"Soda has been missing for two weeks already. I don't think she's here anymore." Crutchy stated falling into his bed. "We got to keep looking!" Mush yelled. "Just because Spot is a major jackass doesn't mean a thing." He added. "Isn't Jack over in Brooklyn?" Bumlets asked.
"Yeah, he went to go and see why Spot did that shit." Race said lighting his cigar.
-------Brooklyn-------
"Spot what the hell is wrong with you?" Jack yelled. Spot glared at him and walked out to the docks. "I'se tell ya, there's nothing wrong with me." Spot told him. "What the fuck are you on? You fucking made Soda run away damn it! you borke her damn heart! I thought you loved her!" Jack yelled at him.
"Jack, the goil that was there was drunk. She thought that I was her ex-boyfriend. I'm not as you can see and now I fucked up my relation ship with Soda and now I have no reason to be happy anymore. Just go and tell Soda to find someone who's worth her time.
"Spot, no one can find her. She ran away two weeks ago and now she's gone." Jack told him. "Well haven't you been looking for her?" Spot asked worried.
"Yeah...but you know Spot, I've gotten kind of sick of you worrying about her. It seems you really just don't care one way or another. You know, She can do so much better than you." Jack said walking out of the Lodging House.
------Later in Brooklyn------
Spot walked out onto his little throne and he decided to sing again.
I'm lying here tonight thinking of the days we've had
Wondering if the world would be so beautiful
If I had not looked into your eyes
How did you know that I've been waiting?
I never knew the world would be so beautiful at all;
I'm spending all the days dreaming of the nights we've had
I never knew that love would be a miracle
When I think of all the ones before
But now that I've found you I am flying
I never knew that love would be so beautiful to me
I never knew that love would be so beautiful to me;
And when we dance to the rhythm that is burning like a flame
And when you touch me I can hardly move you take my breath away
You give me all that I want to feel when we become as one
And then you take me to the heaven of your heart;
Did nobody ever tell you you're the best thing that has ever been;
Ah ... you ... are ... so beautiful ... ah ... so beautiful ...
I'm standing here tonight thinking of the time we'll have
I never knew that you would be so beautiful
From the day you came into my life
I just want to say you make me happy
I never knew that you would be so beautiful to me
I never knew that you would be so beautiful to me;
So beautiful to me ...
So beautiful to me ...
So beautiful to me ...
... to me;
I'm lying here tonight
I'm dreaming here tonight
I dance with you tonight ...
-So Beautiful, Chris De Burgh
Spot looked into the water and he felt the worse he had ever felt in his life. He really tried to get that girl off him and he hoped Soda hadn't seen that and she did and now he screwed everything up. What could he do now? He really wanted to find Soda.
------1 week later---------
Soda walked down a very abandoned street but started to hear a siren so she ducked into and alley but when it passed and she got back out she was grabbed from behind.
"You're coming home with me Hallie, and if you resist, I will turn you in to the police got it?" Mistress Collingwell sneered. Soda just nodded and let Mistress Collingwell drag her off by her arm back to the place she dreaded most, 4th Street Orphanage.
Soda walked into the Orphanage and was led up the stairs. Not much had changed since she was last there. So she went up the stairs and walked into the little kids room.
"Hallie!" They all yelled running up to her and hugging her. "Hallie I can't believe you came back!" A little girl named Jennifer exclaimed.
"Actually I got brought back." Soda said giving them a smirk. "Did you find Alex?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah I did." Soda said in a grim tone and she felt like she was going to cry again but she held it in.
"Guys why isn't the orphange back in Brooklyn?" Soda asked.
"Oh, well we go there during the winter. Which we're going there in tomorrow!" Jennifer said happily.
"I love Brooklyn better then here!" Ashley exclaimed. "Can't you wait till we can go?" Jennifer asked Soda. "Yeah sure." Soda said with a weak smile.
--------------------
Soda walked into the old room where her Alex and Josh used to hang out.
*******Memory thingy***************
"So, Mistress Collingwell turned her back this morning and I slipped the spider into her coffee. When she turned back and I was gone she took a sip of it and then a big Spider was at the tip of her cup!" Josh exclaimed. Alex and Hallie laughed until they thought they'd die.
They were all sitting on the window seat in the room where they always hung out. No one came in this room but them. It was pretty much a secret because it was blocked off and they loved this room.
"Can you guys wait till we can actually be free from this stupid orphanage?" Hallie asked looking out the window. "Well, one things for sure, the first thing I'm going to do when I can go is I'm going to go swimming. I read lots of magazines and they all had ads for swimming I really want to try it out." Alex said.
"Man, I want to be a Newsie." Hallie said. Josh and Alex both looked at each other and laughed. "Hal, you want to be a Newsie?" Josh asked with a grin. "Yep, sure do. What do you want to be Josh?" Hallie asked.
"Well, this may sound crazy...but I want to go on and help homeless children on the street. I feel so bad when I hear little kids die out there. That's what Mistress Collingwell's radio says and it's terrible.You guys probably think it's lame huh?" Josh asked.
"I don't think it's lame. It's good that you want to help kids, I don't see how it could be lame at all." Hallie said sighing and looking out the window again. "What I wouldn't do but to go outside and play out in the snow." Hallie sighed.
"Well, do you guys think when we do get out....we'll stop talking to eachother?" Josh asked. The three scooted closer to keep warm. "Never. I think we'll all be best friends forever." Hallie said with a smile.
**********************
"Hallie." Came a voice from behind Soda. Soda jumped since she got torn away from her thoughts. She turned around and looked at Kyle. "Hey Kyle." She replied.
"How was the streets?" Kyle asked. "Well, they were ok..." She started but Kyle looked out the window. "Did you ever meet Josh out there?" Kyle asked. "I did." Soda said tensed up. "Is he alright?" He asked.
Soda didn't know what to say. "Yeah, he's fine." She replied. It was a straight out lie and she knew it but she knew that Josh was Kyle's best bud. "I didn't want him to go out there. He said he wanted to look for you. I hope he'll come back sometime, I really miss the guy." kyle said.
Soda felt even worse and she turned away. "I'm---I'm sure he will." She said. She heard Mistress Collingwell shouting at her from downstairs so she quickly made her way downstairs and ran smack dab into Mistress Collingwell.
"Hallie, we've missed you around here, that's why you're doing all of the chores today." Mistress Collingwell said with an evil grin hanging her the brown dress and black tights she used to wear.
"We've been saving these for you." Mistress Collingwell said handing them to her.
Soda took the clothes up to the old room and took off her old Newsie clothes and she put on her old brown dress. It only came up to just above her knees as it always did.It was too big when she was 7 and in the arms they were to big now. The sleeves were huge so she had to roll them up. She pulled on her old black tights and they still had the hole in the left knee.
"Back to old times." Soda said sadly and went out and took the scrub brush from Collingwell and started to scrub the stairs. She thought about Spot the whole time and if he even missed her.
------------
When she was finally done she started to go up the stairs but Collingwell summoned her back down. She took a beating from Collingwell and then went up to her old bed and layed down it really sore.
She got up and took out some stationary from under the bed that she had and she took it into the old room and she sat on the window seat thinking of old times with her best friends.
*****Another one!*********
"Hallie why aren't you asleep?" Josh asked coming into the room followed by Alex. "I should be asking you the same question." Hallie replied smiling. "Well we came out to try and get something to eat and we decided to come in here. " Josh said.
"Well, I couldn't sleep. I was too busy just thinking, you know thinking about all the things in the future." Hallie said. "I think the future'll be awesome, I can't wait for it! When I grow up I want to have a family and I kind of want to be a teacher." Josh said sitting next to Soda and scooting close so they could keep warm and Alex did the same but on the other side of Hallie.
"It's just, I don't want to spend my whole life here in this stupid old Orphanage, I'm only seven years old and I'm already worrying about the future. I just want to grow up, find love, enjoy life." Hallie replied letting a tear fall.
"I'm sure that we'll be able to get out of here sometime and enjoy it." Alex said. "Sure sometime, but not anytime soon." Hallie sobbed. "I'm sure that we will all get out and we'll all have lots of fun." Josh said with a smile. They all hugged and fell asleep together on the window seat.
*****************************
Soda wiped the tears away from her face and she took out the note Spot wrote her all that time ago and she held it close and realized she missed Josh, the one he was, Not the Harlem leader. But Josh Ferenholt, the boy she grew up with in the Orphanage. She knew he wasn't going to ever come back but she missed him terribly.
She took out a piece of paper and took her quill and dipped it into some ink and she began to write,
Alex,
Hey, it's me. I'm writing to tell you that I'm sorry about everything. I'm really sick of living the way I am, I feel so terrible for killing Josh and I think I ought to just go and turn myself in, it would be the most decent thing to do. But I've decided that I'm going to just stay where I am and not come back .In my book I think that running away is a very cowardly thing to do and I know that what I did was wrong and I can't stand the guilt. I wish I could see you again but I've decided I must just do the honorable thing for me and I must stay where I need to. I really hope you can find the right girl and I hope that you can forgive me and will you please give her the love that you would give me? I love you so much and I wont forget how good of a friend you've alway been to me, I'll never forget you. Remember all the times we had in 4th street Alex. I really love you alot.
Love Always and forever,
Your bestest friend forever,
Lindsey Hallie Basham.
Soda climbed out the window and down the vines and ran to the Brooklyn Lodging House. She placed the note on the desk in the front and she ran all the way back to the Orphanage before anyone knew that she was missing.
--------The next morning-------
Spot went downstairs and he saw a note on the table and he read it. "NO!" He yelled and ran to Manhattan to tell Jack and Mush the news and show them the letter. He really had to find Soda whereever she was and fast.
"Yeah, he went to go and see why Spot did that shit." Race said lighting his cigar.
-------Brooklyn-------
"Spot what the hell is wrong with you?" Jack yelled. Spot glared at him and walked out to the docks. "I'se tell ya, there's nothing wrong with me." Spot told him. "What the fuck are you on? You fucking made Soda run away damn it! you borke her damn heart! I thought you loved her!" Jack yelled at him.
"Jack, the goil that was there was drunk. She thought that I was her ex-boyfriend. I'm not as you can see and now I fucked up my relation ship with Soda and now I have no reason to be happy anymore. Just go and tell Soda to find someone who's worth her time.
"Spot, no one can find her. She ran away two weeks ago and now she's gone." Jack told him. "Well haven't you been looking for her?" Spot asked worried.
"Yeah...but you know Spot, I've gotten kind of sick of you worrying about her. It seems you really just don't care one way or another. You know, She can do so much better than you." Jack said walking out of the Lodging House.
------Later in Brooklyn------
Spot walked out onto his little throne and he decided to sing again.
I'm lying here tonight thinking of the days we've had
Wondering if the world would be so beautiful
If I had not looked into your eyes
How did you know that I've been waiting?
I never knew the world would be so beautiful at all;
I'm spending all the days dreaming of the nights we've had
I never knew that love would be a miracle
When I think of all the ones before
But now that I've found you I am flying
I never knew that love would be so beautiful to me
I never knew that love would be so beautiful to me;
And when we dance to the rhythm that is burning like a flame
And when you touch me I can hardly move you take my breath away
You give me all that I want to feel when we become as one
And then you take me to the heaven of your heart;
Did nobody ever tell you you're the best thing that has ever been;
Ah ... you ... are ... so beautiful ... ah ... so beautiful ...
I'm standing here tonight thinking of the time we'll have
I never knew that you would be so beautiful
From the day you came into my life
I just want to say you make me happy
I never knew that you would be so beautiful to me
I never knew that you would be so beautiful to me;
So beautiful to me ...
So beautiful to me ...
So beautiful to me ...
... to me;
I'm lying here tonight
I'm dreaming here tonight
I dance with you tonight ...
-So Beautiful, Chris De Burgh
Spot looked into the water and he felt the worse he had ever felt in his life. He really tried to get that girl off him and he hoped Soda hadn't seen that and she did and now he screwed everything up. What could he do now? He really wanted to find Soda.
------1 week later---------
Soda walked down a very abandoned street but started to hear a siren so she ducked into and alley but when it passed and she got back out she was grabbed from behind.
"You're coming home with me Hallie, and if you resist, I will turn you in to the police got it?" Mistress Collingwell sneered. Soda just nodded and let Mistress Collingwell drag her off by her arm back to the place she dreaded most, 4th Street Orphanage.
Soda walked into the Orphanage and was led up the stairs. Not much had changed since she was last there. So she went up the stairs and walked into the little kids room.
"Hallie!" They all yelled running up to her and hugging her. "Hallie I can't believe you came back!" A little girl named Jennifer exclaimed.
"Actually I got brought back." Soda said giving them a smirk. "Did you find Alex?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah I did." Soda said in a grim tone and she felt like she was going to cry again but she held it in.
"Guys why isn't the orphange back in Brooklyn?" Soda asked.
"Oh, well we go there during the winter. Which we're going there in tomorrow!" Jennifer said happily.
"I love Brooklyn better then here!" Ashley exclaimed. "Can't you wait till we can go?" Jennifer asked Soda. "Yeah sure." Soda said with a weak smile.
--------------------
Soda walked into the old room where her Alex and Josh used to hang out.
*******Memory thingy***************
"So, Mistress Collingwell turned her back this morning and I slipped the spider into her coffee. When she turned back and I was gone she took a sip of it and then a big Spider was at the tip of her cup!" Josh exclaimed. Alex and Hallie laughed until they thought they'd die.
They were all sitting on the window seat in the room where they always hung out. No one came in this room but them. It was pretty much a secret because it was blocked off and they loved this room.
"Can you guys wait till we can actually be free from this stupid orphanage?" Hallie asked looking out the window. "Well, one things for sure, the first thing I'm going to do when I can go is I'm going to go swimming. I read lots of magazines and they all had ads for swimming I really want to try it out." Alex said.
"Man, I want to be a Newsie." Hallie said. Josh and Alex both looked at each other and laughed. "Hal, you want to be a Newsie?" Josh asked with a grin. "Yep, sure do. What do you want to be Josh?" Hallie asked.
"Well, this may sound crazy...but I want to go on and help homeless children on the street. I feel so bad when I hear little kids die out there. That's what Mistress Collingwell's radio says and it's terrible.You guys probably think it's lame huh?" Josh asked.
"I don't think it's lame. It's good that you want to help kids, I don't see how it could be lame at all." Hallie said sighing and looking out the window again. "What I wouldn't do but to go outside and play out in the snow." Hallie sighed.
"Well, do you guys think when we do get out....we'll stop talking to eachother?" Josh asked. The three scooted closer to keep warm. "Never. I think we'll all be best friends forever." Hallie said with a smile.
**********************
"Hallie." Came a voice from behind Soda. Soda jumped since she got torn away from her thoughts. She turned around and looked at Kyle. "Hey Kyle." She replied.
"How was the streets?" Kyle asked. "Well, they were ok..." She started but Kyle looked out the window. "Did you ever meet Josh out there?" Kyle asked. "I did." Soda said tensed up. "Is he alright?" He asked.
Soda didn't know what to say. "Yeah, he's fine." She replied. It was a straight out lie and she knew it but she knew that Josh was Kyle's best bud. "I didn't want him to go out there. He said he wanted to look for you. I hope he'll come back sometime, I really miss the guy." kyle said.
Soda felt even worse and she turned away. "I'm---I'm sure he will." She said. She heard Mistress Collingwell shouting at her from downstairs so she quickly made her way downstairs and ran smack dab into Mistress Collingwell.
"Hallie, we've missed you around here, that's why you're doing all of the chores today." Mistress Collingwell said with an evil grin hanging her the brown dress and black tights she used to wear.
"We've been saving these for you." Mistress Collingwell said handing them to her.
Soda took the clothes up to the old room and took off her old Newsie clothes and she put on her old brown dress. It only came up to just above her knees as it always did.It was too big when she was 7 and in the arms they were to big now. The sleeves were huge so she had to roll them up. She pulled on her old black tights and they still had the hole in the left knee.
"Back to old times." Soda said sadly and went out and took the scrub brush from Collingwell and started to scrub the stairs. She thought about Spot the whole time and if he even missed her.
------------
When she was finally done she started to go up the stairs but Collingwell summoned her back down. She took a beating from Collingwell and then went up to her old bed and layed down it really sore.
She got up and took out some stationary from under the bed that she had and she took it into the old room and she sat on the window seat thinking of old times with her best friends.
*****Another one!*********
"Hallie why aren't you asleep?" Josh asked coming into the room followed by Alex. "I should be asking you the same question." Hallie replied smiling. "Well we came out to try and get something to eat and we decided to come in here. " Josh said.
"Well, I couldn't sleep. I was too busy just thinking, you know thinking about all the things in the future." Hallie said. "I think the future'll be awesome, I can't wait for it! When I grow up I want to have a family and I kind of want to be a teacher." Josh said sitting next to Soda and scooting close so they could keep warm and Alex did the same but on the other side of Hallie.
"It's just, I don't want to spend my whole life here in this stupid old Orphanage, I'm only seven years old and I'm already worrying about the future. I just want to grow up, find love, enjoy life." Hallie replied letting a tear fall.
"I'm sure that we'll be able to get out of here sometime and enjoy it." Alex said. "Sure sometime, but not anytime soon." Hallie sobbed. "I'm sure that we will all get out and we'll all have lots of fun." Josh said with a smile. They all hugged and fell asleep together on the window seat.
*****************************
Soda wiped the tears away from her face and she took out the note Spot wrote her all that time ago and she held it close and realized she missed Josh, the one he was, Not the Harlem leader. But Josh Ferenholt, the boy she grew up with in the Orphanage. She knew he wasn't going to ever come back but she missed him terribly.
She took out a piece of paper and took her quill and dipped it into some ink and she began to write,
Alex,
Hey, it's me. I'm writing to tell you that I'm sorry about everything. I'm really sick of living the way I am, I feel so terrible for killing Josh and I think I ought to just go and turn myself in, it would be the most decent thing to do. But I've decided that I'm going to just stay where I am and not come back .In my book I think that running away is a very cowardly thing to do and I know that what I did was wrong and I can't stand the guilt. I wish I could see you again but I've decided I must just do the honorable thing for me and I must stay where I need to. I really hope you can find the right girl and I hope that you can forgive me and will you please give her the love that you would give me? I love you so much and I wont forget how good of a friend you've alway been to me, I'll never forget you. Remember all the times we had in 4th street Alex. I really love you alot.
Love Always and forever,
Your bestest friend forever,
Lindsey Hallie Basham.
Soda climbed out the window and down the vines and ran to the Brooklyn Lodging House. She placed the note on the desk in the front and she ran all the way back to the Orphanage before anyone knew that she was missing.
--------The next morning-------
Spot went downstairs and he saw a note on the table and he read it. "NO!" He yelled and ran to Manhattan to tell Jack and Mush the news and show them the letter. He really had to find Soda whereever she was and fast.