The Forsaken

Chapter Nine - Coney Island Misfits

They are children of the streets. Just two runaways melting into the nameless masses of the dirty, hungry, and undesirable homeless of New York City. Upon first arriving in New York, Gwen is enchanted by the loud, vibrant city and all its many marvels. The money from the diner quickly runs out; Raven spending it upon Gwen’s every desire. They spend their first week in a modest motel, which seems to them like a palace. They eat out at diners and fast food joints every night, and buy themselves some new clothes and other necessities. It’s no surprise that when the week is up, they can no longer afford the motel room. They are thrown out to live on the streets, penniless once more.                                                

Raven and Gwen try to make a decent life for themselves, taking advantage of the city’s many homeless shelters, but find these institutions too depressing, and quickly give them up for a life of pedaling and pickpocketing. Gwen insists that they not look like the multitudes of homeless that plagued the city, but instead maintain a clean, hygienic appearance. This being beneficial for their enterprise, as well as their overall health. Choosing for their dwellings abandoned warehouses, old buildings, and factories; they move every so often to keep from drawing attention to themselves. Together they set up a home and sanctuary similar to their cave back at St. Paul’s.

During the day, they spend most of their time at the public library, searching for any information they can find of their own kind. From mythology, fairytales, legends, and history, Gwen delves into the printed works, searching for answers. There are hundreds of stories that tell of beings such as themselves Gwen discovers, but how much of it is make believe, she can’t tell. She begins to focus more on the locations of these stories; most of them take place in foreign lands across the sea, being of little help in their quest, but a few are based in America, and this, at least, is a start.

Gwen comes across many books about the Salem Witch Trials and becomes enthralled by the many accounts of the Witches and their evil deeds, but not so pleased with their sad endings. Am I one of their kind? Am I a Witch? she considers. Perhaps it is just the teachings of the Nuns that make a part of her reject this notion as ridiculous, but yet she knows firsthand that the unexplainable happens, and it often happens because of her. She has to know for certain what she is, and where she came from, so she continues her tireless search.

In the afternoons, the two find a street corner, a park or such, and set up their operation. Gwen stands on a crate and sings, a hat placed at her feet for donations, Raven hanging back, pretending to be completely unassociated with the beautiful, black-haired eight-year-old girl with the voice of an angel. It doesn’t take long for the citizens passing by to become distracted by the siren and stop to appreciate her musical performance. Only after a crowd forms around Gwen does Raven make his way through the audience stealthily pilfering wallets, money purses, watches, and other valuables. His quick hand, and his unassuming nonchalant manner, makes it possible for him to rob the crowd blind. After he has a decent bounty in his jacket pockets, Raven walks out from the crowd again, stalking on down the street to a dark, secluded alley to go through the loot, dividing the valuables from the driver’s licenses and credit cards. Gwen points out early on that credit cards and driver’s licenses are dangerous, since they can be easily tracked and shouldn’t be taken. Respecting Gwen’s good sense, Raven does as she suggests. When the loot is separated, Raven puts everything back in its original place and stows all the stolen items--minus the cash--away in a brown paper bag to be anonymously dropped off at the nearest police station, post office, or other government offices later. Eventually, they will be returned to their owners, but with no trace of where these mysterious bags came from, the police would be left scratching their heads, leaving Raven and Gwen in the clear.

Although it isn’t honest work, it is next to impossible for them to make a living otherwise, so Gwen forces herself not to think of it as stealing, but as survival. With this little operation, they make a modest living, providing for their every need. They scavenge what they can--dumpster diving, collecting small furniture items such as rugs, chairs, and cabinets to make their current dwelling cozy, even though they know they will have to leave it all behind when it comes time to move again.