So I had a better Idea for short story called "Being Lonely" about some...never mind!
Here is a bad ending to a badly written story.
The first few chapters are WAY EDITED so if you're like "I read them before, I can skip them now" you are WRONG. They are totally different.
Dislaimer: Owning the newsies I am not. (go Yoda)
PROLOGUE
I plugged my ears as my garage door squealed to a close behind my old blue truck. I sighed and entered my house, wrenching the computer cupboard open and snatching my laptop out. I wandered through the kitchen, grabbing a brownie off the counter and meandering up the stairs. I flicked my bedroom light on and flopped onto my bed. The springs squeaked noisily as I plugged in my old Dell and adjusted my position so that I was laying on my stomach in front of my screen. I got onto YouTube and searched for my favorite Ladyhawke song, Magic.
I opened Microsoft Word Document to reveal an empty white space. Hungrily, my fingers attacked various keys until a story began to form. "Crow ran down the alley, his breath making small white clouds before his face as he ran from the unidentified foe." My imagination was back in 1900, and I wished I could join it there. The only real friend I had was Elizabeth Darcie, and even she had her moments. My adoptive parents weren't very nice, and my allowance was skimpy. I mostly spent my time alone in my attic room, writing on my laptop. I could vent my feelings, have an adventure or fall in love. Yes, I was basically in love with my main male character: Crow. He was so handsome and smart, and brilliantly brave! He was the leader of the Harlem newsboys.
After writing another chapter to my story, I shutdown the computer and shoved it under my bed. I brushed my teeth and looked into the bathroom mirror. My blond hair was pulled back into it's signature ponytail and my blue eyes were dead tired. I slipped into my old pajamas and read for an hour from Pulitzer: A Life In Politics and Press, before shutting my lamp off and clambering under the warm covers.
Tonight, everyone in the world sets their clock back one hour. To a sixteen year old girl like me, it means another hour of the heaven that is sleep. I found it was impossible to fall asleep though, as a storm started raging outside. Rain pounded on the roof, and tree branches scraped at the window. Thunder shook the house as lighting flashed brilliantly through my room, lighting it up for a millisecond. I looked around, my Twilight poster, and my Gryffindor flag hung proudly against a backdrop of navy blue. My worn white work desk, covered with a mess of papers sat in the corner. My small T.V. on its stand cast a shadow over the filled-to-bursting bookshelf.
I reached over a mound of green coverlet to read my military alarm clock. 20:00 hours, or in normal time, eight o'clock. I pressed a couple of buttons until the red digital numbers said 19:00. As I pressed 'set time' a flash of white lightning sent a flare ripping through my room. My arm tingled and burned as my finger pressed down the small button. I closed my eyes as the tingling sensation spread down to my legs and feet, through my torso and to my other arm. My heart beat rapidly as I felt my downy mattress melt away from under me. I was free falling, spinning through the air like a rag doll falling from a high shelf. My eyes still closed, I screamed, waiting for the impact that never came. The blackness behind my eyelids seemed to solidify, and I lost consciousness.
CHAPTER 1: A VERY REALISTIC DREAM
When I opened my eyes, my head swam and my vision clouded; I shut them forcefully and moaned. My brain clicked back to what I had seen when I briefly opened my eyes seconds ago. It wasn't the cracked white paint of my attic room ceiling, it was the bottom of a wooden bunk bed. I snapped my eyes open again and looked around, despite the wave of nausea that battered my stomach.
"Hey Adonis, the dame is waking up," a smooth voice said in a dim New York accent. New York? Adonis?
"I ain't blind Apollo," Apollo? Weird names.
"H-hello?" my voice wavered. I blinked my eyes to clear them, and looked blearily around.
"Hey, Apollo, get over here," a tall, tan boy with brown hair and gray eyes stood at the bedside. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with gray suspenders and a gray cabby cap. His hair was long, 'skater punk' style.
"Where exactly am I?" I asked. Another boy, a tall blond with blue eyes and a hooked nose joined the darker one. They seemed to share a telepathic conversation before the blond spoke.
"Harlem, New York. Who are you and where are you from?" he didn't smile. My stomach twisted into an odd knot. How in the heck did I get to New York? I must be dreaming, maybe the shock from my alarm clock messed with my brain. It's all a very realistic dream.
"My name is Jane Netherd," I said slowly, my tongue felt like lead in my mouth. "I'm from Grand Rapids, Michigan. What time is it?"
"About noon," the gray-eyed one answered. They looked at me, then at each other. A second telepathic conversation ensued before Blondie asked another question.
"What are you wearing?" he asked. I looked down at my P.J.'s.
"Clothing," I shrugged. The blond boy was wearing a faded red shirt and blue suspenders. His black trousers were half a size too small for him, revealing his worn black leather work boots. They looked old fashioned, like in the Anne of Green Gables movie I'd watched the other day.
"Girls don't wear pants," Dark Hair said, frowning at my pajamas. They were green, and my Doogie Howser M.D. T-shirt was also being scrutinized.
"They do too! Where have you been the past forty years? It's 2010 for Pete's sake!" I said in angst. Their eyes widened as they looked at each other. "Can you two quit that? It's bad enough I don't know where I am! Now you two keep having these unspoken conversations! Someone clue me in!"
"It's not 2010, its 1900. Are you feeling alright?" Blondie laid a hand on my forehead. I slapped it away angrily.
"I'm fine! It's not 1900! That's impossible," I whispered. I shook my head to clear it, remembering that it was all just a dream. Those three reassuring words allowed me to move on, play along with this intricate charade my brain was playing. "Alright, never mind. What are your names?" I asked.
"Apollo," said the blond.
"Adonis," said the other. "We're twins." I nodded and wondered, why I didn't realize that before.
"Adonis, Apollo, is this anyone I should know about?" a male voice came from behind me. I swiveled around to face a short, tan boy with eye-length chestnut brown hair. His dark blue eyes seemed to cut me down to my core and size me up instantly.
"My name is Jane," I introduced myself, offering my hand to shake. My nervousness doubled as he circled me, ignoring my outstretched hand. I brought it back and ran it through my hair.
"Jane eh? And where are you from?" the boy asked.
"I just went over this with them!" I jerked my thumb at the boys behind me. "Now I want some answers."
"Alright," Shorty said, "Ask away."
"What year is it? Where am I? Who are you? What am I doing here?"
"It's 1900, you're in the Harlem newsboy lodging house; I am the Harlem leader, Crow, and I have no idea what you are doing here. I don't even know who you are."
1900? Crow? The character that lived inside my head? He really exists? No he doesn't, I was just writing about him before I fell unconscious...so I'm dreaming about him. That's all it is, a dream. I felt the need to assure myself once more of this fact. I don't know why, seeing as I felt fine, but the room spun as the colors melded together. The figure of Crow began to shake back and forth until there were five of him, they kept asking, "Are you alright?" Darkness crawled into my line of vision until everything went black again.
*Flashback*
I sat on a cushioned chair, scoffing at my friend. Elizabeth had talked me into getting my fortune told, and I wasn't into that kind of thing. I was a Christian anyhow! Yet here I sat in a cliché velvet tent, scented heavily with incense and sandalwood. I coughed a couple of times and drummed my impatient fingers on the silk bedecked table. An elderly woman that smelled heavily of potpourri entered the tiny tent and sat across from me. I was expecting her to ask for my palm, pull out some tarot cards, or look into a cheap crystal ball. Instead, she lit two candles and placed them in front of me.
"Look into the flames," she said. This was something I'd never heard of before.
"Alright," I looked at the candles. They flickered, ducking back and forth in the slight breeze. I saw two eyes looking out at me from the orange and yellow glow, I shrieked. "There are eyes!"
"What?" Elizabeth peeked over my shoulder at them. "I don't see anything."
"I have never had a client say that!" the old woman shook her head in disbelief. The buttons on the kerchief tied around her graying hair jingled. The two eyes looked at me softly. Then there was a face, an entire face, made of fire. It was a girl, she looked at me and mouthed my name...then mouthed three or four other words that looked like "harlot" "few dorks" and "Susie". I screamed again and leaped out of my seat. I dashed out of the tent; my head still spinning from the incense fumes. I staggered to a bench and sat down hard on the scratchy wooden surface.
"Lizzy," I said, once my friend had caught up.
"Yeah?" she leaned heavily on a tree, panting.
"Never ever talk me into doing something that stupid again!" I said. She nodded and we walked to the rides portion of the fair to enjoy our afternoon.
*End Flashback*
Now I knew what the face had been saying. "Harlem, New York, and newsies" (Whatever a 'newsie' is). I opened my eyes a second time; more boys had gathered, along with a few girls. One of the girls had a mass of curly brown hair and another was short with straight, platinum blond hair. The curly haired one noticed that I was awake, and waved.
"I'm sorry," I said, sitting up without my body protesting. "I don't know what came over me."
"It's alright!" the curly haired girl bounced over to the bunk. "My name is Curly! I'm Apollo's girl! What's your name?"
"Jane," I smiled. Her good attitude was infectious. I stood and stretched, feeling my muscles complain about the cramped bunk. This was certainly a realistic dream.
"What kinda name is that?" the blond circled me. She was like a bird of prey, circling before a kill.
"Mine," I said, I was in no mood to argue with this stranger. I bit my tongue, scolding myself for being rude. "I'm sorry; I'm just a little confused. It's a family name."
"Good enough for me," she finally stopped turning, "I'm Petal. Adonis's girl." The gangly boy came forward to put his arms around her waist. I gagged mentally; boys were not one of my top ten favorite things.
Apollo stood a good foot taller than his girl, but she just plopped onto his lap at a card table. The group seemed close, like a family from the easy way the conversation blurred.
CHAPTER 2: IN WHICH I FIND FRIENDS
From the corner of my eye, I saw a strange boy observing me. He had light brown hair with blond highlights and blue eyes. He was holding hands with a short girl who had straight brown hair.
"Hi, I'm Jane," I said to the girl. She smiled at me in a friendly way.
"I'm Sketch and this," she smiled up at the boy, "Is Whisper. I'm his girl."
Is everyone here a couple?
"Hi Sketch, Whisper," I smiled and nodded to them. Whisper looked me up and down before signing something to Sketch. Whisper was a mute, I realized as Sketch smiled and looked over to me. Whisper's eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline, expressing his curiosity.
"Whisper wonders what it is you're wearing," Sketch raised an eyebrow as well. Whisper smiled at me, and signed something. "He wants to lend you some real clothes. He thinks you're about his size."
"I couldn't take his clothes!" I held my hands up in protest. "You must need them!"
"He has three or four sets," Sketch shrugged. I just nodded and signed Thank you to Whisper.
"I can speak a little sign language, my great-grandpa was deaf," I said casually. Whisper nodded and chuckled.
"He can hear and laugh, but he doesn't speak," Sketch said softly as Whisper walked away to get the clothes from underneath a local bunk. I just nodded again and looked around. The room was full of bunks and teenage boys. Adonis, Petal, Curly, and Apollo were playing cards at a table in the far corner. Crow was sitting on a bench, looking out the window. A few unfamiliar faces seemed to notice me, yet they didn't speak. The only three girls were Petal, Curly, and Sketch.
"So what do you plan on doing?" Sketch asked, pulling me from my reverie.
"I don't know, truthfully. What's a newsie?" I asked. That strange word popped up into my mind at the idea of a job...it sort of sounded like an occupation.
"We sell papers," Sketch said. "We're all newsies here. This is the Harlem newsies lodging house, ya' know? Where we all stay?"
"Oh," I frowned, "Can I try being a newsie?"
"Sure, two papers for a penny," she said. I blushed a shade of red that tomatoes all over the world would envy. "Don't have any money?" Sketch asked in understanding.
"No," I mumbled, nearly unintelligible.
"None of the newbies do," she chuckled. Whisper returned with a change of clothes. I thanked him again before darting hastily into a washroom to change. Any more odd looks and I was going to crawl into a dark hole, and never come out again. I'd never been this self-conscious about my clothes before.
"What do you think we should do, Crow?" Adonis asked.
"Let's see how she handles one day of selling, then we'll see if she should stay or not," Crow said.
"But we have no idea who she is!" Petal protested loudly. There was a scuffle and Petal gave an angry huff. Then I heard footsteps pounding down the steps that must have lead outside.
"I'll handle her," Adonis followed Petal out. Crow just mumbled 'crazy woman'.
I checked my borrowed outfit: tan pants with a mint green shirt and brown suspenders. Re-entering the bunk room, I looked around before locating Sketch by the window. I walked over, confident in my new attire, and sat between her and Crow.
"What should we call you? Do you have a nickname?" Sketch asked.
"No," I said, "People usually just call me Jane."
"Well you need a nickname. If you get in trouble and the police come looking, we can use your nickname and no one will be the wiser," Sketch chirped. Whisper signed something to her and they laughed. I looked over to Crow, who was studying me intently, looking me over with a crucial leader's eye. He was even more handsome than I'd imagined him, I blushed under his gaze.
"You seem to flicker in and out of consciousness like a lightning bug. We should call you Firefly," he said. Sketch and Whisper assented, giggling at my expense.
"Okay," I laughed too. "One more quick question, where do I sleep?"
"You can share my bunk," Sketch offered. Whisper frowned and signed something at her hurriedly. She blushed and looked sheepish before turning back to face me again, "I forgot, I share a bunk with Whisper. You'll have to sleep on the floor."
"She can have my bunk," Crow spoke quietly. "I'll share with Trigger."
"No really, I'll sleep on the floor," I said, holding my hands up.
"And insult my honor and generosity?" Crow placed a hand over his heart in feigned shock. "M'Lady, you've wounded me!"
"Fine, thank you very much Crow!" I laughed along with everyone else near the window. Apollo snapped his head around from the card table to peer at us, his facial expression was one of utter confusion. Curly and Adonis also looked at us; mild concern seemed to paint itself on their faces. When I looked back at my friends, Crow was stony-faced and Whisper was signing with Sketch who was muttering things back. I looked at them and muttered, "Goodnight."
I found my way over to my new bed and flopped down on it. The wood groaned under my weight, protesting my appearance loudly. I slipped my hand under the pillow, preparing to lie down, but my fingers brushed against paper and I pulled out a note:
Dear Warner,
Remember me after I leave, okay? I'm sorry to have to tell you this on such short notice, but my father was transferred to Indiana. I have to leave tomorrow, and I won't ever see you again. I want to tell you I love you, and goodbye. I hope you fall in love again, with someone who deserves you.
Love forever,
Samantha 'Fire' Smith
The paper was ripped from my hands and many shocked gasps erupted from around me. I looked up shyly, scared of what I would see.
"Don't touch that," Crow said, his once-laughing eyes transformed into twin shards of ice.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. After Crow walked angrily away, note tucked in his pocket, Apollo came and sat next to me. He wrapped a friendly arm around my shoulders.
"There is no need to be sorry, he just had a hard time after she left," Apollo sighed and looked after his retreating friend..
"Who was she?" I asked.
"Fire was his girl, they'd been together for two years when her father, a local reporter, was transferred to The Indiana Press. She packed up and left in three days, not even telling Crow about it. The last he heard from her was that little note you just read. It broke his heart. He wouldn't eat, or sleep, or even talk to anyone for three days. When he came out of his room, he was a mess. We had to feed him, buy his papes, and practically carry him out to sell. Then he found a way to vent through selling, and now he's kind of a machine. A lonely, teenage, newspaper selling machine," Apollo shook his head sadly, his blond hair falling into his eyes.
"I'm so sorry," my brows furrowed in thought. I'd never written that. I mean, I had created Fire just for Crow...but I'd never meant for her to leave him heartbroken! I felt like it was all my fault, then remembered everything that was happening was just a dream. An illusion. Back in my laptop, Fire and Crow were happily together.
"Don't be sorry," Petal's nasal voice caught me off guard. "He's a jerk."
"I'm sure he's really nice, he's just hurt," I said softly. I knew what it felt like, I'd had boyfriends before.
"Come off it!" Petal sneered, "You don't need to pity Crow any more than the rest of us do. Fire was a no good, low-down-"
"Shut. Up." the two words were spoken in a low voice. I raised my eyes to see that Crow had come back near the bunk, his chestnut bangs hid his eyes completely. He was menacing, dangerous. "You don't ever talk about Fire like that. Okay? If you wanna stay in this lodging house, you better listen. Adonis, get your girl under control unless you wanna help carry her crap up the fire escape to the roof."
"Sorry," Adonis shot Petal a glare before yanking her to the card table and sitting her beside him
"If Adonis didn't love her so much...she'd be gone in a day!" Crow exclaimed. I looked up into his face.
"I'm sorry for reading your note. I didn't know what it was. I will keep out of your way from now on," I said solemnly.
"Understood." he walked away to talk to another kid I didn't recognize. I rolled over, wrapped up in the thin sheet; and fell into a peaceful sleep. This was one crazy dream.
CHAPTER 3: STONE COLD FAÇADE
Something shoved my arm. "Knock it off Kara," I said to my adoptive mother. There was a grunt and someone ripped the pillow from under my head. I snapped my eyes open, it was Crow. The leader chuckled at my startled expression before sauntering away.
"Better hurry if you want breakfast," he called over his shoulder. I scurried into the washroom to re-do my bedraggled ponytail.
"Wait up!" I called.
"Hurry up!" the impatient leader called back. "I ain't waiting forever!"
"So," I said, rushing to Crow's side, "What's the plan?"
"Eat, sell, eat, sleep," he counted his fingers as he listed the basic gist of newsgirl-ing.
"Doesn't sound too hard," I said as he led me down a street. I hadn't been outside at all yesterday, with all the passing-out I did.
"Is this Harlem?" I asked. Crow smiled fondly and threw his arms out sideways, nearly clothslining me.
"This is my kingdom! For I am the king of the Harlem newsies!" he cried triumphantly. I smiled and followed him as he lead me to a small shop. It was made of red brick, with one cracked sliding glass window. "This is our distribution center, where we get our papes every day."
"Papes?" I asked.
"Newspapers, papers, papes!" Crow looked at me exasperatedly.
"Sorry, I'm still getting used to it here," I said, my hands in my pockets.
"Adonis told me where they found you," Crow murmured. This was off topic.
"Where?" I asked, having no idea where I ended up.
"On the roof of our lodging house, completely unconscious. You mumbled my name in your sleep, so they brought you inside," he said. I blushed again.
"Oh," I mumbled, blushing yet again. "Yeah, I write stories. And I had a character named Crow."
"You blush an awful lot," Crow smirked. I sighed and looked at his face: big mistake. Any intelligent thought inhabiting my brain fled as his denim blue eyes met mine.
"I-uh-I yeah," I stuttered. Crow just laughed.
"Hey Crow, Firefly!" Sketch and Whisper walked over, holding hands.
"Good morning guys," I said.
Whisper signed at me with one hand, Good morning sleepy. We thought you'd never wake up!
"Not funny Whisper," I said, sticking my tongue out.
It was very funny, he signed. I just turned to Sketch, who was looking on dumbly.
"What?" I asked.
"It's a good thing I'm not the only one to speak sign language around here!" she laughed good naturedly as she dragged Whisper to the sliding glass window.
"Lets get our papers," I said, dragging Crow in a similar fashion. Adonis and Apollo looked at us with expressions of surprise and mild happiness. Adonis whispered something to Apollo, who whispered something back and they smiled simultaneously.
Crow talked to a man inside the brick building, and turned, thrusting some gray papers into my arms.
"Here, twenty papes," Crow began walking away.
"Wait! I don't know where I am," I said nervously. He stopped and turned to face me.
"There's only one way to learn the land, and that's by exploring on your own. Just don't cross the Brooklyn Bridge, okay?" and with that, Crow left, and was lost in the crowd of people. I nodded mutely and turned down a random street. I memorized storefronts, street names, and landmarks as I sold my twenty papes. I knew three blocks by heart by the time I was finished. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to get back to the Lodging House.
"Come on," I jumped about a foot in the air as Crow's voice came from behind me. He laughed as I turned angrily to slap him on the arm.
"Not funny Crow," I grumbled. Even though I tried to stay mad, I couldn't. Crow's laugh was just too rare, for me to waste. So I laughed along.
"Come on," he repeated. "I'll show you how to get home."
"Thanks," I smiled, "I thought you'd leave me to wander the streets all alone at night."
"I may be a jerk," he said with a wink, "But I'm still a gentleman."
"Of course," I said, a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. We strolled four blocks in friendly silence, with me trying to memorize the way back.
"So, new kid, what are you doing tomorrow night?" a newsie I didn't recognize approached as we grew closer to home.
"Nothing," I spoke slowly.
"Wanna come to dinner with me?" the boy's eyebrows waggled suggestively.
"No thanks," I said, growing uncomfortable.
"Come on doll-face," the boy grabbed my arm.
"She said no," Crow turned. The leader's fist collided with the other boy's face. The newsie fell to the ground, pulling me with him. I screamed as I hit the grimy cobbles. Crow silently helped me up and I wiped my pants off.
"Did you break his nose?" I asked. He kept walking, only a few steps in front of me.
"No," Crow's arms were shaking with controlled rage. I reached forward tentatively to grab his hand with mine. Our eyes met, and the question in his blue depths was obvious, why did I do that? I didn't blush this time as I spoke.
"It's alright to let it go sometimes," I said softly. Crow just shook his head.
"You don't understand. I'm the leader, I have to be strong. If the boys see me cry, then I'll be considered weak," Crow said, his voice full of pent up emotion. The character I had made up in my head stood here in person, even if it was just a dream.
"Where I come from, true strength is showing your emotions, even if they seem weak. Because when you can show that you are weak, it makes you strong," I explained, praying he would understand.
"So once in a while, I can be upset?" he asked, his blue eyes grabbed mine in their gravitational gaze. I nodded in affirmation.
"You are their leader. Just show them you can be a person," I said. Crow smiled sadly. I realized with a start that our hands were still linked. I loosened my grip, but his became tighter.
"No," he said. "I need it. I've been alone for too long, and you're the first person to understand me."
"Alright," I said. It wasn't a relationship, it wasn't a crush...it was just there. That feeling of right-ness that made the boy's looks seem less shocked and the girl's envy seem duller. We were friends.
CHAPTER 4: JUST FRIENDS
"So you're the latest huh?" Petal sneered; I just blew her off.
"You were really holding hands? What did he say?" Curly asked, leaning forward on her elbows.
"We were just talking about politics," I muttered. I wanted to sleep, but my curious friends made it an impossible task.
"Really? Or are you keeping a secret?" Sketch giggled. I hit her with a pillow. We were all gathered at the foot of my bunk, Curly, Sketch and I. Petal walked past now and again to collect gossip. "No, we're just friends," I said. It's only been two days! Crow is still getting over Fire for Pete's sake!
"I sure hope so," Petal sneered, "We wouldn't want you to turn out like the last one did."
"Shut up Petal, you have no idea!" I said angrily. I stood from my bunk and faced her. She was only an inch or so taller, and her eyes reflected her hatred for me.
"I sure do," she mocked, "You're just saying that because you don't want to tell anyone else what I saw."
"What did you see?" I asked.
"You and Crow kissing in the alley!" she shouted loudly. Every head in the lodging house turned to face me. I flushed red with anger, she was lying! Trying to make her leader look bad!
"Crow is an honorable person, and I won't dirty his floors with your innards yet. Just watch your tongue, because it may get you into trouble," I snarled. Petal didn't seem phased. Adonis walked over hurriedly, and grabbed her arm.
"Keep away from Crow," he whispered harshly to me, "If you wanna live."
"I will go where I please," I said back, tossing my head defiantly.
"What's all the noise?" the stern, capable voice of our leader seemed to chill everyone in the room. No one moved. No one spoke. "I'm going to ask again, and this time I want answers. What's all the noise?"
"Petal accused you of kissing Firefly in the alleyway," Curly blurted before Petal could turn the tables and play victim.
"Really Petal? And when was this? Although Firefly is a very nice girl, I don't believe our lips have had the chance to acquaint themselves just yet. Have they Firefly?" Crow's calm façade slipping. Underneath, something angry was boiling red-hot.
"No sir," I said dutifully.
"You see Petal, you must have been mistaken. It could not have been Firefly and I," Crow said with an air of finality. The conversation in the room began again, the matter having been dealt with.
"Crow?" I walked over to him.
"Hmm?" he turned to face me.
"How was your day?" I hadn't seen him after we walked back together.
"Good, had to deal with some rabble from Queens. Rookie is still in need of serious training," Crow ran a hand through his hair, obviously stressed about something. I smiled and nodded assent. "So how was your day?"
"After you dropped me off at the lodging house, the girls interrogated me. Every moment of my day was analyzed by three very hyper romantics," I said. Crow chuckled, idly playing with a switchblade. Where did that come from?
"So what do you plan on doing with Petal, since her tongue can't control itself?" I inquired casually.
"Nothing," he said, straight-faced. I sat down on my bunk, and Crow fell onto it as well, laying back.
"Why not?" I asked, rather shocked at his actions.
"Because even though it's only been two days...I feel strange around you. I don't know it's just strange," Crow admitted. He was a figment of my imagination that was sitting in front of me.
"I do too, but I told everyone we were-" Crow interrupted by leaning forward and pressing his lips gently to mine. Despite my shock; I realized he tasted like coffee. He pulled away, his stormy eyes dancing; before heading to a poker game. "-just friends."
CHAPTER 5: TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE
Crow and I just kind of assumed the 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' roles after that. It had only been three days, I admit, but I truly felt something. It was very cliché, I admit. Crow also confessed, having been tackled by my three friends and sat on, that he 'loved me too'.
"So, meet up at the usual spot for lunch?" I asked nonchalantly, calling out a headline.
"Don't we always?" Crow asked, winking to let me know it was a joke. We sold a few papers as we walked side-by-side down the street.
"Yeah. I don't know why I bother asking," I sighed. We both chuckled and separated to sell at our chosen spots for the day. I felt like an expert now. I could sell any headline by making up very believable lies. The headline Mayor Sells Daughter's Beloved Dog became Mayor Sells Daughter to Gypsies. It was a very profitable line of work. Sometimes, someone reads the paper before they walk away, and you have to run. If you don't run, the police will catch you for lying and drag you to the refuge. The refuge is basically prison for kids, or so I've learned from Apollo.
Around one o'clock, Crow and I would meet by the park and head for lunch at a little delicatessen called "Swan Lake Inn". Today I took a little longer to sell my thirty papes, and found Crow pacing near the park gate. He stopped to look around, and I used my ballet training to walk silently up behind him. I put my hands over his eyes, and waited for him to ask "Who's that?"
Instead, I received an elbow to the stomach. I hit the pavement with a dull thump, and Crow turned around hastily, searching for his attacker. I breathed heavily, trying to regain the oxygen I lost during his attack. When he heard me wheezing and looked down, his cheeks flamed in embarrassment.
"You all right there captain?" I gasped. He offered his hand to help me up, apologizing profusely all the while. I stood and wiped the sweat from my brow before kissing him on his dirty cheek. He shook his head and grabbed my hand, heading to our lunch spot. When we turned the corner onto Manhattan Avenue, Petal stood outside a storefront, looking in on something. I dragged Crow to peek over her shoulder, she was looking at rings.
"Aren't we all a little young to be considering marriage?" I asked. She jumped about two feet in the air, breaking my record of one, and turned around angrily. Her face flared a nasty red as she grimaced in embarrassment.
"I'm nearly seventeen," she puffed out her chest, "I can begin to think of marriage!"
"I wouldn't start now," I laughed. "If you're only seventeen."
"Why not?" she was indignant.
"Because you have your whole life ahead of you!" I pointed to the Statue of Liberty, "Do some traveling!"
"With what money?" she crossed her arms in front of her.
"Save some," I replied. Crow tugged impatiently on my hand, and I turned to follow him.
"Good luck, love at first sight is a rare thing. It doesn't often last long," Petal spat. I turned to make a snide remark, but my mouth went dry as I noticed the poison in her eyes. The sudden tense feeling in the air alerted me of an unnamed feeling within her. The jealousy she had been hiding for too long. This was no war over courtesy and misdemeanors, this was a war over the love of a leader. It was a dangerous battle I was now part of. Her or me.
"Poor Adonis," I sighed under my breath. Crow tilted his head to the side like a curious dog and looked up at me through his curtain of brown hair.
"Why?" he asked.
"Nothing, I just don't think today's headline will sell well at his spot," I lied. Truly, I didn't want to see Adonis heartbroken, even if he was a total jerk to me.
TWO WEEKS LATER
You could say it was love. You could say we were crazy. I just think we were crazy and in love!
"Time to hit the hay," I said, rolling onto my lonely bunk.
"Goodnight," I felt his lips brush my cheek before he sauntered back over to the bunk he shared with Trigger and fell into it. I heard the wood creak and groan, moaning like a dying man. The sound was familiar, it sounded like home. It sounded like forty boys waking up at the crack of dawn to sell papers. It sounded like everyone sitting down after work to gossip or play cards. The groan of the wood was the same groan we made when Crow woke us up in the morning. It was a safe sound.
I closed my weary eyes, and welcomed the warm oblivion of sleep.
CHAPTER 6: SHOCK OF MY LIFE
"Hey sleeping beauty, get up!" Crow laughed as he smacked me with a pillow. His laughter was becoming more common now, and I was showing Petal up more often as well. She kept trying to beat me down, and I just stood up for myself. Our rivalry was obvious to anyone that happened to see a passing glance between us. Our eyes were filled with silent venom. Only she and I knew why we fought so hard to keep our ground.
Being 'Adonis's girl' was her only protection in a house full of people who despised every bone in her body. Although I knew it wasn't Adonis she loved, and that he was only an excuse to stay at the lodging house. She loved Crow. Just like I did.
"Hey Firefly," the jeering voice hit me right before the knife lodged itself in my bedpost. Having a knife expert for a boyfriend seemed to have rubbed off on her.
I looked up from tying my shoe, shocked. Petal stood halfway across the room, another knife balanced in her hand. I raised my hands to shield my face, signaling surrender. Crow, my now constant companion, looked over from his own bunk to see what had happened.
"Set the knife down Petal," he ordered, raising his hands as well. We certainly didn't want anyone getting hurt. All of the drastic things Petal had pulled could not equal up to this one, even Adonis looked astonished. The room was as silent as a graveyard at night, the anxiety was thick enough to cut with Petal's knife. The girl smirked in satisfaction, weighing her options.
"No, I think I should do us all a favor and kill her now," Petal said. Her voice was no longer nasal and high pitched, but low and threatening.
"Please, just set it down honey," Adonis pleaded.
"You know Adonis," Petal purred, "I think you'd make a much better leader." She trained her weapon on Crow. She's bluffing!
"Don't Petal," Crow reasoned with her, "Just don't do it."
"Shut up Warner!" Petal screeched loudly. I winced at the use of Crow's first name, thinking I need to do something.
"Just drop it!" I screamed. Petal jumped a little, but regained her composure enough to send the knife hurtling through the air at Crow. I saw everything next in slow motion: myself running, jumping into the air, the knife hilt protruding from my chest, the ground coming up to meet me.
"Crow, I'm so sorry," I whispered. It hurt too badly to be a dream, but the pain seemed to dull. Everything around me seemed to be dulling, fading away from sight. It scared me.
"Don't go Firefly," Crow begged. Crystal tears began to fall from his two beautiful dark blue eyes. And that was the last thing I saw...
EPILOGUE: THE REAL WORLD AWAITS
There was a sharp pain in my arm, then a warmth spread through my body. I thought I was dead. Petal just stabbed me! I found the strength to open my eyes, and I peered around the snow white room.
A hospital room.
It was sterile and clean, everything was in it's proper place. It smelled like loneliness, hand sanitizer, and long-dead flowers. My head rested on a damp pillow, my hairline trickled sweat into my eye. I reached up to wipe at it, and found my hand wrapped in medical gauze. In my other wrist, four or five needles were stuck. That must have been the source of the prick, and the strange warm feeling.
Not two minutes after I woke up, doctors swarmed in to take tests. I really had been dreaming after all. Crow...was fake. He is and will be a character I made up. It stung like the needles the doctors held, that one little thought. That I had fallen in love, only to wake up and find that it was all really a dream.
"What happened?" my voice sounded like sand paper.
"You were struck by lighting. Somehow, without killing you, it shut down your brain. You've been in a coma for nearly three weeks. And your hand had minor burns," the doctor said in a clipped, official voice. It sounded like he was reading from a script. Those were the three of the best weeks of my life, I thought bitterly as the doctors continued their examinations.
A week later, my adoptive parents came to take me home. School started Tuesday, and I didn't want to miss it. Yeah right.
On Tuesday morning, I pulled my tired body out of bed, and brushed my hair into a ponytail. I looked into the mirror, two purple bags rested under my eyes. I covered them with makeup. I plastered a very fake smile on my face, because I've done this a million times: "Hi! My name is Jane Netherd, may I sit here?" My mind flashed back to only a few weeks ago, "My name is Jane," I introduced myself, offering my hand to shake. My nervousness doubled as he circled me, ignoring my outstretched hand. I brought it back and ran it through my hair.
With a sigh, I grabbed my backpack and walked to the bus stop. At school, I endured the looks of my peers. It seemed that they looked at me with scientific interest after the article about my hospitalization was released on Sunday.
"Hi, my name is Jane," I muttered under my breath. "Welcome to hell." I yanked my locker open, shoving my extra books inside and finding my class schedule. I had Chemistry first hour, ugh. I turned and closed my locker, looking around the hallway. My heart nearly stopped in my chest: Crow was right there! The boy noticed me staring and walked over casually.
"Hey," he said.
"Sorry, you look like someone I know," I said sheepishly.
"I get that a lot," he said. He has a New York accent. "I'm new here. Just moved from Harlem."
"Oh! I love Harlem, it's really pretty there," I said.
"Really? Cool!" the boy said.
"My name is Jane Netherd, it's nice to meet you," I offered my hand. This time he shook it.
"My name is Warner Pickett," he smiled.