Disclaimer: do I really have to keep doing this? (;

Jinx's POV

Tonight was the worst night of my life. Oscar didn't do anything too serious- nothing where I would want to shower for 3 days straight, But it was definitely no night at Medda's.

When we got into the house, it was squat and plain. Actually, it smelled like decaying animals, and the paint was yellowed and cracking. The front room smelled like cigars and there were at least three ashtrays around the room. The couch I was sitting on was hard and lumpy-and had some questionable stains. So anyway, he threw me on the couch and went into the kitchen. I heard a lot of other men and got a little scared. But then I told myself to be strong.

Oscar came back and told me I had to make him and his poker buddies dinner. I said no, partly because I can't cook for the life of me and partly because I am dead set against being a housemaid. Oscar didn't like that answer and got a wooden stick and left a bunch of black and blue bruises all over my body.

After he stalked back into the kitchen, I was left to myself. I tried to clean my bloody nose and would worry about my throbbing shoulder later. Then he came back in, having an overwhelming smell of alcohol. I refused to sleep with him and he got really angry. He took me and threw me into a small room. It had a stained celling and yellow-pinkish wallpaper that was peeling from the walls. There was a bed in the corner but there was no way I was going near that.

He left me there for two hours and by that time I was starving. All I had at the restaurant was some bread and wine. My whole body was sore and hard to move. My right shoulder was throbbing really badly from where Oscar cut me and I was scared to look at it. I realized my trousers and shirt were torn and soaked in blood.

'I have to get out of here!' I thought.

'Duh!' I said to myself. Sometime I could be so stupid.

Then the door flew open and Oscar staggered in. He creepy smile and scent of alcohol made me want to throw up. I could still hear laughing and glasses clinking in the kitchen. He walk up to me.

"What?" I spit.

"Now, is that anyway to treat your host?" he asked, grinning wickedly. "I just came to see if you changed your mind about the sleepin' arrangements." He smiled knowingly, looking at my clothes and state I was in.

"I'm fine where I am, and I'm going to stay where I am!" I snarled. He frowned.

"Well, I suppose you'll change your mind in a couple of days!" he spit back, and slammed the door shut. I heard the lock click in place. "Try not to ruin anything while you're in there!" he called to me, chuckling evilly.

I knew it was no use a couple minutes after he left. My head was starting to throb and my stomach was growling so much it hurt. I was dizzy from blood loss and I was really thirsty. I kept daydreaming about the food I had one night at Tibby's. It was my first day being a Newies and we had a whole ham and potatoes and olives. (Denton paid for it all) I knew I had to get some food, but there was no way I was sleeping with the creep!

I leaned against the wall, thinking. I could wait for the Newsies, but I wasn't even sure if they were coming to get me. There weren't any windows in the room, and the door was huge and locked. I busied my self by looking around the room. There was a small dresser in the corner and I opened it. There were a bunch of women's clothes. 'This must be where Oscar keeps his victims.' I was disgusted, but I wouldn't let clean clothes go to waste.

I pulled off my blood soaked trousers and torn shirt. They have definitely seen better days then today. I found a small pink dress that felt like silk, and the neckline was tremendously low. It reminded me of what I used to wear. I put it back.

Finally, I found a worn yellow dress that fell to my knees. I liked the color, and it was much less revealing then most of the stuff in the drawers. It wasn't what I like to wear, but it'll do.

I steeled myself and looked at my shoulder. I was disgusted and worried. The cut was deep and the skin around the wound was tight and swelled. It was still oozing blood, so I tore a length of fabric from my shirt and bound the shoulder to stop anymore bleeding. 'It's the best I can do now.' I decided.

I went over to the bed, even though it looked disgusting. I was so tired that I lay down and dreamt of home.

Jinx's Dream.

Sarah Conway was riding her prize horse. His black coat gleamed in the hot sun. She was laughing as she raced her father, who was riding a white horse."Go! Go!" she was shouting. The sun warmed their necks and backs while the summer breeze played with their hair.

Sarah beat her dad by a hair then fell off her horse laughing about it. Her father couldn't help by laugh too, and help Sarah up. She watched her two brothers, Mikey, the youngest one who had blonde hair and freckles. And Rob, the brown haired, brown-eyed boy. Her sister, Anna, was helping her Ma bake the apple pie they were going to have that night.

Suddenly she heard her mother screaming. "Ma!" Sarah shouted. She tried to run to the house, but her father grabbed her saying, "Watch the boys!"

Her father stormed up to the house. As he passed through the wooden door, shouting, "Darlene!" the kitchen caught fire.

The warm sun turned into an immense heat. The fire was growing, feeding off the air. "Ma! Anna!" Sarah sobbed. The boys started crying and Sarah turned to console them. But then she saw Mikey running toward the house. "Mikey!" Sarah shouted, trying to be heard above the blazing fire.

She tried to catch him, but he was too fast. She turned around, and couldn't fin Rob, either. "Rob!" the last she saw of him was his brown head of hair following his twin to the disaster inside. Sarah sobbed as the only home she ever knew burned.

"Sarah!" they called

"Sarah!"

"Sarah!"

"Sarah!" I bolted awake. My face was wet with unseen tears. "Sarah!" I heard my name again, and it wasn't my family calling.

It was Jack.