The Grave Digger

Chapter 15: Manhattan's New Girl

Race helped her across the bridge until they came across a stick that was perfect for a cane. By the time they reached the lodging house, the sun was almost all the way up. They stopped at the steps. "We got an extra bed, if ya want it," Race said, pleading more than asking. Before she could decline, he grabbed her hand, and promised her it would be fine. She laughed, and agreed, already on their way up the steps.
All the Newsies were already awake. As Bones and Race stepped in, they all looked her way. "Hey, fellas," she said, smirking. None of them knew what to say. But suddenly, they all started laughing and talking about how Race got himself a girl. She wrinkled her nose, and Race and Jack quieted everyone down. "No, I ain't Race's goil. I'm Bones." Everyone was intrigued. Those who had never met Bones before still believed she had been some huge guy, and those who had met her, thought their minds were tricking them. But before anyone could ask questions, she said, "I think I ru-membah all ya're names, bu' I's might be wrong." She pointed to a newsie with slightly tan skin. "I know ya're Mush, 'cause ya're da cute one." Everyone laughed really hard, and Mush blushed. "Keep ya pants on, geez. I know Blink," she pointed to the kid with the eyepatch she had met so long ago. "An' I know Boots, o'viously. Den, ya're Specs, right?" She pointed to the blonde with glasses. He shook his head, and she quickly put a confused look on her face. Then suddenly, "oh!," she snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "Ya're Dutchy, an' ya're Specs." She pointed at the other newsie with glasses. They both nodded and laughed. As she went on, she got most of them correct. Until she got to the last one.
"I know Crutchy," she pointed above her, as she was now next to Race on his bed, and Crutchy's was above, "an' ya're... Snipeshooter, right?" The kid across from her nodded eagerly. Then she turned her attention to a fairly young kid, maybe 9 or 10, that must have been new, because Bones had never heard of or seen this kid before. "I don't know you, so you mus' be fairly new." Jack turned to her. "Tha's Tumbler. He came abou' a few months ago." She nodded, and, with a huge smirk, turned to Race, and joked, "an' there's dis Italian kid, I swear, I can nevah ru-membah his name." She was taken by a fit of giggles, as Race pushed her shoulder, and hugged her. "Oh, shuddup, losah." He said, laughing almost as hard as she was.
"Well, if we wanna get papahs bu-fore dey're all gone, we's shoul' git goin'." Jack stood up, and everyone started to follow suit. Race turned to Bones. "You's gotta be careful out dere, dey'll know ya gone by now." She nodded, and they all got ready for the day. Bones pulled her hair up under her cap, and took a deep breath. She was ready for a new adventure.
At least, she thought she was. That was until she met the Delancey's. She stepped up to get her papers, only getting 20 this time. "So, ya gotta new newsie, huh, Cowboy? This one looks different. Looks like a girl. So, Princess, what do ya say, why don't ya come with me and my brother later?" Bones snarled at them, but just said, "I don' like puttin' out da trash, maybe ya should try gettin' a goil more ya're type, ya know, ugly, smells like rotten fish." She didn't seem to have given it much thought before grabbing her papers and walking away. But everyone around went, "ooh!" She smiled as Race handed her a cigar, and lit it. "Hey, wha's da headline?"
The day went without much excitement. Bones sold with Crutchy, and they did pretty well. Every once in a while, someone would buy a newspaper, or pass on the street, and Bones and Crutchy would guess if the other would kiss them. Crutchy tended to say that Bones wouldn't, and she would tell him that she would. Crutchy usually just laughed, and at one time he said, "I always jus' see ya wit Race." She laughed, but told him they were just friends. By the time they got back to the lodging house, they were laughing so hard, they could hardly move, and Jack was standing there, just staring at the two of them. He rolled his eyes, and thought, they're going to be such great friends. Indeed they were.
Bones almost regretted what she had said to the Delancey's. Almost. They started treating her like crap, but she was used to it. They tried saying hateful slurs, but that didn't bother her. They even tried refusing to give her her newspapers, but all the other newsies stood up for her. She never thought they'd get into her head. Usually she'd reply with some stupid insult, like, "too bad ya can' even get a cheap whore," or something, but they weren't hurting or scaring her. No. It wasn't until they physically went after her, that they got into her head.
A few months after she escaped, she had settled down and gotten used to Manhattan. Everyone was so nice, and it was a great change of scenery. She did miss Brooklyn, of course, but she always liked a change every once in a while, and she had been in Brooklyn since she was seven. And she was selling much better than she had been in Brooklyn. But one day, she hadn't been doing so well. She was walking alone in the dark, hobbling with her cane, when she realized two people were following her. She didn't look back, and just tried walking faster. That proved difficult when she got to an alley, and tripped. She couldn't get up fast enough, and the two men ganged up on her. She tried to scream, but one put their hand over her lips, and said, "it'll be alright, Princess, we'll take care of ya." And that's all she remembered.
Jack was the last to walk into the lodging house. At least, he thought he was. "Hey Jack, have ya seen Bones?" Race asked him, worry in his brown eyes. "No, bu' she's prolly fine." Jack didn't really think there would have been anything to worry about, she was a smart person, and she could take care of herself. "Bu' it's dark, an' you know she don't stay out dis late. Wha' if she was caught?" Jack put his hand on Race's shoulder. "I doubt she was, dey'll be lookin' fo' her in Brooklyn, an' dey can' really prove she's Bones. Bu' if it makes ya feel bettah, ya can go look fo' her. Bu' don't go alone." Jack didn't want to go because he felt that if something had happened, it would be his fault. Not only that, but he'd had a really long day, and he was tired. Race nodded, and turned to face the other newsies, when Crutchy stood up, and said he'd go. "Are ya sure? It's real dark, an' I don' want ya gettin hoit." Race nervously answered. "I'll be fine, an' she's my friend, too." Race couldn't object to that, so they left.
They looked on every street corner, and every alleyway, even going so far as to check the Brooklyn Bridge, but she wasn't there. When two hours had passed, they pretty much gave up. But Crutchy noticed the light from a streetlight glinting off of something down one alleyway they hadn't thought to check. "Race! I think I found her!" They both rushed over to a horrible sight. She was bruised, battered, and bloodied, and her shirt was missing, they couldn't find it anywhere. But she was alive, and that's all Race cared about. He took his shirt off, and put it on Bones, figuring she needed it more than he did. It turned out, Crutchy had seen the light hitting her ring, and Race was glad whomever had done this, hadn't taken it. They wouldn't have found her if they did. Maybe that ring did have powers.
Race picked her up in a cradle, and he and Crutchy started off to the lodging house. They were silent the whole walk, both listening to make sure she was still breathing. Race didn't realize he had started crying until they were at the steps of the lodging house. "I'm sorry," he said to no one in particular, as he tried his best to wipe away his tears. It would be so embarrassing if anyone saw him like that. Crutchy patted his back, and told him she would be okay.
As they walked in, everything went silent. "Wha' happened?" Jack asked, rushing over to him. Race burst out into tears again, and answered, "I don' know, we jus' foun' her like dis, an' I gave her my shirt, cause hers was gone." They placed Bones down on Race's bed, and Jack hugged him. "Tha' was gonna be my next question. I have an extra shirt." Jack tried to lighten the tension, and it worked. Race laughed, and everyone in the room started to, as well. But they were all scared and worried for her. She was probably one of the strongest, and if that could happen to her, it could happen to any one of them. And all though none of them knew, or even said it, they were all thinking the same thing: the Delancey's did it.
Bones didn't wake up in an hour. She didn't wake up in two hours. Not even three. No, it was the middle of the next day when she woke up. Her eyes flicked open, and she sat up really quickly, hoping she was away from that alleyway. She was confused to see herself sitting on Race's bed, but even more confused to see Spot sitting on her legs. She was so disoriented, she thought she could have been mistaken, so she closed her eyes, and opened them again. "I'm actially here, Bones." She took a deep breath, and paused before saying, "what? Wait, what? Sorry, I'm jus' really confused." Spot laughed, but said he had to go, and stood up. "No, don' go," she longingly pleaded for him to come back. "I have to, sweetheart." She wrinkled her nose at the old nickname, and he laughed. She smiled, and watched him leave.
Not ten minutes after Spot left, someone came in. She turned her head to face where the stairs opened up to the room, and watched as Blink walked in, smiled, and walked over next to her. He sat down on Snipes' bed, and let out a pant, as if he'd run all the way there. She laughed a little, and turned to face him. "Ya're a'ight!" Blink exclaimed, happily. She tried to force back some giggles, but one escaped. "I'm fine. How 'bout you, did ya run here or summin'?" He nodded, and she rolled her eyes. Then more people started to come in. "I see why ya ran," she whispered, and let out another giggle. Blink smiled, but then everyone started rushing over to Bones, and all started talking at once.
"An' den we was scared-"
"Bu' they was all like-"
"An' we was like-"
Everyone was talking at the same time. Bones laughed, and held up her hands. "Calm down, geez. I'm a'ight. I promise." She was still all smiles as people sat down all around her. She wasn't surprised to see that Race wasn't there, he was probably still at Sheepshead, and if anything, he was coming back now. But she was surprised to see that Crutchy wasn't there. Maybe he was with Race again. She just hoped the Delancey's hadn't messed with them, she would feel horrible. She heard two people coming up the stairs, talking, and she knew it was Crutchy and Race. "It's not ya're fault, Race, there was nuttin' ya could have done." Bones smiled hearing their voices. "Listen ta Crutchy, Race, it's not ya're fault!" she yelled in their direction. Suddenly Race appeared. "Bones, ya're okay." He smiled, and walked over, sitting next to her. Everyone was smiling, and laughing.
That was how the rest of the night went. Someone would say a joke, everyone would laugh, but nobody talked about what happened to Bones. She wished she hadn't missed a day of selling, but she knew she'd get up and work extra hard the next day. But she wasn't ready for the Delancey's taunts. They hadn't said anything to the other newsies, but she knew they would say something to her.