Part Thirteen
Powder
I knew from the small, rectangular window near the ceiling that it was early evening. The window was open, letting in gusts of chilly, damp wind. After I calmed down somewhat from the original shock of being trapped, I studied my surroundings and noticed the window. At first a ray of hope shot through me, but the window was too high for me to get to, and the smooth wall offered no toe or finger holds. There was a wooden crate in the corner, but it was rotted straight through. When I tested my weight on it, the box broke away and I nearly got my leg caught.
I still wasn�t ready to give up, and I tried screaming for help. I screamed and screamed and screamed until my throat was raw, but nobody came to help me. This horrible rain had thickened steadily all day, and very few people were willing to brave the storm.
Looking around again, I noticed a door that, in the darkness, blended right in with the wall. I rushed over to it and pulled on the handle. It didn�t budge. I pulled with all my might, and still the door wouldn�t move a fraction of an inch. I just wasn�t strong enough.
I sat down on the floor again. My hair had become tousled, and I brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. I was antsy, and got up and walked around every fifteen minutes or so. At least I was fairly dry.
As the day wore on, the wind picked up and carried more rain to me. As the sun went down, the rain got colder. I sat as far away from the window as I could, but I was still cold and damp. I was chilled through to the bone, and I shivered as I had never shivered before. Actually, it was closer to convulsing. My whole body shook. I tucked my knees up to my chin and hugged them to my chest.
Through the sound of my chattering teeth, I heard a grumble. I was hungry. I hadn�t eaten in what seemed like years. Could it really have only been about half a day?
I was so lost in my thoughts of self-pity that I was very startled when suddenly I heard a male voice yell, "In here!" Suddenly two figures dropped through the window, one after the other. In the dim shadows, I could only see the silhouettes of my visitors. "Who�s there?" I croaked with my raw, worn out voice.
Part Fourteen
Nicole
As soon as we realized Powder was missing, we all jumped up off our chairs. We had been sitting in the parlor, some playing poker, some watching the game.
"We have to go look for her!" the girl named Swany had screeched, panicky.
"We should split up in groups a� twos an� threes," Pie Eater said. "We don�t need anybody else gettin� inta trouble."
"Right. Nicole�s wit� me," Mush had said, and we headed out the door into the rain. Everybody else was right behind us. It didn�t take them long to split into groups.
We walked briskly to Brooklyn, without talking. We weren�t sure of course, but we figured she would be in Brooklyn. We turned a corner, and bumped directly into two intimidating-looking guys.
"Well, well, well. What we got �ere?" one asked. These gigantic oafs didn�t look like men to be messed with. They had scrubby beards, and as the one who had spoken laughed, we saw he was missing several teeth.
We started inching backward, and finally, as if on cue, we both turned and broke into a sprint. We ducked into an alley, in search of somewhere, anywhere to hide. We nearly passed our escape route.
Suddenly Mush stopped short, and grabbed my hand, pulling me with him. "In here!" he yelled. This window was the right size for us, but too big for the gorillas right behind us. I slid through the window easily, and dropped to the floor. Mush dropped down right next to me. We were just starting to catch our breath when we saw a shadow moving against the far wall. Someone stood up. My muscles tensed. We heard a hoarse voice croak, "Who�s there?"
Part Fifteen
Lynn
Swany, Karmel and I went off to search for Powder together. I explained to them that I'd thought she was supposed to be in Brooklyn that night. I felt really bad about not having thought we would have to search for her - and not going to Brooklyn to see if she was there.
"It's all right, Lynn..." Swany said, "we wasn't sure whetha' she was s'posed ta be in Brooklyn or not, dat's da only reason we came ta Manhattan lookin' for 'er."
"But I shoulda thought 'a dat. I wasn't sure if she was s'posed ta be in Manhattan or Brooklyn eitha'. It's a good thing ya botha'ed ta come lookin' for 'er or we wouldn't know where she was, an' we'd each think she was wit' da udda poyson. Maybe we wouldn't 'a even discova'ed she was missin' 'til tomarrow night or somethin'!" I explained to them.
"Yeah, well, it was Swany's idea. She kinda made me come. I thought it was a stupid idea. 'A course she'd be in Manhattan if she wasn't in Brooklyn... but I guess I was wrong." Karmel said. Then we fell silent, walking around looking into as many alleys or side streets as we could find. I followed mostly behind Swany and Karmel because I didn't know Brooklyn very well at all, but I wouldn't have known if Powder was somewhere ahead of us anyway. Not in this storm, in the dark. I'm nearsighted as it is, and I don't wear glasses.
Luckily throughout the entire enterprise we didn't encounter anyone. Not even any other newsies. So of course I was afraid we were lost, but Swany assured me we weren't.
"We aren't findin' anyone. Not Powda', not even any udda' newsies. Not even some jus' random guy walkin' 'round in da streets." I said, looking around at the large puddles the cobblestoned streets were turning into. "Dis is turnin' into a lake or somethin'," I observed.
"Yeah, ya right... we'd betta' go back." Karmel said dejectedly.
"Maybe someone found 'er already. We can head back ta Manhattan an' youse can sleep dere. If we don't got 'nough bunks I'll sleep on da floor." I offered. Swany and Karmel agreed that was a good plan.
Powder wasn't back at the Lodging House, but the weird thing is... Mush and Nicole weren't there either.
"What's dis? More people disappearin'?" Jack exclaimed, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I don't get it. Ya ain't s'posed ta get lost ya'self when you'se lookin' for someone else." Swany said, her eyes narrowing. "Whea' could dey be? It's practically daylight."
"It's not 'practically daylight', Swany." Karmel said, "but I think we's gonna be real tired if we don't go ta sleep soon."
"Yeah, Karmel's right," I said. "It'll be easia' ta look for - an' find - people in da mornin'." Everyone agreed with my statement.
Part Sixteen
Powder
"Nicole, stay behind me," a familiar voice said, and I saw the figures moving, as one advances toward me.
"Wait a minute," I called out hoarsely. "Mush, is dat you? An' Nicole?"
"Powder?" I heard Nicole's voice, and breathed a sigh on relief.
"Yeah, it's me," I said, and Mush and Nicole stepped close enough for me to be able to make out their faces.
"Well, this sure is ironic. We come out hea' in da middle a' da night, lookin' for ya, an' den we find ya, but we'se stuck oua'selves," Mush said.
"You guys been lookin' for me?" I asked. "How did ya know I was missin'?"
"Swany and Karmel came over to the Lodging House in all this rain, because Swany had a feeling something was wrong. She wanted to see you there, because she was worried. Then when she saw you weren't, and told us you weren't in Brooklyn, either, we all went out looking for you," Nicole explained.
"Yeah," Mush jumped in. "'Cept we ran inta some... trouble, an' we was gettin' chased by dese guys, an' we jumped through da window."
"Huh. Sounds a litta' familiar. I was gettin' dragged off to who knows whea' by some big guy, an' I bit da guy an' he let me go. I dove into the cellar door. I dunno if ya saw dat or not. Well, 'e locked it behind me, an' dere's a door up there that leads to the upstairs, but I couldn't force it open," I summarized how I had ended up in such a predicament.
"Ya think we could get da door open togetha'?" Mush asked.
"We might," I said. "See, I thought 'bout tryin' ta use the pole ova' dere ta bust th' cellar door open. But it's such an awkward position, what with havin' ta stand on da ladda' ta get ta da door an' all, I couldn't use da pole for a batterin' ram. But da outside door upstairs, now, dat be might be able ta break open."
"Ok, well, let's try to force this door open down here," Nicole said.
I guided them to the door in the inky blackness. We each gripped the handle with two hand, and Mush said, "One, two, three, pull!" We all pulled with all our might, and we felt the door budge slightly.
We took a gasp of air, and Mush counted off again We all grunted and grimaced as we pulled but we felt the door give a little more. We stopped pulling, and braced ourselves for one final heave. "One, two, three, PULL!" Mush yelled, and as we pulled, the door gave way and we stumbled backwards from the momentum. Nicole fell on her back, and I stuck a hand out to help her up.
"Thanks," she said.
"No problem," I said, still breathing heavily.
Then the three of us gazed up the rickety staircase that had been hidden behind the door. I made my way back to the ladder, climbed up, and took the pole out of the cellar door handles. "We might be needin' this," I said, rejoining the others.
"I suppose dis is neitha' da time or da place to say 'ladies foist', huh?" Mush said, smiling slightly, as I handed the pole to him. He held it in a ready position, as if he were ready for an attack, and he headed up the stairs. Nicole and I followed closely behid him.
The stairs creaked eerily as we made our way up to the main level of the old building. We stopped when we got to the top, deciding which way to go. The floor was covered with a layer of dust a quarter of an inch thick, and the air smelled almost as musty and moldy as it had in the basement. Nicole coughed. I sneezed.
"I... uh... think th' door should be that way," I said, jerking my thumb to the left. We turned down the hallway, walking slowly. The floor was rotted in several places, and we had to watch our step as best we could in the dark. We passed several doors, leading to rooms that had probably once been offices. The hallway turned sharply, and we were forced to turn to our right.
"Hey, is that it dere?" I asked, squinting. I thought I could make out the large, intricately carved double dorrs I had seen from the outside of the building.
"Only one way to find out," Nicole said, as we walked toward the doors.
I let out a whoop of excitement when I realized it really was the right door. We formed a line, each holding onto the pole, and used it as a battering ram. We tried to judge where the lock would be, and hit the door in that area, since the pole was fairly heavy, but not very big. We slammed the end of the pole into the door several times, splintering the wood. It was almost a shame, because the doors had once been so beautiful. At laste we heard the metal of the lock and chain snap from outside a door, and we pushed open the doors to freedom.
We breathed in the fresh night air. The rain actually felt good now, even though I had been freezing not too long ago. The physical labor of breaking the doors open, and pulling the basement door open, had warmed me up. Now the rain felt refreshing. I turned my face up to the sky, and let the rain rinse the dirt off my face.
"I know the Brooklyn Lodging House must be closer, but everybody's been out looking for you from the Manhattan Lodging House, and so I think we should go back there. That is, if you're up to the walk, Powder. I'm sure you're tired and hungry," Nicole said, looking at me quizzically.
"I'm fine as can be 'spected," I said, smiling to show her it was true. We headed off in the direction of Manhattan. "Hey, we'se sure gonna have a story ta tell de otha's when we get back, ain't we?"
Part Seventeen
Lynn
I woke up before the gray haze of early morning had even settled over the city. It could have been just an hour before I went to sleep. Maybe I hadn't even slept. I had no idea. My eyelids felt heavy and I was very sleepy, but I forced myself out of bed. It was still very dark, and silvery moonlight was visible over the treetops where it must have just set. I crept down the stairs and sat down near the door, hoping Powder, Mush or Nicole would show up. It was still raining, and I was sure that the whole ground must be flooded by now. It had been raining for an entire day and a half, about. I checked the time. Three o'clock AM. Blech. No civilized person wakes up at this hour. I stretched my neck and blinked my eyes a few times, trying to wake myself up. Someone else came down the stairs. "Who's dere?" I mubled tiredly.
"It's me, Karmel." She said, sitting down next to me. "I couldn't sleep all night, an' when ya went down 'ere I thought I'd come wit' ya." Her eyes were wide open.
"You ain't slept all night, have ya?" I asserted. She shrugged, "I slept a litta'." I nodded and looked at the door.
"I'd go out an' look some more but I don't want nobody ta worry. If you'll tell 'em dat I went- " I began.
"No. Ya ain't goin' nowhea' alone. Too many people's been dissappea'in'." Karmel demanded.
"Fine den, you wanna come wit' me?" I suggested, sounding more irritated than I felt.
"I would, but den when da otha's wake up dey'll be like, 'oh look, Lynn an' Karmel dissappea'ed too'. We can't do dat, Lynn." I sighed.
"I know dat, but I don't wanna jus' sit hea' an' do nothin'." I said, standing up. "Hea', let's go sit out on da front steps." I slowly pushed open the door, and Karmel and I walked out. "I really wonda' whea' dey could all be..." I said, sadly. "All sorts 'a stuff can happen ta people out 'ere. I got all beat up one night, goin' for a walk. Dat was back when I was like twelve."
"I know, we Brooklyn goyls know all 'bout dat stuff. Dat's why we stick togetha'." Karmel said. She didn't mean anything personal, but I took it that way. Was it my fault that Powder had gotten into whatever mess she was in? Because I wanted to sell alone? There was really no reasoning behind my decision, and suddenly it all made sense. Because of my stupid desire to sell alone like I'd used to, I'd left Powder at the mercy of whatever ding-bats roamed the streets. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Lynn.
"I's so stupid!" I exclaimed. Karmel stared at me. "Like ya said, we oughtta stick togetha'. But I wan'ed ta sell alone, so Powda' was sellin' alone. What a dumb thing ta do!" Karmel looked at me.
"It ain't ya fault. Dey'll come back, all of 'em. Don't worry 'bout it. As soon as someone else wakes up, we'll go an' look for 'em some more, all right?" Karmel said, with an even, tired voice.
"Sorry 'bout dat, but when ya said dat, I jus'..." I trailed off.
"Yeah, I know." Karmel said. We sat in silence for a while. I saw some people down the street. I shook my wet hair.
"Karmel? Hey people up dere! Who are ya?" I called quietly. My voice echoed in the empty alleys.
"Lynn?" Asked a voice.
"What the... Powda'? Dat you?" I shouted, not caring who I woke up.
"Yeah, it's me." Powder's voice carried in the streets.
"And Nicole and Mush also!" Called Nicole's clear voice.
"Karmel. It's them. It's them! Woohoo!!!" I said, jumping up and running over there. I hugged Mush, I hugged Nicole, I hugged Powder. I don't even know who I was hugging I was so excited! They weren't dead! They didn't really look that bad, except they all looked very tired.
"Hey Lynn, Karmel." Nicole said, smiling.
"We were lookin' everywhea' for ya, Powda'. An' den we all got back tagetha' an' Mush an' Nicole was missin'. I neva' dreamed dey'd be wit' you!" Karmel exclaimed.
"You guys look tired, c'mon back to da Lodgin' House an' you can sleep." I offered, hardly able to contain my excitement.
"Talk 'bout tired, you an' Lynn look like ya hasn't slept a wink all night." Powder told Karmel. Karmel shrugged.
"We didn't get much sleep," she explained. "C'mon, everyone'll be really excited ta see ya."
We went inside and were so loud that I think everyone woke up before Swany shouted that Powder was back. Although anyone still asleep by that point was definitely awake after Swany's outburst. I think my ears were still recovering five minutes later.
I sold practically nothing the next day, I don't think I even read anything other than the headline. I wasn't really awake enough. I got rid of my small quantity of papers, and went back to the Lodging House where I rested for a while. Then for dinner we decided to go to Tibby's for a little "glad- you're-still-alive" celebration.
Part Eighteen
Nicole
Mush and I walked blissfully along the side of the road, our hands entwined. The long rain had finally stopped, the sun was coming out, and things looked so bright and cheery. I sighed. "It feels so good to be home again, after last night," I said happily.
"Nicole, did you hea� what you jus� said?" Mush asked. "You just called th� Lodgin� House �home.�"
I smiled. "I did, didn�t I? I haven�t been here very long, but already I feel more at home here, with you, and Lynn, and the rest of the guys, than I ever did with my parents or those awful nannies they stuck me with. I�ve never been happier than I am right now."
Mush smiled sweetly at me. Then he stopped suddenly. "Nicole, look! A rainbow!"
"It�s beautiful!" I breathed. The rainbow stretched all the way across the sky in front of us, from one rooftop to another one that was a little over a block away from the first.
"Jus� like you," Mush smiled, turning me to face him. He kissed me softly, and then stepped back, both his arms around my waist. "Nicole, I�se neva� been happier, eitha�. I want you to know that I�se neva� felt like dis �bout anybody before there was you," Mush said slowly, as if he was weighing each word before he said it. "Nicole, I think I love ya."
I was breathless. "I love you, too, Mush," I managed to say, as I gazed into his eyes. I sighed again. "I wish this moment could last forever," I told him, as we both turned back to face the rainbow. He slipped his arm around my waist.
We were silent for a full minute, before Mush said jubilantly, "I think I know how it can last! If ya hadn�t already noticed, most of us newsies got nicknames. Some don�t, �cause nobody�s been able ta think of a nickname that meant somethin�. But I think your nickname should be Rainbow. That way, wheneva� I call ya by name, we can both rememba� this exact moment in time. The otha�s don�t really need to know the meanin�. We can jus� tell �em we saw a rainbow, an� we decided it would make a good nickname. We can leave da rest of it out, an� that can be oua� litta� secret, okay?"
"Rainbow," I tested the name. I smiled. "I love it, Mush."
"It�s settled, den," he said with finality.
We continued walking to Tibby�s in silence. I thought of all my new friends, and my new home, and finally my thoughts were brought back to Mush. Then we were at the door to Tibby�s, and Mush was exclaiming, "We found a nickname for Nicole, �ere!"
"Really?" Lynn asked, curiosity in her voice, her eyes sparkling. "What is it?" The other newsies were all listening.
"Rainbow," Mush said, and I described the gorgeous rainbow we had seen on the way. The other newsies started talking all at once, about how wonderful a nickname it was. None of them caught the mischievous wink Mush cast in my direction, and I smiled slyly at him as we sat down at a table and joined in the conversation.