Discalimer: We don't own newsies, yadda, yadda. I'm going tobe tired of that by the end...
so yes, we're going to go back to Emilyanne for a bit in the interests of chronological order. Hope you enjoy it!
The next few days were perfect in the eyes of Emilyanne. She had found a companion in the depressed but adorable Skittery. As luck would have it, they had many of the same opinions on things and shared a love for music. Her thin façade of shyness was broken by his patience and kindness to her, and she was soon very open with him about almost everything.
By and by, the two became virtually inseparable. They would meet in Central Park each evening, after Skittery had finished selling and Emilyanne had gotten off of work. The couple would discuss their daily observations, and enjoy the feeling of just being together. One day, about three weeks after their initial meeting in the shop, the talk turned to their pasts, a subject that had been carefully avoided by both parties.
"So, Sage, is there some kind of story behind those blue eyes of yours? Or are you just another New Yorker starved for money?" Skittery said jokingly, and held Emilyanne's hand in his as they slowly made their usual path around the lake. She smiled, but was hesitant about revealing her gloomy past to Michael.
"Actually, no, I'm not a native New Yorker. I thought my accent gave that away," Emilyanne said unhurriedly, still trying to steer clear of the subject. Skittery shrugged casually, but gave her a look that communicated his obvious interest in her history. Emilyanne continued, "I am originally from Georgia. My father owned a plantation near Savannah that had been in the family for several generations. My family was fairly wealthy, but after the Civil War, we slowly had to lease sections of land to farmers to continue to provide for ourselves in the way we were accustomed to. Eventually, after I was born, we only had about twenty acres to ourselves, which was a very small amount compared to the 350 acres we had owned at the beginning of the century. Then, one night about 4 years ago, I awoke to smoke filling my bedroom."
Emilyanne halted briefly here, and took a deep breath to regain her self-control. She wasn't going to allow herself to shed tears yet again over the event that had haunted her since she was fifteen. Skittery waited patiently for her to finish, not wanting to push her into giving more information than she wanted to share. Finally, she continued, not daring to look at the young man that strolled beside her in the fear that she would lose her power over her emotions.
"I left the house as fast as I could through an open window, but I was the only one who made it out. I learned from the firemen dispatched to our home that the fire was deliberately set. Apparently, my father had been stealing money from the farmers who cultivated the leased land. The farmers got angry and shot my parents before setting fire to their bedroom. My parents were already dead as I was trying to escape."
Skittery had no idea how to respond to this dark tale. He simply looked over at her in astonishment, and noticed a tear sliding down her face before she speedily reached up to brush it away. He was about to say something comforting when she spoke again.
"I heard about a need for seamstresses in a factory in Maryland, but accidentally got on a train to New York instead a few days later. I got here, and decided to stay, especially after finding a job in Mrs. Stevenson's dress shop. She was very kind to me, and saw through my grief that was still very fresh at that time. She hired me, and I have been living here ever since," Emilyanne finished her story, and smiled at what she decided to say next. "Then I met a young man who called himself Skittery, and it was in that moment that I was certain that this is exactly where I should be."
Skittery grinned at Sage. This girl, who was so full of ghastly memories herself, could make him smile. That, in his opinion, was a miracle.
"Well, Mr. Skittery, I feel that since I have divulged my story to you, that you should show your chivalrous side and reciprocate in kind," Emilyanne said playfully, pushing aside any disheartening emotions that she may have felt earlier.
Skittery thought briefly about what he should say, then decided to dive into his life story, which seemed like naught compared to her tragic account.
"I'm very sorry about what happened to your parents. If it makes you feel any better, I never knew my parents. They left me at my aunt's doorstep when I was about three months old and never looked back. I lived with that witch and went to school like a good little boy until I was ten, when I decided to take up the admirable trade of being a newsie. I left her house in New Jersey, and never looked back. I met up with Jack and the others a week later when I reached Manhattan, and I finally felt like I belonged somewhere," Skittery stated. Emilyanne smirked.
"Don't kid yourself. I may not have known you very long, but I have learned to tell when you're hiding something. That 'Jack' was definitely weighted with something. I feel that I should have the right to know what that 'something' is," Emilyanne looked pointedly at Skittery, who sighed noticeably.
"You know me too well," He replied in mock unhappiness, but continued anyway. "When I was seventeen, I was a very well-respected person in our group of newsboys. The leader of our group, known as Joe to most of us, decided to leave the group and get married to this girl he had met. As one of the older members of our gang, I was instantly favored for the newly opened position as leader. I was selling about 1500 papes a week, without any effort at all. I was just talented in that way. Then came Jack's big rescue from the Refuge. All of the newsies got together and unanimously voted Jack the leader. Well, it was almost unanimous- my best friend, Kid Blink voted for me instead of Jack. Ever since then, I've been pissed that a guy three years younger than me was given the right to boss me around. Nobody else seems to mind, though."
Emilyanne squeezed Skittery's hand in what she thought was an encouraging gesture. However, when Skittery broke away suddenly, and plopped down under a tree, she was confused. He huffed noisily, and Emilyanne went to sit beside him.
"I'm sorry Skitts," She said, using a nickname she hadn't used before to get his attention. He continued to sulk while she tried to get his mind off of things.
"Look, I know that I don't know anything about being a newsie, but I know that you are very smart. I also know that you would be a great leader. It seems that your friend, Kid Blink, knows this too."
She gently turned his head to face her, and looked him in the eye. He raised an eyebrow at her uncharacteristic boldness.
"You don't have to take orders from anyone. You make your life what it is. This is a hard thing to learn, but once I was on my own, this was forced upon me. I had to make my own destiny," She told him sensibly. When her moment of passion for his well-being had passed, she realized exactly where she was.
Her hand was resting on his cheek, and they were very close together, closer than she had ever been to him. She could see the tiny flecks of gold in his eyes that you couldn't see from the usual distance. She wanted to gaze into the depths of those gorgeous hazel eyes forever, but her introversion returned without warning. She drew away quickly, and looked away nervously, muttering a soft apology. She began twirling her hair around her fingers like she usually did when she was nervous.
Skittery silently grinned at Sage's sudden uneasiness, and put his hand over the one in which she was rapidly twirling her golden-brown hair. She immediately stopped her twirling, but still was too embarrassed to look at him again.
"You don't have to apologize, you know," Skittery said, and put his hand under her chin so that she again looked into his eyes. "I don't mind."
Emilyanne smiled, if somewhat self-consciously. Without warning, Skittery had placed his lips over hers, and all thoughts of embarrassment left her mind, replaced by only the feeling of bliss that the soft kiss left her with.
When she broke away regretfully, the sun was beginning to set.
"I had better head back. I have to work tomorrow," She said remorsefully. Skittery nodded silently.
"I want you to meet the rest of the gang tomorrow. I'm sure they'd love to meet you," Skittery said, again taking Emilyanne's hand in his.
"I'd like that," Emilyanne replied simply, leaning her head against his strong shoulder. They began to make their way back to her apartment, hand-in-hand.