TALE OF TWO BURROUGHS

She didn't know when the last time she ate was. Nor did she care at this point. But at this point, she was realizing that this all wasn't just hunger anymore, but something worse and more dangerous.

She walked on and on. The bitter cold of the New York winter night bit through her worn and tattered clothes and stabbed at her arms legs and chest. She wasn't even sure where she was going, but she just knew she needed to get there.

Every doorstep she passed jeered at her. Begging and luring her in to sit down. But she was sure that if she sat, it wasn't likely that she'd get up again.

As she trudged ahead, she almost did not hear the whisper. The alert to one's brother of her presence.

"Hey, wake up. We got ourselves a little doll."

Almost.

Almost.

Speeding up her pace as much as she could- she managed a brisk walk- she found herself taking turns down streets she didn't even notice there before. Weaving up and down alleys and in and out streets. She had no clue where she was. Whether in Brooklyn or Queens or what. She just wasn't fast enough.

They closed in on her, laughing, grabbing, and pushing. She was on the ground in an alley in no time flat. Her sweater was cast to the side and she was too weak to fight anything. A soft tear trailed down her cheek and she just let what happened happen.

It was cold. She was numb from the pain that her mortal body was feeling that her soul felt nothing. Not fear, not anger. And the whole time not a whimper came out of her mouth. Not a scream. Not a noise.

Then, she was half aware that she was hit and kicked and left. Left to die. She didn't really care. She had enough of a life already to please her. Even at the age of 13.

Suddenly she was in a pale yellow room that used to be her kitchen.

She saw her mother push a chocolate cake in front of her on the table like she did when she was 5.

"Happy fourteenth Birthday, sweetheart. I know you miss me and your father but you still have so much life left in you." She had almost forgotten that that day was her birthday.

She looked down to the side and saw her body still lying in the alleyway. "Then who is that? That body was just like a change of clothes. They get worn and you just cant wear them any longer. It wasn't even a beautiful body. It was scarred. It had seen to much repulsive things to be beautiful. It has felt too many ugly things to feel beautiful. Mom, I never even had an admirer. That was your dream when I was a child. You just wanted to see my wedding."

Her mother looked at her daughter solemnly. "It still is my dream. And I promise you will find someone. Who knows? You may just wake up one day and be looking right into the man of your dreams' eyes. Now I want you to go down there and show the world exactly who you are."

The girl looked up at her mother who was already fading. "Yes mama. I promise I will make you proud."

Her mother's hand on her cheek was the last thing she felt.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Skittery was walking back home alone after a tough day of selling and a small dinner at Tibby's. That's when he saw the Delancys. He ducked behind some seemed too happy to not have done something awful.

"I can't believe it! She didn't even make a sound!" Oscar said with much enthusiasm.

"Shaddup! Don't want the bulls on us." His brother said whapping him upside the head.

Skittery was confused but also a little worried. What did they do?

"Still, I bet that girl's dead now. She looked dead when we got her. I was surprised you didn't go right through her when you grabbed her!" Oscar whispers obnoxiously.

Skits almost jumped right out there and soaked them. He surprised himself for not doing so.

"That alley off of 5th ave was perfect to leave her. No one will find her till her body's stinkin' up the whole street." They both chuckled quietly and moved on.

Skittery jumped up and started running.

Alley off of 5th. Alley off of 5th. Alley off of 5th. Damn, where is 5th anyway?

Skittery kept repeating the location over and over again in his head.

What if I find her? Maybe she's still alive! What if she is still alive? What if she isn't? What if someone stops me on the way?

What if?

What if?

What if?

He at least had to try. Because he knew that despite all those what ifs the "What if I don't try to help?" what if still stood.

Alley off of 5th. Alley off of 5th!

He found 5th Ave. and made his way down the streets, peeking in the alleyways.

Skittery found her almost immediately.

Her frail and pale body was bent at odd angles and her face was black and blue. Her shirt was pulled up higher that any man should have seen and he saw that her ribs were prominent, bruised, and scratched. The poor girl's chest was rising and falling in uneven spurts.

Underneath it all, there was a fragile beauty to her. Her lips were still visibly pale pink, although they were swollen and bleeding in a few places. She had brown tangled hair that circled her head like a crown. Skittery couldn't leave her there. He just couldn't.

Finding the rest of her clothes that were thrown carelessly about, he gathered the broken girl in his arms and made his way toward home. He was careful to support her head, for he feared injuries to her neck.

Her body fit in his arms, no problem. She was small and Skittery felt as if he was carrying a smallchild rather than a girl his age. She looked and felt hollow.

Poor girl.

Poor, poor girl.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Come on Jack!" Skittery cried. "Just till she gets better! Look at her! We can't just leave her out on the streets!"

"Cheese! Calm down Skit's. I don' see what your so worked up about. You never get worked up 'bout anythin. 'Specially a goil." Jack says running a hand through his hair. "I wanna help her too. I jus' cant be the one ta let her stay here. Koppelman's job, that is. He's gotta give ya tha OK befoa I can let her an' you in hea." Skittery shifts her weight to one arm.

"Fine. Got get Kop so I can talk to him."

Jack nods solemnly and goes to get the old man. Skittery, in the meantime, lives up to his name and paces. He never was able to stay still. Never. He fidgeted around until the lodging house door was reopened and the owner stood in the doorway.

He studied the girl in his arms for a moment. "Get the poor thing in here right now. She's gonna catch her death out here on a night like this. So are you Skittery. You're a good kid you know. Glum an' Dumb? Bah! You have a heart. That's all that matters in the real world." The old man says with a smile and rushes him in. "I even think I still have that extra room next to Jack's. The one that used to be Jamie's until she finally got to move to Boston." Jaimie was Koppelman's neice who stayed with them for three years until she earned enough money to go to Boston with her lover.

Skittery got some curious looks from some and others whistled obnoxiously. One even called out "When we told you to bring home a drop dead gorgeous girl, that's not exactly what we meant Romeo!"

Skittery blushed and moved on ahead, doing his best to ignore the comment.

Koppelman opened the door to the room just as Jack was exiting the neighboring door.

"I found some stuff she might need." he says, handing Koppelman an old bag of clothes and rags.

"Thanks Jack." Skittery says with a smile.

"Hey, it's no problem. Just helpin' a dame in distress."

At that time she was stirring. Just slightly.

"Did she jus' move?" Jack asks suddenly as Skittery lays her on the worn bed.

"I don't know. Maybe. It would have been hard to tell with the fact that I was moving her!"

"No, I'm serious Skitts. She moved!"

"I think I would have seen if she did!" Skittery shoots back.

"Boys…" Koppelman warns.

"You wouldn't have realized cuz your so glum n' dumb!"

"Hey, I am not!"

"Boys… hello?"

"Are too!"

"I am NOT!"

"BOYS! your acting like 4 year olds. Not in front of our guest." Both boys look over and see her wide eyes staring at them in fear.

"Hello, we won't hurt you." Jack tries. But she doesn't even look at him. She's too focused on Skittery. You may just wake up one day and be looking right into the man of your dreams' eyes.

"What's your name?" Koppelman tries too, but she only glances at him for a moment.

"What happened to you?" Skittery asks quietly. The girl goes to sit up but gasps in pain. A hand flits up to her ribs. She grimaces and closes her eyes. Her breathing surprisingly was never evening out.

She reflexively reaches up to her neckline where the edge of her sweater was. When she realized it was not there, she jumped up, ignoring her pains and scrambled around the room looking for it.

"No! Get back in bed before you hurt yourself even more!" Koppelman says firmly. Jack goes over to try to bring her back . He grabs under her arms and she fights it desperately. Her eyes once more meet Skittery's.

"I think she wants her sweater." He says and picks it out of the bag and hands it to her. "It just looked like she was searching for it's neckline. Nothing else that I found was cut that high."

The girl smiled and ripped open the collar and her locket fell out. She almost cried with relief

"I swear, sometimes, you scare me Skit." Jack says patting his back.

"I dunno. I guess, it just seemed like what she wanted."

"Great. Now you get to watch her." Koppelman said with a grin.

"Wait what?" Skittery whipped around to stare at the old man.

"I don't think she'll be much trouble now." He said pointing to the girl who was fast asleep already on the bed curled up in the smallest ball the human body could manage. "If you watch her and keep track of her- including her meals, there will be no pay for this room."

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll need help with some stuff though. Like dressing her wounds maybe?"

Koppelman nodded. "I'll call in for Doc to come. From Brooklyn. Spot'll let him come just to check on her, I know."

"Okay." Skittery nodded back and looked at her one more time. Her lip trembled in her sleep and he wondered why.

"In the meantime, Jack, will you go have Bumlets put a pot of broth on? I have some in the cabinet with the medical stuff. Maybe even one of you boys can go out and get carrots and some meat for soup. I'll pay. This is for only tonight."

"R-really? Oh, okay." Jack grins and runs down the stairs, yelling out for Bumlets and other boys.

"Just call if she wakes up." Koppelman says and follows Jack down the stairs.

Skittery was left alone with her. She opened up an eye and then the other and stared at him for a long time. Thank you. Her eyes clearly said.

"Just get your rest. Doc'll come and fix you up tomorrow."

And with that she was passed out. Asleep just like that.

Safe.

For now.