Hard Knock Life

By Relic

This story is dedicated to Rick Hunter, my very best friend, who forced me to continue writing even when I didn’t want to. May he rest in peace. 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"When I first saw you, I already knew; There was something, inside of you; Something I thought that I would never find…"  

******* Spring, 1891 *******

"It’s my turn! Get off da swing!" The little girl shouted, her hazel eyes flashing with anger. The small boy on the swing grinned. "What’re you gonna do? Make me play dollies wit you if I don’t? Go away, goily goils don’t get ta swing!"

The little girl looked around the large park, scanning the open field for people, then calmly walked over to the swing and punched the boy in the face. She hit him square in the eye with all her might, knocking him off the swing. "Don’t you eva call me a goily goil again, or I’ll show you what happens when I really get angry!"

The boy looked up at her with his big blue eyes, then started crying as the girl pushed him out of the way and settled down on the swing. It was soft at first, but then became body-wracking sobs that made him gasp for air. The girl quickly got off the swing and ran over to him.

"Whatcha cryin bout?" She asked.

"You hit me!" He answered, eyes wide with fear and disbelief.

"Ah, big deal!"

"It hoit!"

This made the little girl smile. "I’m sorry. But you shouldn’t call me a goily goil. How would you like it if I called you a goily goil?"

He looked down at his feet. "Not very much. I’m sorry. I promise I won’t do it again!"

"A’right, but only if you promise. My brudda says dat a promise is somethin dat you gotta keep, no mattah what, come hell or high water!"

The little boy smiled, showing a mouthful of straight, white baby teeth. "I promise!"

"Good. I’m Samantha, me brudda calls me Sammy, but you can’t call me dat cause it’s only for my brudda. I’m 6 yeahs old. What’s your name?"

"My names Chad, but you can call me Ruin. Everyone in da orphanage calls me dat cause dey say I destroy stuff all da time. I don’t mean to, but it jus kinda happens. Da people at da orphanage say I should be happy ‘cause dey cared enough ta give me a nickname, but I jus think it’s ‘cause dere are four udda Chad’s dere an dey get us confused. I’m 7."

"Ruin, I like dat name. You live at da orphanage? Why?"

"I dunno."

"Oh. Well, you wanna be my friend?"

"Sure! I don’t have very many ‘a dose!"

"You promise ta always be my friend?"

"I promise!"

"Okay friend, can you come over fer lunch?"

"Sure!"

******* 2 years later *******

 "You could tell your secrets. I could understand."

 Samantha and Carter sat up on their roof, gazing at the beautiful clear spring evening. They had spent many nights like that, just sitting back and enjoying the view. Sometimes they’d speak; sometimes they’d just be silent, enjoying the others company.

Samantha stared up at the stars, her hazel eyes shimmering. "Think whateva’s up dere is starin back at me right now?" She asked.

Carter laughed, slinging his arm over her shoulder. "I’m shoah it is. Wheah do you come up wit all dese stories? It’s amazin what you can think up," he shook his head.

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him. "Mom an dad say I have a great ‘imagination’. You’re jus jealous ‘cause dey don’ say dat bout you!"

The 14 year-old boy’s hazel eyes darkened so much they turned almost black and his body went rigid. "Well mom an dad miss a lot bout me," he said tonelessly, looking away from her.

"Shoah dey do," she laughed, poking him in the side, totally oblivious to his change in attitude.

"Sammy…Do you love me?" He asked quietly.

She opened her mouth to make a smart-aleck comment, then hesitated. The voice he had used to ask her that question was a voice she had never heard from him before…It was almost sad. Finally, after a bit of staring at her shoes, she nodded. "Of coise I do…Why you ask?"

"Even…Even if I did somethin really, really bad?"

"What’d you do?"

"Didn’ do nothin, yet. But I can’ take it anymoah, Sammy, I jus…" His words trailed off.

She let out a loud yawn and blinked a few times to keep herself awake, then nestled her head against his chest. "Can’," She stopped to yawn, "Can’ take what?"

"Sammy," he stopped, trying to figure a tactful way to say what he needed to say. "Mom an dad…Ain’ all dat great. Dey wanna do somethin ta you…somethin real bad…an I keep tryin ta talk ‘em outta it, but you know how dey are. Dad’s always gone ta some dig, you know how much he loves his job, bein one a dem fancy archeologists…an mom’s stubborn as a mule…I jus don’ know how long I can’ keep ‘em from doin it."

He looked down to catch his baby sister’s reaction, then sighed with frustration. She had fallen asleep, and missed his whole speech. He shook his head and picked her up, crawling through the window into the house, then carried her into her bedroom. He set her down on her small bed, kissing her forehead, then he turned away and walked out of the room, making sure never to let what he had said a few moments prior slip out again.

******* 1 year later*******

 "’Cause they win when your soul dies. Baby please don’t cry, got to keep your head up, even when the road gets hard, never give up…"

 ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

 Samantha raced through the front door of her family’s small house, dropping her sopping wet coat on the floor of the living room. It was a small house, only two bedrooms with a kitchen and a den, but she knew how lucky she was to have such a home, compared to many of the other children she knew who lived in tiny corners or even in alleys. "Mommy, Daddy, Carter, I’m home! I had a great day! Ruin an I went swimmin cause some mean kid pushed Ruin in da water an so I pushed da mean kid in da water but he hung onta me an we both went inta da water! He ran away, but me an Ruin stayed in an played in da water! I’m kinda wet, but-"

She stopped as she entered the kitchen, only to find her mother not there. She was certain it was dinnertime, but if it was, where was her mother? "Daddy? Where’s Mommy? She’s not in da kitchen an-"

Her father was not in his chair. Her father was always in his chair, reading a book or talking to her mother or writing his memoirs. Something didn’t feel right. She couldn’t explain it; it just felt…wrong.

"Mommy? Daddy? Carter?" She ran around the house, searching room after room to try and find them. "Please come out! I don’t wanna play no more!"

She ran out to the front yard and stopped in the middle of the street in front of a carriage. The carriage stopped and a woman of about 40 stepped out regally.

"Oh dear, are you Samantha Kates?" The woman asked.

Samantha nodded slowly. "Do you know where my Mommy and Daddy and Carter are?"

The woman looked at her sadly. Samantha noticed how the woman’s dark features seemed to all soften when she got sad. Her brown eyes, which Samantha could tell had make up on them, turned slightly upward, and her dark brown hair seemed to frame her face perfectly. "Darling, I think you better get in my carriage and I’ll explain on the way."

Samantha took a step back. Her parents had always told her to stay away from strangers, but this woman seemed nice enough. "Explain what? Go where?"

The woman’s expression was now one of unmasked pity. "Sweetheart, your parents are dead. Your brother killed them. You’re going to the orphanage, where you will live from now on. Your things will be brought to you at a later date."

Samantha didn’t hear anything after that. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, as if it were not real. She nodded as the woman took her hand and led her to the carriage. This had to be some kind of joke! She had just turned 9, so maybe her brother was playing a birthday prank on her. The carriage would take a long drive up to some deserted place, turn around and take her back home. She would jump out and run into the arms of her brother, who would be smiling happily that his prank had worked so well. Then they’d race into the kitchen, say hello to their mother, hug their father and eat dinner. Samantha watched as the carriage pulled into the long driveway of the orphanage. Ruin was standing by the door, waving like mad. She waited until the carriage had stopped moving completely before jumping out and running to him.

"Ruin, they said dat my parents-an dat Carter did it-an dat I’ll be livin-"

Ruin’s mouth was creased in a tight frown. "I know," he said simply.

Samantha looked at him, surprised, then burst out crying. Ruin held her tightly as she wept. She wept until no more tears would come, and she couldn’t sob anymore, then she cried silently with dry eyes.

From that day on she promised herself she would never cry again.

*******3 months later*******

 "A new name, a new fame, a new way to ignore the pain…"

 "You know Sam, now dat you’re livin heah, you need a new name. Samantha ain’t good fer you, it don’t fit you." Ruin declared one night while the two were sneaking a late night snack from the kitchen.

"I agree. But what? I ain’t ‘xactly da easiest poisen to come up wit a nickname fer." She said, reaching out for some more cheese.

Ruin slapped her hand down. "Would you knock it off? If you eat anymore food Mrs. Patty’s gonna know someone was in heah. You know da foist people she’d point fingahs at is me an you! How bout Fingah fer a name? Cause you’re always getting fingahs pointed at you when somethin goes wrong!"

Samantha groaned. "Fingah? I thought you was sposed ta get smahtah when you got older, an yet heah you is, all ‘a 10 yeahs, an I can’t decide if you’re dumbah den a rock or dumbah den Edward!"

"Hey, ain’t nothin in da woild stupidah den Edward. ‘Sides, it was just an idea. Aight, since obviously we ain’t gonna find one woid dat fits you, how bout we just pick a fancy woid? What bout one ‘a dem your fadda…Sorry."

Samantha winced, but kept her poise. "He always used ta talk bout somethin called a Relic, whateva dat is. How bout dat?"

Ruin grinned, happy she was okay with speaking of her parents. "Relic. It’s poifect!"

"Den Relic it is. I don’t eva wanna heah da name Samantha again. Lets get goin, Mr. Jones is bout ta make his midnight rounds."

They both jumped up and began sneaking back up to the bunkrooms. As they reached the door, she turned to Ruin. "An one more thing."

"What is it?" He asked quietly.

"Don’t eva bring up me family again. Dey gone, what’s done is done, an what’s past is past."

"But Carter isn’t dead, he jus ran awa-," he started.

She glared at him. "Dere’s anudda name I nevah wanna heah again. He don’t exist, far as I’m concoined. I don’t gotta past, an my name is Relic. Got dat?"

"Got it."

"An…you do know dat you’re my best friend in da whole woild, right?"

Ruin grinned. "Acoise, an you’re mine. It’ll stay like dat ferever, I can promise you dat."

******5 years later*******

 "Refuse to feel anything at all, refuse to slip, refuse to fall…"

 Relic smiled as the warm glow of the sun hit her face, awakening her from her sleep. She didn’t bother to open her eyes, she just lay there, blissfully peaceful. Until about 2 seconds later, when she noticed that there was an unusual amount of weight on her shoulders and legs. Her eyes shot open immediately, searching for the reason for this sudden heaviness. "Edwahd," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Mornin Sunshine! Sleep well?" The boy asked innocently.

She glared up at the boy, scanning over him with her eyes quickly. He was a handsome boy; she would have to give him that. Though he wasn’t as muscular as some of the other boys of 17, he could hold his own in a fight. Those were his only decent traits, as far as she was concerned.

He and two of his friends had taken it upon themselves to make her life a living nightmare ever since her first week of staying at the orphanage. She had demanded to be placed in the boys sleeping quarters as oppose to the girls because she didn’t like any of the girls and she wanted to be with Ruin. Thanks to her great powers of persuasion (and threats to burn the whole orphanage down) she had gotten what she wanted. Ever since then they had taken every possible chance to hurt her in anyway they could. They would break rules and blame it on her, beat her up, and anything else they could think of.

They also took great joy out of harassing her, in public or in private. They would grab her from behind and try to ‘play a game’ with her, or they would pinch her and poke her whenever they could get away with it, which was almost always. It didn’t help that the people in charge of the orphanage, Mrs. Patty and Mr. Jones, thought of Edward as their golden child who could do no wrong, and her as the spawn of Satan.

Over the past few months, as it was becoming painfully obvious that she was indeed very much a girl, these occurrences had been increasing at an alarming speed. In fact, just the previous week Edward and his lackeys had hidden all her clothes from her. It was well known that if they lost their daytime clothing they would be forced to walk around in their underwear because the orphanage would not give them another set and their pajamas were strictly to be worn from the time they got ready for bed until the time they got ready for breakfast. No doubt that’s what Edward had been hoping would happen, but luckily for Relic, Ruin had an extra pair of clothes that he had lent to her until she found hers.

Now, it seemed, Edward had come up with another brilliant idea for how to torture her. Judging by the bright smile on his face as he shifted slightly so that his knees were digging even harder into her thighs and his fingers into her shoulders, he was quite pleased with this one.

"Edwahd, what in da name ‘a Joseph do you think you’re doin?" She asked, struggling to get out of his grip.

He just smiled wider and tightened his hold. "Me? What’a ya mean?"

Relic’s eyes darted around the room, not finding a single person in it besides herself and him. ‘Oh no! Its sataday, laundry day. Dey is all way down in da basement, cleanin dere clothes! I musta slept tru it…I wonda why Ruin didn’ wake me up? Oh dats right! I told him if he eva woke me up again I’d kill him! Darnit, since when did he start listenin ta me?’ She thought. She turned and glared at Edward again. "I mean-What. Are. You. Doin. On. Top. A. Me."

"I was jus bout ta give you what you know you been wantin," he said, smirking down at her.

"Dat’s it!" She yelled, before kneeing him.

His face turned an odd purple color and he rolled off of her, yelling in pain. She kicked him in the side before jumping off the bed. "I’se had enough ‘a your teasin, enough ‘a getting beatins, enough ‘a your games, an enough ‘a you!" She screamed.

She went to jump on him again, but before she could land she was jerked back by her collar and thrown to the ground. She rolled over and came face to face with Mr. Jones. He picked her up by one arm, dragged her out of the room, down the hall and into the office.

Once inside of the office, Mr. Jones pushed her in one of the two ratty old chairs resting in front of a desk. He walked to the other side of the desk and sat down in a large, comfy chair. He opened his mouth to speak, but the door being swung open and Ruin being shoved in, followed by Mrs. Patty interrupted it.

"You irritating little wretch of a b-…" Mrs. Patty stopped as she noticed Relic and Mr. Jones. "You again? You two…" Mrs. Patty’s face turned red with anger as she shoved Ruin in the seat next to Relic. "Jones, we need to have a word in the hall, if you please." Mr. Jones got up and followed Mrs. Patty out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as they had left, Ruin turned his chair to face Relic, and she did the same. "What’d you do dis time, huh?" They asked in unison.

They laughed, used to saying the same thing at the same time. Finally Ruin stopped. "Well…see, we was down washin our clothes, an I was walkin up da staihs when all da sudden I tripped an flew back inta da barrel ‘a watah! Da barrel broke an all da watah an clothes dat were in it went everywheah!"

Relic sighed. "Well, at least you wasn’t hoit. I’m in heah ‘cause dey caught me fightin Edwahd. So what d’you think dey’re gonna do ta us? I think dey’re bout outta punishments, an plus We too old fer half of ‘em anyway!" She laughed, careful to avoid why she had been fighting with Edward.

He nodded and moved his chair over so it was right next to hers. "But we’ll deal wit whateva dey come up wit tagedda, right?"

Her smile got bigger. "Don’ we always?"

About five minutes later, Mrs. Patty opened the door and walked into the room. "Now you two," she began, sitting down in the chair Mr. Jones had sat in, "Have been nothing but trouble for years. You break things. You fight. Anywhere there’s trouble, you two seem to be. For many years we have put up with this, this disgraceful behavior, but enough is enough! You are old enough now to be courting, even marrying! You have no time for such silly things as seeking out trouble. I’ve said this before, many times, and I’m sick of it. This facility has done all it can for you two, and you thank us by creating trouble? Well, not anymore!"

Relic’s eyes widened as the gate-guard and Mr. Jones walked in, grabbed Ruin and Relic by the arms and pulled them out of the office, out the front door, down the drive and to the gate.

"In case you’re not getting this, you’re being thrown out!" Mr. Jones said, pushing them both onto the sidewalk outside the gates.

Ruin jumped up and ran for the gate, but the guard shut it before he could get back inside. He sighed and helped Relic off the ground. "So what’a we do now, genius?" She asked, brushing herself off.

"Oh, don’ even try ta blame dis on me! If you hadn’ always been fightin, dis nevah woulda happened!" He yelled.

She stood up to her full height of 5’3. "Now you listen ta me, Mr. ‘I-kin-break-anythin’! I wouldn’ have had ta fight so much if you hadn’ always been bein picked on!"

Ruin stood up fully also, hovering over her. "I can fight jus as well as you, if not bettah!"

"But you nevah do! Forget you, I don’ gotta stand heah an take dis, I’m leavin!" Relic yelled before turning around and stomping away.

Ruin counted to five silently and then looked up as she came back down the street slowly, her face bright red with embarrassment. "It’s been so long since I been out in da town dat I fergot wheah everythin is…"

He laughed and motioned for her to sit down next to him as he sat down on the sidewalk. She did so, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "Wheah da we go, Ruin? What’a we do?"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, knowing how frightened she was. It looked as if for the second time in their whole friendship, he was going to have to be the stronger one. "Cheer up, we’ll figoah somethin out, we always do. But I know we gots ta get outta heah. So c’mon, get up, lets go!"

Relic grinned. "You’re da bestest best friend in da whole woild!"

Ruin laughed and pushed her over playfully. "I’d have ta be ta put up wit da likes ‘a you!"

He jumped back just in time to dodge a punch. "You get back heah! Ise’ll show you ‘puttin up wit da likes ‘a me’!" She shouted, standing up and chasing him down the road. As they ran down the street and turned the corner, neither one glanced back at the orphanage. They just kept running, playing, and blocking out another piece of their life.

******7 months later******

 "Can’t be weak, can’t stand still, watch your back, cause no one else will…" 

"Ruin, c’mon!" Relic whispered into Ruin’s ear loudly.

Ruin’s eyes popped open and he sat up on his small rag they called a blanket. "What? What’a ya talkin bout?"

"We need ta go!" She urged, pulling him up onto his feet.

"Go? Go wheah?" He asked, looking confused.

She continued to drag him out the door. "Rememba dat goil you been goin wit since we got heah? Lalaine or whateva? Well she’s pregnant, or says she is anyway. Relax," she said as he began to protest. "I know you an her nevah… But taday I hoid her say dat she was gonna try ta play da kid off as yours. So I kinda…"

He gasped. "You beat up a pregnant goil?"

"Hey, she came at me foist! I was jus protectin myself! An it wasn’ like she was gonna have da kid anyway!"

Ruin leapt back as Relic threw open the door to the alley. "But why are we leavin?"

"You know da guy dat lets us live heah?" She asked.

Ruin nodded. "Well dats da fadda. An he ain’t too happy bout me beatin up Lalaine, cause ‘I mighta hoit da kid’," she rolled her eyes sarcastically, remembering the man’s words. "Would he listen ta da fact dat she attacked me? No, a’coise not. So he left ta take her ta some doctah friend ‘a his an get a pistol."

He rolled his eyes. "Dis is da seventeenth place, Relic! It’s always ‘well he or she hit me foist!’ or you’re gettin too attached ta it so you gotta run away or you broke some guy’s heaht and now he wants you’re blood or somethin like dat! We can’ keep dis up! Soon dere ain’ gonna be no place in New York dat’ll take us!"

"Oh, don’ you try ta pin dis all on me! Foist of all, dey did hit me! Every time!"

"Shoah dey did, Relic. An I’m shoah your smaht mouth comments had nothin ta do wit it."

She ignored him and continued. "An second ‘a all, I don’ get too attached! I jus get bored!"

"You couldn’ stay committed ta anythin fer longah den a month an you know it! Me excluded ‘a coise."

"An I ain’ broken no guys heahts! If dey’re dumb enough ta get ‘crushes’ or whateva you call ‘em on me, den dats dere problem, ‘cause I think all boys should jus crawl back in da sewers wheah dey came from!"

"What bout me? I’m a boy!"

"No you ain’, Ruin. You’re my best friend."

"Tanks Relic, dat makes me feel great. One day you’ll have a crush on a guy an you’ll see what you been missin! An den," Ruin grinned evilly, "You’ll wanna hug him an kiss him an weah dresses ta impress him an…"

Relic popped her fingers in her ear. "I ain’ listenin! I ain’ listenin! An even dough I can’ heah you, you’re lyin! I ain…" she took her fingers out of her ears slowly. "Uhh…Ruin, wheah are we?"

As they had argued they had begun to walk around, and now they were lost, having payed no attention to where they were wandering. Before Ruin had a chance to respond, four dark figures walked out of the shadows. "Hey Dolly, did I jus heah you ask wheah you was?" A large boy asked, walking up in front of the other three boys.

He stopped right in front of Relic. She took a quick glance at Ruin before glaring at the boy. "Da names Relic, an if you like havin a full mouth ‘a teeth, I suggest you don’ forget it! An yeah, I did ask dat, but coitanly not ta you or your monkeys ova dere. Now leave befoah I decide ta soak you!"

The boy looked at her, then at Ruin, then at the other three boys and burst out laughing. Finally, after a full minute of laughing, he finally pulled himself together. "Okay, wait. You threatened ta soak me, threatened ta punch out my teeth, called my boys monkeys, told me ta get outta heah, an demanded I don’ forget your name? Da you have any idea who you’re talkin ta? Wheah d’you get your gall, goil? Kid, you need ta teach your goil some mannahs!"

Relic’s eyes blazed. "I ain’ his goil, an don’ you eva tell me what I need! Who da heck da you think you are, da king ‘a New Yawk?"

"C’mon Relic, let’s jus go…" Ruin began.

The boy shoved Relic backwards. "My names Ben, an no, I don’ think I’m da king ‘a New Yawk, but as fah as you’re concoined I’m da prince ‘a Harlem. You see, I’m da second in command of da Gins, an dis is our territory. So I suggest you leave!"

Relic stepped forward quickly and shoved Ben right back. "I ain’ goin no wheah! An shows how much you know, dere ain’ no prince ‘a Harlem! Man, if you’re dis stupid an ugly, I’d hate ta see your mudda!"

Ben’s handsome face twisted into an ugly sneer. "My mudda may not ‘a been da most brilliant, but at least she knew dat goils should be seen an not hoid!" He made a quick gesture to the boys behind him and they began to move closer.

Ruin finally grabbed Relic’s arm and began to run. Unfortunately they didn’t get very far before one of the boys tackled Ruin to the ground. Another boy jumped on top of him too, fighting him two to one. Relic rushed to help him, but before she could get anywhere near him she felt cold metal crash against her head, knocking her on the concrete. Ben sneered, pulling off the brass knuckles he had hit her with and dropping them next to her. The last words she heard were from him.

"Oh yeah Dolly, welcome ta Harlem."

Then everything went black.

 "…Da love ‘a goodness, Relic, wake up!" Ruin said, his voice shaking.

Relic’s eyes opened slowly. "Gah! Wheah am I? Ruin, wheah da heck…why d’you look so beat up?"

Ruin laughed slightly. "It’s only a shinah an some cuts an bruises, dey’ll heal. You, on da udda hand, scared me half ta death!"

"What’a ya talkin bout?"

"Relic, you been unconscious fer two days. Dat hit on da head really mangled your brains or somethin."

Ben walked into the small room and shut the door behind him. "Ruin, Shinea wants ta talk ta you."

Relic jumped at the sight of him and tried to get to the opposite side of the room, which resulted in her getting caught up in her blanket and falling off the small cot she had woken up on. Ruin reached out to catch her but Ben grabbed his wrist. "Now, Ruin."

Ruin glared at him and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Ben walked over to the cot and sat down. "You know, you should be moah careful. You jus got back inta consciousness so you gots ta try an go back out again?"

"Git away from me. Ruin! Ruin, wheah da heck are you?" She yelled.

"He’s gone ta talk ta his new goil. An I could get away from you, but why would I?" He said matter-of-factly.

"New goil?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah, real pretty goil, sista ta one ‘a da guys. Not as pretty as you ‘a coise, but pretty none da less."

Relic blushed in spite of herself. "I don’ know what you want, but lyin ain’ da way ta get it. An wheah am I?"

"You’re in da Gin’s headquatahs. Kinda da place wheah we live, hangout. An I ain’ lyin or tryin ta get somethin, I’m jus statin a fact," Ben said, looking her in the eye.

"A fake fact. Why am I heah?" She asked, breaking his gaze.

"A true fact. An you’re heah ‘cause your boy Ruin got an invite ta be a Gin on accounta his fightin skills are amazin. An he said yours are as good as his."

She began trying furiously to untangle herself from the blanket. "If you think I’m pretty den you’re blind. An I do fight as well as he does, but why d’you think we’d eva join your little…whateva it is. you jumped us!"

He pushed himself off the cot and kneeled down next to her. "You’re goigeous, an I got great sight." He said softly. Then he smiled. "We jus thought dat since, from what Ruin says, you two ain’ got a place ta stay dat you could join up wit our gang. We don’ take goils, well we ain’ up till now, but Ruin made it cleah he wouldn’ join wit out you. An if you’re as good as he says, it’ll be woith it ta take a goil."

Relic blinked slowly and watched as Ben gently tugged the blanket away from her legs. "Sometimes you gotta jus be nice, an see what it gets you," he explained, standing up.

"Nice…maybe…but you still jumped us!" She said, kicking the blanket vengefully.

"We was drunk! We woulda nevah done dat if we hadn’ been. An we thought you was in da Liberty’s. Well, we thought Ruin was, an dat you was his goil. We don’ jus go ‘round beatin people up in da streets, we ain’ bad." He said, smiling convincingly.

She thought it over for a moment. "Who are da Liberty’s?"

Ben wrinkled his nose, as if the name brought a bad aroma. "Dey’re a different type ‘a gang, dey ain’ like us at all. Dey beat people fer fun, an all kinds ‘a stuff like dat."

Relic sighed Reluctantly. "Well it sounds like you guys ain’ all dat bad, an Ruin sounds set on stayin heah…so aight, we’ll try it heah."

"Good! Now you," he said, helping her back onto her cot, "need ta rest. I’ll let Ruin know you’re stayin."

"Tanks, An by da way, if you eva hoit Ruin or me again, you’re as good as dead, got it?"

"Got it," Ben said, before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

A boy walked up to him. "So Ben, she head ova heels fer you yet?"

"Not yet." He replied, walking down the stairs.

"So what’a ya gonna do? Jus kick ‘er out aftah dat guys a membah an you’re done wit ‘er?"

"Nah, it’s kinda weihd, but I really like ‘er, I think," Ben said, glancing back at the door. "She shoah ain’ like da uddahs, anyway. We’ll jus have ta see."

 "Relic!" Ruin yelled, running over to a very stunned Ben and helping him off the floor where he had just been tossed.

"What? What’d I do?" Relic asked, looking surprised.

Ben grabbed his cheek. "You jus decked me! I came in heah ta ask how you slept an boom! Next thing I know, I’m down on da ground tryin ta pop my jaw back inta place!"

Relic grinned sheepishly. "Heh, sorry bout dat, I ain’ a mornin poisen. I can be a little…violent when I foist wake up."

"Really? I nevah woulda figoahed dat one out! But it’s okay, I forgive you. Seein, as you’re so cute an all-" Ben began

Ruin interrupted him hastily. "Relic, I gots ta talk ta you. D’you mind, Ben?"

Ben shook his head, Ruin’s tone leaving no room for argument. "Ise’ll talk ta you latah taday, Relic. Oh an you too, Ruin," he added, before walking out of the room.

"What’s so all-fired important?" She asked as soon as Ben had left.

"Relic, bout bein heah, I’m real sorry. Dey jus suggested we come heah…An wit you bein knocked out I wasn’ shoah if I could take care ‘a you an protect da both ‘a us. I know you’re probly angry, an if you wanna leave now, I can go get my stuff an we can be off right…"His voice trailed off.

She waved her hand, laughing. Ruin, it’s okay, really. I don’ mind if we stay heah. In fact, I would like ta stay heah! Ben ‘pologized fer jumpin us, told me da whole story. Makes poifect sense ta me. An he seems like a good guy."

He blinked in surprise. Relic was normally one to hold a grudge for a very long time over small things. He had assumed she would have at least been slightly angry. "You ain’ mad?"

She shook her head. "Not at all! Ben seems like da guy in charge, an he seems real nice, so da rest ‘a his boys must be decent!"

He started at her, amazed at her total change in attitude. Then he frowned as he noticed how she had she said the name ‘Ben’. "You like him, don’ you?" He asked slowly.

Her grin widened. "I think I do! Ain’ it great? I finally undahstand what you was babblin bout all dose times befoah! An," she whispered, as if it was a big secret, "I think he likes me, too!"

Ruin sighed. "It’s great, but are you shoah you know him well enough ta be havin dis…mutual crush thing? He seems a little, err, shady ta me. Like maybe deres more ta him den it seems."

"Ruin! I can’ believe you! You, da one dat meets a goil walkin down da road den’s goin wit her ten minutes latah, are tellin me ta watch out?" Relic asked, her eyes ablazed. "You ain’ my big brudda!"

"Well maybe I oughta been, seein as yours is so woithless!" Ruin shouted back.

Relic drew back like she had been slapped. "I thought we agreed nevah ta talk bout dat again! You’re nothin but a joik!"

"Relic, I jus meant dat…" He started.

She cut him off. "You jus meant dat I can’ take care ‘a myself! Dats what you jus meant! An ta add insult ta injury, you jus meant dat my brudda was woithless! My brudda, my flesh an blood!"

"C’mon, calm down, you know I didn’ mean any ‘a dat. I’m sorry, I wasn’ thinkin," he said, walking towards her.

"Git outta heah or I’m gonna scream," she growled.

"Don’ do dis…" He started.

"Help! Somebody help me! Dis guy’s attackin me!" She shouted.

Almost instantly Ben was in the room, along with two other guys. "What’s wrong? What’s he doin?" Ben asked, shoving Ruin away from Relic and into a wall.

Relic glared at Ruin, standing up. "He’s bein a joik. Get him outta heah so he can cool off, ‘less you want me ta soak him."

Ben looked at the other two guys and shrugged. Ruin pushed him off of him and looked at Relic, then walked out of the room, shaking his head.

Ben walked over to Relic. "You wanna go fer a walk? You look like you could use one."

She nodded. "Dat sounds good."

He smirked and walked out of the room, the other two guys following after him. She came out after a few minutes, dressed in clean clothes and looking a lot calmer. She took his hand again and soon they were out, walking around Harlem. She swung his hand back and forth, almost skipping down the road. She would stop every few moments, pointing out a sight to him. He just laughed at her. Suddenly he stopped.

"Ben?" She asked, turning around.

"Well, looks like we found ourselves a Gin." A muscular boy said, stepping out from a dark doorstep.

"What’a ya think we should do wit him?" Another guy asked, walking out behind the first.

"Hey boys, out ta terrorize da neighborhood again?" Ben asked, pulling Relic behind him.

"Ben! Wow, almost didn’ recongnize you, been so long! I see life’s been treatin you good! Dat goil you hidin belong ta you?" The second boy asked.

Relic came out from behind Ben. "No, I don’ ‘belong’ him, I don’ ‘belong’ ta anyone you ignorant b-"

She was interrupted by the two boy’s laughter. At last the first one walked over to her, grabbing her chin. "Feisty, ain’ we? I think I like it. Sure ain’ usual for girls round these parts. And since you don’ seem to belong to our dear friend Ben here, I’m sure you wouldn’ mind being escorted around by me!"

Relic glanced at Ben and noticed his face had reddened slightly. "Back off, Liberty. She’s wit me. ‘Less you wanna die taday, I would suggest you leave, now."

"Ben, you wound me! All I was tryin to do was help the poor girl out! I’m sure the lady would enjoy a real mans company to…well, yours," the first boy smirked.

"Why you…" Ben took a quick step towards the boy, but was pulled back by Relic.

"Ben, we still got a lot ‘a ground ta covah, how bout we git goin?" She asked, nodding her head towards the road.

Ben leaned over to her. "Dese guys ain’ jus gonna let us walk off," he whispered, motioning towards them.

"Den we run, on da count a tree. One…two…" She took off running, pulling Ben with her.

They ran as fast as they could, ducking in and out of alleys until they were sure that they were safely away. When they were, Ben pulled away. "Good thinkin, back dere!"

Relic smiled. "Tanks, didn’ feel like fightin…again…taday." She sighed, shaking her head and looking down at her feet.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Dis bout dat argument you was havin wit Ruin?"

She nodded and sighed, raising her hands to her face for a moment before taking them down and looking up at him with tired eyes.

He pointed to a nearby doorstep. "Do you…do you wanna talk? Bout wheah you came from befoah dis?"

Relic hesitated. The only one who she had ever trusted enough to speak of such a hard subject as her past year was Ruin. Finally she nodded. Maybe it was time for her to trust new people. They walked over, sat down, and began to talk. They talked for hours, sometimes laughing, sometimes on the virge of tears. Finally, they got up and walked away, hand in hand, an unofficial couple.

If Relic could have gotten just a glimpse into the future, maybe she might have been able to escape the horrors that awaited her. If she had known that later that evening Ben would meet up with those same two Liberty’s by himself, and he would have a knife. That the next morning, the police would recover the two boys murdered bodies, butchered almost to the point of un-recongnization. Maybe she could have gotten away. But she didn’t.

****** 2 Months Later ******

 Relic walked into the bar, feeling more alive than she could ever recall feeling. Ruin had just left her side to go find his girlfriend, he and Relic having long-since made up for their fight when they had first come to live with the Gins. Neither Relic nor Ruin was a Gin yet, but Ben swore that once the leader of the Gins came back from the trip they’d be initiated in. The past couple of months had been great for Relic, a twist of fights with Liberty’s, good-natured arguments with Ben, and all out fun. Time had flown by.

She had especially enjoyed her time with Ben. She just couldn’t fathom why so many people in Harlem were frightened of him. Sure, she had seen him fight and it was easy to tell his skills weren’t something to be scoffed at, but for the things she had heard, he sounded like one step down from Satan himself. She couldn’t understand why, considering he would always go out of his way to be nothing but a gentleman to her. She had finally just given up, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to try and figure it out.

She wandered over to a table in the corner of the bar, seeing Ben and a few other Gins sitting at it already. She smiled as she walked up. "Hey guys, what’s new?"

She knew immediately that something was wrong. Ben smiled at her, as did the others, but they were all strained. She looked around to see what could be causing them to act so uptight, then saw about ten Liberty’s sitting by the door at a large table. She sat down by Ben. "You think dey’re heah ta cause trouble?" She asked, putting her hand on Ben’s arm reassuringly.

He nodded. "Ain’ dey always? I’se had it, enough’s enough. Tonight was jus sposed ta be a fun, relaxin night, an heah dey come ta Ruin it like dey do everythin else." He stood up, pushing his chair back.

"Wait, wheah you goin? You can’ go ova dere! C’mon Ben, dis ain’ da place or da time!" Relic whispered.

"Dey made it da place an da time. Now stay heah, dis could get ugly real quick," Ben said, keeping his gaze locked on the table full of Liberty’s.

She shook her head. "Ben, please, We fought dem non-stop fer bout tree weeks! Can’ we jus have one night off?"

"You’re gettin one. You ain’ fightin dis one, it’s late at night an dey’ve probly drank some an I don’ want you ta be in da way if dey decide ta get stupid an pull out a weapon."

"You mean I can’ fight dis one? You always let me fight!"

"Not dis time. Jus sit down an enjoy yourself, an I’ll be back befoah you even notice I’m gone."

Before she could argue further, Ben walked over to the Liberty’s table. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it was obvious that it made Ben angry. He pointed to the door, his finger shaking slightly with rage, and they got up and strolled out, heads held high in the same cocky-manner they always walked. He made a motion to the other Gin’s that were sitting by her, and they all got up and traipsed out the door also. He waved slightly at Relic, then strolled out, shutting the door tightly behind him.

Relic tapped her fingers on the table, bored and anxious for them to come back inside. Every minute seemed like an hour, and finally, after about ten minutes had gone by, she couldn’t take it anymore. She jumped up, knocking her chair over, and rushed out of the bar. When she got outside, she stopped, horrified at the scene around her.

There was blood everywhere, and not like the kind of blood she had seen in fights, like bloody noses and such. This was real, honest to goodness, blood, like the kind she saw when she went to the butcher shop. And lots of it. Bodies lay around, most unmoving, and she prayed silently that they were only unconscious. She looked around hurriedly for Ben, but didn’t see him. Then she heard a yell, and something that sounded almost like the crunching of bones. She ran over to where she had heard it, and halted as soon as she saw what was happening.

Ben had a hold of someone’s neck, she couldn’t quite make out the face in the darkness but she knew it was a Liberty, and he was repeatedly slamming the person’s head into a brick wall. She could tell from the slumped body that the person was already unconscious. "Ben! What are you doin? Have you lost your mind? Stop it!"

Ben whirled around at the sound of her voice, dropping the person onto the ground. "Relic? I thought I told you to stay inside!" He shouted angrily, walking towards her.

She took a quick step back. He had never shouted at her that way before, and it made her less than comfortable, to say the least. "I was worried…You were gone fer so long…I thought you m-might’a been hoit," she stammered out. She was surprised to hear her voice, for it didn’t sound like her normal voice. Her normal voice was strong, confident and smooth. The voice she had just heard come out of her mouth was meek, timid and scratchy, and it had stuttered a bit, which was something she had never done before.

He kept walking until he was right in front of her, then stopped. "You thought I would get hoit? You don’ have enough trust in da fact dat I’m a good fightah ta know dat I wasn’ gonna get hoit? An since when did you staht not listenin ta me? I asked you ta do one thing an you was too stupid ta carry it out?"

"I trust you, I-I was jus worried, dats all! A-an I ain’ stupid! Maybe you’re da stupid one fer not lettin me fight, an nearly beatin ta death at least one guy, who knows how many uddahs!" She said, using her last ounce of courage to say that.

His fist lashed out before she could blink an eye, catching her cheek and sending her reeling backwards. The blow wasn’t like any she’d ever had before. It was hard and fast, leaving a blunt pain that was almost unbearable. Even in the numerous fight’s she’d been in, she’d never been hit that hard, that direct. Normally she would have tried to block it, but she hadn’t seen it coming.

She blinked back the tears that had started to well in her eyes from the pain, and looked at Ben, starting to back away as soon as she found her footing. Ben reached out and grabbed her wrist, swinging her towards him. "Relic, I’m sorry, my temper jus got a hold ‘a me. Honestly, I didn’ mean ta hit you, you jus made me so angry an I couldn’ stop myself…" His voice trailed off.

She managed to glare at him, trying to rip her wrist away. "D-dats da best excuse you got? Dat y-you lost your tempah? Dats a s-stupid excuse," she said, no longer stuttering with fear but with full-blown terror.

His grip on her wrist got tighter. "Relic, you know I nevah meant ta hoit you. I sweah, my tempah jus gits away from me sometimes. It’ll nevah happen again, I promise."

Relic stopped struggling. "Promise?"

Ben nodded. "Dis was a once in a lifetime thing, it’ll nevah, eva happen again. I promise."

"If you promise…den I, I guess…If it won’ nevah happen again…" She said, holding her cheek.

"It won’." He assured her. "Wanna go home? Looks like I caught you good, you’re definitely gonna have a bruise."

She nodded, looking back at the bloody bodies quickly, then turning back to him. She was still shocked he, of all people, had hit her. And he had done it on purpose, which made it hurt worse. She shook her head, trying to get this whole night out of her head, and began to walk towards the Gin’s headquarters.

She shouldn’t have trusted him. She should have ran after he hit her, ran as far away as she could. Or ran inside and gotten Ruin. It was her choice, her choice that she made. And for the rest of her life, she would curse herself for that choice.

******* 1 Month Later ******

 "You lost yourself, in your search to find something else, to hide behind…"

 "Relic! Dangit, wheah are you! You can’ hide from me fereva!" Ben shouted, his face red with anger.

He walked through the headquarters, first the lobby, then the bedrooms, then finally the washroom, shouting. Everyone else was gone to a party, but he knew Relic was in the building somewhere. Finally he saw a bathroom stall whose door was locked, and strode over to it, knocking sharply. "Almost done?" He asked politely.

When no one answered from the other side of the door, he slammed into it, breaking it open. Relic was on the other side, cowering in the far corner. "I can’ believe you! Yea, I know it was you. What was you thinkin?"

Relic scrunched back as much as she could and shut her eyes, hoping when she opened them that he would be gone. She knew what he was angry about. She had poured all his liquor down the drain, because it seemed to her that whenever he drank (which was a lot), his temper would ‘get the best of him’ and she would somehow wind up with a very bruised body and a very bruised spirit. The spirit worried her more than anything else.

Her eating habits had slipped a great amount, and she was lucky now if she could keep down a meal every couple of days. Smart-aleck comments that had before seemed to come every other word for her had now stopped coming altogether. In fact, she barely spoke anymore. She rarely fought, and if she did it was just with another girl, for she was too weak to handle anything else. Every morning when she woke up for the past month, all she had to look forward to was the hope that someone would kill her and end her misery, end her constant fear.

She knew none of that was healthy, but she didn’t know how to fix it, or how to stop the beatings Ben seemed so eager to give her so often. It was almost routine now, he’d come home at night, find her and begin pounding into her for something, anything that she did wrong. Sometimes he did it even if she hadn’t done anything wrong at all. Each night it seemed to get worse, he’d hit her one more time then the night before, just a little bit harder. Last nights had been horrible, and tonight he actually had a reason to be angry. Things weren’t looking good for her tonight.

"I-I don’ know what you’re talkin bout, Ben." She said softly.

She yelped as his boot connected with her arm. "Liah! If it’s one thing I don’ like, it’s liah’s! Now quit actin like a little kid an get outta dere, We need ta speak bout my drinks dat ‘ave all mysteriously disappeared."

"A’right." She said quietly, standing up. She tried to suppress her shudder at the word ‘speak’. She knew what he meant, and talking had nothing to do with it.

As soon as she had stepped out of the stall he took her arm and jerked it to the side. She lost her balance and fell sideways, hitting her hip on a nearby sink. She cried out in pain and he punched her in the lower stomach. "Shut your trap, don’ want anyone interruptin our little talk now would you?" He asked, a sick smile on his face.

She shook her head, gasping for air. He walked out of the washroom, pulling her with him. When they got out in the hall she tripped over a loose plank of wood and fell to the ground. Instead of helping her up, he kicked her, cursing her for being clumsy. She could actually hear a crack as he kicked her again, and knew he must have broken a rib, if not more. She waited, not moving from her spot on the ground, for him to kick her again. When he didn’t, she looked up.

Ruin was standing a few feet away, a mix of fury and horror spread across his face. "Oh my gosh, Relic? What da heck did you do ta her, Ben? I oughta kill you!"

Relic crawled up to her feet, using the wall to help her. "Ruin, p-please don’ kill him."

Ruin walked over to her, picked her up and carried her into his room, which was the door right next to the washrooms. He set her down on his bed, then just stared at her. She looked down at the floor, so near to crying just one hard word and she knew she’d break down. Finally he spoke. "Relic, We need ta leave here. I found a place ta go, it’s called da Harlem Lodgin House. It’s fer newsies. We would have ta become newsies, but at least we’d be makin a decent buck."

"A newsie? No way. I ain’ leavin heah. I ain’ leavin Ben. Not a chance." Relic said, her first stubborn words in a long time.

"Newsies ain’ so bad. An you can’ stay heah. Look at yourself! You’re skinny as a rail, you’re quiet as a mouse, an you’re one big bruise! Everyone knows he beats you up, Relic. I didn’ believe it, but I jus saw it fer myself. Why’d you lie ta me bout it? All dose times you said someone jumped you, you fell down da staihs, you walked inta somethin, all ‘a dose was lies! I don’ undahstand! Da Relic I know woulda nevah let a guy even talk back ta her wit out slappin him upside da head!"

"Maybe da Relic you knew got sick ‘a havin ta take care ‘a herself all da time! Havin ta watch out fer herself an nevah bein able ta get attached ta somethin! Maybe she found somethin good in her life, someone good, an she was willin ta do whateva it took ta do keep it!"

"Relic, he ain’ good. You’ll find yourself someone good, I promise. I know you had it rough, I was dere, ‘membah? I did too. I know bettah den anybody! But you can’ jus stay wit him ‘cause he takes care ‘a you. I promise you, dere are bettah guys."

Relic stood up slowly. "I ain’ leavin heah. If you wanna, dats your own choice, but I’m stayin."

Ruin threw up his hands. "Fine! Stay den! Let him beat you up, let him kill you! I dunno who you are, but you shoah ain’ my best friend, an I don’ want nothin ta do wit you!"

She watched as he began throwing his stuff in a bag. It took him only a few moments, then he threw the bag over his shoulder and looked at her. "Last chance, Relic. I don’ wanna leave you heah, you know dat. You’re my best friend an I love you, an I want you ta be happy. Which is why I can’ jus stand heah an let you do dis, let you destroy any chance ‘a happiness you might have! You’re wastin away, Relic, an I think you know it. You’re dyin inside, an it’s killin me ta watch an not be able ta do nothin."

"Tanks fer da speech. I ain’ leavin, end ‘a story." She said, not willing to admit that he had pinned what was happening to her to a T.

Ruin shook his head sadly, looking at her with a look that meant more then words ever could. It made her feel angry that he was leaving, depressed at what her life was like at that point in time, and most of all, sad and guilty that she had let him down by giving up. He walked out of the room, and she listened as his footsteps rang through the silence as he walked down the steps, and slammed the front door.

She lay back on his bed and shut her eyes, trying to think back to her days at the orphanage. She laughed at how she used to think she had it so rough there. If she could have possibly known what she was going to have to go through, she most likely would have thought the orphanage was nothing but fun.

"Have a fun little chat?" A voice called from the door, interrupting her thought.

She looked up, and immediately alarm rose up inside of her. She tried to sit up, then realized that moving would require moving her ribs also, and that would bring an incredible amount of pain. He walked over to her bed and looked down at her, just as he had a few months ago. But this look was nothing like the look he had given her months ago. This was a new look, a terrifyingly sinister look, which she knew she should be afraid of.

She shook her head. "N-no. Ruin j-jus left, you should go get him!"

"Ruin can take care ‘a himself. Nobody was foicin him ta stay heah. He could leave wheneva he wanted." Ben shrugged.

Relic looked around the room, finally beginning to panic, and realized Ben had shut the door. She didn’t like where this was headed. "Ben, don’ you have a p-pahty ta go ta?"

"I think I like it bettah heah." He said flatly. He walked over to the lamp and blew it out effortlessly, and she began to try to sit up, completely frenzied now.

She couldn’t see him, or hear him, and when she moved to sit up her ribs hurt so badly she had to lie back to keep from screeching out in pain. She was easy prey, and not only did she know it, she knew he did also. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her leg. She knew what was coming, but she couldn’t believe it was really happening. Not to her. None of this should be happening to her. And yet, it was.

He was on top of her before she could blink, tearing at her shirt. She screamed, trying to punch him, push him off of her, anything that would prevent this from happening. He merely laughed, grabbing both her wrists with one hand and holding them so tight she thought for sure they would snap, and using his extra fingers to cover her mouth, all the while still managing to get off her shirt and start on her pants. ‘He’s probly done dis befoah,’ She thought bitterly to herself.

"I thought we had somethin special," she said softly after he had taken his fingers off her mouth, realizing there was no one in the building to hear her.

"We do! Dis is jus makin it moah special, get it?" He answered, standing up and beginning to undress himself after he was done with her.

"You’re sick, it’s a shame da bulls ain’ found you an killed you. Dey’d be doin a favah ta everyone in Harlem." She said, looking away from him at the wall.

"Tanks Dolly, I will take dat as a compliment. An you’re da one dats my goil, ain’ you? I didn’ foice you ta." He responded, the smirk on his face coming out in his voice.

As he crawled on top of her again, she closed her eyes, silently praying for an earthquake to come and kill them both. It never came. She tried to block him out, tried to pass out, tried to do anything that would let her be able to forget this night ever happened. But it didn’t work, and it would never work. She would always remember this night, always remember what he did. And always feel this hole inside of her, like a piece of her was missing. All because of him.

****** Next Morning ******

 "Findin my way back to sanity, again…" 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

 Relic woke up, and thought for a moment it had all been a dream. The she felt a weight next to her, and, seeing it was Ben, realized it had been very real. She cried out softly as a wave of pain hit her, a pain so bad in so many places she could barely keep from crying. She swallowed, then quietly rolled over and slunk out of the bed, trying to ignore the pain that was so great she felt like she should be dead. She picked up her clothes which were draped in a pile on the floor, and pulled them on slowly, making sure not to wake Ben, who was sound asleep.

After about ten minutes, she managed to put them on. She tip-toed over to the door slowly and pulled it open, then walked down the hall way, down the stairs and out the front door, each step becoming more painful then the one before it. She got out on the road and saw an older woman sweeping her porch off, and she half-walked, half-crawled over to her. "Ma’am, wheahs da Harlem lodgin house?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper and cracking with pain.

The woman looked at her, obviously shocked at her beat-up appearance, and pointed down the road. "It’s bout 20 blocks from here, down dat road right dere, just keep straight. It’s quite a walk, you sure you’re up for it?"

Relic nodded, smiling weakly at the woman. She didn’t know how on earth she was going to make it twenty blocks; she barely knew how she was going to make it twenty steps. She started off again, this time moving slower. She had made it about one block when she saw a newsie yelling a headline. She waved to the boy, and he looked over at her. She waved again, and finally he walked over. "Somethin wrong?" He asked, looking down at her.

She nodded. "I-I gotta find da Harlem Lodgin House. D’you live dere? If you do, you gotta help me. Please, I don’ think I can make it dere by myself. My best friend’s dere, an I gotta get dere soon. I can’ be out on da street fer much longah." She added, shuddering at what Ben would do when he found out she was gone.

The boy nodded also, looking worried. "I’ll take you there. What’s your friends name?"

"Ruin, or Chad, I don’ know what he’s goin by dere."

"Oh, that new guy. Well, I guess we better start heading that way, you don’t look like you need to be out much longer. You look like you’re about to pass out."

"Tanks so much, mistah…"

"Reb, or Rebellion, take your pick."

"Tanks, Reb."

"No problem."

Somehow, with Rebellion’s help, Relic managed to get to the Lodging House. Before entering, she stopped and looked at the building, slightly in awe. If everything went well, this would be her new home. For a long time. She limped up the steps and opened the door, then blinked. There were buckets of paint all over, along with sheets that were strewn on the floor. She saw Ruin in the corner of the room, painting the wall, and called out to him. He turned. "Relic?"

She nodded slowly. "In da flesh."

"You came!" He said happily, running over to her.

"Of coise I did, you thought I’d actually let you leave me? Yeah right, Ruin." She said, smirking.

He laughed, then shook his head. "Well, I guess you bettah get acquainted wit everyone! Dat’s Secret," he said, pointing to a girl who was painting on the other side of the wall, who waved slightly, "An dat’s Reb, I guess you already met him dough."

"Yeah, I did. Who’s dat?" She asked, looking pointedly at a handsome boy who was talking to Rebellion.

"Dat’s…I think his names Cactus, ain’ shoah dough. He’s real quiet." He said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Jus wonderin! Jeez, I ain’ thinkin ‘a datin him fer goodness sakes!" She laughed, in mock-defense.

"Well now ‘a days you nevah know wit you. So you’re heah fer good?" He questioned.

She nodded. "Fer as long as you’re heah! Can’ leave my best friend!"

"Good. ‘Cause I’m plannin on stickin heah fer a long time."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, and smiled down at her. She looked around the room, trying to picture living here for a long while. At last she looked up at, and gave him a full-fledged smile, something she hadn’t given anyone for years. And she thought to herself, that maybe she would finally, after years of hardships, be all right. Her smile widened.

****** The End ******

Title of this story taken from:

Jay-Z’s remake of ‘It’s A Hard Knock Life’

Quotes in this story taken from:

Angel of Mine- Monica

Baby Don't Cry- Tupac and Outlaw

Breathing- Lifehouse

Love Is Blind- Eve

Simon- Lifehouse

Cool on Your Island- Tori