Rory's Promise by Michaela MacColl, Rosemary Nichols

said.
    “Yeah, they were. But I won't be going back,” Rory said.She felt a spasm in her chest. This wasn't a game she was playing. If she were separated from Violet, if she lost track of the nuns, if she got stuck on this train … so many ifs. And no backup plan at all.
    “I hope it works out for you,” Brigid said.
    The girls were silent. At the front of the carriage, the curtain moved aside. A tall boy about Rory's age swaggered out and headed for Rory and Brigid. He had black hair and his face was disfigured by pockmarks. His large hands had cuts across the knuckles. She recognized the type from her days in Hell's Kitchen. He might be a kid like them, but he was in charge and he'd beat up anyone who disagreed. He stared at Rory, taking in every detail, from her sweaty face to her torn dress.
    “Brigid, who’s this?” he asked.
    “This is Red,” Brigid answered, not meeting his eyes.
    “She's in my seat.”
    Rory stood up and stumbled at the unfamiliar movement of the train. “I'll change seats.” Brigid had helped her out; Rory didn't want to get her into any trouble.
    “Jack, there's room. She's one of us,” Brigid said, pulling Rory back to the seat.
    “Then why didn't she come with Miss Worthington?” he accused. “She ain't on the list.”
    “Half the names on the list are wrong,” Brigid shot back with more courage than Rory would have had. But then Rory's life at the Foundling had been so occupied with small children, she didn't have much experience with older kids.
    “Worthington said there's just enough food to get us to St. Louis. We can't be feeding strays. How'd she even get in here anyway?”
    “I came through the window,” Rory said.
    He glanced at her, then back to Brigid. “How do you know her?”
    “We met in jail.”
    His ugly face lightened with a smile. “I met some of my best friends when I was enjoying the hospitality of the New York cops.”
    Rory moved to make room for him. “I won't be here long,” she said. “And I promise not to eat anything.”
    “Why are you here? No one wants to go out west.”
    “I do.” She explained the situation with Violet. “The Sisters won't take older kids, so they left me behind.”
    “Nuns stole your sister? That's bad news.”
    Rory felt she had to explain why the nuns were good people. “The Sisters aren't like your Children's Aid Society. They're kind and they want to do the right thing by Violet. They've got a nice family all lined up for her. For every one of the orphans.”
    “And you believe that?” Jack sneered. “All grown-ups lie.”
    “Not Sister Anna.” Rory's certainty stopped Jack in his tracks.
    Picking at one of the scabs on his knuckle, he asked, “So what are you going to do? Take her off the train?”
    Rory shook her head. “Nah, a good family is worth alook. If I like what I see, I'm going to try and convince them to take me too.”
    “What if they won't?” Brigid asked.
    “Then I'll take her away. We'll make our own life in the Wild West.” Rory wished this part of her scheme was better planned. She could see the doubts in her companions’ faces. “It don't matter,” Jack said. “The nuns'll send you back as soon as they find you.”
    “Not if I time it just right,” Rory argued. “There are fifty-seven kids in that train car with only seven grown-ups.”
    “So?” Jack asked. “We've got fifty with only three minders.”
    With a grin Rory said, “The oldest is six. Most are three and four years old.”
    Brigid burst out laughing. “By the time you show your mug, they'll be desperate.”
    “I don't get it,” Jack said with a scowl. “What's so funny?”
    “You've never taken care of little kids, have you?” Brigid asked, still chuckling. “They're a lot of work. And as soon as you get one to sleep, another one wakes up.”
    “Exactly!” Rory said. “Plus at the Foundling I took care of lots of kids anyway, not just my sister. They'll be so happy to see me, they'll forget about