I want a hippopotamous for Christmas, but reviews will be just as good. ;o)
That night Claire dreamt about a small, dark woman screaming awful things she didn't understand. The woman pulled a seven-year-old version of herself by the hair violently while she cried, asking "What did I do Mommy? You're hurting me!" The woman just pulled harder and pushed her down a flight of cold, dark stairs leading to a damp basement. She fell head over heels and lay crumpled on the floor sobbing. After a little while she saw light from the top of the stairs that hurt her eyes and Jack ran down. He hugged her and led her up towards the painfully clean kitchen where their mother stood menacingly. She began to beat Jack and as hard as she tried Claire couldn't turn away or make any noise when she tried to scream.
"Claire? Are you okay?" Jack asked as he woke up his sister who was suddenly very pale. He had heard her tossing and turning all night and he was worried going back to their old home would be too much for her. He knew how scarred she was from being abused there. She had been delicate since then. He knew she was getting better, she was finally able to let people touch her without feeling threatened, but going back there could bring back so much pain for her.
"Yeah," she said weakly. "I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."
"Well, are youse still up for this?" he questioned and she nodded yes. "Here are some clothes for today. You don't need a dress fo' movin'. I'll meet cha downstairs. Be quiet, everyone else is asleep."
Claire thanked him and went to get changed in the bathrooms. She stood in front of the mirror feeling groggy. Her curly hair seemed to be sticking out everywhere and defying gravity. Once it was brushed out she thought about the strange color of it. It was an odd mix of her father's dark red hair and her mother's almost black making a brownish-burgundy shade. She pulled it up and used some twine to tie it. She stuck it all under a gray cap strategically placing it to avoid a giant lump on her head. She really looked like a boy in the trousers, shirt and hat.
She walked down the stairs slowly. She was thinking about how the lodging house wasn't her home anymore. It made her a little sad but she knew now was the right time to get a place of her own. Plus the apartment Spot had found her was perfect. "Some a the other guys said they're gonna come ova ta help once theyse done wit der papes." Jack said, not really expecting an answer. His sister wasn't a morning person. She just yawned and nodded sleepily.
When they reached the old house Spot was leaning up against a wagon big enough to move everything in one trip with his arms crossed over his chest. His signature smirk seemed to silently chuckle at Claire's surprised, smiling face. "Wow, where did this some from?" she asked petting one of the two horses in the harness.
"I borrowed it from a guy I know." His tone was different from the one he had used last night with Claire. It was harsher, not mean, just more authoritative. He smirked, obviously proud of how he'd come through to help someone her cared about again but didn't want to show it. Claire wasn't surprised, he had to act like the smooth, tough leader of the Brooklyn around anyone but her. She knew his reputation was everything to him. "Well, wese gottastoit finding' you some stuff, right?"
Nodding and gathering all her nerve, Claire followed the boys up the stairs of the wrap-around porch. It had obviously been ignored since the Sullivan's had all left. Her and Jack had apparently forgotten to lock the doors so many years ago when they were the last to leave after realizing their mother wasn't coming back. Everything was the same, so much the same it bothered Claire. What disturbed her the most was seeing her old bedroom. It didn't look like it belonged to a scared, abused girl. It's lilac walls and frilly fabrics suggested it was a happy, rich girl's who's every wish was carried out. She had to leave almost immediately.
Besides that incident everything went smoothly. Unlike what Jack and Spot had expected, Claire remained completely emotionless. She felt empty more than anything. She couldn't explain it, but the closest feeling to it was deprived, deprived of a childhood, deprived of love, deprived of security. She did her best to hide it and Jack, Spot and other newsies that stopped by to help bought it.
Even though it had caused certain memories to resurface, Claire decided that it was worth it as she looked at the wagon full of furniture and boxes. Spot jumped up and she sat next to him while Jack hopped in the back with Blink and Racetrack who had been helping. The trip back towards the bridge was quick, but Claire got off early to do a quick bit of shopping so she could make dinner for the boys that had been so nice to stay this long. She picked up some bread and sliced ham from the nearest general store and hurried back to the apartment.
When she got back the amount of help had almost doubled and almost all of the furniture was in the apartment waiting to be put in its proper place. She helped move the aged table and tables into the small sunny kitchen. Spot, Jack and Mush were all hauling a big tan armchair up the stairs. Race, David and Blink were reassembling the bed in the sage-colored bedroom. Dutchy and Boots slid the burnt-orange couch across the into place in front of the fireplace. Though the work was hard the boys made fun of each other and faked fights which made everything more fun.
Around five thirty Claire made the dinner out of what she had bought for everyone. They all sat talking and laughing. Claire kept catching Spot staring at her, but she wasn't the only one. Jack saw his friend's gaze fall on his sister multiple times. If it hadn't been for David not minding Jack being with Sarah, he would have been outraged. Falling in love with Sarah, his friend's sister, had changed his opinion. He realized that you can't help who you fall for, you just have to hope they catch you. In fact his was relieved it was Spot and not someone he didn't trust.
Authors Note: I'm sorry guys, I tried. I really tried. I wanted to get the chapter on Christmas out before Christmas but its 10:30 on Christmas Eve and soon my parents will be very agitated I'm still up. (I know it isn'tlate but there's no point to arguing with them.) I hang my head in shame. Teehee. Anyways, it'll be up soon-ish I think.