"Are you ready for the party, sweetie?" Her mother asked through the closed door. She looked toward the door and frowned.

The answer was no, no she was not ready for the party. No, she wasn't ready to have seventy different men's hands on her. No, she wasn't ready to smell the alcohol on their breaths. No, she wasn't ready to have to reject the strange lips that came towards her. No, she wasn't ready to be stared at or thrown around the dance floor. No, she wasn't ready for one man in particular to touch her. So, to answer her mother's question, no, it was always no.

She hated these parties. They were just another excuse for her mother to show her off. She hated being looked at like a prize, like one of these young men was going to win her and make her his property. She was no one's property. She didn't belong to anyone.

She looked from the door to the mirror. She stood in a white plush towel around her body as well as a smaller white towel on the top of her head. She had just come out of the bath and should have been getting ready for the party that would be happening in an hour. She dreaded putting on the tight, chest crushing corset. She didn't mind the dress so much, but the corset and the heels were murder.

The door slowly creeped open and her mother stood there, an irritated look on her face.

"Sophia, honestly! You must get ready!" Her mother rushed over to her closet and pulled out a pretty lavender dress. It had a beaded bodice with a sweetheart neckline. The tool that went with the dress weighed what felt like thirty pounds. She has never worn the same dress twice, and this party was no exception.

The heels that her mother held up made Sophia cringe. They were high and looked like they would hurt. To someone who didn't wear heels everyday of their lives, they would look intimidating. Sophia has had enough practice in heels to know that she could walk in them, the pain that came after wearing them was something she was not looking forward to.

"Please, Sophia do not make such ugly faces. You may develop wrinkles early." Her mother handed over the outfit to her daughter, as Sophia rolled her eyes. "No man wants an old looking woman to look at every day. They want a fresh, young looking wife to come home to." Her mother walked up to her.

"Do not roll your eyes either, it is not becoming of you. Sweetheart, you must be on your best behavior tonight. There are so many young men coming and some will want to marry you. Do not make them change their minds by making such ugly faces." Sophia blew out a huff and put on a smile. She was used to this. It was a regular occurrence. She has been on more dates than she can count. The only man to ever get a second and third date with her, only because her mother liked him, was her worst nightmare.

"Mother, I-"

"Oh my! Look at the time! Towel off!" Her mother ripped off the towel and held out the under garments to Sophia. She took them and scowled, as her mother's back was turned, hovering over Sophia's dresser. She was moving some of the items that were on the top of the piece of furniture. She made some "hmm's" and "oh no that will not do's."

As she slipped on the corset, Sophia noticed a necklace her mother was holding in the mirror. She whipped around and grabbed it from her.

"Sophia! My God!" Her mother's baffled face didn't affect Sophia in the least. She walked across the room and put the necklace inside her journal. Walking back to her mother she noticed the time. Forty minutes until she has to walk through hell. Her mother turned her around and started tightening the corset.

Pulling, and grunting, and more pulling. It was a part of the routine of getting ready.

When her mother was satisfied, which was when Sophia couldn't breathe, she handed the dress over to her daughter. Sophia quickly pulled it over her hips and had her mother zip up the back.

That's when she looked in the mirror. She still had the white towel on the top of her head but her outfit was just what her mother wanted. She looked like a doll. A doll her mother loved to dress up and show around.

Sophia squinted in the mirror and shook her head. She would have rolled her eyes if her mother wasn't watching.

Her mother took down the towel and got to work on Sophia's hair. Her hair reached her lower back, but nobody would know that because her hair was always pulled back. Her mother curled it into tight, tight curls and placed most of them on the top of Sophia's head. A diamond head piece and a bunch of hair pins held the many heavy curls up. When her mother turned to the vanity, Sophia closed her eyes and inhaled.

When she opened her eyes, she exhaled. The more her mother made her up, the less she started to look like herself.

Makeup wasn't her favorite thing to put on. She thought she looked nice without it, but what kind of doll would she be if she didn't have makeup on? The rouge blush that was put on made her look like she was constantly blushing. The pale pink lipstick her mother carefully put on made her lips look inviting, which was her least favorite of the makeup. The amount of men that have tried to kiss her made her shiver.

"Sophia, do you need a shawl?" Her mother must have noticed that she shivered. "I'm sure we can find you one to match the dress that you are wearing."

Sophia shook her head and smiled.

Her mother put the tiniest bit of eye makeup on. A little bit of mascara and eye shadow. Sophia knew that this would run if she sweats just a little bit. With the mascara her eyes looked two times bigger and the light purple eye shadow made her eyes pop.

Her mother stood back and smiled. She put her hands to her lips and let a small sob. Sophia smiled lightly and looked in the mirror again. She looked as she always did on party nights.

She looked picture perfect. Her hair was neatly placed on the top of her head, not a curl out of place. Her makeup brought out her eyes and pouty lips. The dress gave her more curves than she already had. The torturous heels made her look tall and elegant. The lavender dress lay perfectly on her pale skin, making her glow. She should have been impressed by the transformation, but this was a regular occurrence and had become boring over time.

She didn't look like herself. She looked like a completely different person.

"Oh darling, you look so beautiful! You will make any man very proud. Let's get down to the entrance, guests should be arriving soon." Sophia tried to smile. She turned away from the mirror, hoping that she could try to enjoy herself tonight. She knew she was wasting her time thinking that. She has never had fun at these parties. She watched the clock until the end just she could run to her room and take everything off and go to bed.

Her mother let out a small giggle and gently pushed her out of the room and into Hell.

Rain. It was raining. No, it wasn't a light drizzle. It was a full on down pour. The rain was cold and the wind was dreadful. It was Christmas which meant it was December. December in New York was a nightmare. It was below freezing at night and the rain didn't help.

The wind she fought against felt like glass cutting her skin. She was running as fast as she could. Her legs burned and her lungs weren't getting enough oxygen. The heels she wore were not made for running and put up a fight. Her feet ached and she knew she needed to stop and rest for a little.

The tight curls in her hair were falling loose on her face. The hair pins in her hair were falling out but she couldn't care less. Her lavender dress turned to a dark purple from the rain and was stuck closely to her body. The corset under the soaking wet dress pushed on her chest and made it much more difficult to breathe, adding the fact that she didn't run much, the whole attire she wore gave her a challenge.

Her well put on makeup was running down her face. The tears falling from her eyes were mixed with the rain, the telltale sign that she was in fact crying was her erratic breath and puffy red eyes. She knew she looked insane, but at the moment she didn't care. She needed to get away.

She didn't know where she was going, she was most definitely lost. It was dark and the tears blurred her vision. She noticed that the buildings weren't as nice as the ones in her neighborhood. She knew she needed to get somewhere safe, some place where she could get warm and a new set of clothes. She knew she needed to get off of the streets as soon as she could. She knew she wouldn't last much longer on the dark streets of New York alone.

She started to slow down, needing to breathe just for a bit. She had never been on the streets of New York by herself, let alone by herself in the dark. She was at a slow jog and began to try to figure out where she was. Nothing looked familiar to her. None of her surroundings were at all like the usual pristine buildings of her neighborhood. She wasn't sure how far she had ran, but it must have been quite a distance for the scenery to have changed so drastically.

Her heels were becoming unbearable, she needed to remove them. She stopped for a minute to take them off, sitting on the curb she rubbed her aching feet. They were bleeding and were badly bruised. She winced as she tried to wipe away some of the blood. The blood soaked through her sheer tights. She moved the blood along the tights, attempting to calm herself down.

It wasn't long before her head shot up to the sound of whistles and horses closing in behind her. She grabbed her heels and started running again. The difference in running without the heels was monumental. Her feet carried her as fast as they could under the condition they were in. The streets were cold and wet, but her feet flew as fast as they could.

She didn't know where to go to get the police off her tail. She stopped for a few seconds and took a look around her. Her frantic eyes found a dark, thin alley way. She took off for it as fast as she could.

When she turned the corner at full speed she plowed into someone. They both fell over in an ungraceful heap and groaned. By the sound that came out of the other person's mouth she figured it was a boy.

She landed on her hip and pain shot up through her side, her thigh was definitely going to have a huge bruise. Apparently the amount of skirt the dress had was not a great cushion for falls. She quickly got up and scurried behind a trash bin. Her back was flat against the trash bin, her heart beating rapidly; she was now cornered by the police and a stranger.

Looking around the corner to the trash bin, she saw him looking at her. She shook from the cold and the fear that ran through her veins. He stood up, shaking off the dirt on his pants and started toward her. The panic and fear she felt running through her veins was all she could focus on. Strangers in dark alley ways were just as dangerous as the police taking her back to her house.

He slowly knelt down in front of her and smiled slightly. He was about to speak when he heard the whistles and the horses. He looked at the entrance of the alley way towards the source of the sound. The tears flooded her face. The boy looked at her and seem to make his mind up about something. His face hardened as he held out his dirty, ink stained hand to her.

"Come wid me. I'se git youse somewhere safe." He said lowly. She didn't know him, how could she trust him? She looked up at him and shook her head. The horses and whistles were coming closer. She knew this was the end. The police would catch her and take her back. She looked at the end of the ally and saw the shadows of the horses. She knew the horses couldn't get into the alley but that didn't mean they wouldn't find a way to get her. They would resort to coming at her on foot.

"Come on! It's now or neva!" He whispered. Her head snapped back to the boy in front of her. She could either go back with the police or take this boy's dirty hand and go with him. She didn't have much time to make a decision so he made it for her. He grabbed her hand and took off running. His grip wasn't tight, just hard enough to get her to her feet and on the move.

They ran through any alleyway they saw and took every back street they ended up on. The boy was the one leading and he seemed to know where he was going. She had no idea where she was but had the feeling that she police wouldn't find her. The boy seemed confident about his turns and made no hesitation when he took an alley.

The boy ran much faster than she did but made sure she kept up. His hand never left hers. His hand was surprisingly warm considering the weather. That thought made the question why he was out in this weather in the first place? She shook her head and rid of the thought. She squeezed the boy's hand tightly, knowing if she didn't she may lose her grip. The rain didn't help any.

She looked at the back of him, trying to calm herself down. She wanted to focus on anything that wasn't her being dragged back to where she just escaped. She noticed that he wasn't much taller than her. In fact, he was just about her size. He was broader, as any boy is going to be but he wasn't much taller than she was. He was maybe two or three inches taller. He didn't look intimidating, given his build but she knew better than to judge someone before getting to know them.

He wore a vest and a pocket watch, she noticed the golden chain and could only assume that was what it was. His pants were a bit too big for him so he wore a belt; they also scoffed the ground as he ran. He had a filthy hat on. His hands were covered in dirt and what she suspected, ink. He smelled like a mix of a cigar and newspapers.

He stopped running and pulled her into yet another alley. She had never take the time to look at New York that much. She never knew how many allies there actually were. He took both of her hands while looking over her. His eyes scanned her for any injuries. He must have noticed that she was shaking, but he didn't mention it. He panted just as hard as she did. Seeming satisfied he stepped back, dropping her hands.

"You'se okay?" He asked as he lit a cigar he pulled out of his pocket. The flame lit his face and she saw that he was concerned. She nodded and stared at him wide eyed. The smell of the cigar was familiar. She had smelled it from the many men at the parties her mother held just to have men look at her daughter. It didn't bother her, but the smell was not pleasant in the least.

She wiped at her eyes and tried to get as much makeup off of her face as possible without the help of a mirror. She didn't want to look to totally insane in front of the stranger that had just saved her. She wanted to thank him but she couldn't find her voice. She was in a state of shock. Her teeth chattered. She couldn't imagine how pathetic she looked.

He turned his back to her, giving her some privacy. She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She had stopped crying while they were running. She hadn't calmed down much, but the fact that she had stopped crying was good enough. Her breathing was still in a hyper state, but with all of the running and panic she has been going through it is to be expected.

The boy looked out of the alley and motioned her to follow him with a small wave of his hand. She didn't argue, she followed the boy close behind, gripping the hand closest to her. He didn't turn around to question her, just gave her a light squeeze. She was thankful and adjusted the shoes that were in her hand.

At the sound of the heels clicking together her savior turned around. He looked directly at them and went to take them from her. She got scared and pulled away altogether. He shook his head and took a step closer.

"I'se not gonna hoit ya. I'se just wanna hold ya shoes fah you'se." He looked right in her eyes as he spoke. His eyes never left hers. She noticed this and reluctantly nodded. She slowly held out her shoes for the boy to take.

When they were near enough for him to take he slipped them out of her hands and smiled. She swallowed and tried to smile back but failed miserably. He didn't say anything about this. She seemed too scared for any humor at the moment.

"I'se gonna take you'se to weah I'se live. Is dat okay? It's safe dere. Da bulls ain't gonna find you'se dere." He spoke in a low, soothing voice. He didn't want to scare her away. She looked down the alley way and back to the boy. He spoke to her as if he were speaking to a wounded animal. She was a bit insulted but thinking about the situation she put him in, she let it go.

He helped her so far, why would he be lying about a safe place to stay? She was still skeptical. She tilted her head and took a small step back.

"I'se wanna help you'se. I'se don't want you'se stayin' on da streets alone. It's dangerous fah you'se. Please let me'se help ya." She looked at him, trying to see if he was lying. She didn't see his eyes shift or his lip twitch or his fingers move. He showed no signs of lying. He was telling the truth. She slowly stepped closer to the boy and nodded. He gave her a small smile and jerked his head as to say "follow me."

They both heard the whistles coming once again. He whipped his head around and looked at her. She stared right back at him, her lip quivering. She was putting her trust in him. The horses were getting closer and the pair was running out of time.

He grabbed the shaking girl's hand and gently pulled her to the ladder that was a few feet away from them. He must have expected her to climb it. He was out of his mind. He put one of her hand on the ladder and pushed her up. She quickly looked at him and shook her head.

"We'se gonna go up dere and wait 'til dey leave. We'se can't make it to da safe place wid out dem seeing us. Just climb and I'se be right 'hind you'se. I'se promise." He whispered quickly to her. She looked directly in his eyes and saw no non-sense. She started to climb with shaky hands. She had never in her life ever climbed anything. Her mind was relieved of the thought of horses and police men and replaced with the thought of plummeting to her death via fire escape.

When she reached the first landing she looked down. She saw the boy making his way up the ladder with her shoes in his hand. When he stood up on the same landing he motioned her to keep moving. She listened without question, but a small hesitation. Exhaling a breath, she started up the next ladder.

The steps were wet and slippery. Her bare feet didn't grip onto the steel underneath her and she slipped. With a small shriek, she braced herself for a fall that never came. Instead she fell on to something warm and rather soft.

"I'se catch yah if you'se fall. Don't worry." The boy chuckled a little and righted her. She blushed and started climbing once more.

Once they reached the roof, the boy looked at the girl to see if she was okay. After a quick once over, he went to the ledge of the tall building. With the rain, it was hard to see anything. The girl walked up to the ledge as well. She squinted and tried to listen for the hooves on the pavement or the loud whistles from the police themselves.

"We'se just gonna stay up 'ere 'til dey is gone. It shouldn't take dat long. Dey will move on when dey don't see nobody." She kept her eyes down on the street and nodded. She was never afraid of heights, not seeing the point, but being on a tall building with a stranger was very nerve racking. She tried to keep her teeth from chattering the best she could. She didn't want to irritate the boy next to her.

She noticed that he started to light his cigar again. She just watched as he did so. When he caught her eyes, he put immediately put it out. He put it back in his packet and scratched the back of his neck.

"Sahrry, you'se must not like dat." She shook her head as to say she didn't mind but he must have seen it as "no, I don't like it." He gave her a smile and looked down at the street. She noticed that he had a slight shiver running through him. This is not surprising, it is absolutely freezing.

Her attention was brought back to the streets below by the figures moving closer. The sight of horses was terrifying. Although the rain was coming down in sheets and it made seeing difficult, if they just looked up, they would probably see two figures looking down at them. She didn't think it would long for them to figure out that she was one of the figures. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep calm.

" 'ey don't worry. Dey can't see you'se up heah. Dey won't find you'se. I'se shoah a it." The boy gave a reassuring smile and glanced down. The police were moving on, not finding what they were looking for. When they were completely out of view, the boy tapped the girl on the elbow and motioned for her to follow him. She put up no fight and followed.

They got to the ladder and she looked down. It was high up and the stairs were slippery. Her death was imminent. She wouldn't have to worry about going back to the house, she would die by slipping. She glanced up at the boy and he shifted her shoes in his hand. He looked in thought as he looked at the fire escape. She looked back down then backed away. Looking at the ground was giving her vertigo.

"Okay, I'se gonna go down foist den you follow, dat way if you'se fall, I'se be able to catch you'se. Okay?" He looked at her and nodded, confirming his plan in his head. She stared at him for just a moment before nodding. Not only will she die tonight, but she is going to take this nice boy with her.

He started the climb down but didn't go too far. He looked up at the girl and waited until she started to descend. When she did he started the climb down as well.

Reaching the bottom of the fire escape happened without any slips or falls, surprisingly. With feet firmly planted on the ground, the boy made for the end of the alley. She followed right behind him. She still had no clue where she was and decided that the boy was there to help her not hurt her.

He turned around and looked down at her, she stared right back. He squinted a little, thinking.

"Da coast is cleah. We'se can get to my place soon. It's just 'round da cornah. Okay?" She nodded and looked ahead. He turned and started walking. She quickly caught up and grabbed his hand. Like he did before he squeezed her hand lightly and continued walking. She found a small comfort in his hand.

He didn't lie when he said it was just around the corner.

He led her to a large, old building. It looked like every building surrounding it. The bricks were red underneath the layers of dirt. Looking at the building to the boy back to the building, she had a bad feeling in her stomach. She shook her head and tried to take a deep breath but it was constricted by the corset. She knew this place was shelter for tonight and she needed to push away her fears and hold her head high.

There was a sign that hung above the door. It was old and worn down. It said, "Newsboys' Lodging House." The boy walked up to door and opened it, releasing her hand. He looked at her with a slight smile. He bowed and put his hand out. She looked at him with a hint of amusement.

"Afta you Miss." He said with his head down. She locked eyes with him and she finally saw a full smile from the boy. Taking the first step towards the ratty building was hard but when she felt the warmth coming from the inside she practically ran inside.

For tonight she knew she was safe.

Chapter 2 Preview

She stopped to look at herself in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. The reflection looking back at her was actually her. It wasn't some fake, dolled up version of her. She looked like she always wanted, minus the clothes. She wouldn't complain about the clothes though, they were so comfortable. She didn't know why women had to wear dresses. Pants and shirts were so much better.

She looked at the wet clothing that she discarded and wondered what she should do with them. She remembered the fire place downstairs and thought it would be a good idea to get rid of the clothing, burn them. She didn't want anything tracing her back to her past. If she wanted to hide she needed to be careful about it. She needed to get rid of anything that came from where she ran away from.