Chapter One Continued...
Upon reaching their destination, Glory and Bumlets rushed into the house as they always did, while Blaze and Autumn climbed the fire escape. Their ascent upwards took quite some time, as the rain had caused the rails to become as slippery as ice, and both did not feel like tumbling to the ground on this particular night.
"I fear Mother Nature is against us tonight," Autumn stated as they climbed higher.
"Well, somethin' is always against us. I suppose tonight Mother Nature wanted a turn," Blaze answered. "Mist, rain, darkness, and rather slippery rails... I say she did rather well for herself, don't you think?"
"Ay, quite well," Autumn agreed. Once atop the third floor of the building, she waited for the window to creak open. It was the same each time they ventured to lower Manhattan. The lodge was strictly for men only and Kloppman wasn't one to overlook any rule breakers. Each time the girls visited, they had the boys make certain Kloppman and the rest of the lodgers were asleep before they dared enter the lodge. They would climb the same route and await one of their helpers to open the window, allowing them access to a storage room that hadn't been utilized since 1890, at least.
Once Blaze had reached the same vantage point as her accomplice, the window creaked open, and through the darkness they saw Bumlets' familiar face, beckoning them to hurry inside. As they climbed through, the wind picked up, and their hearts jumped a mile as the sounds of the bitter cold whipped through the open window for a few seconds before Bumlets was able to shut it tightly. The three froze in anticipation of the owner walking the steps at this late hour. With any luck, Kloppman would let the noise pass him by, and would continue his slumber. When moments passed and not a sound was heard, the three relaxed their stiffened postures, allowing air to once more pass through youthful lungs.
"Tanight was not yer best choice, was it?" Bumlets whispered as he gathered a few blankets for the girls to sleep on.
"It's not like we chose this night because of its wonderful weather," Autumn replied dryly. "If we had a choice, we'd be halfway across the country."
"Auty!" Blaze whispered quickly.
"Halfway across the country?" Bumlets repeated curiously. "Was I not informed of a big move to take place?" Though he didn't want to convey the look of being hurt by her words, he knew his eyes would betray him. Bumlets had a close bond to both girls and though they were never ones to stay in one place for very long, he never imagined them traveling farther than New Jersey.
"She meant nothin' by it, Bums," Blaze assured him. "Now, what say we all get some rest before tonight becomes tomorrow and we've got nothin' but baggy eyes and tired nerves to show for ourselves?"
Nodding, Bumlets quietly hurried to make their accommodations seem somewhat home-like. The storage room was mainly filled with broken bunk beds, unusable lamps, and the occasional blanket, but it served its purpose for their visit. It was the safest place in Lower Manhattan for the two to stay, and even though Kloppman didn't allow women to bunk in his establishment, the girls would still find a way to compensate him for their time spent in the lodging house. Kloppman wasn't the best at keeping proper books, and usually when he found an accounting error, Bumlets and Glory knew it was because they had slipped some extra coins into his box. Every night the girls had stayed at his lodging house, they had paid the same fee as the rest of the boys and to them, that made their staying in the storage room acceptable behavior.
"What Kloppman doesn't know, won't hurt him, especially if he's receiving some reimbursement," Autumn had always reasoned.
"I can't see," Autumn begrudged and fumbled through her pockets for a match. "Ah, there we go," she grinned, coming across her prized possession – a silver box fit for holding her matches and smokes. With one delicate swish of the match, the room was softly lit and Autumn claimed a space to rest for the evening.
Bumlets looked over to see that Autumn settling into her makeshift bed, but as he turned to find where Blaze had gone, he found her asleep. Smiling, he shook his head. She was always the first to fall asleep, no matter where she was. She'd once fallen asleep in the park during an in depth conversation with Bumlets over the material used to make good walking sticks. They'd taken a break to enjoy the view and within that short span of time, she was dead to the world.
While she had wavy blonde hair that shone when washed, her features were rather plain. She kept her long, round face hidden behind her hair, and wasn't one to attract any attention to herself while out in public. She was by no means skinny, but she remained as athletic as one could be with her figure and never let herself slow down. She hated her hips, her thighs, her stomach, and Bumlets knew full well that there were to be no jokes regarding weight while she was around, but back in his mind he often wondered what she found so repulsive about herself.
Realizing that he was staring at the girl, he turned to make sure Autumn had settled in for the night, only to find her back facing him. Her short, straight brown hair was sprawled across her head, and he could tell she wasn't fully asleep because of the way her chest rose and fell. He noticed the shabby blanket barely covered her, allowing him to view the exact width of her shoulder blades, the curve of her hip, and the shape of her legs.
Autumn and Blaze were two completely different people that fed off each other – their combined personalities and traits making up an inseparable duo. Autumn was shorter and skinnier than Blaze, but she packed a meaner punch than her accomplice. Her eyes were intimidating, her stance polished, her bark just as lethal as her bite. More than a few girls had remarked being intimidated by her, and that merely pleased Autumn in the end. Street life was tough, and the last thing she wanted to do was create a prissy image of herself.
Bumlets heard Autumn clear her throat and realized that he had taken up enough of his time glancing at his guests. Quietly slipped out the door and retired for the night.
Upon reaching their destination, Glory and Bumlets rushed into the house as they always did, while Blaze and Autumn climbed the fire escape. Their ascent upwards took quite some time, as the rain had caused the rails to become as slippery as ice, and both did not feel like tumbling to the ground on this particular night.
"I fear Mother Nature is against us tonight," Autumn stated as they climbed higher.
"Well, somethin' is always against us. I suppose tonight Mother Nature wanted a turn," Blaze answered. "Mist, rain, darkness, and rather slippery rails... I say she did rather well for herself, don't you think?"
"Ay, quite well," Autumn agreed. Once atop the third floor of the building, she waited for the window to creak open. It was the same each time they ventured to lower Manhattan. The lodge was strictly for men only and Kloppman wasn't one to overlook any rule breakers. Each time the girls visited, they had the boys make certain Kloppman and the rest of the lodgers were asleep before they dared enter the lodge. They would climb the same route and await one of their helpers to open the window, allowing them access to a storage room that hadn't been utilized since 1890, at least.
Once Blaze had reached the same vantage point as her accomplice, the window creaked open, and through the darkness they saw Bumlets' familiar face, beckoning them to hurry inside. As they climbed through, the wind picked up, and their hearts jumped a mile as the sounds of the bitter cold whipped through the open window for a few seconds before Bumlets was able to shut it tightly. The three froze in anticipation of the owner walking the steps at this late hour. With any luck, Kloppman would let the noise pass him by, and would continue his slumber. When moments passed and not a sound was heard, the three relaxed their stiffened postures, allowing air to once more pass through youthful lungs.
"Tanight was not yer best choice, was it?" Bumlets whispered as he gathered a few blankets for the girls to sleep on.
"It's not like we chose this night because of its wonderful weather," Autumn replied dryly. "If we had a choice, we'd be halfway across the country."
"Auty!" Blaze whispered quickly.
"Halfway across the country?" Bumlets repeated curiously. "Was I not informed of a big move to take place?" Though he didn't want to convey the look of being hurt by her words, he knew his eyes would betray him. Bumlets had a close bond to both girls and though they were never ones to stay in one place for very long, he never imagined them traveling farther than New Jersey.
"She meant nothin' by it, Bums," Blaze assured him. "Now, what say we all get some rest before tonight becomes tomorrow and we've got nothin' but baggy eyes and tired nerves to show for ourselves?"
Nodding, Bumlets quietly hurried to make their accommodations seem somewhat home-like. The storage room was mainly filled with broken bunk beds, unusable lamps, and the occasional blanket, but it served its purpose for their visit. It was the safest place in Lower Manhattan for the two to stay, and even though Kloppman didn't allow women to bunk in his establishment, the girls would still find a way to compensate him for their time spent in the lodging house. Kloppman wasn't the best at keeping proper books, and usually when he found an accounting error, Bumlets and Glory knew it was because they had slipped some extra coins into his box. Every night the girls had stayed at his lodging house, they had paid the same fee as the rest of the boys and to them, that made their staying in the storage room acceptable behavior.
"What Kloppman doesn't know, won't hurt him, especially if he's receiving some reimbursement," Autumn had always reasoned.
"I can't see," Autumn begrudged and fumbled through her pockets for a match. "Ah, there we go," she grinned, coming across her prized possession – a silver box fit for holding her matches and smokes. With one delicate swish of the match, the room was softly lit and Autumn claimed a space to rest for the evening.
Bumlets looked over to see that Autumn settling into her makeshift bed, but as he turned to find where Blaze had gone, he found her asleep. Smiling, he shook his head. She was always the first to fall asleep, no matter where she was. She'd once fallen asleep in the park during an in depth conversation with Bumlets over the material used to make good walking sticks. They'd taken a break to enjoy the view and within that short span of time, she was dead to the world.
While she had wavy blonde hair that shone when washed, her features were rather plain. She kept her long, round face hidden behind her hair, and wasn't one to attract any attention to herself while out in public. She was by no means skinny, but she remained as athletic as one could be with her figure and never let herself slow down. She hated her hips, her thighs, her stomach, and Bumlets knew full well that there were to be no jokes regarding weight while she was around, but back in his mind he often wondered what she found so repulsive about herself.
Realizing that he was staring at the girl, he turned to make sure Autumn had settled in for the night, only to find her back facing him. Her short, straight brown hair was sprawled across her head, and he could tell she wasn't fully asleep because of the way her chest rose and fell. He noticed the shabby blanket barely covered her, allowing him to view the exact width of her shoulder blades, the curve of her hip, and the shape of her legs.
Autumn and Blaze were two completely different people that fed off each other – their combined personalities and traits making up an inseparable duo. Autumn was shorter and skinnier than Blaze, but she packed a meaner punch than her accomplice. Her eyes were intimidating, her stance polished, her bark just as lethal as her bite. More than a few girls had remarked being intimidated by her, and that merely pleased Autumn in the end. Street life was tough, and the last thing she wanted to do was create a prissy image of herself.
Bumlets heard Autumn clear her throat and realized that he had taken up enough of his time glancing at his guests. Quietly slipped out the door and retired for the night.
Thanks to Raeghann, Raider, Raven's Wing, Dreamer, NZea, Bookie, Tree, Stretch, Annie, and Slick for reviewing Chapter One!
