1 Home Sweet Home
It was late at night by the time that Rascal and I entered the midtown bunkhouse. The boys were all still awake, scattered around the small tables that had been taken over by poker games.
"Well, well, well," Shiner stood up from his seat on the steps. "If it isn't my baby sister, come home at last."
I rolled my eyes as I brushed passed him and headed up the stairs to the bunkroom. He followed me into the room, the boys not far behind, anxious to "overhear" our conversation.
"I need to talk to you," Shiner said in his leader of the pack tone, which I hated.
"What do you think you're doing? Huh, Joseph?"
The boys gasped at the use of my brother's real name.
"Everyone in this city thinks that Midtown is invisible. I'm gonna make them take notice." He clenched his fists tightly, causing the others to back away in fear.
I refused to back down, although I knew that testing my brother in this state was hazardous to my health. "With knives? Are you crazy?
My brother lifted his hand, but turned around before he let it move toward me. "I don't want you going back to Manhattan Connie," he said through clenched teeth.
"You can't run my life!" I said a little louder than I had intended.
He spun back around quickly and grabbed a tight hold on my braid. "I am your older brother and it's my job to take care of you. You do what I say you got that?" When I didn't respond, he pulled harder. "Do you?"
"Yes," I squeaked out, willing to say anything to make the pain go away. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Rascal, Skipper! Comere." The two newsies obediently appeared at my brother's side, hanging their heads like puppy dogs. "Just to be on the safe side, you two watch her. She sells her papes then comes back here. No visitors, no exceptions. She tries anything you tell me. Got that."
"You got it boss," Rascal said in his usual confident tone.
Skipper nodded almost sadly, then retired to his bunk.
I clenched my fists, ready to strike my brother in the nose, but relaxed them as a sharp pain shot up my right arm. Looking down at the bandages around my knuckles, I remembered Skittery's warning. "You'll end up doing something you'll regret." I was certainly no match for my brother, especially not when he was angry. With a sigh, I retreated to my bunk near the window.
"Goodnight, Constance," my brother called in a sickeningly sweet voice before the boys climbed into bed and the lights turned off.
I lay awake long after the snores had begun to ring out from the others in the room. As I stared up at the mattress above me, my thought turned to Manhattan. An image of Kid lying limply on the bunk passed before my eyes, then one of Mush's tears as he cowered in the lobby chair. The final issue that flashed in front of me was one of Skittery, his sad eyes following me as Rascal led me from the building. I blinked and blinked, but the picture wouldn't fade.
Finally, the chiming of the old grandfather clock pulled me from my thoughts. Slowly, I counted the chimes.
"Bong." One.
"Bong." Two.
I lay still, waiting for another chime, but none came. Two o'clock.
Suddenly, a gentle rapping noise filled the room, causing me to jump slightly. When I turned to the window, I saw Skittery motion to the roof. Quickly, I scanned the room to ensure that the light noise hadn't woken anyone. Thankfully all of the boys, especially my "bodyguards" were sleeping like babies.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in a hoarse whisper as I stepped from the fire escape onto the rooftop. ""If my brother catches you-"
Skittery, who had been drawing closer to me as I talked, cut me off with a soft kiss. When we had parted he reassuringly replied, "He won't."
"He's really worked up this time," I said slowly, turning to look out over Midtown.
Skitts mirrored my position. "So are Jack and Spot."
"Spot?"
"He came in just after you left," he said almost sadly. "They're plannin' something Hope, and it aint good I can tell. They aint thinkin' straight."
I groaned and shrunk down to the surface of the roof, my back against the half-wall of the ledge. "This is bad. What happened to Kid was no fluke. These Midtown boys, they know what they're doing. They're dangerous Skitts."
"We'll be alright Hope," He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he took a seat next to me. I rested my head lightly on his chest. "I promise."
We sat in silence for a long time. The only thing I could hear in the silent night was his heartbeat below my ear, rhythmically ticking the seconds away.
Finally, his voice split the quiet night air. "I hate to do this, but if I don't leave now, I'll never make it back to Manhattan before daybreak."
As quietly as possible, we climbed back down the fire escape to the bunkroom window. We stood for a moment on the small balcony that it created, neither of us willing to say goodbye. A rustling inside the room caused us to share a quick kiss, before he reluctantly started to climb to the ground.
Once he had touched the dewy pavement, I turned to climb back through the open window. As I stood up just inside the bunkroom, I came face to face with Skipper.
"Who was that?" he asked in an urgent hushed tone.
"Who?" I asked, naively.
Skipper leaned out the window and pointed at Skittery's shadow still trotting into the darkness.
"No one."
He sighed. "One of Jack's boys wasn't it?"
I couldn't answer.
"I figured as much. Go back to bed Hope."
I gave him a very confused look. He replied simply with a smirk, and then stalked off toward the washroom.
Relieved, I returned to my bed. Unlike Rascal, Skipper was a softy at heart. He would protect me. Or at least I tried to convince myself of that as I slipped into a light sleep.
It was late at night by the time that Rascal and I entered the midtown bunkhouse. The boys were all still awake, scattered around the small tables that had been taken over by poker games.
"Well, well, well," Shiner stood up from his seat on the steps. "If it isn't my baby sister, come home at last."
I rolled my eyes as I brushed passed him and headed up the stairs to the bunkroom. He followed me into the room, the boys not far behind, anxious to "overhear" our conversation.
"I need to talk to you," Shiner said in his leader of the pack tone, which I hated.
"What do you think you're doing? Huh, Joseph?"
The boys gasped at the use of my brother's real name.
"Everyone in this city thinks that Midtown is invisible. I'm gonna make them take notice." He clenched his fists tightly, causing the others to back away in fear.
I refused to back down, although I knew that testing my brother in this state was hazardous to my health. "With knives? Are you crazy?
My brother lifted his hand, but turned around before he let it move toward me. "I don't want you going back to Manhattan Connie," he said through clenched teeth.
"You can't run my life!" I said a little louder than I had intended.
He spun back around quickly and grabbed a tight hold on my braid. "I am your older brother and it's my job to take care of you. You do what I say you got that?" When I didn't respond, he pulled harder. "Do you?"
"Yes," I squeaked out, willing to say anything to make the pain go away. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Rascal, Skipper! Comere." The two newsies obediently appeared at my brother's side, hanging their heads like puppy dogs. "Just to be on the safe side, you two watch her. She sells her papes then comes back here. No visitors, no exceptions. She tries anything you tell me. Got that."
"You got it boss," Rascal said in his usual confident tone.
Skipper nodded almost sadly, then retired to his bunk.
I clenched my fists, ready to strike my brother in the nose, but relaxed them as a sharp pain shot up my right arm. Looking down at the bandages around my knuckles, I remembered Skittery's warning. "You'll end up doing something you'll regret." I was certainly no match for my brother, especially not when he was angry. With a sigh, I retreated to my bunk near the window.
"Goodnight, Constance," my brother called in a sickeningly sweet voice before the boys climbed into bed and the lights turned off.
I lay awake long after the snores had begun to ring out from the others in the room. As I stared up at the mattress above me, my thought turned to Manhattan. An image of Kid lying limply on the bunk passed before my eyes, then one of Mush's tears as he cowered in the lobby chair. The final issue that flashed in front of me was one of Skittery, his sad eyes following me as Rascal led me from the building. I blinked and blinked, but the picture wouldn't fade.
Finally, the chiming of the old grandfather clock pulled me from my thoughts. Slowly, I counted the chimes.
"Bong." One.
"Bong." Two.
I lay still, waiting for another chime, but none came. Two o'clock.
Suddenly, a gentle rapping noise filled the room, causing me to jump slightly. When I turned to the window, I saw Skittery motion to the roof. Quickly, I scanned the room to ensure that the light noise hadn't woken anyone. Thankfully all of the boys, especially my "bodyguards" were sleeping like babies.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in a hoarse whisper as I stepped from the fire escape onto the rooftop. ""If my brother catches you-"
Skittery, who had been drawing closer to me as I talked, cut me off with a soft kiss. When we had parted he reassuringly replied, "He won't."
"He's really worked up this time," I said slowly, turning to look out over Midtown.
Skitts mirrored my position. "So are Jack and Spot."
"Spot?"
"He came in just after you left," he said almost sadly. "They're plannin' something Hope, and it aint good I can tell. They aint thinkin' straight."
I groaned and shrunk down to the surface of the roof, my back against the half-wall of the ledge. "This is bad. What happened to Kid was no fluke. These Midtown boys, they know what they're doing. They're dangerous Skitts."
"We'll be alright Hope," He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he took a seat next to me. I rested my head lightly on his chest. "I promise."
We sat in silence for a long time. The only thing I could hear in the silent night was his heartbeat below my ear, rhythmically ticking the seconds away.
Finally, his voice split the quiet night air. "I hate to do this, but if I don't leave now, I'll never make it back to Manhattan before daybreak."
As quietly as possible, we climbed back down the fire escape to the bunkroom window. We stood for a moment on the small balcony that it created, neither of us willing to say goodbye. A rustling inside the room caused us to share a quick kiss, before he reluctantly started to climb to the ground.
Once he had touched the dewy pavement, I turned to climb back through the open window. As I stood up just inside the bunkroom, I came face to face with Skipper.
"Who was that?" he asked in an urgent hushed tone.
"Who?" I asked, naively.
Skipper leaned out the window and pointed at Skittery's shadow still trotting into the darkness.
"No one."
He sighed. "One of Jack's boys wasn't it?"
I couldn't answer.
"I figured as much. Go back to bed Hope."
I gave him a very confused look. He replied simply with a smirk, and then stalked off toward the washroom.
Relieved, I returned to my bed. Unlike Rascal, Skipper was a softy at heart. He would protect me. Or at least I tried to convince myself of that as I slipped into a light sleep.