Hayley gasped at the realization she was in the company of another female, but it was drowned out by a sharp blast of the train's whistle. The next moment the freight train lurched forward, causing Hayley to tumble into the side of the car once more. She wondered just how many bruises she might have before she made it to New York. The train quickly gained momentum, and then settled into a steady pace. Feeling it was finally safe to speak, the girl apologized to Hayley.
"Sorry if I startled you there," she said, seating herself next to Hayley. "But I didn't come all the way from Philly just to get caught."
"You came from Philadelphia? What are you doing all the way out here?" Hayley asked.
"Running away," she replied nonchalantly. "And from the looks of it, so are you."
"Why are you running away?"
"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," the girl said, somewhat evasively. "I'm Melody"
"I'm Hayley," she said, and Melody gruffly shook her hand.
"Where you headed, Hayley?" inquired Melody.
"Probably New York City. I don't know; I haven't really planned this out too well," Hayley started to worry about what she was going to do once she got off of the train.
"I'm headed for Manhattan myself," Melody told her. "You can stick with me; I could use the company." Hayley wasn't sure if she really wanted to stick with this girl, but she nodded her head in agreement anyway.
As the train sped on to their destination, Hayley and Melody got better acquainted and realized they had much in common. They were both the same age (16), both were wearing "borrowed" clothes from their brothers, thinking it was safer to travel as a male, and neither had any idea what they would do once they reached the city. Frigid air blew through the slats of the freight car, and Hayley hoped they would be able to find shelter—it would be miserable to sleep outside tonight…
"Hayl! Hayley! Get up!" Hayley felt Melody shaking her awake and realized she had dozed off. She also realized the train had stopped.
"What time is it?" Hayley asked, observing that it was still dark outside.
"Near morning," Melody was scrambling to gather all of their belongings together. "But we're here. We have to go NOW."
Hayley heard the patter of rain begin to fall against the car. Together, the girls slowly maneuvered the door of the freight car open. They saw no one around, so they hopped out and tried to find a way to pass the stationmaster unseen.
"HEY! What're you boys doing there?" Hayley looked up to see a large man in uniform coming towards them. Melody grabbed her arm and the two girls made a break for the exit. They ran as hard as they could, ignoring the yells of the station workers.
"Don't look back," Melody warned, but Hayley snuck a peek over her shoulder anyway. They were still being pursued. The rain had frozen and stung against the girls' faces as they forced their bodies to run faster still.
Unlike her counterpart, Hayley was not very athletic. She felt herself tiring, but Melody dragged her along, block after block. Few people were out on the dark streets to intercept them, but they could still hear the officer's footsteps behind them. The hail falling from the sky gradually grew in until pea-sized droplets rained down on them. Melody unexpectedly darted off the main road and down the smaller streets as Hayley did her best to keep up.
"Mel, I can't go much further," Hayley pleaded.
"There!" her friend skidded to a stop on the wet pavement in front of a doorway. A sign read "Newsboys Lodging House." Hayley prayed it would be open.