DISCLAIMER: Believe it or not, I am not Charles Dickens. Gasp! Sorry to disappoint all of you. I assure you that most of these characters and some of the plot belongs to him, wherever he may be buried.
SUMMARY: This is the Dodger's story. It is the story of how he came to live with Fagin and what happened once he was there.
A/N: Here's chapter two. Thanks for the reviews!
Chapter Two: A New LifeJack walked farther than he had ever walked before in his life. He had to get far away from home before someone noticed he was gone and came after him. He knew he had to get away but he didn't think he would be able to walk much farther. He managed to walk all the way to the very center of London before daybreak.
He did not know where he was going or what he would do once he was there, but he kept going anyway. He was not very tired because he had slept for quite some time before he left home. And so, he continued to walk until he could not stand any longer.
Around noon, Jack found he was growing rather weary. Sitting down on a curb, he rested and watched the carriages go by. He had never been in this area before. It was an entirely new place for the child. Maybe he could live here. He did not realize that he would not be able to stay by himself. He hadn't any money with him.
He asked a vendor for an apple to which the man told him to go away. Jack did not understand why the man was being so mean to him. His parents had always gotten apples for him from the street vendors. Why couldn't he? It must have been because he was a child.
He sat back on the curb and began to watch the people again. It was growing steadily crowded. People were coming out to purchase things from the carts that lined the street. Jack watched as people bought apples and bread with ease. He did not see the vendor turn any of them away.
Something caught Jack's eye and he turned to see a girl in a red dress dash across the street. He watched with interest as the girl walked casually through a crowd of people. None of the people seemed to notice when she stuck her hand in a man's pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, but Jack did. His eyes grew wide in astonishment as the girl hastily stuffed the handkerchief in her pocket and hid in an alley.
Jack watched the alley for any signs of the mysterious girl. Several minutes later, after checking to make sure the coast was clear, she appeared again. This time, she approached an unsuspecting man at a flower stand, stuck her hand in his pocket and took his wallet. Repeating her previous actions, she put the wallet in her pocket and hurried back to the alley.
Jack was curious. Was this how you were supposed to get things you wanted around here? He did not see anyone else taking things from other people.
He cautiously stood up and walked to the apple cart. Making sure the man was preoccupied with another customer, he reached up and grabbed an apple. He placed it under his hat as nonchalantly as possible. Looking around, he was pleased to note that no one had seen him.
Smiling with satisfaction, he looked up to see the girl in the red dress watching him from the alley. Realizing hehad seenher, she winked at him and shrunk back into the shadows.
Jack found a place to sit where he could eat his apple in peace. Nobody seemed to notice him. Apparently, he blended in with the crowd of people. He did not want to be recognized by someone he knew. They would send him to live with his grandmother, and he did not want that.
Several hours later, most of the people had gone home and Jack could be found wandering the streets, exploring the area. He had never been this far from home without either his parents or his brother. He was excited to be out on his own. He did not think to plan where he would stay or what he would eat. These thoughts were far from his mind.
He sat down on a stoop. He was growing incredibly bored with so little to do and no one to play with. Jack had not been sitting there a whole five minutes when someone sat down beside him.
It startled him at first, then, looking up, he recognized the girl as the one he had seen earlier- the one with the red dress.
She smiled warmly at him and he couldn't help but smile back.
She could not have been more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Although she was not very pretty, she had a warmth about her that made her seem kind.
"What's your name?" she asked abruptly.
"Jack," the child said cautiously. "Jack Dawkins."
"Why are you here by yourself?" she questioned.
"My parents are dead," he muttered. "I ran away."
She nodded her head.
"Well," she said, standing up. "I have orders. If you don't have a home, you're to come with me."
He looked at her in confusion.
"I can live with you?" he asked.
"Yes," she laughed. "That is, if you don't mind sharing a room with about seven other boys."
He shook his head.
"Good," she continued. "Come along, then. Fagin wants to meet you."
"Who?"
"Fagin. He takes care of us. You'll like him."
She led him down a series of streets and back alleys.
"By the way," she called over her shoulder to him. "My name's Nancy. I saw you take that apple earlier. Have you ever done that before?"
Jack shook his head, but then realized she couldn't see him.
"No."
"That's what I thought," she replied. "That's why I went back and told Fagin about you. He was rather impressed. Said I should come get you and bring you to him. Apparently, he thinks you have talent."
"Talent?" Jack was struggling to keep up. Nancy walked much faster than he did.
"I think Fagin can explain that better than I can," Nancy said.
They walked in silence for the longest time. It was dark by the time Nancy announced they were almost there.
Jack followed her through several more alleys. Nancy stopped abruptly in front of an old abandoned-looking building. Jack opened his mouth to ask if they were lost, but stopped as Nancy knocked on the door.
A boy about Nancy's age opened the door for them. He led them into a dark hallway and up a flight of stairs. More than once, the boy threw a questioning look at Jack before he and Nancy began a whispered conversation of their own.
They reached the top of the stairs and the sound of several boys talking and laughing met Jack's ears. The boy who had led them to this room smiled at Jack who tried to smile back but failed miserably.
"Nancy!" a boy cried. "You're back! Where'd you go?"
"Who's that?" another boy called out.
There were about five boys sitting around a table. All of them turned to look at Jack as he entered the room with Nancy. He suddenly felt nervous.
Nancy smiled reassuringly at him before turning back to the boy standing beside her and asking where Fagin was.
"Fagin!" she shouted.
An old man appeared only seconds later. He had red hair with a long, matching beard. Jack was not sure if he should laugh at the man or be afraid of him. He settled on just standing in place.
The man Nancy had called Fagin approached Jack and looked at him.
"Is this the boy you told me about?" he asked Nancy.
"Yes," she replied.
"You took an apple off a cart earlier?" he asked, this time to Jack.
"Yes," he said.
"Good boy," Fagin smiled. "I think we can find a place for you here."
"Thank you," Jack said uncertainly.
The boys at the table greeted him, too. The one who had met them at the door introduced himself as John. Jack took an instant liking to John just as he had for Nancy.
Jack was the youngest one there, but only by a year or two. The boys were friendly. They gave Jack food. Fagin, on the other hand, scared him a bit. He ordered Jack to give him his luggage. He said everything was shared around here. Jack obliged and handed over his bag of clothes.
He then sat at the table where the rest of the boys appeared to be waiting for food. Nancy sat next to him. He was surprised when a mug of gin was placed in front of him.
"I can actually drink this?" he asked Nancy.
She laughed.
"Of course you can," she replied. "We wouldn't have given it to you if you couldn't."
He took a sip and made a face. Nancy laughed again.
"You can have water if you want," she offered.
He shook his head.
"No," he said. "It's not that bad."
He did indeed drink the rest of it.
They played a game after they ate. It was an odd game, but Jack enjoyed it nonetheless. He watched each of the boys and Nancy take turns taking things from Fagin's pockets. Jack assumed that this was what they did here with Fagin. They learned how to take things from people.
"Would you like to try?" Fagin asked Jack.
The other children cheered him on as he stood up and walked to where Fagin was standing. He watched the old man walk around the room, pretending not to notice the small child. When Jack thought that Fagin really was not paying him any attention, he stepped forward, and,making sure Fagin had his back turned completely to him, put his finger's in the man's pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Fagin did not turn around and congratulate him like he had done for the others. So, curiosity getting the better of him, Jack reached for the other pocket and produced a wallet. The old man still did not turn around.
He looked around for someone to tell him what to do. He saw Nancy and John sitting by the table, watching him. John was shaking with silent laughter. Nancy proved to be a bit more helpful She smiled and motioned for Jack to sit down.
Putting the two stolen items in his pocket, Jack sat down beside Nancy. John silently congratulated him.
"Fagin!" Nancy said loudly, breaking the silence in the room.
Only then did he turn around. Spotting Jack sitting across the room he asked if he had given up.
Jack silently shook his head and produced the handkerchief and wallet as evidence. Fagin's eyes grew wide in genuine astonishment. He checked his pockets. They were indeed his belongings.
"You took those," he said slowly. "All by yourself?"
Jack nodded.
"Well done," Fagin exclaimed. "That was by far the best show of pickpocketing I've seen in a long time."
The other boys congratulated him. Jack could not help but smile.
"Yes, you will be fine here," Fagin said. "John! Prepare a place for our new friend to sleep."
As he was drifting off to sleep, Jack felt happier than he had been in a long time. He was going to fit in here and make new friends and everything would be fine. In fact, in all the excitement of the day, he had forgotten why he was here, why he had left home, and why he could not go back.
None of that mattered anymore though. Fagin, Nancy, and the rest of the boys treated him like he was family. He was definitely going to like it here.
A/N: This made me feel better. I got sick at school and vomited all over the place (but I doubt you wanted to know that). I went home early and wrote this chapter. I hope you like it. Thanks to all my reviewers.
Auburn Red: Thank you! I enjoyed you review. It made me feel special. I'm glad you like the story. Enjoy chapter two!
ArtfulDodgerLover: Your review made me laugh. Thanks for the five stars! Don't sell yourself short. Your story has potential. Add more details to it and make it longer. I like it. Thanks for the review!
MyStIc BlAcK PhOeNix: Thank you! I hope you like chapter two!
Jimmy the Christmas smurf: What have we told you about watching your mouth? Your language has become very bad lately. I'm glad you approve of this story. You act like you want to marry the hat. That would be odd, but I wouldn't put it past you. No, you're going to marry Joey. Here's chapter 2! Don't kill me!
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