A DARKER CITY

chapter nine,the moment it takes to make plans, or mistakes

Chapter nine. In the moment it takes to make plans, or mistakes

Ramona waited for crutchie at the street corner, standing in the cold of the morning. A woman walked by, holding a newspaper in her hand.

"he's not coming, if you're waiting for the newsboy." The woman said.

"and why not? What gives you the idea that he'd stand me up?"

"because they're on strike."

Strike. Yeah, crutchie had mentioned that. Ramona didn't think they were serious, but she did remember that crutchie said jack was really trying to organize the strike to try to get their pay back, or to get a higher pay. Ramona wasn't sure.

The woman continued walking, reading her paper as she went.

"thank you!" Ramona yelled. The woman didn't turn around.

Ramona only remembered one strike, the workers in her parent's company had gone on strike when there pay got cut. Their strike failed, and failed miserably. All of those people had been laid off from their jobs, and a few were even arrested for violent acts in their rage. Those poor workers had lsot everything.

Ramona hurried on towards crutchie's shared home, hoping the boys would be there. She knocked on the door. And when it didn't open automatically, she pressed her ear to the door. Low talking was all she could hear.

When the door swung open she fell into the room. Davey was standing over her, looking down with a look of disappointment.

"am I not who you were expecting?" Ramona asked from the floor.

"I was hoping you were Mr. Pulitzer." He confessed. Then, he helped her up, and when she stood up she looked over to the other boys in the room. Jack was talking to them, and they seemed to be listening with all of their attention.

"well, sorry. No Mr. Pulitzer here. Just Ramona tiffany black." she said.

Crutchie waved her over, and she came to sit on his bunk with him.

"are you afraid?" she asked.

"of bein' on strike? Nah." He laughed. "I've been through way worse."

"is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"hey, jack!" crutchei called to jack, a little louder than he really needed to.

"yeah?"

"can she help?" crutchie put his arm around her, and ruffed up her hair.

"think ya can make a sign?" jack asked her.

"yeah, I can make a ton of signs. What else?" ramona asked.

"just be here." Jack said.

That night Ramona was up in her room, making sings carefully, painting witty remarks and even sometimes, simply, the word 'strike'. She didn't leave her room all night long, even once she could smell dinner cooking downstairs, and even once her sisters had already eaten and had retired to their rooms.

The light in the young girl's room stayed on all night long. And when she was finally finished she had a sign for nearly every boy, and a few signs and posters to hang up.

The morning sun had risen, and the light was streaming in through her open window. Ciel squeaked inside his cage.

"not now, I'm joining a revolt." She said to the rat. He pressed his nose to the wire of the cage. "imagine me, darling youngest daughter of a millionaire, joining a revolution with the newsboys."