A/N: Hey everyone! I'm Addie (or Sparks) and this is my Newsie story. It's the second one I have on . I hope you like it and please review, even if you didn't like it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: No I do not own Newsies…. sadly…. But I do own my own characters!
Family Lost, Family Found: Chapter One:
It was a dark and cold night; unusual weather for the usually hot month of August. The streets were empty and the streetlights cast an eerie glow over the bare streets causing them to look haunting. Deep into the shadows of the night, a young girl ran down the frightening Manhattan streets. Running from something she didn't want following her.
She ran, faster and faster until she finally came to a stop in a small, deserted alley. She desperately tried to breath, to get control over herself. It had been hours since she had started running and it was the first time she finally stopped. She longed for water, food; anything that would help her gets even an ounce of her strength back. The girl pushed herself to continue running but her body could take no more. She collapsed to the ground; unconscious from the sheer exhaustion. She lay there, getting the rest she so frantically needed.
"What should we do wit her Jack?"
"Yeah, we can't just leave her here."
It was early morning and the once empty streets were buzzing with life. Busy people went about their daily business as shopkeepers opened their shops and other opened their vending carts. The newsies had just begun to circulate and to everyone else, it seemed like a normal day. Everyone, except for the three confused newsies who stood in the small alley near the distribution centre.
Jack, along with Kid Blink and Mush, stood over the unconscious form of a girl who looked tired and weak. All three were surprised and curious at the sight of her. They were used to seeing boys living on the streets but never girls. It didn't seem right to them. They stood over her, staring, until Jack finally broke the silence.
"Blink-- bring her back to the lodgin' house," Jack said. "Tell Kloppman-- well; tell him how we found her. Keep her till she wakes up."
Kid Blink nodded. "Sure Jack. But—what about me papes?" He gestured to the stack of newspapers tucked under his arm. "I can't just throw 'em away."
"Give 'em to me," Mush said. "I'll sell 'em for ya and split the money wit'cha."
Kid Blink smiled and patted Mush on the back. "Thanks!"
Kid Blink bent down to the ground and picked up the girl who hung lifelessly in his arms. He turned back to look at Jack and Mush before leaving the alley.
"What if she wakes up and-- goes crazy when she don't know where she is?"
The girl squirmed and groaned but never opened her eyes.
Jack shrugged. "Keep her calm and do what'cha can to help her."
Kid Blink agreed and headed off towards the lodging house where all the newsies lived. After ten minutes, he arrived, giving Kloppman quite a shock. Kloppman, who was drinking coffee and going over some papers, jumped up from his desk and rushed over to Kid Blink.
"Blink! What happened? Who is this girl?"
Kid Blink rushed up the stairs, answering Kloppman as he went.
"We-- me, Jack, and Mush, found her in an alley," he explained.
He put her down on the bunk next to his own and covered her with the worn out blanket. He turned to Kloppman, who was waiting for the rest of the explanation.
"Jack told me to bring her here," Kid Blink finished. "She was alone and we couldn't leave her there. That okay wit you Kloppman?"
Kloppman nodded. "Sure sure! Of Course! Just…. watch her and help her when she wakes up."
"All right, Kloppman."
Kid Blink watched Kloppman leave and then sat on a chair next to the girl. He watched her as she tossed fitfully in her sleep and wondered where she could have come from.
It was dark in her mind; darker than it was when she had been fleeing down the empty Manhattan streets. Suddenly, a blinding white light took over and filled the blackness. The light had revealed a small apartment; broken down and messy. It was a frightening place; a familiar place.
An angry-looking man burst through the broken door; looking drunk and dangerous. The little girl cowering in the corner pressed herself into the wall, trying to make herself invisible. The drunken man made his way into the apartment and she pressed herself even further into the wall.
"Where are ya? " the man bellowed. "Ya little rotten girl, where are ya?"
The girl whimpered in fear, accidently alerting the man of her presence. He barreled towards her and she held back a scream, obviously terrified of the man.
"I see ya! I got ya now!"
"NO!"
A young boy, the girl's older brother, jumped in front of the older man. The man, who had been angry before, became enraged.
"Get outta my way, boy," the man growled.
The boy, not near as big or strong as the man, stood his ground. "No. Leave her alone."
The man laughed and without hesitation, backhanded the boy across the room where he hit the wall and slumped over; unconscious. The man turned his attention back to the girl and advanced on her once again.
"No one to save you now!"
The man closed in, coming closer and closer, until he could reach out and grab her.
"NO!"
"NO!"
The girl, now back in reality, bolted up in an unfamiliar bed and looked around wildly. She was in a room filled with beds and a small bathroom area. A lodging house of some sort, she figured. Next to the bed sat a teenage boy; a newsie with an eye patch. He had a half amused, half concerned expression on his face. The girl eyed him skeptically.
"Youse awake!" the boy said, a bit surprised.
The girl looked back at Kid Blink with a confused expression and hugged the pillow closer to her chest. Kid Blink looked at her; waiting for her to say something.
"What?" the girl snapped, after she couldn't take the staring. "Whad'ya starin' at, eye-patch?"
Kid Blink chuckled. "Just wonderin' who ya are and where ya come from," he said. "And it's Kid Blink not eye-patch."
The girl hesitated before speaking. "My name's…. Lissa…. Diamond. Lissa Diamond."
"Well, nice to meet'cha, Lissa! Where ya from?"
Lissa hesitated again, a dark look crossing her delicate features. Kid Blink could tell something was wrong and he had a good idea of what was running through her mind. Every newsie was running from something.
After a few minutes, she regained her composure and looked back to Kid Blink; almost smiling.
"I live here…. In New York," she said expressionlessly. "Manhattan, actually."
"Why are ya here?" Kid Blink asked. "I mean, where we found ya."
Lissa remained quiet. She wasn't ready to deal with her problems let alone talk about them with a complete stranger.
"It's okay," he said quickly. "You don't gotta say nothin'. We all got pasts."
Lissa nodded. "We certainly do." She looked around and the curiosity took her over. "Where exactly am I and…. what day is it?"
Kid Blink chuckled again. "It's Wednesday," he said. "Dis place is the Duane Street Lodgin' house. We live here."
"We? Who's we?"
"The newsies, of course." He rubbed his chin as he thought. "Are youse a newsie?"
Lissa began to shake her head but then stopped. "Well…. I was one. Last year." She shrugged. "For a while anyway."
"What happened?" Kid Blink asked, unable to suppress his own curiosity.
"I got caught," she said, shocking herself.
She had originally planned to lie, but something about the strange boy made her tell the truth.
"Caught? By who?"
"Snyder," she said; surprised again by not making up something. It was almost like she couldn't lie to him. She felt safe near him.
Kid Blink nodded, remembering his own time spent in the refuge. He looked over to Lissa and took in her appearance for the first time since she woke up. It was different from when she was asleep; almost better. Lissa was a small girl, very short and almost fragile looking. Her straight brown hair came down past her shoulders and her bright green eyes held mystery. The long blue dress she wore was ripped and dirty. Kid Blink was intrigued by her and instantly wanted to know everything about her.
The silence dragged on as Blink studied Lissa intently and as Lissa lost herself in her own thoughts; dreaming of a world that wasn't her own. Then suddenly, the rest of the newsies came barreling through the door, laughing and talking about the day they just had. At the sight of a strange girl in one of the beds, the newsies stopped in their tracks and the uncomfortable silence returned.
"Who's that girl?" Dutchy whispered to Snoddy.
"I dunno," Snoddy whispered back. "Maybe it's Blink's goil."
Jack made his way through the crowd of whispering newsies and sat on the edge of the bed where Lissa lay. He gave her a warm , welcoming smile and stuck out his hand.
"Jack Kelly," he said. "Pleased to meet ya!"
"Lissa…. Diamond," she replied, returning the handshake.
Jack became suddenly surprised. "Diamond?" He thought for a moment, then smiled. "Youse related to Snyder ain't ya?"
The newsies all gave a collective gasp and Lissa went pale. She hadn't expected anyone to really know her and it scared her that someone else knew about the past she was trying to forget. She looked over to Jack who waited patiently for her answer. After a silent minute, she finally nodded.
"Yeah," she said, forcing the weakness out of her voice. "He's my-- uncle. My father's brother. Half-brother anyway."
This sent the newsies into fits of shocked whispers. Jack's eyes lit up, his mind coming up with a connection that no one else could see. He decided to keep it quiet until his suspicions were confirmed. Lissa caught his eye and she immediately understood that he was thinking something. She nodded as if acknowledging his thoughts.
"I gotta go over to Brooklyn for a while, boys," Jack said; getting up suddenly. "Gotta talk to Spot 'bout somethin'."
He quickly left, not bothering to wait for an answer. The other newsies broke the silence by asking questions at the same time, causing their voices to jumble together and make a very loud uproar of commotion. Kid Blink stood up, his hands in the air.
"Boys! Boys! Calm down!" he called out. "Take it easy with the questions! Let her breathe for a while!"
The newsies all went their separate ways, muttering and mumbling various phrases as they went. Kid Blink turned back to Lissa, who looked amused by the newsies behavior. He took her hand and pulled her up into a standing position.
"It's nearly dinner time," he said. "Are ya hungry?"
Lissa nodded and her stomach growled loudly. Now that she thought about it, she was very hungry. It had been days since she had eaten properly and food would do her some good. She followed Kid Blink down the stairs and into a tiny kitchen where she saw an older man bent over a small stove.
"Kloppman, this is Lissa," Kid Blink introduced. "Lissa, this is Kloppman. He runs the joint!"
"Nice to meet ya," Kloppman said. "Feelin' better?"
"Very much," Lissa replied. "Thank you."
Kloppman smiled and continued on with his work. Cooking for nearly twenty boys with gigantic appetites could prove to be a tiresome task. Kid Blink led Lissa into the main room and they both sat down on the small, worn-out couch; alone. There was an awkward silence and both of them gazed around the room, avoiding each other's eyes. It had become uncomfortable for them to be alone since both of them didn't know what to say to each other/
Lissa finally broke the silence when her curiosity began to kick in again.
"Hey…. who's Spot?" she asked. "The guy Jack went to go see….. in Brooklyn."
"Spot's the leader of the Brooklyn newsies," Kid Blink explained. "Ya know him or somethin'?"
Lissa shrugged. "Not sure. Sounds familiar. How old is he?"
Kid Blink sighed; thinking. "Spot's…. umm… 17. Yeah, he's 17." He looked at Lissa, studying her expression. "How old are ya Lissa? Youse never told me."
"Ya never asked," Lissa replied, blushing slightly under his gaze. "I'm 16."
"Me too," Kid Blink said; smiling.
They remained that way, smiling at each other shyly, until suddenly, a hand waved in front of their faces. Both looked up and were surprised to see Racetrack standing over them.
"If youse lovebirds don't mind," he said. "we'se gonna be eatin' now."
Racetrack turned and left, not bothering to wait for an answer or an insult. Kid Blink and Lissa stared after him in astonishment.
"Come on," Kid Blink finally said. "Let's go eat."
Lissa followed silently, still stunned by the 'lovebirds' comment. It had surprised her but it also left her wondering if Kid Blink felt a tiny bit pleased like she did.
"Well, if it ain't Jack be nimble, Jack be quick!"
"Hey Spot." Jack smiled. "Ya ever gonna say somethin' different when I come to see ya?"
Spot jumped down from his usual place and spit shook with Jack. He grinned his trademark grin. "Nope."
"I came to talk to youse, Spot," Jack said; suddenly serious.
"All right. What's on your mind?"
Jack shook his head. "Not here. It's important."
Spot nodded, a confused and slightly worried expression on his face. He led Jack to the Brooklyn lodging house and up to the private room where he slept. Spot sat on his bed, leaning back against the headboard.
"What's wrong, Jack?" he asked with growing concern.
Jack, who had been pacing the room, stopped and finally sat at the edge of the bed. He looked over to Spot and sighed before beginning.
"Spot…. am I the only one who knows 'bout your…. uh, past?"
Spot tensed up at the mention of his past but he nodded quickly. "Yeah," he said. "Why ya askin'?"
"Look Spot," Jack said. "Everythin's gonna make sense later but…. youse gonna have to trust me and tell me the truth."
"Fine Jackie-boy," Spot agreed. "Whad'ya need to know?"
Jack sighed, not knowing where to begin. He needed to know so many things in order to see if what he was thinking was actually true. He just didn't know how to do it without hurting Spot in any way. No newsie ever liked to talk about their past, Jack included. But he needed to know and there was no other way.
Spot sat across from Jack, lost in his own thoughts. He was miles away, years away, in the past.
"Your real name ain't Conlon is it?" Jack asked.
Spot shook his head. "It's me mother's."
"And-- uh…."
Spot put his hand up to stop Jack from continuing.
"Lemme help ya out, Jackie-boy," he said. "I know youse know most of it, but I'se gonna tell ya all of it."
Jack nodded.
"I ran away from home when I was eleven," Spot began. "I came here to Brooklyn to start over. Chip found me." He looked to Jack. "Youse remember Chip dont'cha?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I remember him."
Chip McDonald was the leader of the Brooklyn newsies before Spot. He was an older boy who ended up getting sick with a fatal disease that killed him before he reached twenty. Just before he had died, he passed his role down to a thirteen year-old Spot, who had been Brooklyn leader ever since.
"Chip taught me how to be a newsie," Spot continued. "And when he died, he made me leader. Then I met youse, Jack. I think ya know the rest."
"Yeah, I do," Jack said. "I remember when ya told me 'bout your uncle. Did he ever come after ya?"
"My uncle." Spot chuckled bitterly. "I had to come to Brooklyn just to get away from him. I still gotta watch me back when I come to Manhattan." He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "Ya still ain't tellin' me where ya goin' with this, Jack."
"Ya will, Spot," Jack assured. "Soon."
After a few silent moments, Spot began to ask a question but then hesitated. It was a question he had wanted to ask for a long time but never did; mostly because he was afraid to hear the answer. But he couldn't bear to keep it inside anymore and in quiet voice, he whispered.
"Jack…. me mother…. Does she come lookin' for me anymore?"
Jack took in Spot's vulnerable expression and sadly shook his head. "Spot, I'm sorry."
"How long?" Spot asked, his voice wavering slightly.
"About a year now. Spot, I'm really so--"
"No! It's okay," Spot said quickly, cutting Jack off. "I knew she'd stop one day. Before I-- before I ran away from home, she told me she was savin' up money so she could leave. She was gonna go live with her sister in Ireland."
He hesitated. The past was something he tried to bury deep inside of him. Something he tried to forget. Bringing it up was causing him more pain then he'd ever imagined.
"She was gonna take me with her," he continued with a stronger voice. "She told me she'd come look for me, everyday and she'd find me when I wanted to be found. And if she didn't find me when she got the money she needed, she would take me sister and leave for Ireland." He paused, letting his voice drop to a whisper. "I just never knew it was gonna hurt like this."
Jack stood up and put a comforting hand on Spot's shoulder. He knew how Spot felt he was sorry he had to make him go through it.
"Youse gotta come with me to Manhattan," Jack said.
Spot was skeptical. "Why?"
"Just trust me," Jack assured. "Youse gonna understand when we get there."
Spot reluctantly agreed and the two headed out to Manhattan, where something was waiting for him. Something that would change his life. Forever.
It was just after nine in Manhattan and a crowd of excited newsies were leaving Irving Hall. In the middle of the crowd, stood Lissa with Kid Blink. They had just seen Medda perform and Lissa was highly amused by the over-excited newsies.
Kid Blink draped his arm around Lissa's shoulders as they walked down the street. Lissa flinched from the sudden action but kept herself calm and relaxed when she saw that it was only Kid Blink.
"So…. what did you think of Medda?" he asked happily. "Ain't she great?"
"Sure," Lissa said; laughing. "But don't'cha think she's a bit too old to be performin' for teenage boys? She could be your mother…. or possibly grandmother."
Kid Blink laughed along with the few other newsies that heard their conversation. They all drooled over Medda and it was funny to talk to someone who thought different.
"She may be older," agreed Mush. "But she's one swell lady!"
"Amen to that!" Racetrack called out, the other newsies erupting in loud cheers.
Lissa shook her head, giving it up. "Boys-- weird!" she muttered.
After getting back to the lodging house, Lissa joined the newsies in the main room where they usually spent their nights. It was a normal night for them, some played cards, some talked, and some looked through books or newspapers. Everyone was busy with something; especially Kid Blink and Lissa. They sat on the couch once again, immersed in a conversation that seemed important to only them.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, the lodging house door swung open and in walked Jack with Spot trailing behind him. Everyone turned to look at the door, curious of why Spot would be in Manhattan at such an hour.
"So, anyway, I says to him--"
Spot stopped mid-sentence when he saw Lissa sitting on the couch. He seemed to be in shock as he slowly made his way over to Lissa, finally stopping in front of her. Lissa stood up to face him; pale and slightly shaking.
"Lissa?
"Patrick?"
They stared at each other in shock, until both of them fell to ground in a dead faint. The newsies all stared; some confused, some shocked.
If Spot was "Patrick" and he knew Lissa and Lissa knew him then….
Spot and Lissa were….
A/N: All right, well, that's it for the first chapter! I hope you liked it! Please review! Chapter 2 will be up soon!
Now, go review. Press the little button….. Spot wants you to….
lol
-Addie