Hestia wiped her hands on the apron she wore over her skirt, and leaned over the railing.
"Kloppman?" she called. No answer. "Kloppman?" she called a bit louder. An elderly man stepped up behind the desk, and smiled kindly up at her.
"Yes, dear?"
"You want me to wake the newsies now?" she asked. He nodded.
"Thank you, dear."
"Welcome…" She turned, hurrying back up the stairs, and pushed open one of the doors. It was a room, lined with bunk beds, and every once in a while, there would be two boys sharing a bed. There was a doorway in the middle of the room, along the right wall, leading into another room of beds, with smaller rooms against one wall where they'd change, and a big tub where they'd bathe, along with a nice little set-up in the middle of the room, with mirrors, and straight razors, and shaving cream. Smiling to herself, she took a breath, and whistled. The boys jumped, some fell off their beds, and yet, some still slept. One boy rolled and looked at her.
"Whatchu want?" he grumbled.
"Racetrack, get up. Boys! Time to get up! You got papes to sell!" she called in a loud voice. Boys slowly and grumpily climbed off their beds, and she moved around the room, seeing who wasn't up yet. "Skittery, Boots, Crutchy! Up boys, up!" After making sure they got up, she went into the next room, and smiled.
"Race?" she called, turning back.
"Hm?" he asked, rubbing his hands over his hair.
"Do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Make sure the boys in the next room wake up…Even Cowboy. I don't want them running late…"
"No problem, Hes…" She smiled.
"Thanks, Race," she said, and headed back downstairs.
The boys were still upstairs, changing, and Kloppman was checking his book, seeing how many people there were in the lodging house at the time. Hestia, however, had left. She walked down the steps, right past Kloppman without a glance, and over to the Distribution Center. She watched Mr. Weisel push open the door, walk in, and close it behind him. Hestia spotted the Delancy brothers snickering on the walkway, and sighed. Oscar looked up, and then back down when he spotted Hestia there.
"C'mon, Morris, youse should be inside, doin' what Uncle Weisel wants you ta do…" Morris grumbled, but walked inside anyways. Hestia faintly smiled as she crossed over to Oscar, who moved to the end of the walkway, and dangled his feet.
"Mornin', Oscar," she said, nodding her head.
"Mornin', Hestia," he replied, tipping his hat. Hestia smirked, and he bowed his head, shoving his lips against hers. Slightly giggling, she pulled away, and looked around behind her.
"Best be getting inside…They're coming." Oscar kissed her forehead, and ran inside, leaving her to hurry to the gates, and open them up. The newsies flooded inside the gates, and she looked up to the window, seeing Mr. Weisel and Morris dealing with the newsies, while Oscar just looked out the window, at her. He winked, and she waved, and headed back to the lodging house.
The boys raced into the house that afternoon, and scrambled over each other for the sink, to wash the sweat off their brows. Hestia smiled, and walked around the room, doing her daily task of seeing who had sold all their papers, and who hadn't. For those who hadn't, she bought them, and gave them to Kloppman, who used them to collect the moisture at the only window in his room downstairs. She found Jack leaning over, looking out the window.
"Jack?" He didn't answer. "Cowboy? You still there?" she asked, faintly smiling. He blinked, and looked over.
"Hm?"
"How'd you do today, Cowboy?"
"Eh…Got all but one sold off…"
"Ten cents, right?" He shook his head.
"Hestia, don't. Jist…ya always take it upon yerself to buy up da papes we don't sell…"
"And I give them to Kloppman so he can use them. Jack, c'mon, you've never stopped me before, what's making you stop me now?" He sighed, but handed her the last, wrinkled paper from his hand. She dropped a dime into his pale-but-tan fist, and patted the top of his head. "There, that wasn't so bad now was it?" He rolled his eyes and looked back out the window. Hestia bit her lip, but turned and left the room with a small pile of papers in her hands.
She slid them across the counter to Kloppman.
"There you go, Kloppman." He smiled.
"You, Hestia, are a wonder. I don't know what we'd do without you," he replied, motioning to the stairs, indicating the newsies.
"Your welcome, and I don't know what I'd do without you and the newsies either…" She heard a thumping, and looked up in time to see the newsies flying down the steps. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She reached out, grabbing the arm of one of the newsies. Pulling back, she looked down into Boots' eyes. "Where are you all going in such a hurry?"
"Medda's show starts at seven, sharp, and we all wanna get dere!" he exclaimed. Hestia sighed, but let him go.
"Have fun, Boots!" He waved as he raced out the door, following behind the others. She faintly smiled again, and shook her head. "I'm going to go grab a bite at Tibby's…"
"Alright dear. Have fun."
"I will…" She patted the pocket on the skirt of her dress, and headed out the door.
She arrived well past dark, and walked thru the doors to find the desk unattended. Hestia placed her hands firmly on the counter, and leaned over, looking around.
"The old man's gone to bed," a voice behind her said. She jumped, and spun to find Oscar sitting on the couch, his hat over his eyes.
"Don't do that!" She reached out, grabbed his hands, and pulled him from the lodging house. "You know it's risky to be in the lodging house at any time. Those newsies like to sneak downstairs during the night." He pulled her into a pitch black alleyway, down a few blocks, and pushed her against the brick wall, kissing her. She smiled, and slid her arms around his shoulders. He moved his lips to her neck, and she giggled.
"Hestia?"
"Hm?" she asked, as he lifted his head to see her.
"You should leave the newsies, Hestia…It's really stupid of us to be together, and you on the opposite side of the war…" She shook her head.
"You know I can't leave them. They are my family. Without them…" He sighed.
"You've gone over all this with me before…But, c'mon, Hes, so long as your one of them, this is never going to work, you know that, I know that…" Hestia stepped away, shaking her head.
"I can't leave them, Oscar…If I left them, I don't know what I'd do," she replied, running her hands over her face. Oscar rolled his eyes.
"You make your choice: stay with them and lose me, or stay with me and lose them. Let me know when you've decided," he said, and headed off. She sighed, feeling tears in her eyes, and headed back to the lodging house. Kloppman lifted his head from rustling under desk, and smiled.
"Hello, Hestia. Going up to bed?" She nodded, without looking up. Taking a breath, she forced a smile.
"Good night, Kloppman," she said in a soft, shaky voice. He raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, goodnight, Hestia…" She climbed the stairs, her head bowed, and entered the room where the newsies stayed. Looking up, she saw them all sleeping quite peacefully in the darkness. Feeling the tears still in her eyes, she hurriedly crossed to the window seat, where she sat and watched as lightning struck down, and the rain began to pour. She brushed her tears away, and heard feet hitting the floor. Looking up, she saw Jack standing beside her.
"Think it's rainin'?" he asked sarcastically, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, it is," she sighed. He looked down, and sat beside her.
"Youse aight? Usually you try ta humor me when I'm bein' stupid," he replied, patting his hand against her shoulder. She shrugged.
"Really tired, but I don't want to go to sleep…" Jack slid a finger beneath her chin, and tried to lift her head, but she just pulled it away, and looked back out the window.
"Sometin's wrong witcha, Hes, ain't it?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Youse ain't lookin' at me…ya usually do…"
"I don't think I look good right now…I'm tired, and I'm feelin' a bit ill…"
"Now, bafore, youse was jist tired…Hes…"
"Jack, go back to sleep, okay? I'm tired and a little sick…" He shrugged, holding his hands up defense.
"Well…you git some sleep too, aight? Promise?" She smiled faintly.
"Promise…" He bowed his head, kissing her forehead, and went back to his bed. As he laid down, she heard feet on the stairs, and the door opened. Standing, she peeked over and saw a little boy and an older boy standing there, soaked.
"Hes, Hes, Hes!" the little boy cried, racing over to her. She grabbed hold of him, stopping him.
"Whoa, now, doll…Les? You alright? You looked scared to death…David, what happened?" she asked, seeing his pale, wide-eyed face. Jack looked over at his friends.
"You gotta help me, Hes!"
"Davy?"
"Jack, Hes, listen!"
"What?"
"Someone murdered my father! And they have one person saying they saw someone leaving the alley right before he was found!" Hestia stopped him.
"Hold on a second…" David took a deep breath, and looked around. Many of the newsies were awake, leaning out of their bunks to hear what had happened. Hestia looked around, too, as she rifled thru drawers for a few towels and extra blankets. She walked back, and rubbed the towel on Les' hair, drying it a bit, and then wrapped a blanket around him. Reaching out, she held a towel and a blanket for David. As she sat back on the window seat to listen, Les climbed into her lap. She wrapped her arms around him, wrapping him up in the blanket and holding him to her. "Okay…Tell me exactly what happened…" David took another breath.
"Les and I had gone to see my grandparents with Sarah, and my mother. My dad was staying at the house to keep watch…"
"Yeah…"
"My mom and Sarah decided to stay at my grandparents house, so Les and I came back home. But when we walked into the apartment, we found my dad on the floor, knife in his back, blood all over the place…He was murdered!" Hestia patted Les' shoulder, hugging him. He hugged her back.
"Who'd wanna moidah yer faddah?" Jack asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"I don't know, but there's a man who lives on the ground floor of the building across the street. He said that he had been watching out his window when we entered the apartment, and right before Les and I started screamin', someone slipped out of the alley, like they were trying to stay hidden or something, and took off running…" Hestia lowered her head, thinking. She and Oscar had been in the alleyway next to David's building. When they parted, Oscar went the back way, but she slipped out, running, hoping no one would see her. She widened her eyes.
"Who'd dey see?" Race asked. David looked across the room, at the window seat.
"Hestia…"