The Dodger awoke early that morning, as the sun began to filter through the dusty windows. He lay quietly for a while listening to the sound of the boy's steady breathing.
Then some noises broke the silence- muffled, desperate sounds of despair.
Dodger sat bolt upright. It sounded like crying! Where was it coming from? He leaped out of his bunk to follow the noise and padded softly to Rose's bed which was separated from the boys behind a ragged curtain.
"Rose? Are you awake?" he whispered.
He heard muffled sobs in reply. The noises must have been her.
"Rose? Can I open the curtain?"
More sobs. He pulled the curtain aside. Rose was curled up, crying on the bed. The Artful Dodger knew that no one was watching so he pulled her onto his lap and held her until she calmed down, a few minutes later. She turned her head and looked up at him.
"Why do you care?" she said in a small voice.
"Rose! Of course I care. We're going to run away together tonight. I don't do that with people I don't care about." he replied in shock.
"You're so good to me, Dodger," she sniffed, "But I'm not sure about the escape. My father's dead because of that man Bill. What if it goes wrong? He might kill us!"
The Artful was also terrified of this possibility, but he concealed his feelings and shook his head- pretending to be scornful of the idea.
"Don't be silly! That won't happen, Rose, we won't get caught. We'll be awright , just the two of us."
She gave him a watery smile, which he returned. However, before either of them could say more, there was a loud noise and commotion outside the curtain.
"Listen, Rose, I've got to go!" Dodger said since he had to leave, as so not to arouse suspicion. However, Rose did not seem to want to let him go. When he stood up, she reached for him grabbed his face in her hands, and pecked him softly on the cheek.
Dodger froze.
What? Did she like him? A girl as pretty as that? He leaned back in a daze and left without a word, leaving a very confused girl behind. Rose combed through her messy hair with her fingers before emerging. Immediately she saw the Dodger bossing the boys around- he even clapped Charley Bates over the head when he complained about the sausages! Paul squealed in delight over the show, and Oliver simply sat munching with his blue cap in his hand.
Rose wondered how the Dodger played his part of loyal thief so well- she could never be so assertive. But the Dodger had a reason for this; he needed to keep Fagin in a good mood so he wouldn't disintegrate when his favourite boy disappeared.
After some aggressive herding, Davy, Oliver and Peter sat on one side of the table, and the Dodger, Charley, and Paul sat on the other. This meeting wasn't a normal occurrence, and the boys were curious when Fagin came out of his den to talk to them. Rose, feeling eyes on her, slid onto the end of the row next to her brother.
"Boys..." he began.
"Yes sir." they chorused.
"We've got a new boy, Peter, you've met him. Look after 'im yeah?"
"Sure thing, Fagin." replied Davy, who was partnered with him for the day.
"Good... good. Now to the point. Bill is gettin' rather protective of Nancy as of late. Paul, Oliver, I doubt you'll try anything, but you older boys... stay away, yeah? One wink and Mike Smith was dead. Be careful."
The boys nodded solemnly. The Dodger knew that this was mostly directed at him, but he didn't care. Rose was who he liked now. Fagin left the head of the table and the boys started their yelling once again.
"Hey, Rose, you reckon I'll get much today?" Peter asked excitedly as he munched on a piece of bread.
"Of course you will! From what I've heard, you're very good!" she replied.
"I don't think so..." he said modestly.
"You are! Good luck, Peter. Be careful!" said Rose.
"Sure will!"
Having finished her exchange with Peter, she looked around the table, and locked eyes with the Dodger. He gave her a quick glance and looked away, flushing. Rose was confused. Was it the kiss that had made him so awkward and leave early? It was only a cheek kiss! She thought that he liked her! She cringed. What if he didn't like her in that way? She had just messed up their friendship.
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a loud voice.
"Boys! Line up! Line up! Single file! You can go- but be back soon!" he started to sing.
Everyone but Rose marched out, Fagin dancing with his pipes. However Peter lagged behind and hugged Rose affectionately as he left, and she smiled and whispered good luck into his ear.
"Mighty agile for an old man, isn't he!" said Rose and laughed at the sight of Fagin's dancing on the bridge. The door was open, ready for Peter to march through.
Peter smiled at her one last time before marching after Charley Bates and slamming the door shut behind him. Rose could hear the boys singing together but she could no longer see them- she felt left out.
After lots of bridge creaking and singing, the voices of the boys began to fade away. She heard one last 'be back soon' and then Fagin threw the door open and strode in.
"Rose, my girl." he said, grinning as he walked towards her.
"Yes sir?" said Rose, sliding back on her bench ever so slightly. His proximity was alarming.
"You're mighty pretty... Rose, 'ere! There's a needle an' thread, patch up these rags for me, there's a good girl."
He jumped straight back as he threw the sewing equipment on the table in front of her.
"I'll bet you know how to sew?"
"Of course." she said, heaving a sigh of relief that Fagin had stepped away.
"I'm going out now, to meet some business acquaintances. It seems Torkin is never satisfied. I trust you'll look after everything, my girl?"
Rose nodded silently as Fagin got ready to leave. Thinking of the boys, out in the air, enjoying the beautiful day, she sewed.
Meanwhile, Charley Bates and the Artful Dodger were walking around the market square where they had met Rose several days before.
From their crooked education, the boys had learned to almost sniff money. Seeing a likely fellow at a book stall, they winked at each other and started to prowl closer to the man. The Dodger tilted his top hat as a signal for Charley to form a small distraction, and this he did, by knocking a few volumes onto the floor.
"Careful, boy! Don't you understand the value of these books?" yelled the man, bending down to pick them up. The stall owner, a balding, bespectacled old man, looked similarly distressed.
The Dodger seised his opportunity. However, as he was about to slip his practiced fingers into the man's bulging pocket, he caught sight of a woman staring at him from behind a fruit stall. That could never do! He retrieved his hand as if the man's pocket was made of hot coals, and acted innocent. But then he saw who it was.
"Oh! Nancy! Are you alwight?" Dodger shouted.
The sudden abandonment of his mission made the man jump and look around nastily. However Dodger didn't care, because he noticed that Nancy looked bruised and dirtier than usual.
"Dodger!" she said, going red, "I were lookin' for yer!"
"Thought you were looking AT him!" said Charley, laughing uproariously, but he was, as usual, the only one.
"Dodger," she began, ignoring Charley, "can I talk ter you? Privately?"
"Sure! Charley, get away. There's a feller there with his purse hangin' out, scram!"
Charley having left, Nancy grabbed Dodger and dragged him through the market square. Between an apartment block and a butcher's shop there was a small alleyway with a channel of sludge running along the middle. She dragged the Dodger into the alley and spoke.
"Dodger, are you okay after that Mike thing? What's happenin' with everything? Are we still runnin' away?"
"Oh, I'm fine, Mike turned out to be Rose's dad so she's livin' with us now, an' her brother Peter too. I don't know about the running away... but Nance, what happened to you?" said Dodger with concern.
Nancy quickly shook her hair over her neck to hide the bruises, and shook her head.
"Nothin', Bill were just cross, he wanted me to stay at home an' I didn't, that night. Then yesterday he found out that I'd been seen walking with another man after dark."
"Nancy!"
"An' he didn't let me sleep with him last night, he took Yoko from the bar with him instead. But he's calmed down now, he came an' found me this mornin' and told me that I can stay wi' him as long as I don't disobey him again."
"Nancy, you don't belong to him, you know that right? You deserve better."
Dodger walked closer to her, and pushed her hair away from the purple bruises. Nancy stiffened, not used to this close contact with the Artful Dodger. He wasn't used to it either. He gently stroked them with his thumb, before stopping and looking up at her face.
"Nance, they must 'urt. Bill shouldn't have done that to you."
Nancy bent down and kissed his cheek softly.
"It's okay, Dodger. As long as I have you, I'll be happy, even if he beats me again."
The Artful Dodger tried to hide the guilt on his face. He would be leaving Nancy by running away with Rose, and he had no idea who he liked best.
He shifted awkwardly and hugged her.
"Talk to you later?" he said, then walked down the alley back into the market. He knew that Nancy would be talking the shortcut to her place so didn't look back for her.
However, the feeling of guilt was drowning him. He needed a moment to himself to calm down, but as soon as he sat on the butcher's step, Charley Bates bounded up happily.
"Dodger! I got the purse, but what'd Nancy say?" said an excited Charley Bates, practically drooling for gossip.
"Nothin', and I'm surprised you got the purse without being caught, with that big mouth of yours." Dodger said wearily.
"Oi! I only asked. And Nancy likes you, I reckon, Dodger. An' course I got the damned purse, I'm the Elusive Shadow!"
"No, she don't like me. And who on earth calls you the Elusive Shadow?" laughed Dodger, "I'm the one with the nickname. The Artful Dodger. You're still on the first name stage!"
"You're Jack Dawkins to me until you start calling me the Shadow!" retorted Charley crossly, with a hint of amusement.
"Not my problem, so how much did'yer get?"
"Looks like several shillin's in there," said Charley, "not much but- look! What's goin' on there?" said Charley, pointing behind Dodger at a commotion at the other end of the market square.
"I dunno, but there's coppers involved so let's scarper!" said Dodger, and the boys hastily melted into the shadows and back alleys that led to the hideout. They broke into a run that turned into a race to the door of the den. The Dodger got there first, and celebrated loudly, while Charley complained. They entered and were immediately faced with Fagin grinning. Most of the boys seemed to be present, and Rose was sitting at the table with a pile of handkerchiefs and rags.
"Dodger, Charley, you're back. Get anything?"
"I got here a purse, Fagin, it's got a few shillin's-" said Charley, cut off by Fagin grabbing the wallet and quickly counting the money inside.
"Not as much as I 'oped for, boys."
"We couldn't get much, there was a bit of ruckus goin' on at the bottom end of the market square an' we weren't gonna get involved 'cause there were a few bobbies down there." explained Dodger, looking past Fagin and making eye contact with Rose, who was looking bored.
"Fine, Dodger, Charley, you'll do better tomorrow. Scram!"