Back Row

[Prince]

A bit shy? Just trying to cool off from the hot sun? You've found what you need in the back row.

[Christina Mathers]

Church. That was one place Christiana hadn't stepped foot in since she was baptized at birth. A lot of good that did her. She was hesitant walking in for fear that she might burst into flames for just stepping a foot on sacred territory. She wasn't quite sure what brought her to church that day in the first place. The services for the day were over. She wanted to make sure of that. She had stood across the street waiting three hours until the church was seemingly empty, then, with a sigh, she trudged on in.

She sat in the back row and around looked at everything around her before bowing her head. She wasn't praying; she didn't remember how to, but it might have looked that way.

[valerie]

"Did you know any of them?" Valerie asked the girl, sitting next to her, rather forward and unexpected for a young woman clearly in better status than a newsie/waitress.

Valerie's eyes were large with concern, then offered an embarrassed smile, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. But I've seen you around before... At the cafe or selling papers one. There's a boy missing. Pup Dawkins? Several other newsies too, according to another boy I met. Dutchy I think his name was... I thought maybe... you might know something about it?

[goldie]

~New~

Goldie collapsed on the pew. It felt so good to be...somewhere. She slid onto her knees and clasped her hands, getting ready to pray. She knew her mama was praying for her right now, only in Georgia. She had just gotten off the train and landed in New York. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen Eli or Isiah or even Clara. In fact, nobody was home at the Freeman's apartment. Hadn't she written and told them she was arriving today?

Well, the Freeman's apartment was crowded anyway, she had then decided to stay at the Bronx Lodging House. She could work as a Newsies until she found a school that would accept her, right?

Goldie clasped her eyes and began to mutter feverently. She prayed for her mother, thanked Him for a safe journey (only one man had forced her to move to the luggage car until they crossed the Mason-Dixon line, but it was better then other times she had experienced), and lastly, she asked Him for patience with the Newsies. How was she supposed to shake hands with people who spit into them? And for that matter, it seemed every boy in New York smoked... If she ever caught Isiah or Isaac or Eli smoking, well, that would probably be the last thing they'd ever do.