"Extra, extra! Mass grave found near Lake Superior!" cried a tall, broad- shouldered boy at the top of his lungs.
"If that isn't the most pathetic headline I've ever heard, I don't know what is!" giggled a small girl of eleven beside the boy. The boy, Richard, was a boy of fifteen with a mop of messy brown curls and soft gray eyes. His companion was Sybil, a slightly built girl with dancing blue eyes and pale blonde hair. The pair were cousins, but had grown up as close as brother and sister in a small apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota, brought up by Sybil's father. "Extra, extra! President's ship lost at sea, experts fear the worst!" yelled Sybil. She sold a few papers. Her large blue eyes and small, pretty features gave her an angelic appearance which sometimes helped her to sell more papers than her brother. They rarely sold together.
"Heya, Bradshaw!" yelled a masculine voice belonging to a boy with dark hair, pale skin, and piercing green eyes the color of glass bottles. Dragon's appearance was striking, as was his blunt personality. He was addressing Richard; he called all the guys by their last name. Sybil thought Dragon was the greatest boy she'd ever met.
"Heya, Angel," said Dragon when he saw Sybil. All the newsboys had a soft spot in their heart for their little sister Sybil.
"Don't call me that!" giggled Sybil. Dragon had called her Angel for as long as she'd known him. When they'd met, she thought her name was stupid and wouldn't tell anyone what it was. Dragon had taken to calling her Angel because of her angelic looks and usually angelic personality. Sybil didn't like the name Angel, but she liked it when Dragon called her that. It didn't matter to her that he was seventeen and she was twelve, she thought Dragon was the most wonderful thing in the world.
"So, Bradshaws, wanna get some lunch? I'm starved, and cold" said Dragon, running his hand through his raven-black hair.
"Sure," said Richard. You up to that, Angel?"
Sybil rolled her eyes. "Sure. You know, I think I want to be a vegetarian," she Remarked randomly.
Dragon sort of laughed, and said "Really."
"Yes. You know, it's just awful that all those animals must die so I can eat then on a slice of whole wheat. I think I just want to be a vegetarian, and then when I grow up I can live on a mountain with a garden and just eat carrots and lettuce all day."
"And onions?" asked Richard with a grin.
"Onions? Yuck!" squealed Sybil.
"You know, being a vegetarian is probably very hard. You can't eat turkey or chicken or steak or sausage or pork or beef or bacon or anything. And you probably can't have fish, either," remarked Dragon.
"Yeah, I know. I'll just eat fruit and vegetables and stuff."
"Do you think the fruit can't feel anything either? I bet a tomato just screams in agony when you bite it," said Richard with a smile on his lips.
"So, then I can't eat anything!" cried Sybil in dismay. "Oh," she cried dramatically, "I guess we can't go to lunch after all, because I'm just going to have to stop eating. You boys go ahead."
Dragon and Richard laughed. "You know, Sybil, I'll be thinking of you when I eat my delicious turkey sandwich with lots of juicy tomatoes and crunchy lettuce," said Dragon with a grin as he licked his lips.
Sybil shook her head and sighed, "The world is a cruel place," she said with a small laugh as she fell in step with Richard and Dragon.
"So, Bradshaw," said Dragon between bites of a turkey sandwich, "there was some guy at the Lodgin' House lookin' for ya."
"Looking for him!?" squealed Sybil as she bit into her Swiss cheese sandwich.
"What kind 'a guy?" asked Richard.
"I dunno...about this tall," Dragon held his hand a few inches over his head, "Kinda bald...ya know 'im?"
"I don't think so..." Richard sounded slightly worried anyway.
"Richard!" hissed Sybil as she set down her sandwich, "do you think it's Dad!?"
Richard looked a little surprised at the mention of his uncle, but forced a smile anyway, "Naw." But he looked a bit worried and was now staring at some point above his cousin’s head.
"Yer dad?" asked Dragon. "I thought he was some crazy drunk..."
He was always blunt about anything and everything, even telling someone their father was a crazy drunk. He didn't care who he offended; he already had a close group of friends and didn't care about any enemies he made.
"Yeah, he was, but he's gone now," said Richard, sipping his coffee.
"He's still there. Said 'e wanted to wait for ya." Dragon shuddered, then took a large bite out of his sandwich.
"How does he know I'm there!?" asked Richard.
"Peterson told 'im ya lived there, that crazy idiot. I oughta smack that old man."
Sybil was a little shocked by the way Dragon had just described Mr. Peterson, the man in charge of the St. Paul Lodging House.
"Dammit. Hope it's not some stalker or anything..." said Richard with a small unamused laugh. "C'mon, Sybil," he grumbled, setting down his hot dog, "let's go see who's at the Lodging House. Actually... keep your eye on her, wouldjya, Dragon?"
"Yeah, whatever, but she is eleven. She can take care of herself."
Sybil was thrilled to be alone with her hero, but her brother's attitude toward the unknown man made her nervous.
Richard walked slowly along. He wasn't scared, really, but he was a little worried. Why would a man be at the lodging house looking for him? He had tried to push the thought out of his mind, but Sybil's small 'do you think it's Dad!?' continued to linger in his mind. What if it was Richard's crazy uncle? He didn't know. Yet. He quickened his pace.
The sky was clouded over and it began to sleet. Just the sort of weather that fit Richard's mood- it didn't know whether to rain or snow. He quickened his pace again, and the sleet became a heavy downpour of cold rain. Richard started to run in full force- a skill for which he was legendary. Soon, he arrived at the Harlem Newsboy's Lodging House. He drew in his breath slowly and entered.
The lobby of the lodging house was empty.
"Hello, Richard, there was somebody lookin' for ya. He got tired of waiting and he went home. Says 'e'll be back tomorrow," said the short man behind the desk.
"Who was it!?" hissed Richard.
"He didn't give a name or anythin'. Go up to the bunkroom, the guys've been lookin' for ya. Somethin' 'bout a poker game, I guess," the man smiled.
"Okay," said Richard as he trudged up the stairs to the bunkroom.
He slowly opened the door. A short, stocky twelve year old boy looked up, "Hey, Bradshaw!"
"Hello Joey. Deal me in, wouldya?"
"Yeah, yeah... so, how's it rollin'?"
"I dunno... not so hot. Some guy was lookin' for me, eh?"
"Creepy guy..." remarked a thin, dark-haired girl of fourteen. Her name was Rachel but she was usually called Opal, and she was Dragon's girlfriend. "Where's Dragon, anyway?"
"With Sybil."
"Sybil? Why?"
"I dunno."
Joey looked long and hard at his friend. "You okay, kid?"
"Don't call me kid, okay? I could be your father..." grumbled Richard.
"Hey now, what's wrong?" asked Opal, her eyes full of concern.
"Nothin's wrong, dammit!" snapped Richard. He glared around the room.
"Watch your mouth, please. Tell me what's wrong, okay?" said Opal gently.
"Fine. If it's everyone's damn business, I think the guy lookin' for me is Sybil's dad. He's my uncle. I lived with 'im until I was eleven. He's a lunatic. He's a raging drunk. Leaving 'im was prob'ly the best thing I coulda done. And I bet he's back. I bet 'e was here, and I bet 'e's lookin' for me!" Richard threw down his hand of cards and pounded his fist on the ground. "I don't want him to come back! That stupid bastard, that drunk, he's lookin' for me! He didn't care about his daughter and he didn't care about me, and I didn't even have to think about him! And he's back, and he prob'ly wants to kill me or somethin'!"
Richard was usually as calm as could be, and this sudden outpour of emotion and family history was shocking. "Uh, Richard, I dunno what to say..." murmured Opal.
Richard looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't want to do that. I didn't even really mean it. I'm sorry. It's probably not even him." The fire returned to his eyes, "But that bastard! He-"
"Watch your mouth!" cried Opal.
There was a knock on the bunkroom door. "Hello?" called the voice of Mr. Peterson. "Richard, your visitor is back."
"I thought he wasn't comin' back until tomorrow!” exclaimed Richard. He scowled, then realized he was probably making a big deal out of nothing. “Oh, all right!"
"You can stay in here if you'd like," said Joey, looking a little worried.
Richard deeply inhaled, then exhaled. "Nah, I gotta do this." He looked back at his friends once and marched out of the room and down the stairs.
In the lobby of the lodging house was a man a lot like the one described by Dragon- fairly tall, with thick blonde hair which was thinning a bit at the top. He was a greasy-looking block of a man, with broad shoulders and a heavy build. Not fat, really. It wasn't so much the height, the build, or the hair that Richard recognized, though, it was the eyes as blue as the sky and not a shade off. It was the smirk upon his lips. "Richard," he said, as if the name was a sentence all on it's own.
This was the moment Richard had been fearing. Face to face with his uncle once again. His uncle who had never cared about his own daughter, or his sister's son.
"Richard," he repeated, "You sure have gotten bigger."
"What do you want, James?" asked Richard as he calmly lit a cigarette.
"I don't want a thing, Richard, except to be reunited with my nephew. And my daughter."
Sybil! thought Richard. "Well, it's been great reuniting with you, James, but you can't have Sybil. Because I don't know where she is."
"You don't know where she is, eh? Stole my daughter away one morning and then you lost her." James glared.
"I didn't steal her," Richard's calm attitude was slowly leaving him.
"You didn't steal her, huh? She just decided in her seven-year old mind to leave, same morning as you did, you filthy kidnapper."
Richard's blood boiled. "I didn't kidnap your daughter, you stupid drunk!"
James's eerily blue eyes widened and he snarled at his nephew, then slapped him. His old wedding ring scraped against Richard's nose and it started to bleed.
The scrape on his nose made Richard's eyes water like crazy.
"Oh, and now you're crying, eh, big man? Ya fifteen year old murderer?" James growled the last word. "That slap is less than you deserve, ya filthy dirtbag! Where is my daughter!?"
"I'm not crying!" yelled Richard as he wiped his eyes.
Suddenly, the door to the lobby creaked open. "Hey, Bradshaw, it's rainin' like a madman, so me an' Angel're comin' in, an'... um, yeah." Dragon saw the large man, and saw the blood on his friend's face. He reached into his pocket and felt the smooth handle of his most beloved possession, his ivory-handled switchblade. He shoved Sybil away from the warm oasis of the lodging house and into the pouring rain.
"So, hello, who are you?" asked Dragon with a smile, looking deeply into James' angry blue eyes.
"I'm an old friend a' Richard's," said James with a warm, fake smile. "We were jus' talkin', and we'd like to be alone, if you wouldn't mind." James grinned his fake, yellow- toothed smile again.
"Oh, no," said Dragon with an equally fake smile. "A friend a' Richard's is a friend 'a mine. Name's Dragon Lindstrubt. So, hello, who are you?"
"I'm James. And If you'll excuse me, can we please be alone?"
"If you insist," said Dragon with a smile. All the newsboys knew that by pressing an ear against a door in the lodging house, one could easily monitor the goings-on on the other side. He grinned again, reached into his pocket and felt the handle of his knife, and opened the door to leave.
In toppled Sybil, who'd had her own ear against the door.
Richard looked down in horror at the little girl. She looked up at Richard and grinned, "Sorry about that, Richard. I couldn't help listenin', but there wasn't really all that much goin' on...." she saw her father and the smile fell from her lips. She was eleven years old, and actually quite mature for her age, but she couldn't help letting out a little wail.
"Sybil!" cried James. "Oh, Sybil, Daddy's back now. I'm so sorry, Sybil, I really am!" He reached down and lifted her up in a tight embrace.
Sybil’s blue eyes nearly popped out of her head. She made a face over her father’s shoulder which was so horrified and so sad that it made Richard want to cry. Or kill.
“What a lovely father-daughter reunion,” remarked Dragon. “Kindly put her down, James.”
“I’m not just going to leave her here, not with you” he said with a glare at Richard, “and not with you either,” motioning to Dragon.
“Oh, really, and where do you plan on taking her?” asked Richard with a glare. Sybil attempted to get loose, but her small size was no match for that of her father.
“Put me down, Dad,” she ordered as firmly as possible.
“Wanna see your cousin Richard? That cousin of yours is a lying, cheating, filthy boy. His parents got rid a’ him because they were sick of his stupid attitude. They had better things to do than deal with such a filthy boy.” Richard tightened his hands into fists. “And then, one morning, he decided to kidnap my baby. And you’re not going to do it again, you stupid son of a bitch!”
Richard attempted to stand taller than his uncle, but they ended up eye to eye. He looked deeply into his frightening blue eyes. “Some reunion, eh, Uncle James? Ya wanted to come see me, huh? Who’s the liar now? Who’s the kidnapper now, huh? Put her down, old man.”
Sybil had never felt so worthless in her life. “Richard,” she begged, “just go. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”
The three males ignored Sybil’s plea. “It’s been lovely, but I’m taking my daughter” James glared at Richard once again, “home now. Goodbye, Richard, by, whatever-your-name is, what was it, Snake?”
“My name is Dragon. Not Snake.” Dragon pulled out his knife with his name inscribed on it.
“I don’t care.”
Dragon narrowed his eyes.
Sybil’s father James began carrying his daughter out of the lobby. “Daddy’s back now, it’s okay, you don’t have to live with those boys any more,” he said in a soft but terribly insincere voice.
Dragon leapt up and held the blade of his knife very, very close to James’s head. “Put her down,” he said with a tone of voice Sybil had never heard before, with an edge that could cut.
James whirled around and dropped the girl, then with the agility of a tiger knocked the knife from Dragon’s hand.
Dragon quickly looked down at his knife, and James seized the opportunity to take a swing at Dragon’s unprotected face. He missed, then swung again, connecting with Dragon’s jaw.
Dragon held his jaw for a moment, then punched James’ square on, coming close to breaking his nose. It started to bleed.
The two stood and glared at each other. Sybil sat in the corner, terrified. The love of her life was risking himself for her. And she knew that it wasn’t because he admired her as a girlfriend or anything of the sort, it was because she was the dearest little sister he’d ever had. She sat, watching the proceedings. James’s strength was no match for Dragon’s youth and agility, as well as his rarely used but very good fighting skills. It wasn’t too long before James was doubled over in pain. “I’ll leave, you snake, and Richard, you sure are lucky that this kid saved your ass, ya little weakling.” His eyes softened when he looked upon Sybil again. “And you, baby, I’ll come back, and I’ll get ya again, and things’ll be just like they always should have been.” He glared at Richard, then at Dragon, the only thing standing between him and his daughter. He then slowly left.
“Oh, are you okay?” Sybil wailed, “I’m so sorry!”
“It’s not your fault, kid. Sorry ya got such a lousy old man. An’ ‘e can’t fight, either.” Dragon grinned with pride. He didn’t seem to notice the bruise forming on his chin and the black eye. Or maybe he did notice, and was proud of his manly battle scars.
“He can so fight, are you sure you’re all right?” asked Sybil. She was enraged at her father, who’d not only ruined her day but Richard’s and Dragon’s as well. She felt no connection to her lousy, useless father. She had no idea why he’d suddenly shown up to save her from the evils of Richard and his friends. They’d been more of a family than her real father ever was.
“I’m fine, okay?” Dragon wouldn’t have said a thing if his arm had fallen off. He would never admit defeat with Richard around, or with someone younger, a girl, who clearly looked up to him.
“So you’re sure you’re okay?” she sniffled.
“Yeah, I’m fine!” he grinned again to prove his okay-ness.
“Okay, fine, if you’re all right, you gotta teach me how to fight like that!”
"So, your nutcase father came back from wherever he was hiding an' 'e wants the kid?" asked Opal, daintily perched on the edge of somebody's bunk.
"Yeah... dammit! I'd nearly forgotten about that drunk. Why'd 'e have to do this!? I... I have no idea what to do with the kid. Or me. Or Dragon," replied Richard, looking down at the ground.
"Dragon can take care of himself!" laughed Opal.
"I mean... we can't just leave her here. He'll find her. I don't even know what he wants with her. Prob'ly to try his hand at being a great father." Richard scowled. "Lousiest father I ever met..." he grumbled.
"Well, he probably won't be back too soon. Not with Dragon in the way... beat 'im up pretty bad, I hear," said Opal.
Richards lips turned upward in as much of a smile as he'd given all day. "Well, I' guessing Dragon 'imself told ya that... well, he beat him okay. For all necessary purposes..."
"Necessary purposes... it's a bad thing to say, Richard, but why didn't he kill him? This guy is obviously not all right up here," she motioned to her head, "And he wants the kid, an' 'e prob'ly wants justice done to you for takin' 'er away."
"I was thinking the same thing. I mean, he can get in here whenever... "-and Mr. Peterson would let him in if he was carrying a rifle and said he was here to kill you," finished Opal. Not a whole lot fased her, and she was tactless as her boyfriend.
Richard pounded his fist on the ground a little. "I know! Crazy old man..."
"Back to the matter at hand. Why didn't Dragon kill 'im?" asked Opal.
"Well, he is Sybil's father, and he wants to bring her home. That doesn't sound so bad... but it is bad. Dragon was jus' tryin' to rough 'im up a little. Ta get 'im to put the kid down, an-"
"Put the kid down!? So this guy was forcibly trying to take Ang- er, Sybil away? He was carrying her? An' ya jus' wanted to 'rough 'im up a little'!?"
"Yeah, I know, it's bad. I hate this guy more'n you do, but it's not like I wan' 'im to die... he's Sybil's dad..."
"Wimp..." muttered Opal.
Richard nearly exploded. "I am not a wimp! It's her father, for God's sake! He's goddamn trying to take her home! Why would we end his life for that!?"
"Oh, so you think it's okay for this drunk that you said you hated to come take Sybil?"
"I didn't say that! I jus' don't wanna kill 'im!"
"You'd rather let him run around the streets, stalking your cousin!? Where is she, anyway!?"
"I don't want him to stalk her, for crying out loud, I just wan' 'im to... I don't know, okay?"
Opal rolled her eyes, then tightened her thin ponytail of red-brown hair. "You'd better make up your mind already! Because this guy is going to come back. And you're not going to be so lucky to have Dragon by your side next time. Okay? Is that, uh, food for thought? An' anyway, where's the kid!?"
"I don't know, she's w-"
"Oh, you don't know. Real smart, Bradshaw, way to use the ol-"
"She's with your boyfriend, dammit! An' Joey!"
"Okay, okay... hopefully she won't get kidnapped while she's gone..." remarked Opal in an angry, sing-song voice.
Richard clenched his teeth, clenched his fists, then quietly left the bunkroom.
Opal sighed. She hadn't meant to be so cold. But why does he have to be so dumb about this!? she thought angrily. His weak little cousin is being stalked by her insane father, who had to be fought off by Dragon Lindstrubt in order to get him to leave! Why does he gotta be so fricking squeamish!? She was a fighter. She wasn't a killer, really, unless she was protecting her own life. Or somebody else's. And she couldn't understand why Richard didn't feel the same way.
She tried to think of some other idea. Sybil could hide somewhere. Two problems, though- nowhere good to hide, and she couldn't hide forever.
Sybil could learn to fight off her father. One problem- she couldn't.
Dragon could follow Sybil around all the time. Three problems- it would be very hard, Dragon would get sick of it, and Sybil would get sick of it.
And Richard needed some protection too. Opal's favorite adjective to describe Richard was 'weak', and he really was weak and couldn't fight too well.
Opal had her most brilliant idea. Richard and Sybil could run away. They could go somewhere big, where nobody could find them. Chicago. Detroit. Washington, D.C. New York.
She knew Richard wouldn't be too happy with the idea. The word 'wimp' went flashing throgh her mind, then realizes she wasn't doing a whole lot of good by labeling Richard. He needed to be motivated to leave. Motivated, shmotivated... he needs to be scared. She took a rolled up edition of the St. Paul Tribune and tore off a corner of a sheet of newspaper. She grabbed a pencil and scrawled: "Richard, I'm coming, I'm going to kill you and Sybil. Love, Uncle James."
She crumpled it up. What a mean thing to do... scare Richard away. But it's for a good reason... no, we don't want to give the kid a heart attack here... but Sybil's in trouble. So's Richard. They need to save themselves.
She tore off another piece of newsprint, and wrote: "Richard, I'm coiming. You're going to die." She crumpled it up and threw it onto a little pile with the other one. If I got a letter like that, I would absolutely die, she thought. She picked up the crumpled notes and shoved them in her pocket, then exited the bunkroom.
"So, you, uh, go like this, and like this, and then WHAM! Go, uh, like that," Dragon was trying to teach Sybil to fight, more for fun than anything else. He knew that if needed, such a little thing couldn't fight off a mouse if she tried. Sybil giggled and balled her hands into little fists and began flailing them all over the place.
She sure is a happy little thing, considering what happened just yesterday! thought Dragon as he watched her fight the air. Joey elbowed Dragon, who bent down to hear him whisper, "Gee, Dragon, she's not very good at that!" Dragon laughed and whispered, "No kidding."
"Okay, try hurting ME, Sybil!" cried Joey. He was barely older than her, but because of the few months older her was he considered himself a far superior human being.
"Are you sure? It might hurt," warned Sybil.
"No it won't!" exclaimed Joey.
Sybil was a little mad about this, so she started to "fight" Joey. "You go like THIS" she nailed him in the jaw, "And like THIS!" she punched him in the stomach, "and WHAM!" she tried punching his eye but he ducked.
"Geez. Sybil, you're not very good..." laughed Joey, ignoring his sore jaw and temptation to throw up.
Dragon rolled his eyes and told the two to stop fighting right now or else. They did. He looked up and saw his friend jogging down the street in his direction. "Bradshaw!!!!" yelled Dragon at the top of his lungs, grinning like an idiot. He was in a very strange mood at the moment.
"'Ey, Dragon," said Richard as he caught up with the group. "Your girlfriend is being a major pain in the ass."
Dragon's smile faded. "Uh, excuse me?"
Richard pulled Dragon aside. "She keeps telling me that you, or I, should kill James."
Dragon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, she's like that... let her be, eh? Don't call her what you just called her." He turned back to Joey and Sybil.
"Is that all you have to say!? Do you think she makes a good point, do you think she makes a bad point, I mean, this guy, he's running around and he wants to bring Sybil 'home' and he probably wants to kill me, and you, and I just-"
"Relax. It's all right. Long as I'm around, she'll be fi-"
"You're not always going to be around her. You can't follow her forever!" snapped Richard, still mad from his 'discussion' with Opal.
"You want me to kill the guy or what!? If that's what you want to tell me, just tell me. I don't want to kill him, but if that's what you-"
"I don't want to kill him either. I dom't know what we should do, I mean he can find her, and-"
"I don't think that this is the best place for this conversation," said Dragon, motioning to Sybil and Joey.
"Okay, if you want to-"
"Would you relax already!? We can go back to the Lodging House, talk it out..."
"Fine."
The four began their trek back to the lodging house.
More to come...stay tuned!
