Author: Raeghann
Chapter Two: Awake
"So whatta we got here Jacky-boy?" A voice asked. It sounded like it was right next to my ear. I groaned and rolled over, feeling nauseous and trying to ignore the huge throbbing pain that called itself my head. I wondered what was in the beer last night because I had never had a hang over this bad, and I was frequent friend of Jose and Jack. My family was Italian-Irish; I was born to be able to handle my liquor.
"Morai I don't care what you do with Jacky-boy, just leave me out of it." I grumbled, not even registering that it hadn't been a female voice.
"Who's Morai?" The voice was amused and it was still too loud. I pulled the pillow from beneath me and put it over my head.
"Don't know, don't even know her name." Another voice answered, I recognized it from the night before. They sounded like they were standing directly over me, instead of right outside my tent. I felt a hand on my shoulder trying to get me to roll over. What were they doing in my tent? I distinctly remembered falling asleep alone. Peaking one eye out from beneath the pillow, I saw a face I didn't recognize. Beautiful blue-gray eyes, dark blonde colored hair, and a mouth that screamed kiss me. I would have remembered this guy. It took a moment for it to sink in that I was not on my air mattress, but a real mattress. It was hard as a rock. Squeaking, I jumped trying to sit up, my head collided with the bunk that was above me, sending me right back down, cursing and clutching my head.
"Oh God, make it stop and I will never drink again, I swear." I groaned, my head in my hands. My eyes were watering in pain and I brushed at them, wiping the sleep out of my eyes as I did.
"Never knew a girl who drank before, 'scept those that was workin girls." I heard the first voice say. I opened my eyes to glare at the owner, he was eyeing me with an interest I didn't like. So what if he was incredibly good looking, I wasn't a piece of meat.
"Hey," I snapped, trying to stand up. It took me a few tries, but I finally managed it and turned my wrath back on the two boys who were now staring at me eyes wide. "I don't know who the hell you are or where the hell you get off, but I am not a working girl....."
I trailed off intending to say something snappy about how the last guy who had said something along those lines had ended up with his balls in his throat, but a wave of nausea hit, making my hand fly to my mouth instead.
"What?" The owner of the second voice asked. Jack was what Blue eyes had called him. He was looking at me worriedly with an equally beautiful set of hazel eyes. Great two really good-looking guys and I'm about to spew all over the place, I thought. I knew I had to have suddenly turned a very unbecoming shade of green.
"Do you have a bathroom? I think I'm going puke." I managed, fighting to keep the contents of my stomach from going all over the floor as I spoke. He looked at me as if I had grown a tail and horns.
"Puke?" Blue eyes asked in confusion.
"Throw up, upchuck, vomit." I tried, giving them a look of my own. Where had they been living, a cave? Luckily a light went on in their eyes when I said vomit and they quickly ushered me into a room. It was filled with other guys all in various stages of dress, all getting ready for their day, it looked like. Nearly twenty- five pairs of eyes looked at me in surprise; for a moment it was as if time had suddenly stopped. Just as suddenly it started again, some of the boys still just stared at me; others eyed me curiously for a moment before going back to their shaving. Some of the guys dived for the cover of wooden stalls that had been set up against the wall. I had a glimpse of more than I really wanted to see at that point, before they disappeared behind the door. One of them looked around the door of his stall and glared at Jack. From what I could see of him, had my stomach not been churning so badly, I would have been very interested in that body before he dove.
"Oh, that was an over share." I cried, before slapping my hand across my mouth again. Patches gave me an odd look before looking at Jack again who just shrugged. Jack and Blue eyes each had a hold of an arm and they hustled me into one of the stalls just before I was violently sick. I don't remember having ever been that sick before, and I've had some pretty nasty bouts of the flu.
"Jack, ya coulda warned us." Patches said in a muffled voice, and I could hear him banging around as if his arms were too long for him to be changing in the stall, which looking at the confined area I was in, I was sure they were.
"I wasn't thinkin about it," Jack yelled back, "I was too worried about the mess she woulda made in the bunkroom. Next time, I'll let the girl go and you can clean it up Blink."
"When we ever gonna get another girl in here?" A curly headed urchin asked, and I could hear the laughter in his voice. "We's lucky findin’ this one outsida Medda's."
I ignored the rest of the conversation and leaned weakly against the wall staring at the toilet for a minute, thinking about how it had to have seen cleaner days. I should have been disgusted, but at that moment it didn't matter. I smiled at Jack who handed me a cup of water to rinse my mouth.
I had just leaned back again, closing my eyes not caring about the toilet, just happy that my nausea was fading, I realized that there was something off about the boys. I looked up at them to find they were looking down at me curiously. Studying them for a moment it hit me. They were not wearing "normal" clothes; they were dressed as if they were from the turn of the century. My mind drew a blank and I swallowed fearfully. Time travel was impossible wasn't it? Well at least they looked kind. My mind raced back to last night and what had happened. Then I remembered the gypsy lady and my conversation with Morai. Morai must have set this up. I burst out laughing. I had been scared for a moment, but I got it now.
"Okay Morai." I said through my laughter. She must have set up this practical joke to get me back for the fake spider I had dropped from a tree in to her corset. I had to admit this was much better than the spider. This had taken imagination, cleverness, and resourcefulness. I had to know how she did it, and she had to be hiding just around the corner waiting for my reaction so she could gloat. How had she gotten so many guys in one room for this though? And where was I? Jack and Blue Eyes looked down at me, and I knew that they hadn't come from the Renaissance Festival; I would have noticed them before. It wasn't that there weren't better looking guys at Faire, but both of these guys had an aura about them that demanded attention. "Funny, come out now. Where the hell did you take me and how did you get so many guys to get in on the joke?"
They kept looking at me as if I was an alien; I slowly stopped laughing and crawled out of the stall to look at the other boys who started at me too. Okay, now I’m used to people looking at me like I'm an idiot, but that many guys…. it was too much, I crawled back in. Blue eyes cleared his throat, and I looked at him with what I was sure were eyes as large as saucers.
"Ya wanna let us in on the joke?" He asked kneeling down, he kept his distance though, as if he were afraid I might suddenly attack him.
"What day is it?" I asked, swallowing hard. There was this tightness in my chest, it was making it hard for me to breathe. Fear was a tricky thing, I hoped I wasn't going to have a panic attack.
"Sunday." He told me slowly, as if he were talking to a small child.
"No," I cried grabbing his arm, my voice urgent. "What is the year?"
"1899." He said, his eyes searching mine, still looking at me as if I had grown another head.
"Where am I?" I cried, not liking the feeling that was welling up inside of me. "Wait, don't answer that, tell me what city and state this is?"
"New York." Spot replied. I looked at them for a moment, my head was spinning, I had never passed out before, but I had come close when I had gotten my first tattoo. We found out then that my reaction to pain was to hold my breath, and I remembered the feeling well.
"I think she's gonna faint." I heard the curly headed boy say, as I struggled with my blacking vision. I took a few deep breaths and lay my head on the cold porcelain of the toilet, ignoring the little voice in my head that told me just how dirty it was. I didn't care, I was not going to pass out. I felt someone rubbing my back and slowly I fought the feeling back down. Blue Eyes still had his hand on my back, a look of worry on his face. I was surprised; he had looked so gruff before, now he had a look on his face that seemed almost soft. Almost. Those piercing blue eyes still held a dangerous look about them. Once my head had cleared, I stood and then I did the only thing I knew to do. I pushed past them and ran straight back into the room I had come from, the one Jack had called the bunkroom, which was aptly named since it was full of bunks. I threw myself onto the nearest bed, and I pulled the blanket over my head. I closed my eyes and waited.
"Whatta ya doin?" I opened my eyes to find Jack there, one hand on the upper bunk, leaning down so he was face to face with me.
"Going back to sleep." I told him firmly, shutting my eyes. "I'll wake up in a moment and it will have all been a dream."
"Sweetheart, this ain't no dream," Jack replied, there was a bit of laughter in his voice. I was glad he was finding this amusing; I sure wasn't. Of course if I told him exactly what I was doing there he wouldn't have been laughing. He probably would have sat on me and told his pals to call the insane asylum.
"Shut up, you're keeping me from going to sleep." I growled. I felt strong hands close over my arms and pull me into an upright position. I cringed, expecting to hit my head on the bunk above me, but I didn't, my head just barely passed under it.
"Did ya escape from the crazy house?" He asked, looking worriedly at me. He searched my face and I fought the urge to laugh. I had a feeling that would confirm his suspicions. "Ya not gonna kill us are ya?"
"Do you think I could?" I asked looking down at the hands that still held me, knowing that he was a whole lot stronger. I struggled to mentally comprehend what had happened, to come to terms with the fact that this was not a dream, that this was really happening.
"If we was sleepin ya could." Jack replied, not letting me go, but kneeling down in front of me.
"No, I did not escape from the crazy house." I replied truthfully, unless you considered the Renaissance Festival a crazy house, I hadn't, but some did. I didn't say more, what could I say? Hello, I'm Briar and I actually live a little over a hundred years in the future?
"How about a name?" Blue eyes asked, I hadn't even seen him come up.
"Briar Fitzgerald." I told them looking from one to the other waiting, not knowing what else to do.
"Ya wanna tell us why we found ya in the alley next to Irving Hall?" Jack asked.
"I don't know," I replied. "I have no idea where I came from. Or what Irving Hall even is."
"She must have that thing Davy was talking about the other day," Blue eyes said to Jack "Amnea."
"Amnesia?" I asked trying not to smile. They both looked at me and I gave them a grin, trying for Jenny's approach to life. Smile and it will all be okay.
"She's smart at least." Jack said, completely ignoring me. I glared, I hated being talked about as if I wasn't in the room. Enough of that B.S. I'll take this like I take everything.
"Hey, assholes, I'm right here." I snapped, their heads whipped around looking at me in surprise. Okay, I thought, Maybe that wasn't the best of ideas. You were trying for the not crazy approach, remember?
"Women don't talk like that," Blue eyes spoke with a scolding tone, and I wanted to sock him. He looked like my grandmother would have if she had caught me cussing. It only fed my anger; he made me feel as if I should be ashamed.
"Where I come from, girls say a lot worse than that," I retorted. The both looked at me, then looked at my low cut chemise and smiled. "Don't even think it. What I meant is where I come from girls are allowed much more than your egotistical little brains could ever comprehend."
I knew they didn't understand half of what I had said, and it took the joy out of insulting them. I wanted to scream; I couldn't even insult them in a way that they would grasp. Well I could, but looking at them again, I was kind of glad they hadn't understood.
"Spot, Jack, what's with the girl?" I heard a voice break in. He was definitely of Italian origin, I thought, eyeing him. He eyed me back, as if he were afraid I might bite.
"It's okay, I've had my rabies shots," I told him. That earned me more looks, and I bit my lip to keep from saying anything else. Had he had said Spot? I thought. That's Blue-eye's name? Spot? See Spot run. It was too much I started laughing, but stopped when I saw they were staring at me again. I was striking out at every turn, I would be lucky if they didn't have me carted off.
"It's okay Race, she may be a little crazy, but I'm pretty sure she ain't gonna hurt no one." Spot told him. Race? The Italian kid's name was Race, what had their parents been on when they named them? Not that I really should be talking, even for my time, Briar was not a common name, but in an era of Johns, Pauls, and Jims, these kids names were really odd.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, and then rushed on realizing how that sounded, "I'm not going to hurt anyone, I was just wondering what made you so sure."
"I ain't sure, but I'm bettin’ on it." Spot told me, "Ya just don't have that look in ya eyes an I don't get that feelin’."
"Some people don't give you that feeling until they murder you in your sleep." I replied, looking at each of their faces, I knew that they were pretty sure I was harmless despite my arguments. I just couldn't resist playing devils advocate. It was a trait that often annoyed my friends, but I couldn't help it; there was nothing I enjoyed more than good debate.
"True, but we grew up on the streets, we're probably more used lookin’ out for those people than you." Race said, and I had to admit he had a point. I knew I would never be able to fool them into thinking I had grown up on the streets, suburbia just hadn't prepared me for it. I found I liked the wry tone he had, he just chewed on the end of his stoogie as he looked me up and down. I knew I was being sized up and measured. I also knew this kid wouldn't be far off from what kind of person I was. Despite his baby face, he had that old look in his eyes of a kid that has had to grow up too quickly. "From hearin’ ya talk, I know ya ain't grown up on the street."
"Thought you didn't remember where ya came from." Jack broke in, returning to the previous subject. He crossed his arms and leaned against the bunk across from mine.
"Damn." I muttered "I meant I don't know how to get back to where I come from." That was the truth, I didn't know how I had gotten there let alone how I was going to get back.
"So whatta we supposed to do with you?" Spot asked looking at me as if I should know the answer to his question.
"Hell if I know," The words came out before I could stop them. I mentally kicked myself again. Women don't talk like that, I usually didn't talk like that, but cut me some slack, I had woken up in 1899, why couldn't it have been the Renaissance, I mentally whined. Probably because instead of looking at you oddly, they would have burned you at the stake, I reminded myself. They were really good at burning people if they got spooked and the average Elizabethan spooked easy.
Of course unless I didn't remember my history very well, I didn't want them to take me to the loony bin either. They were horrible places where the mentally ill were not cared for and experiments were done on them. I shivered, well I was going to have to draw on all my acting skills, play on their sympathy, and hope for the best. With that plan of action, I spoke. "Look, I don't know how I ended up in the street, I don't know why I am here, but I am." I said softly, looking up with those soft sad eyes that usually got me a free lunch from an unsuspecting guy.
"Ya gotta do better than that kid," Jack told me smiling. I flounced back, what had happened? The eyes never failed. "Ya gotta family?"
I shook my head.
"Ya gotta a home?" Again I shook my head. Not anymore. I thought about my apartment with its cozy little breakfast nook and the furniture I had saved and bought piece by piece. I wanted to be home, in my own bed, in my own home, in my own time, and I had no way to get there.
"Ya got anyone lookin for ya?"
I felt tears gathering in my eyes. Oh yeah, there were people looking for me, but they were never going to find me.
"So whatta we do with ya?" He looked appalled, as if I cried he wouldn't know what to do. So I looked away and tried to blink them back. I shrugged, biting my lip. I really, really, wanted to repeat my earlier statement. How the hell was I supposed to know? I didn't know what I was going to do with me.
"I guess ya can come with me today." Jack sighed. "Until I know more, ya ain't leavin’ my sight, ya got that?"
I nodded and stood, they all looked down at my chest. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at them. "And ya might wanna wear this," Jack said taking off his over shirt. Looking down, I remembered for the first time that my chemise was not exactly solid. I smiled gratefully, my cheeks flaming. I thought I had lost the ability to blush long ago…
"We ain't got nothing but men's clothes, so ya gonna have to make due for today." Jack told me as he rummaged through some clothes piled on the floor next to a bunk a little ways down. He handed me a pair of pants. "Those are me good pair, so ya be careful with 'em."
"Thank you," I said, hugging the clothes to my chest. It was a good thing I had been too tired to take off my stockings and bloomers. Looking at my feet I realized I hadn't even taken off my shoes last night. Well at least I had been covered from the waist down. "Is there someplace I can change?"
Jack pointed to a door I hadn't noticed before; I smiled and walked to it. Opening it, I found it was a small room, empty except for dust. I wondered what it had been used for. Quickly, I stripped off my chemise, my bloomers, and my stockings, glad to be rid to of them. I didn't feel any cleaner than I had when I had fallen asleep. I had been planning on taking a shower that morning, but I doubted the accommodations offered such luxuries. I could hear them talking as I changed, Spot was arguing with Jack about taking me out selling with them. I wondered what it meant, for that matter, I wondered where was I going with Jack today. Jack's pants were way too big, but they were better than nothing. They bunched at my ankles like an elephant’s extra skin, but at least I had a pair of suspenders to hold them up.
I stepped out of the room to find that the boys from the washroom were leaving, grabbing hats and other accessories as they left. Spot, it seemed, had left , I couldn't see him anywhere. I felt a moment of disappointment, and quickly pushed the feeling way. He was a cute guy, they're a dime a dozen. I admonished myself as I ran my fingers through my hair; what I wouldn't give for a brush. "Here," I looked to my left to see a boy with handlebars for ears looking at me, holding out a comb. He had such a kind look, I felt bad for my thoughts.
"Thank you," I gave him one of my best smiles. Another free lunch winner, there was a crutch next to him and I knew by looking at his leg that he had to use it to walk. I struggled not to pity him, by looking at him I knew he wouldn't appreciate it. "Your name is?"
"Crutchy." He told me smiling back. He had beautiful brown eyes; not like Jack or Spot's eyes, but beautiful in the way they shined from within. I knew right away he was someone I could trust.
"Yours?" He asked, cocking his head like a curious bird.
"Briar." I replied, holding out my hand, he shook it, his face glowing.
"Ain't never heard that name before," He said thoughtfully as I sat down on the bunk across from him, and began running the comb through the hopeless rat’s nest my hair had become.
"Never heard the name Crutchy before either." I replied in kind. He just laughed and nodded. He looked so happy just to have someone talk with him. From the way the boys all called to him before they left, I knew that he wasn't lacking for companions. They all seemed to treat him as if he were just like them. He was just one of those rare people who liked everyone.
"Ain't my real name, but we all got's our newsie names."
"Why? and what's a newsie?" I was fascinated; while I was here, I figured I may as well at least learn something. It would be something to take back with me once I figured out how I had gotten there.
"Most of us is runnin from something," Crutchy confided, as he awkwardly pulled himself up. I longed to help, but I knew he was too proud to let me. "We give the new boys nicknames so they don't have to use their old ones anymore. It's kinda like, well, it helps 'em fit in."
"You mean like an initiation?" I questioned.
"If that means what I said then yeah." He said, looking a little confused. I just nodded unsure of how to explain it to him.
"A newsie's a guy who sells papes." Crutchy enlightened me. I nodded as I tried to process that, what the hell were papes?
"So ya ready?” Jack broke in, coming up and looking me up and down. I had folded my pants in so that they weren't sagging round my ankles, though since I was nearly six sizes smaller than Jack they hung on me like a flour sack.
"Boots has a couple of pairs of trousers." Crutchy told Jack as he looked at me too. I didn't know who Boots was, I just hoped he was smaller than Jack. Jack disappeared to the other end of the room, I could only see his head above the sea of bunks. He came back a moment later with a pair of pants that were blessedly smaller. Grinning, I handed the comb back to Crutchy and hurried away to change. The pants were still a little too big, but it was better than nothing. I opened the door and Jack gave me a quick once over before he started for the door. I walked after him and Crutchy fell into step beside me, he held an extra hat in his hand.
"Here." He said, handing it to me smiling in an impish way. He reminded me of Jenny, he was so…. Innocent. That's the word I had been searching for. It was the perfect way to describe him. "That way they won't know ya a girl."
"Why wouldn't I want them to know I was a girl?" I asked.
"They don't like it much when women try to be men." Crutchy told me. I was having a hard time remembering that although 1899 was not lacking in technology as much as say 1598, it was socially way behind. I was going to have to learn to remember it. What if I never got home? I shoved that thought down, hopefully things will get better soon, I thought, and continued to walk with Crutchy.
Title: Through the Hourglass
Author: Raeghann
Chapter Three: A New Name
"So where ya from Briar?" Crutchy asked I kept my pace slow. I was willing to bet he was usually able to walk quicker, but it was a damp morning and had been a damp night. From what little I saw of his leg it looked like he had been in some sort of accident and the weather could wreck havoc on things like this.
"Colorado Springs, Colorado." I told him without even thinking of my answer. I kicked myself. I was going to have some bruises if I kept that up. How was I going to explain how I had traveled from Colorado to New York?
"Really where's that?"
"Out west," I sighed not knowing what else to say. My brain rushed ahead of myself trying to remember what little I knew about the city I had made my home only a few years ago. Now ask me about Denver and I might be able to tell you a little more. At least I knew that it had been established in 1871 and there had been a gold rush in 1891 in Cripple Creek. "There was a gold rush about eight years ago in what is now a little mining town called Cripple Creek."
"Really?" Crutchy asked with interest. "Is that anywhere near Santa Fe?"
" A long way away, Santa Fe is further West." I replied.
"We call Jack Cowboy, he's always wanted to go to Santa Fe. I bet he'd be real interested to talk to ya about the west." Crutchy smiled at me then asked the question I was dreading. "So howdya get here?"
"I don't know." I replied truthfully, best way to lie I remembered was to stick as close to the truth as you could. Half truths were even better.
"Ya got any family in Colorado Springs?"
"Not that's alive." I said softly feeling the tears come back into my eyes. That wasn't a lie they weren't even born yet. My grandfather wouldn't be born for another thirteen years and he would be a teenager trying to escape from being forced into Mussolini's Black Shirts when he moved to America from Italy.
"Sorry." Crutchy said gently his soft eyes looking at me with an understanding. "Lost my parents in a fire when I was five. Mama was trying to get me out when the beam fell on her and pinned my leg. The firefighters they got me out, but it was too late for her. Real brave of them too, they coulda died."
He said it with such gratefulness I knew he meant it. He was saddened by his parents death, but grateful he had been given the chance to live even if he had to use a crutch for the rest of his life. If only we could look at our lives as he did instead of pitying ourselves we had had it hard. We smiled at each other for a moment a bond of friendship struck between us that I found I was very thankful for. "Will ya quick lollygagin and get up here?" I heard Jack's irritated voice and saw he was talking to me.
"Ya better hurry up, I'll talk to ya later." Crutchy told me. I flashed him another grin and ran to where I saw Jack disappear around the corner of a gated wall. I entered the gated area cautiously there were most of the guys from this morning, all with papers in their hands. Jack was already at the front of a line slapping some coins down as I made my way across the courtyard trying to ignore the curious stares. The most curious of them came from a little boy who had been looking up at Jack with hero worship. Now here was something I could handle, I loved kids and was used to working with them. The best piece of advice I had ever heard was to treat them like they were adults. Just because they were kids didn't mean you had to treat them like it. They responded better when you treated them with the same respect as you would one of your own peers. Now that didn't mean you let them get away with whatever they wanted you still had to lay down the law from time to time. I just tried to remember what had bothered me as a child and tried not to do it.
"Hello." I said cheerfully getting down at about eyelevel with him and holding out my hand. "My name is Briar what's yours."
"Les." He told me holding out his hand and shaking mine a smile in his eyes already.
"It's a pretty day." I said conversationally. " Do you think it's going to get hot?"
"Probably." Les responded with seriousness. "Ain't you gonna ask how old I am?"
"I wasn't planning on it." I told him "But if you want me to ask how old?"
"I just turned ten."
"Really?" I didn't say any more than that, but stood and looked at Jack and his companion. They were both smiling; his companion had a hand on Les's shoulder in a way that told me he was Les's brother.
"Briar," I said holding out my hand him.
"David, but everyone around here calls me Davy." He replied, I tried not to let my surprise show. It was nice to hear someone use proper English. You don't know how much you are accustomed to it until you are trying to bite your tongue at every sentence the people around you are saying, to keep from correcting their grammar.
"Davey it is then." I rubbed my hand together and looked around. "so what are we doing?"
"Selling papes." Les told me as if I should already know that. Papes? I looked at the stack of newspapers Davy and Jack were splitting between them. The light went on, papes, papers, must be some sort of slang from 1899.
"Sounds like fun." I said holding out my hands. Here was something else I could handle. My mother had owned a store for years and lucky for me I had spent the beginning of the summer selling pretzels at the Renaissance Festival. I had learned the fine art of hawking, but wasn't really interested in it and switched back to cast the first chance I got. I know by now you probably think my whole life revolved around the Renaissance Festival, but in reality many of the talents I learned there I was able to apply to beginning to live in the past. When you have a pretty good grasp on how life was lived two hundred years before and how life was lived two hundred years in the future, you learn that things don't change that much. They change drastically socially, speech changes, outlooks change, but some talents are timeless. As a writer I knew that the headline was never going to sell, so the headline had to be changed to catch someone's attention. A book was never going to sell if it didn't have a catchy title. Acting had taught me how to sell, and how to lie. What is acting other than selling yourself to be someone you're not?
"Some women sell papes, but they rarely have the talent us men do." Jack told me giving me a funny look. I rolled my eyes, I bet there were plenty of women who were good at selling, men just didn't want to accept it. "They was the only people we let sell papes."
"Why were they the only ones?" I asked my curiosity perked.
"Because we wasn't going to beat on women." Jack responded as if I knew what he meant by that. I let it go making a mental note to ask Crutchy later on what he had meant. Davy just shrugged and followed Jack, I looked at Les who mimicked his brother and together we followed the other two.
I spent most of my day not too far from Jack. David and Les would disappear from time to time, but I was never out of Jack's eyesight. It looked like he was going to keep his word and keep an eye on me. As we broke for lunch I found I had sold more papes than even Les, whose pathetic street urchin look always drew them in.
"Ya got talent." He said in appreciation as we made our way to some place called Tibby's. He was still cautious, but since he found I could sell papers, he seemed to be warming up to me. I could practically see the dollar signs in his eyes like in the old cartoons. Les hadn't taken much winning over and David liked me from the minute I had started talking to his brother. It was a little trick I had learned a long time ago. Make friends with a guy's little brother or sister and you had them in the palm of your hand. Not that I ever made friends with the little sibling without really intending to be a friend, kids were smart they knew when you were being fake. I found Tibby's was a restaurant, much like the diners of the 1950's were going to evolve from. It was crowded with boys all of them from earlier that morning, they seemed like one big group of brothers. I felt a little left out, and tried to shrug off the feeling.
"Briar." I heard a voice calling my name. Looking ahead and to the left I saw Crutchy sitting at a booth with Patches, what had Jack called him? Blink? And the curly headed boy I had never gotten to hear his name. Crutchy was waving me over and I smiled heading immediately in his direction.
"Briar, this is Blink and Mush." He said in his endearingly happy tone. " Guys this is Briar."
They both nodded at me and Crutchy scooted over so I could sit with them. I smiled shyly and worked to turn on the charm. As long as I could stay in these guys' good graces I had it made. I didn't have any where else to go and I had no way to go home as of now, so the best thing I could do was make these boys like me. As a bunch of misfits themselves one harmless but crazy girl wouldn't faze them for very long. Besides I had spent most of my life with more guy friends than girls. I knew I could charm them and still keep the relationship platonic.
"So how did ya day with Jack go?" Crutchy asked breaking me out of my thoughts.
"I sold more papers than Les." I said trying not to toot my own horn, but I couldn't help the feeling of pride. They all looked properly impressed. I looked at Mush and Blink, not too bad, I thought as I discreetly gave them a once over. Blink's hair was gold colored his eyes, while not the same incredible shade of Spots were still a pretty blue and Mush had a really sweet and sunny disposition that reminded me a little of Crutchy. I got something to eat, with the little bit of money Jack had given me for the papers I had sold, it wasn't the best I had had in my life, but it was filling and it made my stomach stop complaining. I found I was enjoying their company. Sometimes I had to stop them and ask them to explain what they meant and by the end of lunch I had a handful of new words that I understood.
"Ya ready?" I heard Jack ask and I looked up at him. He was looking back expectantly.
"Why should you get her?" Mush asked in mock irritation " Ya already got Les and Davy, if she's tellin the truth then I say you should let her come with one of us that don' t do as well."
"Perks of bein leader Mush." Jack told him punching his shoulder playfully. "We's gotta go, there's a prime spot in Central Park I wanna hit today with me new sellin partner."
"Selling partner?" I asked looking at him in confusion.
"Ya gots talent kid I already told ya that." Jack replied smiling down at me. " And unless yous got a better opportunity then let's go."
I looked at Mush who gave me adorable puppy eyes and laughed. He was cute definitely cute.
"I tried the same look on Jack this morning." I chuckled punching him as well. " What makes you think it will have any better effect on me than mine did on Jack?"
Mush shrugged and smiled, Blink laughing as well.
"Crutchy, I'll talk to you later." I said as I followed Jack, Davey and Les out the door. By the time we made it back to the place we had started from, the Lodging House the boys had called it I was beat. It had been a long and trying day. Tiredly I made my way into the washroom and splashed some water on my face. There was some crashing and squeaking coming from the other room and I found Crutchy was directing as Mush and Blink pulled a mattress off one of the bunks. I watched in curiosity as they carried it into the small empty room I had used to change in earlier. They kicked up enough dust as they tossed the mattress on the floor to make those of us standing anywhere near to sneeze.
"What are you doing?" I asked rubbing my nose across the back of my hand sniffing as I felt another sneeze coming.
"Well we figure ya're staying for as long as ya wanna. Ya're too old for the orphanage and we ain't gonna send ya to the poor house. " Crutchy said excitedly, "Jack don't know where else to put ya. I thought we could move a mattress in here and it could be ya little room. That way ya'd get some privacy from us boys."
"Thanks Crutchy." I said softly touched that he had thought of a way to make me more comfortable. The mattress was old and the blankets worn, but at that moment it looked like heaven. It wasn't bed time however, instead I spent the rest of the night with Crutchy, we played cards, but mostly we talked. Mush and Blink joined us for a little while, we played poker without a betting a feat they had never accomplished.
"That's an unusual necklace." Mush said with interest. My hands flew to my neck and I realized I still wore the Gypsies necklace. I remembered that it had burned when I had laid down, that everything had been normal until that moment. Of course my life had been normal until the lady had appeared in it. At least as normal as my life comes.
"You be one of them." I heard her say in my mind.
"Be one of who?" I had asked with an arrogance that made me flinch.
"Be one of those who is lost in time." She had replied. Had she done this to me? Had the necklace sent me here? If so, why had she sent me here, what was the reason behind it?
Mental note Little Red, I thought, don't take anything from strangers, especially if they happen to be odd gypsy women with scars.
"Briar are you okay?" Blink asked his look worried. I realized I had clutched the necklace in my hands and was pulling on it as if I was going to rip it off. I forced myself to relax and took my hand away from it.
"Fine, just fine, now how many cards did you want?" I heard myself ask, I surprised at just how cool my voice sounded. They eyed each other and I knew I had reminded them of my sudden appearance and odd performance earlier, in short everything I was trying to make them forget. They returned to the card game and eventually let it go. They wandered off a little while later for a real game with Racetrack, who I learned was a big gambling man. They were just upset that I, the girl had kicked their butts too many times to count. I was pretty lucky with poker as long and it didn't require any articles of clothing to be removed.
Even after the others turned the lights off and lay down to sleep I found myself struggling to stay awake so I could talk with Crutchy some more. Sometimes you find a kindred spirit, a person who seems to know you after only minutes. It is as if they have a small piece of your soul you never knew you were missing. I'm not talking about a soul mate that is on a different level a different set of emotions. I would find my soul mate and it would be an entirely different feeling than the one I shared with Crutchy, but I am getting ahead of myself in my story. If I don't tell it as it happened it will become confusing. I had found a brother of my soul. Someone who understood me and liked me for all I was and all I wasn't. He didn't care if Jack had caught me in the corner only a half an hour ago clicking my heels and saying "There's no place like home." Hey it worked for Dorothy, besides who knew how this necklace worked. He didn't care that some of the younger boys avoided me because they thought I was crazy.
He didn't even care that Jack, his best buddy, one of his idols was wary of me. He instinctively trusted me, I didn't know why I was just grateful for it. I wished I could tell him everything; I looked out the window directly in front of me the moonlight washing over my face from the window to my left. Crutchy sat on my right, thinking looking off into space. He glanced at me and grinned we still didn't say anything; we didn't need to each other's company was enough. It was nice to have made a friend like him as quickly as I had. Mush and Blink were well on their way to being called friend and I knew I was lucky I had always made friends quickly. Jack didn't trust me yet, Les and David liked me well enough. I wasn't looking for permanent friends, but I found that when it came time to leave I was going to miss Crutchy. I really would, I hoped he would catch a fair break in life. Actually I was going to try to do what I could to make sure of it as long as I was in the past.
"Ya know Briar." Crutchy said softly, "Lookin at you from where I'm sitten, ya look like one of those necklaces with the women carved on it, ya know the ones those fancy ladies wear. "
"Cameos?" I supplied in amusement. "Thanks Crutchy, but I'm not cameo."
"No ya do, ya features would make a good cameo." Crutchy insisted. I felt my cheeks flaming, I knew I wasn't a bad looking girl, but this had to be one of the best compliments I had ever received.
"That's what I'm gonna call you." Crutchy said firmly and I knew there would be no dissuading him. "Cameo, ya're on your way to bein a newsie, ya gotta have a newsie name."
"A newsie name is supposed to be tough." I replied sheepishly not wanting to admit I liked the name, or that I even was enjoying his sweet compliment.
"Unless ya're a girl." He said "We don't have many newsie girls, so if I wanta call ya Cameo ain't nobody gonna say nothin. Besides ya don't get to pick ya nickname, ya get it given to ya."
"The second time in my life I get named and I don't have any say." I said wryly " I think children should be numbered until they are old enough to pick their own names."
"Then they'd think their names was numbers, so it would still be the same." Crutchy pointed out. I shrugged and wrapped my arms around my legs, I stared out the window for a minute more then stood and held out my hand for Crutchy. He smiled and took it allowing me to help him to his feet.
"Good night Crutchy." I whispered.
"Good night Cameo."