Next chapter! this is the next morning, no big time jump this time.
When I woke up, I started to sit up, but I heard movement and stopped. I lay there and just listened for a little while. When I finally opened my eyes a tiny bit, I saw Ilya walking out with a bag over his shoulder. I heard the front door open and close. I ran into the kitchen and to my surprise, saw him sitting at the table. I decided it was better not to ask. I got some bread and honey and sat down next to him. I offered him some and he took it. We didn't speak at all, or even look at each other, until Mama emerged from her room. Her long, wavy brown hair was tangled, and her face was still tear stained. When she entered, trying to smile, he put his breakfast down and stood. He kissed Mama on the cheek and then, avoiding both our eyes, opened the front door.
"Ilya?" The only answer was the sound of his footsteps after a second. I jumped up and went out into the hallway. He had his leather bag over his shoulder. "Ilya." My voice was quiet. I might have only been 10, but I wasn't dumb. He was running away. He turned and looked at me for a second. Then he slowly shook his head and continued down the stairs. He was running away! "Mama!" She came out just in time to see him disappear. She ran after him and I followed. When we got down to the street, he was nowhere in sight. He had disappeared into the crowd. I took Mama's hand and we went back upstairs and into number 36. She sat down at the table, but didn't cry like I thought she would. "Aren't we going to look for him?"
"Ivan, sometimes people don't want to be found. Why don't you go and sell papers, alright? We'll talk later, ok? I need to think." I nodded and went into my room and got dressed. I came back into the room and she hadn't moved. She hugged me and I left,a few coins jingling in my pocket. As I closed the door, I knew that now she would cry. Popi was gone, and now Ilya was gone too. I went to the distribution office where only a few newsies remained. I bought my papers from the fat Italian man behind the counter and headed to some of the spots where Spud and I had sold before. I sold out pretty quickly and sat down on a park bench. I just sat there the rest of the day. Well, after awhile I lay down. I don't know what I expected to happen. Maybe I was watching for Ilya. I don't know. As the sun was just starting to set, a shadow fell across me. I looked up and saw Spud standing there. I sat up and he sat next to me.
"What's up kid? Why're yeh out heah?"
"Ilya ran away. This morning." He didn't answer. Spud was good at that. He didn't talk unless something really needed to be said. I buried my face in his arm. "It's not fair!" I wanted to cry, I really really did, but I just couldn't find any tears.
"I know Ivan. Life ain't fair." I looked up at him.
"Do you know where he went?" He sighed.
"Yeah. I saw 'im earlier, headin across da bridge. I didn think anythin of it. He went ta Brooklyn." Brooklyn. There was no chance of getting him back now. The Brooklyn newsies were known to be the toughest around. If Ilya joined them, he'd have no interest in coming back to boring old Manhattan. I pulled my knees to my chest. "Yeh should probably be gettin home, it's gettin dark. Come on." He walked with me back to the building. I walked up the stairs alone. The 3 had fallen off our door again, but I left it there. Mama was sitting exactly where she had sat down that morning. I sat down across from her.
"Baby, you know things got tougher when Popi lost his job?" I nodded. "Everything's going to be even harder now. I don't want you to have to live like that." She reached out and took my hand. "What would you say to this? You go to stay somehwere until I can make everything work. Then I'll come back and get you. Does that sound good?"
"You mean an orphanege?" She nodded, her blue eyes filling with tears. I ran over to her and hugged her. "I understand Mama." She kissed the top of my head and rocked me back and forth on her lap. After a long time, I sort of fell asleep. I say sort of because I was entirely asleep, just not completely awake. Mama carried me into my room. The thing is, after she left, I was wide awake. I couldn't sleep. I sat up and then I couldn't even bring myself to lay back down. Instead, I spent all night playing cards and rereading papers I had kept under my bed. I did everything I could not to look over at Ilya's empty bed. When the sky outside started to get lighter, I put away my game of solitare, took off my glasses, and laid down. I still coudln't fall asleep, so I just laid there. I could hear footsteps above me. The people in number 46 always got up really early. I wondered if the people below us were woken up by our footsteps every morning. I decided that when I came back, I'd be more quiet. After about a hour of thinking about nothing in particular, Mama opened my door.
"Ivan, wake up sweetheart." I rolled over and put my glasses on. "Pack up your things and then we'll have some breakfast, alright?" I nodded and she left. I got up and changed into my grey pants and a blue plaid shirt. I let the suspenders hang down, but made sure I tucked in the shirt and put on my grey vest. Then I pulled my bag out from under my bed and placed it on the floor. I packed all of my clothes, my extra shoes, my hair brush(after using it), and my deck of cards. I was sitting there, staring at my bag, when I heard ticking. I turned towards Ilya's bed. Slowly, I crawled over to it and lifted his pillow. Laying there was a pocket watch. Next to it was a piece of paper. I carefully unfolded it. "For Ivan" was all it said. I took the watch and studied it for a second before putting it on top of the rest of my things and closing the bag. Mama and I had breakfast without speaking. Then I grabbed my bag and we left. I waved to our neighbors as we left. I don't think any of them realized I wasn't coming back for a long time. I was really dissapointed I didn't see Mr. Kolenkhov. We walked for a really long time. My feet hurt when we finally reached the gloomy looking building that was the orphanege. I held on tight to Mama's hand as we entered. An old lady looked up from behind the counter and smiled.
"How can I help you?"
"I called on our building's phone last night." The old lady nodded and motioned to a boy who was walking into the room.
"Jeffery, this is Ivan. After he says good-bye, can you show him to the bunk room?" The boy nodded. I turned to Mama and hugged her.
"Good-bye baby. I'll some and get you as soon as I can, alright?" I nodded. After a long time, she stood up and went with the orphanege lady. The boy named Jeffery picked up my bag.
"Come one Ivan, I'll show you your bed." I followed him into a bunk room where he placed my bag on an empty bed. The only other person there was a girl with short brown hair who looked a little older than mesitting on the bed next to mine. She didn't look up when we came in, just kept staring out the open window. "That's Caroline. She doesn't really talk to anyone. I guess yeh'll wanna stay in hear and unpack a little." I nodded. "If yeh need anything, the name's Snap."
"I thought you were Jeffery."
"I used to be. That's what my parents called me, before they left me. Now only Mrs. Baker says it. Only cause she don't like the nick names. Yeh gonna be ok?" I nodded and he left. I opened my bag and sitting on top was the pocket watch. I picked it up and stared at it for a long time. The more I looked at it, the more I was angry. At all of them. I felt tears running down my face. I closed my hand over the glass face. I could feel the steady ticking against my palm. Tick, tick, tick, tick, its pulse matching mine. My eyes squeezed shut. Tick, tick, tick, tick. How could they have done this to me? I was so mad. Tick, tick, tick, tick. Everything I did was in time with it, just for those few minutes. I tried to hold back the sobs I knew were growing inside me. Tick, tick, tick, tick. I finally couldn't take it anymore. I turned and threw the watch though the open window. Then I collapsed on my bed and cried.
"Did they abandon you?" I looked up and saw the girl called Caroline looking at me. I waited for a second until my breathing was steady again.
"No. My Popi died, and then my brother ran away, and then Mama left me here until she has enough money. But I don't want to be here, I want to go home!" She turned to face me, her legs hanging over the edge of her bed, her feet just above the ground.
"Mine too. My nana lives out west and she got real sick. My parents left me here to go help her. That's why I've never talked to anyone. If I make friends, that's a reason to stay. And if they know I had friends, then maybe they wouldn't come and get me. But it's been so long, and I've been trying to talk to people, but I've kept away from them for so long that now they don't want to talk to me. They think I'm weird."
"How long have you been here?"
"Four years. Spent sitting in here waiting for them to come."
"And you never talked to anyone?" She shook her head.
"Not unless I had to. I just wish they'd talk to me now."
"I'll be your friend." She smiled, just a small, shy smile. I smiled too, a little, wiping tears from my face.
"Since you're my friend, can I ask you something?" I nodded. "Why did you throw that watch out the window?" I could feel tears again. She looked a little bit sorry that she had asked.
"It was my brother's." I started to cry again. "He left it for me and I found it. I'm so mad at him!" I was talking between sobs now. "If he hadn't run away, I'd still be-" The old lady appeared in the doorway.
"Someone's here to see you Ivan." I stood, tears still falling. She motioned into the room and left. Spud stepped in. I ran to him and hugged him. He let me just hug him for awhile before half leading, half carrying me over to my bed and sitting down. I held onto him and just cried and cried. And he let me. He knew when it was best to do that, and I was glad. I sat up after a pretty long time, wiping tears from my cheeks.
"You're still gonna keep your promise, right?"
"As long as I can." He took off his hat and put it on my head. "An if I can't, yeh've always got da newsies." I reached up and touched the grey hat.
"You're not giving this to me, are you?" He ran a hand through his red hair.
"Not unless yeh want it." He was sort of smiling and I smiled back. I took off the hat and looked at it, then back at him.
"Thanks."
"No problem. I gotta go, only had time ta stop in fer a minute. Gotta sell da rest o me papes. I'll come back an see yeh when I get a chance, alright?" I nodded. "See yeh lata den. Carryin da bannah."
"Carryin the banner." He smiled and left.
"Your name's Ivan." I'd forgotten Caroline was there. I'd also forgotten she didn't know my name.
"Yeah, I know." She smiled. "An yours is Caroline."
"Yep. Who was that?"
"Spud. He's my friend." She walked over and sat next to me.
"So am I." She took the hat from my hands and placed it on my head. She couldn't possibly know how much that meant to me. I smiled and hugged her.