�Chase, you naughty girl. You know your not supposed to do that now.� Mrs. O�Hara told her.
Chase pouted. �I know, I know. No games like that till the baby comes.�
�When�s the baby coming?� Devin asked.
�Not for another six months.� Mrs. O�Hara answered. �Now just be patient and it�ll come sooner than you think.�
The next morning when Chase woke up, she didn�t see her mother in the kitchen like she normally did. She ran outside to find her grandmother hanging up some wet clothes.
�Gramma?� Chase asked.
Her grandmother turned around and looked at her granddaughter softly.
�Hello Chase.�
�Gramma, where�s mommy?�
Grandma dried her wet hands on her skirt and kneeled next to Chase.
�Your mother got sick. She�s at the doctor�s office right now.�
Chase turned pale. �Will she be all right?�
Grandma hugged Chase tightly. �Of course she will, Chase. Of course she will.�
Unfortunately, Grandma was wrong. It turned out that their mother lost her child and died just a few days later. Both Chase and Devin were devastated, but their grandmother took it the hardest. She took care of them and became like a mother to them, except older.
* * *
Three Years later
�Derek! Where are you?�
Derek ran out of the woods as fast as he could. He was the fastest runner in the county so it didn�t take him long to reach his father.
�Somethin� wrong, dad?� he asked.
Mr. Carmichael nodded. �Your mother went into early labor. The doctor just came by and she�s at the hospital.�
Derek froze. He was an only child, and he was very excited about his mother being pregnant, but now he was more worried than he had ever been.
�Is she gonna be all right?�
�I hope so, son.�
Derek�s mother gave birth to a son, but it was a month premature and died the next day. His mother�s condition was also bad, and she died a week later. When his mother died, his father started drinking and he felt like his life was falling apart.
* * *
Two Years Later
Chase looked over at the other side of the church. She saw Derek sitting in a pew across from hers. He looked at her and smiled. Chase smiled back at him, then focused her attention on Reverend Baker. Chase liked to hear his sermons, for they weren�t only spiritual, he would often put in a joke or two. He was also a very nice man to talk to if you had a problem.
When the sermon was over, Chase exited the church but lingered by the steps to catch Derek when he came out. Today was the Fourth of July, and there was a festival at four that she really wanted to go to. She met Derek a year ago, and now she was his girl. When Derek came down the stairs, he saw Chase and walked over to her.
�Hi Chase.� He said.
�Hi Derek.� She said.
�What did ya think of the sermon today?�
�Good as always. You know, tonight�s the Fourth of July festival. That almost slipped my mind.�
Chase was only hinting that she wanted to go with him. Derek smiled and seemed to get the message.
�You wanna come with me?� he asked.
Chase grinned. �I�d love it.�
�I�ll stop by at four. I�ve gotta go now, my dad didn�t come today, so he�s probably at home drinking again.�
Chase nodded and Derek ran off. As much as she loved Derek, his father made her nervous. His continuous drinking made her very uneasy whenever she saw him. She sighed, then caught up with Devin and Grandma.
* * *
Chase slipped into a pair of pants and hung around the door. Devin was staying home with Grandma because she was very shy. Even at church, she wouldn�t get too close to anyone because she was so timid. Chase waited a few minutes, then there was a knock at the door. She answered it, and Derek was standing there.
�Hi Chase. Ready to go?�
�Yes. I just hafta tell Grandma I�m leaving.�
She turned around and told Grandma that she was leaving. Grandma told her to have fun, then Chase took Derek�s arm and they left. When they arrived in town, they saw booths for games and contests, and music filled the air. They browsed the booths before they did anything.
First, Derek bought them some cornbread, then they went to play some games. Derek won Chase a new shawl in a game, and Chase won him some sleeve holders. They enjoyed the games, then they went for dancing. They danced for a long time, then it was getting dark. That meant that the fire department would be setting the fireworks off soon.
Chase and Derek walked away from the festival and lingered around the general store to wait for the fireworks. As they stood there, Chase knew that this had been the best day of her life. She took Derek�s hand and squeezed.
�Derek,� she said, �I just want to tell you how much fun I�ve had today, and thank you.�
She kissed his cheek gently. Derek blinked because he wasn�t expecting that. He looked at her and smiled.
�I�m glad you had fun.�
Chase smiled at him, then they leaned closer and kissed. When their lips met, the fire department sent off the first fireworks. Chase and Derek didn�t stop kissing for a while, but when they did, they laughed at their timing. They stayed until the fireworks ended, then Derek walked Chase back home. When they arrived, Chase kissed him again.
�I love you, Derek.�
�I love you too.�
She kissed him once more, then she entered her house.
* * *
When Chase was gone, Derek started doing cartwheels. She loves me! He thought. His heart fluttered as he made his way home. When he arrived at his home, he found his father sitting in his easy chair, and he was drunk. When he saw his son was home, he stood up and frowned.
�Where were you?� he demanded.
�I was at the festival.� Derek answered.
�I told you to be back by nine thirty! It�s ten o�clock!�
�I�m sorry, dad. I won�t do it anymore.�
Mr. Carmichael stood up and walked over to his son. Derek suddenly felt frightened. His father stood there for a while, then he backhanded Derek across the face. He slammed into the wall, stunned by his father�s sudden move. He stood up, and his father walked over to him again.
�You won�t be late anymore.�
He grabbed his son by the collar and threw him into a small table on the other side of the room. A vase on the table tumbled and landed on Derek�s shoulder, shattering into a million pieces. Derek grabbed his shoulder and fought back tears.
His father came by again. In his weakened state, Derek couldn�t defend himself as well. He tried to fight his father off, but it was in vain. He was beaten and bruised all over when his father finally stopped.
�Why are you doing this, dad?� Derek exclaimed.
�Don�t call me dad! You aren�t my son!�
Derek was shocked. �What?�
�Your mother was married to another man. Your father died, then I married her. Everyone thought you were my child, but you weren�t. Don�t call me dad anymore!�
He grabbed Derek by the back of his shirt and threw him into his room and locked the door. Derek landed on his bed and let his tears flow. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the cuts he had received when the vase landed on his shoulder.
He cleaned all his wounds and lay down on his bed. He couldn�t stay there any more. Mr. Carmichael was too abusive to live with anymore. When most of the pain passed, Derek grabbed a bag and shoved a load of clothes in it. He pulled on a clean shirt, opened the window and took off for the woods.
Then Chase entered his mind. He had to say good-bye to her, so he stayed close to the edge of the woods so he could see her in the morning.
* * *
Chase woke up early the next morning and ran to Derek�s house. She felt so happy that morning that she had to see him. When she arrived, she found Mr. Carmichael outside, pumping some water into a bucket. Chase felt nervous, but she took a deep breath and walked towards him.
�Good morning. Where�s Derek?� she asked.
Mr. Carmichael turned and looked at her sharply. �I don�t know, and I don�t care.�
He took his water and went into the house. Chase stood there, stunned. Derek was gone? Where? She heard a rustling in the woods behind her. She turned and saw Derek, but he had a black eye and looked terrible. Chase rubbed her eyes and walked toward him.
�Derek?�
Derek turned around and broke into a run. Chase ran after him.
�Derek! Stop! Please!� she shouted.
Derek didn�t stop. He only picked up speed and was going out of Chase�s sight.
�Derek! Please stop!�
He still didn�t stop. Chase dropped to the ground in exhaustion. She watched him as he slowly made his way out of her sight.
�I thought you said you loved me!� she shouted.
She covered her eyes and cried. Up ahead, Derek stopped and looked at Chase. He wanted to go back to her, but going back meant facing his stepfather. Seeing Chase cry made him feel worse. He started to run again, but knew that he had damaged Chase badly.
* * *
One Year Later
Chase handed the last dish to Devin. Devin dried it and put it away. Grandma had gone to the post office and had been gone for quite a while. Chase plopped down on a chair and sighed. Derek had popped into her mind again. She just wanted to forget him and what he had done to her. Just then, Grandma came walking through the door. She looked a little disappointed.
�Grandma, what�s wrong?� Devin asked.
Grandma pulled up a chair next to Chase and sat down.
�I took my quilts to the general store. They said that they couldn�t take my quilts any more, so now I can�t get paid.�
Chase gasped. �What?�
�I can�t get paid. If I can�t get paid, I can�t buy food for all of us.� She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter. �But, I received a letter from one of my late husband�s relatives. She has a son who lives in New York as a newsie. She told me that her son needs more newsies right now, and she told me that it�s a good job.�
Devin sat down. �So you�re suggesting we become newsies?�
Grandma nodded. �Yes. I love you both very much, but I can�t support you right now.� She turned to Chase. �Chase, you�re sixteen now, and you�re old enough to go out by yourself. You can go, but if you do, you need to take care of Devin. I don�t want to let you go, but I also want what�s best for you.�
Chase and Devin looked at each other. Chase ran her fingers through her medium-length brown hair and sighed.
�Well, I�ve always wanted to go to New York, but it�s so far away and we don�t know anybody there.�
�You can stay with my relative. I�ll send him a letter telling him you�re on your way.�
Devin and Chase looked at each other again. Finally, Devin spoke up.
�Do you have enough money for the train tickets?� she asked.
�Yes, and you�ll need money for when you arrive in New York. I have enough for the both of you.�
�Then we�re goin� to New York.�
