I also edited this one for you're viewing pleasure. I am again sorry for the spelling errors.

Rachel

"Wanna play a game a cards?" Spot asked gesturing to the deck of cards in his hand.

"Sure," Danielle replied. Glad to have a reason to play cards. When Danielle usually played it was to earn money for dinner, but today it was just for fun. She had no money to bet anyway.

"What can ya play?"

"Anything basically. Card games were half my income growing up."

"Ya o.k. Wit' poker?" He said already dealing the hand.

"Sure whatever floats your boat." She said mockingly. He ignored the edge in her voice and they played a few

hands of poker and then switched to war. They were happily playing this until the other newsies came back.

"Look what the cat dragged in fellas." The same obnoxious boy from earlier said.

"If I was dragged in by a cat what dragged you in? Danielle asked.

"If ya weren't a goil I'd..." He cut himself off knowing that Spot wouldn't be to happy if he soaked a girl both of them had only known for half an hour.

"If I wasn't a girl you'd what?" Danielle asked trying to pick up the fight that the obnoxious boy had just dropped.

"Spot tell this goil to sit before I'se forced ta do some thin' I don't wanna do." He said. Danielle didn't wait for Spot to tell her. She got up a walked next door to the bathroom. She washed her face and then entered back into the room.

"Dani" Someone yelled. She looked around and found Spot looking straight at her. "Dani do ya want us ta deal ya in?" He asked

"Sure" She said. She went over and found a spot on the floor next to a girl about a year older than Dani, and on her other side sat a boy no older that ten.

"Hi, I'm Butter." The girl by Danielle said. The girl had rather short brown hair that almost reached her shoulders. Her eyes were happy, optimistic looking. They seemed to give way to an almost bubbly personality.

"I'm Danielle." She answered

"I'm Corner, because whenever I sell papes I always stand on a corner." The little boy on the other side of her said.

"I'm Dani or Dan, and I don't know why that's my name." She said sticking out her hand. He shook it and jokingly said,

"Just because your nice don't mean I'se gonna take it easy on ya. I'se known for my amazin' poker abilities,"

"Ya don't got amazin' poker abilities." Spot said. Apparently playing with Corner a little bit. "Cheat taught ya how ta play like 'im. And she don't need ya goin' easy on her, she's actually good enough player on 'er own."

"Thanks Spot" Dani said slightly blushing, and a little surprised that he would say that. They played for about an hour until Butter asked her if she would like to get ready to go to bed. Danielle was glad to oblige and went next door to the girl's bathroom. When inside there were three other girls besides her and Butter. Then Butter began introduction.

"Girls this is Dani."

"Are you the one who told off Bull?" One of the girls asked.

"If Bull is the tall, obnoxious boy, then yeah" Dani answered. Surprising herself at her own bluntness.

"Yeah that's 'im. I can't believe ya did that on ya's first night 'ere. I mean we all have done it before, but on ya first night. That's brave."

"Umm, thanks,"

Then the girl who had just spoken to her stuck out her hand and said, "I'm Trixie." Trixie had long red gold hair, blue/gray eyes and wore a pair of gray pants and a white blouse. She was about half a foot taller than Dani. Then Trixie pointed to a smaller girl about nine and said her name was Kitty. Kitty had a jumper on. It was gray and had a faded blue blouse on under it. Then Trixie pointed out another girl. Blue, a girl who looked to be about sixteen. She had flowing blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She didn't say anything she just flashed a smile.

"Would you like me to braid your hair?" Trixie asked.

"Umm can you French braid?" Dani asked, remembering all the timed when her mother would braid her hair

right before bed so when she woke up in the morning it would be wavy.

"Yeah," She answered, Dani hadn't had her hair done by someone else since her mother died. Her

mind started to wander in the past soon she was brought back by a voice that belonged to Kitty.

"Were ya from? 'Cause ya don't sound like ya from around here."

"I'm from Charleston."

"Wow, that's far," Butter exclaimed, "How did you get here?"

"Walked some of the way and if I got some money I would ride the bus. I mostly walked though." The girls talked until Dani's hair was done. Then at which point Dani left the room, and headed for her cot. Right before she reached it Spot summoned her up to the roof.

"What ya wanna do tomorrow?" Spot asked. As soon as they reached the roof.

"Go to Manhattan. Look for my brother. Things along those lines."

"Well, don't ya think I should know about who were lookin' for?"

"I told you, Francis Sullivan. The story behind it isn't all that great."

"I wanna hear it."

"He left me. Abandon me. When I was seven right after our mother died. He was my best friend in the whole world, and he knew that. I was sitting in a church pew for three-hour's waiting for him to come and get me. Convinced that he was just lost or late. He was ten. I know he was also only a child, but we could have helped each other. I wonder if he ever thinks about me. Does he know about all the nights I slept in alleys, all the timed I went without food and all the times I cried myself sleep? He left a seven-year- old out on the street with no food or money. Does he feel guilty? Does he even remember me?"

"I'm sure he remembers you." Spot said with an uncomfortable look on his face. It made him feel better to know that Jackie-boi didn't kill nobody, but it was still wrong of him to abandon his baby sister. "I'll take a visit ta Manhattan tomorrow to find out about ya's brodda."

"I'll go too." Dani said, trying to make herself sound convincible.

"Na I think I should go alone, and ya can come wit' me da next day." Spot said. Dani was to tired to object, but she knew tomorrow she wouldn't be.