"Nancy?"
The girl snapped out of the daze she was in and turned to Jimmy, who was lying next to her in a bed in the thieves' hideout. The boys were all gone for the day and Fagin was meeting someone by the docks and would be gone for hours. The two young lovers decided to use the day to their advantage, but Nancy had other things on her mind.
"What it is?" She turned to him, concerned.
"You're leavin' us, ain't yer?" Jimmy asked. His voice seemed to have a tone of anger.
The girl sat up and sighed. "I don't know, Jimmy."
"I don't think you should."
A lump came in Nancy's throat. "I can't pick pockets for the rest of my life, Jimmy. I'm thirteen years old."
"You are not thirteen!" Jimmy yelled suddenly. "I made your birthday, remember? You just want to grow up so bad you keep making yourself older and older! You might still be eleven for all we know!"
"Jimmy, what's wrong with you?" Nancy cried out, shocked at his anger. "You're hysterical, come on, have a drink."
She passed him the bottle. The young man took a few deep breaths. "I'm grown up. Do you know where Fagin's gone today?" She shook her head. "He's gone to meet a feller who's goin to take me on a job wiv 'im. Says he needs an extra 'and. Do you know what this means? I'm not gonner pick pockets anymore either. I cin make money and we cin get away from Fagin and you won't have ter do none of that, well, whorin' stuff."
"You want me to live with you?" Nancy said, trying to hide how pleased she was.
"I don't want you to see you sleepin' wiv other gents, sellin' yourself and the like." Jimmy growled. The very idea seemed to make smoke come out of his ears. She didn't pay attention to his arrogant jealousy, trying to focus on the pure joy that he wanted to be with her.
The two say in silence for a moment until the girl finally spoke up softly. "When's the job?"
"Tomorrow." He smiled. "I'll be back by 'round eleven. Will you meet me in the tavern?"
"Lord, do yer haveta ask?" She giggled, kissing him.
The day's events were made complete by the arrival of a new boy. An eight-year-old by the name of Jack Dawkins. Fagin had seen the young lad, dirty and lice-ridden, snitch an apple off a cart and successfully frame an older boy for the deed. "Artfully done" Fagin said as he introduced the new lodger to the gang. Nancy sighed, wondering if the boy had any idea what he was getting himself into, although he seemed to be a cheerful lad.
Fagin sent her and Roger out with the new boy the next day, obviously trying to separate her from Jimmy just once. They never really referred to him by his name, preferring to call him "That Artful Dodger". The boy took to this nickname quite quickly.
"So I hears from Lucky Hand you're gonner leave." Roger said as they walked along the square.
"Watch out." Nancy whispered, spotting a policeman who knew her. "Hey Dodger!" She yelled ahead to the young boy who swiftly turned the corner with them.
"Is it true?" Roger asked as if nothing had happened, though the Dodger seemed thoroughly excited about having just hid from a policeman.
Nancy sighed. "I wish I could. I feel like it ain't that easy, know what I mean?"
"Yea." Roger said, noticing Nancy's tone and guessing she wanted to drop the subject. "Cor, look at that toff." He nodded to a very old, rich looking gentleman in a black suit coming out of a carriage and walking with a very young girl.
"That his granddaughter?" Nancy laughed.
"Think he knows the way to the bookshop?" Roger joked.
"That ol' trick ain't worked for years." She smiled. "Hey Dodger!"
"Yea?" The boy said excitedly.
"I'll dip my hands in as you run by." Roger said to the boy. "And then Nance, you bump into the lady and fall over."
"Ay ay captain." Nancy joked. Dodger merely smiled anxiously. It was all a game to him.
And with a simple nod from Roger the three took off running. Nancy's quick eyes followed Roger's quick hands as he successfully pulled out a pocketwatch. The gentleman may have noticed had it not been for Nancy quickly running headfirst into the trophy bride of the old scoundrel and falling flat on her back.
"Watch where you're going, filthy little brat!" The girl barked. Nancy was slightly taken aback at this unexpected remark, as the girl could not have been any older then her.
"You don't own the streets!" Nancy snapped back, though she immediately regretted it as she received a swift kick to the ribs from the old man, landing herself face first into mud. The rich folks around her laughed, the humiliation sinking deeper then the sharp pain in her side.
"How dare you." The gentleman barked. "Young wretch! Filthy little whore! Come dear." He led away his young escort, leaving Nancy gasping for air in the mud.
Roger and the Artful Dodger came back to help her up. Though they made attempts to comfort her, Nancy suddenly understood something she'd never understood before. It took a kick to the ribs to do it, but she suddenly realized that she didn't want this life. She didn't want to give herself over. People were saying she had to, she hadn't any other choice, but with Jimmy she did. Yes, she was young, but she was not a fool. She would leave Fagin before he could kick her out.
The little group returned to Fagin's den that evening. As soon as the old man opened his mouth to lecture the girl, Nancy proclaimed if he needed her she would be in the tavern waiting for Jimmy.
"I wouldn't if I were you, my dear." Fagin seized her roughly by the arm as she started to leave.
"Get your filthy 'ands off me!" Nancy sharply pulled away from him. "I'm leaving you, you 'ere me? I ain't gonna rob for you no more and I ain't gonna whore for you neither."
"Whore for me, my dear?" Fagin resumed his attempt at a charming demeanor, but Nancy could no longer be fooled. He softly brushed her face with his hands and she flinched away, disgusted by his touch. "Why, you'd be whoring for May at the tavern, not for ol' Fagin."
"Right, like you'd ever let me go without keepin' a piece of me earnings." She glared, smacking his hand away. "I don't need you anymore."
"Is that right?" Fagin gave her a nasty look that made her skin crawl. "What are you going to do then? A little orphan girl, no home, no friends, you can't even read or write. You think you're going to go marry well and be a school teacher? That isn't who you are. You think you're different I suppose? Different then all me other clever girls who came in, picked pockets for a few years until they were old enough to put their feminine gifts to use."
"I am different." Nancy told herself, trying to think of Jimmy, the only light in her life. "You don't understand. Soon as Jimmy gets back we're takin' all the money he's hid from you all these years and we're goin' away."
"Soon as Jimmy gets back did you say?" Fagin asked.
"That's right." Nancy said, looking at him oddly. Why had he asked that?
"Well, I'm afraid I have some terrible news for you my dear. Terrible, terrible." Through his somber expression, the girl saw a smile. "Sit down, my dear."
"No, I won't!" Nancy began to worry. "Tell me Fagin!"
"He's been nabbed, my dear."
"Another lie Fagin." Nancy hissed at him, though inside she worried it to be true.
"Afraid not my dear. Look around."
The girl pretended to be reluctant about it, but she hurried to his bed by the fireplace. All of things were gone. She ran about the place like a mad woman, determined to find something and when she didn't her heart seemed to stop working for a moment.
"No."
"Nabbed on his way out the door, poor thing." Fagin put a hand on her shoulder and she knocked it away. "He's been transported. So I'm afraid you won't be seeing him again, and you won't be leaving on your accord seeing as I found the money he hid. Suppose you don't have a choice now."
Whatever was a grown up woman inside Nancy suddenly disappeared. Her heart seemed to sink inside her chest and she transformed in a split second to that frightened four-year-old who's head was smashed up against a wall by her own father. Before she knew it, she sunk to the ground. Jimmy. Her only light, he loved her. Sure, he was a jealous little thing, but that was only because he liked her. He wanted her to himself.
All the warmth of the evening left and she began to feel very cold.
The sniveling old man tried to help her to her feet.
"Time to go my dear."
"No." Nancy whispered through tears.
"Come now, May's waiting for you."
She said nothing more, and let the old man lead her to the tavern.