Chapter 6

"Ya soire ya aright by yaself?" Ice nodded with a smile, she lifted her face for one of Jakes quick kisses and she started off to sell her papers. Things were the way they should be. She and Jake were together. All time they spent together... except for today, when in receipt of Shasta's constant furious glares, Shasta had asked Jake to sell with her, while Jack sold by himself, something about an argument they had had the night before.

And it was like Raven never existed. At least for her and Jake. Others had worked up the courage to ask what had happened the day that Raven had supposedly attack her. She had either related a sob story where she still tried to appear as she didn't blame her friend Raven, no matter what she had done... or she refused to talk about it, claiming it made her too sad.

"Extry, Extry, William Watson, suspect in the midtown tenement murder has been spotted in Manhattan!" One of her fellow newsies called and the smile that had graced her pale face moments ago, fell in an instant... She turned her paper over and gave a little gasp of horror.

Her eyes scanned the front page, once, twice, thrice... "Bill..." Ice's heart pounded sickly. Images of the fight... the horrible words, "My baby... Marea it was my baby!" Bill had cried anguished. Cherish stumbled off to the side of the street, moving in one direction until she found herself down an alley, against a wall.

Raven stopped, she had been meant to talk to Ice in central park. Shasta had planned it so that Jake would sell with her and Ice would be left alone. That was when Raven was going to confront her about why she had lied. It wasn't the smartest idea... and Ice would use it against her in a second, Raven had figured her out now and the level Ice LaRusso had sunk to was still shocking, but Raven's reputation couldn't get any worse. She wanted answers.

She had seen the girl she had thought of as a friend head in her direction, but she had stopped, and lurched off in another direction, down a nearby alley, occupied with Drunks and dead-beats... but not usually the vicious kind. "What are you up ta now Ice Princess?" Raven wondered quietly heading towards the alley after her.

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Jake frowned as he read the paper for a second time under Shasta's confused eye. "What's wrong Jake?" Shasta asked concerned. Jake looked up his face ashen, "this is why she wouldn't tell me who the killer was. It was her brother-in-law." Jake said in shock.

Shasta took a paper of her own, only to have to sell it when a well heeled man came and offered her a 10th of a cent. The news of the murder was a big seller today. A few others came and brought a paper from Shasta since Jake was sitting on the curb of the street shocked.

Once the small crowd had all been given their papers Shasta took a moment to read the first paragraph of the 'Suspected murderer on the loose' story.

"A year ago almost to the day, a young woman, Marea Watson, was found murdered in her family tenement. She was newly married, and 1 month pregnant when she was viciously strangled, and gutted during her daily chores. The only lead the police had was Mrs Watson's missing husband William Watson, who was no where to be seen when Mrs Watson's younger sister, Cherish... LaRusso..., found the body..."

Shasta's voice trailed off as the impact of the story hit her. "Oh god... Jake... Jake? JAKE!" Shasta called as the shocked Jake jumped into action heading for central park. "What are you going to do Jake?" Shasta called dropping her papers besides Jake's discarded ones and following him with speed.

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"Marea... oh god Marea what happened... What happened?" Bill asked feverishly as he saw he wife laying on the bed. The bedclothes were soaked with a drying red stain. Bill looked on shocked, worried and confused... "She... She said that we couldn't afford a baby... she... she said that there was no other choice..." Cherish said, tears streaming down her face as she continuously tired to clean up the mutilated stomach of her sister.

"She won't let me call the doctor... Ohhh Bill what are we too do... she needs a doctor." Cherish asked turning to see Bill sit in a near by chair in shock. Cherish started to panic trying to wipe the blinding tears from her eyes, so she could clean up her pained sister, "BILL! BILL! WHAT DO I DO?" Cherish screamed wringing the blood stained wash cloth in the already bloodied water trying to stop the ever flowing blood from her sisters stomach.

"My baby... Marea it was my baby... why did you...? You should have told me..." Bill groped for words, as Marea croaked from her lips, even the slight words, Cherish could tell causing her pain, "We couldn't afford it... " She croaked.

Cherish screamed and jumped away from the bed as Bill stood and stumbled over to his maimed wife, "HOW COULD YOU? IT WAS OUR BABY!" He was shaking her. Cherish's eyes grew wide and the sickening panic exploded inside her, propelling her legs from her self-wounded sister and her furious husband.

Cherish didn't let thoughts start to register until she was on the door of the hospital. Then she stopped... hesitated... what if they punished Marea? What if they told the church? Marea was a staunch Roman Catholic... she would die if she was banned from the church for killing her own child. Cherish's hand... poised to knock fell to her side and she walked... slowly back to the tenement her mind playing the torturing 'what if' game.

Instinct alone led her up to her front door... but self preservation made her stop at the slightly ajar door... listening for any movement. She stood for a time just listening... when nothing came she opened the door and entered.

Her mind couldn't even muster up a gasp as she saw the lifeless body of her sister on the floor. She had been strangled. But she would have died anyway. Her wounds were to bad to have her survive without medical attention. Medical attention Cherish hadn't brought her. With blind empathy Cherish stepped over her body and sat down beside her... pulling the tiny body of her older sister into her arms and hugging her in the need for comfort.