"Hey."
I looked away from the window to see Mason standing there, "Hi."
He held out a small bundle of clothes, which I took gratefully.
"The pants might be a little big on you but they'll do the trick."
"Why are you helping me? I'm going against your borough."
"You helped me once, so now I'm helping you."
I smiled, "I mean all I did was grab you and run cause you were in my path."
"Still you helped me."
We sat in silence for a moment, "I think your making a mistake, she fights dirty."
I shrugged. "I can handle her."
"But what if you can't?"
I sighed "You sound like Davie."
"Probably for a good reason."
"Whatever."
He smiled "Get some rest, you've got a big fight ahead of you."
I was pretty restless that night. I started thinking back to when I got out of the refuge.
It was the middle of the day.
Snyder had been off at the races, or so I thought.
The main door usually locked after him but I had rigged it with string to open back up.
Glancing around everyone was gone off cleaning, I used the rigg to open the door and carefully headed out.
Snyder just so happened to be on the other side of the door waiting for me, Mason standing next to him crying.
"I...i...i didn't mean to tell him." He whimpered.
Snyder shoved him back, "Where do you think your going?"
"N....n...nowhere."
He folded his arms. "Is that so?"
"Not really."
Without thinking I shoved him as hard as I could, As he stumbled back I ran.
I again didn't think before doing something. I grabbed Mason, throwing him over my shoulder and sprinting out of that place.
Eventually the sun began to rise outside the window.
Quickly I changed into the clothes Mason had brought me.
I still had my old vest, which Jack had gotten me a few years back so I kept it. The shirt was the same green as the dress I had been given, and the pants a dark black.
(Think Jacks outfit but a green shirt)
Looking around I found some ace bandages and began to wrap my knuckles.
"Emerson? It's time."
I took a deep breath and followed Mason out of the room, finishing the wrapping as I went.
"Are you ready to lose?"
I scoffed. An entire room had been emptied for the fight, "Never trash talk before a fight if ya know what's good for youse."
Isabella was standing across the room, also dressed in pants.
"So who starts this me, or you?"
I smirked "You clearly ain't been in many fights."
Slowly we began to edge around the sides of the room., Her arms were up in front of her as if expecting an attack.
After a moment she ran at me, I moved to the side grabbing her as she passed and throwing her. She bounced up surprisingly quickly and ran at me again. Again I simply threw her to the side.
"You little bitch!"
I lunged at her, landing a punch square on her jaw. She stumbled back, before retaliating with a punch to my nose.
"Ya form is lackin."
She grabbed my left arm, twisting it, and I felt a partial pop. Wincing I kicked up at her stomach.
She fell back from the force. A series of punches were thrown at my head.
The first I managed to doge, the second I caught in my hand, but the third got me right in the eye.
Before I knew what was happening a hand grabbed my hair and yanked. "That was dirty!"
I threw her over my shoulder.
"Less dirty than you." she managed from the ground.
I pressed my boot to her throat, applying pressure slowly, "Give up yet?"
"Nope." She grabbed my ankle and twisted it hard. My ankle cracked and I fell to the ground, crying out in agony.
Yep that was definitely sprained if not broken.
She was over me again pinning me to the ground, "Ha! I guess your mine now."
I brought my other foot to her stomach and shoved as hard as I could, effectively getting her off of me and sending her across the room, "You guessed wrong."
At this point I was running on pure adrenaline and when I jumped up I managed to ignore the burning pain that flared in my leg. She was up and running at me again catching me in the stomach with a punch.
I sent one flying straight back at her. She grabbed my arm again and began to twist it, more forcibly this time. Once it was twisted out by my side she jumped with all her weight onto my elbow.
The cracking it made was deafening.
I dont think thats supposed to bend like that.
I rammed my knee into her chest, managing to knock the wind out of her. Twisting around I grabbed her from off the ground pulling her some how easily into a headlock.
My arm squeezed tighter and tighter around her neck, "Just give up!"
She struggled for air, Trying to put up a fight she began to twist around but I held firm.
Finally seeming to grasp the situation she gave up, "Fine....... You.... win."
Grinning I released her to the ground. The second she was out of my arms everything caught up to me and I fell to the ground beside her panting.
"Youse put up one hell ova fight." I breathed.
All around us the boys were yelling, not so discreetly passing money around for bets.
"You too, never thought I'd be bested by a girl beaten twice a day for a week and a half."
Shakily I climbed to my feet and called attention to myself, "I just wanna say youse gettin one hella ova leader."
I started to limp out of the room when Mason stopped me, "Wait. You'll need this."
He held out my hat, the one that I had stolen from Spot all those years ago, that I figured had been lost or given away. I took it gratefully, "Thank you Mason."
"Anything for you."
I left the East Side that day with my head held high slowly limping my way towards Manhattan.
Quietly I knocked on the door of the Jacobs house and The door opened slowly, "Emerson?"
I smiled at Mrs. Jacobs. "Hi."
"Oh my goodness, Emerson! Les said you went missing! Everyone has been so worried! David was barely sleeping or eating! What happened?" Before I knew it she was hugging me.
"It's a long story."
"Oh come inside dear."
I limped through the door and sat down at the table.
"Oh my goodness Emerson you're limping! And your arm!"
I nodded, "Yeah I tink dat my ankle is at least sprained, an my arm is definitely broken. Two black eyes even if one isn't showing, it will. Possibly concussed, and covered in cuts and bruises, but other dan that I'm fine."
She looked over at me for a moment, concern showing in her eyes, then she glanced at the clock. "Well, based on the last few days the boys wont be home for another hour or so, so lets get you patched up, and you can tell me what happened."
For the next forty-five minutes Mrs. Jacobs fussed over me, reset and splinted my arm and my ankle, and listened to what I had to say. I told everything that had happened, including about Davie and Me.
"Oh don't worry dear, I already knew, he didn't tell me but I just knew. I could tell from the way he always talked about you and how worried he got."
I smiled. "Well you was bound to find out sooner or later."
"Anyway the first day he found out you were missing, he came home very late, cause he was out looking for you with your brother. He barely ate and slept the whole time. Les was worried to, just not as much he insisted you could handle anything. Almost all the newsboys have stayed here at one time or another during the first few days. They were all so worried, even that Spot Collon boy, the one everyone says is tough came down here, he and I were talking and he almost broke down into tears he was so darn worried. They'll be lucky to have you back."
I smiled "They're my brothers, whether they like it or not they have to admit they need me."
She nodded and glanced up at the clock again before peaking out the window.
"Oh David and Les are coming down the street now, come on wait in here. That way you can surprise them."
I grinned. "A lovely idea." I ended up in Davie and Les' small room, sitting on their bed when I heard the main door open.
"Hey ma." He sounded so dejected.
"Any luck today?"
"Nope, but I sold 43 papes!" Les sounded sad but still tried to lighten the mood.
"That's wonderful dear, dinners almost ready. Go wash up."
"I'll go put your bag away Davie."
I couldn't help but smile to myself, Les really was focused on helping him.
The door to the room opened and Les took a step in, freezing the moment he saw me. As he opened his mouth I grinned and put a finger to my lips.
He grinned, darted forward and hugged me quickly.
"Make up a reason to get him to come in here."I whispered.
He nodded and gave me a thumbs up before darting back out of the room, "Theres a really big spider in our room!"
I heard Davie sigh "So just kill it Les."
"But it's really big!"
He sighed again and they began to make there way back down the hall.
"It's on the bed, and its huge! Enormous even!"
The door opened again and Les practically dragged Davie into the room.
He looked right over me at first, despite me being right there in the open. He did a full pan of the room before it clicked.
As Les quickly left the room his head turned back to me.
"Emerson?" His voice was small.
"Hi."
Hey all, School has started up near me and so I'm going to be doing my best to keep this updated on a regular schedule.