Blink looked at the paper as if Red would pop out of it. There was nothing. He read and reread the words until his eye hurt.
Jack slowly opened the door. He saw Blink's back, facing the window on his knees. His head drooped, destitute. Jack slowly backed away from the small crack, turning back to the staircase, which he slowly descended, gripping the handrail as if his life depended on it.
Blink dropped to the wooden floor. All of his strength had dribbled out his toes the moment he read the first word of her note. His head rolled involuntarily to the side. He found himself looking at piles of dusty papers heaped under the bed. He rolled onto his side, reaching for a small stack. As he brought it out into the light, a small voice came from behind him. He jumped to his feet.
Tyke stood two feet away. "That's Liubhaìr's. I don't tink she'll want you in dere."
He tried to calm his heart beating frantically out of his chest. "What is it?"
Tyke walked over, plucked the sheets of paper out of his hands, and calmly slid them back under the bed. "Stuff she writes at night. Sometimes she reads it ta me. 'Ere's where she kept 'er feelings book," as he said this, he pointed to an rectangle of floor not covered by dust, "she didn't like me ta look at dat; 'ere's a pirate stowy; oh, dat's a castle stowy; and 'ere's a normal stowy." He indicated where each of these laid, then grabbed Blink's hand and tugged him to the door. "We gotta go sell now, Bwink."
Blink involuntarily let a small smile onto his face as he allowed Tyke to lead him downstairs. His brain screamed at him for doing so. But the smile, or acting as if all was normal, he couldn't tell.
- - - - - - - -
"I'm pleased that you finally decided to grace us with your presence. Hopefully tomorrow you won't be ten minutes late."
Torii opened her mouth to argue, but immediately snapped it shut. She had just found a suitable uniform from the clothes the other maids had thrown at her. She simply made a stiffly polite curtsey and murmured, "Yes, Step-mother."
"It is miss, not Step-mother, as you now address me, young Theresa."
Henrietta's cane snapped twice in rapid succession on the floor, and thus Torii's first workday in Henrietta's household began. She scurried about from day to night, scrubbing floors, washing clothes, doing specific things Henrietta ordered her and also most of what the staff asked her to do. They were all at least five years older than the girl, and had some condolence with her, but still were under direct orders from the Hen to give her chores, along with her daily work. So the maids would be entirely strict to her while the Fury was watching, but helped some as soon as she was safely out of sight and earshot.
But being under the Gorgon's service was not what you would call easy. Late night demands of water and milk, early morning orders of roses and errands, and middle day chores of fatiguing work. Even though she got up before the sun cracked the horizon and went to bed long after the moon had appeared, there was always something left to do.
Nikki sometimes sneaked up to Torii's small, one-window attic room and they would talk. They were still close, even though two years separated them. Nikki would gush over the man she was interested in at the time. Once it was Pulitzer's son, the next would be Hearst's, then Carnegie's, and on it would go. Torii would listen, and wonder how her friends were doing on the streets.
A month had passed. Still the work dredged on. Torii didn't think it could get much worse than this until Hen began slipping in comments that made Torii cringe.
"You know, Theresa, that dress on you is a little tight. Do you need a larger size?" she would comment, wiping her hands together as Torii quickly tried to turn back to her chore. "No, my Dominique's corsets could be tight as they would go and she would still have breathing room."
A week later, Torii dropped into bed, a prayer on her lips and a hope in her heart. She often dreamed of her newsie friends, wondered about Tyke, and prayed for her step-mom. "Lord, not my will but yours be done. Vengeance is yours, you shall repay. Bless Blink, and Tyke, and Jack, and Mush, and Spot, and…" Her eyes drifted closed. Moonlight drifted in her window. A shadow cast itself over the bed. As soon as it peeked in the window, it disappeared. Torii was already asleep.
- - - - - - - -
Sorry for the short chappy, but it was necessary. A sacrifice had to be made! Well, Torii's stepmom is rich cuz her parents were rich. She worked in the saloon cuz she wanted to. Stupid, stupid girl. Yeah, thank you faithful reviewers! Uhm...lemme see if i get em right...NewsieGoil, madm, Garen, ellestJenn, n tuck. Thanks! -rj