Chpt. 4

 

I was still rooted as I watched her walk away, my whole body almost numb with fear. Satin came from behind me and placed her bird-like hands on my shoulders.

"Velvet? Dear, are you alright?" I felt tears starting to well up in my eyes. When Satin pulled me into a tight, warm hug I actually started bawling. Satin just stood there and held me while the tears flowed down my face. A detached part of me realized that I could no longer hear Jesse pounding and cursing at the door. For some reason that made me cry harder.

Soon my sobs quieted again and Satin was stroking my hair comfortingly. I whispered a hoarse apology to Satin and started to pull away, but she held me fast, "There is no need to be sorry. I think you’ve been through a lot today, you can feel safe coming to me when you feel low." She bent and kissed my forehead lovingly,

"Now why don’t you go see to you’re little girl." I nodded a little and slipped down the dark hallway, my heart pounding in fear that Jet was waiting for me. I slid down the hallway; silent on my bare feet; when I got closer to my door I heard crying. Frightened I rushed through the door,

"Belle! Hunnie are ya ok?" she was sitting blot up in bed, her tiny back pressed against the wall, wrapped in our blanket, sobbing.

"Mama!" she wailed and held her arms out for me to hug her. I scooped her up in my arms and held her close as she sobbed into my shoulder. I stroked her hair through her braids, whispering words of comfort to her. "Sweetheart what is it? What’s wrong?"

"Daddy!" she cried, my stomach felt icy.

"What about him sweetling?"

"Machine! It ate him! It took him away!" she started crying again loudly. I held her tight to me, trying to keep her from being anymore afraid. I set her down on the bed, and lay next to her, cuddled to my chest like a doll. I felt horrible that I hadn't clamped my hands over her small ears better when I'd lied to the boys. She cried and whimpered for almost another half an hour before slowly dropping back off to sleep. I stood back up, tucked her tightly into the blanket and slipped back upstairs to Satin’s room.

Everything seemed to be happening at the same time, I really felt like I needed to talk to someone. I knocked gently on her door and was admitted. She was sitting on a low stool looking into a foggy mirror applying some form of make-up on what looked like bruises on her neck. I stopped just inside the door and watched her in the dim candlelight. Satin chose to live far below where she could have, she barely ate, spent almost none of the money she earned, yet she always seemed to be happy.

Though barely twenty-four years of age, her face seemed older somehow. Her sorrowed innocence was partly swallowed by shadow, making her seem more haunted, her thin features reflected in the wavy glass. Dirty blond waves cascaded down one side of her head as thin, tapered fingers, no longer rough from work, applied a skin colored substance to the purple blotches on a long almost sickly pale neck. A pair of pale blue-green eyes that seemed to always remind me of tears caught my own marbled ones in the mirror. She smiled wanly as she set the glass jar back on the small wooden table.

"You don’t have to stand in the doorway, come in dear." Her voice was soft as it always was, it just seemed warm and inviting, which might have been why she seemed relatively popular with some of the clientele. At least she had been when I worked the books, but that had been four years ago, and in this business four years can be an eternity depending on how a woman ages, and how effectively she hides it. As Satin flipped her long tresses back over one shoulder, she turned and faced me. "So what is the trouble sweetheart?" I was a little taken aback, I didn’t want her to think that I just wanted to talk because I was upset…even though it’s the truth. "What makes ya think dere’s somethin’ wrong?" she laughed a little,

"Because you were just being held almost by your throat by Jet. I would think something’s wrong." I sighed, I was trapped.

"Yeah it feels like everything’s wrong Satin…" I just let the silence lie there for a time before completely spilling everything that had happened. Towards the middle Satin came and sat beside me, holding me tightly, protectively in her thin arms. But again, by the time I was finished I was gasping out words through another torrent of tears as Satin’s thin hands stroked my hair in a kind of sympathy. For the second time that day I tried to apologize for my behavior and once again she shushed me and told me that no apology was necessary.

Tears were still slightly clouding my eyes and forming a small rainbow of color around Satin’s kind face. Marring this picture were deep purple crescent moons under her eyes and cheeks that were almost colorless and bordering on gaunt; but you would have to be blind to miss the real beauty that hid behind these imperfections. As I had grown up in a world where beauty was masked and concocted, any time I saw real, untouched beauty as this my heart sang; and yet this time… the urge to weep again was almost over powering. Kindly Satin, never again to be married, never to honestly love, to be just held by someone who cared about more then just the pleasure she could wring from their bodies, but the woman inside. Satin, who took me in as a child and sat here now, comforting me, never to have children of her own.

"Why do ya stay here Satin? There’s more out dere then clients. It’s understandable if ya don’t wanna get married again but wit da money ya’ve made workin here ya could live good ‘n’ like save a kid from da orphan trains…" my voice trailed off here seeing her shaking her head and smiling in lady-like amusement.

"Velvet sweetling, I had my chance at love, it came and went. But now it’s time to give some of that love back." I stared at her, still wrapped in this little dream, even after all these years. "Satin, please don’t tell me ya still thinkin’ dat dese men love ya. ‘m sorry, dey don’t…" I stopped as I saw those pale, ocean colored eyes start swimming.

She did know… the lie was to give her an excuse of why she did what she was doing. And I had popped that illusion and after she had helped me. Satin dabbed at my still damp eyes with the corner of her sleeve. "I know you probably don’t understand but… telling myself what I have been is the only thing that will help me sleep at night." For the third time that night I tried hard to apologize to her because it was obvious that I had hurt her deeply, but again she merely waved it off. Feeling completely stupid I muttered an almost silent goodnight and slipped off to my room, kicking myself all night.

 

As soon as I exited my room the next morning I was attacked by Print.

"Vel! Ya all right? I heard from Jesse that somethin’ went on wit Jet last night…" I nodded a little, holding Belle’s hand tightly in my own. I yawned a little before,

"Yeah ‘m alright… it wasn’t that bad… Satin saved me from somethin’ really bad. Ya’ve seen Jesse?" I was worried about him and had been all night.

"Yeah he came ta me after he got locked outta da buildin’. He was mad, but he seemed none too hurt." I breathed a sigh of relief, Jesse was safe. "But I gotta keep ya goin ta the distribution center, I promised him ‘d bring ya straight there when I found ya." I laughed a little but allowed myself to be playfully pushed up the stairs and out the door. I was only slightly surprised when he actually dragged me down this street and that, his feet moving so fast I eventually hauled Belle into my arms and carried her as the barely risen sun bloodied the sky above us.

As soon as I set foot passed the gate into the center I was quite literally attacked this time. But it wasn’t Print, it was Jesse; he was hugging my tightly and I had to softly remind him that I was supposed to be a boy and that he was going to get me caught if he didn’t let go of me. Reluctantly he let me go, I was sad yet silently blessing that fact that there was barely anyone in the center with us.

"So are ya all right?" he sounded worried and his eyes darted over me, searching for some mark on me, maybe another reason to play hero. I nodded,

"Yes I’m fine. She let me go soon after she shoved ya out the door."

"Uh, I hate ta leave ya but… ‘m already too late fer work ‘n’ if I wanna keep my job I gotta get my behind into that buildin’." Print said sounding a little nervous.

"Ya got Print, we know ya need money." Jesse instructed him. The rest of his words hung unsaid in the air, we all do. Print scurried inside quickly just as the bars opened a little and the whistle was blown to call newsies to work. Sighing I stood in line, collected my papers and left the yard, Jesse following me close like a guard dog the whole way.

Finally, after an hour, when I noticed that he had sold absolutely no papers I turned to him. He was sitting on the ground playing with Belle,

"Jesse, would ya go sell yer own papes now? Ya know ‘m all right ‘n’ yer not makin’ any money watchin’ me. Like ya told Print before, ya need the money. We all do." I hated to send him away while he and Belle seemed to be having fun bonding, but we both knew that I was right. Reluctantly he stood up, brushed off his trousers and hugged Belle tightly. He cast me a look, I wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but he turned and left anyway with a small see ya after ta both of us. I watched him walk down the street and disappear into the crowd before returning to walking down the street calling out headlines.

A little ways down the street I found a small girl crying on a stoop, I knew that I really shouldn’t stop but I couldn’t stand to see anyone crying, especially if they were alone. I came up next to her, Belle at my side, looking sadly at the little girl.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, she looked up at me; She had the much older look of a girl who worked in the factories. Though her face and hands looked maybe 18, she must have been much younger if she was crying on a street corner. She nodded weakly,

"I over-slept." She whimpered, "I nodded back off after my brother woke me up… when I awoke again I ran and tried to get to work before they locked to doors…I didn’t make it…I’ll be docked half a day’s pay!" she started crying again. Feeling a little awkward I put my arm around her shoulders and tried to comfort her the best I could. Finally I saw Spit come running up the street towards us. Relieved I waved to him, one arm still around the sobbing girl. He came running over and immediately started talking to the girl on the steps.

"Bessie! What er ya doin’ here? I thought ya were at work!"

"’m sorry Spit… I fell back asleep after ya woke me up this mornin’. I tried ta run ‘n’ make it but…they locked the doors the minute I got there… I don’t even know if they’ll let me back in at lunchtime!" she started crying a little again. Suddenly she doubled over with a racking cough, Spit quickly pulled a bandanna from his pocket and tried to hold it against her mouth but she waved it away weakly. Her lank dark colored hair made a curtain around her face as she continued to cough.

Finally she took a deep shaking breath and lifted her head, hair falling back against her thin, pale cheeks. When she removed her hands from her mouth I saw them covered with phlegm and blood before Spit’s bandanna covered them and started wiping them with it. I glanced over at Belle whose small amber colored eyes were wide and frightened, I picked her up and stood up myself. I was petrified inside because Bessie had tuberculosis… and it kills almost everyone who contracts it.

"Spit? I gotta go sell…" I just let it trail off knowing that he did as well and that neither of them would have money tonight if neither of them worked; but he waved me off anyway and I shrugged a little in my mind and wandered off.

 

Reviews

[Brette Medb]

Another great chapter. Your getting more into your story and the plot line in this chapter. Great so far!

Brette

[Corey Lunare-]

This chapter adds a little bit more deph to your story here. The poor woman Satin...i feel terrble fr her. trapped in the world of a prostitute and lying to herself so se wnt have to fce the depression that would surely come after. I like Satin though. She's a fine edition to your story. Spit and his sister with tuberculosis...thats so sad that something like that has to happen as if their situation wasn't grave enough as i was...poor girl. Once more i will commend the depth you put into each of your charecters and the skill you do it with. Great job Dream! I will happiy await the next installment but now im gonna get some sleep as my eyes are heavy n i gotta get up at 6 a.m. ugh. until next time! -Lunare