Chapter 3
After I fully came to my senses I decided to leave that place. So I started walking and I ran into a newsboy, "Buy a pape ma'am?" he asked politely. "I would if I could but I have no money Im sorry." I said and looked down. It was quiet for a minute so I decided to start on my way again. "A perdy goil like you shouldn't be out alone like dis, you could get hoit." He called out to me "My name is Nova wat's yer name?" He asked once I turned around. "Me name is…Uh… I… don't know…I can't remember." I said as he walked over to me. "Wat ya mean youse don't know yer own name?" He said with a smile, as two people bought some papers. I just looked down and started to walk away. " Hey ise done sellin, do ya want to come back ta da lodgin' house wit me? We can get yer cuts fixed up." He said walking in front of me, motioning towards my arm. "Um…ok…" I hesitated, staring blankly as we started walking. We got to the Chicago Lodging house and Nova told me to wait for a minute. He came back with some rags and peroxide. "Dis is gonna sting a bit so git ready." He whispered as he poured the peroxide on my cuts. I tightened my fist when the pain made my arm numb. "So how old are ya?" he asked finishing the pouring, trying to get some information on me "Um... I don't remember last I remember I was ten… but I don't t'ink ise ten anymore." I stated. "Um… ok ise thoiteen." He whistled wrapping my arm with a clean cloth. "Youse gonna be stayin heah for a bit k?" he commented. "Ok."
I answered, still in shock from the peroxide. The lodging house owner Marcos came in with a few other Newsies. "Dis is Marcos, he runs dis place." Nova told me. And dese goils heah are Erin but we all call 'er Zippy or Zip couse she won't stop talkin. Alicia But we call 'er Clips couse she clips onto people. And den we got Sage, we call her dat because… well… actually I don't know why we call her dat." He pointed introducing me to them. "Heya…" I said with a confused smile. It was quiet for a while then all of the sudden Zippy broke that silence saying, "So! Wats yer name?" I just stared at the floor not knowing wat to say. " Zip it, she dont know her name." hissed Nova quietly giving Zippy a sharp look and a slight smack in the shoulder. "It's a'right, she didn't know… ise don't even know… ise jist confused… don't git all mad at her cause of me…" I muttered taking a few steps back. "Come kids… lets go, we should leave her alone for a bit so she can think." Said Marcos. They all walked out of the room, but Nova stayed by the door out of sight to see what would happen. I sat down in a corner looking out a window, I took out a very old black worn-in deck of cards, and started shuffling them. "Who am I? Why am I heah? What have I been doing?" I asked myself quietly, still shuffling the cards. I then started to do something that I don't remember ever doing not even when I was little… I cried, not heavy sobs but soft sheds of tears. "Wat am I doin'? I don't cry, that's weak." I told myself as I wiped my face dry. "You a'right?" came voice from behind me. I turned to see Nova kneeling down. "Yeah ise fine. No worries." I said determined not to make eye contact because my emotions would show straight through them. "You sure?" he asked tilting my head up with his hand, so he could see my eyes. "Y… yeah… ise fine." I muttered not looking into his eyes. "No yer not." He sighed letting go of my face and sitting down crossed legged. "Yeah I am. Like ise said, no worries." "A'right… so you like playin cards?" he asked me. "Yeah… I only know poker and black jack." I answered shuffling. "You wanna play?" he asked. "Sure." I nodded and started dealing out the cards. "Five card draw nottin wild a'right wit you?" I asked. "Yeah." He whispered picking up his hand. He gave away three cards, And I gave away four. "Wat ya got?" he wondered showing me his hand, he had a straight in clubs. "Um…dis." I said as I showed him my hand, I had a royal flush in spades. "Wow yer good at dis ain't ya?" he started kinda shocked that I beat him. "I guess." I whispered with a smirk. "I know. We'll call ya Cards. On da account dat yer so good at 'em." He stated handing me my cards. "Um… dats a coo name… t'anks." I said shuffling. "You should get some sleep… its been a long day." He helped me up. "Cassandra, and twelve." I said. "What?" he asked. "Me real name is Cassandra, and I'm twelve." I repeated. "I thought you forgot yer name, and age, wat happened to make ya remember?" He asked. " I don't know. You reminded me of someone from Manhattan." "Well ise used ta live in Manhattan. A while back, about 2 years ago." He said, with a smile. "Well maybe I knew ya or sometin." I continued as he gave me a clean pair of pants and a shirt. "G'night." He said as he walked over to a bunk a little bit away from mine. "Good night." I whispered.
After I fully came to my senses I decided to leave that place. So I started walking and I ran into a newsboy, "Buy a pape ma'am?" he asked politely. "I would if I could but I have no money Im sorry." I said and looked down. It was quiet for a minute so I decided to start on my way again. "A perdy goil like you shouldn't be out alone like dis, you could get hoit." He called out to me "My name is Nova wat's yer name?" He asked once I turned around. "Me name is…Uh… I… don't know…I can't remember." I said as he walked over to me. "Wat ya mean youse don't know yer own name?" He said with a smile, as two people bought some papers. I just looked down and started to walk away. " Hey ise done sellin, do ya want to come back ta da lodgin' house wit me? We can get yer cuts fixed up." He said walking in front of me, motioning towards my arm. "Um…ok…" I hesitated, staring blankly as we started walking. We got to the Chicago Lodging house and Nova told me to wait for a minute. He came back with some rags and peroxide. "Dis is gonna sting a bit so git ready." He whispered as he poured the peroxide on my cuts. I tightened my fist when the pain made my arm numb. "So how old are ya?" he asked finishing the pouring, trying to get some information on me "Um... I don't remember last I remember I was ten… but I don't t'ink ise ten anymore." I stated. "Um… ok ise thoiteen." He whistled wrapping my arm with a clean cloth. "Youse gonna be stayin heah for a bit k?" he commented. "Ok."
I answered, still in shock from the peroxide. The lodging house owner Marcos came in with a few other Newsies. "Dis is Marcos, he runs dis place." Nova told me. And dese goils heah are Erin but we all call 'er Zippy or Zip couse she won't stop talkin. Alicia But we call 'er Clips couse she clips onto people. And den we got Sage, we call her dat because… well… actually I don't know why we call her dat." He pointed introducing me to them. "Heya…" I said with a confused smile. It was quiet for a while then all of the sudden Zippy broke that silence saying, "So! Wats yer name?" I just stared at the floor not knowing wat to say. " Zip it, she dont know her name." hissed Nova quietly giving Zippy a sharp look and a slight smack in the shoulder. "It's a'right, she didn't know… ise don't even know… ise jist confused… don't git all mad at her cause of me…" I muttered taking a few steps back. "Come kids… lets go, we should leave her alone for a bit so she can think." Said Marcos. They all walked out of the room, but Nova stayed by the door out of sight to see what would happen. I sat down in a corner looking out a window, I took out a very old black worn-in deck of cards, and started shuffling them. "Who am I? Why am I heah? What have I been doing?" I asked myself quietly, still shuffling the cards. I then started to do something that I don't remember ever doing not even when I was little… I cried, not heavy sobs but soft sheds of tears. "Wat am I doin'? I don't cry, that's weak." I told myself as I wiped my face dry. "You a'right?" came voice from behind me. I turned to see Nova kneeling down. "Yeah ise fine. No worries." I said determined not to make eye contact because my emotions would show straight through them. "You sure?" he asked tilting my head up with his hand, so he could see my eyes. "Y… yeah… ise fine." I muttered not looking into his eyes. "No yer not." He sighed letting go of my face and sitting down crossed legged. "Yeah I am. Like ise said, no worries." "A'right… so you like playin cards?" he asked me. "Yeah… I only know poker and black jack." I answered shuffling. "You wanna play?" he asked. "Sure." I nodded and started dealing out the cards. "Five card draw nottin wild a'right wit you?" I asked. "Yeah." He whispered picking up his hand. He gave away three cards, And I gave away four. "Wat ya got?" he wondered showing me his hand, he had a straight in clubs. "Um…dis." I said as I showed him my hand, I had a royal flush in spades. "Wow yer good at dis ain't ya?" he started kinda shocked that I beat him. "I guess." I whispered with a smirk. "I know. We'll call ya Cards. On da account dat yer so good at 'em." He stated handing me my cards. "Um… dats a coo name… t'anks." I said shuffling. "You should get some sleep… its been a long day." He helped me up. "Cassandra, and twelve." I said. "What?" he asked. "Me real name is Cassandra, and I'm twelve." I repeated. "I thought you forgot yer name, and age, wat happened to make ya remember?" He asked. " I don't know. You reminded me of someone from Manhattan." "Well ise used ta live in Manhattan. A while back, about 2 years ago." He said, with a smile. "Well maybe I knew ya or sometin." I continued as he gave me a clean pair of pants and a shirt. "G'night." He said as he walked over to a bunk a little bit away from mine. "Good night." I whispered.