A voice calling my name pulled me from my reverie, and the world came crashing back down. It felt as if no time had passes, but the thin coat of snow covering me said otherwise. The storm was growing worse, the wind stinging my cheeks like pin pricks. Someone called my name again, sounder closer and clearer. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and jumped, causing the blanket of white powder to flutter off. I turned to my right. Race was kneeling about a foot away with a big grin on his face, which disappeared when he saw my expression.
"What happened?" he asked, and I couldn't find my voice to answer him. Part of me wanted to believe that none of this had ever happened. The boys and I would return back to the Lodgehouse, and Jack would be sitting by the fire telling the younger boys stories of adventures that never took place. The other part of me felt the pain from the harsh reality of what had occurred, both in my ankle and my heart. I realized that Race was still waiting for an answer, and I couldn't give him one. The news was going to crush him and the boys, much like it was doing to me now.
"Jack-" I started to answer, but began to cry. I hated crying in front of a Newsboy. It always led to teasing later on.
"All right," Race said kindly, "let's get back home." I nodded, and he helped me up. My muscles were numb and stiff, and I was shaking from the cold.
"I hurt my ankle," I told Race, and he adjusted my arm around his shoulder. We made our way back towards the Lodgehouse through the snow. I kept quiet, mostly focusing on putting one foot in front of another. My ankle couldn't take much weight, but Race kept me balanced. The stairs were a bit complicated when we got to them, but they were conquered. Mush and two other boys, Albert and Henry, came running up to us once we were inside. Race shook his head.
"Not now," he snapped, and the boys backed away. "Mush, get an ice pack. Albert, grab some blankets. Henry, you can help me." The others ran off while Henry came around to the other side of me. Together, the two boys got me over to the fire and set me in front of it. The warmth felt heavenly. Three thick quilts were wrapped around my shoulders. Race carefully pulled off the boot on my sore ankle. It was turning black and blue, but I knew it wasn't broken since I could feel my toes when Race's jacket brushed them. Mush came back with a bag of ice and set it over the bruising skin. Slowly but surely, I began to warm up. "Geez, Celia. You were blue when I found you," Race explained to me.
"I don't know how long I was sitting there."
"You were covered in snow. Celia, we need to know what happened," Race said, taking my frigid hand in his.
I took a deep breath than began the tale. "I was walking towards Gianni's when I saw some people arguing. I ran over, and it was Jack talking with two cops. Apparently, Jack had been caught stealing from a local bakery."
The boys gasped.
"Jack? Stealing?" Henry asked. Henry was younger than me by a year, but was taller than me by quite a few inches. He looked as shocked as the others.
"That's what I got mad about. I started yelling at him, but Jack told me that he did it for the kids in the Refuge. One of the cops didn't care, saying that Jack had to pay the consequences. He shoved me to the side, and I slipped and hurt my ankle. Jack got so angry that he punched the cop in the face." Even though what I was telling them was serious, I couldn't help but smile about how Jack had completely taken down a cop over twice his age and how it was so incredibly stupid. " The other cop grabbed Jack, and they took him to the Refuge." The boys' stunned silence was deafening. The tears I had fought to hold in finally spilled over. That was when Albert hugged me, and I could tell he was fighting back tears of his own.
"Jack's going to be fine, Celia," Mush stated suddenly, causing us to look at him. His expression was hopeful, and I wished I could have some of that hope for myself. He was given the task of telling the rest of the boys, something I couldn't do. I've told the story once, and that was enough for me. as he went upstairs, I found myself stuck in a Race and Albert sandwich for warmth or sympathy; either one was okay. Once I had feeling in my toes and fingers again, it was late and after the day's events, I was exhausted. henry got one of the older boys, Kyle, to carry me up the stairs to the bunk room. Luckily my bed was close to the door since I had to get up at insane hours just to get a shower. I swear boys take a longer time in the bathroom than girls. Still cold, the boys laid the quilts on top of my other blankets and me.
The room was quiet, but none of the boys were asleep. Obviously, mush had told them what had happened. It felt like the heart of the Lodgehouse had been ripped out. Jack would be causing trouble right about now, and the silence left an open wound that affected everyone. I was never one to go to bed early, but the want to forget everything was too great. The moment I closed my eyes, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.