Chpt. 3

Strangely enough we did, we were basically outta papers by the time Jesse came to a halt outside a small building. It was a fading yellow color with mostly dead flowers that were probably thanks to the sudden frozen spell this spring. But inside it was warm and smelled like bread. There were long wooden benches and tables, two fans in the ceiling and a fireplace in the corner. In front of a door there stretched a small counter with a cash register and a tiny vase with a few drying flowers in it. Behind that counter was a small lady, hardly taller then I am, but she was old.

I wasn’t really used to women actually looking their age, all of the girls at Treasure Chest did they’re best to hide it and succeeded very well. There were wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and her mouth, skin sagging slightly, but not in a grotesque fashion. Her hair was white laced with bits of caramel color. As we drew closer I noticed her eyes were a warm brown and they seemed to twinkle as Jesse gave a little bow, removing his cap.

"Jesse dear! It’s been a long time." He winked at me slightly,

" ‘s only been a few days, ‘ette." He said pecking her on the cheek.

" Wel’t I guess a day wit out Jesse ‘s like a month wit out the sunshine." she turned to me and gave the warmest smile I’d ever seen. "Well hello dear, I’ve never seen ya ‘round here before. My name’s Annette, please make yerself at home and Jesse get yer filthy fingers out of that pie this instant!" her voice was warm and comforting, lightly teasing as she smacked Jesse’s hand, which was in fact inching towards the pie sitting on the counter.

"Aww but Annette! Yer foods just so good…" I was stunned, Jesse was whining!

"Then pay for some and eat it silly boy."

"Vel’s payin’." Was his reply. I sighed inwardly, this was the first I'd heard of this, well it was a good day today so what the hell. I nod at the woman and Jesse grins at me. We order quickly, soup and bread for all of us and a tiny wedge of that pie only because it smelled delicious. After Jesse led us over to one of the tables where two boys sat; one had jet-black arms up to his elbows, another was slightly smaller and his hands were cracked and bleeding. Jesse clapped the one with the black forearms on the back,

"How’s it rollin’ Print?"

"Ain’t too bad, still livin’." The boy answered. Belle gave him a bright smile as she sat down on the bench next to Jesse,

"I know ya! Ya lives where we do!" she laughed, thinking this was strange and exciting. Print laughed and ruffled her hair a little, causing her hair to mostly spill out of her braids. Removing my large coat and sitting on it she regarded her new friends with open curiosity. Feeling stupid for being the only one still standing I took a seat on the other side of Belle.

"Vel, dis is Print, I told ya’s bout him ‘n’ this dis is Spit, he wasa boot-black." I nodded respectively, but after the three boys and Belle started chatting I couldn’t help myself, I started to smile. When we had finished eating, Annette brought out the pie, that’s when trouble started. Belle took one bite of her pie and cried,

"It’s really good Mama!" I felt like running, but I sat there and calmly told her that it wasn’t good to yell indoors. I could feel the boy’s eyes on me. So I glanced at Jesse, around the room, to Annette, then back to Jesse. He gave me a go on smile and I sighed, removed my cap and pulled my braid from the back of my shirt. I slumped there slightly, elbows on the table, moving my eyes from one boy to another. Spit was the first one to say something; he extended his hand and gave me a smile,

"Yer real name would be?"

"Velvet…" I answered.

"This ain’t really yer little sis is it?"

"She’s my daughter…"

"Father?" he asked. Then I wasn’t sure how to respond, I knew it was Jesse, but Belle didn’t and I wasn’t sure if Jesse did either… was I just going to let the whole restaurant know that I had been a w***e at 13? Quickly I thought up a plausible lie and covered Belle’s ears firmly as she ate her pie.

"He died, just before she was born…he was fixing one of the looms and suddenly got sucked into it…he bled to death waiting for them to look at him. The doctors in the factories don’t care so much about they’re employees…" Print nodded sadly,

"Yeah, I know. Lost my little brother that way... runner." I winced, runners were small boys employed to run under the monstrous machines, switching out full spools and mending breaks, most didn't survive... apparently they knew at least one person who really had died as I’d described. I felt bad, lying about something that had caused Print so much pain, but I had to stick to my story, at least for now.

"’ey, Spit, what‘s wit da third degree here? She hittin’ ya fer yer life story?" I gave Jesse a grateful smile when Annette broke in and told us what time it was.

"Holy hellfire I’s gonna get it!" cried Print grabbing his things and tossing money at Annette.

"We’s all gonna get it!" Jesse told him, scrambling himself,

"And watch yer mouth! She’s four!" I snapped playfully, shoving my hair down my shirt and jamming my cap back on my head. Snatching Belle and my jacket I fished the money out of my vest pocket and handed it to Annette with a smile and a thank you.

"I hope I see ya again soon hun." As we all took off running to the distribution center, we just made it when the whistle blew for receiving the afternoon edition of the paper. It was a pretty good headline for a change so Jesse, Spit and I got finished early; and of course as soon as the papers for this afternoon were printed Print was done. Together we decided to hop a trolley for Central Park and bring Belle to play. As we approached the nearest trolley that was loading we snuck around the back, Belle was holding tight to Spit’s neck as we leapt on just as it started moving.

Belle giggled in delight as she watched the city roll lazily by, while we were crammed right into each other. I tried hard to keep the blush off my cheeks as Jesse was pressed right up against my back as he held the loop hanging from the ceiling while I clutched the pole on the outside. Finally we reached the outskirts of the park and after making sure Spit had a tight grip on Belle, we jumped off and quickly stood up as to not get run over by another trolley or a cart. Bolting over into the grass Spit swung Belle off his shoulders to carry her princess style. She squealed and giggled as Spit and Print each took one of her hands and started swinging her around. Jesse laughed and run up behind them and grabbed her up in mid-air and hoisted her onto his shoulders. Then Print grabbed me from behind and playfully tossed me to the ground, together we wrestled a little before I jumped back up,

"Ya cryin’ off Vel?"

"Yeah ‘m cryin’ off, sorry." he laughed and tackled Spit. As they rolled on the ground, vividly reminding me of a pair of puppies I’d seen once, Belle laughed and poked them. Jesse came over to where I was sitting and watching them, and he flopped down next to me.

"So I saw yas playin wit Print."

"Yeah he’s a good kid…"

"Yer girl’s a good kid too… shame bout her ol’ man doe…"

"Yeah… about that…he…um… he didn’t die."

"No?" he looked a little confused, "Den where is he?" I started making patterns in the grass and didn’t look at him. "Velvet?" it was nice to hear him say my name.

"He’s sittin right next to me…" I muttered inaudibly.

"Wha’d ya say?"

"I said he’s sitting right next to me." I said a little louder and firmer. He was silent for a long time so I finally turned my head to look at him; he was just staring at me. Finally he muttered,

"Liar." Fiercely under his breath, my heart plummeted into my stomach painfully. Jesse scrambled to his feet and stared down at me angrily, "don’t try to pin this on me." With that he stalked off across the grass into the growing dusk. Holding back painful tears I got up, brushed myself off and walked over to where Belle and the boys were still playing. "Belle, ‘s time ta go home." I said trying to keep my voice steady as I could. I gave Spit and Print a wavering smile as Belle bid them goodbye. I picked Belle up, slipped my jacket around her shoulders again and clutched her to me. She wasn’t a mistake that I was trying to pin on anyone, I loved her, she was a beautiful, sweet little girl that anyone should be proud of. I had been truthful just then and he damned me for it. He might as well have slapped me and called me a w***e to my face and completed the job.

The whole ride on the trolley I wasn’t listening to Belle as she chattered away, all I was hearing was Jesse’s angry words over and over in my head, "liar, don’t try to pin this on me." Once I was mounting the steps of Treasure Chest, Belle was asleep in my arms. I wasn’t going to bother waking her up for supper because she’d eaten a lot during the day. A man bumped into me on his way out, he glared and snarled at me,

"Watch where you’re going, street-rat." I ignored him; I had to get back to my room where I could let the pressure that was building behind my eyes release. I was almost running by the time I got to the stairs and I actually was running by the time I reached the bottom of the stairs. Down the hallway I yanked the key out of my pocket, unlocked the door and bolted inside. After setting Belle down on the bed, I sat down in the corner, under a small street level window and cried. I wasn’t sure why I was acting so strongly, what did I expect? A teenaged boy, who had fatherhood thrust upon him by a girl he’d barely met, and adjust and accept it immediately? I had just wanted to tell him, I didn’t understand why I was crying, but when he called me a liar I’d felt like he’d torn at my heart. Just as I started to calm down, I wiped at my eyes, but my chest still felt tight and painful.

Standing up and brushing the dirt off my clothes I walked over to Belle and slipped her under the covers. She had a tiny smile on her lips while I took my jacket and put it on one of a few hooks we used for clothes. Next I removed my own clothes and slipped into my own nightgown. Sighing I unbraided my hair and started combing through it. From the park and the rest of the day it was really tangled. All of a sudden I heard this strange knocking from behind me, I looked and at first I didn’t see anything, Belle was still asleep and besides that I was alone. Then I noticed that there was a shape just outside the window. Cautiously I stood up and walked over to the window. Crouching there was Jesse!

Quickly I unbolted the frame, stood back and watched him squeeze, with difficulty, in the small hole. I kept my back pressed against the small table behind me as Jesse dusted dirt off his clothes and gave me a tiny, timid smile.

"I asked Print which one yer room was…figgered I owed ya an apology…" I looked at him in disbelief, was Jesse apologizing to me?

"I s-sup-ppose ya do…" I stuttered, still not comprehending this whole situation. Jesse turned his head and looked at Belle’s sleeping form,

"Suppose I knew, ya know? The sec I saw her…she kinda looks like me don’t she?" I nodded mutely as I watched him slide over and stroke her hair, a soft, almost ghost of a smile played on his lips. "Velvet? I am sorry fer what I said before, I had no right. I just never expected this ta come back at me ya know? Don’t even remember why I came er how I paid fer it…" I still stayed silent, I had seen and heard of newsboys coming in before, seeking something they lacked, whether it just be a girl or someone to hold them, pretend they loved them, even if it was only for a little while.

Finally I worked my way past my stunned silence, I gave Jesse a small smile,

"I understand ya know…first time I found out I was pregnant I wasn’t sure how ta take it. Fer a while I even had myself convinced that Satin had made a mistake, but…"

"Satin?" he interrupted my, confused.

"She works as a kinda of nurse here fer da girls. She’s a nice lady. I went ta her after a few days of bein’ sick every mornin’ after I-"

"Met me?" he offered, sounding almost uncomfortable.

"Slept wit ya." I finished my own sentence, but I understood where he came from. Outside this building the world held these acts as immoral in public no matter how much they were enjoyed behind closed doors; and even though most of his life had been spent on the streets where he did what he pleased, it was instilled in his head as a small child to keep ladies lady-like and find different ways to address the topic if absolutely necessary. I however grew up in this den of inequity; sex had almost become part of my early schooling, escorting costumers to and from the front door after dark, collecting laundry, doing whatever was asked of me without question.

Silk herself had been a great teacher, telling me probably more then she should have before I was ten. I wasn’t about to let him believe that I thought myself a real lady, I was a street-rat same as him, a newsie just trying to make a living. Then before I could stop myself my entire thought pattern came spilling out of my mouth. By the time I was finished he looked a little stunned,

"Was it hard fer ya? Growin’ up here? ‘way from yer family?" I shook my head,

"No, actually I have absolutely no memories from before I was eight years old." Jesse stared at me,

"Ya ain’t kiddin’ are ya?"

"Of course not. Silk and Satin were takin a trolley back from takin’ a walk in Central Park ‘n’ Satin heard me cryin in the corner. They realized that I couldn’t tell them where I was from or who I belonged to so they brought me here." He was silent for a while, just watching Belle sleep, occasionally brushing a piece of hair from in front of her little face. Finally after what felt like an eternity, he spoke in a hushed voice,

"Why did you decide to keep her?" I thought about it for a few minutes, then I told him the truth,

"In the very beginning it was mainly fear, I’d seen what the other women do to rid themselves of unwanted children, I don’t even want to think about it. Then the idea just started to grow on me; I was going to have someone to take care of. Real flesh and blood…" I paused and looked down at my daughter lovingly, "then when I held her in my arms for the first time… I knew I’d never be able to let her go."

"Velvet, ya know that wit a couple words I could make all the blemishes go away from yer past ‘n’ hers. " I knew what he was thinking, but I let him say it, "if ya marry me… everythin’ could be better…" I laughed aloud at this even though it felt tight and hollow in my chest,

"Jesse, I’ve known ya fer a full day in my whole life. I have no father to hold a gun to yer head, ‘n’ I ain’t gonna tie down a young man such as yerself now. We’re doin’ fine ‘n’ I ain’t gonna let anythin’ get in the way of my little girl’s happiness. If I agreed ta dis now, I’d be takin’ away yer possible chance ta be wit who yer supposed ta be wit. I ain’t gonna do that." If you give me this choice again in a few years when we’ve both grown up, I’ll really think about it, cause I love the idea of bein’ wit ya, I added silently in my mind, Silk always said that I’d fancy myself in love wit my first client, I didn’t believe her ‘til I saw ya again… If it’s possible to look insulted and relived at the same time, well that’s about how Jesse’s face looked. I gave him a smile that I didn’t really feel and held out my hand to him, "Wanna at least be friends?" he took my hand and nodded, returning my smile.

"Ya know fer growin’ up in a brothel, yer sure a romantic." I shrugged,

"I suppose I got it from Satin. Her ‘n’ her husband were married kinda young, when he died in the harbor she vowed never ta love another man again. At first, she just gave up her entire will ta live…then she started sellin’ herself so she could eat. One thin’ lead ta another and she saw what she was doin’ was givin’ temporary solace ta men who were as unloved as she was. She still doesn’t see it as a physical need by both parties as most of the other girls do." He looked at me curiously,

"And how do you see it?" he asked me.

"I try not ta." I said immediately, "but when I do I understand that in some circumstances it could seem to be the only choice." I looked at him for any sign of what he thought, all of a sudden I noticed that his knuckles were bleeding a bit and the skin was dirty and cracked. "Jesse? What happened ta yer hand?" he looked down a little surprised,

"Oh, I think I punched da wall on my way home from da park."

"Well come here, ‘ll fix it up fer ya." I took hold of his wrist and led him towards the door. He resisted a little,

"What about Belle?" I laughed a little,

"She’ll be fine, she always sleeps through the night now, I‘m more worried bout you." I led him up the rickety stairs and down one of the hallways next to the stage to where Satin’s office was nestled. Pulling a key from my pocket I slipped into the room, tugging Jesse in within me. I took out a glass bottle of alcohol and poured in over Jesse’s knuckles into a basin. Finally, I covered his hand in a strip of white cotton from Satin’s cabinet. Jesse’s only reaction was when the alcohol hit his knuckles, other than that he was silent. I playfully hit his shoulder and led the way to the door, he was laughing a little as well. When I opened the door I got a huge shock, there stood Jet.

With long white-blond hair and pale skin she was beautiful, but her eyes were almost jet black and they glittered frequently, now it was in anger.

"Velvet! What is he doing here? Or should I say who? You are not allowed to sneak customers away from any of my girls." I froze and stared up at her,

"J-J-Jet I-I-I was-sn’t… I s-swear. H-he’s w-with m-m-me…" she glared down at me with those black eyes glittering down at me, boaring holes in my very soul.

"I thought you didn’t want to take anymore clients? At least that’s what you told me four years ago when you decided to give birth to that little rat. Or has selling papers become boring for you?" She smirked at me, but the next second Jesse was in front of me, facing Jet, eyes blazing.

"Ya listen ta me lady! Vel’s a good kid, she ain’t gonna turn trick fer ya’s no more! That doesn’t make her any worse off then ya think she is! She’s gonna make it ‘nd marry some great guy someday. And as fer her "little rat" she’s my daughter, b***h!" Jet’s dark eyes narrowed and glittered dangerously as one of her long nailed hands shot out from her side and grabbed Jesse by his neck. She bent and stared him straight in the eyes,

"Who do you think you are boy?" she squeezed at the sides of his neck and I noticed a few droplets of blood from where her nails bit into tanned flesh. "I hold the most important men in the city in the palm of my hand, do you really think I’m threatened by a worthless street-rat?" with that she yanked him roughly to the side and all but dragged him to the bolted back door.

Throwing aside the bolt she pulled the heavy wooden door open and thrust him outside where he landed painfully on the cobblestones of the back alleyway. I just stood there, rooted to the spot, my eyes were completely wide and I found that I was barely breathing. Thought I sucked a deep, frightened breath in when she swooped around and faced me, slamming the door back shut as she turned. As if coming from far away, I faintly heard Jesse pounding on the door and cursing at Jet. Again Jet’s talon-like hands shot back out, but this time they fashioned onto a large hunk of my hair, which was still unbraided. I hadn’t expected this so I cried out, more from shock, but the slight pain followed close behind. From behind me Satin came bursting from her room,

"What the devil is going on out here? Jet! Whatever is the matter? What has Velvet done wrong?" she cried. Almost bounding forward, she seized Jet’s wrist and the lock of my hair and separated the two. Jet’s raging eyes turned of quiet Satin.

"Go back into your room Satin, this doesn’t concern you." Jet snarled, re-enforcing her grip on my hair and twisting it around her fist.

"Please Jet, must this end in violence?"

"Satin, must you always interfere? What is this urchin to you? A waste of space and time." Satin placidly pleaded on my behalf, though never losing that quiet dignity that she possessed.

"If she is a waste of space and time why bother punishing her? You should be resting. Didn’t I see a lost soul being welcomed into your room earlier?" Jet was almost shaking with anger but I could tell Satin was right, though I hadn’t noticed it before, it was apparent that Jet’s clothes were rumpled slightly, as was her blond hair. Leaving a customer alone too long was bad for business and all three of us knew it. Jet glared down at me, wrapped my hair a little tighter around her fist and drew me closer as I’d seen her do with Jesse.

"This isn’t over you little b***h, I’m going to settle this once and for all." She hissed in my ear, venom dripping from every word. With that she released my hair and walked off, keeping that almost royal air about her as the dark corridor swallowed her up.

Reviews

[Brette Medb]

Damn that ending caught me by surprise and it definitely had me on the edge of my seat. I think this is by far my favorite chapter so far. I loved the detail and I beginning to love Jesse's character. Can't wait to read more!

Brette

[Corey Lunare-]

What i thought about Jesse' charecter just lowered a little when he made Vel pay. That mad me a little angry. but this soon subsided as he stood up so valiantly to jet, who i hate with the passion of a thousand suns after readng this. You id a great job of making her a villian to be hated. Very much for he matter. i am afraid what may happen later in the book with her. ive already grown attached to your charecters and this is only the third chapter; his shows much for you writing prowess. Great job Dream! Kepp it up!