The first thing I was aware of was voices; from the sound of them, they
were very close to me. Talking about... me? "She doesn't look too good,
guys. I think we'd better take her back to the Lodging House." It was a
guy, I could tell that much from his voice. I managed to force my eyes
open, and I saw three teenage boys nearby, dressed in old stained clothes.
The one who had just been talking was about medium height, with dirty blond
hair and an eyepatch. One of the other boys was fairly short and had curly
brown hair, and the other one was somewhere in between the two for height,
and had straight brown hair. The last thing I noticed before fainting again
was that the last guy looked somewhat Italian.
When I next woke up, the first thing I saw was Eyepatch and his friends talking to a tall guy who looked about 17 with a battered black cowboy hat hanging down his back. Apparently, Eyepatch was trying to explain to this other guy, who I kind of assumed was a leader of some sort, why I was there. "We saw the Delancey brothers running out of an alley, and we were checking to make sure they hadn't hurt anybody too badly, and we saw her lying unconscious on the ground. She was in really bad shape, and we couldn't just leave her there, because then she would most likely get taken to the Refuge, and we all know they don't exactly have great medical care there. Come on Jack, what were we supposed to do, leave her there to die?" I decided to speak up.
"I appreciate your concern, but where am I and who are you guys?" They all jumped a mile, not realizing I was awake. Then Eyepatch spoke. "You're in the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, and I'm Kid Blink, or just Blink, the guy with the cowboy hat is Jack Kelly, or you can call him Cowboy, he," pointing to the curly haired guy, "is Mush, and the other one is Racetrack, or Race. We've told you our names, now how about telling us yours?"
"My few friends call me Firecracker, partly for my hair, but mostly for my temper. I don't get angry too often, but when I do, it's best to run. How long have I been out?" "Several hours," called Racetrack from the floor where he was starting up a poker game. I started to sit up so I could look around, and immediately wished I hadn't. I hurt everywhere, my head was spinning, and I felt like I was going to throw up. "Hey, you okay?" one of them called. Weakly I shook my head no. "Bathroom," I managed to croak. Someone ran over and carefully helped me to the bathroom. I made it just in time to lose everything I had eaten for dinner the night before. I felt someone holding my hair back and supporting me. "Feel any better now?" he said, and when I turned around I saw Blink. "Thanks, and yes I do feel a bit better now," "Good, but I think you should probably get back to bed now," I didn't say anything, just nodded. When I got back to the bed, I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.
I was woken once more by a sound like a herd of elephants charging up the stairs, bellowing and trumpeting the whole time. I heard the door burst open, and suddenly the sound swelled to the point that I felt like my head would split in two from a headache. When I could no longer stand it, I let out a low groan. Immediately, the room went dead silent, and everyone stared at me.
"Guys, this is Firecracker. We found her in an alley, where the Delancey brothers had just finished soaking her, and we brought her back here." 'So that's who those bums were,' I thought as many of the boys I didn't know nodded in understanding. One of them called out "Hey Blink, does Kloppman know she's here yet?"
"No, I haven't seen him since we got back."
"Good luck convincing him to let her stay, even if it's just until she gets better." Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, I have a couple of questions. First of all, who is this 'Kloppman' you guys are talking about? And more importantly, I would kind of like to know WHO YOU GUYS ARE!" Blink opened his mouth, about to answer my questions, when Jack cut him off. "In answer to your first question, if you remember, you are in the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, and Kloppman runs the Lodging House. For your second question, that is David, also known as Davey or the Walking Mouth, and the kid next to him is Les, David's little brother. They don't live here, but they sometimes act like they do. You've already met Blink, Mush, and Race. Next to them are Skittery, Bumlets, Jake, Snitch, Swifty, Crutchy, and Snipeshooter. Over there are Dutchy, Specs, Snoddy, Pie-Eater, Itey, and Boots." "Okay, but I warn you, I am not very good at remembering names." Everybody drifted off into other things after a minute, but thankfully at a reduced volume.
Suddenly, I remembered something. "Blink!" I said, shaking his shoulder urgently, "Did any of you get a bag out of the alley?" Before he could answer, Race cut in with an "I did." When I asked him where he put it, he said he had put it under the bed I was in. With a hurried "Thanks," I ran over to "my" bunk and grabbed the bag from under it, nearly ripping it in my rush to get it open. I peeked inside. Thankfully, everything was there. I pulled my key necklace out and put it on when I was sure nobody was looking, slipping it under my shirt, as I had several friends who had made the mistake of wearing favorite necklaces in plain sight and no longer had them.
I tapped Blink's shoulder. "Is it possible to get to the roof here?"
"Yeah, there is. Why?"
"I was wanting to go outside for a little while, preferably somewhere quiet."
"Okay, I can definitely understand that, considering that the only times it's quiet is when nobody's here or everybody's asleep. Here, I'll show you." With that, he helped me crawl out the window and up to the roof, where he offered to leave if I wanted to be alone. I gratefully accepted, and told him I would be back down in 15 minutes, tops. As soon as his head had disappeared from sight, I lay on my back and looked at the stars, holding my key against my cheek. My key... my only link to my past... or my brother.
*FLASHBACK*
It was a couple of months after our mother had died, and our dad had started beating my brother, Alex, because he thought that the two of us, but mainly Alex, were responsible for our mother's death. He was the one who killed her! He was the one who spent so much time away from his family that he didn't realize that she was sick, that she was dying, and that a seven year old boy and a five year old girl had no money for a doctor, and no way of getting it! Alex was never the type to take that type of stuff off of anybody, and within a week, he ran away. Right before he left, he gave me half of an old-fashioned key, saying he had the other part. He told me that if Dad ever started beating me that I too should run away. He promised that he would try to stay around Brooklyn or Manhattan, and to try to find him if I did run. His last words to me were "I'll see you again someday... I promise."
*END FLASHBACK*.
When I next woke up, the first thing I saw was Eyepatch and his friends talking to a tall guy who looked about 17 with a battered black cowboy hat hanging down his back. Apparently, Eyepatch was trying to explain to this other guy, who I kind of assumed was a leader of some sort, why I was there. "We saw the Delancey brothers running out of an alley, and we were checking to make sure they hadn't hurt anybody too badly, and we saw her lying unconscious on the ground. She was in really bad shape, and we couldn't just leave her there, because then she would most likely get taken to the Refuge, and we all know they don't exactly have great medical care there. Come on Jack, what were we supposed to do, leave her there to die?" I decided to speak up.
"I appreciate your concern, but where am I and who are you guys?" They all jumped a mile, not realizing I was awake. Then Eyepatch spoke. "You're in the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, and I'm Kid Blink, or just Blink, the guy with the cowboy hat is Jack Kelly, or you can call him Cowboy, he," pointing to the curly haired guy, "is Mush, and the other one is Racetrack, or Race. We've told you our names, now how about telling us yours?"
"My few friends call me Firecracker, partly for my hair, but mostly for my temper. I don't get angry too often, but when I do, it's best to run. How long have I been out?" "Several hours," called Racetrack from the floor where he was starting up a poker game. I started to sit up so I could look around, and immediately wished I hadn't. I hurt everywhere, my head was spinning, and I felt like I was going to throw up. "Hey, you okay?" one of them called. Weakly I shook my head no. "Bathroom," I managed to croak. Someone ran over and carefully helped me to the bathroom. I made it just in time to lose everything I had eaten for dinner the night before. I felt someone holding my hair back and supporting me. "Feel any better now?" he said, and when I turned around I saw Blink. "Thanks, and yes I do feel a bit better now," "Good, but I think you should probably get back to bed now," I didn't say anything, just nodded. When I got back to the bed, I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.
I was woken once more by a sound like a herd of elephants charging up the stairs, bellowing and trumpeting the whole time. I heard the door burst open, and suddenly the sound swelled to the point that I felt like my head would split in two from a headache. When I could no longer stand it, I let out a low groan. Immediately, the room went dead silent, and everyone stared at me.
"Guys, this is Firecracker. We found her in an alley, where the Delancey brothers had just finished soaking her, and we brought her back here." 'So that's who those bums were,' I thought as many of the boys I didn't know nodded in understanding. One of them called out "Hey Blink, does Kloppman know she's here yet?"
"No, I haven't seen him since we got back."
"Good luck convincing him to let her stay, even if it's just until she gets better." Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, I have a couple of questions. First of all, who is this 'Kloppman' you guys are talking about? And more importantly, I would kind of like to know WHO YOU GUYS ARE!" Blink opened his mouth, about to answer my questions, when Jack cut him off. "In answer to your first question, if you remember, you are in the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, and Kloppman runs the Lodging House. For your second question, that is David, also known as Davey or the Walking Mouth, and the kid next to him is Les, David's little brother. They don't live here, but they sometimes act like they do. You've already met Blink, Mush, and Race. Next to them are Skittery, Bumlets, Jake, Snitch, Swifty, Crutchy, and Snipeshooter. Over there are Dutchy, Specs, Snoddy, Pie-Eater, Itey, and Boots." "Okay, but I warn you, I am not very good at remembering names." Everybody drifted off into other things after a minute, but thankfully at a reduced volume.
Suddenly, I remembered something. "Blink!" I said, shaking his shoulder urgently, "Did any of you get a bag out of the alley?" Before he could answer, Race cut in with an "I did." When I asked him where he put it, he said he had put it under the bed I was in. With a hurried "Thanks," I ran over to "my" bunk and grabbed the bag from under it, nearly ripping it in my rush to get it open. I peeked inside. Thankfully, everything was there. I pulled my key necklace out and put it on when I was sure nobody was looking, slipping it under my shirt, as I had several friends who had made the mistake of wearing favorite necklaces in plain sight and no longer had them.
I tapped Blink's shoulder. "Is it possible to get to the roof here?"
"Yeah, there is. Why?"
"I was wanting to go outside for a little while, preferably somewhere quiet."
"Okay, I can definitely understand that, considering that the only times it's quiet is when nobody's here or everybody's asleep. Here, I'll show you." With that, he helped me crawl out the window and up to the roof, where he offered to leave if I wanted to be alone. I gratefully accepted, and told him I would be back down in 15 minutes, tops. As soon as his head had disappeared from sight, I lay on my back and looked at the stars, holding my key against my cheek. My key... my only link to my past... or my brother.
*FLASHBACK*
It was a couple of months after our mother had died, and our dad had started beating my brother, Alex, because he thought that the two of us, but mainly Alex, were responsible for our mother's death. He was the one who killed her! He was the one who spent so much time away from his family that he didn't realize that she was sick, that she was dying, and that a seven year old boy and a five year old girl had no money for a doctor, and no way of getting it! Alex was never the type to take that type of stuff off of anybody, and within a week, he ran away. Right before he left, he gave me half of an old-fashioned key, saying he had the other part. He told me that if Dad ever started beating me that I too should run away. He promised that he would try to stay around Brooklyn or Manhattan, and to try to find him if I did run. His last words to me were "I'll see you again someday... I promise."
*END FLASHBACK*.