This is written for Circulation 3 of the Newsies Pape SellingCompetition. My task is writing about Blink and Mush at the beach, and my prompts are Camera and Blue. The Word Count for this chapter is 2,324.

I (unfortunately) don't own Newsies.

"Smile!" Mush kicked at Blink with his foot, for his hands were full from his new camera. Well, not really new. It was a little old, a bit beat up, but really cheap.

Blink rolled over, away from Mush, groaning the whole time. That didn't push the smile off of Mush's face as he kicked him again. "Come on, we gotta get going, or it'll be too hot!" He juggled with the camera to get into one hand, and then he ripped the blankets off of his best friend's bed.

"No..." Blink sat up slowly, half-heartedly kicked at Mush, but got up none the less. "Why d'ya still carry that thing around? You ran out of film las' week." Blink washed his face as Mush sat on the bed. All the other boys had long since left, leaving the two to sleep on their self-proclaimed "day-off".

The sun was already streaming through the window, even though it was only 7 in the morning. "We're wasting daylight, hurry up!" Mush threw Blink's boots at him, and they were barely caught.

"Careful! Stay away from the face." Blink warned, but laughed at the same time.

"Why? You afraid I'll mess it up even more?" Only Mush could get away with a joke like that unscathed. Anyone else would get a fist right to the throat. Or to the gut. Whichever worked. So Kid Blink settled with just shoving Mush's hat down past his eyes to his nose, leaving his smile the only thing visible.

Blink headed down the stairs, with Mush right beside him, threading the camera strap around his neck so that he could let it hang.

"So, why did we decide to go to the beach on a Wednesday?" Blink asked as they headed southeast.

"Ain't it obvious?" Mush paused, but continued after Blink's stare answered that it was indeed, not obvious. "No one goes anywhere special on a Wednesday, people is jus' tryin' ta get through da week." Mush laughed. "There won't be no body dere. We gets it all to ourselves." He spread his arms wide out while his smile lit up the street even more than the sun ever could.

The blond shook his head and laughed gently as Mush inspected his camera. It was a rectangular, gray, box with the lens in the middle of one of the largest sides. It had many buttons and knobs on the sides that Mush was determined to figure out what each one did. Well, he had to get more film first. Gosh, that stuff was expensive.

"Why did you get dat piece of junk anyways?" Blink asked as Mush turned some knobs, and shook the camera.

"Blink, I am surprised! This ain't no junk! Dis is an authentic tool of the arts." He brushed non-existent dust from the box.

"On'y you could say dat, Mush." Blink put his head in his hand, not even bringing up that his question was left unanswered.

The two arrived at their destination. And Mush was right; there was barely anyone near them. As they walked through the sand, Blink was dragging his feet through, making long grooves next to Mush's light steps. They both kicked off their shoes and put their socks inside them. "I don't want anyone takin' dis." Mush put his camera next to a rock and placed his shoes on top of it.

"I don't t'ink you 'ave ta worry." Blink joked.

"Ay!" Mush gently brushed the camera strap out of sight underneath the shoe, and then turned to kick sand at Blink, who dodged and ran towards the bright blue surf underneath the identically blue sky, where there was only one cloud in the sky. "Go away!" Mush shooed the cloud. It didn't move.

Blink looked up towards that cloud, and then towards the horizon. "Ha, it's from Brooklyn. Probably Spot's." Mush laughed and smacked him on the arm.

"Don't let 'im 'ere you say dat," Mush snickered towards the cloud, "he got boirds everywhere." He whispered mysteriously.

"Even on an empty beach? Man, Mush, you do 'ave your 'ead in da sand."

"No, I don't! You do!" Mush tackled Blink to the ground. The best friends bickered for about five more minutes.

The sun rose quickly in the sky and hung, as if nailed there. That one cloud had disappeared, to no one's notice.

It was getting too hot. "Whose idea was dis again?" Blink took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Oh yeah, youse." He slammed his hat back on, trying to block out a few persistent rays.

Mush rolled his pants up to his knees and ran into the water. "Come on, den!"

Blink looked on. "You know I don't swim, Mush!" He stayed sitting on the hot sand.

"Blinkie, you don't have to swim, just stand there." Mush whined. "I won't let anyt'ing 'appen to ya." He extended a hand towards Blink, and beckoned him closer.

With a huff, Blink stood up, rolled his pants up after dusting them off, and stomped towards the water.

The water lapped at his feet, cold in between his toes. He looked from his friend down to his enemy. Even though Blink never told anyone why he would never go in any water, Mush had guessed without saying so, but he never talked to anyone about it.

Mush had gone ahead, knee deep water, climbing onto rocks sticking out of the bay. He sat on one, fingers tight on the slick rock.

"Something touched me!" Blink screamed when he was halfway to Mush. His face scrunched up and his fists clenched when his shoulders rose. He stopped moving.

"Ah, calm down. S' probably a little fish. It's too shallow for anything excitin' 'ere."

"You mean dangerous!" Blink yelled through clamped teeth.

Mush patted the rock next to him. "Safe up here." His smile reassured Blink, who relaxed and picked his way through the slight currents. "What's that?!" Mush pointed to the water just in front of Blink's feet when he was about thigh-deep.

Blink tried to step back, but tripped over his own feet and fell backwards into the waves. His scream was cut short by the water filling his mouth. Blink thrashed in the water, failing to gain his bearings. He didn't know where was up, where to go.

Just as he started to sink into panic, one hand grabbed his collar, and another one pulled on his upper arm. His face broke the surface, his throat burned from the salt water, but Blink still took deep, haggard breaths. He felt something kick his legs back under himself. He gained his balance and stood up, shivering from the experience.

He looked to his left and saw Mush, he was the most serious Blink had ever seen him before. There was no smile, just wide, concerned chocolate eyes. His hand moved to his shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," Blink coughed. "I think so. Thank you for saving me."

"O' course." Mush led him to the closest rock and went up after Blink was secure. He sat on the tallest one, about a foot higher than Blink.

Blink's fingers fumbled with his eyepatch, a nervous habit that he had picked up. "So, what was that that I almost stepped on?"

Mush scratched his scalp and smiled nervously. "Well," he started. "It was, a, um…" Blink looked up at him curiously. "I was, was. I'm sorry, Blink. I was joking. I didn't see anything." Mush smile turned sheepish.

"You jerk! You know how I feel about the ocean!" Blink shoved Mush, a little harder than he thought, for he tipped over and fell into the water himself. Blink clambered onto the rock that was previously occupied by Mush and peered over the edge where the splash came from.

There was nothing but ripples. Blink was breathless. He had to save him if he was in trouble, for that's what Mush had done, but he didn't want to drown as well. At that moment, something floated to the surface, Mush's hat. Dark gray, almost black from the water. "Oh, God." He whispered. His best friend was gone, and it was his entire fault. Tears sprang to his eye, and he furiously wiped them away.

"What's we cryin' about?" A familiar voice piped up. Blink turned to his left and saw Mush's head, hatless, bobbing up and down in the water. It must be a lot deeper on that side of the rock, for Mush couldn't touch and had to tread to stay afloat.

Blink pursed his lips and glared at Mush as he swan over to get his hat. "You 'ad me worried sick. I thought you drowned!" His voice cracked a little at the end of his sentence.

Mush grabbed the sopping hat, and jostled it on his head, water dripping down his face as he approached the rock and held on with just his hands, not sure if he was allowed back up at the moment. Blink was known to hold grudges, and Mush didn't want his to be held onto. "I'm sorry, Blinkie. I didn't really want to scare you. Are you alright?" Mush was a genuinely concerned person, if you could see through his sarcasm and smiles.

"Yeah," Blink sighed. "I'll be fine."

Mush took that as an invitation back up. He scrambled back up, but this time sat next to Blink. "Can you tell me what happened that day?" Even though he didn't give much clue, Blink knew what Mush wanted to hear about.

The blond looked down at his feet, staying silent.

"Alright, I 'pologize for askin'" Mush muttered.

"'S okay."

They sat in silence under the sun. The seawater in their clothes was quickly replaced with sweat. Blink kept looking off towards the city, away from the vastness of the dark blue.

Blink pulled at his collar, Mush noticed. "The water ain't dat bad, y'know." The blond turned to him with pursed lips. "What?" Blink raised his eyebrows. "Oh, fine. I'll show you." Mush stood up, set his hat by his friend, unbuttoned his shirt and put that down as well and, with a huge stride, jumped into the ocean, sending a wave of water into Kid Blink's face.

Mush surfaced, and turned around to look up. But Blink wasn't looking at him; he was searching the beach again. "Oi! That was impressive! Look at me!" Mush yelled as he swam in small circles, keeping his head on a swivel like an owl.

He turned back once Mush splashed him again. His eye was wide with surprise. "Sorry, uh, very impressive. Can we go now?"

"Are you bored already?" Mush accused and climbed halfway up the rock.

Blink coughed into his elbow. "Maybe." He bit his lip and grinned sheepishly at his friend.

Mush swept his hand from his hips toward the sky, sending a cascade of water on Kid Blink. Blink spat from the sea water, but still climbed down from the rock, landing in the shallow side. He stomped back through the water with a set jaw and arms crossed. Mush watched with wide eyes as his friend left and quickly sloshed through the water to catch up.

When he finally caught up with Blink, he was already pulling his socks on. Mush sat on the rock a little ways from him.

As he picked up his boot, he noticed his camera was not there. Mush quickly pulled up his other shoe, with no luck. He stood up and ran around the rock, seeing if somehow it had moved.

"What's wrong?" Blink asked half-heartedly.

"My camera, it's gone! I put it right 'ere under my boots, but it ain't 'ere no more!" Blink gave a slightly sympathetic expression and went back to lacing up his own boots.

"You! You did something! You hate it, so you got rid of it, you stole it!" Mush stared at Blink, who looked up at him in disbelief.

"Me? Where would I 'ave put that thing? I was with you the whole time; you would 'ave seen me do something!" Blink stood up in defiance. "My pockets ain't that big!"

Mush ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "Then give me some ideas of what 'appened." He snapped. He shoved his boots on his feet and his socks in his pockets.

Blink turned towards the city, and down at the sand. "Hey, something wiped out our tracks." Mush walked over. The sand that they had walked through that morning was wiped flat.

"Looks like it was done with a stick." Mush observed the slight zigzag pattern in the sand of someone brushing it clear of footprints with the end. "Probably wiped out his tracks and ours jus' 'appened to be there, too."

"Like a branch?"

"Nah, dis is too straight."

"Den what do you t'ink?"

"I dunno, Blink. Maybe a walking stick, or a cane."

Blink's eye lit up with an idea. "Who do we know with a walking stick or a cane?" He tried to prompt Mush.

"Uh…"

"Come on, Mush! Whose cloud did I say that was dis morning?"

"You said it was from Brooklyn, and so that it was Sp-" He drew a quick breath. "Oh! You think it was Spot who took it?" Mush quietly inquired. Blink slowly nodded. "Alright, let's go." Mush rushed off, but realized he wasn't being followed.

"Blink?"

"I have things to do in 'Hattan today. I'll catch up with you when I can. You got this, I know you do." Blink grinned, and turned back to the city without waiting for Mush's response.

Once alone, Mush took a very deep, slow breath. He suddenly felt very scared. He hasn't even seen Spot since the Strike, and even then, they didn't talk. Spot was always with Jack, David, or Race.

With that comforting thought, he turned and headed towards the Bridge under the bright blue sky.

Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think! Look forward to the next chapter being up by Friday!