaring at him. *Well, now I know that there is no hope he will put me in a regular cell, which I can easily get out of, if it means money for him.*
*I'm doomed,* she wailed inwardly.
Suddenly, Snyder stood up. "I am going to contact Hearst. I'll be back shortly so don't try anything."
He began to walk out of the room, then as a second thought, tucked her hair back into her hat, so she looked like a boy again. "I don't want anyone walking in here and recognizing you before I get back. That would ruin everything for me."
~*~*~*~*~
Several moments later, Calli heard a gentle tapping on the window. She quickly twisted around. Kid Blink and Race were at the window staring in at her.
Calli dragged her chair closer to the window and realized she could hear them. "We're goin' ta try ta open da window, hold on."
Calli sighed with relief and disgust at herself. *I can't believe I didn't think of them earlier. Of course they can open the window on the outside, that's what I did!* Calli tried loosening the ropes around her so it would be easier for them to cut her loose, but gave up when the strain proved too much.
The boys pried the window open easily, and jumped inside. Race ran over to her and knelt down to cut the ropes. Soon, they fell free of her and she stood up quickly. She followed them out the window.
"Did he notice da page yet?" Kid Blink asked as they climbed up the rope.
"No, he skipped right over it."
"Good, he'll go crazy trying ta figuah out why youse were in dere."
~*~*~*~*~
As they were walking towards the Lodging House, Calli casually asked questions to see if they had seen her with her hair down.
"So, when did you come down?"
Kid Blink stretched his arms and looked down the street. "We weren't sure what was happenin', and when we fin'lly managed ta get down where we could see t'ings, Snyder was leaving da room. You know da rest."
Calli let her breath out and grinned. *Thank goodness, I'm still safe.*
Race looked at them and laughed, "You wouldn't think dat we jist pulled a prank and got away wit' it, would you?"
Calli laughed, "You're right, we do look like we just had the hardest day in the world. Well, we better lighten up," she said, nodding her head towards the figure standing disapprovingly in the doorway of the Lodging House. "and come up with a good alibi."
Race groaned, "Jack jist had ta notice we were gone, didn't he?"
When they reached him, Jack merely pointed inside. They walked sheepishly in the door and sat down on some chairs, waiting for Jack's tirade.
"Where were youse?" Jack asked, his anger clearly showing.
"What does it matter to you?" Calli asked haughtily. Kid Blink put a hand on her arm to calm her.
Jack ignored her and looked at Blink and Race. Race fiddled with his cigar for a moment, putting it in and out of his mouth, and finally, under the direct gaze of Jack, hung his head.
"Well, we kinda went ta see Snyder."
"YOU WHAT?!" Jack asked, surprised. Kid Blink looked at him hesitatingly, "We had dis great prank idea." He explained the prank slowly, hoping that Jack wouldn't be mad.
Jack's frown faded, and he grinned, "Oh, an' you didn't let me come?"
Suddenly, he scowled again. "Did ya get caught?" He could tell by the looks on their faces as they were coming towards the Lodging House that something was wrong.
"Not exactly," Calli began, "Snyder walked in while I was leaving, but he left the room and we escaped."
Race glanced towards her, "Curt, what took so long anyway? I mean, what were youse talkin' 'bout?"
Calli shrugged her shoulders casually, "Oh, he jist wanted ta brag." *Please let them leave it at that...*
Fortunately, they didn't question her. Jack stood up, "All right, we gotta sell tomorrow, come on."
As they walked by the office, Kloppman called out warningly, "You guys better not be late anymore."
Calli sighed happily as she flopped down onto her bed, *It's good to be home after the threat of the refuge.*
Calli tensed suddenly, realizing that she had better not get too comfortable with the Lodging House and the newsies, if she wanted her identity to remain a secret. *When did I start calling this place home?*
Chapter 5:
Calli stared at the girl in front of her. From the front, she could be Spot. Her figure was covered mostly by a loose shirt, pants, and suspenders. Actually, come to think of it, she was dressed in the exact same style as Spot, except her clothes were just a bit looser. Her face was dirty, yet you could tell that her facial features were just right. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, and she watched the Manhattan newsies alertly. Her eyes rested on Jack, and Calli detected a small hint of amusement in those ice blue eyes. Her attitude towards Calli was bored, and she looked around for better prey. Spot put his hand on her shoulder and came up next to her.
He smirked half-proudly and looked at Calli. "So dis is Michaela." Spot looked at his twin and gestured towards Calli, "Michaela, dis is Curt." The girl jumped, startled and looked at Calli as if seeing her for the first time. "Hi."
A brown-haired boy who was slightly older-looking and taller than Michaela joined her protectively. Michaela turned her head towards him and stretched out her hand. He placed a slingshot in it, and she looked at Calli. "Coming?"
The following several hours were spent with Michaela unsuccessfully trying to teach Calli how to shoot a slingshot.
~*~*~*~*~
After that first afternoon, Calli spent alot of time in Brooklyn, trying to perfect her shooting. To most of the newsies, it looked like Calli was falling in love with Michaela, but actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. Calli enjoyed going to Brooklyn and swimming or using a slingshot. She felt safer moving around, just in case Thomas really was in Manhattan.
Eventually however, she got over her case of nerves, and settled back into her regular Manhattan routine. One stormy night, she and 'her boys', as she had come to think of them, were thinking of a way to sneak out of the Lodging House and wander the streets, having fun.
"We could just climb out da window." Bumlets.
"Nahhh...Kloppman's office window is right below da roof." Race.
"Go down da stairs and slip out?" Snipeshooter.
"Kloppman would see us." Kid Blink.
"Go one at a time out da back door." Skittery.
"Da back door's locked at night." Itey.
"Or...we could climb onto the roof and crawl across to the other side of the building and climb down." Calli.
The boys looked at each other.
"Oh, well yeah, we could do dat."
"I was just about ta say dat, how'd ya guess?"
"Well, I guess, if it's da best youse could come up with."
Calli just rolled her eyes and picked up her rope. "Remind me again, why don't we just ask Kloppman?"
"He doesn't allow us out past eleven, especially not ta play pranks on people," Kid Blink replied, slipping out the window.
"Why is Jack out then?"
"Oh, he's not supposed ta, but he'll manage ta get out of it somehow," Race informed her, pulling his hat on tighter and taking his turn at the window.
Once they were all safely on the ground, they headed for the refuge. The guard was at the other side of the archway in front of the refuge, so the newsies managed to climb up the building unnoticed and blocked by the shadows.
They reached the roof, and Race lowered Calli until she was level with the office window. She signaled up and pried open the window. Calli glanced around the room furtively and, satisfied, climbed through and quietly put her feet on the ground.
Calli carefully walked across the room towards the file cabinet. She opened a drawer, and winced as the drawer creaked noisily. *Great, just advertise to everyone your here.*
She listened for a minute or two, but when nothing happened, turned her attention back to the folders. She flipped through them and located one that read "LOCAL CRIMINALS", in big print on the front.
She quickly opened it and scanned the contents. Inside was a picture of the newsies with Jack's face circled, and then some information on him. "His real name is Francis Sullivan?" She asked out loud, surprised. Calli covered her mouth immediately and looked around.
Their were other newsies in there too, such as Race, Blink, Crutchy, Spot, and many others. *Well, this won't do at all, can't have evidence against them in here.*
Calli walked over to the window and whistled, and a single sheet of rolled up paper dropped into her hands. Calli unrolled the paper and put it in the very front of the folder. *That fits just fine.*
On the paper was Snyder's name, a picture, and some "true information", that they had put together hastily. Calli grinned in delight at what Snyder would do when he found it, and hastily shoved it back into the file cabinet, and slammed it shut. As she did, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor from the desk.
Calli picked it up, and started to put it back on the desk, when she saw herself staring back at her. She jumped and examined the page nervously. There she was, in a blue fashionable dress, with her hair piled on top of her head, and a few stray ringlets framing her face. She was looking at the camera seriously, because she hated to smile for cameras. Calli saw the newspaper article about her on the back, her full name, and some background information on her. In big letters at the top were written, IMPORTANT. Calli also saw a picture of her father above the words, "Deceased. Bankrupt due to gambling debts."
*
Callicia tried to see through the tears that streaked down her face as her father's coffin was laid in the ground. His death had not come as a shock, for he had always been sick, but it still hurt.
Later that day, Calli heard yelling coming from Hearst's office. "I can't have my son marrying a poor girl! She'd ruin us!"
A deep voice spoke up, "That is why we must follow through with the plan."
There was a pause, and Callicia could hear Hearst's breathing slow down. "Do you have everything ready?"
"Yes, the Detention Center understands the orders. She is not to be released under any circumstances, and she will be put into a separate cell."
"Good, good. And did you give them a convincing story?"
"Yes, I told them she had attempted to steal valuable jewelry, Thomas had caught her, and she had tried to kill him. She is a dangerous criminal and thief, they seemed to buy it, and even if they didn't, they still won't give us any trouble."
Callicia's eyes widened and she gasped as she realized what they meant to do to her. All talk immediately stopped in the room. She could hear footsteps coming towards the door from the office, and she fled down the hallway. They saw her running and quickly caught up with her, not hindered by skirts as she was.
"I won't! You can't make me, I'm not a thief!" Callicia screamed and kicked at them.
"Oh, yes, we can." Hearst said as he came up to her, and nodded to somebody behind her.
That was the last thing she remembered before she woke up in the refuge, in streetrat's clothes.
*
Calli shook herself and folded the piece of paper, quickly putting it into her pocket. *Okay, back to reality.* She ran to the window, and was just about to climb out, when the door opened and Snyder walked in. He noticed her, and froze for a second.
Calli yelled, "Let the rope down! Hurry!"
Snyder snapped out of it and blew a whistle. He ran across the room and grabbed her, just as she was climbing out of the window. *Oh, my gosh, I'm dead.*
Calli looked at him frantically, and stared in horror at the door, as guards filled the room. " Quick! Help you guys!"
Snyder yanked her onto the floor and shut the window. NO!! She thought despairingly. The guards tied her to a chair, while Snyder rummaged through everything looking for what was missing. Calli stared at him, *please don't find it, please don't find it, not yet.* Fortunately, he skipped right over the file when he went through. Not seeing anything missing, he turned to her angrily.
A mean look crossed his face, and he turned to the guards. "Get out."
Several minutes later, only Calli and Snyder were in the room, and she stared at him defiantly.
Snyder frowned, "You know, I know most of the criminals around here, but I don't think I recognize you."
Calli smirked at first, then widened her eyes, *Uhoh, what if he finds that page is missing? He'll sure know that that's me...* At that moment, her hair slid out of her customary bun at the back of her head, and her hat slid off. Calli groaned inwardly, *All the scuffling around must have loosened the bun.....great. Just great.*
Snyder stared at her, as if trying to match a face, and then grinned. He picked up her hat, and handed it to her politely. "Your hat, Miss Callicia."
Calli winced, *This is definitely not good. Well, it's back to jail for me.*
"Well, this is a fine predicament." Snyder said slyly, obviously pleased with the situation. "Hmmm...what should I do now?" He tapped his fingers to his chin in fake thoughtfulness.
"I could return you to The Queens Youth Detention Center...but no, because with you here I could get money for your care... Oh, decisions, decisions."
She stared at him like he was crazy. Snyder looked at her and began rearranging papers on his desk. "You see, Miss Callicia, I know all about you. Even though Hearst tries to pretend you are a thief, you're really not."
Snyder saw the question in her eyes and smiled sardonically. "I know that you are wondering how I know this. You see, Hearst isn't very smart. Sticking someone into the refuge with special orders causes a lot of attention from his enemies.
"After a little checking up on you, I found out everything."
Snyder suddenly straightened and dismissed Hearst with a wave of his hand. "Well, now the question is, do I want to keep you here in my refuge, or hold you as a ransom to Hearst. I'm sure that it wouldn't look good for Hearst if it gets around that he put his future daughter-in-law in the refuge, simply because her father died penniless. I think he would pay a nice sum of money if I could give you to him safe and sound, don't you?"
Throughout this speech, Calli sat angrily glaring at him. *Well, now I know that there is no hope he will put me in a regular cell, which I can easily get out of, if it means money for him.*
*I'm doomed,* she wailed inwardly.
Suddenly, Snyder stood up. "I am going to contact Hearst. I'll be back shortly so don't try anything."
He began to walk out of the room, then as a second thought, tucked her hair back into her hat, so she looked like a boy again. "I don't want anyone walking in here and recognizing you before I get back. That would ruin everything for me."
~*~*~*~*~
Several moments later, Calli heard a gentle tapping on the window. She quickly twisted around. Kid Blink and Race were at the window staring in at her.
Calli dragged her chair closer to the window and realized she could hear them. "We're goin' ta try ta open da window, hold on."
Calli sighed with relief and disgust at herself. *I can't believe I didn't think of them earlier. Of course they can open the window on the outside, that's what I did!* Calli tried loosening the ropes around her so it would be easier for them to cut her loose, but gave up when the strain proved too much.
The boys pried the window open easily, and jumped inside. Race ran over to her and knelt down to cut the ropes. Soon, they fell free of her and she stood up quickly. She followed them out the window.
"Did he notice da page yet?" Kid Blink asked as they climbed up the rope.
"No, he skipped right over it."
"Good, he'll go crazy trying ta figuah out why youse were in dere."
~*~*~*~*~
As they were walking towards the Lodging House, Calli casually asked questions to see if they had seen her with her hair down.
"So, when did you come down?"
Kid Blink stretched his arms and looked down the street. "We weren't sure what was happenin', and when we fin'lly managed ta get down where we could see t'ings, Snyder was leaving da room. You know da rest."
Calli let her breath out and grinned. *Thank goodness, I'm still safe.*
Race looked at them and laughed, "You wouldn't think dat we jist pulled a prank and got away wit' it, would you?"
Calli laughed, "You're right, we do look like we just had the hardest day in the world. Well, we better lighten up," she said, nodding her head towards the figure standing disapprovingly in the doorway of the Lodging House. "and come up with a good alibi."
Race groaned, "Jack jist had ta notice we were gone, didn't he?"
When they reached him, Jack merely pointed inside. They walked sheepishly in the door and sat down on some chairs, waiting for Jack's tirade.
"Where were youse?" Jack asked, his anger clearly showing.
"What does it matter to you?" Calli asked haughtily. Kid Blink put a hand on her arm to calm her.
Jack ignored her and looked at Blink and Race. Race fiddled with his cigar for a moment, putting it in and out of his mouth, and finally, under the direct gaze of Jack, hung his head.
"Well, we kinda went ta see Snyder."
"YOU WHAT?!" Jack asked, surprised. Kid Blink looked at him hesitatingly, "We had dis great prank idea." He explained the prank slowly, hoping that Jack wouldn't be mad.
Jack's frown faded, and he grinned, "Oh, an' you didn't let me come?"
Suddenly, he scowled again. "Did ya get caught?" He could tell by the looks on their faces as they were coming towards the Lodging House that something was wrong.
"Not exactly," Calli began, "Snyder walked in while I was leaving, but he left the room and we escaped."
Race glanced towards her, "Curt, what took so long anyway? I mean, what were youse talkin' 'bout?"
Calli shrugged her shoulders casually, "Oh, he jist wanted ta brag." *Please let them leave it at that...*
Fortunately, they didn't question her. Jack stood up, "All right, we gotta sell tomorrow, come on."
As they walked by the office, Kloppman called out warningly, "You guys better not be late anymore."
Calli sighed happily as she flopped down onto her bed, *It's good to be home after the threat of the refuge.*
Calli tensed suddenly, realizing that she had better not get too comfortable with the Lodging House and the newsies, if she wanted her identity to remain a secret. *When did I start calling this place home?*