Bootlegacy



  Bootlegacy

  By

  Rachel Astor

 

  Copyright © 2016

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

  PROLOGUE

  She was beautiful, all dolled up, the white of her sweater a blank canvas. But now, the crimson blooming across it was anything but art.

  I plunged my hand over the wound. I might be doing more harm than good. Sobs raked my insides, but I wouldn’t let her see how terrified I was.

  Down the narrow passage the shadows of the men chasing us bobbed in the dim underground maze.

  Then light, blinding light, seared the tunnel; a door creaking open behind me, the blurry shadows of our followers disappearing, almost immediately replaced by the real men as they turned the corner.

  Trying to blink away fear as much as the light, I twisted back toward my friend, her blood sticky in my hands. She looked at me and sighed, smiling a little. “With that light behind you, you’re like an angel.”

  And then her eyes fluttered closed, her head drooping away from me.

  The chaos began. Someone yelling, “We’re gonna get pinched!”

  Pushing and movement from every direction.

  Someone else screaming the same word over and over.

  A name.

  Her name.

  Only later—after a pair of inhumanly strong arms yanked me away, forcing me to abandon my friend—did I realize the screams had been my own.

  CHAPTER 1

  Annie thought she’d come up with the plan. All my life Annie was the brave one, the one who took risks, the one in the spotlight. I was the good girl. Everybody knew it, and probably wondered why I spent so much time with a girl like that, but after years of reading in my father’s library—especially the books I wasn’t supposed to—I’d come to the conclusion that being the good girl meant you were also the boring girl. The girl who had no fun. The girl who ended up alone.

  If I could just get my stupid heart to stop pounding, and my stupid brain to stop trying to convince my body to stay exactly where it was, my plan might actually work, and I would stop being that boring girl.

  My parents had never come to check on me at night, but I piled the bed with pillows anyway, sticking the hair of a doll out the top of the blankets to make it look like I was sleeping soundly, instead of what I was really doing.

  I took a few deep breaths for courage and leaned slightly out the window, then quickly crouched back inside, squeezing my eyes shut, scolding myself for being me.

  “For Pete’s sake Sadie, stop being such a scaredy cat and get your caboose out here already,” said a voice from the darkness, nearly causing my already overworked heart to explode. It only took a second to realize it was just Annie standing outside, but she sure wasn’t doing anything to help my nerve.

  “You know,” Annie said, as I peeked out, “you may as well just hurry up. If your parents catch you crouching like a cornered rat and see the body-shaped pile of pillows I just know you’ve got on your bed, you’ll be done for.”

  I stuck my head out the window and tried to glare. “I do not have a pile of pillows.”

  “Liar,” she said with a smirk and grabbed for my arm. “Come on already,” she tugged gently.

  I wanted so badly to rush back to the door and listen one more time, especially after all the ruckus, but Annie would think I was the biggest wet blanket in the history of the world. One more deep breath and I hoisted both legs carefully over the windowsill—one cannot be too careful in the new short skirts—and leapt to my freedom. Sure, it was only the backyard where I’d spent my whole life, but for some reason it felt different. I stood for a moment watching, waiting for a light to flick on at any moment, but none did.

  It really was a perfect house, just right for the perfect family.

  I lost my nerve and turned back.

  But Annie pulled on my arm so hard I nearly toppled off my new heels. The lady at the store said the ‘innovative style’ was perfect for dancing, which seemed exciting at the time, but now I wondered if I even knew how to dance at all.

  “Come on,” Annie urged, giving me another good tug.

  I stumbled my way through what should have been an easy escape, but even your own yard can be dangerous when you’re in heels and being dragged by your overzealous best friend.

  Once we were safely a block or so away, she finally let go.

  “Geez Annie, you don’t have to drag me.”

  “Yeah right.”

  “So where’re we going again? Is it really so important you have to force me out in the middle of the night?” I’d become very good at making her think all the good ideas were hers.

  “Yes,” she said, looking at me like I was from the moon or something. “How else are we supposed to have any fun around here? I mean, it’s not like we can meet guys anywhere else.”

  “I know,” I sighed. “Those girls in the little towns have it made. Imagine being able to go to the same school as boys,” I said.

  Annie just rolled her eyes at me like she always did. “I think we can do a lot better for ourselves than some silly school boys.”

  I couldn’t help notice her walk seemed a little lighter as she said it, like she really believed it. I, however, knew better.

  “What would a stupid girl have to offer an older gentleman anyway?”

  “Are you crazy Sadie? All men want a younger woman. Don’t you ever read the New York papers? The most popular stories are the ones about the creepy old men dating girls young enough to be their daughters. So scandalous!” Her eyes glinted devilishly in the moonlight.

  “Creepy old men? That’s who we’re going to meet? Creepy old men!” I hoped the screech of my voice conveyed just how utterly displeased I was.

  “Oh for crying out loud Sadie, we’re not going to settle for old men. I’m just saying it happens.”

  “So what are we doing then?”

  “We’re having fun for once in our lives.” She spun around, flinging her arms in the air.

  Even I had to admit her excitement was contagious and I found myself picking up the pace as we cleared the outskirts of our neighborhood and continued downtown. “So, where did you hear about this place, anyway?”

  “Gabby told me about it. It’s called The Roxy and it’s supposed to be modeled after someplace in New York City.”

  “Don’t you think she’ll be mad her little sister is crashing her party?”

  “No,” she said, though I sensed hesitation.

  “Annie…”

  “Okay, okay. She’s not going to be there tonight. She’s going to some other place across town with her friends.”

  “Still, what if we get in trouble?”

  “How could we possibly get in trouble? They’ll either let us in or they won’t. Now come here and let me fix your outfit.”

  “But what if someone sees us?” I said, but she wasn’t paying attention to my words anymore, she was too busy trying to hike up my skirt, making it even shorter. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m making sure we get in. Now show off those gams,” she said with a wink.

  I noticed her skirt was much higher than usual too, hiked up and secured at her waist with a belt. “Annie!” I blinked several times. Apparently I’d been more worried about getting caught than I thought. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed. It was positively scandalous.

  “Annie, you can not go in public looking like that!”

  She giggled. “I know, isn’t it marvelous!” She spun again and this time I truly worried about what I might see.

  “Annie! What has gotten into you?”

  “Relax Sadie. Gabby goes out like this all the time.”

  “There’s no way your mother lets her go out like that!”

  She tilted her head. “Oh please. My mother goes out like this too.”

  My face heated at the thought. Had the whole world had gone crazy? Surely grown women did not really go outside with their skirts inches above their knee, did they? Of course Annie’s mom was a single lady, her father having run off years ago.

  “Oh close your mouth,” Annie said, her exuberance dropping down a notch. “Not everyone in the world is as perfectly proper as you, you know.” She started walking again, faster this time.

  “Annie, wait up! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it,” I said, and tucked my skirt up under my belt another inch. “See?”

  Annie looked back and gave me a wink, grinning. Thank goodness her cloudy moods passed quickly. I’d die if I’d hurt her feelings badly. Annie was the center of my universe. Not that my universe was very big mind you, but she was my only source of fun and freedom in the whole world. Without her, I might wilt from boredom. Thank goodness my mother only knew half of the scandals in the Rutherford household. She already wasn’t happy with me hanging out with ‘a girl like that.’

  The wind calmed as we neared our destination, holding its breath for us.

  Annie grabbed my hand. “Okay, here we go. Now act like you’re older okay?” She looked up at the sky. “What am I saying? You’re the most innocent girl on the planet. There is no way we’re going to pull this off.”

  “Hey,” I said giving her a little swat. “I am not.”

  She flashed her famous grin. “I know what you need.” She fished around in her tiny purse and pulled out a tube o
f lipstick.

  “No, Annie, I could never get away with your shade.” Annie was famous around school for her ruby red lips. Imagine wearing it during the day! Thank goodness she had the good sense not to put it on around my mother.

  “Honey, this shade was made for you, now hold still.”

  I held still. Very still.

  Not just because she told me to, but out of sheer fear of looking like a clown. That shade of lipstick was not the kind of thing that easily wiped off if it got smeared. So I held still all right, like a statue. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity—perhaps because I was too afraid to even breathe with the blood red tube near me—Annie snapped the cap back on and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

  She actually gasped. “Oh my goodness Sadie, you look five years older.”

  “Oh please,” I said, tentatively pressing my lips together.

  But she actually looked sincere for once. “No really, you’re beautiful,” she said, almost in a whisper.

  “Oh come on Annie,” I said, ducking away from her gaze, pretending to straighten my dress.

  I got a little nervous when she started fishing in her purse again—goodness knows what else she might have in there—but only pressed powder emerged. She didn’t even want me to put it on, she’d pulled it out for the tiny mirror inside.

  “Here, see for yourself.”

  She held it close to my face, and what I saw amazed me. I couldn’t believe how much one tiny thing could change a person. How very wrong I’d been when I said I could never wear this shade. I thought with my shockingly pale skin and light hair I’d end up looking like I belonged in a circus, but what I’d thought was my big, fat, worst feature, suddenly became the thing that made me beautiful. And Annie was right, I most definitely looked older.

  “See, I told you,” Annie said, snapping the case shut and throwing it back in her purse. “I think we actually have a shot at getting in. Let’s go!”

  She grabbed my hand and started jogging. Butterflies formed in my stomach at the thought of sneaking into a speakeasy. A week ago I hadn’t even known such places existed, I mean, I’d heard the term whispered of course, but I never knew what they really were. Imagine, a place that actually sold liquor. It had been ages since it had been outlawed, and apparently the places not only had liquor, but also dancing and other entertainment.

  I tried to picture what it would be like. My mind would only let me see a dirty, run-down old warehouse with creatures scurrying everywhere and rag-a-muffin gentlemen—though they could hardly be called gentlemen in my mind—slumped over in the corners. But the way people spoke about them, speakeasies were the classiest joints, with allure such as the world—or at least this corner of it—had never seen.

  We walked up to an old building.

  “This can’t be it, can it?”

  Annie checked her paper again. “Yeah, I think it’s the one.”

  My shoulders slumped. “I knew it,” I said, seeing only peeling paint and cracks in the wood.

  “Just give it a chance will ya?” Annie said. “I am so sick of your snobbishness.”

  My mouth gaped at her rudeness, though I admit, I did close it quickly in case random germs floated around, just waiting to make me sick. Judging from the smell, it was quite likely.

  I braced myself as Annie knocked on the door and spoke quietly to the eyes that appeared behind a tiny, latched opening. The door groaned open and we stepped inside.

  And all my tiny, sheltered ideas were ripped wide open.

  Light shone from every corner of the room, reflecting off gilded mirrors and jewels adorning young people in the highest fashion, all sparkles, feathers and fans. On stage, girls in scandalously tiny outfits danced to upbeat jazz, using long, fluffy boas as props. Other girls, with faces painted like dolls, sold their cigars and cigarettes to handsomely dressed gentlemen. Dozens of couples spun in the center of it all.

  Ritz and glitz and glamour oozed from every inch of the joint.

  And I had fallen in love.