Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, sadly, they belong to Disney. Mac, however, is my own creation. I also own Kilts. Please read and review!
A/N: Mac is referred to as 'he' in this story because it takes place before the strike and before Mac's secret is revealed. For more details, please read Introducing Mac.
I sit up in my bunk, watching as my fellow Newsies prepare for bed. (I am the first in, for a change, meaning I have escaped the worst of the evening rush.) They swarm around the room, playfully teasing each other, comparing their sales of the day, and generally being a bunch of very good friends. No, they are more than just friends; they are a family.
Friends and Brothers.
I first met the Newsies when I was 6; a lost, frightened little boy fresh off the boat from England. My own family didn't survive the 10 day trip, leaving me stranded and alone – with nothing but my father's favourite bowler hat to my name – in a foreign land where people had strange accents and purchased things with dollars and cents rather than pounds and pennies.
I wandered around, thoroughly overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds, until I literally tripped over a boy on a street corner. And that's how I met Snoddy, my best friend.
Friends and Brothers.
Snoddy helped me to adjust to my new life very quickly. He showed me around Manhattan and introduced me to the Newsies, who welcomed me in as if I'd been one of them for years. He showed me the ropes of being a Newsie, and helped me rebuild my life out of nothing. A true friend.
Friends and Brothers.
The then leader, Kilts (a teenage Scottish boy with a love of the tartan garments) was particularly kind to me (and the other Newsies) and he drew us into one big family, which has endured through to today. Yes, there have been a few changes (such as Kilts leaving and being replaced by Jack Kelly, and the arrival of little Snipeshooter last year), but we're still a family of boys making do with what little we have, working together just to survive, and loving each other's company.
Friends and Brothers.
As I look around the room, my eyes come to rest on a few individuals. There is Snoddy, sniffing every 5 seconds, jostling to get to the wash basin before Bumlets. There is Mac, teasing his best friend, Racetrack, while drying his short black hair with a towel and causing it to go all spiky. There are Itey and Snitch, fighting good-naturedly to be the first into their shared bunk (first in gets the privilege of choosing who gets the more comfortable spot). There is Snipes, the young prankster who likes to catch us unawares. And there is Jack, our cheerful and aspiring young leader, and undoubtedly the finest leader to have filled Kilts' shoes.
I am Jake, and these are my friends, but they are so much more to me. They are my friends, my allies, my co-conspirators, my teammates. They are my family, and I love each one of them dearly.
Friends and Brothers.