CHAPTER 2

The boys stealthily followed Lily down the dark, quiet streets. A cold wind was blowing and a few flakes of snow began to fall on the cobblestone roads. Every once and a while, they passed a bum or a drunk sleeping on the streets, but no one else but the boys and Lily were out on this cold and snowy night.

Lily warily looked behind her. She felt as if she was being followed. If only she knew the way to the Harlem Newsboy Lodging House, then maybe the Manhattan newsies would leave her alone.

The boys followed cautiously for nearly an hour before they started to loose interest.

"I don't think she's evah gonna stop." Blink said in disgust.

"Hiya, boys." A familiar female voice spoke from a darkened alley just ahead. Jack peered into the darkness and saw that Lily had stopped. "Whatcha fellas doin' out so late? Don't cha bummas got a curfew?" she laughed. Three girls stepped out of the alley.

"Whadda ya hear? Whadda ya say, Trigger?" Jack spoke lightly. He spit in his hand and held it out for a shake. Trigger returned the gesture. "Hiya, Day Break, Rebel."

"What brings ya out on dis wintry night?" Trigger asked again. She was the leader of the Harlem newsgirls.

"Well, we've been followin' dis goil-." Mush spoke up from behind Cowboy.

"Nevah much thought of you as a skirt chaser, Mush." Rebel laughed. She was another newsies.

"It ain't like dat." Blink said. "She's one of our newsie's sistah. She says she stays in your lodging house. Looks kinda familiar, but she acted like she was lying."

"Well, maybe she does stay at our house." Trigger stated flatly. "What's a name?"

"Lily." All four boys spoke at once. The girls exchanged looks. "Evah hoid of 'er?" Race said. He was getting annoyed as Lily began to move a way from their voices.

"Let's check it out." Trigger muttered almost inaudibly under her breath as the seven raced up the street.

"You don't talk much, Day, do ya/" Jack asked Day Break as they quickly hurried after Lily.

"Only when I've got somthin' ta say." She replied quietly. Jack admired her. She was short with long, silky black hair and brown, almond shaped eyes. She was a Japanese immigrant. Day Break's parents died on the voyage oversea and all of her brothers had left her to go out west, all except Swifty. Swifty had become a Manhattan newsie.

"Hey, Lily!" Trigger called. Lily turned around then, swiftly and took off. She was terrified at being followed by seven people on a dark snowy night. She was fast, but Jack was quicker.

"Lily it's Jack. Ya don't hafta be afraid. It's just dat we ran inta Trigger, Rebel, an' Day."

"We just thought dat cha might like some company back to da Lodging House." Race said panting and out of breath. "Dat's where ya headed, ain't it?"

Lily was horrified. The girls would have no idea who she was and the newsies would know she was lying. Hudson would know she was lying, had been lying all along, about everything. She tried to think quickly.

"I...uh..." she muttered. Lily's mind went completely blank. "I..."

"SAINT!!!" Trigger yelled. "Long time no see. Where've ya been?" Trigger grabbed her in a quick hug. Lily was shocked.

"Oh, my goodness! We didn't think we'd evah see ya again." Rebel screeched. "We've missed ya preachin'. Welcome back" Lily was completely stunned now. If the girls were trying to help her out, she had never seen better acting.

"We bettah git ya back to da lodgin' house. Everybody will be happy ta see ya." Day Break smiled.

"'Specially Whirlwind." Rebel joked knocking Lily's hat over her eyes. "Whyja wait so long ta come back?"

The boys looked at each other quizzically. They didn't know who to believe. Lily sure didn't act anything like Saint. "Well, I thought she looked familiar." Cowboy said. "Come on boys, we bettah get back to da lodgin' house."

"Yeah." Race agreed. "Den we can get a few games a pokah in fore we sleep. Anyways it'll be an early day at da track tamorrow. Dere's did horse..." Race continued talking as he lit yet another cigar and the boys walked slowly back toward Manhattan.

"I don't know who you think I am, but I am not Saint. I don't even know Saint." Lily said quietly as they stood before the doorway to the lodging house.

"Well, ya sure as hell look like Saint." Rebel said, staring into Lily's face.

"You shouldn't talk like that."

"An' ya sure as hell are actin' an awful lot like Saint. What did dem nuns do to ya? Ya talkin' real 'hoity-toity' like." Rebel continued. Day's face had gone pale and Trigger looked angry. She pulled Lily into the light inside the lodging house and stared intently at her. In a few moments, they came to realize that Lily was not Saint.

"She's tellin' da truth. She ain't Saint, but damn I coulda sworn you'se her!" Trigger yelled. Lily blinked as Trigger swore and stormed from the room.

"You'll hafta forgive 'er. Saint was one of 'er best friends and under da circumstances..."

Trigger walked back into the room, slightly calmed down. "You can stay here for the night an' forevah if ya like. I want cha ta at least stay here tanight, so Jacky-boy don't throw a fit at me. It's probably a good thing ya ain't Saint wid all dose hooligans afta 'er." She spoke saddened at the realization that Lily was not her old friend.

"I don't have enough money to stay the night." Lily said apologetically and she turned to leave.

"Den where ya been staying, goily?" Rebel asked angrily. Saint had been her best friend. She was having a great deal of trouble trying to calm down. Lily didn't answer.

"I will pay for you," Day Break said. She looked at Lily and recognized the look of starvation in her face, "and get you something to eat." Day Break smiled shyly at Lily.

Lily returned the smile, "Thank you," she said.