Setting her drink on the table, the old woman hopped into her chair again. "Now, where was I?" She asked, a puzzled look on her face.
"Andrianne had just gotten whipped and Aidan told her that she wasn't working there anymore…" Anne prodded.
The old woman waved her hand to stop her and nodded in recognition. "Right, right." Leaning back in her chair she smiled at her listeners. She'd always loved telling stories and she was used to being the center of attention.
"Let's see…well," Smoothing out her pant leg, the old woman thought about where to pick it up. "Within a few days, Andrianne was able to move-well, more than she had been able to before, - and Aidan began working on getting her out of there. The only problem was-…"
"…She didn't like the solution."
"Andy…"
"No way, Connelly. I refuse."
"Come on! Everything's all set up!" Aidan said, practically chasing Andrianne around the bunkroom. "Look," he started, tossing her things into a burlap bag, "He's my older brother. I trust him with my life!"
"That doesn't mean you have to trust him with mine." Andrianne pointed out, taking her things right back out of the bag while his back was turned.
Aidan blew random strands of hair out of his eyes, frustrated at the female in front of him. "Andrianne…this is my older brother we're talking about. I've known the guy my whole life-…"
"Oh, nah, really?" She said sarcastically, clutching her things to her chest as he made a grab for them.
He chose to ignore her comment. "Ben is a very reliable guy. He promised to take care of you, provided that you keep your job that he gets you, and promises to protect you at all costs."
"And I'm supposed to believe him?"
"Come on, you've met Ben, remember?"
"Why else do you think I don't want to go?" She muttered, looking down at her things and nearly pouting. "If he's so great, then why are you still here instead of with him?"
"It's complicated." Aidan sighed when she refused to budge. "Andy, please…" He walked up to her. "You're like my little sister. I promise nothing bad will happen to you." He held his hand out expectantly.
With another look at her belongings she slowly handed them over, ending the dispute. "Fine." She mumbled, crossing her arms. "But I won't like it."
Aidan shrugged. "You won't mind it so much after a while." Handing the bag to her, he climbed out of the window, motioning for her to follow.
Below in an alley, stood the disputed elder brother, smoking a cigarette. Great, Andrianne thought, I'm gonna be stuck with this idiot for a few years. About the same time she thought the insult, Ben had turned around. His eyes surveyed the two of them, and lingered on Andrianne.
He was a little different than she remembered him. He was older, about three years older, in fact. Ben looked a lot like an older version of Aidan; almost a replica, save for the fact that his hair was a little darker. He had a presence, alright. Andrianne knew that if she had a chance to walk by him in an alley, she'd find another route. He had a don't-mess-with-me air about him.
"So this is little Andy." He said, his Irish accent thicker than his younger brother's. Blowing a stream of smoke in their direction, he walked towards them. Andrianne stepped back so she wouldn't have to crane her neck to see his face. Ben seemed to find this amusing, because the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "I expected you to be bigger, from how much Aidan talks about you."
Ben looked at his little brother and reached out to muss his hair as Aidan blushed and pushed the hand away.
'What exactly's gonna happen?" Andrianne demanded. She hated being kept in the dark, and felt slightly uneasy around Ben even as her stomach flip-flopped when he looked her in the eyes. Probably disgust, she told herself.
Ben took another drag on his cigarette, and then tossed it to the ground, crushing it out with his toe. "Well, technically I don't have to make anything happen. I just can't resist my brother's desperate cries for help when they arise."
'Stop being an ass and tell her what's going on." Aidan scolded. Ben grinned at his brother and shrugged.
"Well…first I'm taking you back to the house where you can settle." Ben said, crossing his arms as if he were bored by the whole thing. "The next day, I'll teach you the tricks of the trade and you'll go 'round town with me and the boys."
"I'm supposed to be part of your gang?!" She asked incredulously.
Ben raised a brow at her. "What else would you be doing?" He and Andrianne both cast accusing glances at Aidan, who carefully averted his gaze. "You didn't tell her?"
"I figured you would…"Aidan muttered.
Andrianne glared at Aidan again. "What exactly will I be doing?" She nearly snarled.
Ben shrugged. "Whatever I tell you to do."
"And how is this different than working here?!" She demanded. "Sounds pretty much the same to me."
"Sure. Guarantees on food every meal, less chance of getting killed, money to actually go in your pocket, and a bed that isn't under a leaky roof." Ben shrugged. "Sure sound the same to me." Sarcasm dripped from his words. "Are you gonna do this or not?"
Aidan looked at Andrianne and pleaded with his eyes. "Please?" He asked. "This is your only chance. I won't let you go back."
Andrianne was taken aback by the sudden intensity of Aidan's eyes. Boys were so weird. Heaving a great sigh, she knew he had won.
"Fine." She mumbled.
"Great. I'm honored." Ben rolled his eyes. "Can we leave sometime today? Just wondering."
"Are you always an ass?" Andrianne asked innocently.
"Only on days of the week that end in the word 'Day'." Ben replied with a careless lift of his shoulder. His eyes growing soft suddenly as he looked at his little brother, Ben's mouth lifted into a smile. "See you later, little brother." Needing the moment of closeness, he squeezed his brother's shoulder, and then flicked his head down the alley, expecting Andrianne to follow him as he began to walk.
Andrianne, still watching Ben's retreating back stubbornly, snarled at Aidan. "I oughta pummel you." She directed at him. Aidan rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's for the best, right?" Aidan pointed out.
Andrianne, mollified for the time being, glanced at him. "So am I gonna-…"
"Do you honestly think I'll leave you alone for long?" Aidan asked, interrupting her. Giving her a reassuring smile, he wrapped her in a one-armed hug and walked back towards the fire escape without looking back.
Andrianne suddenly felt very alone. Mustering up her courage and the stubbornness that had kept her alive thus far, she ran after Ben who was already at the end of the alley and glaring back at her impatiently. !!
!! "Did she ever see Aidan again?" Liz asked. "You said that like he knew they weren't going to see each other…"
"Andrianne didn't know if they would." The old woman said vaguely. "New York's a big place, and she had no idea where she would end up, not to mention that there was always a chance that Ms. Lanning and her brother could kill Aidan if his machine didn't do it for them."
"What did Ben's gang make her do?" Anne asked. "It wasn't anything…horrible…was it?"
"You mean did they make her stand on a corner or something like that? Nah, it wasn't that bad…
"…They just taught her how to steal."
July 3, 1894
"…You're kidding, right?"
"Will you just trust me? Just for once?"
"Not on your life."
Ben held the bridge of his nose. He'd taken care of Andrianne for over a month, yet he still couldn't seem to get her to understand him. And she was beginning to try his patience, and Ben was not a patient guy.
"Just try it." Ben said through clenched teeth. "I'm here to bail you out if something happens."
"Isn't there something else I can do? Like steal food or something?" She asked, peering out of the alleyway. She was uneasy about the whole thing from the first moment she'd learned about it.
"No, now hurry up before you completely drive me insane."
"Well if you're so impatient, why don't you show me how it's done?" She demanded, folding her arms.
Ben glared at her. "Fine." Walking brazenly out of the alleyway, he shoved his hands in his pockets with her. "Pick someone out for me." He murmured.
Andrianne looked around at the people around her. "The guy in the bowler hat and blue shirt. He's crossing the street." She whispered. Ben looked casually around and smirked.
"Easy." He gloated. Turning around, he looked both ways to avoid getting run into, and plowed across the street, appearing to not be paying attention. He collided with the man.
"Whoa, sorry mate." He apologized. "My fault." The man glared at him from under the shade of his bowler hat, but merely grunted at him and shuffled along across the street.
Ben slowly walked back to where Andrianne stood and brandished the wallet. "See?" He said. "It's easy. Now you try it."
Andrianne chewed on her bottom lip and nervously tugged at her left earlobe; something that was becoming a habit for her when she was nervous or confused.
"Okay." She breathed. Glancing around, she looked back at Ben. "Pick someone for me."
Ben glanced around and grinned. "Alright. This one's easy. Try the man with the umbrella." He gestured to an older gentleman.
Andrianne swallowed hard. "Okay." She croaked. "Here I go." Walking away from him, she mimicked his earlier movements with seemingly unceasing confidence. Merely a few minutes later, Andrianne slowly sauntered back to him and showed him the wallet.
Ben looked down at it. "By God, you do get it."
Andrianne smiled smugly. "I told you I did." She shrugged and pocketed the wallet. She jumped when she heard the whistle.
Ben grabbed her hand. "Time to go." He pulled her along after him as he ran down the alley. He soon let go and leaped over crates.
Andrianne couldn't help but look behind her. Huge men in police uniforms chased after them, shouting and waving their nightsticks. She cursed her short legs, and looked back just in time to trip over a crate and gash her leg. Blood trickled down her shin.
Ben looked back and groaned, running back for her. "You alright?" He asked, and put her arm around his shoulder and helped her run with him. They cut across another alley and slid into a shadowed alcove. Policemen sped past the alcove, still shouting and blowing their whistles.
"I never thought this type of thing really worked. Hmm." Ben shrugged and looked back at Andrianne. "That's a nasty cut there." He muttered, kneeling beside her to examine it.
Andrianne glared suspiciously at him. "Why did you do that?"
"Well it's got to be bandaged. You don't want to bleed everywhere do you?"
"I meant why did you come back for me?" She asked. "You had a chance to run and get away free and clear, but you came back. Why?"
Ben blew a stray lock of hair out of his eyes and looked up at her. "Because I made a promise to protect you. So that's what I'm doing." His smile was slow. "Besides, I got off free and clear, anyway. And that was with a cripple clinging to me."
Andrianne rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but return a small smile. She was beginning to see Ben in a new light. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all.
Ben gripped her hand and helped her back up, but held onto her for a moment. "Look, I know this'll sound really corny, but listen up." He demanded.
"Like I have a choice."
"Look kid, I mean it. I'm promising for real now. I promise to take care of you, no matter what. Alright?" Ben asked, but nodded soon after without an agreement. "Good. Now let's go. I'm starving." !!
!! "Well that didn't sound like it was too bad." Anne remarked. "She had someone to look after her and a means of support, even if the means weren't legal."
The old woman grinned at her granddaughter. "Always the optimist, hmm?"
Anne looked puzzled. "Why do you say it like that? Did something else happen?"
"Doesn't something else always happen?" The old woman said dryly. "It wouldn't be much of a story if it ended right there, now would it?"
"So what did happen since you're so eager to tell us?" Liz asked impatiently. The old woman merely raised a brow at her and leaned back in her chair.
"As always, nothing good ever lasts." She continued. "Within a year, Andrianne was accepted as just one of the guys. She was looked after as a little brother or sister might be, but she learned to be tough, and she did her fair share of the work." The old woman closed her eyes as if picturing the scene.
"Ben taught her to be a real actress, too. At one point she might pickpocket someone, and then act as if she was starving and beg for money. She also perfected what grown thieves couldn't…
"…The art of breaking and entering."
July 8, 1895
"Are you sure you're doing that right?"
"She's gonna fall."
"We're gonna get caught again."
"No, we're not. Have some faith in her, would ya?"
"Will you buffoons shut the hell up before you get me in trouble?" Andrianne hissed from her perch. She was currently prying a window open from the railing of the fire escape.
"Excuse me, but who was it that taught you how to do this in the first place?" Ben asked, arms crossed.
Andrianne peered down at him and smirked. "You only did that because you all are so big that you can't even fit through the fire escape."
"Are you calling us fat??" Theo, one of the stronger members, asked. Theo McCreedy was a big, lovable bear, despite his intimidating brawn. His light hair was always in his blue eyes, and he was always easily amused. But some of the members were secretly scared of him, because once properly provoked, Theo was a force to be reckoned with.
"Maybe." Andrianne muttered, finally prying the window open. She slowly lifted it up and placed a box under it to keep it open. "Alright." She hissed.
Ben motioned for the others to follow him as he climbed the fire escape. The Gang had been taught to move very stealthily, so even though they appeared to be massive, they made no bigger sound than a cat might as it lands on the carpet.
"Anything valuable." He murmured to remind them, sneaking past beds.
Andrianne emptied out jewelry chests and other items into a burlap bags that Theo held out for her. Ben lingered over a few necklaces and trinkets before deciding that they weren't valuable enough for him. He rolled his eyes at a few of the members.
"Mark, Donny, quit messing around and hurry up! We're here to take them, not try them on!" He shook his head as the two boys grudgingly put down the items.
Mark glanced over at something gleaming in the moonlight. "What have we here?" He murmured, walking over to a small golden trinket. "Looks like a music box."
"Don't touch it." Ben snapped. "We don't want anyone to wake up, you idiot."
Mark glared at Ben, but did as he was told. He never did like the fact that Ben was leader. He also didn't like the fact that Ben seemed to care for Andrianne more than any of the others. Mark had been there first, so why should the little squirt get all the attention?
Mark's eyes kept wandering back to the small music box. It looked pretty valuable, and it might get a fair price if he sold it. Glancing around, Mark slowly took hold of the small music box and started to put it in the bag.
A man in the next room sneezed and made them all nearly jump out of their skin. Mark dropped the music box, which tinkled its tune gleefully as it crashed on the ground.
"What the hell? Who's out there?"
"You idiot!" Ben hissed, his eyes murderous. "I told you not to touch it!"
"Come on let's go before he comes out!" Andrianne pulled on Ben's shirt and helped Theo with one of the bags as she climbed out of the window.
As soon as Andrianne had taken out the box and shut the window, all the lights in the house turned on. They ran down the alleyway to the sounds of shouting and outrage.
"If we move fast enough, they won't be able to track us." Theo remarked, barely panting as they ran into their hideout. Several members collapsed onto the floor, out of breath.
Mark set down his bag. "That was close." He said. Ben's eyes flashed as he grabbed Mark by the collar and shoved him against the wall.
"Ben, stop!"
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't bash your face in." He growled dangerously.
Mark merely glared back at him, and said nothing.
"Look, Ben, it was an accident. It could've happened to any of us." Theo reasoned, although he knew the truth.
Andrianne placed a hand on Ben's sleeve. "Let him go. I'm sure he didn't mean to…"She flicked her eyes in Mark's direction. "Do you really want to waste your energy? The Bulls can't find us here. We're the only ones who know about this place."
"Bullshit." Ben snapped, but he let Mark drop anyway. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down. He fixed his cold stare on Mark again. "If you want to challenge me, you'd better be ready to fight. Otherwise, if you question me again like that, I'll fucking kill you." He promised, and with that, he stormed off into another room.
Andrianne blew out a breath and looked at Mark again, who was brushing himself off as if the altercation hadn't been anything. Mark glared at her.
"I'm not going to thank you." He said and started to walk away.
Andrianne glared at his back. "Good. Maybe next time it'll be fun to watch him beat you to death." She turned on her heel and walked away in the other direction.
Theo glanced at Mark and shook his head ashamedly as he walked after Andrianne.
August 23, 1895
"I spy with my little eye…something…grey."
"The wall."
"Wow! You're good! Okay, let me try again. I spy with my little eye….something…stone…"
"Let me guess…the wall?"
"Boy, you're good at this game!" Theo looked over at Andrianne. "Alright, one more…"
Andrianne rubbed her eyes. "I'm predicting this….it's just a notion mind you…but could it be…the wall?"
"Whoa! You're like fucking psychic!!" Theo exclaimed.
Andrianne merely lifted the arm draped over her eyes to squint at him. "You're kidding, right?" Rolling her eyes, she sat up when Ben walked into the room. "'Ey, Connelly, when are we ever gonna start doing some fun stuff? We've been cooped up in here for almost a week, and I think Theo's losin' it."
"Hey!" Theo protested. Theo was four years older than Andrianne, yet somehow he reminded her of a little brother.
Ben looked out the window. "I didn't want anybody going out. We almost got caught last time." He said. "But I've got some good news."
"They've burned all the dresses in the world?" She asked hopefully. Theo laughed.
"Not to my knowledge. You should look into wearing one, someday. But that's not my news." He hopped up onto a crate. "We have a new member."
The atmosphere lifted considerably as the gang took in this new information. "Who?" Donny asked, raising a brow. "I thought you said no more were allowed."
"Well, I'm making an exception." Ben said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "He should be here soon…" He glanced at his pocket watch, just as someone knocked.
The air was tense as they waited for the secret combination (which, in Andrianne's opinion, wasn't so secret; anyone could figure it out if they had brains).
Ben grinned, hearing four taps and a bang. Sliding the door open, he admitted the visitor.
The boy wasn't much older than Andrianne; maybe a year or so older. His dark blonde hair hung negligently in his eyes, and he didn't bother to push the strands away. He wore a smirk on his face, as if he was born confident and in-charge.
But his eyes… His eyes were what really got to Andrianne. They were a grey-blue, and very, very perceptive. They reminded her slightly of a hawk's eyes as they took everything in and waited patiently for something to move so he could attack. As she stood, they focused on her so quickly that she barely noticed them move at all. It made her really uncomfortable.
"Lady and Fags, this is our newest member, Flynn Conlon." Ben announced with a grin. Throwing a companionable arm around Flynn's shoulders, he gestured to the room. "Flynn, here's Donny in the arm chair. Mark's in the other room, Theo's on the first couch, and the girl there is Andrianne, or Andy." He said, pointing to the person with the name.
Flynn didn't give any indication that he knew or understood what Ben had said. His eyes merely narrowed as he held a silent glaring contest with Andrianne. As intimidating as the boy already was, she made up for it in stubbornness.
Ben, noticing the change in atmosphere, quickly decided to lighten the mood a little. "Supposedly he used to live with someone who gave him another nickname." He said, loud enough to draw attention to himself. "They called him Spot."
This made Andrianne blink. She was always a smart-ass and had developed her own signature smirk in the process. "Spot? Like a dog?" She smarted.
If looks could kill, Andrianne would be dead three times over from the glare Flynn sent her. She almost allowed herself to squirm under it.
"Well this is awkward." Theo remarked, getting up. "Can we go do something now before they kill each other?"
"They're barely fourteen and fifteen, what can they do?" Ben shrugged.
His thought was interrupted, however, when someone knocked on the door. Everyone in the house, including newcomer Flynn, knew well enough to shut their mouths and not move a muscle.
Hearing the combination again, Ben rolled his eyes and sighed with relief. "It's just Mark." He muttered, going over to the door.
All at once it happened; Big, bulky policemen wielded nightsticks as they burst through the hide-out. Ben was apprehended immediately and shoved to the ground. Donny pushed past and ran outside like the coward he was, dragging policemen behind him. Flynn had escaped out the nearest window, easily evading trouble.
Theo, however, wasn't that easy to get. He jumped over the back of the couch, trying to drag Andrianne with him to safety. When she refused to budge, he held off a few policemen.
"Get out!" He shouted to her.
"Not without Ben!" Andrianne cried.
Ben struggled against his captors. His green eyes looked desperate as they searched Andrianne's face. "You've gotta get out!" He yelled as he was hauled up and out the door. "Andrianne, run!"
Time seemed to move in slow-motion. Andrianne finally tried to heed Ben's request, before she was grabbed and shoved against the wall. She grimaced once she made contact with it, and glanced over in time to see her lovable giant, Theo, clubbed in the face with a nightstick and saw him drop to the ground.
"Theo?!?" She cried. "Get off me! THEO!"
She struggled against a hand on her chin, forcing her face to the side. Finally submitting to its will, she looked for the first time into the cold eyes of her captor. His hair was already snow white, although there wasn't much of it. For some reason, she wasn't scared of him at all. In fact, she was furious. She could tell he was a slimy old man, and couldn't wait for the opportunity to let him have it. Her captor's smile disgusted her.
"You've been getting into a lot of bad things, haven't you, Miss DeMarco?" He sneered at her. He gestured to the policemen. "To the Refuge."
"The Refuge, sir?" One asked.
"Yes." He took on a sympathetic look. "This poor child was no doubt made to do all these horrible things against her own will. She shouldn't have to go to jail, but she still should be punished, just to insure that she won't do it again." His eyes flickered to Andrianne, and she could have sworn they had greed in them.
"Yes sir, Mr. Snyder."
Andrianne glared at the man named Snyder one last time before they hauled her out the door.