Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, sadly, they belong to Disney. Mac, however, is my own creation. I also own Wrench. Please read and review!

I have been the King of Brooklyn for nearly 2 years now. This is quite an achievement, considering I am only 14 years old and on the small side. I know my rather fearsome reputation has been a significant factor, as well as my exceptional fighting skills and my prowess with my slingshot and cane. But despite my hardened, somewhat callous exterior, I still have a heart that is capable of compassion. I am still just a boy.

I am not a monster.

I am hard because I have to be. You don't have a hope of surviving in Brooklyn if you can't at least defend yourself. Those Manhattan Newsies are soft compared to my boys. They wouldn't survive here for long – not even Racetrack, who had a brief stint as a Brooklyn boy when he was about 8, long before I became leader. The only reason he is able to pass safely through my territory to get to the races at Sheepshead, is because I allow him to. He was always kind to me when I was really small. Some of my boys don't think I should let Race through, but that's my decision. After all,

I am not a monster.

Most people are nervous of me at the very least. I have deliberately made myself into a person who demands respect rather than asking nicely for cooperation. I am not above soaking my own boys to teach them a lesson, but I prefer to merely intimidate them into obedience.

I am not a monster.

There are times when I wish I could be more like Jack Kelly, the leader of Manhattan. He is friendly, funny and soft, and a bit of a scatterbrain, but still his Newsies follow him and respect him. (I think that changed for a short time when he turned scab during the strike last month, but they've all forgiven him now from what I can see.) If I, on the other hand, tried this approach in Brooklyn, I'd have an uprising on my hands. So I just act tough and show my boys that, though small, I am still a force to be reckoned with. But even so,

I am not a monster.

Here comes Racetrack now, on his way to the tracks. I think he is possibly one of the few people who knows that I was once just as scared of the world as people are of me. I used to think that if I was nice to others, they'd be nice to me. I used to try, perhaps a little overenthusiastically, to be friends with as many people as possible. Not any more. Now, the closest I have to a friend is Wrench, my second-in-command, and Racetrack, with whom I get on quite well.

I still care for my boys. They may be mostly big, muscley fellows (thanks to regular fights and daily dips in the river), but they are still under my protection. I have to keep my gentle side hidden, but I won't stand by and watch any of my lads – especially the younger ones – get hurt. I am their leader, and it is my responsibility to keep them as safe as I can.

I am not a monster.

I am small but mighty, I rule with fear and intimidation, and I can lay you out with a single well-aimed swing of my cane or slingshot. I may seem like a calculating, cold and frightening person, but just remember, I do what I do in order to survive. I am perfectly capable of feeling emotion, and I fully understand loss and pain. I am Spot Conlon, the King of Brooklyn, and I am only human.

I am not a monster.