I look down at Lucy for another second and she's gone. Nervously, I venture to the edge of the dock and mental beat myself up letting her sell with us. I'm a nervous wreck now, scarred she fell in the water- she can't swim yet and may already be dead.
"Star," I gasp, grabbing her shoulder turning her away from the people wanting to buy her papes. "I can't find Lucy!"
"You mean you lost her?" Ike yells at me, I'm loud when I don't even know it and even louder when I'm panicking. I nod slightly, tears tumbling down my face. Ike's expression gets slightly softer and gives me a reassuring hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Hello? Hype," Star complains tapping me on the shoulder, "your daughter is missing, let's go find her!"
"How could we find one little girl," I plead.
"How could we not? You guys trained her to be a newsie, and she knows that if she can't find us, she will yell loudly." Ike reasons, "Like the time we were at the market and Lucy stopped to get a rock out of her shoe so she screamed until she cried?" I nod my head slowly as Ike takes off his shirt and stuffs his pocket watch in his hat and hands it too me.
"Where are you going?" I call out as he stands on the edge of the dock.
"Going for a swim," he winks at me, causing me and Star to giggle as we still have to find her. Ike crawls to shore as he shrugs his shoulders, and then swings his hair back and forth; ridding the excess water from his hair and we know his pants are most likely ruined.
"What are we going to do?" I yell, "I just lost a three year old little girl."
"We can ask the cops," Ike suggests.
"There too busy with robberies and such," Star whispers.
"I think someone just stole our child," I say harshly as Ike tries to calm me down.
"Hype, just breathe."
"That's like me having another kid."
"Now that's just cold."
"I know I'm cold now."
"We're wasting time," I yell, thinking of all the places she could have wandered off too. She knows not too and if she screams, we know her location. But maybe she did scream and we were just too far to hear her. Maybe she's safe and sound with the landlady, or at Central Park with Jasper and Ella. I go through all the option again as I hear a menacing laugh from behind me and I turn around sharply, spotting a tip of a bowler and a pair of little girl shoes. Delanceys no doubt I think, my face inflaming at the thought they should just die at the refuge. "Ike, Star, I think I found her," I say, running in the direction I heard the laugh, forgetting the newspapers, we only had two left anyways, today was the best headline we've had in possibly a few years. I reach the spot immediately, the scan the area for the alleyways. Hearing smooth singing from the left, I walk nervously down the alley with Ike and Star following closely behind me. I turn the tiny corner and see Morris singing softly; braiding her hair as she rocks back and forward on her feet, not caring about the world around her at least he hasn't bashed her skull just yet. I take one step before I freeze in fear.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a deep voice says over my shoulder. Oscar of course, who else?
"Why do you have my child?" I question him sternly.
"You said it yourself kid, you have four and only wanted two."
"Maybe I changed my mind."
"Maybe you should change it again."
"Why did you take her anyways? Go make love to Lavender or something; I can't believe she isn't pregnant anyways."
"Can't sorry, its Morris's week, and the next I plan to make it count. And also because your daughter is real cute, I want one."
"Well Oscar," I smile sweetly turning around to see his smug face. Have I grown taller? I used to be at his chest, now his shoulders. "You're not going to get one by me."
"Who's stopping me?"
"Me," Ike whimpers as Star punches Morris hard, he shakes it off and continues to braid Lucy's long hair. We've never cut it in her life and she never stays still at all, not even in her sleep.
"You can take her anyways," Morris whispers, hugging her slightly as she runs up to Daddy; of course, she's daddy's little girl no competition.
"Morris!" Oscar yells at him.
"She's no good anyways, she'd scream too and you know how little girls scream." Morris sighs.
"I remember the terror scream you let out at home when I pretend to punch you with brass knuckles." Oscar retorts.
"Can we discuss your childhood some other time because Lucy needs to take her nap," I smile sweetly.
"Not in that hairstyle," Morris objects, "it took me ten minutes."
"So Lucy was technically used as bait?" I ask stupidly, Oscar nods slightly.
"Bye," Ike chimes as I motion him to follow me to the landlady's to pick up the other children, Star in a tow. She smiles as she gets to carry the twins as Cole's in my arms and Lucy is on Ike's shoulders. Setting them down gently in the nursery, we sneak back to the kitchen for food.
"So what have you learned about little Lucy today?" I ask as I pull food from the cabinets.
"I know how you react when you lose her," Star laughs as I give her a smug look.
""Well, I learned that she has a short attention span, like really, really short; and goes wherever she wants when someone lifts her." Ike suggests shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just happy we found her."
"Same," I reply, "Her attention span is slight, like you."
"Hey now," he objects as Star blushes for him.
"Anyways, I need to get to the lodging house; Blink and I are going on a date later." Star sighs, "Why can't he just propose or something?"
"Ike never proposed did you?" I ask him, he shrugs.
"Have you seen Jasper and Ella today? They're usually in their tree, but Race has been coming to the lodging house whining that they aren't there," Star comments.
"We haven't seen them," Ike comments.
"I haven't seen Ella, but I have seen her sister earlier." I respond.
"They'll come around soon enough, what did you think they did run off and get married?" Ike laughs.
"Maybe so," I whisper as I lead Star to the door and catch a glimpse of Ike calling me to the bedroom.