"Thank you Miss, I appreciate it. Thank you sire, you should be well
informed"
"Not too bad, you are at least decent." David said appreciatively, "How did you pick up on it so easily?"
"I used to play a word game with my friend at...uh... well we got bored a lot. So we would take something ordinary and make it sound exciting, but the rule was that it had to be based on something. We called it Newsies."
"Ahhh, so this isn't really your first time."
"No, I had a friend who would tell me all about the newsies. It was from him that we got the idea. He delivered papers to the ... uhhh... Well, last summer he told me all about the strike, Jack Kelly and a certain Walking Mouth."
"Why can't I have a normal nickname? Don't you ever call me Mouth, or I'll make your life miserable" he said with an evil grin.
"Why Mouth? What can you do?" I said slyly.
"You just wait... What's the matter? Angel... Angel what's going on" the color had drained out of my face when I saw him. There was this boy who would come every week and "call" on me. He was great friend with Madame. No wonder he always gave me a sickening creepy feeling.
"We need to leave... NOW!" I yelled as the boy came towards me. I could tell that he recognized me; I cursed myself for leaving my hat at Tibby's. We ran fast and far away. The wind slapping our faces as we jumped over boxes and under fences. At last we gave them the slip, but not until after the cry "I KNOW IT WAS YOU ROSE!" the hated voice filled the air.
"Okay, this is too much like Jack. Don't tell me you are going to start a strike too"
"No, I'm just running"
"He called you Rose"
"Well you didn't expect my name to be No One did you? I wish it was"
"Who was he? Why was he chasing you?"
"He's name is Anthony Hearst. He knows me"
"Angel, if I'm going to take you home you have got to at least let me know what is going on"
"This is why I don't want charity. I'm worth too much to too many greedy people"
"What do you mean?"
I sighed. "Okay, I ran away from this orphanage, Canta Marinia."
"Never heard of it"
"That's cause you aren't supposed to. Only the very rich, or those that work at the orphanage know about it"
"Did they mistreat you? Why do they want an orphan back so bad?" He wasn't going to make this easy or let anything go. "It's not a normal orphanage. I was well fed, well housed, well groomed, and well educated. But, because of it, they expect s..somthing h..h..orrible! ... Cec...Cec... Cecilia! My-y f-f-fri-end t-t-old m-me b-beffffore..." I broke down, "Th-ere is s-ssome-t-thing h-h-hhhh-orrribble"
"You don't have to finish," he said quickly, "I don't need to know."
"But they won't stop looking for me to bring me back" I finished managing to control the sobs.
"They may not have physically hurt you, but you are definitely not unscarred. I will protect you"
"I don't nneed pprotection. Just... Please...Just... Don't tell the others. People don't understand... Jimmy didn't"
"It's alright... come on, we'll stop by Tibby's to get Les and tell the guys that you have sold all of your papes. You did as well as Jack and Spot. You are doing great."
"Not too bad, you are at least decent." David said appreciatively, "How did you pick up on it so easily?"
"I used to play a word game with my friend at...uh... well we got bored a lot. So we would take something ordinary and make it sound exciting, but the rule was that it had to be based on something. We called it Newsies."
"Ahhh, so this isn't really your first time."
"No, I had a friend who would tell me all about the newsies. It was from him that we got the idea. He delivered papers to the ... uhhh... Well, last summer he told me all about the strike, Jack Kelly and a certain Walking Mouth."
"Why can't I have a normal nickname? Don't you ever call me Mouth, or I'll make your life miserable" he said with an evil grin.
"Why Mouth? What can you do?" I said slyly.
"You just wait... What's the matter? Angel... Angel what's going on" the color had drained out of my face when I saw him. There was this boy who would come every week and "call" on me. He was great friend with Madame. No wonder he always gave me a sickening creepy feeling.
"We need to leave... NOW!" I yelled as the boy came towards me. I could tell that he recognized me; I cursed myself for leaving my hat at Tibby's. We ran fast and far away. The wind slapping our faces as we jumped over boxes and under fences. At last we gave them the slip, but not until after the cry "I KNOW IT WAS YOU ROSE!" the hated voice filled the air.
"Okay, this is too much like Jack. Don't tell me you are going to start a strike too"
"No, I'm just running"
"He called you Rose"
"Well you didn't expect my name to be No One did you? I wish it was"
"Who was he? Why was he chasing you?"
"He's name is Anthony Hearst. He knows me"
"Angel, if I'm going to take you home you have got to at least let me know what is going on"
"This is why I don't want charity. I'm worth too much to too many greedy people"
"What do you mean?"
I sighed. "Okay, I ran away from this orphanage, Canta Marinia."
"Never heard of it"
"That's cause you aren't supposed to. Only the very rich, or those that work at the orphanage know about it"
"Did they mistreat you? Why do they want an orphan back so bad?" He wasn't going to make this easy or let anything go. "It's not a normal orphanage. I was well fed, well housed, well groomed, and well educated. But, because of it, they expect s..somthing h..h..orrible! ... Cec...Cec... Cecilia! My-y f-f-fri-end t-t-old m-me b-beffffore..." I broke down, "Th-ere is s-ssome-t-thing h-h-hhhh-orrribble"
"You don't have to finish," he said quickly, "I don't need to know."
"But they won't stop looking for me to bring me back" I finished managing to control the sobs.
"They may not have physically hurt you, but you are definitely not unscarred. I will protect you"
"I don't nneed pprotection. Just... Please...Just... Don't tell the others. People don't understand... Jimmy didn't"
"It's alright... come on, we'll stop by Tibby's to get Les and tell the guys that you have sold all of your papes. You did as well as Jack and Spot. You are doing great."