"Oh Crutchy, you can't even be serious..." Sarah sighed, peering through the front window of Tibbys. "She looks like a trout...and she dresses like...like..."

"Like what?" Crutchy demanded glaring at Sarah.

Sarah put her left hand on her hip and pushed her bottom lip out pouting. "You're not going to make me say it are you?" Crutchy frowned and tapped his foot. "Alright, alright, she...she dresses like one of Medda's trollops!"

Crutchy pursed his lips and spoke slowly. "Well, that's probably because...well...she...is."

"What?!" Sarah brought a delicate hand up to cover her mouth as she gasped in horror.

"It's true. Well, I mean, that's not how I met her of course!" Crutchy stammered, suddenly realizing why Sarah was so shocked. "No, she came through the pape line once...Wow."

"But, but, she's still..." Sarah continued staring at Crutchy horrified.

"And the way she spoke..."

"I can't believe you Crutchy, I thought you were better than-"

"The way she said 'Get away from me ya crip,' it was beautiful..."

"That, I thought you had some respect for yourself!"

Crutchy turned to Sarah, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Just look at her, she's a regular cheap dirty whor—"

Shady slammed the door loudly, causing the cheap brass bell on the handle to jingle. She turned to Sarah glaring, "I'll have you know Miss. Pansy face, I used to be much more than this. I would pound you to bits except that I don't want pansy on my hands." Turning sharply on her heel, she stomped away calling over her shoulder, "And for your information, I'm no more of a whore than you are."

"That's the last time I ask for your opinion on girls." Crutchy grumbled, hobbling off in the other direction.

Shady ran as fast as her legs would carry her, not paying attention to where she was going. She pushed her way past the street merchants peddling their wares, not stopping even when she overturned a cart filled with chickens. She her hands over her tear-streaked face as the chickens burst out of their cages and flew in all directions. The owner cursed her loudly as she kept running.

"Dear God..." She gasped as her knees buckled and she collapsed against a building. She looked up and surveyed her surroundings. Somehow she'd managed to run back home. Her eyes overflowed with tears as she gazed at the dirty and broken shutters, the crumbling brick steps and the crooked "For Rent" sign that had been put up shortly after they found her mother's body.

Her hands shook as she grabbed the windowsill and pulled herself back up. It had been years since she last visited, but the outside didn't look much different than it had on the day that...She shook her head violently to blot out the memories.

"Forget it Ruby," she murmured, "she's dead...she's not coming back." Shady furiously wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. "I wonder..." Slowly, as if in a dream, she walked up the front steps. Her extended hand trembled as she grasped the door-knob and turned it slowly. The door creaked and a cloud of dust puffed out, coating Shady's dress and hair. Heart pounding, Shady stuck her head in, except for a thick layer of dust, the house was exactly as she left it. An inch of dust muffled her footsteps as she made her way slowly towards the kitchen.

The door was open and she could see faint streaks of blood under the dust, a silent but powerful memorial to her mother. Unbidden, hot tears filled her eyes once again. "Mother..." She whispered softly.

"You there! What do you think you're doing! This is private property it is!"

Shady whirled around to see a police officer standing on the front step, a look of disgust plastered on his face. She let out a muffled shriek as she bolted out the back door.

After running for several minutes she hazarded a glance behind her to see if the cop was still following her. "Phew...I think I los—"

Shady grunted as she looked down at the boy she'd run into while her head was turned. "Watch where you're going little guy."

"No! No! Let me go! I don't have any money for you!" The boy pummeled Shady with tiny fists.

"Woah, woah, woah, kiddo. I'm not gonna hurtcha." Shady let go of the boy, and patted him gently on the head. "What's your name kid?"

"Buh-buh..." The boy stuttered sticking his hand out cautiously, "Bullseye...at least that's what the b-b-boys call me."

Instead of listening Shady stared at the boy's outstretched hand. "Wh-where did you get that ring..." She gasped, self consciously fingering the emerald ring hanging around her own neck.

"I...I..." the boy drew his hand back quickly. "I snitched it off of my pa a'fore I left home..."

"Did he have green eyes and a big bushy beard?" She gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

"Well uh..." The boy looked at Shady quizzically. "How do you-"

Shady took the boy by the shoulders and shook him, "Is your last name Jones?!"

"Oww...You're hurting me!" The boy squealed, struggling to free himself from Shady's iron grip. His eyes widened, "Have you been stalking me?"

Shady let go of the boy with a sob. She leaned against the wall, her head buried in her hands. "No...I'm..." She looked up at the boy, a smile trembling on her lips. "Your sister."