A/N: Hey everyone! Yes, this is my first story on but I promise than I wont make things too lame. So now that that is said... we can move on to the oh so needed disclaimer.

Disclaimer: No, I do not own any of the original Newsies, but if I did... oh if I did... MWAHA.. Anyways, Riot is my character and so are the other ones you might not recognise. Now that THAT is out of the way, onwards with the story!

"Don't worry, I aint leavin you forever." Riot said soothingly to the little boy, smoothing his hair out. "I aint leavin forever."

Riot Haughton stepped back to look at her little brother once more before starting her long journey to New York City. She couldn't help but notice he had grown a little bit taller, and that his golden-brown eyes now shimmered with his tears. She smoothed his light caramel brown hair against his head once more before saying, "Connor, you know I have to do dis. Da moment that I think everythin is settled, I'll write to you, send for you, and you will come and live with me."

"But Hailey, how long?" Connor asked, getting nervous that he would be without his sister for a long time.

"I don't know yet, but I have to leave now or else I wont want to do dis." Hailey, or, Riot, as she is known as a newsie, kissed her brother lightly on the top of his head and said, "Youse'll be hearin from me on your 7th boithday, dont you worry. I love you kid." And turned around and started the walk to New York City.

Riot knew that Connor would be okay here in New Jersey. Connor was always the good one, never got in trouble. Never got beaten. Riot, on the other hand, was always getting in, and making trouble. She always got beaten. Finally it got too much, and she left home to live with the Jersey Newsies. Connor never knew that she was being abused, and never saw their father violent.

Then of course, one day, their father came home drunk off his ass, and hit his wife. Right in front of Connor. Connor got scared and came to find Riot, and told her what he had seen. That day she made a promise. She promised her innocent little brother that she would get him away from that place before he was hit. She wanted to stop it all before it started.

Before she knew it, she was in New York City. She was almost to the point of crying, though you would have never known. She hid her emotions well when she knew she had to. And right now, she had to. Riot knew too well that girls were targets as it is, but being a new girl in a new city is just as bad as having a sign that said "Take me! Im Free!" written on it. She heard from her newsie friends back in Jersey that she should go to Manhattan first, if she wanted a chance of getting in on being a newsie here.

Of course Riot was quick to respond with, "Why Manhattan? What makes Manhattan so special? Youse know that I'm da best newsie goil we got here. They would take me anywhere and youse know it."

"Riot," Change, one of Riot's female newsie friends said, "You don't know what its like down there. They is tougher there. One look at a goil comin to ask to be a newsie, they will toin you down. They don't care if youse is good or not. The reason Manhattan? Cause 'Hattan is the nicest. They will give youse a chance."

Riot of course has a hot temper and doesnt like to be told where to go and what to do, but this time she knew they were right. It would be tougher there, and she had to be smart about it. She did have a few things aiming in her favor though. She WAS smart. And she was tough. Really tough. Even though she had lived with ritzy parents growing up, she never let that get to her. Besides being tough, she could fight. And when I say she can fight, I mean she can literally kill you with her bare hands if she had to.

She was happy to see that her journey would soon be over. Riot had been walking for three days straight, only stopping when she had to, to buy food and water, and to sleep. She stopped to rest on the Brooklyn Bridge, sitting down on the edge, her legs dangling over the edge. She knew that it had to be around four in the afternoon when she saw newsies walking her way, obviously heading back to their lodging house.

But there was one. One that caught her eye. And held it.

Thats it for chapter one you guys. I really hope you liked it. Feel free to email me with our opinons or ideas!

In the next chapter: You find out who this newsie is...

Riot makes her way to the Manhattan Newsboy Lodging House and requests to be a newsie