Chapter One :: Routines

Maggie Conlon had a rather long list of things that she hated. The first thing she hated was injustice, the second sexist pigs, skirts, dresses, and anything girly came in at number three, and number four (which was closely related to three) was being girly. The fifth thing that Maggie hated was morning.

Morning was bright, morning was in your face, and morning was the beginning of a long day full of work. There was nothing enjoyable about it. And it wasn't like she could just avoid the morning, either. Morning was inevitable and inescapable. She had to wake up early, with the sun to get ready and go to work. People needed their newspaper and she needed their money.

But that didn't stop Maggie from lying in bed an extra few minutes to contemplate just what was in it for her if she got up. Of course there was always money, a hard day's work for an honest pay. In the long run, she always got out of bed, got dressed and went to work. But each morning, she imagined the day she could have if she didn't spend all of it peddling papers to those better off than her. It didn't seem fair, but then again, when was life ever fair?

Every day was the same routine. Get up, think about not going to work, get out of bed, meet Clouds to talk about his dreams, wash her face and brush her teeth and her hair, get dressed, then meet Cricket and talk about their upcoming selling route of the day as they walked to the circulation office together. She would then pay her 4 bits, get a hundred papers and spend the rest of the day selling them all with Cricket. It was the general life of a Newsie, and while it wasn't fair, it was hers.

However, one day was different. One day, a slight change to the routine set in motion a course of events that would change the life of Maggie Conlon forever.

It started the same as any other day. Most special, life changing days do. Maggie woke up to the same old bird singing it's song outside of her window. Her eyes protested to her will for them to open. Eventually they gave in, slowly opening to reveal the sight of wooden beams over her head. The thoughts came to her then. "What would happen if I went back to sleep?" she thought, to herself. "If I pretended to be sick, waited for everyone to leave, and then had the whole day to relax and do whatever I wanted. Wouldn't have to deal with Tanzler or any of those other punks." She sighed. She knew it would be enjoyable for an hour, but the whole day she'd be plagued with thoughts about money, and how she would need to work twice as hard to earn twice as much tomorrow. Maggie sat up and swung her legs over the edge of her top bunk. "Goodbye, relaxation." She thought and jumped down.

Her dirty blonde hair flew behind her and bounced a little as she landed, perfectly. She walked down the length of the bunk and followed the stream of Newsies into the bathroom, pushing her way to a free sink. She was wetting a towel as Clouds came up to her left. "Heya Mags, how'd you sleep?" he asked. Maggie wiped her face off with a towel before she answered.

"As good as any nigh', I guess." Maggie said, picking up a hair brush and running it through her hair. "Any dreams, las' night?"

"I was flyin' again. Over the city. I was higher than everyone and could see everythin'. I wen' ova Brooklyn foist. You were fightin' with some goons. Spot was orderin' a buncha boys around. Babble was talkin' this guy's socks off and tha' guy was takin' pictures. Then I wen' ova ta Manhattan. Cowboy was there. He was sellin' papes wit' some o' his Newsies. But then, I wen' ta Da World buildin'. Old Man Pulitzer was there, over lookin' his city. He saw me up in the sky, and I waved at him. Ya know what he did? He nodded ta me. Acknowledged my existence. It felt good." He looked proud of himself.

"You're such a sap." Maggie snorted. She knew it was mean, but people listening in expected to hear something mean from her. She couldn't let on how fascinated she was with the dream. Maybe she'd tell him later if she could remember.

"Well, did you have any dreams?" he asked. He wasn't offended. Clouds knew better than to take her insults personally.

"I nevah do. Always sleep like a rock." Another lie. Maggie rarely didn't have any dreams. She always dreamt about her past. About her mother, about Spot and the other Newsies. She had dreams about her friends leaving her. And her dreams never faded. They stayed with her throughout the day, as vivid as they were when she dreamt them. She began to brush her teeth.

"Somethin' must be wrong wit' your head then. Everyone has dreams." He said. Maggie continued brushing her teeth for a minute, before spitting out the toothpaste.

"Well, I don't." she said simply walking away from the sink. He sighed and shook his head before continuing with his morning routine. He never stopped questioning her about her dreams.

"Maybe I should give him some fake one. That way he gets his dream, and I get my privacy." Maggie considered. She'd develop the thought later, after work. Quickly she slipped on her clothes, and as she put on her hat, Cricket came to her side. Cricket was Maggie's best friend for four years. Almost immediately after he joined, she had taken a liking to him and accepted him as a friend and part of the rest of the Newsies. She was able to share everything with him. Just about.

"Ya ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go." Maggie said, walking down the steps and out the door with him not too far behind. "D'you know where me bruddah is? Haven't seen him all mornin'." Maggie asked.

"Saw Spot leave while everyone else was getting' ready. Don' think he slept last night." Yes. Spot Conlon was Maggie's brother. Not really, they weren't blood related, but he had taken her into the Newsies. He had saved her after she had been abandoned. He taught her to fight and stand up for herself, and helped her become one of the most feared and respected Newsies in Brooklyn. She shrugged and continued the walk, hearing the circulation bell ringing.

"Bettah hurry up. Where d'ya wanna sell taday?" she asked

"Don' know. Thinkin' about leavin' the usual spot. We sold there for the past three days."

"Sounds good ta me." They reached the office, where only a few Newsies. She pushed herself in front of them, Cricket trailing behind. A few boys gave her glares, which she responded to by narrowing her eyes. She'd like to see them try and mess with her. Spot sat at the front of the line, and Maggie scooched ahead of him.

"Heya Spot." She said smoothly. Her brother turned to look at her. The expression on his face was one of cool anger.

"They raised the price." He said.