TW: Panic attack (I'll put *** before and after this part so you know when to skip)
24 April 1898
Y/N's POV
Today was the first day of us looking for jobs and let me tell you how much harder it was than I thought. You would think that with how much New York relies on child labour, surely it would be easier to find work but I digress.
It had also been a week since the fire and Al and I still hadn't read the notes. It's almost as if reading the last words from our parents really finalises everything. It's a goodbye I wasn't ready to say and from the looks of it, neither was Al.
"Hey N/N, we've been turned down eight times today maybe we should call it a day and try again tomorrow."
"It's not even late, Al."
"How about we just walk and talk then."
That's what we did. We caught up. I finally told him about my full marks to which he unsurprisingly responded that he didn't care. Crazy to think that we're probably never going to school again. (Sounds like Albert's dream)
Nice to know that I finished my school with a perfect grade. Still kinda sad that I'll never get to experience high school. I'll also probably never see my best friend, Lindsay again.
Some time passed and we were still walking just trying to make the most out of our situation.
I guess we hadn't noticed that we were walking past the same places but someone did and I guess thought we were planning something because they informed a cop about "two suspicious loiterers".
Before we new it some angry looking guy with a group of cops ran at us yelling to stop.
Us, having done nothing illegal, obliviously stopped and didn't think much of it. That was until we heard him say "It's off to the refuge with you two!"
We know what the refuge is, we've heard the stories. We also know that this man, who I now assumed was Snyder the spider, will stop at nothing for some extra change. Even arresting innocents.
Now we ran but they ran faster. Snyder inevitably caught up to us. Al was about to be grabbed when I pushed him out of the way and let Snyder take me instead.
Before Snyder grabbed onto me, I realised that I was holding the bag. I quickly shoved it into Albert's hands and yelled, "Run!"
"No Y/N, I can't lose you too!"
By this point, Snyder, had a firm grip on me and some of his goons were gaining on Al.
"I said run!"
With tears running down his face he screamed, "I love you!" before taking off in the opposite direction.
By then the goons, to my relief gave up on Albert deeming the chase not worth it. Me on the other hand, well I was thrown in the back of his carriage and it was "OfF tO tHe ReFuGe" with me.
Albert's POV
I lost her too. After losing my parents, the home I grew up in and any hope of normalcy for the future, I lost Y/N too. I have nothing left.
When she shoved the bag into my hand and yelled at me to run it just brought me back to that day when my parents did the same thing. The parallels were uncanny.
I mindlessly ran as far as my legs could take me, heavily sobbing. Well that is until I ran into a wall sending me to the ground.
That wall turned out to be a human. A newsie by the looks of it, with a cigar in his mouth.
"Hey are youse okay?" he asked, helping me up.
"I-uh" it was getting increasingly harder to breathe.
"Hey, hey it's okay just breathe," he said trying to calm me down.
"She's gone."
"What?"
"I lost everything."
***
At this I broke down once again, this time my body shaking intensely.
I couldn't breathe and my vision was blurry. I think I fell to the ground at this point. I vaguely heard the newsie talking to me but all he sounded like was muffled nonsense.
It felt like I was completely out of reality, like I wasn't even in my body. I was drifting in and out of consciousness while breathing just got harder and harder.
Every breath I took weighed me down further and intensified my headache. And the thoughts running through my mind were 'you lost Y/N' 'you're a failure' 'it should've been you in the fire' Every thought made breathing a seemingly impossible task. My entire chest was burning and this pain was exponentially increasing.
But eventually after what felt like eternity my senses started to clear up and my breathing slowed. I was still crying. There next to where I was on the ground, sat the blonde cigar-wielding newsie with a worried expression on his face.
***
"That's it, breathe with me." I slowly started to match his breathing rate and trying to calm down. "Look I don' know whas goin' on in ya life right now but I's sure you'll be alright. I's Race, what's ya name?"
"Albert," I shakily replied.
"Okay Albert how's about ya tell me what happened."
And so I did. Everything from a week ago until now. I definitely wasn't as hysterical as before but the tears were running down my face. Before I could process it I felt Race pulling me into a hug.
When he let go he said, "Hey, I knows that's a lotta bad things at once but you'll be 'lright. I got a feelin' 'bout it," he said with a charismatic smile.
"Thanks," I replied smiling a bit
"No prob. Youse said ya wanna job right?"
"Yeah."
"How's about I takes ya ta meet da famous Jack Kelly. Maybe you can become a newsie. How's that sound?"
"Great. Really. Thank you," I responded a bit shocked.
"It's really no prob. Well, off we go," he said before racing off to take me to this 'famous Jack Kelly' as I trailed behind him shaking my head at his excitement. Huh who would've thought, me a newsie.
We arrived at a building labelled 'Newsboys lodging house' and Race all but dragged me in there.
"Well if it isn't Racetrack Higgins. 'Bout time ya showed up. Some a the fellas were gettin' worried 'bout youse," another newsie with a blue shirt and dark brown hair said with a smirk. He seemed a few years older than me.
"What 'bout you, were ya worried 'bout me Jackie boy?" Race teasingly asked. Ah so this must be Jack.
"Shaddup," he said hitting Race with his cap. "So who's that with ya, Racer?"
"I-I'm Albert. DaSilva," I stuttered out.
"I's thinkin' maybe he could become a newsie like us"
"Ya any good at sellin'?"
"I dunno, maybe," I responded, shrugging.
"I'll show ya the ropes tomorra. Well Racer, how's about you introduce Albert here to da resta the boys, they's still up. Al, from now on me an' da boys is ya fam'ly, how's that sound?"
"I, uh, great. I need some air." I put the bag down and stepped outside for a bit.
This is all so overwhelming. Not to mention how Y/N's the only person who ever called me Al. When he said the boys are my new family it really dawned on me that my old life is over.
My thoughts were interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Jack. "Hey, you alright kid?"
I smiled a bit, "I'm not a kid. I'm fourteen."
"Yeah well I's sixteen so," he shrugged "What's buggin' ya... kid. Somethin's gotcha down."
I rolled my eyes at him calling me a kid but still answered, "I guess it's just a lot at once. A lot of change but that's life isn't it."
"You got that right Al."
I sharply inhaled when he called me Al and I think he noticed. "Y'know Racer told me some'a what happened ta ya. 'm sorry bout it kid. Ya right 'bout the fact that it's a lot at once but you'll get through it. I's gotta feelin' 'bout it."
"Race said the same thing," I recalled laughing.
"Huh, both 'f us, must be real then."
"Guess you're right."
"Of course 'm right I's always right," he said making me laugh a bit.
He put an arm around my shoulders, "C'mon kiddo, let's go meet da others."
I once again rolled my eyes at being called a kid but carried on walking with him.
Y/N's POV
The carriage stopped so I assumed we were there. Well that plus the large sign that said 'tHe ReFuGe' on it.
"We're here," one of the goons said with a monotone voice.
"Really, I would've never guessed with that big ugly sign," I retorted, causing them to roll their eyes and drag me faster into the rEfUgE.
"Shut up kid. Let's get going," he grumbled.
"Gee you must be fun at parties. Also I'm no kid," to that he simply shoved me through the door to the ground and sneered, "Have fun in the refuge, kid."
Immediately when I got up I was face to face with Snyder himself.
"Well well well, a girl with spunk. Keep talking like that and your face will become well acquainted with my fist," he spoke firmly, I gulped.
"What, no words now, girly?"
I spoke without thinking, "You told me not to."
Big mistake. He wore a satisfied expression. "Ah now I didn't tell you not to, I simply advised against it. Now here's what happens when people don't take my advice,"
True to his word, he punched me in the face. I could feel some blood running down the side of my face and my eye starting to get bruised.
"Now here's how it goes, I need a file on you. I heard your brother call you Y/N is that your real name?" he said, gaining no response from me.
He slapped me. "You answer my questions girly!" Hypocrite. First you want me to shut up now I have to talk. I held back an eye roll.
"Now I won't ask this again, what is your full name?"
"Y/N M/N DaSilva," I meekly responded.
"Age?"
"Fourteen."
"That'll do me no good. You see I could get big money from a girl like you but the money would be bigger if you were older than fourteen if you know what I mean."
He obnoxiously laughed while I blankly stared at him.
"Anyway, ya got folks waiting for ya, kid?"
"Nope," I dejectedly replied.
"Good, guess I can keep you here for a long time then. After all, your only charge might be loitering but I'm sure sooner or later those charges will add up."
He then dragged me by the wrist until we reached two rooms connected and he all but threw me into one of them.
"That's where you'll be staying. Connected to your room is the Delanceys' room. They don't spend every night here but sometimes the work I give them runs overtime. Point is, when they're here, they can do whatever they please with you."
Huh, wonder what these Delanceys are like. If they're anything like the spider, I'm in big trouble.
"Your room is more isolated so that it's impossible for you to get yourself out of here. I'll need you in the future."
I shuddered at the thought of what might happen to me someday.
"Now I'm gonna be nice kid, get sleep because if you don't, tomorrow's work will be impossible. I don't accept work half done,"
With that he slammed and locked the door, leaving me to my thoughts.
'What kind of work do we do here?'
'My face really hurts.'
'This bed is uncomfortable.'
'I wonder what these Delanceys are like.
Little did I know that I wouldn't be wondering for long.
My thoughts put me to sleep. Restless, but sleep nonetheless.