Chapter 9
Sistahs
"Ise tellin ya Hope, dis kid could be yer bruddah!" Spot exclaimed. "'E's got da brogue, an da green eyes, an'..."
"Aye, Spot. Ah, heard ya twice da foist time. But, ya said 'e called himsel' Chris." Hope's left brow raised and her right dipped slightly at him. Why would Jamie call himself Chris? She didn't think it could possibly be her twin brother. She had looked for him everywhere since their separation at the orphanage more than a year before, but even Spot with his endless supply of information from all of his "boids" couldn't locate him. She had resigned herself to the fact that he wasn't in New York and if she did find him it wouldn't be soon. First her parents and little brother and sister died, then her older sister Chloe, right before she ran from the orphanage. It just wasn't fair! That left Jamie and six year old Hanna as her only family in America, but she didn't know where either of them were. Well, other than Spot and the Brooklyn crew, that is. They were her family now.
"Yeah, well you knows how tings ah."
She nodded. Hope had been with Brooklyn for a year, and one thing she had learned was that people were much more complicated than the names they used.
"Even if he ain't yer bruddah, will ya come meet 'im Hope? I think he could use a friend. He don't tawk much wit anyone but me, an even den he don't say much. " Jack frowned. "You knows Gaelic right?"
"Aye, Ah've no been gone fae Scotland tha' long Jack." She mocked.
Hope managed to wait for about an hour after Jack left, then decided she wanted to meet this "Chris" sooner ....than later.
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She stepped out onto the dark roof.
Jack was cradling someone in his arms. Hope turned on her heal to leave, not wanting to disturb Jack and whomever he was "charmin". He had a reputation as a ladies man, and since Sarah Jacobs had broken his heart, he was "charmin" a lot of girls, and there were plenty more falling all over themselves to get his attention.
"It's gonna be awright Chloe." Jacks voice and then his words made her stop in her tracks and turn back to them.
'Chloe?! ' Hope shook her head in an effort to rid her of her dilusional hearing. She stepped to the side so she could see the embracing couple better. Hope's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Sure enough, wrapped in Jack Kelly's arms was her sister. Very much alive!
Hope liked Jack, he was always nice to her, but she was NOT about to watch him "charm" her own sister!
"Jack Kelly! Git yer filthy paws offa me sistah!" She shouted.
Chloe sat up and turned to see her younger sister, Cayleigh, looking very much like their mother. She blinked at the young woman Cayleigh had become in just over a year. Chloe knew that Spot and Race had burst onto the scene, but for her, once she saw her lost sister standing there, commanding their attention, nothing else registered. "Cayleigh!?" Her mind shouted, but the words came out as a whisper.
"Buíochas le Dia" the girls both said softly, thanking God the other was alive.
"Um, I'm wit Race on dis one." Jack said watching the two girls. "What da Hell is goin on?"
Before anyone could say another word, Hope took off across the roof at a dead run. Everyone expected a touching reunion. They even had smiles on their faces. Somewhat confused smiles, but smiles none the less. But, in stead of a warm hug, Hope pulled up just short of running Chloe over. "Ah' you alright?" she asked looking her up and down. Taking in the bruises and fat lip, she frowned.
"Aye." Chloe whispered. Only Jack and Hope heard her. She was gobsmacked! A total loss for words. She'd hoped to find her sister but hadn't expected to, so to see her right there, on the rooftop of the Newsies Lodging House!? She was stunned.
Hope grabbed Chloe by the shoulders, shaking her so violently her teeth clacked together. "Where the HELL 'ave you been!?" She shouted not three inches from Chloe's face. Her accent thickening as she went on. "'ow could ya leh' me think tha' you were..." Hopes eyes filled with tears. They started to flow as she let the moment overcome her. "Damnit Chloe! I thought ya was dead!"
Chloe pulled the younger girl to her, now jostled by blows of Cayleigh's fists, against her shoulders. Frustration and desperate sorrow mixed with sheer relief, flooded from them as they both sank to the floor in tears. Chloe, quickly switching to the roll of soother and protector, whispered to Cayleigh. Most of it was in Gaelic, but there were occasional words Jack understood, even with the thick Scots cloaking them. "Shhh, dinny cry....it's alright noo....." Chloe stroked her sister's hair in much the same way Jack had stroked hers just moments before. "Ah'm here noo, Mo luaidh." They rocked back and forth, clutching eachother, afraid to let go.
Jack looked helplessly at the tangled mass of curls before him. Red and black contrasting sharply, even in the moonlight. Not Hope's brother, but her sister that was said to have died? Could life be any more complicated? He asked himself with a short laugh then regretted asking the question. He knew better than to tempt the fates that way.
Hope pulled away so she could see Chloe. A flood of questions started to spill from her mouth all at once. "Where?...What?...How!?"
Race finally closed his mouth. A look from Jack, that would have made a rival turn away and run, merely made Race say, "Uh, maybe we should leave youse two alone ta catch up." He turned, elbowing a stunned Spot into joining him in his retreat. "C'mon Spot, I gotta new game ta show ya."
"Oh, Hell no! I ain't..."Spot started in protest until it dawned on him that it was just an excuse to leave the girls with some privacy. "Uhh, right! Why don't youse show me dat then Race..." he stammered.
"Yeah," Jack rose to his feet, "Jist down staihs if ya need...umm..."With that Jack started toward Race and Spot.
"No!" Chloe called to them. "Please. Stay. Ah owe an explanation ta you ah'most as much as Ah do to Cayleigh."
The three boys shrugged and gathered round the girls, plopping themselves down on either side of them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ End Chapter 9 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N : I know I know!!!! I am a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad Sagey! I just didn't know where else to stop. Hmmms Cliffhangers, it's a good thing. *WINK* "BUíochas le Dia" is Gaelic for "Thank God". "Ah'm here noo, Mo luaidh." means: "I'm here now, My Darling." If you have questions about the Gaelic, please ask me. I hope you enjoy reading this. Let me know by leaving feedback. Reet, thass me dun! Luv yas! ~Sagey~
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Sistahs
"Ise tellin ya Hope, dis kid could be yer bruddah!" Spot exclaimed. "'E's got da brogue, an da green eyes, an'..."
"Aye, Spot. Ah, heard ya twice da foist time. But, ya said 'e called himsel' Chris." Hope's left brow raised and her right dipped slightly at him. Why would Jamie call himself Chris? She didn't think it could possibly be her twin brother. She had looked for him everywhere since their separation at the orphanage more than a year before, but even Spot with his endless supply of information from all of his "boids" couldn't locate him. She had resigned herself to the fact that he wasn't in New York and if she did find him it wouldn't be soon. First her parents and little brother and sister died, then her older sister Chloe, right before she ran from the orphanage. It just wasn't fair! That left Jamie and six year old Hanna as her only family in America, but she didn't know where either of them were. Well, other than Spot and the Brooklyn crew, that is. They were her family now.
"Yeah, well you knows how tings ah."
She nodded. Hope had been with Brooklyn for a year, and one thing she had learned was that people were much more complicated than the names they used.
"Even if he ain't yer bruddah, will ya come meet 'im Hope? I think he could use a friend. He don't tawk much wit anyone but me, an even den he don't say much. " Jack frowned. "You knows Gaelic right?"
"Aye, Ah've no been gone fae Scotland tha' long Jack." She mocked.
Hope managed to wait for about an hour after Jack left, then decided she wanted to meet this "Chris" sooner ....than later.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She stepped out onto the dark roof.
Jack was cradling someone in his arms. Hope turned on her heal to leave, not wanting to disturb Jack and whomever he was "charmin". He had a reputation as a ladies man, and since Sarah Jacobs had broken his heart, he was "charmin" a lot of girls, and there were plenty more falling all over themselves to get his attention.
"It's gonna be awright Chloe." Jacks voice and then his words made her stop in her tracks and turn back to them.
'Chloe?! ' Hope shook her head in an effort to rid her of her dilusional hearing. She stepped to the side so she could see the embracing couple better. Hope's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Sure enough, wrapped in Jack Kelly's arms was her sister. Very much alive!
Hope liked Jack, he was always nice to her, but she was NOT about to watch him "charm" her own sister!
"Jack Kelly! Git yer filthy paws offa me sistah!" She shouted.
Chloe sat up and turned to see her younger sister, Cayleigh, looking very much like their mother. She blinked at the young woman Cayleigh had become in just over a year. Chloe knew that Spot and Race had burst onto the scene, but for her, once she saw her lost sister standing there, commanding their attention, nothing else registered. "Cayleigh!?" Her mind shouted, but the words came out as a whisper.
"Buíochas le Dia" the girls both said softly, thanking God the other was alive.
"Um, I'm wit Race on dis one." Jack said watching the two girls. "What da Hell is goin on?"
Before anyone could say another word, Hope took off across the roof at a dead run. Everyone expected a touching reunion. They even had smiles on their faces. Somewhat confused smiles, but smiles none the less. But, in stead of a warm hug, Hope pulled up just short of running Chloe over. "Ah' you alright?" she asked looking her up and down. Taking in the bruises and fat lip, she frowned.
"Aye." Chloe whispered. Only Jack and Hope heard her. She was gobsmacked! A total loss for words. She'd hoped to find her sister but hadn't expected to, so to see her right there, on the rooftop of the Newsies Lodging House!? She was stunned.
Hope grabbed Chloe by the shoulders, shaking her so violently her teeth clacked together. "Where the HELL 'ave you been!?" She shouted not three inches from Chloe's face. Her accent thickening as she went on. "'ow could ya leh' me think tha' you were..." Hopes eyes filled with tears. They started to flow as she let the moment overcome her. "Damnit Chloe! I thought ya was dead!"
Chloe pulled the younger girl to her, now jostled by blows of Cayleigh's fists, against her shoulders. Frustration and desperate sorrow mixed with sheer relief, flooded from them as they both sank to the floor in tears. Chloe, quickly switching to the roll of soother and protector, whispered to Cayleigh. Most of it was in Gaelic, but there were occasional words Jack understood, even with the thick Scots cloaking them. "Shhh, dinny cry....it's alright noo....." Chloe stroked her sister's hair in much the same way Jack had stroked hers just moments before. "Ah'm here noo, Mo luaidh." They rocked back and forth, clutching eachother, afraid to let go.
Jack looked helplessly at the tangled mass of curls before him. Red and black contrasting sharply, even in the moonlight. Not Hope's brother, but her sister that was said to have died? Could life be any more complicated? He asked himself with a short laugh then regretted asking the question. He knew better than to tempt the fates that way.
Hope pulled away so she could see Chloe. A flood of questions started to spill from her mouth all at once. "Where?...What?...How!?"
Race finally closed his mouth. A look from Jack, that would have made a rival turn away and run, merely made Race say, "Uh, maybe we should leave youse two alone ta catch up." He turned, elbowing a stunned Spot into joining him in his retreat. "C'mon Spot, I gotta new game ta show ya."
"Oh, Hell no! I ain't..."Spot started in protest until it dawned on him that it was just an excuse to leave the girls with some privacy. "Uhh, right! Why don't youse show me dat then Race..." he stammered.
"Yeah," Jack rose to his feet, "Jist down staihs if ya need...umm..."With that Jack started toward Race and Spot.
"No!" Chloe called to them. "Please. Stay. Ah owe an explanation ta you ah'most as much as Ah do to Cayleigh."
The three boys shrugged and gathered round the girls, plopping themselves down on either side of them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ End Chapter 9 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N : I know I know!!!! I am a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad Sagey! I just didn't know where else to stop. Hmmms Cliffhangers, it's a good thing. *WINK* "BUíochas le Dia" is Gaelic for "Thank God". "Ah'm here noo, Mo luaidh." means: "I'm here now, My Darling." If you have questions about the Gaelic, please ask me. I hope you enjoy reading this. Let me know by leaving feedback. Reet, thass me dun! Luv yas! ~Sagey~
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