Chapter 11

Daggers lay in her bed not really wanting to get up. A chilling thought went through her mind. What if she was still in her room. Locked away from the rest of the world. In a minute someone would knock on her door telling her to get up. It was so quiet maybe she was still in her room. Daggers panicked and sat straight up in her bed.

Slowing opening her eyes she realized that she was in the lodging house. She let out a sigh of relief. Flame in the bed next to her rolled over and looked her in the eye.

"Daggers go back to sleep, suns not up yet," he said yawning then closed his eyes again.

Daggers laid back into her bed and shut her eyes, but she couldn't get back to sleep. She was scared that when she woke up again she'd be back in her room. Her imagination was getting the better of her so she shifted her thoughts to something else.

James clearly didn't fit in with the boys here. Now daggers had to find two new sets of clothes; one for her and one for James. He seemed intimated by Spot and the others. Why had she agreed to let him come a long. If she sent him back they'd undoubtedly make him show them where she was hiding. So he couldn't go home, and he didn't fit in here. Then she remembered how she'd been accepted by the boys. Spot had accepted her and that was it, she was in. Daggers knew what she had to do now, she'd talk to Spot in the morning. Daggers fell back to sleep.

"Spot!" Daggers barked trying to wake the boy up.

"What?" Spot muttered with out even opening his eyes.

"Wake up!" Daggers said making an attempt to pull away his sheet.

"Why?" he asked getting a better grip and pulling them out of her hands.

"The sun's almost up!" she said grabbing the old sheets he used as curtains and pulling them down letting the sun in.

"Dat's great," he said rolling over and pulling the covers over his head.

"Get up! I have to talk to you!" Daggers said walking over and sitting on his chest.

"I can't get up if youse is sitting on me," he replied removing the sheet that covered his head.

"At least you is giving me more than two word answers," Daggers said moving so that she was sitting cross legged next to his mattress.

"What?" Spot asked sitting up and yawning.

"Ya needs to treat James like he's one of us," Daggers told Spot her idea proudly.

"Why?"

"'Cause, if you do than the others will too, and then he'll feel more like one of us and then he won't want to go home."

"Don't like 'im. Don't mind if he leaves." Spot yawned again.

Daggers gave him a death glare.

"If he goes back den he'll tell me pops where I is and I'll have to go back."

"Fine,"

"Thank youse Spot." Daggers said hugging him.

Spot blushed a little, and pushed her off him so he could get up. Daggers got up and started to go down stairs.

"'Ey Daggers," Spot called and Daggers turned around to face him. "Catch," he tossed her a some clothes. "Ya'll have to borrow someone elses hat"

Daggers smiled and went down stairs to find an empty stale to change in. Stepping out she felt a lot better now that she had pants and a shirt on. She had bound her chest down so she looked like a boy again, it also helped that Spot's clothes were a little baggy on her.

By now most the boys were up and getting ready for the day. Her second mission of the day was to find Stev, because he was about the same size as James. Stev had just gotten up and was heading towards the bathroom so daggers seized his absence to grab some clothes for James. Stev didn't have an extra hat or Daggers would have taken for herself. Then she set off to James. He was still asleep.

"Jamie wake up," she said as soon as she got over to him.

"Huh?"

"Up now Jamie, I got some clothes for ya so ya won't look so out of place." She informed him as she tossed the clothes to him.

"Thanks," He said getting up and getting a first glance at what he would be wearing. He flinched. Daggers smiled. "Who's are these?"

"Stev's. He won't mind your using dem."

"He doesn't know?"

"Not yet,"

He nodded. James' perfectly styled hair was now going every direction, and Daggers had to admit it looked considerably better than the way he had had it. Daggers waited by his bed till he got back in Stev's clothes.

"Jamie ya ever sold a pape 'fore?"

"No,"

"Today's ya lucky day den." Dagger smiled. "First I need to go borrow Riddles' extra hat."

She led James over to Riddles, and grabbed the hat on the floor with his stuff.

"Borrowing youse hat."

"Fine," Riddles replied.

"Danks," Daggers said before she led James over to the door.

James didn't seem to have anything to say Daggers as they walked with the others to the distribution center. The others ignored him and Spot seemed to be deep in thought. Daggers wanted to go Spot have the boys include James but she couldn't push him. Then she realized something she didn't have any money on her.

"Jaime, ya have any money?" She asked looking over at him.

"Why?"

"Do ya?"

"Yes, I have a five, and some change."

"Good, can I borrow 50 cents?"

"Sure," he replied pulling out a fifty cent piece and handing it to her.

"Thanks,"

Daggers and the others went and got their papers while James stayed back to watch. After getting a hundred papers Daggers went over to grab james.

"Alright you're gonna sell wid me," She said shoving a third of the papers into his arms.

"I don't think I want to do this,"

"Ya got no choice," She said grinning and pulling him along.

Daggers could tell he was watching her as she began to shout the headlines at the top of her lungs to get people to buy. He began to imitate her but at no success. She laughed and correct what he was doing wrong.

Selling was slow but with James to help her it went about the normal pace and when she taught him how to 'improve the truth' things sped up considerably. After they finished selling the morning addition she led him over to the dock where several of the boys were already swimming.

"Know how to swim Jamie?" she asked.

"A little,"

"Good, have fun." She said motioning towards the water.

"In there?" he said looking down at the water.

"Yeah, where else do ya purpose ya is gonna swim," Flame said pulling himself out of the water.

James looked at the water and backed away. Several of the boys began to tease him. Daggers sighed; this boy was hopeless. A little bit of water wasn't going to hurt him. Then to her surprise James was lecturing the boys about what could be in the water. The boys were laughing harder now then they were when they were teasing him.

Daggers shrugged and went off to go find Spot on his perch. Sitting down using the crate as a back rest, Daggers tried to relax but was so tense there was no chance.

"It was weird yesterday not having youse there," Spot said after Daggers had been there for a moment.

"Really?" Daggers asked looking up at him.

Spot didn't reply.

"Kathryn, where did you go?" James asked walking over.

"Kathryn?" Spot asked looking down at her.

"Wanna make someding of it," Daggers said getting up and glaring at Spot. Then she looked over at the approaching James. "Jamie, Daggers, call me Daggers."

"There you are," he said taking her hand. "Show me the local diner is I'm hungry."

Daggers sighed and started in the direction of the closest diner. She had wanted to see what Spot was going to say next but she couldn't now. James was getting annoying, not that he hadn't been when she had first met him.