A thin girl of eighteen ran down the street, deftly dodging people and objects as she glanced over her shoulder quickly, her long brown hair with red streaks getting in her eyes frequently. She nearly tripped over her untied shoelace but managed not to and headed through a dark alley quickly, running as fast as she could. She was looking for a specific address but couldn't seem to find it. She ran back out into the uncrowded street. A whistle blew, and she ran even faster, not bothering to turn and see how many of them there were.
She'd already lost the cops in Jersey, but she couldn't seem to shake the cops in New York. Somehow they managed to keep on her tail. She was a fast runner, so she figured she could out-run them.
She finally lost them by turning down a series of dark alleys that didn't go through to the next street. She hoped the fences easily, scaling them faster than a pig running to a mud hole on a hot day, and dove into the shadows on the other side. She'd emerge quickly and continue running. She decided to duck into a building and hide out there until she caught her breath.
She stood in the shadows, doubled over and trying to catch her breath properly. Someone had obviously heard her and come back to look for her.
"Hello? Who's here?" a redheaded woman asked, dressed in a purple gown and holding a purple feather. She looked around cautiously.
The girl slid further into the shadows, but she knocked over a pile of metal props, thus creating a large amount of noise. "Ah, dammit," she muttered under her breath.
"You! Stop where you are!" the woman ordered as she approached with a hard look on her face. The girl stepped out of the shadows, breathing hard. The woman's face softened. "Oh, my dear, vhat happened to you?" she asked in a bit of a Swedish accent.
"I'm real sorry, ma'am, but I just came in ta catch my breath. I didn't mean ta scare ya," the girl explained, still breathing heavily.
"Oh, don't vurry 'bout that, my dear. Come in and catch your breath. Stay as long as you like," the woman smiled.
"Thanks, lady," the girl said, smiling a little at the sudden hospitality.
"You can call me Medda. All the newsies do," she said, still smiling.
The girl's ears suddenly perked up. "Newsies?" she asked quickly, her eyebrows raised in hope.
Medda nodded. "The closest lodging house is on Duane Street. Both newsboys and newsgirls live there. I assumed you did, too, based upon your clothing," she deduced.
The girl looked down at her black pants, gray shirt, and dark blue vest, touching the vest absently. She'd been wearing such clothes for so long that she'd forgotten what it was like to wear a skirt at all. She looked back up at Medda. "Lilith McKennah," she introduced as she offered one of her rough and scarred hands.
Medda placed one of her soft, silky hands into Lilith's rough hand, shaking it politely. "Nice to meet you, Lilith McKenner," she greeted.
"It's McKennah, not McKenner. It's Scottish," Lilith corrected.
Medda nodded. "Oh, forgive me. The newsies always make me transfix my word endings because of their accents." Both laughed a little. "My apologies," she finished.
"Oh, don't worry 'bout it, Medda. It's an honest mistake," Lilith smiled and paused before speaking again. "What about this Duane Street lodging house? How might one get there?" She hoped that Medda knew the way.
"Oh, certainly, certainly. Just take a right when you leave here, go down about three blocks, take a left, and go down either one or two blocks. You'll see the lodging house. There's a big sign right above the door. You can't miss it," she explained, gesturing with her hand and feather.
"Thanks, Medda!" Lilith called as she hurried back out the door excitedly.
"Good luck, Lilith!" Medda yelled after her as she disappeared into the crowd. She laughed and went back to work.
Outside, Lilith ran through the streets quickly, following the directions Medda had given her as exactly as possible. She finally found the lodging house about five minutes later. She paused outside the door to catch her breath and decide about it one last time. She sighed, squared her shoulders, and walked right in through the front door. She neglected to look where she was going when she walked through the door and slammed right into a tall, brown-haired boy. She almost fell over, but the boy caught her before she did.
The boy looked her over before releasing her from his hold. She had long brown hair with strands of red sprinkled through; it was down past her shoulder blades and cleanly cut, as if she'd gotten it cut only days before. Her eyes were on the green side of hazel, and she was only a few inches shorter than he at five foot seven inches tall. She wore black pants and a gray shirt with a dark blue vest covering most of the shirt. The boy could see a black leather belt under her unbuttoned vest. She wasn't wearing a hat, but she had carried a thin cloth sack before they'd run into each other.
In the few seconds that he took her looks in, Lilith took his looks in. He was quite a few inches taller than she with dark brown hair, partially bleached by the sun, and dark brown eyes. He wore a red bandanna around his neck, a gray shirt that was mostly covered with a black and gray striped vest, and dark gray pants. His cowboy hat hung down his back.
"Sorry; I didn't see ya," Lilith apologized as she pushed him away. She ran her fingers through her loose, straggly hair and brushed it out of her face as she picked up her sack from the floor.
"Aw, it ain't yer fault. I wasn't watchin' neiddah," he answered with a shrug.
"Fine, the name's Lilith McKennah," she greeted, taking a step back and offering one of her rough hands.
"Jack Kelly, but ya can call me Cowboy if ya likes," he greeted, refraining from spitting in his palm and shaking her hand.
"Nice ta meet cha. I'm lookin' fer Jake Alabaster. Ya seen 'im?" she asked with a New Jersey accent.
"Jake I'm a bastard!? What?!" Jack asked, wide-eyed.
Lilith sighed. "Alabaster. A L A B A S T E R. Alabaster. Jake Alabater. Ya know 'im?" she asked.
"Lili!" Jake yelped as he was through the doorway with girl at his side and a few others behind him.
Lilith turned around. "Jake-o," she greeted with a smile and threw her arms around him.
Jake hugged her tightly, almost squishing her ribs together. "I missed ya," he whispered into her ear.
"I missed ya, too, Jake-o," she whispered back, glad to have found him.
The girl Jake had come in with cleared her throat. Jake released Lilith and turned back to the girl. "Uh, Lil, this's me girl Glory. Glory, dis's Lilith McKennah," he introduced, gesturing between the two of them but leaving his arm around Lilith's shoulders.
Lilith smiled and offered her hand to Glory. "Nice ta meet cha," she greeted, still smiling.
Glory shook her hand and then folded her arms over her chest. "Yeah, nice," she replied, wondering about their relationship.
Lilith smiled a little and took her hand back. She turned back to Jake. "Could I talk to ya privately?" she asked as if she had something very personal to tell him.
Jake nodded and turned back to Glory, removing his arm from Lilith's shoulders. "I'll be back in a couple a minutes," he said and kissed her cheek. He turned and grabbed hold of Lilith's hand and led her back into Kloppman's office. He shut the door quickly.
As soon as the door was closed, one of the other girls crept over to the air vent that connected Kloppman's office with the lobby. "Who does she think she is!? Jake's Glory's boyfriend," she thought angrily, starting toward the door.
Jack turned to Glory. "Let 'em tawk, Glory. Dey obviously ain't seen each oddah in a long time. Jake wouldn't cheat on ya. He loves ya too much ta even think 'bout it," he soothed, smiling a bit at her.
"I know, Jack," she replied, sighing.
In Kloppman's office, Lilith just sat down on one of the chairs, her feet resting on the table. Jake sat across the room from her, watching her carefully. "So, how come yer back in town?" he asked curiously.
"You can't involve 'im in it, Lilith," she thought to herself. "I missed ya, Jake-o," she answered, forcing a smile and changing her eyes to a happy tone.
Jake looked at her for a moment. He'd always been able to tell when she wasn't telling him the whole truth. "Where's Uncle Sean 'n' Aunt Julie?" he asked, staring at her eyes.
Lilith couldn't lie to him. She'd never been able to. She turned her eyes to the window. "They're dead, Jake," she answered.
He looked at her for a moment, knowing that she spoke truth since she'd used his real name instead of the nickname she'd given to him when they were children. He couldn't believe his aunt and uncle were dead. They were the most wonderful people he'd ever met. "How?" he managed to breathe.
Lilith stood and walked to the window. "Suddenly," was all she said.
Jake stood and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be awright, Lili," he assured her.
"I need a space fer a while, Jake-o," she said, her eyes wet.
He nodded. "Sure. We gots a couple a extra bunks up in da girls' room. Be a newsie, 'n' ya can stay as long as ya want," he answered, glad to have his cousin back with him.
"Thanks, Jake-o," she said with a smile, very happy to be back with someone she loved and who loved her back.
In the lobby, the girl who had been listening through the vent thought about what they'd been saying. The instant she heard Lilith say that she needed a space, her mind started spinning. "A space? A space? What would she need a space fer?" she asked herself silently. A grin suddenly grew on her face. She stood quickly and turned to Jack. "Hey, Cowboy, I'm goin' out fer a while. I'll be back in an hour. Bye," she said and hurried out the door.
"Brick?" Jack asked, watching the girl leave curiously.
A few minutes later, Jake and Lilith came out of Kloppman's office. Jake spoke first. "Lili's gonna be stayin' wit' us fer a while," he announced.
"Great ta have ya wit' us, Lili," Jack replied, spitting in his palm and holding his hand out to her, the traditional newsie acceptance and greeting.
Lilith didn't hesitate to spit in her own palm and shake his hand. Jake was a little surprised by this. The cousin he knew wouldn't normally have done this. Lilith still grasped Jack's hand. "Don't call me Lili," she stated firmly, holding Jack's hand tightly.
"But Jake jist-"
"Jake's the only one gits ta call me Lili," she interrupted.
He nodded quickly. "Kin I have me hand back?" he asked. She released his hand, and he shook it out in a bit of pain.
While this all was going on, Jake looked around for his girlfriend. "Hey, Jack. Where's Brick?" he wondered.
"She left, but she'll be back in an hour," he answered, looking Lilith up and down again.
"I'm not a piece a meat. Don't treat me as such," Lilith stated, annoyed. She didn't like the way Jack was looking at her. She had been raised never to take such looks from a man.
Jack winced a little and looked away. He hadn't started off very well. "Sorry," he mumbled as he looked at the ground.
Jake suddenly took Lilith's hand and pulled her and her sack upstairs to the girls' room. He showed her to a bunk and then proceeded to tell her that she'd meet the others later that night. He was right, and they did, but Brick just glared at her from across the room. Most of the others took to her quickly, none of them knowing about Jake and Lilith's relations, but Brick never seemed to. A few of the girls seemed to share Brick's feelings. Jake was too engrossed in the poker game to notice, and Lilith didn't see it as her place to mend it. Yet.
In the morning, Jake decided to take Lilith out and teach her to sell without a word to Glory. Brick didn't take it too well. She ended up selling with Tear that day. During their lunch break, they paid a visit to the local police station.
It had been an extremely good selling day, so, by early afternoon, most the newsies were finished selling. The afternoon was cool and breezy, so they hung around the statue on Newspaper Row, talking and gambling. Lilith just leaned on the statue and reminisced with her cousin.
"Say, ya still climb stuff like ya used ta, Lili?" he wondered, smirking a little.
"Aw, ya don't think I'd evah quit that. Do ya?" she replied, a little unsure at the end.
"Aw, I'se jist wonderin' if ya was still climbin' in 'n' outta windahs like ya used ta. I 'membah da foist time ya climbed in mine. Ya scared da life outta me!" he laughed.
Lilith laughed back but didn't reply. She just kept smiling and looked off down the street. Her smiled faded slowly when she saw a tall man with dark features. Jake noticed her sudden expression.
"Hey, Lili, what's wrong?" he asked softly, putting a hand on her arm.
Lilith turned back to him. "I'll be back later," she said with a twinge of fear in her voice.
"Lili?" he asked as she stepped away from him stealthily.
Lilith just glanced between her cousin and the dark man down the street. He hadn't seen her yet. She was still surrounded by newsies. Her black bowler was laying on the ground by her feet. She picked it up slowly, keeping her eyes on the man down the street. "Lilith?" Jack asked, a bit louder.
Lilith's head snapped around to her cousin for a split-second and then back to the grinning man down the street. "Oh, shit!" she exclaimed and took off running up the street. The newsies were startled by the exclamation, mainly the swearing of a girl, and watched her disappear after a few seconds. She was an extremely fast runner. Jake just watched her, not even noticing the man chasing after her.
Lilith just ran, never bothering to look behind her to see if he were following. She already knew that he was. She ran for blocks, dodging people and carriages. She tried to stay to the crowded streets as best she could, but she wound up in a park. She figured it was small, so she decided to cut through. She ended up cutting through it for about two and a half miles. She could still feel him on her heals, so she just ran faster, turning down side streets and alleyways as fast as she could.
By the time she finally felt like she was in the clear and looked behind her, she'd jumped so many fences and turned down so many alleyways that he couldn't have possibly followed her. She slowed down a little, but, before she could look back to where she was going, she slammed into someone, sending them both toppling to the ground.
Lilith moaned and sat up stiffly. She'd been running so fast that she'd bruised a few bones on that fall. The boy she'd run into also sat up, scowling at her. She scowled back and picked up her bowler, brushing the dust off of it and off of herself.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she stood up and continued to brush herself off.
"I deserve more 'an dat, girly," the tall, muscular boy growled.
"Well, that's all yer gettin'," she answered as she pushed her long hair out of her eyes.
The boy was about to retort when he saw her sparkling eyes that had more fear in them than she let into her voice. He opened his mouth to speak, but she was too fast. She darted up the street the second she caught a glimpse of the dark-featured man looking around frantically for her.
"Hey, Knuckles, ya'se awright?" a shorter boy asked as he approached. The tall brunette just glared down at him. "I'll take dat as a 'yes'," he added and hurried off. Knuckles looked back to where Lilith had been, but she was long gone.
Lilith scrambled down streets and alleyways. She ran down one hoping that it would cut over to the next street, but it was a dead end. Another building backed it, leaving no space between it and the two building on the street she'd just stepped off of. She turned to run out of the alley, but she caught sight of her pursuer and decided not to leave that way. She looked around frantically for an idea. She finally saw a window ledge about ten feet up the wall.
She jumped and grabbed hold of it with both hands. She planted her feet on the wall and climbed up it, using the window ledge for leverage. Once she got to the ledge, she stood on it and proceeded to make her way up the building. Somehow she managed to stay attached to the walls and climb them deftly. She finally reached a ledge near the top floor of the building. She crept into the shadowy corner and waited. Her pursuer ran into the alley, but, not seeing her, he swore and ran back out again.
Lilith sighed with relief and slid off the ledge, dropping to the ground slowly. With a simple twist of her wrist, the rope she'd attached to the ledge fell into her hands. She coiled it up and slid it back down her pants, attaching it to her belt beforehand.
"Dat's nice. Ya scale buildin's often?"
Lilith spun around, but, upon seeing a short black-haired girl, didn't run. Her heart was pounding, but she just stared at the girl and waited to regain her breathe. Once she did, she spoke. "It's a habit," she answered, brushing her hair behind her ears after removing her bowler.
The girl laughed and spit in her palm. "Blue Skies Costello," she greeted and offered her hand to Lilith.
Lilith spit in her own palm without hesitation and shook the girl's hand. "Lilith McKennah," she replied.
"Wit' such a talent, we should call ya Spidah," Blue Skies laughed.
"We?"
"Yeah, da newsies, newsgirls really."
"Yer a newsie? Wonderful."
"Wondahful?"
"My cousin Jake's a newsie down in lower Manhattan. He showed me how ta sell papes earlier taday. Do you live down at that lodgin' house, or do ya live somewhere else?"
"Naw, I live here in Harlem, in da newsgirls place a few blocks up," Blue Skies corrected.
Lilith nodded. "Ya think I could stay there fer a while? I got the feelin' I'm not exactly welcome down in Lower Manhattan," she replied.
Blue Skies looked at her oddly. "Really? How come? They're pretty nice down there," she said, not understanding.
"Well, Jake neglected ta mention that I'm his cousin when I was introduced to the others, so most of his girl's friends aren't very fond of me," she answered, shrugging.
Blue Skies laughed. "Oops," was all she said through the laughter. Lilith laughed back. "Alright, c'mon. Let's go on ta the lodgin' house." She took Lilith's wrist and pulled her back out into the street.
Lilith took her wrist back and twisted her hair up under her hat. "I know he knows my clothes, but maybe he'll forget," she thought to herself hopefully as she placed the bowler back on her head.
Blue Skies looked over. "Ya don't gotta worry 'bout bein' a girls newsie. We got bunches of 'em all over," she assured her new friend.
Lilith glanced over. "It's not that," she answered simply.
"What then?" Blue Skies wondered. Lilith just shook her head. She wasn't going to tell anything more, and Blue Skies knew it. She didn't ask anything more. They just walked.
"Lili, no one knows 'bout him. No one will know 'bout him. No one needs ta know anythin' 'bout it. Jake's gonna stay out of this. I'll make sure a that," Lilith vowed to herself as they walked in silence.
When they got to the lodging house, Blue Skies introduced her to everyone, but she introduced her as Spider McKennah and not Lilith McKennah. Lilith liked the greeting she got in Harlem better than the one she'd gotten in Lower Manhattan. The girls seemed to be a bit friendlier. She just joined in a poker game and played quite well for most of the evening.
Early that night, Lilith suddenly remembered what she'd told Jake earlier. She dropped her cards, collected her coins, and scrambled to her feet.
"Hey, Spider, what's up?" Flash asked, noticing the way the new girl was scrambling around.
"I gotta go back," she answered, looking under a bed for her bowler. "Aw, hell," she mumbled, deciding to forget about her hat. "I'll be back in an hour."
"An hour! That's not enough time ta go down 'n' back ta Lower Manhattan!" Blue Skies exclaimed, looking up from her cards.
Lilith just smirked. "Not if I run," she answered. With that, she disappeared through the second story window and dropped down to the alleyway without touching the ladder on the side of the building. By the time anyone reached the window, Lilith was several blocks away.
"That girl sure is quick," Flash mumbled.
Lilith just ran, trying to remember how to get back to the lodging house. She had a really good sense of direction, so she figured the way back without having to take all the side routes and detours she'd taken earlier. She finally stopped running when she found the lodging house. She paused and breathed deeply before going inside. No one was in the lobby, so she went up to the bunkroom.
Upstairs, Jake was pacing the room anxiously. He was very worried about his cousin. Glory sat and watched him, wondering if he really was losing interest in her. She was fairly sure he wasn't, but there was a small whispering voice in the back of her mind that told her otherwise. When Lilith entered, Jake's head snapped up. His eyes widened, and he rushed over to her, sweeping her up into his arms and whirling her around. He set her back on her feet and kissed her lips for a split second and then just hugged her tightly.
"I was so worried 'bout ya," he said.
Lilith coughed. "Uh, Jake-o, yer crushin' my ribs," she managed with another cough.
"Oh, geez, I'm sorry," he said as he released her. He held her at arms' length and checked her over for injuries.
"Jake-o, I'm fine. I came back fer my things," she assured him.
"Back? Whatta ya mean back?" he asked, quite confused. "Ya goin' back ta Jersey City? Back ta Uncle Sean's place?"
"Uncle?" Glory breathed, furrowing her brow.
"Dey's cousin's?!" Brick and Tear said in unison, looking for an appropriate place to hide.
Lilith shook her head. "I'm stayin' with Blue Skies Costello 'n' her girls up in Hawlum. I figured it'd be better that way," she explained, glancing over to Glory.
"Bettah? Aw, c'mon, Lili. We want ya ta stay heah," he protested.
Lilith put her hands on her hips. "I've made my decision, Jake. You can't change it," she replied slowly. He sighed and nodded. She turned and retrieved her things from the other room. She returned a minute later and kissed Jake lightly. "I'll be around. If ya need me, come up ta Hawlum 'n' ask for Spider." She chuckled and disappeared. Jake just sighed.
"Man, she could rival Spot wit' da disappearin' act," Jack chimed in. The others laughed.
Lilith just ran on back to Harlem as fast as she could. She flew through the window quickly after climbing the ladder. She rolled along the floor because of the way she'd landed. Her foot had missed the floor, but she recovered quickly, making it look like she'd meant to do it that way. She climbed to her feet and placed her sack next to her bunk.
"Hey, Flash, what's the time on that?" one of the girls asked.
Flash looked at a watch. "Forty-eight minutes," she answered and turned back to the book she was reading.
Everyone turned to Lilith. "Yer a real fast runnah," Rain pointed out.
Lilith smirked. "So I've been told," she replied as she looked over her shoulder at Rain. She climbed up to her bunk in a single motion and lay down, her hands clasped behind her head and staring up at the ceiling. She sighed and smiled contentedly. "Lilith's problems aren't my problems anymore. I'm Spider McKennah now. Lili, yer just a memory now, a memory for him to chase. Yer in Hawlum now. There's nothin' ta worry 'bout here. I don't hafta worry 'bout him or the cops now. They won't chase me here," she thought to herself. She chuckled and just smiled. She liked her new life so far.
