Hey guys just Nori today.
This is the tale of a girl named Faustina Conlon, most know her as Foxtrot. She is the younger sister of the famous Spot Conlon. This is her story of family, friendship, pain and peace. For you to understand this story you must first understand the bond shared between siblings, especially the bond of a brother and sister. You are not always happy with them, but you always love them. This is the relationship that all brothers and sisters have. Any brother with a sister could tell you that, as could any sister with a brother. This is of course the relationship Foxtrot and Spot had. Now that you understand their relationship you should know that Foxtrot is Spot's last living relative so he was of course very protective of her. Now if Foxtrot had been a normal girl this would be easier, but because of her, shall we say violent, behavior it was very difficult.
"Punch, jab, don't forget to duck," Foxtrot stood in an alley way, fighting. Again. The three of them were bigger and stronger than her but she was meaner.
That's what Spot had always taught her, if their bigger, stronger, tougher or smarter than you, you just have to be meaner.
With one final swing of her fist Foxtrot knocked down the last guy, just in time for her loving big brother to walk in to the alley.
"Foxtrot," Spot said lowly.
"I know, I know," she said, with a sigh.
"Lodging house, now," they said at the same time.
At Lodging House
Spot dragged one very bruised and bloody Foxtrot through the lodging house, yelling all the way.
"I can't believe you Fox!" he shouted. "We're on the edge of a war with Queens and you decide to start fights with every Satiner and Queensmen that comes in to Brooklyn!"
"They were asking for it!" Foxtrot defended.
Meanwhile Spot pushed Foxtrot into her room.
"Fox-you-we…Faustina," uh-oh, real name, "you need to start thinking with your head and not your fists."
"I think with my head!" she said, indignantly.
"Ugh," Spot grunted, throwing his hands up. "You are so Stubborn!"
"I'm stubborn?!" Foxtrot shouted her black curly hair flying behind her as she shook her head. "Well that's rich coming from you of all people!"
"YOU-," Spot stopped and took a deep breath. "You stay here; Lock will be in to patch you up in a minute."
Foxtrot didn't respond, just sat on her bed arms crossed over her chest. Foxtrot had always loved fighting, but fighting with Spot always made her feel so alone. He was only thing that mattered to her, Spot had Brooklyn and his newsies but for Foxtrot all that really mattered was Spot. Making sure he was safe was the only thing that mattered at the end of the day.
After about two minutes Lock came in carrying his doctor's bag.
"Heya Fox," he said sitting down as he took out some bandages. "Quite the shiner you got today."
"Ha, you think this is bad, you ought'a see the other guy," Fox said this smiling. If you knew Foxtrot you had heard this line before. Every time someone commented on a scare or a shiner this was her responds.
"I'm sure," Lock said, smiling.
Two weeks later
Foxtrot had healed from her last battle, gotten into more and healed from those as well. She now sat on a crate on the docks playing a game of poker with Bravo and South. Of all the newsies Foxtrot had always been closest to Bravo and South (excluding Spot). Bravo was strong and incredibly funny while South was serious with a dry sense of humor that Foxtrot appreciated. As the small group continued to play their game footsteps were heard on the dock.
Foxtrot glanced up from her cards to see three Queens newsies walking up the pier.
"Well hello Foxtrot," the tallest one (Ripsaw) said smiling. "We've come to talk to your brother on behalf of Ross."
"Well Spot's in Coney Island for the day so I'll talk on his behalf," Foxtrot said standing up.
"Well then, we'll just cut to the chase. The matter we've come to discus is you."
"Aw, I'm flattered." Foxtrot said, sarcastically putting her hand over her heart.
"You need to stop beating on any Queens boys that come here, or there's gonna be trouble," Ripsaw said, taking a step towards Foxtrot's short form.
"If you came to make threats you came to the wrong place, Brooklyn don't scare."
"Well you see," Ripsaw said, rubbing his hands together. "The funny thing is, Brooklyn's not the problem, you are. So the way Ross sees it, taking care of Foxtrot, takes care of the problem."
"You tell Ross, if he wants to take care of me, fine I'll be waiting. But you tell Ross, I'm not scared of him. I'm not scared of him, I'm not scared of you, I'm not scared of all of Queens."
Out of nowhere Foxtrot punched Ripsaw so hard that he fell flat of the dock before his two friends could grab him.
"You wanna know why," she asked bending down so her face was close enough for Ripsaw to see her Conlon-Blue eyes. "Because I'm not afraid of anything."
By now South and Bravo were holding on to Ripsaw's cronies so they couldn't attack.
"Now you get out of Brooklyn!"
Ripsaw wiped the blood from his nose and yelled as he retreated with his friends, "You're gonna regret that, Blades is gonna tear you apart!"
"You tell him, any time, any place!" Foxtrot yelled after him.
South and Bravo exchanged looks and sighed.
"Spot's not going to like this," South said, his dry voice sounding as depressed as ever.
"I'll tell him," Foxtrot said thoughtfully. "I'll let him down…gently."
"Good luck," Bravo said, turning in the direction of the lodging house.
Spot walked into the lodging house after a long day in Coney Island and was looking forward to a long night's sleep. As soon as he saw the look on Foxtrot's face he knew he wasn't going to get it.
"What did you do?" he asked his eyes narrow.
"Nothing…"
"Fox, you know this won't work."
"Fine," she grumbled. Then, taking a deep breath she told him. "I may have challenged Blades from Queens to a fight."
tick
tick
"YOU WHAT?!?!"
boom
"In my defense they came here and threatened me."
"And why did they threaten you?" he asked, knowing the answer.
"Because I beat up Queensmen, but only when they're selling in Brooklyn!"
"You know you fight for the fun of it," Spot said, angrily. "And now you're gonna have to forfeit to Queens."
"I'm not forfeiting," she said, plainly.
"What?"
"I'm not forfeiting, not to Queens."
"Are you nuts," Spot asked her, grabbing her shoulders. "Blades is huge, he'll kill you!"
Foxtrot looked Spot in the eye and gave him a bitter sweet smile.
"I'm not afraid of death Spot," she said. "And I'm not afraid of Blades."
"You're nuts," Spot said shaking his head, refusing to accept what his sister was saying.
"Spot," she said, putting a hand on his back. "I'm not afraid of anything."
Four hours later (it's like three in the morning)
It was bleak and rainy when the Queensmen marched into Brooklyn. Spot had known that they would be coming that night; it was too good to wait. The chance of taking away the little sister of the leader of Brooklyn. You see the newsies lived by a code and if a newsie violates this code they are kicked out and soaked within an inch of their lives. Sadly for Foxtrot it's in the code that if a newsie challenges another newsie and the challenge is accepted, they must fight. The stakes vary over whatever the fight is about but there was no mistake that night, this fight was going to be for Foxtrot's life as a Brooklyn newsie.
Ross walked up to the door of the Brooklyn lodging house and knocked on the door. South opened it.
"South," he greeted, with a sadistic look on his face. "I'm here to-"
"I know what you're here to do," South cut him off. "Foxtrot will be ready to make the bet in ten minutes."
In Foxtrot's room
Spot stared at his sister as she began to tie her knuckles up with rags.
"Foxtrot please forfeit," he begged for the hundredth time that night.
"I'm not going to forfeit Spot."
"Faustina, listen-"
"No Patrick," she interrupted. "You listen. I can't forfeit, I'll lose all my self respect."
"Think about what they'll do to you if he wins you!"
"He won't be winning me," she said, turning to the door, her face set in stone.
"No!" Spot screamed, realizing what she meant but it was too late she was out the door.
In the alley behind lodging house
Foxtrot walked up to Ross and Blades.
"Have you decided on your terms?" Ross asked, still smirking.
"I have," Foxtrot answered evenly. "No weapons, no help, deviating from these rules means instant disqualification and getting kicked out of the newsies."
Ross looked over to Blades who smiled and nodded.
"And the bet?" Ross asked.
"There is no bet," Foxtrot said, eyes cold as ice. "This is to the death."
Spot walked out in time to hear Foxtrot-his little sister-say to the death.
While the fighting area was being set up Foxtrot talked to each of her friends. None of them said goodbye, just good luck, but Foxtrot knew what they really meant.
"Foxtrot," South said as he and Bravo came up to talk to her. "If this goes wrong…"
After South trailed off Bravo took over.
"If this goes wrong we're all going to miss you but no one's gonna hurt as much as Spot."
"I won't lose guys," she said, looking in to their eyes. "I promise you."
It was almost time to start the fight and Foxtrot still hadn't talked to Spot, who was sitting on the side, just starring at her. She waved for him to come over, but he wouldn't.
"It's time," Bravo said.
Foxtrot looked at her best friends. Bravo was trying to look hopeful while South was so filled with grief he couldn't even look at her.
"See you on the other side," she said to the two boys and walked into the ring.
1
2
3
Ding!
Foxtrot started with her left hook then ducked a swift blow only to be caught by another. Blades was faster than she had anticipated. Punch, kick, block, dodge, it went on for what seemed like hours in some sort of strange dance.
As he watched his little sister gain ground only to lose it again Spot wondered if there was any thing he ever could have done to prevent this and as she took another hit to the face he knew: if there had been any way he would take it right now to stop this from happening.
After about ten minutes of getting the crap beaten out of her Foxtrot saw her opening, whenever Blades kicked he lost his balance for just two seconds or so and that was all Foxtrot needed.
Punch, punch, jab, and…kick.
Just as Blades kicked Foxtrot used her foot to trip him so that he landed on his back. Once he was on his back she jumped on him and began to pound him face in.
"ENOUGH!" he roared, then for some reason Foxtrot's mouth opened wide but no sound left it. She slid off his body clutching her stomach, which contained a knife!
The whole crowd went into an uproar, some trying to kill Blades, some trying to protect him. But one person was trying to get to his baby sister.
"Foxtrot!" Spot yelled as he tried to get through the crowd. "Get out of my way! Fox, it's okay, I'm coming!"
By the time Spot had made it to her Foxtrot was a bloody mess. Her face had already been bloodied up from the fight but most of the blood was coming from her stomach.
"Foxtrot," he said, kneeling down. "Fox, say something."
"S…Spot?"
"Yes, it's me, it's me Fox!" he said, hope so clear in his voice.
"I'm not going to make it Spot," she said, shaking her head.
"You've gotta," he said, tears now falling from his eyes.
"No Spot, it's my time to go, but I want you to know something."
"No you're not dying!"
"Spot! You have to listen to me, I need you to know this before I go," Spot looked at her. "First I need you to tell Bravo and South goodbye for me."
"But you're not going to die, I won't let you!"
"Spot there's more; this is the most important part so listen good." She took a deep breath that looked like it had hurt a lot, and then continued. "I lied, I'm not fearless. I'm scared of three things and you need to know them."
"Please," Spot was by now just begging her to live.
"1). I'm afraid to lose a fight," she started.
"But you didn't lose," Spot said, trying to make her happy. "Blades cheated, you won."
"2). I'm afraid to disappoint you."
"I could never be disappointed by you."
"3). I was afraid I would have to watch you die."
"What?" Spot asked, confused.
"Ever sense Mama and Papa died of the fever I was afraid I would have to watch you die like we had to watch them die. But you see now I won't! I'm gonna be free Spot, I won't have to fight anymore." The last part of her speech was spoken so tenderly Spot knew he had to let her go, it was the only way he could protect her.
"Alright," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "But I want you to know I'm going to miss you, my little sister and even though it hurts the way this is ending, I would do it all again. So let go and go up to heaven, cause that's where you were always gonna end up anyways."
Foxtrot laid her head back to the ground and closed her eyes peacefully.
"I love you baby sister."
Spot looked down at his sister's lifeless body and felt cold and warm at the same time. The warmth from knowing that she's finally safe and the cold from knowing she was murdered.
Spot whipped out his cane and walked into the madness of the crowd of fighting newsies. Some how every newsie there knew better than to get in his way right then. We're talking about one very grief stricken Brooklyn Leader who would like nothing more than to beat the good and evil out of Blades and Ross.
Once Spot made it to the two unfortunate newsies the whole world seemed silent. No one breathed, no one moved. Spot stood in front of the two of them and tapped his cane on the ground.
"If I was anything like you, I would kill you right here and now," this was a blunt statement. Spot swung his cane across Blades' face knocking him over.
"I don't have to Fight anymore."
Spot raised his cane again, but lowered it. He then grabbed Ross by his collar and pulled with up from his knees, then Spot spoke to him in a low, cold voice that made every Queens's newsie nervous.
"You are going to leave Brooklyn and as long as I'm leader you are never going to march on Brooklyn again. Now leave or I will lose my temper and finish what my sister started."
They never did march on Brooklyn again while Spot was leader.
(Right after Foxtrot's death)
Foxtrot was walking towards a large, goldish, white gate. An old man with a white beard stood in front of it with a large book on a podium.
"Name?" he asked, not looking up from his book.
"Uh, Faustina Elizabeth Conlon," she said, not sure if that was the right answer.
The old man looked up from his book and smiled.
"You are a tough little one aren't ya?" he asked, smiling. "Well my dear, I'm happy to say you went through you purgatory on earth, you are free to go in," he said this motioning to the gates. As she walked attentively towards them she heard the man say, "Quite the scrape you got down there, eh?"
Foxtrot looked down to her stomach, now fully healed.
"You think this is bad, you ought'a see the other guy."
Once again a sad attempt at be serious. This is my tribute to Brotherly/Sisterly love.
Bravo Yankee Echo, Nori.