The bird of Manhatten

Chapter 9 - in which it rains not only water

TW: physical violence!

October 1898
Manhattan, New York City
Magpie's P.O.V.

When I's finished sellin' my papes, it already begins ta darken.
Blink, my sellin' partner today, is sellin' down da street. 'Cause of da headline today, we decided ta split a little.
I sigh, as I look up ta da sky.
It's covered wit' thick, black clouds. It'll rain. Jus' as Crutchie said dis mornin'.
"Em.", I address my magpie. "Be good an' go tell Blink I'll head home now."
  I scribble a short message foa Blink on a piece of an old pape an' give it ta Emma.
She takes of an' I make my way home, hummin' one of Medda's songs, usin' some short cuts. Somewhere I hear thunder an' then it begins ta rain.
I pull my jacket tighter an' run, head down, through da rain.
Normally I like rain but dis one is cold an' hard, comin' down like blows.
Not watchin' my way, I bump into someone.
I mutter a "Sorry" an' want ta walk away, but da person grabs my arm an' spins me around.
I look up.
Da person's Morris Delancey.
  Shoot.
"Well, well, well. If it ain't da bird boy.", he says.
I can't help myself but smirk. Wit' those clothes I fool everybody. Even da Delancey brothers.
An' dey know me really long by now.
"Why ya smilin'?", Morris asks.
"Oh, jus' thinkin'."
"'bout what?"
"Things."
"So?"
"Yeah. Now, would ya please let me go? I have ta go home... an' it's rainin'. Ya should head home too, by da way. Ya'll catch an ugly cold."
"First.", da dark-haired lad smirks down at me. "First we have a bone ta pick wit' ya."
"Wit' me?" I raise my eyebrows an' try ta figure out, what he means.
I's always friendly ta him, his brother an' Mr. Wiesel.
"Yeah, wit' ya.", Oscar says, comin' up behind me.
"Wait." I look from one ta da other. "Ya waited here foa me? Why?"
"Ta talk."
"... 'bout what?", I ask carefully.
"'Bout a lot of things."
"Foa example?", I try ta run out da clock, lookin' foa a change ta escape.
Unfortunately, dey don't answer an' come closer. I back up... an' hit a wall. Damn it. Every time.
Why is there always a wall?
Now they'se standin' right in front of me.
I take a deep breath an' all da courage, I've got, an' kick Morris, who's standing nearer, where da sun don't shines. He groans an' goes down.
Unfortunately, Oscar's even angrier now an' punches me in da guts.
I heavily suck in some air, as I fall against da wall an' hold my stomach.
Luckily, I wear my hat pinned onto my hair, so it won't fall off. Because I really don't wanna know, what dey'd do, if dey found out, dat I's a goil.
Another punch in da guts an' a kick against my leg sends me down on da ground.
Then Oscar hits my face.
My nose cracks an' I taste blood in my mouth. Tears fill my eyes, makin' my sight blurry. 
Morris seems ta have recovered, 'cause he joins his brother kickin' an' punchin' me.
The kicks an' punches practically rain down on me. Like rain drops, never endin' dey come down at me.
I eventually stop fightin' it, hopin' dey'd get bored or somethin'.
Dey don't.
Then one of 'em grabs me at my shirt collar an' picks me up.
It's Oscar.
He raises his arm an' hits me right into da face.
My head snaps back, hard against da bricks behind me, an' everythin' begins ta spin. (The poor girl head is spinning! ... I'm NOT sorry!)
All of da sudden, I hear a gasp. Then Oscar lets me go an' I fall on da ground.
"It's a goil!", I hear Morris. "Da bird boy's a bird goil! We beat up a goil!"
I hear 'em run.
Da rain comes down at me.
Hard an' cold da drop fall.
Then everythin' goes dark.

Blink's P.O.V.

It's rainin'.
An' cold.
Da water drips from my hat an' hair in my eye an' even da eyepatch is already soakin' wet.
I sigh an' keep my head down, as I make my way back ta da Lodge House.
Someone's runnin' past me, brushin' my shoulder.
I look up, wantin' ta shout at 'em ta watch their steps, when I see who dey is.
Da Delancey brothers.
Why's dey runnin'?
Probably da rain.
I shake my head an' keep walkin' in da direction, dey came from, when I suddenly notice somethin'.
There, between da trash cans someone is layin'.
Surprised I walk closer, spottin' a familiar lookin' hat.
I carefully turn da body an' startled take a step back.
It's Mags, who lays there.
Her face's covered wit' blood.
Her nose seems broken.
Her lip's open.
One of her eyes is swollen.
She's passed out.
Carefully, I pick her up an' carry her home.

When I enter da bunk room, every noise dies.
Da boys is starrin' at me an' I's standin' dere, soakin' wet wit da unconscious an' in blood covered goil in my arms.
Mush's da first one ta move.
He runs over ta me, takes Mags an' lays her down on da nearest bed.
Bumlets an' Skittery take off her soakin' wet clothes, while Mush lays a blanket around my shoulders. Race races past me ta call Jack.

Five minutes later, I's changed in some dry clothes, Mags is wearin' her night grown an' Jacks questions me about everythin'.
Why we split up.
Why she went home earlier.
Where I found her.
An' most important: Who did it?
I can't really answer him every question, since I wasn't there.
"Who was it?", Jack asks foa da hundreds time an' I's about ta answer "I don't know." foa da hundreds time, when suddenly a thought pops up in my head.
"Wait a minute.", I say.
"What?" Jack sounds annoyed, excited, worried an' angry, all at da same time.
"Before I found her, I bumped into someone..."
"Who was it?!"
I bite my lip.
It's only a suspicion. Don't get me wrong, I hate da Delanceys jus' as much as da others, but... Mags never done anythin' ta 'em. She was always friendly ta 'em, so why-
"Blink! Who was it?!" Jack almost screams now.
"Da Delancey-" I can't get any further. Jack already jumped up an' now heads foa da door.
"I'll kill 'em!", he shouts before he slams da door shut an' is gone.
I knew, dat would happen.
I sigh, rub my good eye an' turn ta da others.
Crutchie lays a cold cloth on Mag's forehead.
Her face's clean now, but her nose still visibly broken. Her eyes still closed.
Mush sits next ta me. "Good, dat ya found her. She's very weak an' chilled through."
"Will she make it?", I ask, slightly afraid of da answer.
"I...", he hesitates. "... Yes."
"Ya sure?"
Mush shakes his head. "No."

Jack wouldn't come back dat night an' Mags wouldn't wake up.
'Till da next mornin'.
When I wake up, she's already fully dressed an' readin' a pape from yesterday.
"How is ya?", I ask, as I walk up ta her.
"Good.", she answers wit' a big smile.
"Nah, ya not."
"Ok, my nose's hurtin'."
"An'?"
"My stomach's on fire."
"An'?"
"My ribs too."
"An'?"
"My lip's swollen... My left eye, too."
"An'?"
"My head's hurtin'. But dat's normal."
"Anythin' else?"
"Nope."
"Ya sure?"
"Yes, Blink. I's sure. An' I's ok."
"If ya say so."
She gives me a weary smile.
We all jump when da door suddenly flies open.
Jack's standin' there.
He's soakin' wet an' his nose's bloody.
We, in shock, jus' stand there an' star.
"Hey!", He says happily. "Ya awake."
He comes over an' hugs da completely perplex Magpie.
She confused hugs him back.
"Ya soakin' wet, Jack. Where were ya?", she asks when he won't let her go.
"Oh, jus' soakin' someone."
"An' who might dat be?"
"Oh... nobody important."
"Jack?"
"Jus' some stinkin' rats."
"Some stinkin'... Wait! Ya soaked da Delancey brothers?"
"I find it quiet interestin', how ya see da Delancey brothers as stinkin' rats-"
"Jack, did ya do it?"
"Of course! Dey nearly killed ya!"
"Jack!", she looks at him. "Is dey... is dey still alive?"
"Why do ya care?"
"Is dey?"
"Unfortunately... yes."
"What da hell is wrong wit' ya?" Mags shakes her head smilin'. "But... could ya please let me go now? I have ta sell some papes."
"Oh... um... sure." He lets her go. "Sorry."
She shakes her head again, then spits on her sleeve an' rubs da blood off his face.
"Ew! Mags! Dat's gross!", he yells an' backs up.
She laughs.
"Um... guys?", I draw da attention on me.
Both look at me now.
"We probably should go now. Gettin' breakfast an' our papes."
"Oh. Sure."
Both laugh an' we head down together.