AN: Finally I am back into the writing Newsies! This is Racetrack's story that was requested by Spotlover, so I hope you all like it! Thanks for everyone who read and is still reading Spot's Story, this story will be written in the same way. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies.

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Normal POV

Anthony "Racetrack" Higgins was born March 18th 1880 in Italy. Times were tough so his mother Antonia, and father Roberto decided to live out the American dream and migrate to New York where most of the people seemed to be going. Of course as most people came to find out, America was not always as great as others made it out to be. On the long boat ride from Italy to New York Antonia became gravely ill, as did others on the cramped boat. Sadly there was little help for her and the rest, so most of them perished. Four year old Anthony was left without a mother. America did not seem so great to him now. Anthony and his father moved on though determined to make the best out of their new lives. Roberto and Anthony found a very small apartment in Brooklyn to live in. It was only one room, but that was just enough room for the two to live in. Anthony had little education, his mother was teaching him how to read, but ever since she died he stopped learning. Roberto tried to teach him all he knew, but most of that was about gambling. Gambling was Roberto's favourite pastime, and was the way he got the money to come to America. Roberto taught Anthony every trick and cheat of the trade. Soon Roberto started taking Anthony to a place he would become very familiar with; Sheepshead races. To Anthony it was the greatest place in the world. He loved the horses and the loud noises of people screaming and cheering. The adrenaline he felt during every race was incomparable to anything else in his life. It was a place where he could have no worries or bad thoughts, it was his sanctuary. Anthony would learn many things at Sheepshead: how to speak and read in English, math, and all the history of gambling and races he could ever know. Almost everyday of Anthony's life would be spent at the Racetracks.

For four years Roberto and Anthony went to Sheepshead races everyday. Sometimes Roberto would let Anthony pick the horses and usually he was pretty good at it. One day Anthony picked the winning horse! Roberto was so excited he decided to go with a few guys to a bar and buy them a round of drinks. He took Anthony along letting him hold on to some of the winnings. When they got to the bar Roberto bought Anthony a soda and let him sit on his lap while he played poker with the guys. Anthony was very excited to get to watch his father in action. Soon his excitement would turn into terror.

Late into the night Roberto had won the game and everyone's money, he was very excited and everyone else was really mad. One of the guys accused Roberto of cheating, and that is where this story truly begins. The man threw his chair as he got up and grabbed Roberto out of his chair. Anthony hid under the table. The man in a drunken rage started punching Roberto determined that he cheated. Eventually the man got so mad he pulled a knife and stabbed Roberto in the chest. His golden pocket watch fell from his vest as he fell to the ground.

"Papa!" Anthony ran out from under the table and went to his father's side.

Roberto was bleeding badly. "A-Anthony I love you so much."

"No Papa please!" Tears streamed down his eyes.

"Anthony listen to me very carefully, d-don't ever get caught."

Though Anthony did not understand it completely at the time, he nodded in agreement and stayed at his father's side until his last breath. "I love you."

The man that stabbed him took his money back and ran out of the bar. Anthony decided to take his father's advice; he picked up his watch and ran out of the bar as fast as he could. He ran and ran until he could not run anymore; he knelt down in an alley and cried very hard. Now eight year old Anthony was without any family. Anthony cried so hard his head hurt, he opened up the pocket watch to find that it had stopped at ten fifty-seven. Almost the exact same time his father had died.

He would keep the pocket watch with him always. Almost none of the boys knew that it was broken. Most thought he just lifted it off some sorry old man like he did his cigars. From that night on Anthony knew that he could never get caught cheating, his father did not get caught, but he was cheating. Only Anthony knew, but others figured it out. No, Anthony vowed to never get caught at anything, and on the off chance that he did he would run far away from the situation. He got up from his spot in the alley and started walking, knowing he could use what little money he had to survive for a little longer.

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AN: Okay so there is the first chapter! I know that Anthony has been used hundreds of times, but it just fits him so well. This one will probably not be as dark as Spot's. Requests and ideas will be gladly taken for this story because I'm kind of winging it as I go haha…Updates on this story will be a little slow for a while because I am still writing another fic…Thanks for reading!