FIFTY PAPES , jack kelly

- 008

↳ [ the refuge ] ੈ‧₊˚ ┊͙

warning: none

"SO HERE IT IS, THE REFUGE." Jack, Eleanor and David all walked up to the gates of the refuge.

"I can get myself in but you fellas are gonna have to make your own way on the roof or somethin'. The same way I had to sneak to see Jack." Eleanor looked up at the building, remembering the times she almost fell off the window ledge.

"How can you be sure they sent crutchy here?" Davey asked.

"How can I be sure the Delancey's stink? It's just the way things work, y'know?" Jack shrugged, his cowboy hat on his head. "An orphan gets arrested, Snyder makes sure he gets sent straight here. So he can rehabilitate him"

"The more kids in a refuge, the more money the city sends to take care of 'em, the more Snyder sticks in his filthy pocket. He's here." Eleanor shook her head.

"So how come you brought the rope?" Davey asked. "For the exact reason Eleanor said" he spoke as the three of them hid behind a wall from a horse and carriage.

The man gave the nuns on the carriage a small box allowing the three of them to sneak in.

"Meet you at the window" ellie smiled as she walked through the main doors to Snyders office, picking up an envelope on the way in.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Snyder put his paper down. "Good evenin' Mr Snyder, I'm here to give one of your children a letter from the governor." Eleanor smiled fakely.

"Thank you but I can take it to the child myself." He stood up, reaching over and attempting to grab the letter from her as Eleanor pulled her hand back.

"No, sir. You mustn't have heard, I was told to give it directly too him it's important." She spoke with a proper accent and speech.

"Fine—" he sat back down. "I'll be in and out in no time" she smiled and left the room, running up the stairs to the dorm.

"Holy cow" the boys stood up and looked at her. "Hiya Eleanor" Ten-Pin smiled. "Ten-Pin" she smiled, "youse got a new guy, crutchy." She looked at the boys around the room.

"Ah the crip. Hey new guy" ten-pin called him.

Eleanor headed around the bunk beds to where crutchy was. "Oh, I don't believe it. Eleanor, what is you doin' in here?" Crutchy smiled up at the girl considering she was a little taller than him.

"Comin' to see you, oh boy crutch what did the Delancey's do to you?" She noticed how bad his leg was. "Yeah, I'se messed up pretty bad."

"Ten-Pin open the window for me will ya" the young blonde boy did exactly that and was greeted by jack.

"Cowboy, you miss the joint?"

"What do you say, Ten-Pin? Listen, you got my girl and a new guy in here. Send 'em over" jack nodded, holding onto the bars.

Eleanors heart jumped at the name he used for her as she ushered crutchy towards the window, helping him considering his leg was pretty bad.

"Hey crutchy" jack smiled at the boy. "Hey, what's re you hangin' around here for, huh?" Crutchy asked, excited that he was there.

"What do you mean, what am I hangin' around here for. You know who's up on the roof?" Jack asked.

"Who?" Crutchy asked intrigued as Eleanor sat on the window ledge, letting crutchy hold onto her shoulder with his free arm.

"Dave" jack told him. "Is that dave? Hey, dave how ya doin'?" Crutchy beamed

"Shhh" Davey shushed him from the room as he held onto the rope.

"Listen crutchy go get your stuff. We're gonna get you outta here." Eleanor stood up, holding the boy up right so he wasn't on his bad leg.

"Well, uh ... actually, I ain't walkin' so good. Oscar and Morris kind of worked me over a little, y'know." Crutchy let them down easy.

"They hurt ya?" Jack asked, knowing that it was probably best if he stayed in there for a while. Crutchy nodded his head.

Crutchy was like a younger brother to Eleanor, ever since they first met when crutchy was 8 and Eleanor was 10 she always wanted to make sure he was okay.

"Listen, don't worry about it. Me and dave, we can carry you out of here." Jack explained.

"Hey, I don't any nobody carryin' me, never. You hear?" Crutchy pointed at him. "Maybe he should stay in the refuge for a while jack, let him rest a little." Ellie suggested.

"Hey, cheese it!" Ten-pin whisper-yelled and Snyder began walking up the stairs.

Jack swung to the side, everyone got back on their beds, Eleanor sat at the window with crutchy pretending to tell him about something.

Snyder walked down the rows of bunk beds until he got to the window. The man cleared his throat, Eleanor turning to him.

"Sorry Mr Snyder, I got caught up telling crutchy here about this place I visited once." Eleanor used proper speech, unlike the one she usually used, and stood up straightening her skirt.

"I shall be on my way now." She walked off, winking at crutchy before starting to run down the stairs and out of the gates.

"I shall be on my way now" jack mocked Eleanor's fancy talk. "Shut it, he wouldn't have believed me. The man hasn't saw me in three years." She playfully hit his arm.

"Youse good at the fancy talk though" Davey nodded. "Why thank you sir." She wiggled her eyebrows, walking down the street with them following her.

A small gasp left her lips as she saw a horse and carriage on the side of the road. Eleanor ran off, walking up to the horse and the man in the carriage who was collecting apples.

"May I please pet your horse sir?" She asked politely, getting a nod in return as Eleanor held her hand out in front of the horse.

"There ain't no way youse not datin'" Davey put his hands in his pocket. "But we's not" jack looked at him.

Ellie payed for an apple, feeding it to the horse as she ran her hand down its nose.

"Then why's you flirtin' together?" Davey commented, "huh?"

THE NEWSIES , J.KELLY
OCTOBER 2ND 2021