AN: Another rough chapter ahead (at least for me). The newsie I picked to accompany Skittery is the one that I mainly thought could further the storyline and work best with the twists ahead, so don't kill me if you don't agree. I feel bad about my choice too- I almost felt like I was Skittery for a while there, trying to pick just one newsie out of about 19. I hope you guys don't maul me, cause I'm splitting up a well known pair of friends…I'll fix it, I promise!

                                                                                                                                                           

            That morning was the roughest morning of my life. Kloppman tried to keep a bit of 'the norm' around by waking us up with the usual drama, but no one's heart was into it. I was still holding back tears as I shoved all my belongings into the duffel bag that I had carried them in the lodging house with so many years ago.

            The worst part of it had to be seeing Kid Blink trying to say goodbye to Mush. It had been hard enough asking Mush if he would come, even harder when I saw the look on Blink's face when Mush told everyone that he was going with me. Their minute long hug and the tears that were shed were ripping my heart into God knows how many pieces.

            But Mush, as usual, put on a smile as he threw his back over his shoulder. I had never been hugged so many times in my life, and it was wrenching to have all those hugs occur in the same 15 minute time span. And long before I felt it was time, the 'clopping' of horses hooves was heard outside on the cobblestone street, and I looked out the window to see a man in a suit standing beside a shiny, oversized carriage.

            "Come on, Skitts. Let's go." Mush said, the expression on his face and the tone of his voice not matching the indication of the words.

            We were leaving. Maybe never coming back.

            Kloppman stopped his 'wake up call' just long enough to hug both of us tightly. I wasn't so sure I was going to miss being screamed at every morning, though. Maybe I was wrong.

            Kid Blink and Jack 'accompanied' us out to the carriage, and Mush pulled Kid into one last hug and a spit shake for good luck before he climbed in. I followed, spit shaking with both Jack and Blink. I saw the man nod and smile at Jack before stepping into the carriage and shutting the door.

            The man offered us a warm handshake as the carriage pulled away. "I'm Robert. I'll be your personal butler. We should be arriving at the house in about thirty minutes, so while we wait, did you have any questions for me?"

            I shot a glance at Mush, and he shrugged, still shocked at hearing that we would have a 'personal butler'. I shook my head, and Robert nodded, leaning back in his seat to look out the small window.

            "You'll love the house, boys." He said after a few minutes of silence. "It's a three story mansion with marble columns, seven bedrooms each with a personal bath, a ballroom, a dining room, two kitchens, an art gallery, an outdoor and indoor pool, two sun rooms, and three sitting rooms. All the 'creature comforts' of home. In fact, we're holding a party for your arrival tomorrow night in the ballroom, so you two should be awfully busy in the next few days!"

            A party? For us? I noticed the same confused look on Mush's face, and I couldn't help but ask. "Why are dey havin' a party?"

            Robert laughed, loosening his tie. "The Jedreck's are so glad to have you two coming to live with us. They want you to meet all of their friends, and a party is the best way to do so. You'll have the time of your lives…dancing, champagne, not to mention the ladies. After we clean you up a bit, you'll be a hit with the ladies!" He obviously didn't notice Mush and I both snicker at that remark. Yeah right. Us, a hit with rich people?

            He continued on. "So, which one of you is the piano player I've heard so much about?"

            Mush pointed to me, and Robert's grin spread from ear to ear. "I can't wait to hear you play. Miss Anne hasn't stopped talking about the street boy that plays like an angel. We've taken all the furniture out of the third sun room, and Master Geoff just had a brand new grand piano delivered and put in this morning."

             A brand new grand piano? Just for me? That had to be hundreds of dollars, maybe thousands! These people were nuts!

            The rest of the ride was silent, even when we pulled through the huge iron gates and up a circular driveway that had to be at least a mile long. I was speechless as we pulled up to the castle- I say castle, because that's how big it was. It could've been a castle.

            There was a small lake out in front with a huge, water-spraying fountain in the middle in the shape of leaping dolphins. The house was a startling white color, with marble columns running all the way from the fancy stone carved porch to the gargoyle decorated roof. It looked like it jumped straight off the pages of a book.

            The driver opened the door for us, and as I stepped out I caught sight of three people waiting on the porch for us. The first was a middle aged man with slicked-back brown hair and a small mustache. To me, he looked stiff and unforgiving, holding his walking stick in front of him with both hands draped over the top but not leaning on it. The next was a woman wearing a large flowered hat and a long, pale blue dress, looking quite young until you got closer and noticed the wrinkles on her face. Her hair, though cut short, was a bright red color.

            The third was a younger woman, looking to be about in her twenties. She wore a frilly yellow dress and carried a matching umbrella, her smile beaming and her hair the same color red as the other woman. The scarlet ringlets were put up in a fancy hair style, but a few fell around her face, complimenting her ivory skin.

"Hello, boys. We've been expecting you. Come on inside, we'll do our introductions out of the sun." the man said, firmly gripping Mush's shoulder as he led us in.

            We were just as awed by the entry room as we had been by the outside of the house. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and a double staircase with golden banisters led up to a higher level, graced by yet another dolphin statue. These people must really like dolphins, I thought as they led us up the stairs and through another door into a smaller room with a few couches and chairs. Mush and I sat down on one of the smaller couches, both of us taking off our hats at the exact same time. The man and two women sat down on another couch across from us, and Robert sat down in a chair beside them.

            "I believe the man said your name was Michael, right? Michael O'Konnor." The woman said to me, and I nodded.

            "All my friends call me Skittery." I said, judging their reactions by the surprised looks on their faces. It turns out that I was pleasantly surprised.

            "If that's what you want to be called by us, then that's fine. Just allow us to call you Michael around guests." The man said with a good hearted smile.

            "Fair enough."

            The woman turned to Mush. "And what might your name be?"

            "Mush Meyers, ma'am."

            "Is that a nickname as well?"

            "I nevah knew my real name, so not really."

            The man smiled and gestured to himself. "I'm Geoffrey Jedreck, but you boys can call me Geoff. This is my wife, Anne, and that beautiful young lady is my daughter, Anita. She's visiting for the week with her husband and her daughter, Theodore and Tiffany, who should be joining us later tonight. And you've already met Robert."

            Anne took over from there. "You have a personal maid as well, who will be taking care of all your cooking. Her name is Kristine. She's out shopping for us right now, and should be back shortly. In the meantime…Robert, why don't you show the boys to their rooms?"

            "Of course, ma'am." Robert said, and then he waved for us to follow him. We stood up and he took us out another door, where we were hit with the strong smell of chemicals.

            "This is the indoor pool." He said, waving to a young woman who seemed to be adding more chemicals to the pool. She jumped up, practically falling over as she ran to us.

            "Are these the new ones? Oh, they're so adorable!" she squeeled, clasping her hands below her chin.

            "Skittery, Mush…this is Consuela. She takes care of the pools, fountains, and gardens on the grounds." Robert said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

            "Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Mush said, always trying to be a gentleman. I simply nodded as Robert jerked his head to tell us to move on. Consuela looked disappointed, but only for a moment.

            "I'll bring up roses from the garden for your bedside tables!" she yelled as we moved on into the next room. I heard Robert groan, obviously not really liking Consuela that much.

            "Just ignore her," he advised, "She's always like that. Anyway, this is the piano room. It's connected to your room, Skittery, so you can practice whenever you like."

            It was the most gorgeous piano I've ever seen. I was almost afraid to touch it, even though they'd put it there for me. It was made of a deep, dark wood grain, polished until every inch of it shined like the surface of the ocean, and the lid was propped up so the strings on the inside could be seen from where I was standing. The keys looked like they'd never been touched, the bright white a stark contrast to the midnight black flat and sharp keys. The piano bench was made of the same wood, but had a soft, leather cushion on it.

            "Go ahead. Try it out." Robert insisted, giving me a little push toward it. I sat down carefully, and then I decided on a song and started playing.

            It was perfectly in tune, every note harmonizing in perfect pitch with the other notes. It took a soft touch, the dynamics changing every time my fingers would hit the keys just a little harder or a little softer. That would take some getting used to. I'd never played on a piano quite like this one, and I doubted I would ever find one quite like it again. And what was even more uplifting was that I could play anytime I wanted to just by walking into the next room.

            By the time I finished the song I couldn't help but smile. Maybe this would turn out better than I had previously thought.

            "Bravo! Marvelous!" Robert exclaimed, his clapping bringing me back into the 'real world'.

            "Why didn't you evah tell us that you could do that? That's amazing!" Mush said, patting me on the back as I backed away from the piano.

            "I just…nevah thought it was that great." I said, following Robert into the next room. He was still gushing about the 'wondrous music' and what guests would think of their 'musical angel'.

            "This is your bedroom, Skittery." He said, flipping on the lights. It was huge! The bed was made of oak and had blue silk sheets on it, along with a feather filled blue comforter. I had a walk-in closet and two dressers, even though I'd probably never have enough clothes to fill all that space.

            Mush's room was much the same as mine, with a burgundy theme instead of a blue theme, and our rooms were connected by a large oak door with carvings of dolphins covering it. He dropped his bag on the bed, and though I suddenly felt guilty by leaving everyone else behind, I felt that the look of wonder in Mush's eyes was worth it for that instant. He had never had quite the personality of a hardened street kid (even though he was surprisingly good at soaking people when the situation called for it), and now he didn't have to.

            Robert explained that a seamstress would be upstairs to get our 'measurements' in about a half hour, and that we could unpack until then. He also said that dinner was at 6, and that he'd be upstairs to 'fetch' us at about 5:45.

                                                                                                                                                           

AN: I feel so bad! I'm an awful person! Poor Blink…* smacks herself*…I'll fix it. I have to. I;m so upset…

Anyway. * clears throat loudly * I have a tidbit for all my readers! During Carryin' Da Banner, when they're running down the stairs and Kloppman is trying to do a head count, did anyone else notice that the sign above the stairs says 'Speak the Truth'? I find that funny, but that could be just my whacked up sense of humor……

Read and review! I love you guys!

Oh, and by the way…funny scene ahead with the seamstress getting their measurements. Time for some humor to break up the drama! * snickers evilly*