Part Nine
Lynn
I'd never walked around in another world before but I guess there's a first time for everything. Of course, I knew Powder was there, and she was talking to me about... something. I think she was telling me about what Spot or some other guys were talking about. I didn't hear a word she said. Now that I think about it, I was completely out of it. If you'd asked me where we'd just been or where we were going I would have responded with a blank stare. Luckily Powder was in front of me, so I didn't do anything dumb like walk into trees or lamp posts!
"Lynn..." Powder said as stopped in front of a building. I remembered it... oh yeah, the Newsgirls' Lodging House. I clapped my hands in front of my face trying to wake myself up. I wasn't quite sure what was wrong with me. Dang it, it's just some Brooklyn guy, and for crying out loud, his name's Howie, of all things. I remembered that Powder had said something.
"What?" I asked.
"Where've you been?" She asked, jokingly. She waved her hand in front of my face. "Ya might wanna snap outta it before ya come in 'ere..." she said, motioning toward the door. I nodded vaguely.
"I gotta wake up... 'ere, slap me." I said, smiling.
"No way." Powder said, shaking her head.
"C'mon, please?" I begged.
"No." Powder demanded.
"Why not?" I pouted.
"'Cause I ain't gonna slap ya." Powder said.
"Oh fine, I's betta' now anyhow." I said, shaking my head. Powder smiled and laughed a little.
"Ok, we'll go visit Howie tomarra' for ya." I scowled and slapped her on the shoulder.
"Dat ain't nice! Leave me alone..." I whined, trying not to smile. Powder just laughed.
"C'mon, we's been standin' out hea' foreva'." Powder said, opening the door and walking in. I followed her, trying to look completely awake, even if I kept daydreaming.
"Heya Powda'... an' Lynn? What're you doin' hea'?" Strawberry said, jumping up from the chair in the corner.
"Lynn's stayin' hea' tonight, she came wit' me ta meet da Brooklyn guys, an' say 'hi' to Spot..." Powder said, walking into the room and sitting down. I followed her and sat down nearby.
"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. Strawberry smiled and stood up, walking into the other room.
"Hey goyls, Powda's back, an' Lynn's 'ere." She said, and then returned followed by Chaser, Karmel and Swany.
"Da udda goyls'll be comin' in a bit." Swany said, motioning towards the doorway as she sat down on a chair.
"Hey Swany, hi Karmel an' Chasa'." I said, smiling to myself for remembering their names. I probably could set the record for worst memory. I never remember anything.
"Hey Lynn. Stayin' hea' tonight?" Karmel asked.
"Yeah, don't wanna hafta walk back ta Manhattan dis late at night. Dat would be... bad." I said, looking for a good word but unable to find one.
"Hey, you all right?" Chaser asked, giving me a strange look.
"What? Yeah, I's fine.. what?" I said, startled.
"Ya looked.. tired or somethin'."
"No, I's fine. Seriously!" I said, widening my eyes for effect. Chaser just laughed and shrugged her shoulders.
"Geez, don't worry 'bout it..." she said, a perplexed look on her face. Powder started laughing.
"Hey, you, be quiet!" I said, blushing. "Nobody eva' lets me be..." I whined, slumping down in my chair. Powder just smiled and bit her lip.
"All right, what's dis all 'bout?" Nickels asked, walking into the room and folding her hands in her lap as she plopped down on the small table.
"Nothin'," I said, narrowing my eyes at Powder. She just laughed. I smiled. "Oh for cryin' out loud.. I don't care, all right?" I said, tossing my head back and rolling my eyes.
"What don't 'cha care 'bout?" Ernie asked when she walked in.
"Nothin'!" I said, laughing.
"So, how's uhh... Nicole doin' afta' seein' Mush for a whole day?" Nickels asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Aww.. it's crazy. She's 'is goyl now, at least dat's what I's hoyd, right Powda'?" I said, rolling my eyes slightly. Nicole was so funny that way. Powder nodded.
"Yeah, she's 'is goyl. Dey'se real good friends, 'least from what I can see." Powder added. I nodded in agreement.
"Well, I's glad dat woyked out, hmm goyls?" Swany said, leaning on one hand as she spoke.
"Yeah, I's glad dat woyked out too. Sounded like if Mush didn't like 'er she'd go crazy!" Chaser said, smiling. Powder and I exchanged a look and laughed.
We talked until it was very late, and finally we were all too tired to keep talking all night. Laughing can be very tiring, although you wouldn't expect that. Finally we all went to sleep. I managed to stop thinking about the blue-eyed boy with blondish-brown hair I'd been losing all mental control over. It was also the first night in three days that I'd slept in a real bed. All in all, the evening was mostly perfect.
Part Ten
Powder
Slowly, I climbed out of bed, and looked out the window. A steady rain had picked up during the night, and didn�t show any signs of letting up. I groaned. Hawking headlines in the rain isn�t the most fun way to spend a day.
I had been staying at my own Lodging House for several days now. Nicole was almost completely better, except for a few bruises, which were still tender. As I gazed out at the gloomy streets of Brooklyn, I thought of Lynn and Nicole. Lynn and I had plans to meet up and sell together. I forced myself to break away from my reverie, and get read for the day.
I pulled my hair back in a ponytail at the nape of my neck. It would be more out of the way that way, instead of my usual short braids that would get stuck to the side of my face in the rain.
Once I was ready, I headed outside. I hunched my shoulders and lowered my head to keep the rain off my face. I was the first of the girls to leave the Lodging House that morning, but I wanted to get my papers in time to meet up with Lynn. When I got to our designated meeting place, she was already waiting for me. I asked, "Ya ready ta go? Isn�t this terrible weatha�?" I was fairly wet, but she appeared to be soaked through to the skin. Since she had walked all the way from Manhattan, this didn�t surprise me.
"I�m so sorry. Somethin�... came up. I can�t sell wit� ya today," Lynn told me, her eyes pleading with me to understand.
"Oh," I started. "Okay. I�ll see ya around den." Something told me Lynn didn�t want anybody to know what she was up to, and I wasn�t about to pry.
"I�m so sorry," she repeated.
"It�s okay. I promise," I told her. "I�ll see ya lata�."
"Thanks, Powda�," she said, with a small smile. "See ya," she waved, turning on her heels, and walking briskly down the street.
I sighed, and then started shouting headlines. This was going to be a slow day. There weren�t many people on the streets in weather like this, and my best bet was to sell during the morning when people were on their way to work. Otherwise I would have to wait until evening when they were on their way home. I opened up my vest, and tucked my papers inside. This was the only way I could keep them somewhat dry. Nobody wants to buy a sopping wet newspaper.
I was walking along quickly. I took a shortcut through an alley. I knew these shortcuts weren�t always safe, but it was dry in this alley, since the roofs of the neighboring buildings sheltered it somewhat. I checked down the alley first to see if there were any people there, and there weren�t. So I started down the alley.
I was staring straight ahead of me, picking up my pace even more. I was as close to a run as I could get, and still be just walking. I just had this feeling that I should get out of this place as soon as I could. Suddenly a rough hand grabbed my arm, and I jerked backwards.
"Hey, litta� lady, isn�t dis a rough neighbor�ood for a goyl ta be wanderin� alone in?" I looked at the man whose hand was grasping my arm. He was digging his fingers into my arm, and I knew that I would have bruises the shape of his fingers in my arm. He was a hulk of a man, and I knew I would never be able to fight him. I wished Spot was with me, or any of the guys. I was tougher than I looked, and together we might have been able to take him on.
"You need an escort, doncha? You an� me, we could �ave some fun togetha�!" he suggested, smiling wickedly, with a dirty laugh. This man had a warped mind, and who knew what he was thinking. I just knew I needed to get away from him. He started dragging me through a maze of alleys.
I saw my escape. There was a cellar door several yards ahead, and I could tell it was unlocked. The building it was attached to was abandoned. I had one chance, and this was it. Turning my head, I sunk my teeth into the arm that was holding mine.
"Yow!" he screeched, jumping back. I was already sprinting toward the door. I yanked it open, jumped down into the cellar instead of climbing down the ladder, and slammed the door closed after me. "Oh, thank you!" I whispered, as I saw the metal bar propped by the ladder. I slid it through the door handles, just as he started pulling on the doors.
"You litta� brat!" he hollered. "You�se gonna pay for dat!"
I was laughing shakily, when all of a sudden I stopped short. I heard a sound that chilled my bones. The man was fastening the lock that had been hanging from the outer handles of the door. In my mind, the picture of the locked front door we had passed on the way into this alley loomed ominously over me. With a shudder, I realized I was trapped.
"Now ya can jus� sit hea� an� starve!" he yelled smugly. I heard him laugh, and his footsteps retreated down the alley.
I sank down and sat against the wall, and I heard the distinct chittering of rats somewhere across the room.
Nicole and Mush had walked farther than they thought they would. They just sort of wandered, going wherever the spirit moved them. They found themselves in Brooklyn. Rain or no rain, they had to sell their papers, and they had a better chance if they moved around, looking for customers. On a day like this, most people would be inside staying dry. They didn�t mind that they were dripping wet.
A huge man in shabby clothing was walking out of an alley, dusting off his hands. He was laughing smugly, and Nicole shuddered.
"Are you cold?" Mush asked her, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him, trying to keep her warm.
"Not really," she smiled weakly. "I just don�t want to know what that man was laughing about. He had an evil look in his eye."
Part Eleven
Lynn
The day was miserably grey and rainy. It was mid-afternoon on this drizzly day, and I was out selling alone. I'd wanted to sell my papers alone that day... I wasn't quite sure why, and for the moment it didn't really matter. I was too intent on trying to sell my papers in this miserable weather.
I muttered curses to myself as I slipped in the mud, barely keeping from landing flat on my back. A couple of papers slipped off the top of my stack. "Stupid rain," I muttered.
Rain never helped sell papers. In fact, it was a constant hindrance. It had been raining all day long, and the normally dusty roads were slick with mud and standing water. I had to sell newspapers from the bottom of my stack up towards the top, and the first couple always got wasted by being drenched.
"Havin' some trouble, Lynn?" called a familiar voice. I looked up, exasperated at being caught in such an awkward position.
"Heya Howie. What're ya doin' hea' in dis awful weatha'?" I asked, tucking my semi-dry stack of papers under my arm and picking up the two that had fallen in the mud. They were hopelessly dirty and waterlogged. The paper was nearly translucent. I wiped the water out of my eyes and succeeded only in smearing a streak of dirt across my face.
"'Ere, lemme help ya." Howie said, taking the stack of papers from under my arm.
"Thanks," I said, wiping the mud off my hands onto my pants and wiping my face with the back of my hand. then I took my papers back.
"Sellin' in dis weatha's miserable, ain't it?" Howie observed, gesturing to his stack of papers.
"Ohh... it's a joy." I said sarcastically. This was not helping to put me in a better mood. "I gotta get dese papes sold soon 'fore I's drenched to da skin." I said, taking one of my braids and squeezing a few drops of water out of it for emphasis. "Been out hea' all mornin', an' I's hardly sold anythin'. I don't know whea' everybody goes when it's rainin'! Don't dey wanna hea' 'bout da railroad openin' in southa'n Nebraska or somethin'?" I smiled at the terrible headline. Howie laughed.
"Guess not," he said, "I's been 'avin' real litta' luck sellin' too. Ain't too fun, lemme tell youse..."
"You don't gotta tell me! I's livin' dis story!" I paused and watched the rain hit the cobblestoned street. "Ya know, if I don't see anybody in da next couple 'a minutes, I's givin' up on makin' any money today an' I's goin' back ta da Lodgin' House whea' it's dry." I rolled my eyes and glared at my soggy stack of newspapers.
We walked down a few more streets, saying nothing. I was just thinking about how much I hated the rain. Finally, just one too many raindrops hit me on the head. I walked to the middle of the empty cobblestoned street and lifted my stack of papers above my head. "Extra! Extra! One drippin' wet newsgoyl gets sick 'a tryin' ta sell soggy newspapa's ta people who ain't dere! She ain't got 'nough money for dinna' but she wants ta go get dry!" With that I threw my stack of papers on the ground and jumped on them in my wet, muddy shoes. Howie laughed quietly. "What, ya think dis is funny?" I asked, brushing my hair out of my face.
"Nah, da rain ain't funny. Youse looks funny when you'se mad, though." I glared at him, and then gave up and laughed.
"I always wan'ed ta do dat." I said, smiling.
I sat in my dry clothes looking out the front window at the rain. Darkness was starting to settle over the streets of New York, and I was glad of it. Maybe the next day would be rain-free. Lightning flickered off in the distance, and I heard distant thunder as well. It seemed this rainstorm was going to become a real storm. I wondered how Powder was doing. Suddenly, I realized I hadn't seen Powder all day. Was she supposed to be here? Or was she staying in Brooklyn? I'd been under the impression she was supposed to be here tonight, but maybe I interpreted that wrong. Well... maybe she'll come back soon...
Part Twelve
Swany
I'm pacing. Pacing back and forth across the floor in the bunkroom at the Brooklyn Girls' Lodging House. "Powder should be hea'," I say to Karmel, who is sitting in a chair to my right.
"Maybe she's stayin' in Manhattan," she suggested.
"Oh, maybe.. but I jus' don't think so, Karmel. I was sure she was s'posed to be 'ere tonight..." I said. Something just seemed wrong about this.
"Don't worry 'bout it, she's able ta take care 'a 'erself. Ya knows dat," Karmel said.
"I's worried 'bout it." I said, closing my eyes and thinking, "in fact... we's goin' ta Manhattan, Karmel." I said, finally. The rain outside appeared to be thickening into a storm, but I didn't care. We couldn't risk her not being anywhere. I was so sure she was supposed to be here, and if I wasted my time and she was in Manhattan, that was fine. But I had to know for sure...
"What!?" Karmel exclaimed as I grabbed a light jacket from near my bunk and put it on over my clothes, hoping to stay a little drier.
"I said, "we's goin' ta Manhattan." I took Karmel's arm and led her over to the door. "We's gonna go an' find Powda', whea'eva' she is." Karmel sort of stared at me, but she realized I wasn't going to change my mind on this one. She grabbed her light jacket, explained to the other girls where we were going, and followed me out into the rain.
I shook my brown hair, but the rain had already plastered it to my head. I pushed it back, out of my eyes, and squinted into the thickly falling droplets. The air was very cold, unusually so for summertime in New York, and the rain wasn't helping. Karmel and I walked without speaking, and we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge without ever commenting on what we were doing. The walk was pretty long, but it didn't matter. I could only hope that Powder would be at the Manhattan Lodging House.
Finally we arrived at the door of the Manhattan Lodging House. I knocked on the door. "Come in," called a voice from inside. Karmel pushed the door open and we walked in.
"Karmel, Swany! What're ya doin' hea'?!" Lynn called, jumping up from her seat. "You'se all wet, come upstairs an' we'll get ya dried off." She motioned for us to follow her as she walked upstairs. It hadn't taken me long to realize that Powder wasn't here.
"So Powda' ain't hea', is she?" I asserted, my voice low. Lynn's eyes grew wide.
"Ya mean she ain't wit' you?" she asked, sounding very worried.
**To part 4!**