Title: Secrets Behind the Lies
Author: Stress
First written: June 27, 2002- March 19, 2004
Edited and replaced: May 16, 2006
Summary: Part II of the Soul Mates Series; After living in Manhattan for two years, Stress thought she knew everything about Jack Kelly or, should we say Francis Sullivan? Well, guess not.
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Inside the Refuge
Night had fallen across Manhattan and Jack was no closer to figuring out how he was going to escape from the Refuge. Last time it had been easy - wait until Snyder was all tight and cozy in his office eating supper and make a break for it. But this time Snyder was smart. He knew that if given the opportunity, Jack would be out of there quicker than he could say "Sullivan." So, instead of sticking him in the bunkroom with the rest of the orphans in the Refuge, Snyder put him in a solitary cell -- locked, of course -- two doors from his office where he could make sure that Jack would stay put. As Jack stared at the door and tried to think of a way to escape, he began to speak aloud to himself. "I wonder if King and Stress noticed that I was gone yet?"
Meanwhile, Stress and King, who did know that he was gone and were trying their damndest to rescue him, were in the girls' holding room, two doors from Snyder's office on the other side of the hall. "So, let me get this straight," Stress asked, facing the four girls -- Illusion, Briar, Gambler and Raider -- who had been in the same paddy wagon as Jack, "Snyder brought all five of you in, stuck you girls in here for now and gave Jack his own room, two doors past Snyder's office on the other side. That's why when me and my pal, King, snuck into the Refuge just now, we met you four and not Cowboy?"
Raider took the brown cowboy hat she was wearing off her head for a moment. "Yup, that sounds about right, missy. That mean old varmint got us girls for just hanging around outside. What was that fancy word he used?"
"Snyder said we was 'loitering', what ever that means," replied Briar.
"Anyways, he threw us in here and put your friend in a cell all by himself. Are you'se guys really going to go break him out?" asked Illusion.
"Betcha five to one they get caught," added Gambler.
Stress looked at Gambler for a second and grinned as she twirled the hairpin that she had used to unlock the holding room's door. "Ya mean, we, cause I got a plan," she smirked as she motioned for the four other girls and a forlorn King to lean in to hear Stress' brilliant plan.
- - -
"So, after you two get Snyder over here, slam the door and we're all home free," Stress finished her plan and grinned cheesily when all but one of the listeners nodded their agreement.
"I dunno..." hesitated King, thinking that he'd be screwed forever if her plan failed and he got himself a six month sentence in the Refuge for helping five prisoners to escape.
Stress turned her eyes on King and stared. "This is me best friend we're talking about. I ain't leaving him here in the Refuge. Understand, King?"
King stared down at the girl in amazement. This was his Cupcake, the girl he found sitting on that side of the road two years ago? My, my, how people change. "You're the boss, Cupcake."
"Good," Stress nodded her head once before turning back to look at the other girls, "Raider, Briar? Are you two ready? Ya know when to give me the signal, right?"
Raider and Briar looked at each other nervously and grinned. "I think so," Raider answered as Briar crossed her fingers behind her back; she really didn't feel like getting caught.
"All right then, let's go." Stress held the door open for the two girls and gave them a thumbs-up before closing the door - leaving it open enough for Stress to watch for their signal.
Briar tittered nervously as Raider took a deep breath before the two of them walked over to the door of Snyder's office and prepared to knock. With her hand poised in a knocking position, Raider whispered to Briar, "Why are we doing this again, Briar?"
Briar sneaked a look back at the room where she had been sitting for that entire day. "Because those two are going to help us sneak outta the Refuge, that's why."
"Oh, yeah. I remember now." Raider took one more breath and knocked on the door. "Warden Snyder?"
Snyder, who had been eating a nice supper of corn beef and cabbage, arose from his seat and answered the door. "I wonder who it could be," he asked out loud, fully aware that all the rooms of the Refuge were locked and no one would be able to be walking around. He gasped in surprise as he opened his door, before his shocked expression turned into a sneer. Standing outside of his office door were two of the street rats that he and Mulvaney had brought in that afternoon. "What are you two doing out of your holding room? I told you I would give you all bunks after my supper."
Raider was about to respond when Briar just grabbed her by the arm and entered the office, making sure she shut the door behind her. "Oh, Warden Snyder, we got so scared in that room that when we tried to open the door, and it turned, me and Raider decided to come talk to you."
Snyder raised an eyebrow, ignoring the fact that Briar had closed his office door behind him. "Why were you girls scared?"
Meanwhile, Stress peeked her head out of the holding room in time to see Briar's hand shut the office door behind her. "O.K., guys. Briar just gave us the signal, let's go." Pausing briefly to make sure that no one else was walking around that would witness their ploy, Stress led King, Illusion and Gambler towards the room where they knew Jack was staying. King handed Stress her hairpin once more when they arrived in front of his room and she quickly was able to unlock the door. "Cowboy?"
Jack was sitting on the floor, his head in his hands, as he debated which escape plan would be the most sensible. Though he had ignored the faint metal clicking outside of his door, he couldn't ignore it when he heard a familiar voice call out his nickname. "Stress?"
Stress rushed forward, leaving King, Illusion and Gambler to stand at the door, and gave Jack a quick hug. "Of course it's me. Ya didn't think that I'd leave you here to rot, did you? I mean, even if you're a liar, I couldn't leave you here."
"What do you mean, 'a liar'?" Jack asked, thrown off guard by her words.
King looked at the scowl on Stress' face and he knew that she had been longing to ask Jack about what they had overheard Snyder and Jack talking about outside the Refuge. "Uh- guys? We ain't home free yet," he pointed out as he motioned to Gambler and Illusion to step inside so that he could close the door behind him.
"King's right. But don't worry, Cowboy. We'll have a nice chat once we all make it outta here," Stress announced as she crossed her arms over her chest and headed towards the door to wait for Briar and Raider's knock.
Jack just nodded and looked at King with questioning eyes. "What did I do now?" they seemed to ask. King just shrugged. "I just hope that Briar and Raider are following their side of the plan," he murmured to himself, trying to figure out, once again, what he was doing in a cell in the Refuge when he should be out looking for Gip.
And, back in Snyder's office, Briar and Raider were just about completing their part of the plan. "So, you see Warden Snyder, me and Raider got real afraid of that spider in our room and we thought you would be so kind as to kill it," Briar explained.
Snyder nodded and smiled his "creepy adult" smile. It was about time he did something that constituted as "work". "O.K., children, I will kill the spider. Just show me the way."
Raider nodded, and crossing her fingers that the others were already safely in Jack's cell awaiting their second signal, opened the door. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that the hall was clear. "It's right this way, sir." Raider opened the door to the holding room and pointed towards the far right corner of the room. "That's where the spider was."
Snyder stepped forward into the holding room, checking out the right corner before turning his eyes upon the rest of the room. "Sure thing, chil-- Wait a second. Wasn't there two more of you in here?" Snyder felt a flash of anger that was only intensified when he heard the distinctive click of a door locking. When he had entered the holding room, Briar and Raider had locked him in. "Let me out!" he began to cry, banging on the door, "Let me out or else you will spend the rest of your miserable little lives in here!"
"'Let me out or else you will spend the rest of your miserable little lives in here.' I don't think so, buddy," laughed Raider as she, and Briar, ran four doors down and banged on the room they knew held the others. "Hey Lulu, Gamby? Stress? King? All clear!"
Gambler opened the door, annoyed at the awkward tension that filled the air. "Let's go, girls." She, Illusion, Briar and Raider hurried their goodbye's, congratulating Stress on the success of her plan, before quickly leaving the back door of the Refuge.
After watching the four go, King looked from Stress to Jack, and back to Stress. "Well, um, now that we saved the Cowboy, Cupcake, I'm going to go find Gip."
Stress nodded and King left. Ignoring the fact that the two of them were still standing in a cell of the Refuge, Jack walked over to Stress, who was still standing next to the door, and threw out his hands. "O.K., Stressie. What did I do?"
Stress rolled her eyes and scoffed. "First, Francis, I think we should take this outside." With that parting remark, Stress flounced outside the cell and darted outside of the prison.
Jack paused for a moment, the one word echoing in his ear: Francis...Francis...Francis. How did she know? "Stressie, wait for me!" he called before following her out of the Refuge and chasing after her. With her headstart, Jack was barely able to find her in the evening crowd. But that was all right, he knew where she would be going.