Later that day I went outside to get some fresh air. I had been in with
Angel all day since I still felt bad about all her injuries. I still told
myself they were my fault though I hadn't done the actual hitting they
wouldn't have come to Brooklyn if not for me. As I was standing there I saw
two boys approaching. They looked to be in a hurry and to me they looked
oddly familiar. As they approached I saw that one was older than the other
maybe 18 or 19. The other was around 10 and both were good looking. They
saw me as they came to the door of the lodging house.
"Hi.", I said to them.
"Who are ye?" the younger boy asked me looking puzzled.
"Me names' Doodles, whudd's yers?"
"Me name's Kevin." he replied proudly. "Were hea te see Ang. Dis is me olda brodda Scott."
Scott, de olda brodda looked distracted. "Is she ok?" he asked me worridly.
"She's doin pretty good. How de ye know her?" I replied than asked.
"She's oua sista." Kevin replied.
That would explain why they looked familiar to me.
"Oh she's awake why don't ye go in?"
I joined them as they walked quickly to the door of Spot and Angel's room and pushed it open.
"Scott, Kevin! Whudder ye doin hea?" Angel exclaimed. "Why aren't ye at Toby's?", though she did look happy to see them.
"We hoid whud happened dis mornin through some o da Queen's newsies and started back right away. Are ye sure yer alright?" Scott asked like a worried parent.
"Yea, yea I'm fine. Don't worry bout it." Angel said. "Besides dey won't even let me get up an Spots been carryin me around when I need ta go somewhere."
Scott turned to look at Spot, who had been in the room before we came in. "Glad yer takin care of her.", he said with a smile at Spot.
Just then the door opened again and Jack, Bailey, and Race walked in.
"Oh, hey Scott, hey Kevin. How ye doin?" Jack greeted them.
"Not bad except Ang's gettin hoiself inta trouble again." Scott said. "By da way who wus it anyways? I'm gonna soak em!"
The room fell silent and Angel, Bailey, Spot, Jack, and Race all looked at me.
"Whudd?!" I didn't know what they wanted me to say. "Ok it's me fault! Da people who hoit Angel were afta me an came hea lookin fer me. Dats all I have ta say about it."
I didn't know why but I just felt so angry and it might not have even been anger at them. Maybe it was anger at myself or the way my life was being messed up by Shadow and the Crypts. Whatever the reason I stormed from the room and went outside. I went to the docks and there were a few newsies hanging around but they didn't bother me. I sat down and dangled my feet over the edge as I thought. I didn't know what to do. I thought up solutions but none were what I wanted. I could run away, but that would mean leaving Race as well as everyone else. I could continue on this way, moving from lodging house to lodging house but that way everyone would be in danger of getting hurt just like Angel did. Not to mention what kind of life would that be for my friends and me? I needed to get Shadow and the rest of the Crypts, not to mention the Delancys to stop looking for me but I had no good ideas. As I was thinking a shadow fell over me and I looked up. Above me stood an older newsie I hadn't yet met and he looked foreboding but then again, which Brooklyn newsie didn't?
"Hey, its Doodles right?" he asked me.
"Yea. Whudds yer name?"
"Dey calls me uh... Patrick."
"Nice ta meet ya uh...Patrick. Whudd no nickname?" I said smiling and held out a hand. He shook it quickly than sat down next to me.
"No. Ye look a little troubled." he commented.
"Yea. I'm tryin ta think of a solution fer whudd te do bout...Ye've hoid about..." I said pausing.
"Yea I have."
"Well I don't want dem te hoit any odda of da newsies. I feel like it's me fault fer Angel bein hoit." I said ashamed, not meeting his gaze.
"Foist rule whid newsies, well one o de foist, is dat we stick tegedder." he said (though this actually was pretty true he was making up on the spot). "Yer gonna halfta relize dat de friends ye made are gonna stick wid ye no matter whudd." He lied through his teeth.
I thought about this. "Ye know maybe yer right but it's goin against me stubborness."
"Get used to it an I bet ye can all handle dis situation betta tagedda." he said rolling his eyes and not believing he was even saying this corny shit. I didn't notice. "Why don ye go fer a walk an think about id all." Patrick suggested slyly.
"Thanks a lot." I said smiling at him and getting up. "If anyone asks tell em I went fer a walk ok? See ya later."
"See ya." Patrick (though that wasn't his real name) said watching her walk away. "Fer good." he said to himself with a chuckle.
I was totally oblivious to the lies of "Patrick". I was thinking about the things he had said and wasn't paying to much attention to where I was going. I just noted places I passed so I could get back to the lodging house.
Later I realized it was getting dark and wondered how long I had been out. I had gotten distracted thinking about everything. I hoped that they wouldn't be mad at me for staying out and even going out at all. I turned and began to walk back down the street I had just come up. I paused at the corner and tried to remember a good route back to the lodging house.
"Hmmm...I go down here dan past dose houses den..." I broke off my thinking to myself when I thought I heard something. I didn't here anything anymore after a moment of listening. It was probably my imagination. That was when the stars exploded in my head and everything went black.
"Hi.", I said to them.
"Who are ye?" the younger boy asked me looking puzzled.
"Me names' Doodles, whudd's yers?"
"Me name's Kevin." he replied proudly. "Were hea te see Ang. Dis is me olda brodda Scott."
Scott, de olda brodda looked distracted. "Is she ok?" he asked me worridly.
"She's doin pretty good. How de ye know her?" I replied than asked.
"She's oua sista." Kevin replied.
That would explain why they looked familiar to me.
"Oh she's awake why don't ye go in?"
I joined them as they walked quickly to the door of Spot and Angel's room and pushed it open.
"Scott, Kevin! Whudder ye doin hea?" Angel exclaimed. "Why aren't ye at Toby's?", though she did look happy to see them.
"We hoid whud happened dis mornin through some o da Queen's newsies and started back right away. Are ye sure yer alright?" Scott asked like a worried parent.
"Yea, yea I'm fine. Don't worry bout it." Angel said. "Besides dey won't even let me get up an Spots been carryin me around when I need ta go somewhere."
Scott turned to look at Spot, who had been in the room before we came in. "Glad yer takin care of her.", he said with a smile at Spot.
Just then the door opened again and Jack, Bailey, and Race walked in.
"Oh, hey Scott, hey Kevin. How ye doin?" Jack greeted them.
"Not bad except Ang's gettin hoiself inta trouble again." Scott said. "By da way who wus it anyways? I'm gonna soak em!"
The room fell silent and Angel, Bailey, Spot, Jack, and Race all looked at me.
"Whudd?!" I didn't know what they wanted me to say. "Ok it's me fault! Da people who hoit Angel were afta me an came hea lookin fer me. Dats all I have ta say about it."
I didn't know why but I just felt so angry and it might not have even been anger at them. Maybe it was anger at myself or the way my life was being messed up by Shadow and the Crypts. Whatever the reason I stormed from the room and went outside. I went to the docks and there were a few newsies hanging around but they didn't bother me. I sat down and dangled my feet over the edge as I thought. I didn't know what to do. I thought up solutions but none were what I wanted. I could run away, but that would mean leaving Race as well as everyone else. I could continue on this way, moving from lodging house to lodging house but that way everyone would be in danger of getting hurt just like Angel did. Not to mention what kind of life would that be for my friends and me? I needed to get Shadow and the rest of the Crypts, not to mention the Delancys to stop looking for me but I had no good ideas. As I was thinking a shadow fell over me and I looked up. Above me stood an older newsie I hadn't yet met and he looked foreboding but then again, which Brooklyn newsie didn't?
"Hey, its Doodles right?" he asked me.
"Yea. Whudds yer name?"
"Dey calls me uh... Patrick."
"Nice ta meet ya uh...Patrick. Whudd no nickname?" I said smiling and held out a hand. He shook it quickly than sat down next to me.
"No. Ye look a little troubled." he commented.
"Yea. I'm tryin ta think of a solution fer whudd te do bout...Ye've hoid about..." I said pausing.
"Yea I have."
"Well I don't want dem te hoit any odda of da newsies. I feel like it's me fault fer Angel bein hoit." I said ashamed, not meeting his gaze.
"Foist rule whid newsies, well one o de foist, is dat we stick tegedder." he said (though this actually was pretty true he was making up on the spot). "Yer gonna halfta relize dat de friends ye made are gonna stick wid ye no matter whudd." He lied through his teeth.
I thought about this. "Ye know maybe yer right but it's goin against me stubborness."
"Get used to it an I bet ye can all handle dis situation betta tagedda." he said rolling his eyes and not believing he was even saying this corny shit. I didn't notice. "Why don ye go fer a walk an think about id all." Patrick suggested slyly.
"Thanks a lot." I said smiling at him and getting up. "If anyone asks tell em I went fer a walk ok? See ya later."
"See ya." Patrick (though that wasn't his real name) said watching her walk away. "Fer good." he said to himself with a chuckle.
I was totally oblivious to the lies of "Patrick". I was thinking about the things he had said and wasn't paying to much attention to where I was going. I just noted places I passed so I could get back to the lodging house.
Later I realized it was getting dark and wondered how long I had been out. I had gotten distracted thinking about everything. I hoped that they wouldn't be mad at me for staying out and even going out at all. I turned and began to walk back down the street I had just come up. I paused at the corner and tried to remember a good route back to the lodging house.
"Hmmm...I go down here dan past dose houses den..." I broke off my thinking to myself when I thought I heard something. I didn't here anything anymore after a moment of listening. It was probably my imagination. That was when the stars exploded in my head and everything went black.