folklore

- 2 -

The next morning, Harley got up way before the morning bell in excitement. She was finally going to see her brother after all their years apart! She rubbed her stomach as it grumbled; she had gotten into trouble the night before which resulted her in no dinner.

She quietly snuck out of the bunk room and searched the building for the kitchen. Once she reached the lobby, she found an older man sitting at the reception desk and reading the newspaper of the day before.

"hello." She made him jump in his seat. "my name's Harley Vaughan."

"hi Harley, I'm Mr. Kloppman." He held out a hand for her to shake, which she willingly took. "what are you doing up before the morning bell?"

"oh, I am just far too excited to stay asleep. I'm going to see my brother today, Silas- but many people know him as Cosmo." She replied with a wide smile on her face.

The man smiled back. "I knew him ever since he was a little boy. He had so much care for the newsies, they were his family. How come I've never met you before?"

"I stayed in the orphanage but I never got adopted. All I really did was labour- for the building and the Refuge. I decided that I would never get adopted and so I escaped in hopes of finding my brother here but I was told that he moved away but Jack knows someone who might know where he is and we're going to go today!" She rambled, ending with a laugh of excitement. "oh Mr. Kloppman, I'm so excited!"

"it sure does look like you are." He agreed with a fond smile on his face and Harley laughed. She then continued her search for the kitchen, checking every open door and checking over every corner. "kitchen?"

She raised her eyebrows and faced Mr. Kloppman again. "yes, please."

"to your right."

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

The morning bell rang an hour later, resulting in a room full of groans and complaints per usual. Specs was the first to get up and to notice that Harley was out of her bunk with her bed perfectly made. His eyes widened as he ran around the room and checked the hall for her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Race, Race!" He shook the blonde awake, who slapped his face in return. "Harley- she's gone."

"and why do I care?" He asked and pulled the cover over his head, which Specs ripped off right away.

"'cause yer leadah, idiot."

"she's probably waitin' outside already. She can't 'ave left already, Jack ain't even tell her where he's takin' her." He reassured as he got up himself and started to get ready for the day. "look, we'll see 'er outside. Trust." He patted his shoulder and strapped on his suspenders over his shirt.

"why do I still see sleeping boys?" Kloppman's voice boomed around the room, in which the newsies moved twice as fast as they were a few seconds before. "hurry it up, there's something waiting for you in the kitchen." With that, he turned and left the room, leaving the newsies confused. But they simply shrugged it off and continued to get ready for the day.

"hey, wheah the hell is Harley?" Jack asked everybody as he walked around, already ready himself.

"I- I dunno, she was out of bed when I woke up." Specs confessed quickly.