Author's Note: Hiya faithful readers! While doing certain research for this fic, I decided to create an insane asylum type lodging house for characters who (in the late 19th century) would have been considered unsuitable for society. The result is Unica State Hospital. Please check it out – http://www.geocities.com/unicastate/index.html . And if you go, please sign the guestbook (as well as leave a review for the story here… I know, I know, I ask so much of you all…)
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August 16, 1899
Dear Journal,
Sorry about missing yesterday's entry but the most marvelous thing happened to me. I have a boyfriend now!
"Secrets? Are ya ready ta go?" Dice leaned over the edge of her bunk and spied the girl slumbering on the bunk below.
"Hey, Dice. I don't t'ink she's gettin' up anytime soon!" joked Rae as she braided her long blonde hair into a single braid.
"Don't worry Dice. I'll wake her up!" offered Singa as she walked up to Secrets bunk and shook her gently. "Secrets, ya gotta get up."
Secrets stirred slowly, barely opening one of her eyes. "What da--?" she murmured as she watched Singa's attempt at waking her up. She would have thought it comical if it wasn't for the sharp pain that shot through her head and the blackness that enveloped her.
The seven-year-old Layna led Officer Murphy up the block where her apartment building was located.
"What is going on here?" Officer Murphy muttered as he looked upon a crowd that was gathering in the streets, Officer Murphy drew out his police whistle and gave it a blow, though it did nothing to disperse the crowd. He pocketed his whistle once more and elbowed his way into the middle of the crowd. When he saw the two bodies, two bodies that lay in a large pool of their spilt blood, he started to bark orders. "That's is people, go back to your homes. There is nothing to see here."
The crowd grudgingly broke up, each person mumbling about the police ruining all of their fun. Officer Murphy ignored their remarks and turned to Layna. "Now, child, I really don't want you to see this, but..." he stepped aside, revealing the bodies laying in the road, " are these two people your parents?"
Layna waited until Officer Murphy had stepped aside before taking a look at the two murder victims. "Pa!" she screeched as she weaved passed Officer Murphy and threw herself on the man.
Officer Murphy cursed under his breath and rushed forward. "Layna, no!" He pulled the child from the dead man's hold and held tight. "He's gone Layna, he's gone."
Layna kicked and struggled in his arms. "Naw, me pa is right deah. Lemme see me pa!" she yelled as her tiny fists pummeled the police officer's much larger arms.
"I'm sorry, Layna. I'm sorry...sorry...sorry..."
"Sorry, I'se sorry..." Secrets murmured as she fought against the thin sheet that covered her in her bunk.
The only five girls left in the lodging house that morning, the only five girls who witnessed Secrets' latest spell, stared in awe as she opened her eyes and sat up in her bunk. "What jist happened?" Secrets asked groggily, not noticing the apprehensive looks on their faces.
"Are you'se awlright, Secrets?" Dice asked.
"Yeah, I t'ink so." Secrets pulled herself to her feet and saw that all of the other girls had already left for the distribution center. "Gosh, how late is is?"
Singa opened her mouth to tell Secrets that she had blacked out for some time when she witnessed Iris shaking her head. "Don't worry 'bout it, Secrets, jist put some clothes on an' we'll go ta da distribution centah."
Once Secrets was dressed appropriately enough to sell newspapers for the day, Stress, Rae, Iris, Dice and Singa headed off to the distribution center. When they arrived there, Rae, Dice and Iris bought their papers and took off to sell together, and Singa went off to find her guy, Snoddy, leaving Stress and Secrets alone.
"So, Secrets, ya wanna sell tageddah?" Stress asked after she and Secrets bought a few papers apiece. For the last two days, Stress, Secrets, David and Jack had strolled around Manhattan selling their papers together. But, due to Secrets' state that morning, Jack and David had obviously left the distribution center already.
But before Secrets could respond to Stress' invitation, though, the two girls heard someone's voice call out to them.
"Stress, Secrets, ovah heah!"
Waiting just outside the gate were Jack and David. Jack nudged David in the ribs slyly and winked at Secrets before walking over to Stress and draping his arm over her shoulder. "Moinin' Stressie."
Stress smiled up at Jack. "Moinin', Jack. We t'ought da two o' you'se left wit' out us taday."
"Naw, David wouldn't let me." Stress slapped Jack's arm playfully as Secrets and David stood by the side, watching the amusing antics of the couple. "I'se jist kiddin', Stressie. Y'know I'd nevah sell wit' out you'se," Jack kissed her cheek gently before turning to face David and Secrets, "Me an' Stress are gonna have some quality sellin' time tageddah taday so I guess you'se two could jist sell tageddah taday." With a final wink in David's direction, Jack took Stress' hand and led her in the opposite direction.
"Sooo..." David began, using the one hand not holding a stack of papers to run his hand through his curly brown hair.
Secrets just grinned sheepishly, not knowing what to say at all.
"Why don't we just go and sell, eh?" David asked, grinning when she nodded.
And sell they did. The two of them walked over to the boxing fight just past Tibby's and sold out of their papers in a little over an hour. After Secrets thanked the gentleman who paid for her last paper, David crossed his fingers behind his back. "Would you like to have lunch at Tibby's now? My treat." he added when he noticed her slight hesitations.
What would you if that happened to any of your new friends? The words from Kisses' journal entry of the night before flashed through Secrets' mind. "I'd love ta." she responded with a grin, ignoring the threat within the words. I'm not going to let anything happen to any of my new friends.
Once the two of them were inside the restaurant and their orders were placed, David began to shake nervously. Secrets noticed his agitated movements and looked at him questioningly.
David saw that Secrets' eyes were focused on his bouncing knee and tapping fingers and abruptly stopped. "Secrets, deah's sumting dat I wanted ta ask you'se?"
"Yes, Dave?" she whispered.
"Would you like to ..." David covered his mouth for the rest of the sentence which resulted in all of the words being mumbled.
"Like ta what?" Secrets prompted, quite curious to know what David had in mind.
He sighed once and put his hand down on his lap so that any words he would manage to eventually get out wouldn't be all garbled. "Would you like to be my girl?"
Secrets sat in silence for a moment, not sure what to think.
David, obviously taking her silence as a "no", began to ramble his apologies. "I'm sorry, Secrets. I know we just met three days ago and why would you want any one like --"
"I'd love ta." Secrets reached out and put her hand on David's arm.
When he felt her touch, David looked up and directly into her blue eyes. "Really?"
"Really."
After he asked me to be his girl, we spent the night over at Irving Hall where he introduced me to Jack's friend, Medda. Then we spent all day today selling down by the Harbor. I'm having so much fun with David! And you know what, Journal, I--I--I--I think I love him.
As Secrets re-read her earlier journal entry to herself, she giggled girlishly to herself. Even in words she was having trouble admitting to herself that she might just be in love.
"What's dis?" she murmured as she realized that the word "love" in her journal was crossed out. With quaking fingers, Secrets turned the page of her journal, anxious to read the message that Kisses must have left her.
And there it was, Kisses' message.
Dear Layna,
Love? You don't know what love is my friend. There is no way you can fall in love with someone so fast. This boy, this David, just wants to use you, Layna. Just wants to get inside your heart and then rip it wide open. Are you sure you know what you're doing? And why didn't you write yesterday? How many times have I told you-- You must write everyday. Or else.
Kisses