A Way Home

Prologue: Wait For Me- Hadestown

"A newsie? You were a newsie, mama?"

"So was your papa, little one."

"Oh tell me about it! Please?!"

There was a laugh, "Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning."

Sean and Juliette had always been best friends, ever since their first meeting, because that was the way the world tended to work.

Juliette's father, a prominent man in the financial sector of Brooklyn, had invited the Conlon's, another wealthy family from the burrough, to a dinner to discuss, well, neither Juliette nor Sean were too sure of what.

Juliette had spent the morning playing in the backyard, and by the time her family's guests had arrived the four year olds skirt had become muddy at the hem.

"Juliette Ophelia! Go upstairs and change into proper attire right now!" Her mother gasped.

"No! I want to keep playing!"

"Samantha take her upstairs right now and get her changed!"

"Yes, Mrs. Yapp." The maid nodded, and taking the young girl by the hand led her up stairs.

Sean looked up at the big house, and then back at his mother, "Why are we here?"

"Your father thinks this will be good for business."

The boy sighed "But why did I have ta come?"

"Mr. Yapp has a daughter, she's about your age," Mr. Conlon said, coming to stand next to his son, "Stand up straight, and straighten your collar."

He sighed and followed his parents up into the house.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Conlon, do come in, you are expected."

"Young man you may wait here until Miss Yapp is introduced to you."

Sean didn't like adults telling him what to do, and even his fear of his parents couldn't get him to stay in the room they'd left him in for a few minutes before wandering off.

He wandered around the house for a few minutes before finding a staircase near the back of the house and began to go up the stairs.

Sean paused before going around a corner, hearing soft singing.

"There is a castle on a cloud, I like to go there in my sleep, where I'm not just a little black sheep, not In my castle on a cloud!"

Sean crept closer to the sound of the voice, coming from a room down the hall.

"There is a room without all the noise, there are a hundred girls and boys, nobody shouts or talks too loud, not in my castle on a cloud."

Sean had made it to the room by then and watched as a girl, tying her auburn hair back, sang, "And there is someone all in white, holds me and sings lovely song, they're nice to see, and they're nice to touch, they say, 'Juliette, I love you very much'."

"You sing pretty good."

The girl whipped around and in a moment of panic grabbed Sean's arm, twisting it around his back, pinning him to the floor, "Why are you in my house?"

"Ack! My parents brought me here!" He gasped.

Juliette didn't move from where she was still pinning him, "Why are you in my room?"

"I got bored of sitting there! I didn't do nothing! I swear!"

Juliette reluctantly climbed off him, watching as he clambered up off the ground, "I'm Juliette Ophelia Yapp."