Hello and welcome.
This story was written nearly 3 years ago so my writing style differs, along
with my use of the accent. Thus so, I'm going back through it and lightening the
accent a little, because it's a bit heavy for my '2004 tastes'. Funny thing, I
never finished uploading this last year when I reposted it to ff.net, so thanks
to the wonderful Keza, I'm doing that now.
If you have ever seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you'd know there is a very interesting 'mythical' element to it. If you aren't into a bit of fantasy now and again, this fiction is going to be a stretch for you.
Also, Normally the girls would wear dresses and such, but back in 2001 it wasn't as big a deal in fiction as it is now. I've reformed, I swear.
The Eternal Vow
"No!" Luna cried, awaking with a jolt. The threadbare sheet fell to the ground, leaving her shivering atop the bunk. These nightmares had been increasingly worse, each taking her on the same path, but they ended in a new place each time. It was as if each night she received a new piece of the puzzle, but she had no idea as to what the pieces constructed.
Groans were heard around the room. The newsgirls knew of Luna's sleeping habits. At first this only seemed to happen once, maybe twice a week. Now it was becoming a nightly ritual.
"Go back to sleep Luna," Key muttered from beneath her pillow. "We're all here. Nothin's gonna happen to ya," she whispered. Key and Luna were best friends and only Key knew of the details of Luna's dreams.
"I can't sleep no more," Luna sighed. She jumped down from her top bunk with a light thud and grabbed her boots.
"Mmph," Key mumbled as a reply before pulling the sheets over her head.
Quietly Luna slipped out of the bunkroom and headed down the creaky stairs of the Bridge Lodging House. "Can't even get a decent night's sleep in me own lodgin' house," she muttered under her breath.
Outside Luna was greeted with an almost full moon. Morning was still a few more hours away, but Luna was never one to pass up seeing the moon, one of her favorite things, and a big part of the reasoning behind her own name. She marveled at how bright the moon shone and let it guide her on a path towards the docks.
These dreams are getting' worse by the day now. Somethin's wrong with me. What could all these nightmares mean?
In the distance she could hear the unmistakable sound of glass being broken. She knew it meant one thing. "Mutt! What are ya doin' out this early?!" she yelled down to the docks.
Spot Conlon aimed his slingshot at another beer bottle, letting it go with practiced ease. "Luna Morgan, what a surprise."
"Conlon what are ya doin' out so early?" Luna asked, overlooking the fact that she knew that question was going to come right back at her. Part of her wanted him to ask. Part of her wished he held the answers in the palm of his hand to her nightmares. If it were only that simple.
"Some people like to call it slingshot practice," he answered. "And by what force do I have the pleasure of your company this mornin'?" he asked.
Luna rolled her eyes. "I'm takin' a walk and I just happened to decide to come down this way. So what. It's just as much me docks as they are yours. No, strike that, I own more of 'em. Your just a mutt with a toy and some marbles."
"A likely story. Face it, you were dreamin' about me and ya just had to come find me," Spot smirked.
Luna was in no mood to play around. Heaving a sigh, she let his comment slip by her, a rarity by any means, and took a seat on the edge of the docks.
Spot frowned. He knew of almost nothing that would keep Luna from keeping up the ritual they had of teasing each other. Something had to be seriously wrong. "It's dose dreams again, ain't it?" he asked softly. Pocketing his slingshot, Spot took a seat beside his best friend.
Luna only nodded, shifting slightly on the edge of the docks.
"What happened this time?" he asked, his words coming as gently as the Brooklyn leader could manage.
"The same thing happened like every other time. There I was, someplace I ain't ever seen before, but in me dreams it was like I knew everything about it. Just like I know inside and out 'a Brooklyn, but this place ain't nowhere near the city. Don't even look like it's in America," she explained.
"Just like the rest of 'em," Spot commented. "And ya was in the same place the whole time?"
"Yeah, well for the most part. At the end all the sudden I was someplace else. I still felt like I had a job to do, like it was me duty to protect somethin', but I couldn't figure out what it was." Luna turned to face him and caught sight of his eyes. There was a burning compassion in them that she had never seen before. She yearned to know more about this side of Spot, and continued divulging her dream.
"Den I was attacked. It happened so fast. Whatever I needed to protect, the girl who attacked me had it, and wasn't about to give it up without a fight." She hung her head. "That's when I woke up, right in the middle of the fight." Her eyes trailed back to Spot's. "It was so real Conlon. I ain't never dreamt somethin' so vivid before."
Without hesitation Spot's arm was around Luna's shoulders. "Ya know wit Brooklyn right behind ya, and the Bridge and Lower Manhattan too, we ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya. Not ever." Spot lost himself in Luna's eyes. The way she looked up at him was enough to keep him captivated for an eternity. He knew Luna didn't need anyone to look out for her, and she was as tough as they came, but was relieved to see that she didn't protest his vow.
"Thanks Spot. I knew I could count on a mutt to be there for me," she smiled slightly, her eyes dancing playfully. They were locked on his. He spoke so sincere. It befuddled her, but at the same time intrigued her. They both sat in silence without even a slight movement or whisper. There were feelings there for each other that neither of them had ever accepted. Both Luna and Spot were too stubborn to find out if their attraction had any real meaning.
"I thought we was havin' slingshot practice Spot!" a dark-haired boy with icy-blue eyes grumbled in the distance. "Time's a wastin'! I aim to enjoy me day off!" While many of the newsies had chosen to sleep in on one of these rare days they didn't have to sell, Blue was anxious to get up and escape from the Newsboy life for a day. Slingshot practice by his favorite docks seemed like the best idea until he met up with Spades' Fia later.
Blinking, Spot removed his arm from Luna's shoulders, and Luna scooted several inches from him. While they were staring at each other, they hadn't noticed the sun had come up.
Spot cleared his throat. "Right. I'm comin' Blue! Go set up the bottles!" He stood up and looked down at Luna. "Ya gonna be alright?" he asked, using the same soft tone as before.
"Yeah, fine. Go on before Blue gets antsy," Luna replied. "I gotta get back to the Bridge anyhow." Standing up, Luna gave him a small smile and nodded slightly, which was the only way she could find to thank him for listening to her dream.
"Okay. See ya Luna." Spot pulled out the slingshot from his back pocket and walked towards Blue. Why was I starin' at Luna like an idiot? Shaking his head, he rummaged through his pocket and picked out a marble. "Alright Blue, watch this."
If you have ever seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you'd know there is a very interesting 'mythical' element to it. If you aren't into a bit of fantasy now and again, this fiction is going to be a stretch for you.
Also, Normally the girls would wear dresses and such, but back in 2001 it wasn't as big a deal in fiction as it is now. I've reformed, I swear.
"No!" Luna cried, awaking with a jolt. The threadbare sheet fell to the ground, leaving her shivering atop the bunk. These nightmares had been increasingly worse, each taking her on the same path, but they ended in a new place each time. It was as if each night she received a new piece of the puzzle, but she had no idea as to what the pieces constructed.
Groans were heard around the room. The newsgirls knew of Luna's sleeping habits. At first this only seemed to happen once, maybe twice a week. Now it was becoming a nightly ritual.
"Go back to sleep Luna," Key muttered from beneath her pillow. "We're all here. Nothin's gonna happen to ya," she whispered. Key and Luna were best friends and only Key knew of the details of Luna's dreams.
"I can't sleep no more," Luna sighed. She jumped down from her top bunk with a light thud and grabbed her boots.
"Mmph," Key mumbled as a reply before pulling the sheets over her head.
Quietly Luna slipped out of the bunkroom and headed down the creaky stairs of the Bridge Lodging House. "Can't even get a decent night's sleep in me own lodgin' house," she muttered under her breath.
Outside Luna was greeted with an almost full moon. Morning was still a few more hours away, but Luna was never one to pass up seeing the moon, one of her favorite things, and a big part of the reasoning behind her own name. She marveled at how bright the moon shone and let it guide her on a path towards the docks.
These dreams are getting' worse by the day now. Somethin's wrong with me. What could all these nightmares mean?
In the distance she could hear the unmistakable sound of glass being broken. She knew it meant one thing. "Mutt! What are ya doin' out this early?!" she yelled down to the docks.
Spot Conlon aimed his slingshot at another beer bottle, letting it go with practiced ease. "Luna Morgan, what a surprise."
"Conlon what are ya doin' out so early?" Luna asked, overlooking the fact that she knew that question was going to come right back at her. Part of her wanted him to ask. Part of her wished he held the answers in the palm of his hand to her nightmares. If it were only that simple.
"Some people like to call it slingshot practice," he answered. "And by what force do I have the pleasure of your company this mornin'?" he asked.
Luna rolled her eyes. "I'm takin' a walk and I just happened to decide to come down this way. So what. It's just as much me docks as they are yours. No, strike that, I own more of 'em. Your just a mutt with a toy and some marbles."
"A likely story. Face it, you were dreamin' about me and ya just had to come find me," Spot smirked.
Luna was in no mood to play around. Heaving a sigh, she let his comment slip by her, a rarity by any means, and took a seat on the edge of the docks.
Spot frowned. He knew of almost nothing that would keep Luna from keeping up the ritual they had of teasing each other. Something had to be seriously wrong. "It's dose dreams again, ain't it?" he asked softly. Pocketing his slingshot, Spot took a seat beside his best friend.
Luna only nodded, shifting slightly on the edge of the docks.
"What happened this time?" he asked, his words coming as gently as the Brooklyn leader could manage.
"The same thing happened like every other time. There I was, someplace I ain't ever seen before, but in me dreams it was like I knew everything about it. Just like I know inside and out 'a Brooklyn, but this place ain't nowhere near the city. Don't even look like it's in America," she explained.
"Just like the rest of 'em," Spot commented. "And ya was in the same place the whole time?"
"Yeah, well for the most part. At the end all the sudden I was someplace else. I still felt like I had a job to do, like it was me duty to protect somethin', but I couldn't figure out what it was." Luna turned to face him and caught sight of his eyes. There was a burning compassion in them that she had never seen before. She yearned to know more about this side of Spot, and continued divulging her dream.
"Den I was attacked. It happened so fast. Whatever I needed to protect, the girl who attacked me had it, and wasn't about to give it up without a fight." She hung her head. "That's when I woke up, right in the middle of the fight." Her eyes trailed back to Spot's. "It was so real Conlon. I ain't never dreamt somethin' so vivid before."
Without hesitation Spot's arm was around Luna's shoulders. "Ya know wit Brooklyn right behind ya, and the Bridge and Lower Manhattan too, we ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya. Not ever." Spot lost himself in Luna's eyes. The way she looked up at him was enough to keep him captivated for an eternity. He knew Luna didn't need anyone to look out for her, and she was as tough as they came, but was relieved to see that she didn't protest his vow.
"Thanks Spot. I knew I could count on a mutt to be there for me," she smiled slightly, her eyes dancing playfully. They were locked on his. He spoke so sincere. It befuddled her, but at the same time intrigued her. They both sat in silence without even a slight movement or whisper. There were feelings there for each other that neither of them had ever accepted. Both Luna and Spot were too stubborn to find out if their attraction had any real meaning.
"I thought we was havin' slingshot practice Spot!" a dark-haired boy with icy-blue eyes grumbled in the distance. "Time's a wastin'! I aim to enjoy me day off!" While many of the newsies had chosen to sleep in on one of these rare days they didn't have to sell, Blue was anxious to get up and escape from the Newsboy life for a day. Slingshot practice by his favorite docks seemed like the best idea until he met up with Spades' Fia later.
Blinking, Spot removed his arm from Luna's shoulders, and Luna scooted several inches from him. While they were staring at each other, they hadn't noticed the sun had come up.
Spot cleared his throat. "Right. I'm comin' Blue! Go set up the bottles!" He stood up and looked down at Luna. "Ya gonna be alright?" he asked, using the same soft tone as before.
"Yeah, fine. Go on before Blue gets antsy," Luna replied. "I gotta get back to the Bridge anyhow." Standing up, Luna gave him a small smile and nodded slightly, which was the only way she could find to thank him for listening to her dream.
"Okay. See ya Luna." Spot pulled out the slingshot from his back pocket and walked towards Blue. Why was I starin' at Luna like an idiot? Shaking his head, he rummaged through his pocket and picked out a marble. "Alright Blue, watch this."