July 1998 Harlem, New York
Bianca sighed, flipping through the channels on her large TV. SHe dropped the remote on her bed and then flopped down next to it. "There is nothing on TV! I guess I'll watch a movie."
SHe got up and hurried over to her video cabinet. SHe grabbed the movie Newsies, and shoved it in her VCR.
Since it was her favorite movie, she had set the video to skipp past the previews. She sat back down on her bed and the movie started. SHe was comforted by the sound of Race's voice. It was just like her brother, Dante's voice, or a more masculine form of her own. She had 100% Italian herritage, and an accent. Not as strong as the fake one that Race had in the movie, but it was still there. But then, everyone in Harlem spoke like that.
ONce the movie was overshe decided to go rollerblading. She was very good at it, and showed off a lot. Before she went out, she checked her reflection ina mirror. Her short Italian figure was much taller with her rollerbaldes on, and her dark thick brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail that bobbed when she moved.
She opened the door and skated out onto the street.
Suddenly, a small rock got jammed in one of her skates, causeing her to trip. She wasn't expecting it and fell, hitting her head on the pavement. Then everything went black.
1899 Manhatten, New York
Bianca slowly opened her eys. A sharp pain shot up into her head. She groaned, and tried to sit up. She noticed that she was on some strange bed in a room she had never been in before. A damp cloth lay on her forehead.
"Oh good, the sleeping beauty finally awakens!" a small Italian boy, who looked a lot like her Dante, walked over to where she lay. SHe looked up into his face and realized who he was. She quickly sat up, wincing with pain, so that she was facing him.
"You're Max Casella!"
"Hey, take it easy, you'se got a pretty big bump on yer head. No doubt that'll be a big bruise tomorrow. Now, me name's Race, and I dont know who yer talking about. What's yer name?"
Harlem, Bianca Harlem,"
"Really? Are you from Harlem?"
"Yeah"
"Oh. Well, now that we know that yer okay, I can go. Kloppman's in the other room if ya need anything. I had better go sell my papes. Ya see, since I was the one that found you'se, I had to stay and watch over you. I didn't mind though, you're a great listener. You dont talk much though!" he laughed at his own joke.
"Everybody's a critic," she muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing, you go on. I'll be fine." she smiles, and winced again. He didn't look convinced, but he really needed to sell his papes. She lay back down and was asleep before he had even gotten up from the bed. Relectantly, he left to go sell.
"Heya Cowboy!" Race called across TIbbies, surprised that most everyone was still there.
Jack Kelly looked up. "Hey Race!" Race joined Jack, Mush, and Blink at their booth. "We didn't figure we'd see you here today. So how's the girl?"
"Well, I suppose her head hurts, she's gonna get some bruise on it! She was sleeping when I left."
"Well, we had better be going to sell the rest of our papes," Jack announced. They all agreed and left the restaurant.
Race sold his papes quickly. He had only gotten 30 today, since he had missed most of the morning. Since he had finished early he decided to go to the tracks.
When he walked by the lodging house, he saw someone walking away from it. He had almost forgotten about the girl, so he never thought that it might be Bianca.
WHen she was finally able to get out of bed, Bianca snuck out of the building she was in. She needed to get home.
When she stepped outside, everything looked different. THen she realized that she must be in Manhatten. She wondered how she had gotten so far from Harlem.
After she had walked aways her head started to pund. She was almost to Brooklyn. She wanted to stop and rest but she knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to make herself leave again. So she struggled on to Harlem. When she got to her house, she heard her mother fighting with someone. The man she was fighting with was yelling at her.
"I swear, that gilr is good for nothing! I've had it! When she comes back here--"
"She's my daughter!"
"I dont care! I'll kill her!" the man's voice was filled with rage. Bianca knew that he wasn't kidding. He was talking about her.
Even though she didn't want to leave her mother, she knew she had to leave and could never go back.
Since she was already exausted, she used the little money she had to pay for a carriage back to Manhatten.
When she got to the lodging house, she thanked the driver and hopped out of the carriage. When she climbed up the steps, and reached the door, she heard Jack yelling at Race.
"How could you let this happen?"
"I didn't! When I left she was so out of it, I figured she's sleep all day! She couldn't even move!" Race tried to defend himself. Bianca felt awful. WHy was everyone always yelling about her?
"That's why you should have stayed with her!"
Bianca pulled the door open and walked into the room. Jack's back was facing her, and her was still yelling.
"Would you stop yelling at him!?" she screamed. All the newsies stared at her.
SHe was shocked. They all looked so familiar, though she was sure she had never met any of them before.
"I dont see why you care so much anyways! Its my fault, not his. I shouldn't have left and I'm sorry. Just don't yell at him! Please!" She sat down and tucked her knees up to her chin. She started at the floor and continued. "I'm sorry, I wont leave again, I promise!"
The newsie closest to her sat down next to her and put his arm around her. Another newsie came over and knealt next to her. He put one hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him.
"Dont worry about it. I'm Mush and that there is Itey." She turned to look at the first newsie.
"I know, thanks" she had no idea how, but she knew the names of almost all the boys in the room.
Itey stared at her. "You gonna be okay?" he asked. He wiped a tear from her cheek.
She smiled at him. "Yeah, I think I will be."
"Well, you cant stay here." Jack stated. All the other newsies looked at him confused.
Bianca laughed nervously. "What?"
"Well, if you wnat to stay here, I guess you gotta earn your stay. You know, as in work?"
"Yeah, I know," she shot back at him, "Well, I certainly can't sell papes."
"Well then, there's only one other option. Do you sew?"
"Ha! Yeah right! i'd be better off selling papes!"
"Okay, you can start tomorrow. I dont know where you're gonna sleep tonight. Were gonna have to figure out how to make room." Jack pondered.
"She can have my bed tonight. I can sleep on the floor." Itey offered. He stood up and gave Bianca his hand to help her up.
"Thanks, but you dont have to." she stated.
"Yeah, well I want to. Besides, if tomorrow yer gonna start selling papes you want to be well rested."
"Okay, you will at least take my blanket." she pulled the blanket off the bed and handed it to him. Then she crawled into his bed and settled under the sheets.
Itey squeezed her hand. "Good night" he whispered
"Good night."
"Wake up! Sell the papes! Come on, get up!" Kloppman yelled.
Bianca groaned and roled over, forgetting she wasn't at her house, and roled off the bed. She landed on Itey
He groaned. "Kloppman, I'm up!" He opened his eyes, "Oh! Sorry, are you okay?" he laughed.
She quickly got up. "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you were up, that's all. Sorry."
"Hey, that's okay. You sure got one big bruise on yer head, what happened?"
"Well I... I, um, I dont remember." she frowned in confusion.
"That's okay, you dont have to tell me." Itey started to walk away.
"Itey!" he turned around. "You know, I would tell you if I remembered."
"yeah"
"Wait!" she called after him.
"Look, you gotta get dressed an' so do I. We can talk later."
Once everyone was dressed and had started to leave, Bianca looked around for Itey. SHe spotted him, but soon lost him in the crowd. Someone accidentally bumped into her and hit her face, right where her bruise was.
"Ow!" she yelped in pain and cowered to the wall, Race came up behind her and put his arm around her.
"Come on, lets go." he guided her through the crowd. When they walked out the door, she saw Itey waiting for her.
"I guess you can take over from here." Race siad to him, giving him a friendly slap on the shoulder. Turning to Bianca he siad "I gotta go." Then he joined some of the other newsies.
"I figured you had left. I hope you aren't mad at me, I really cant remember!" she started as they began to walk.
"Yeah, I know. You got hit pretty hard on your head. Race said some scabs in Harlem must've beet ya up, and dumped ya here in Manhatten."
"Really?"
"Yeah"
They continued talking all the way to the circulation desk. When they got there Itey bought 60 papes and gave her half of them.
Bianca did horrible. She only sold 1 paper, and that guy probably just felt sorry for her, by then she was in tears. "I'll never get this!" she cried.
"Sure you will. I'll help you, you have to make sure to sell close to all of them, otherwise... well, just let me help." Itey offered
She handed him most of her papes and he sold most of them right away. "See? Theres nothing to it, it just takes time!"
She continued trying and did better, selling everything she had left in only about fifteen minutes, a record for her.
"See? Now your doing much better!"
"Maybe, but I dont think I'm cut out for this."
"Well, even if you dont have talent you can still get folks to buy your papes."
"how?"
"Just make them feel sorry for you. Use that bruise to your advantage."
"But that's lying!"
"Nah, just stretching the truth a bit. Make them think your really hurting"
"I am really hurting!"
"Yeah, I know, sorry. Come on, lets go eat." Itey escorted her to Tibby's.
Over the next week or so, Bianca got much better, but as her bruise started to heal, she couldn't use that to help her anymore. But, she was developing skill, slowly.
The boys had finally started to let her go off by herself. Most of them sold in one spot, but she liked to wander, which wasn't good because at first she got lost a lot. She still didn't know her way around some parts of Manhatten. One day, she was walking, and she was almost ran over by a crowd of people running in her direction. She moved back into the alley to get out of the way. 'There most be some sort of strike' she thought. She turned and walked through the alley, figuring she could find another way to the lodging house.
She had walked a while before she realized she was lost again. "No big deal," she told herself, "This happens all the time. Oh, but its not dark out all the time!" the sun was setting quickly, and she knew she had to get back, and soon, if she wanted to get back that night at all.
She walked on, and heard a noise behind her, she turned her head to look, and walked into someone. It was Morris Delancy.
"Well well, what have we here?" he laughed. "What are you doing out so late sweety? You look lost. Too bad." Bianca felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around.
"Hey babe, dont look so scared, we wont hurt ya. Much." Oscar Morris scoffed.
"Bianca. Bianca, wake up. Come on hun, I know you can do it." Bianca slowly opened her eyes. Pain shot up in her head, and she winced in pain.
"Mom?"
"Yeah honey. Its good to have you back with us. You gave us a big scare! You were out for a few days!" Catrina Bianca replied.
"What happened?" Bianca groaned.
"You dont remember? Oh dear. You were out rollerblading, and somehow you tripped and fell. You hit your head on the street curb, and you got a bad concussion."
"But, what about Oscar, and Morris?"
"Who are they? Oh dear, I hope you aren't hallucinating." her mother replied, sounding very worried.
"I guess. I think I've just watched a few to many movies. I'm feeling kinda tired, I think I'm gonna go to sleep." she turned over on her bed.
"Okay dear. Goodnight," she quietly got up and felt Bianca in peace. Bianca sighed, confused.
"It all seemed so real," she whispered to herself. "Maybe I have seen Newsies a few to many times..." and with that last thought she fell asleep.
Bianca slowly opened here eyes and sat up. She hit her head on the bunk onto of her, and fell back down onto the bed.
"Hey! I think she's up!" two boys ran over to her side.
"She hit her head on the bunk."
"Bianca? Bianca? I think she's out of it again."
Bianca struggled into full consciousness. She groaned. "I'm. Fine." she managed to get out. She looked up at her friends. "Race?! Blink?!" she sat up quickly, and just barely missed hitting her head on the bunk. "Oh guys, I had the STRANGEST dream!...
THE END!
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