SALEM, ERIS, SALEM, ERIS...?
The boy looked down at his cloths, they were dirty, torn, and wrinkled from sleeping in alleyways and trains. He didn't know where he was going. He'd been traveling for a few days and now he ended up in this busy city. There were tall building and a lot of kids running around. Some were selling papers and he saw a few kids pretend to bump into a guy who looked wealthy. The kids apologized and backed away running to an alleyway to count up the money in the wallet they just stole.
"Fire! Thousands Flee in Panic! Man Trapped under Pillar!" A boy shouted waving a paper in the air. He carried many more in his other arm. He walked over to the boy selling.
"Hey, Where am I?" he asked.
"Brooklyn kid. Only a penny a pape!" he continued to shout.
"Well do you know anywhere that I can stay? I don't have any money but I really need to stay in a bed tonight."
"Give me a break kid. I'm busy." The newsboy turned his back on him but a few seconds later he turned back around. "Alright listen, the Brooklyn lodging house is down the road. The first nights free but you gotta talk to Spot. 'E's the leader. If he wants to let you stay you'll have to pay after that. Spot'll set you up so you can get some money." the boy turned around again then turned back "What's yer name kid?"
"Oh uh. Tommy" Tommy was a little surprised by the newsboys' change in mind.
'Alright Tommy just go down there and you'll find the building, cant miss it actually. " The newsboy went back to selling his papes.
Tommy glanced down the road then back and the boy. HE shrugged and started heading down the road. Tommy soon came upon the large building the boy was talking about. The sign looming above the door read Brooklyn Newsboy Lodging House. He looked around, took a deep breath, and opened the door. It was a good-sized room with a desk, that looked about ready to fall apart, sitting near a staircase. A girl about his age sat on the edge of the desk; she was wearing a very pretty dress that seemed a little more expensive then you would expect a newsie to be able to afford. She was looking into a mirror and fixing up her make-up.
"Scuse me." He said walking up to her. "I'm suppose to talk with a Spot or someone about staying here."
The girl didn't look away from the mirror. "Mmhmm… Sign in that book. If you cant sign your name then put an 'X'. First nights free and Spot is not in at the moment." She put her lipstick down and started combing out her long, curly chestnut hair. It hung down past her waist and looked like she was having a difficult time trying to tie it up. Tommy shook his head. Girls were such a mystery to him. He found the log in book she had referred to and signed his name.
"Well I guess I'll just wait." He said to no one, not that the girl was listening anyway. He turned around and headed outside sitting down on the steps.