Ash's POV. Bold is Barricade Boy's POV.
I sat on the top bunk of the bed. It was around 11 pm and most of the kids were asleep. I had met this nice girl called Alya who had given me the top bunk. This was to protect me from Synder when he came for his rounds. I had been given some paper and a pen to write a letter home. I would be out of here soon enough. I started to hum the old song that my mother used to sing to me. I picked up my pen and started to scribble on the paper, creating a song with my words.
Courf frowned at the young girl sitting on the bed. She looked different. She was coated in grey and had bruises on her arms. A little cut was on her cheek. Jehan felt a pang of guilt hit him. It was his fault she had been there. Joly told him not to worry about this but he had always felt awful about it.
I started to sing along with my letter. Each word I wrote became a lyric to my melody.
"Dear Joly,
Greetings from the Refuge," I waved like he was here I wish he was. I'm only 12 and very weak. "How are you? I'm okay. Guess I wasn't much help yesterday. Snyder pushed me off the bed yesterday. Oh year Joly, this is your sister by the way. There's these kids who help me. They stop me from getting hurt. And the food here ain't bad least so far. 'Cause so fair they ain't brung us no food," I smiled slightly. "Ha ha," I quickly wrote. At least I could try and make my brother happy.
All of the boys lightly chuckled at Ash's personality from her younger years. They all missed her and wished she could see this with them. Courf smiled at her sarcasm and started to watch once more.
"I miss the roof-tops. Sleeping right out in the open. In Jehan's penthouse in the sky. I swear sometimes I can even see the Gods!" I reminisced. "Anyways so guess what? There's this secret escape plan I'se got! Tie the bed-sheets together, throw the line down the window climb down and take off like a shot," I told my brother. "Maybe though not tonight. I ain't slept and my leg still ain't right. But Pulitzer he's going down! And then Joly I was thinking we might just go. Like Jehan was saying," I told my brother. "Where it's green and clean and pretty. Where we all have freedom. I won't need my crutch and I can help you fight for rights. When the train makes-" I stopped myself because of one of the kids below me telling me to be quiet. I started to breathe quietly, scared that Snyder would see me awake. "Damn this place," I cursed, silent tears trickling down my numb cheeks. "I'll be fine. Good as new," I reassured. Even though I said it I wasn't. "But there's one thing I need you to do. You said that the newsies always are like a family. So tell Jehan and Charlie to wait for me!" I told my brother. "The end. Y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶ Y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶ Your sister Ash A." I sang quietly before putting the paper under my pillow to give to Charlie. I didn't have a blanket as I had given it to a small boy.
Everyone was in tears by the end of the scene. Despite her being in a horrible place, Ash wanted everyone else to be happy. She had given up her only warmth to a 5-year-old. Jehan hated seeing this and wanted it to stop. He was only reliving all of the bad memories again. He despised it.
YOU ARE READING
Time Travel and- Wait Is That Ash?!
Historical Fiction(2/3 books) When the boys wake up they find out that they have been drugged by two young girls and teleported to the past. It turns out that they are going to be looking at the past of Ash and Joly. But where were Ash and Joly?
