Chapter 3:
Rae sighed, closing her eyes, and, after a moment, went to attend to Ann and Andy. "Come. Let's get you two cleaned up."
As she tried to stand, Kendra screamed and clung even tighter to Rae.
Sighing again, she squatted down and picked Kendra up. "Come on, honey. Let's go."
"Are we in trouble, Momma?" Andy asked as Rae left the room with the twins.
"For running off from Chris, yes, a bit."
"Are you going to make us go away too?"
She managed to give him a tired smile. "No, sweetheart. I won't make you or Ann go away."
Julie watched them as they left, before she slowly turned and headed toward the porch.
"Julie," Spot called after her.
She paused and turned towards him. "Yes?"
"Are you alright?"
After a moment, she nodded. "Yes... I'm fine."
"Would you like to go with me to take him to Brooklyn?"
She slowly shook her head. "It will be better this way."
"Are you sure?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah. Besides, Rae will need some help."
Spot smiled. "You're a good kid, Julie."
She gave a slight smile. "Thanks."
He nodded at her and went to go help Rae with the twins.
Rae was in the kitchen trying to wash the twins' faces, while struggling with Kendra who was still clinging tightly to her.
With a small smile, Spot stepped over to her. "Let me handle Ann and Andy," he said quietly.
She gave him a tired, yet grateful smile and quietly left the room with Kendra. She walked into the living room and sat down in the rocking chair. Kendra whimpered softly, clinging to her.
"It's alright, sweetheart," Rae whispered, kissing Kendra's forehead.
She hugged Rae tightly.
After a moment Kendra's eyes began to get heavy. Rae jostled her a bit. "You can't sleep right now sweetheart." Kendra sniffled a bit.
"S'eep...." she mumbled, scrubbing her eyes with her fists.
"I'm sorry, baby, but Momma can't let you sleep right now."
Again, she whimpered and Rae frowned. What could have made Chris so irresponsible?!
Just then Spot walked in. "How is she?" he asked.
"Tired," she replied, shifting the little girl's weight from one leg to the other.
"Let me guess, she can't go to sleep because she hit her head, right?"
"Right... I don't want to take any chances.... This could be serious."
"If you want I can just drop Chris off at the train station in town and let him find his own way to Brooklyn."
"But who would explain it to them when he showed up? And who could even say he'd show up?" she pointed out.
He sighed. "I don't want you to have to deal with this by yourself. What if I just take Chris as far as the Brooklyn station?"
"You'd better find someone around there to warn Hades. Otherwise she'll probably have our heads for just sending him."
"I'll get Silk to tell her. She usually works the station."
After a moment, she finally nodded. "All right. That sounds fine."
Chris came stomping into the room. "I'm ready to go now, master," he said angrily.
Spot resisted the urge to revert to his old Brooklyn self and beat Chris into the ground for mouthing off to him- and it was very hard for him to resist- and motioned for the boy to follow him. "See you soon." He kissed Rae's cheek and led Chris out the door.
* * *
Spot stepped off the train and waited for a sulking Chris to follow him. While he waited, he glanced around hoping to catch sight of Silk. Sure enough she was leaning against a wall not too far away. She met his gaze and gave a slight nod.
Glancing back- though he knew Chris would take his sweet time just to annoy him- he made a quick check, just in case, and motioned for Silk to come over.
She slowly walked his way. "Long time no see, Conlon."
"Indeed it has." He glanced back and then pulled her aside. "Listen... I have a proposal to make."
She nodded. "I'm listening...and it better be worth it." He murmured his proposal to her and waited for her reaction. "What's in it for me?" she questioned.
Spot reached into his pocket and pulled out a five-dollar note. "Will this be enough?"
She held out her hand. "Another dollar and it will be plenty."
He handed her the dollar. "Now disappear before Chris decides to show up."
She smiled and flicked another dollar bill at him. "I think you've gotten soft since you've left Brooklyn. Watch your pockets more carefully." And then she disappeared into the crowd.
"That girl," he muttered as Chris finally stepped from the train.
"Well?" Chris muttered, dropping his small carpetbag onto the ground.
"I'm leaving you here. Any newsie will be able to give you directions to the lodging house."
He stared at Spot. "What?!"
Spot rolled his eyes. "Do I have to hold your hand and walk you to the lodging house?"
Glowering at Spot, he picked up his bag and stalked off.
Spot glanced back to where Silk had been standing earlier. Once again she was leaning against the wall. When she met his gaze, she again nodded and moved to follow Chris through the crowd.
Chris headed down the unfamiliar, crowded streets, grumbling under his breath. He was too mad to be worried about getting lost.
"You're Chris right?" a young newsgirl asked.
He jumped with a start and looked to see who was talking to him. "Yes...." he replied vaguely, sizing the newsgirl up.
She looked around. "Where's Spot and Rae?"
"Back in Pleasant Valley. Well... Spot's on his way back."
"Why are you here by yourself?"
"Long story," he muttered.
"Are you headed toward the lodging house?"
"Uh.... yeah... yeah, that's where I'm heading I suppose." He nodded briefly.
"You're lost aren't you?" she giggled.
"I guess..."
She giggled harder.
"What? What's so funny?" Chris demanded.
"You are."
"...I don't get it..."
"You came from the station right?"
"Yes..." He still wasn't sure he got it.
"You must have passed half a dozen newsies and you didn't bother to ask for directions."
"Well.... I..." Chris huffed and pursed his lips together. Could he help it that he had been silently venting to himself for the last ten minutes? ...Probably, his logical half argued.
"Would you like me to take you to the lodging house, Chris?"
"Yes, please."
"Well, come on, but I have to finish selling my papers first."
"Um... okay... .... Who are you?"
She smiled. "My name is Jecca."
"Okay...." He looked at the papers under her arm. "How long will it take you to sell 'em?"
"Long enough," she said, walking away
"Long enough?" he murmured to himself, out of her hearing range. "What's that supposed to mean?"
When she noticed that he wasn't following her, she came back and grabbed his hand. "Come on, already," she said, pulling his hand.
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
"Keep up! I don't want to loose you in this crowd."
Chris gripped his bag tighter and picked up his pace after her.
He watched amazed as she yelled out a headline over the din of the crowd through which they walked.
He was even more amazed when she managed to sell three newspapers in the span of a couple minutes.
He stumbled forward when someone shoved into him from behind. "I'm so sorry," a girl about his age mumbled.
He made an agitated jerk at his shirt and watched the girl weave off through the crowd.
He looked around for his guide and found that he had lost her in the crowd. "Just what I need," he muttered.
Wandering around a bit, he felt himself getting more lost until a hand grabbed his arm. "Didn't you ever learn that if you got lost, you should stay in the same place?" Jecca asked.
He pulled his arm from her grasp. "I never got lost before."
She wagged her finger at him. "A first time for everything... and most firsts are got in Brooklyn..." She grinned. "Anyway... come on... I'm about done selling."
"About time," he muttered.
She gave him a look. "I could have just let you stay lost, you know...."
"Alright, alright, can we just get out of here?"
She sighed, rolling her eyes. "I told you... after I'm done selling."
"How much longer?"
"As long as it takes!" she snapped.
"Hurry up!" he yelled.
And with that, Jecca decided she couldn't stand him anymore, and she slapped him.
Without thinking, he hit her back.
"You pig!" She stomped hard on his foot and stalked off.
He hopped on one foot for a moment, before he realized that he didn't know his way around. Shoving people aside, he hurried to catch up with Jecca again.
But it seemed Jecca was very determined to lose him and force him to find his way to the lodging house on his own.
"Jecca! Please wait!" he finally yelled.
"I don't wait for fellas who act like scabs!"
"I'm sorry!"
She stopped and turned around to let him catch up. "You're lucky I sold all my papes today. One thing you gotta learn out here is just saying sorry doesn't cut it. You gotta learn to show it."
"What do you want me to do? Buy you dinner?"
She rolled her eyes. "You have a lot to learn."
"Look, I don't want to be here, alright."
"Then go back home."
"I can't!"
"Then suck it up, ya whiner."
"You aren't making this very easy!"
"This is Brooklyn, it's never easy."
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Just take me to Blank. NOW!"
She jerked out of his grip. "I'll take you right off the Bridge if you treat me like that!"
"Look, kid, I don't have to put up with this from you!"
"Fine. Then don't." Jecca turned on her heel and darted deep into the crowds leaving the factories and offices for home.
Chris growled in frustration and hurried after her.
Jecca was fast, he had to admit that. He was having difficulty navigating the crowds so swiftly.
At last the crowds cleared a bit and he run up next to her.
"Well, I thought you didn't want to deal with me," Jecca asked after a moment.
"I still don't know where I'm going."
"You'd find it... or die trying."
"Why are you so rude to me?"
She gave him a sidelong glance. "What goes around comes around. You live with Spot, you ought to know that."
He rolled his eyes. "I should have known I'd get stuck with a friend of Spot's."
"We all are, bonehead."
"Molly isn't."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, pal."
He rolled his eyes and followed her through an alley onto another street.
"How much further do we have to walk?"
"Will you stop complaining?"
"Maybe."
She shook her head. "No wonder you're stuck here.... There it is." She pointed across the street.
"It's about time," he muttered, crossing the street ahead of her.
"He needs a REALLY good soaking," Jecca muttered to herself, following him.
Molly glanced up when the door to the lodging house opened. She smiled when she saw Chris, thinking that they whole family had come for a visit. It had been three weeks since she had left, and she missed them all terribly.
Chris simply grunted and plopped onto a chair.
Molly looked out the door, confused when she didn't see Spot and Rae or the other children. "Are you alone?" Molly asked him.
"Yes," he muttered.
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Who knows with that freak."?
"He's not a freak!" Jecca yelled as she headed up the stairs.
With a snort, Chris slumped further in the seat.
"How's Kendra?" Molly asked, nearing Chris' chair.
"Just bug off, will you?!" he snapped.
"I want to know about my baby!"
"She's fine!"
"You're lying! I can tell."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, looking away.
Chris was suddenly pulled from his chair by a firm hand. "Tell my sister what she wants to know. NOW!" Blank barked in his ear.
Chris yelped in surprise.
"Tell her!" When Chris hesitated, Blank's fist connected with his ribs.
He doubled over, gasping.
"What happened to my baby?" Molly asked again.
"She... fell," he croaked.
"From what? What happened? Is she alright?"
"The stairs. I don't know. And as far as I knew, she was."
Tears filled Molly's eyes and she quickly turned and ran up the stairs.
Blank slapped him in the back of the head and followed her. "Stay away from my sister, kid," Blank threatened as he left the room.
