Author's Note: I know it's been a while, but I am finally updating. I wanted ya'll to realize that I haven't forgotten my stories, so I'm adding 2 new chapters. The next one will be up around the 20th, as I am going on vacation. Enjoy!
Chapter 11: A New Beginning
"Bitsy?!" I shrieked, shocked.
"Daphne? Thank God! I was almost sure I was lost out here alone! Oh, why aren't I at home with Dad? Why aren't you at home with Dad!? Hell, why aren't you home anywhere? Where did you go?" She was rambling, and crying. It was really hard to understand her. "Where am I? How did you find me!"
"Bits, slow down. Let me take you inside, and get us off of the street." I said. She was talking so loud that everyone was staring at us. She nodded her consent, and I ushered her into the lodging house. I noticed Dragonfly in the lobby talking with another lodger, Dream. I quickly broke into the conversation to tell her that Bits would be staying the night with me. She, in turn, told me that Spin was staying the night in Manhattan. Bits was crying silent tears as I led her to my room.
"Daphne, it's so horrible! You were gone, and no one knew where you were! And then... then Dad came in and he started hitting me, yelling at me, 'Where is Daphne! Where are you hiding her?' And I didn't know what he was talking about, but he just kept hitting me, saying, 'I know you're hiding her, don't lie to me bitch.'" Her words were barely audible through her sobs. I opened my mouth to say something, but she continued. "And then he was on the phone this morning. He was so upset and speaking so loud that I could hear him in my room. He said something about being a double agent, but your dad had found out. And so... so..." Bits burst into a new wave of tears. "He killed your father! Dad killed your father! And now he wants you Daphne! He thinks your dad told you something before he died, and he's trying to find you so he can kill you too!"
"Kill me?!" I shrieked. "What did I do?" Bits just shook her head, tears still cascading down her cheeks. I thought for a second, trying to be rational. "I should probably stay inside for a while, if he's looking for me. Do you know where he's looked?"
"He mentioned Brooklyn, that's all I know." For a minute there was silence. I sat, trying to remember where I had seen him the day before. Bits rolled up her sleeves and I saw all the bruises on her arms. Bruises that would have matched mine a couple months prior. I stared at them for a minute, shocked. He'd done this to me, but I never thought he'd be so cruel to his own flesh and blood.
"How did you get out?" I asked, cautiously.
"When he went upstairs for a shower, I snuck out the back door. I was barely able to get down the road by the time he noticed I was gone. He chased after me, but I hopped on the back of a carriage. I jumped off a couple blocks away. I'd just given up on finding somewhere to go when you found me."
"Well, I did, and you'll be fine. The newsies are all like a giant family, and now you're part of it. We'll take care of you. Go to sleep, and I'll think up a plan."
"Thank you, Daphne."
"Your welcome, Bits. Oh, and call me Soaker, that's how everyone knows me." She nodded, sniffing. She cried, silently, for a good half an hour, before finally falling asleep.
