Heya newsie fans! This is my first story so excuse all the cheesy mushy stuff. I'm just learning how this whole fanfiction.net-uploading-until-two-in-the-morning-and-screaming-when-your-computer-crashes' thing works. So enjoy...hopefully...and review!

Prologue
There was something about Central Park that reminded Evie of her grandfather's farm in upstate New York. The memories were vague though because she hadn't visited the place since she was five. It had been around that time when Papa was promoted and the Cummings had been labeled new money among the world of high society folk. Suddenly, farms weren't appropriate anymore.
Mr. Winthrop apparently hadn't been told the rules and as he led the three Cummings through the park Evie decided to give him another chance. Initially she'd thought him a fool for believing Papa's lie about why the Cummings had decided to visit New York that summer. A family man as much as he was a businessman, Mr. Winthrop had been instantly impressed by Papa's decision to extend his business trip to a weeklong family vacation. Evie knew better, having been locked safely inside of the savvy hotel for the past four days, but remained silent walking hand in hand with her younger brother Brody and hoping that the tour would last the whole afternoon. She had been yearning for some fresh air.
Mr. Winthrop led the way followed by Papa and his ridiculous walking stick. Evie dragged Brody along, letting him linger in certain spots. She'd stopped trying to listen to Mr. Winthrop's random explanations of what plant this was and what insect that was, deciding to enjoy the scenery in her own way and focus on her footing. As the group came to a clearing, Evie cringed at the sound of fabric ripping. She turned around slowly, so that no more damage was done and saw the foot long piece of material that had been ripped from the bottom of her dress. It was a ridiculous dress and she'd fought having to wear it that morning. Evie hated it because it was made of scratchy material, too hot for a summer dress and not appropriate for trekking through Central Park in. Mama hated it because it had been a hand me down from Mrs. Winthrop's eldest daughter. The Cummings no longer needed hand me downs and it was an insult for Mrs. Winthrop to even offer. But she had been forced to wear it, because no matter how rude and patronizing Mrs. Winthrop acted towards her family, Mama refused to let Evie stoop to the level of Mrs. Winthrop.
Evie recovered from her pause and moved to catch up with the rest of the group. The clearing they now stopped in was not where they had left Mama and the carriage. Instead of the line of parked carriages along the side of the road and the small bustle of the brave upper crust moving around the grass there was an open baseball field, occupied by a large group of boys. Mr. Winthrop called them and Evie remembered the word as referring to the boys who had tried to sell them newspaper earlier.
Now the group seemed to be involved in a heated baseball game. The four outsiders stood in what Evie would have known was the outfield if she'd ever been taught the marvelous American pastime. Mr. Winthrop and Papa lighted cigars they'd hid in their suit coats and began to talk business while Evie and Brody were allowed a little more room to wander. Watching the game intently, Brody was ready for the long fly ball that rolled into the woods a little ways away. Casting a glance at his father and realizing he had been forgotten for the moment, the boy rushed into the woods to fetch the ball. As the batter rounded the bases, the newsies waited as patiently as they could for their only baseball to be returned. Evie settled on the ground and focused on the spider crawling on her shoelace. It was quite an ugly creature and one she enjoyed teasing, easily loosing her sense of time in the exercise. She let her victim go when the yelling newsies began to distract her. Close enough to hear actual conversations, Evie listened to one of the boys yelling to a group closer to the woods.
Hey Jack, go on and check for the ball would ya. That kids been takin' his sweet time and we have ta finish before suppa! One boy separated from the group and ran into the same woods Brody had ventured into earlier.
Having no type of watch, Evie turned to her father to ask what time it was and how long Brody had been gone. With Mr. Winthrop's back to her, she caught her father's eye and began to ask her question. But she was silenced with a look that informed her important information was being discussed at the moment. She sighed and rerouted herself in the direction of the woods. Slowly, thoughts began to enter her head. Maybe Brody had gotten sidetracked by a squirrel, or had merely wandered too far and couldn't find the ball. She entered the woods slowly, picking up the edge of her dress so that no more of it caught on the branches and slowed her down. There was an obvious path and so she followed the footsteps leisurely until she heard a strange noise. It sounded as if someone were hitting one of the large surrounding trees with a stick.
Suddenly the thoughts racing through her head became slightly more frightened. Maybe Brody had fallen and twisted his ankle, maybe he was lost. She moved through the trees quicker, using her hands to bat at the branches. She stopped when she heard the strange sound again and moved behind the closest tree. Peering around the edge she gasped at the site of a grown man striking a boy with what seemed to be a fallen tree branch. The same horrible sound was heard and she almost cried out loud. The boy was too old to be Brody and her eyes searched the surrounding area for her brother. There, on the furthest side of the small clearing from where Evie was standing, was a frightened looking Brody, blood dripping from a cut above his eye.
The attacker cried in pain, drawing Evie's attention again. The boy had managed to grab a rock, smashing it into the man's skull. The two moved in a disoriented manner, grabbing at body parts and wrestling with their weapons. Evie recognized the boy as Jack, the newsie who had been sent to look for the baseball when Brody had not returned with it. Now Jack seemed to be defending Brody, striking the attacked in the stomach when he tried to reach for Brody and flee.
Breathing heavily, Evie turned and moved as quickly through the woods as she could, hoping that this Jack could detain the man until Papa and Mr. Winthrop could help. She reentered the clearing and screamed for her father, drawing the attention of the group of boys playing baseball. Papa and Mr. Winthrop came running and so did some of the boys. Mr. Cummings ordered when Evie began to follow the group into the woods. Stay here.
Evie did as she was told, looking around wildly for anyone else who could help. Frantically, she grabbed at the nearest newsie. Please, go get the police. The boy nodded, agreeing with her quick thinking and ran in the opposite direction. Many spectators began to stop and watch the scene as one boy exited the woods, yelling to his friends that Jack was in trouble. Soon the police arrived, and among the commotion, Evie slipped back into the woods. She reached the clearing and hurried to where Papa and Mr. Winthrop were crowded around Brody. Looking up she noticed the attacker hopelessly trying to escape the group of newsies and police that were chasing him. And standing all alone, watching the figure disappear through the woods was Jack.
Amongst all the chaos it struck Evie as odd that he would stand so still. But as she watched him turn she noticed how pale his face was, how battered he looked, and most importantly, how much blood seemed to be on his clothes, face and hands. He slowly began to fall and Evie rushed to his side, sinking to the earth as the dead weight of him became too much. She maneuvered her body so that his torso and shoulders were leaning up against her chest. One arm around the back of him, she tried to get his attention but his eyes refused to stay open all the way. He slipped further towards the ground so that his shoulder and head rest into her lap. Please Jack, she whispered, scanning his face for even the slightest sign of life, You'll be alright. He seemed to smile then and relax against her, his head becoming totally limp and his eyes closing.
Evie cried, cradling her brother's hero in her arms, this boy is hurt too.