Daisy
Being in a room full of people was something akin to torture for a bird as well trained as Daisy. She didn't often play roles, preferring by nature to watch from the rooftops than to be in the mist of anything. But she had received an order, a direct order to be in the mist of the Samson Masquerade and thus she stood with her back against a wall in the entryway of the mansion off Fifth Avenue.
A roar of laughter made Daisy's shoulders tense slightly but her firm posture didn't change. She kept her eyes snapped on the distorted reflection of a mob of young people in the face of the glass cabinet across the hall in the open front parlor that had long since been abandoned. It was nearing first light and Daisy was fighting the sleep that was starting to prick against the back of her eyes.
As the dancing stopped, Daisy heard the shuffle in footsteps from a pair of young people getting ready to leave. She waited until she heard the giggling voice of a young Miss Gretchen announced that it was getting late. Daisy stepped lightly away from her post at the wall and skipped urgently into the empty parlor. She emerged carrying two coats and a fashionable clutch perfectly in time with Miss Gretchen and Mr. Davidson as they left the party behind them.
"Ah, what a delightfully trained thing." Miss Gretchen clapped happily. Daisy's nose twitched as she focused on not rolling her eyes at the stupidity of the socially elite.
"Thank you." Mr. Davidson received the jackets gracefully nodding. Daisy kicked her heel into her other heel, spinning slightly and stepping over to hold the door open for the couple.
"Good night." Daisy whispered, barely looking at the woman and man as they stepped into the darkness of the night. She lingered at the door for a second, to look out across the street and check for Matches. She had seen him earlier in the night, sitting perched among the leaves with a ridiculous green hat hiding his red hair. But even her constant partner had disappeared from the branches. A soft whistle escaped into the house as she pushed the door closed, informing the bird of where Matches had gone.
Audrey turned her head to stare into the empty entryway, searching instinctually for the shadow from which the hushed whistle escaped. Though it would be easily to believe she had imagined the familiar twitter of air being harmonized between a child's lips, the young lady was well aware of the presence of the birds tonight. She had long since noticed Daisy, blatantly posing as a hired hand in the Samson household.
"Is something wrong?" Jacob whispered as the rest of the group laughed. Audrey forced out a giggle as she reached up tucking a stray curl behind her right ear. She shook her head, softly and discreetly as she turned her attentions back to the ever socially delightful Grayson Williams. Although Audrey maintained a polite stare in the direction of the young gentlemen while he reenacted an adventurous jaunt in the wilderness of Africa, she was focused on listening beyond the warmth of the socially elite.
She impatiently and mindless started tapping her mask against her lap, trying to interpret the faint whistle she had just heard. Suddenly the world around her had lost its charm, a glittering room packed with after party guests of the Samson sisters. Audrey had been invited by Elizabeth, the only sister to delight in her presence. The pretty young ward of the Longfellow household had outshone most of the other girls at the party in her magnificent Cinderella garb and the added benefit of being escorted most of the night by the coveted Mr. Jacob Canterbury. She had smiled, danced and chatted marvelously until this point in the late evening when the real world seemed to reach out to her.
Grayson Williams had reached a particularly vivid part of his tale and began to mimic a natural birdcall as he jumped around the room. The loud and frightfully familiar sound made Audrey panic enough to drop her mask from surprise. The mask didn't even hit the floor before Jacob had it secured in his grasp. Audrey pressed her eyes closed for a beat, before opening them to stare at Jacob as she reached out for her mask.
Jacob Henry Canterbury had a bemused expression on his handsome face. He had his head slightly tilted in a curious manner and the hand grasping Audrey's mask hung delicately in the air. He held out the mask to her without ever opening his mouth to ask her what it was that was wrong again. Jacob had learned months before that the girl never changed her mind about answering a question she didn't want to be asked. Elizabeth snuck a glance at her two friends from the shore ever curious about their friendship and the secrets they appeared to share with every batted eyelash and silent request. She had noticed how Audrey had tensed in posture and how Jacob hadn't removed his gaze from her since the last guests had left.
Grayson had begun to bow as his story had reached an ending and the group politely clapped at his antics. Jacob took his cue to stand and offer his hand to Audrey.
"I have a train to catch tomorrow and I promised Mr. Longfellow to have Miss Audrey home before sun up." Jacob smiled dashingly to the other guests. Audrey took his hand as she pulled herself up and smiled brightly.
"And I doubt any story could quite top Mr. Williams adventures."
Grayson Williams glided over to her and took his hand in a dramatic sweep and kiss her hand. A wave of resent ripple through the young ladies of the room as Miss Kai held the hand of one eligible bachelor while receiving attentions from a second.
"But I was about to suggest Hank tell a shrieking ghost tale." Grayson winked.
"Ah better leave then before he convinces me of the ghouls that are wandering about in the night." Audrey laughed lightly as she nodded to the gentlemen playing with the lace of the oldest Samson sister's sleeve.
"I will walk you out," Elizabeth jumped up from the seat she had been occupying next to Audrey. After an exchange of polite farewells, Jacob led both ladies out of the light of the party and into the entryway.
"I am still so sorry your sister could not join us Jacob." Elizabeth lamented once again.
"I don't think your sisters were," Jacob barely whispered. Audrey flicked a finger at the young man's arm at his bluntness.
"Jacob," She chastised, surprising herself by how much she sounded like Casey.
"I think he might be right, dreadful how they throw themselves at all of them." Elizabeth grumbled not even bothering to look over her shoulder at her sisters.
"Leave your sisters be," Audrey sighed. She was quietly annoyed at having to be the voice of reason among her friends. Jacob shrugged, hurrying the process of biding the youngest Samson farewell as he pushed Audrey out the door in her coat.
As soon as the two young people were out onto the street, Audrey's eyes began to scan the darkness. She strained her ears to listen beyond the soft murmur of Jacob's voice beside her, to hear the whispers or distant whistling of her constant shadows. But as Jacob led her across a street, Audrey smiled at the stillness of the night. Critter would be proud of his legacy, birds that fade to the point of disappearing onto the streets of New York.
"If I didn't know better, I would think you were looking for someone out here in the middle of the night." Jacob teased. Audrey's wandering eyes finally settled on the bemused expression on her escort's face.
"Just a ghost…"
Across the street a carriage sat shrouded in darkness and sitting perfectly still, as if waiting for a dinner guest long since gone. Daisy had her body pressed against the back wheel of the carriage, carefully hiding even her shadows from the prying eyes of Audrey Kai.
"Did she see a ghost tonight?" Critter whispered from somewhere inside the carriage. Daisy frowned as she craned her neck to look around the empty sidewalk. Critter pushed the door open and with a firm grasp, latched onto Daisy's pristine pressed white collar and pulled her into the carriage with him.
Daisy stumbled into the carriage, using her own hand to keep Critter from unintentionally choking her to death. She used her free hand to stabilize her landing into the seat across from Critter, but didn't bother to study his figure but instead leaned slightly to check that Audrey had reached the doorstep of the Longfellow home.
"She's inside." Critter chuckled. He leaned forward letting his elbows rest on his knees as he took in Daisy's appearance. As Daisy settled back into plush seat she noticed the frown etched into Critter's features.
"Stealing from the rich Crit?" Daisy smiled brightly as she started untangling her light locks from the restrictive bun. She avoided staring at the look of anger on Critter's face, she was confidant it couldn't be anything she had done.
Critter kept his eyes fixed on her movements as the girl undid her hair and let the long strands dance over her shoulders. She didn't have any sense of modestly as she began unbuttoning the back of her black dress. Critter's frown slowly melted off his face as Daisy shrugged back into her slightly oversized brown coat with the misplaced button that she had sewn in herself to tighten the cloth over her petite waist. Critter started to lean back as Daisy leaned over her knees and pulled out a scrap of newspaper. The bird didn't read it, or even look at the scrap but merely used her thumb to collect ink to press into her clean cheeks.
"Feel better?" Critter questioned. Before Daisy opened her mouth to respond, the loud rumble of her empty stomach answered for her. Critter chuckled again as he reached into his own coat pocket and took out a sandwich wrapped in a napkin.
"So you ain't mad at me?" Daisy stated as she took the food offering.
"Done something to feel guilty about?" Critter asked seriously as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"No." Daisy snapped immediately. Critter's eyebrow shot up as if he questioned her sincerity.
"You were frowning." Daisy shrugged as she took a big bite of the food.
"You just looked so very young again," Critter sighed.
"I'm not nine anymore." Daisy stated firmly. When Critter O'Connell had found Daisy, she had been a nine-year-old recently dismissed maid. Critter had taken her under his wing along with a ragtag boy who sold matches and taught them how to be birds. There was nothing in the world Daisy loved more than being a bird, so when Critter had asked her at the age of nine and at the age of eighteen to be a maid again for the sake of being a bird she could not refuse.
"You don't seem surprised to see me." Critter kicked up his feet.
"Birds are never surprised to see anyone." Daisy recited between bites. Critter nodded, annoyed that his own words were being echoed back to him.
"Well?" Critter finally prompted.
"Jasper…" Daisy started.
"Don't you say it," Critter warned.
"What do you want to know?' Daisy sighed as she crumpled up the rest of the paper that once held the sandwich she devoured. Critter coughed impatiently.
"I arrived late this afternoon…" Daisy began.
Author's Note: Some wonderful soul has nominated Finish the Fight to New York Newsies Awards, and to actually make it into the final round the story has to be within the top 5 nominations. Taking that into account, if you like (or even love) this work in progress... go on over to nyna