Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long, things have come up that you probably don't care to know, you just want to read the story! Bit of writer's block so I just drilled these two out. Hope you enjoy!
While she slept, memories came to Skeeter. Of her past, of her present, and what could be the foreseeable future.
Images came and went, sometimes quicker than she could comprehend, but sometimes slower than she could bare.
"Emma, Emma, where is Mam and Papa! Emma where are they!"
She was looking up at Emma, her soft hair hanging around her haggard face. She was squeezing the four year old Skeeter, silently begging her not to look.
Red. Her vision was red and splattered.
"They've gone, my ceann beag [little one], they've gone on a trip to a beautiful place and they can't come back" Emma sobbed,
"Why Emma! Why!" she couldn't understand why her beautiful Mam and strong Papa would just leave her like this
Emma weaved her slim fingers through Skeeter's hair like their mother always does… did.
Skeeter was pulled through a black swirl and moved on to the next vision, away from the crying four year old her and the sobbing Emma.
"Run, kid! Run!"
She didn't want to leave Hash behind, but she had to look after herself.
Skeeter turned away from the refuge and ran. Her barefeet slapped the pavement but she wouldn't, couldn't stop. She had to get away.
Away from the Refuge, away from the Warden, away from it.
She ran until she could no longer hear the whistles and shouts from the bulls and only when she finally realized how tired she was, did she stop.
She leaned against a brick building and closed her eyes, desperately trying to fill her lungs with air.
"Da bulls?"
Skeeter snapped her eyes open and looked up at the voice.
He was tall and very muscular. His brown-black hair swept over his dark eyes and he smiled as she nodded.
"Don't worry, dere gone. Youse safe now. Why don't youse stay here for a while? Be a newsie, sell papes. Dere are worse tings out dere. Ise only offerin cause you looks like you need a steady job."
Not having a better option other than trusting the over-friendly boy, she agreed.
"Good" he smiled, his white teeth showing, "What's yer name?"
Skeeter paused, she didn't know what to say. She could have a new name here. A new name, a new beginning.
"Skeeter" she said, "My name is Skeeter"
The boy threw his head back and laughed,
"Good to hear, Skeeter! I'm Aces and this here is Racetrack. He's new too, just like you! Got heah coupla months ago. Maybe you guys will be best friends or sometink..." Aces babbled on while a small Italian boy stepped out from behind Aces. His brown, almond shaped eyes gazed over her.
Skeeter gazed back at him, challenging him to look down on her.
"Ya know how to play cards?" he said.
"Yeah" Skeeter replied.
Racetrack's eyes lit up and he smiled his gap toothed grin at her.
"let's go back to the lodging House" Aces said, dragging the two kids behind him. "You need to meet the gang! Let's see, there's Cowboy, and Crutchy, and Blink, and Mush, and Jake and..."
The three of them walked out from the dirty streets and into Skeeter's new home and new life.
"Who are dey?" Skeeter asked Mush shyly.
She pointed a small finger at the two burly boys who were yellin at Jack through the bars of the distribution office.
"Dose are Oscar and Morris Delancey. Real nasty guys. Stay away from dem, okay Skeeter?"
Skeeter nodded, wondering why she had to stay away from them.
She stepped up to get her papes, her first ever, and bought twenty.
"Youse gotta goil now, Jacky? You must really be desperate" Oscar sneered at Skeeter. "She's little too! Probably can't sell one pape let alone twenty!"
"Not as desperate as you are, pickin on a kid half yer size!" shouted Skeeter. "Now shaddup ya goons!"
She gave a final glare at the dumbstruck Delancey and ran back to Race who was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
"Stupid apes" she muttered, while a laughing Race stood beside her.
"But why can't I come with you!" she yelled at Jack.
"Because youse a goil!"
"Yeah, and yer a boy! What does it matter!" Skeeter's face was as red as her hair as she tried to keep her temper under control.
Jack sighed and ran his hand through his sandy hair.
"Skeeter youse is tough. We all knows dat. But Midtown doesn't, no otha borough knows eitha. You've neva been to dese meetings Skeeter, it ain't no place fer a goil, newsie or not! Granted dere are goils, but not da kind you should be around! So you can eida go with us and risk the status of Manhattan and yer personal safety, or you can stay here and be safe wid Crutchy fer company!"
"Fine!" Skeeter shouted. She turned around and ran back into the bunkroom, trying not to let her tears fall.
The door slammed open behind her,
"Go away Jack! Leave me alone!"
She turned around to yell at him only to find Race looking at her.
"I'd ratha stay heah wid you, Skeeter, than go to Midtown widout youse. Maybe we can teach Crutchy blackjack" he smiled his goofy Italian grin at her.
That was when Skeeter realized that Race was her best friend.