Disclaimer::: In this chappie I am using some lyrics from "Perfect" by
Simple Plan....so they aren't mine...yadda yadda...blah blah...You don't
want to sue me because I don't have very much money. ...On to the part you
want to actually read.....
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Surprise Visit.....
A lone figure entered the Newsboys Lodging House. Removing her hat, the woman looked around curiously. Kloppman looked up from his book of ledgers and studied her. He could tell she was middle-class by the dress she was wearing.
"'Scuse me miss but are ya lost?," he asked.
Startled the blonde-haired woman turned big grey-green eyes to Kloppman. "No, I think I'm in the right place. Is there a Matilda Miller staying here? She goes by Mattie."
Kloppman, unsure of who she was, hesitated a moment. "No dere ain't a Mattie here, ma'am."
"I need to find her, she's my sister," pleaded the woman. "My name's Megan Miller."
"I..."
"It's okay Kloppman. She's telling the truth," interrupted Tempest. "How did you find me?"
"I spotted you leaving Tabby's or something like that..."
"Tibby's," Tempest provided as she continued down the stairs to face her sister.
"Tibby's," Megan repeated off-handedly. "I tried to acquire your attention but you were off in your own little world again. So I stopped a newsboy before he entered. I gained your location from him."
"Which newsie?," Tempest asked skeptically.
"I do not know his name but he carried a cane and slingshot," Megan answered calmly.
"Spot Conlon," stated Tempest icily. "It figures he would tell a stranger my whereabouts."
"He was quite the gentleman."
"I bet he was. Why were ya lookin' fer me in da foist place?," said Tempest, adopting the Newsie accent.
"Stop speaking like a common street rat," chided Megan
"Den stop talkin' like a hoity-toity b****," snapped Tempest.
"This is how I have always spoken."
"Dis is how da newsies, my friends, talk."
"That does not mean that you have to speak in a similar way, Matilda."
"Da name's Tempest and I talk how I want ta." Tempest folded her arms across her chest.
"You are Matilda Miller, my sister. You are not like these street rats," she gritted as she clenched her fists at her side.
"Dose street rats are my friends Megan! No we weren't born in da same CLASS but dey understand and accept me bettea den me own sista can."
"That is not true."
"Oh, it's true alright." Tempest took a breath. "Now why are ya 'ere?"
"I came to take you back to the apartment. The streets are obviously no place for you of all people."
"What is dat supposed ta mean? Me of all people?"
"You are an impressionable young girl. You need to be around people who will not encourage falsehoods and thievery from you."
"First off, you are only two years older than me so stop patronizing me. Second off, my FRIENDS are not liars OR thieves. They may 'improve' the truth a little and they may borrow once in awhile but they are just doing what they can to survive."
"You make their crimes sound noble," hissed Megan.
"No Megan, you make their struggle sound criminal. I'm not going with you. This is my home now and they are my family." Cheers and applause erupted as he finished talking. Tempest looked around to see that most of the newsies had returned from selling and heard some of her speech. "Leave Megan. You aren't welcome here if you can't accept your new family."
Megan lifted her chin defiantly and straightened her shoulders before turning and literally pushing her way through the cheering newsies to the door.
Sapphire pushed her way to Tempest and attacked her with a huge hug, almost causing them to topple to the floor. "Welcome ta da family, Mattie!!," she cried.
Tempest laughed at her friend's happiness despite the raging emotions she felt inside. "Thanks," she said simply. Tempest pulled out of Sapph's grip and tried to make her way to the stairs. An overwhelming need for some alone time taking over. Tempest hugged and smiled at each newsie as she passed them.
Finally, she made it to the steps. Sending a smile over her shoulder so they wouldn't worry, she rushed up the steps. Once there she didn't slow down as she went the bunkroom straight to the fire escape and up to the roof. A song filled her thoughts.
"I try not to think about the pain I feel inside Did you know you used to be my hero All the days you spent with me Now seem so far away And feels like you don't care anymore You know I try hard to make it I just wanna make you proud I'm never gonna be good enough for you I can't stand another fight And nothing's alright," she sang as her mind tried to sort through her jumbled thoughts. She paused as she looked out over Manhattan. "Nothing's gonna change the things that you said Nothing's gonna make this right again Please don't turn your back I can't believe it's hard just to talk to you But you don't understand."
Tempest fell to her knees. Muttering she said, "You never did understand, Megan." She felt an arm come around her shoulders as someone sat down beside her. She looked over at Sapphire who looked worried.
"You know she'll never understand me," Tempest said as she looked out over Manhattan again.
"Sometimes, Mattie, the people who love us the most have a hard time understandin'. She thinks she's lookin' out fer yer best interests, but her judgement's just clouded. Wouldn't yers be if yer sister jilted ya and considered a bunch of streetrats family more so than you?," she said with a wink. "She only wants the best fer ya, Mattie and she wants ta be a part of it all." She paused. "Wow, that was really cheesy."
Tempest laughed. "Yeah, it was."
"Hey!," Sapph cried in mock hurt.
"Just kidding."
"Better be just kidding," she mumbled.
Tempest just shook her head and laughed harder. Sapph stood up and helped Tempest to her feet. "You ready to go back inside?"
"Not yet, Sapph. I just need a little bit longer." Tempest smiled reassuringly and watched as Sapph went back down to the bunkroom. Still listening to the music in her head she sang, "Cause we lost it all And nothing lasts forever I'm sorry I can't be perfect Now it's just too late And we can't go back I'm sorry I can't be perfect." She wiped a tear from her eyes and turned to go back down to the bunkroom.
~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
Hey ....Please REVIEW!!!! Thanks to Sapphy, Lyra Torg, Moonlights Sundance, MLH, kellyanne, and ....of course....my most loyal reviewer ...*drum roll*...danielle.
danielle please forgive me for taking so long. I honestly couldn't get on the net to upload.....
I am working on the next chappie but it has no title yet....Believe me though it will be tons of fun...hehehe
~Molly
~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
Surprise Visit.....
A lone figure entered the Newsboys Lodging House. Removing her hat, the woman looked around curiously. Kloppman looked up from his book of ledgers and studied her. He could tell she was middle-class by the dress she was wearing.
"'Scuse me miss but are ya lost?," he asked.
Startled the blonde-haired woman turned big grey-green eyes to Kloppman. "No, I think I'm in the right place. Is there a Matilda Miller staying here? She goes by Mattie."
Kloppman, unsure of who she was, hesitated a moment. "No dere ain't a Mattie here, ma'am."
"I need to find her, she's my sister," pleaded the woman. "My name's Megan Miller."
"I..."
"It's okay Kloppman. She's telling the truth," interrupted Tempest. "How did you find me?"
"I spotted you leaving Tabby's or something like that..."
"Tibby's," Tempest provided as she continued down the stairs to face her sister.
"Tibby's," Megan repeated off-handedly. "I tried to acquire your attention but you were off in your own little world again. So I stopped a newsboy before he entered. I gained your location from him."
"Which newsie?," Tempest asked skeptically.
"I do not know his name but he carried a cane and slingshot," Megan answered calmly.
"Spot Conlon," stated Tempest icily. "It figures he would tell a stranger my whereabouts."
"He was quite the gentleman."
"I bet he was. Why were ya lookin' fer me in da foist place?," said Tempest, adopting the Newsie accent.
"Stop speaking like a common street rat," chided Megan
"Den stop talkin' like a hoity-toity b****," snapped Tempest.
"This is how I have always spoken."
"Dis is how da newsies, my friends, talk."
"That does not mean that you have to speak in a similar way, Matilda."
"Da name's Tempest and I talk how I want ta." Tempest folded her arms across her chest.
"You are Matilda Miller, my sister. You are not like these street rats," she gritted as she clenched her fists at her side.
"Dose street rats are my friends Megan! No we weren't born in da same CLASS but dey understand and accept me bettea den me own sista can."
"That is not true."
"Oh, it's true alright." Tempest took a breath. "Now why are ya 'ere?"
"I came to take you back to the apartment. The streets are obviously no place for you of all people."
"What is dat supposed ta mean? Me of all people?"
"You are an impressionable young girl. You need to be around people who will not encourage falsehoods and thievery from you."
"First off, you are only two years older than me so stop patronizing me. Second off, my FRIENDS are not liars OR thieves. They may 'improve' the truth a little and they may borrow once in awhile but they are just doing what they can to survive."
"You make their crimes sound noble," hissed Megan.
"No Megan, you make their struggle sound criminal. I'm not going with you. This is my home now and they are my family." Cheers and applause erupted as he finished talking. Tempest looked around to see that most of the newsies had returned from selling and heard some of her speech. "Leave Megan. You aren't welcome here if you can't accept your new family."
Megan lifted her chin defiantly and straightened her shoulders before turning and literally pushing her way through the cheering newsies to the door.
Sapphire pushed her way to Tempest and attacked her with a huge hug, almost causing them to topple to the floor. "Welcome ta da family, Mattie!!," she cried.
Tempest laughed at her friend's happiness despite the raging emotions she felt inside. "Thanks," she said simply. Tempest pulled out of Sapph's grip and tried to make her way to the stairs. An overwhelming need for some alone time taking over. Tempest hugged and smiled at each newsie as she passed them.
Finally, she made it to the steps. Sending a smile over her shoulder so they wouldn't worry, she rushed up the steps. Once there she didn't slow down as she went the bunkroom straight to the fire escape and up to the roof. A song filled her thoughts.
"I try not to think about the pain I feel inside Did you know you used to be my hero All the days you spent with me Now seem so far away And feels like you don't care anymore You know I try hard to make it I just wanna make you proud I'm never gonna be good enough for you I can't stand another fight And nothing's alright," she sang as her mind tried to sort through her jumbled thoughts. She paused as she looked out over Manhattan. "Nothing's gonna change the things that you said Nothing's gonna make this right again Please don't turn your back I can't believe it's hard just to talk to you But you don't understand."
Tempest fell to her knees. Muttering she said, "You never did understand, Megan." She felt an arm come around her shoulders as someone sat down beside her. She looked over at Sapphire who looked worried.
"You know she'll never understand me," Tempest said as she looked out over Manhattan again.
"Sometimes, Mattie, the people who love us the most have a hard time understandin'. She thinks she's lookin' out fer yer best interests, but her judgement's just clouded. Wouldn't yers be if yer sister jilted ya and considered a bunch of streetrats family more so than you?," she said with a wink. "She only wants the best fer ya, Mattie and she wants ta be a part of it all." She paused. "Wow, that was really cheesy."
Tempest laughed. "Yeah, it was."
"Hey!," Sapph cried in mock hurt.
"Just kidding."
"Better be just kidding," she mumbled.
Tempest just shook her head and laughed harder. Sapph stood up and helped Tempest to her feet. "You ready to go back inside?"
"Not yet, Sapph. I just need a little bit longer." Tempest smiled reassuringly and watched as Sapph went back down to the bunkroom. Still listening to the music in her head she sang, "Cause we lost it all And nothing lasts forever I'm sorry I can't be perfect Now it's just too late And we can't go back I'm sorry I can't be perfect." She wiped a tear from her eyes and turned to go back down to the bunkroom.
~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
Hey ....Please REVIEW!!!! Thanks to Sapphy, Lyra Torg, Moonlights Sundance, MLH, kellyanne, and ....of course....my most loyal reviewer ...*drum roll*...danielle.
danielle please forgive me for taking so long. I honestly couldn't get on the net to upload.....
I am working on the next chappie but it has no title yet....Believe me though it will be tons of fun...hehehe
~Molly