Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you like this chapter :)
Yeah, things are starting to get really, really bad for our favorite revolutionary children.
Chapter Six:
"ZARAH! ZARAH, COME QUUUUICK!" Henri's panicked scream sounded throughout the shop. Sarah, upstairs in her room, staring blankly at the empty page she had intended to fill, was violently wretched from her reverie.
"Goodness gracious, Henri! What is so—" Sarah's scolding was cut short when Henri pulled her over to the Franklin stove, where an overflowing kettle sizzled on the hot burner.
"Eet's boiling over! Zarah, do something! Have I broken the stove? It's making strange noises! Do something!" Henri jumped excitedly. Sarah grabbed a rag from the table and used it to pick up the hot kettle and set it on the table. She coughed.
"It's alright, Henri. It'll dry off the stove soon enough and then we can pour out some water. You just filled it too full is all."
"Still teaching Henri how to cook, Sarah? I thought you were too highbred for that." laughed James, stepping into the room. Sarah crossed her arms.
"I don't know how to cook, James. If I did, I would, and save myself from what Moses tries to make..." she spoke slowly, as if concentrating on her words, as she took cups out of the cupboard—one for her, and one for Henri. She paused, deliberating before turning back. "James, do you want some tea?"
"Tea is for torys," scowled James, "and little French shrimps. Everyone drinks coffee now."
"Most of your patriots drink tea still, James." Sarah argued wearily. "Coffee is for heathens, and when you tried it, you spit it out."
"I did not!" lied James defensively. "...It was just bitter, that's all."
"Anyway, this tea was made with leaves from the colonies' very own countryside. Mint and such. No 'Tory' tea here, I fear." Sarah went for the box of tea.
"Fine, I'll have some..." mumbled James. Sarah turned back to the cupboard.
"Does Moses—" she cut herself off. "I keep forgetting Moses is gone."
It seemed as if February had finally made up its mind and decided to herald spring, melting the snow and warming the air slightly, but house felt cold even in the sunlight. All of the residents were tense and stiff, jumping at the slightest sound. Sarah continued to glance nervously at the door and tilted the teapot too far back, making tea run down the spout and puddle on the table. James didn't smirk when he normally would have laughed, instead looking around anxiously. Today they were all on edge.
Sarah didn't even seem to notice until Henri tugged at her sleeve. She looked tired—but then, James supposed they all did. She nodded to the teacups and sat down, laying her head on the table.
"Are you alright, Sarah?" he asked, Henri echoing the question. Sarah glanced up, then nodded.
"I'm fine." she coughed, flattening her hand over her mouth as to muffle the sound.
"I can't hardly believe Moses left so early in the morning." he tested. She nodded and lay her head back down.
James stared at her a second longer, frowning. This wasn't like her—he had even used 'can't' wrong, and she hadn't corrected him! She always corrected his grammar.
Henri spilled his tea on his arm and yelled, jolting him out of his thoughts.
The day passed agonizingly slowly. The children had nothing to do but all silently refused to leave the house. Sarah spent the day in her room, James, attempting to overcome a severe case of writer's block caused by having absolutely no news to report, and Henri wandered about the shop, kicking the furniture and complaining of his older companions' solitude, the cold, the British, and whatever else he could think of.
When the house grew dark, it seemed to grow even colder as well. After supper the children were reluctant to leave for their corners of the shop, opting instead to continue sitting around the table, preferring the small bit of security their companions' presences afforded them.
James' thought was cut off by a knock at the door. It's effects on the high-strung, anxious children were profound—all of them jumped.
Since she was a British girl and British girls do not get frightened by knocks on doors, Sarah quickly sprung to open it. Since he was an American boy and American boys are not frightened by their neighbors, James, close behind her, greeted the man. Since he was a French boy and French boys have nothing to prove to anyone, Henri hid behind the printing press.
"Mr. Hill, what are you doing here at this hour?" the man stood holding his hat. Sarah nudged James out of the way to open the door wider.
"Come in, sir." he shook his head.
"I'd best be leaving now—only I knew you children was alone and I didn't want to see you in prison—or worse."
"What is it?" Sarah and James asked at the same time.
"My brother's wife has a nephew in the British army. I can't understand it, but there it is—and part of his regiment is planning to seize control of your shop tonight."
"What?" Sarah exclaimed. James looked like he was choking on air.
"They plan to arrest you all for treason, install loyalist printers instead, and continue printing a loyalists' 'Gazette'—I'm sorry you had to hear it."
"They can't do that! That—that's not right!" James practically shouted. Sarah put a hand on his arm to silence him.
"I shouldn't have come. I just didn't want you children caught unawares—I imagine you have a few hours, at the most. Have a safe night, now." said Mr. Hill, hurrying back towards his own home.
As soon as the door was shut, James jumped up. "We need to write and tell the colonists what's happening. The colonists must be made aware of the injustice."
"James, you just heard what he told us." Sarah said, startled into a momentary argumentive state. "Soldiers are coming to arrest us. Perhaps we should decide what we are to do when they come, instead of printing a pamphlet?"
"If the soldiers come, we'll hold out for as long as we can." replied James. "We can put the table across the door."
"The soldiers have muskets, James! And there will be more than one." Sarah said, exasperated.
Henri looked at the two older children, caught up in their brewing argument. "Will we be arrested?" he asked. James and Sarah both looked at each other.
"No, Henri." said James. "No one is getting arrested."
"Boston is only a few days from here. We could ride to the house of that Mrs. Adams Moses wanted us to go to." suggested Sarah, sitting down. James had also sat down and was writing furiously.
"Except that Moses has taken the horse." he replied. "Henri, we don't have much time. Start getting ready to print a page."
"James," said Sarah, "We have no ink."
"We might have enough for one page." argued James. "We can give one copy to another printer and they can print the rest of the copies for us. We can't not write about this, Sarah. A front page story is happening to us!" even he seemed less excited then normal about the prospect.
"If we do have to leave, it would be best to bring some food—and money." said Sarah. "I'll put some in a satchel."
"What about Moses?" asked Henri anxiously. "He will know we've gone, but will he know where?"
"We can't just leave a note and tell him. The soldiers could find it." said James thoughtfully.
"Where are we going anyway?" asked Henri.
"I guess we'll have to go to Mrs. Adams' house on foot." said James. "And we can print the pamphlet in Boston."
"But Boston has just as many soldiers as Philadelphia." frowned Henri. "What if zhey recognize you and I and Zharah?"
"It's been months since we were there. No one would still be looking for us." replied James. "I hope Moses remembers that he wanted us to go to Boston."
"I don't understand it," said Sarah, coming downstairs from her packing. "There are other printers in town. Why haven't they been seized?"
"Dr. Franklin is disliked by many British officials." said James. "They probably want to make an example of him by stealing his paper."
"But zhat isn't fair to Dr. Franklin!" Henri said.
"And that's why we need independence." announced James. Sarah coughed and crossed her arms, obviously in disagreement.
James and Henri continued setting the type, going faster now that Sarah could read for them.
"...businesses everywhere have been seized and residents scared into obeying unjust laws, and the—" suddenly she fell silent.
"Do you hear zhat?" Henri asked.
The sounds of marching coming towards the shop sent all three occupants into panic.
"Hurry up, Henri." said James, beginning to work faster. Sarah continued to read, picking up the satchel. A knock came from the locked door.
James quickly went towards the table and Sarah and Henri, seeing what he wanted to do, helped him push it over and in front of the door. It wouldn't buy them more then a few extra minutes, though.
Sarah scanned the page to see where she had left off. "...British continue to commit intolerable acts." she breathed a sigh of relief. "Done." James and Henri pushed the type onto the page quickly, printing one admittedly-faint page, which James shoved into his pocket.
The banging at the door continued. "Open up. His Majesty's Army." demanded a voice outside. The children looked at each other, fear written on their faces.
"Should we break the window, sir?" asked one soldier.
Silence, then the first soldier began to speak again. "Right. Davids, Johnson, get on that. It be quiet about it. No need to wake up all the townspeople."
"They don't want anyone to know when we're arrested!" whispered James indignantly, stepping forward like his intention was to fight the British. Sarah lightly pulled on his arm.
"James, we must leave now." she hissed, staring at the door. It was beginning to splinter and there were sounds of banging at the window.
"But—" a large splinter of wood from the door fell onto the table. James turned, and all three children ran out the back door.