The Boy Who Loved Cigars

3

"Extra! Extra! Thousands flee from fiery inferno! You heard it here first, folks! Interested in a pape, mista?" I called, and a man passing nearby tossed me a coin in exchange for a pape.

"Nice headline, Quick." Race smirked, nudging my shoulder. I grinned back at him as he called a new one. "Hundreds lose they lives in a fiery death! Read it here, read it now!"

---

After Race and I finished selling our papes, we began the trek back to the lodge house. Of course, we just had to stop by the races first. "Race, no." My friend looked at me with pleading eyes. "Racetrack Higgins... don't you dare."

"Please, Quick. Just one race! Please!" He begged. I shook my head, trying to ignore his puppy dog eyes looking down at me.

"Fine. You go on ahead. I'm not settin' foot in them races." He hugged me quick, cried a see ya, and ran off. "Please no gambling, Race!" I cried, and began walking on my own, trying to ignore the stares of men, praying none of them dared come near. As I got closer to the house, I heard footsteps pounding against the pavement along with yelling.

"Y/N! Y/N, run!" I looked ahead and saw Jack, Les, and Davey running from... Snyder. Shit. The boys raced past me, Jack grabbing my wrist and dragging me along as Snyder got closer and closer. I tripped over my feet as my older brother pulled me, but quickly regained my balance. That's when I noticed Les began falling behind.

"Les! Grab on, kid!" I yelled, slowing for a split second to scoop up the small boy in my arms. Unfortunately, though I was strong enough to run with Les, but not at my usual speed. I turned and saw Snyder reaching for my hair, which was whipping behind me. "Jack!" I yelped, almost throwing Les to him.

"C'mon, Y/N, c'mon!" My brother encouraged, and I sped up next to him. I saw the panic as his eyes met mine. We ran faster, and I saw a familiar building. After dodging, running, and sliding, we got far enough ahead of Snyder that Jack yanked us all into the door of said building. The theatre.

We finally rested, catching our breaths, when Davey finally spoke. "Someone want to tell me why I'm running? I got no one chasing me. Who was that guy?" He panted. I looked at Jack knowingly. We had to tell 'em sometime.

"That there was Snyder the Spider." Jack sighed. "A real sweetie. He runs a jail for underage kids called The Refuge. The more kids he locks up, the more money the city pays him."

"Unfortunately," I added, "all the dough goes straight to his pocket, meanin' us kids get treated worse. Do youseselves a favor? Stay clear'a him. And the Refuge." At that moment, three scantily clad women appeared.

"Hey, you up there, shoo! No kids allowed in the theater." The darker skinned woman called to us.

"Not even the lovable Kellys, Miss Medda?" My brother called to her. Miss Medda gasped with a grin.

"Jack Kelly, man of mystery! And Y/N, you blazing beauty! When are you joinin' us on this stage?"

"Hopefully neva, Miss Medda." I laughed. Miss Medda's dancers were generally pretty scandalous, and that wasn't anything I wanted to do. Not that Jack would let me anyway.

"Where you kids been hidin' yourselves?" She asked us, and Jack laughed as we made our way onto the stage.

"Never far from you, Miss Medda. Boys, may I    present Miss Medda Larkin: the greatest star on the Bowery today. She also owns the joint." He introduced. Davey bowed gallantly to her while Les stared slack jawed at the two other dancers. Davey smacked him upside the head, but the small boy didn't budge.

"I can see their legs!" He cried, and we all laughed, except for Davey, who just looked embarrassed. I pulled up the leg of my pants slightly with a laugh, and Dave's face got even redder than before.

"Y-Y/N... please don't encourage him." Davey wouldn't meet my eyes, and Jack stepped in between us, shooting the boy a scowl. I rolled my eyes with a laugh as Miss Medda explained to us that the theatre could be... "educational", in a sense.

"Miss Medda," I pleaded, "my brudda and I, we got a little situation out on the street. Mind if we hide out here a while?" She looked at me knowingly.

"Is Snyder after you two again?" Medda asked, and I nodded. Thankfully, she had a quick subject change. "Say, Jack, when you've got time, I want you to paint me some more of these backdrops. This last one you did is a doozy. Folks love it. And things have been going so well that I can actually pay!" She gestured to a beautifully painted backdrop behind her, and I grinned, throwing an arm around my brother and swapping our hats. Though we don't always say it, I'm proud of him, and he knows it.

"I couldn't take your money, Miss Medda." Jack told her with a shake of his head. Les and Davey gawked at Jack's painting.

"You pictured that?" Les asked in amazement, and I looked down at him, a proud grin plastered across my face.

"He sure did. Jackie boy, he's quite the talent." I told everyone, enunciating quite very hard. Then, an emcee came to get Medda. She told us to lock the door and stay all night, and with that, Miss Medda began her big number. We all watched from the wings in awe at her beautiful voice.

"You could do this, Y/N." Jack told me. I looked at him skeptically. "Not in these costumes, of course, but youse got the most beautiful voice. One of these days, I'm gonna be back here watchin' my baby sista up there."

"In ya dreams, Jack. I don't sing in front'a crowds."

"Y/N, you sing?" Davey asked me.

"Well first of all, only a few select people call me Y/N. It's Quick. When we's get closer, maybe I'll let you call me that. And second, I don't sing. Not in front'a people." Davey quickly apologized, and Les grabbed my hand.

"Will you sing for me, Quick? Please?" He begged, and I smiled down at him. I could never say no to Les. After one day of knowing him, I already looked at him like a little brother.

"Maybe soon, Les." I told him, and he swung my arm happily. As Medda finished her song, something caught Jack's eye. He took my hat off and snatched his back, never once looking away from one particular spot in the back as he strode over there. A girl. It had to be.