Seven and Skittery

By Seven of Nine Reynolds

Author's Note: This story was originally written by me in 1998 and published in 1999. After a break from writing Newsies fanfic and graduating college, I got bored and rewrote it. The original story was 20 pages long. This version is four times longer with characters removed and new ones added; all original. For those of you who have been around long enough to remember the original, most of the story has changed, so re-read it and see what is like. And to you who will be reading this for the first time, enjoy! And please leave me feedback!

Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife.

This was probably a bad idea. I was on my way to Manhattan, New York, to visit my Aunt Esther's family in the lower East Side. I would have come with my twin brother, Laurie, but he caught typhoid along with half the town. Thankfully, it was mild strain that didn't have much of a death toll thus far, but my being the youngest daughter of nine kids and two younger brothers who had already had the disease, I had to be sent away.

For some reason, as I was being escorted to the train station by my friend Allie and her husband, we both had the idea to make this an adventure that would scandalize my parents if they knew. Twelfth Night was my favorite Shakespearean play and Viola my favorite heroine. With little urging from Allie, I disguised myself as a boy and boarded the train alone and unchaperoned. Allie and Greg decided to spend some time away for themselves to avoid any suspicion from my family.

I sighed as I adjusted in my seat for the umpteenth time and continued reading Twelfth Night. At this point in my life, I could probably perform every part since I knew every line. I had even made notes about the subtext in the dialogue. Still, as I read it, it filled me with warmth.

And mischief.

Viola came across Orsino dressed as Cesario, so why couldn't I come across a man in the same way? Provided there was no Olivia involved, it would be so romantic! I sighed again, dismissing the idea, and continued to read.

Several hours passed before the train finally reached Manhattan. I stepped off the train and inhaled the stale, smoggy air. There was a rustic touch to this city that appealed to me. Shifting my pack on my back, I tried to walk with bigger steps so that my girlish gait would not betray me.

It was late, and I was surprised that my cousin David wasn't here at the platform. I looked around for a few minutes and realized my train was early by nearly an hour. I spotted a porter nearby and went to him.

I nodded to him after he unloaded a bag to another disembarking passenger. "Excuse me, could you help me?"

The porter smiled and spoke in broken English. "Yes. I help."

"Can you tell me how to get to Highland street?"

"Yes, yes! Highland street near my place of live."

He proceeded to give me directions. I tipped him for his time and went on by myself. Though I was a little nervous, my sense of adventure was stronger. I was walking by myself in New York! Oh, how Allie would laugh!

Unfortunately, it was also late.

The sun had set not too long ago and the streets were dark. The streetlights were lit but provided only a dim amount of light to walk by. I shifted my bag on my shoulder, determined to reach my Aunt's house as soon as possible. If I remembered correctly, it wasn't Aunt Esther who would be most worried about me, but my cousin, David.

Being part of a large family, my parents couldn't afford to take us all to one place at a time, so it was often up to the rest of our extended family to visit us. Oh, the gatherings we would have! Mama was reputed as one of the best cooks in the county and would provide a feast that could not only feed our family but the rest of the town as well. As the adults conversed, the children would play. David was closer to Laurie's and my age, so he often played with us.

David was nice, but he was also stiff. While Laurie and I were content with being mischievous in playing harmless pranks on the younger kids and doing goofy stunts, David would often hang back and not involve himself. In fact, he would often protest and say that what we were doing was crazy, or even dangerous.

Once, when we were about eleven years old, Laurie was off with our older brothers and their friends and David stuck around with me. I wanted to join my brothers, since they loved to include me in their shenanigans, but I felt sorry for David because he was alone. Aunt Esther, had her hands full watching baby Les, and his sister, Sarah, was off with the other girls. So I let David hang out with me.

I tried to help him shed his stiff exterior by having him try mildly fun stunts, but that didn't last long. The first and only stunt we tried was walking across the white fence around the house. He slipped, but instead of falling completely off the fence, he fell straight down with the fence coming up directly between his legs.

I shuddered briefly as I remembered how he reacted to that accident, and offered a quick prayer that he would still be able to reproduce. After that fateful day, he would watch me from a safe distance whenever I wanted to do something that he considered too risky. There were many close calls, but I was never hurt. Still, he felt some weird need to make sure I wouldn't be injured doing something crazy.

Well, David wasn't going to spoil this fun I was having. Odds were I was going to bump into him at some point soon so I decided to just enjoy this adventure while it still lasted.

A sudden clamor caught my attention as I passed a saloon. A young man, not much older than myself, was thrown out the swinging doors onto the cobblestone street, laughing inanely. It was obvious he was drunk. I kept walking and felt relief when another young man, also close to my age and with a handsome face, appeared from nowhere and pulled him to his feet. The drunken man, now agitated, shook off his friend when he stood on his wobbly feet. Intrigued, I went to the closest building and hid behind it so I could watch. I was certain neither man could see me.

"Stretch," the friend said, "this's the second time you've gotten yourself drunk in the last week. Ya can't afford to live like this!"

"You ain't my mother!" Stretch staggered off to his left, trying to regain his balance. "I'll make it up when I sell my papes tomorrow."

"That ain't good enough." his friend grabbed him by the elbow in attempt to steady him. "You're drinkin' way too much, and if you don't quit pretty soon, Rascal's gonna find you out and kick you out." His tone gentled. "I'm your friend, you know that. Now let's head back to the lodgin' house before Rascal knows we're gone."

"No!" Stretch violently yanked his arm out from his friend's grasp, then reached into his pocket and yanked out a shiny object. I wasn't streetwise, but it looked like a knife. "You jus' stay away from me an' let me live my life!"

The friend raised his hands in compliance. "Stretch, put that thing away. You ain't thinking straight."

"I'm thinkin' just fine! Now stay back!" He began to walk backward back toward the saloon, but his friend was undeterred.

"You jus' got thrown out of there! You really think they'll let you back in?"

"I still got some coins on me!" He clutched the blade tighter and held it out closer to his friend.

"I ain't gonna bail you out of these situations anymore, is that what you want?"

"Yeah!" Stretch began to stagger again, and fell to the ground on his backside.

Non-threateningly, his friend came to his side and attempted to help him to his feet. It looked like Stretch was about to pass out as he slumped, but he suddenly straightened.

And then he thrust the knife into his friend.

A scream was trying to break through my lips, but it took all my willpower to hold it back. I covered my mouth with both of my hands as the friend went limp, and Stretch jammed the knife into him again before letting him drop to the ground and running off-balance into the shadows.

All common sense gone, I rushed to the young man, my hat falling off in the process. I dropped to my knees and threw my bag aside as I checked his wounds. Both wounds had been directly into his chest and were bleeding heavily; this man was not going to live for much longer.

"I'm sorry." Blood oozed from his mouth as he gasped for breath and writhed in agony. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

I grasped his hand and tried to say something, but no words would come. There was nothing I could say that wasn't already completely obvious. I finally managed to choke out the words, "I'm sorry."

The man turned his head toward my voice. A small smile tugged at the sides of his mouth as he looked at my face. He suddenly reached up with his other hand, touching a tendril of my hair.

"Are you an angel?"

I smiled gently. "I wish."

"Don't." His hand left my hair and clutched my hand with what strength he had left. "You're my angel right now." He inhaled raggedly, struggling for air. "Will you…tell him I'm…sorry?"

This man was dying and I didn't know him, how was I supposed to know who "he" was? Still, this was his dying wish, so I nodded eagerly. "I promise I will, if you'll tell me who he is."

He heaved heavy gasps, intent on saying this man's name. Then he swallowed and his gasps became hisses. I could tell he was trying to tell me who by how deeply and crucially he stared into my eyes, but he had no energy left. He finally released a shuddering sigh and relaxed. His eyes were still open, still gazing deeply into my own with that imperative message that he hadn't had enough time to convey. It was then that I started to cry. Before I stood, I closed his eyelids. I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed my hat and bag and fled.

I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get away. Even running, I felt like my heart was going to burst. I had just witnessed a murder!

I collided with another person. Shrieking, I tried to run away, but the person I'd collided with suddenly grabbed my arm. I was about to call for help until the person spoke.

"Laura?" It was David.

I was so relieved, I dropped my bag and threw my arms around him and sobbed. He was stunned at first, then wrapped his arms around me in a soft embrace.

"I didn't think you could cry. What are you doing here all by yourself?"

I tried to speak, but was now hiccupping and struggling to breathe. David pulled away from me and took a look at my face, seeing just how upset I was. Without another word, he gently took my arm and led me down the street.

"It's gonna be okay, Laura. Just come with me, you need to settle down."

I grasped his hands as he walked me to a building several blocks from there with a sign over the door that said "Newsboys Lodging House." He opened the door, and a small old man wearing rounded spectacles looked up from a ledger of the desk.

"Kloppman, I need some water. I ran into my cousin and she's in some kind of shock or something."

The old man, Kloppman, nodded without a word and went to a back room. David brought me to a bench and had me sit down. He looked at the boy clothes I was wearing, then hard in my face.

"Why are you here all by yourself?"

I began to blubber all over again. Kloppman came back and handed me a small tin cup of water which I guzzled completely once I had it. I handed the cup back to him, then spilled my entire story to David. He listened attentively, but was clearly not happy with my being alone, especially after telling him what I had just witnessed. I didn't include the stranger's dying wish.

"You were always far too reckless for your own good." David shook his head to me. "I hope this means you won't be getting into as much trouble as you usually do."

"I was just trying to make my life exciting, Dave! It's something you should try someday!" I wiped my nose on the sleeve of my coat.

"Put your hat on." He handed it to me, and I quickly shoved my hair up into it. "After all you've been through, I want to get you home to my family, but I don't think you're in any state to be back on that street, even with me at your side."

"She can stay here for the night." Kloppman offered gently. "If she keeps that hat on, the boys won't know she's a girl. You can introduce her as her brother, then take her home tomorrow. Surely you trust your friends enough to let her stay here for one night."

I looked to David, suddenly afraid. Me, stay here with a number of boys? David had written me about his friends, these newsies, and the strike they had formed a few weeks back. I had wanted to meet them, but staying a night with them? I was never more aware of the fact that I would be only girl with a number of men.

"I don't know, Kloppman. She's in no state to go anywhere right now, but it's not proper for her to be here."

"If you have any better ideas, I'm open to hearing them."

David exhaled through his nose, and looked at me. I looked back, offering no thoughts on the matter. I couldn't even think clearly right now, let alone make any decisions.

"She'll stay here." He finally said. "I'll tell my parents that her train is delayed till the morning. I'll take her home then."

Kloppman put a gentle, reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You'll be just fine, honey. The boys won't hurt you. You'll like them."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Something sparked in David's eyes as he said that. I had a feeling he was referring to something that I hadn't even considered.

He hefted my bag and led me up the nearby stairs to what I assumed was the sleeping quarters. He opened the door and I saw a large, dormitory-like room with multiple bunk beds. There were young men and boys all about, talking, playing card games, and some even sleeping. The youngest looked to be somewhere around ten and the oldest probably eighteen or nineteen. Some of these boys were lounging around wearing only their underwear. The room smelled like feet.

A young man with a red bandana tied around his neck came toward us immediately. I assumed he was Jack, the leader of these boys, and he met David with a warm hug.

"Heya, Dave!" He looked down at me. "This the cousin you told us 'bout?"

David nodded. "Sure is. Laurie's had a rough trip and can't make it home with me tonight, so since we were near here I thought he could stay here the night."

"Sure thing!" He slapped David on the back, then turned to me. "Ya doin' okay?"

I nodded and lowered my voice. "Just had a weird feeling as I was walking here. Not feeling too good."

"Then let's find ya a bunk." He took my bag from Dave and thrust a hand to me. "Name's Kelly. Jack Kelly, but you can call me Cowboy."

I shook his hand and felt myself relax a bit. "I'm Laurie, but…you can call me Seven. That's what my brothers call me."

Jack led me to an empty bunk nearby and introduced me to all the newsies around. Some used their first names, while most had strange nicknames, like Itey and Bumlets. I vaguely recalled a few of the names that David had mentioned before in his letters. They all seemed warm and friendly though, and I began to enjoy the atmosphere here.

"…And the guy who's in the bed above yours is Skittery."

Jack gestured to this young man as he jumped off his top bunk and I found myself staring. Dressed in only his pink underwear and trousers hanging by one faded blue suspender, he wore a brown hat over his unruly brown hair. He had the most beautiful brown eyes and smile I had ever seen. Was the room suddenly spinning? I felt as though I was going to melt.

"Nice to meet ya, Seven." His voice reminded me of butterscotch.

I swallowed and managed a quaint "hi." Why was he looking at me like that? Could he tell I wasn't a boy? My hand was itching to yank that hat from my head, but a disgruntled snort from David shot me back to reality.

"Seven, I should head back now. I need to talk to you before we go."

I looked back at Skittery and dropped my bag on the bunk below his. "Be right back."

He flashed me a killer grin and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly followed after David who didn't stop walking until he was back in the lobby. He was clearly irritated now.

"I think I should take you home after all."

I frowned. "Why? You're the one who said I'm in no state to go anywhere now."

"This is a mistake. You'll be found out before morning."

"I will not! Haven't you forgotten that I'm always the only girl with the guys?"

He folded his arms over his chest. "I highly doubt you've been moved by any of those guys before."

My face went hot and I bit my lower lip. "Dave, I'm emotional right now. I'll be fine once this adrenaline rush wears down and sleep off what I just saw. I'll be fine."

He was unconvinced. "I'd have to be blind to not see what just happened between you and Skittery."

"You're overreacting. And you're the one who trusts your friends." I suddenly smiled thoughtfully. "I remember you talking about him once, in your letters about the strike. You said that the newsies were arrested during a raid on the rally you guys held, and four guys came to your side to keep you from getting carried off by a cop. Skittery was one of them, wasn't he?"

At last, he was beginning to withdraw. His arms went to his sides. "What were the names of the other three who came to my side?"

Damn. He got me there. "I don't remember. But I remember the name Skittery. He obviously has respect for you if he thought that you were important enough to keep you from being carted off with the rest. Don't you think he'll extend you the same courtesy if he suspects that I'm a girl?"

He paused, and I could read the look on his face that he was seriously considering what I just said. He sighed heavily, then put his hands on his shoulders. "Don't do anything stupid."

I made a face. "It's my nature."

"You know what I mean. If mama hears about this, she'll try to lock you up in a convent."

"I won't do anything stupid." I crossed my finger over my heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die. I will not reveal myself as a girl, nor will I try to ravish any of your friends." I laughed, but my humor was lost on David.

He searched my eyes, then hugged me and said his goodbyes to Kloppman. I waited for him to leave, and when he was gone I went back up the stairs. Jack was there at the door when I came back.

"So how are you?" He draped his arm across my shoulders. "You feelin' okay? Dave was kinda sketchy on the details."

"I…just wasn't feeling very good as I was coming here. I should…probably try to get some sleep."

"Alright. Get some rest." He led me to my bunk. "Th' guys are a little rowdy, but any minute now Kloppman's gonna tell us t' turn out the lights. If you're still feelin' sick tomorrow, let me know, 'kay?"

I nodded. "I will."

"Yeah, let me know." Skittery said from his perch on the top bunk. "If you're sick, I should probably be the first to know about it."

Keep it together, girl. I inhaled carefully to regain composure. "I'm sure I'm fine." I pulled my coat and vest off, removed my shoes, and lay down on my bunk. Then Skittery hung down from the side of his bunk, staring at me upside-down.

"You're gonna swelter like that."

I turned to him. "Excuse me?"

"You're still all dressed up like that. With all th' guys in here, it stays pretty hot. Most of us just strip down to our underwear so we can stay cool."

I shivered despite the fact that I was probably already hotter than anyone else in the room right now, especially with how Skittery was looking at me. "I'll be okay."

Grinning widely, Skittery grasped the side of his bunk and allowed himself to slide down to the floor. He unlatched the one suspender attached to his pants and let them drop to the floor. He picked them up and hung them up on his bunk, then took his hat off and hung that up as well.

Did any of the other guys in here notice how uncomfortable I was? I certainly hoped not.

"Trust me on this one." He leaned against the side of the bunk. "Fall might be right 'round the corner, but it still gets real hot in here. If you ain't feelin' good, heat's probably not good for ya. An' your face is all red."

Stupid hormones! I wasn't wearing men's underwear like the majority of these boys, I had on actual ladies underwear minus the corset so I could tie myself down and hide my girlish figure. Not that there was much of a girlish figure there, but there was enough to show that my frame wasn't like anyone else's in this room!

"I'll be just fine, Skittery. Thank you for your concern."

Again, he smiled at me. And then, he started unbuttoning the top buttons of his underwear! I obviously wasn't hiding my shock well because he seemed to be enjoying my expression. He chuckled softly and stopped midway down his torso and then slipped his arms out of the sleeves, revealing his bare chest as he tied the sleeves around his waist.

Lord Above, if he wasn't convinced that I was a girl by now, he'd have had to have been blind, especially if he could see how I was ogling his body. His smooth chest and stomach were perfectly chiseled. I wondered what it would be like to run my hands across his chest.

"Well, for all it's worth, sleep well." Skittery grabbed hold of the top bunk and heaved himself up. No wonder his arms were just as cut as his torso. "Hope ya feel better."

"Thanks." I muttered as I rolled onto my side. "Goodnight."

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the exhaustion that was replacing the adrenaline, but all I could see was Skittery's smile. And his chest.

Perhaps this time, my adventure had gone too far.