Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to owning the original newsie characters. I only claim rights to Danny.
Hello ! I'm Roman and this is my first newsies fanfiction. :D I got this idea a couple months ago and it really grew and expanded once I started writing it. Its been a ton of fun and I hope you enjoy reading it.
Lemme just say thanks to Link (eruptingfender9) for being my beta and giving my advice! She's helped a lot.
Okay, so the first chapter is kind of just an introduction...hopefully you can get a feel of what is going on and when this story takes place.
A warm breeze drifted through Manhattan on that cool summer night. After a busy and noisy day, the town was finally at rest. The only sounds that could be heard was the screeching of tomcats fighting and a mother singing her children to sleep. Jack Kelly sighed contentedly in the night air while staring up at the starry heavens. He and Sarah were leaning against a chimney on the roof of the Jacob's tenant building. Jack had one arm wrapped lovingly around Sarah's shoulders and the other pointing up at a certain constellation in the sky.
"See that one that kind of looks like a man?" Jack whispered in her ear, breaking the sacred silence. She smiled as her eyes searched the heavens and then she nodded. "He's called Orion."
Sarah looked back at Jack in surprise.
"He used to be a mighty hunter who claimed that he could kill every wild animal on the earth." Sarah's eyes widened.
"Really?" she whispered. "Could he?"
Jack smiled at her childlike amazement. "He was probably the strongest man alive at that time in history."
"What happened to him?" Sarah inquired quietly, her gaze wandering back up to the constellation, but Jack stared at his beloved as he spoke.
"A very beautiful goddess named Artemis didn't believe that he could kill every living animal as he claimed. So, testing his strength and his honesty, she sent him a Scorpion." There was a moment of only a cricket chirping while Sarah seemed to be pondering over what Jack had said. Jack drew her closer to him as an unexpected cold breeze combed its fingers through his hair.
"Did he kill the Scorpion?" Sarah looked up him, her head against his chest.
He smiled sadly. "No, the Scorpion killed Orion instead." Sarah whispered a short "oh" before looking at the night expanse once more above them. Silence reigned once more. As Jack gazed at the shining dots of light in the sky, his thoughts wandered back to the many nights Jack had spent with his father. It had been just like this, except for the fact that Jack had been the one who had been held by his father while listening to Greek myths about the starry formations.
"What about those clusters near Orion, Jack? What are they called?" Sarah asked in a small voice that somehow cut into his thoughts. He followed her slender finger with his eyes.
"Canis Major and Minor," he replied. "They were Orion's dogs." Sarah smiled and drew her hand back under her shawl.
"How do you know so much about these stars, Jack?" she questioned, looking up at him.
"My fadder used to tell me all these stories about 'em when I was younger," he said with a faint smile. Suddenly, Sarah looked concerned. "Do you miss him, Jack?" she asked, biting her lip. Jack stroked her hair lovingly. She was so beautiful.
"I miss the man he was," he said in response. Sarah nodded her as head as if she understood, but Jack knew she didn't.
It was getting late, but Jack didn't want to go yet. These nights with Sarah was what he lived for nowadays.
"How's your pop doin'?" Jack asked with genuine concern.
"Better, now that his arm is healed and he's back with his old job," Sarah replied with a grateful smile.
"Is Davey goin' back to school in da fall?" Jack inquired, hesitation in his voice. Sarah sighed, her smile gone.
"Maybe...Him and Papa have been arguing a lot about it lately," she commented with regret tinting her voice. Sarah looked up at Jack. "It stresses everyone out. Mama's so mad because now Les doesn't want to go to school either. They both just want to be newsies like you." A tear slid down her cheek and she hurried to wipe it away. Jack's heart went out to her. She then laughed softly. "It's foolish for me to get so upset over such small things, especially now that Papa has his job back."
"Nonsense," he whispered, giving her a squeeze. "I would of liked to get a little more education when I was Les's age." A flicker of hope could be seen in Sarah's intrinsic eyes.
"Could I tell Les that, Jack?" Sarah asked excitedly, as his words were the key to solving her problems. Jack nodded. "Sure."
He would hate to lose David and Les as newsies, but if it made Sarah and the rest of her family happy, then he could deal with it.
"Thank you," she whispered, "I have to go now, Jack. Big day tomorrow. Momma and I are going to sell our first attempts of making lace." She smiled exuberantly before detaching herself from Jack and standing on her feet. Jack stood up regrettably with her and followed her off the rooftop. Only when they came to Sarah's room window did they stop.
"I'll see you sometime soon, okay?" Jack said, assurance printed in his tone. Sarah only nodded, trust and affection gleaming in her eyes. He really didn't want to leave her. He probably wouldn't see her for a couple days and during that time he knew he would feel as if Sarah was up for grabs and surely any boy with a brain would try and steal her from him.
His lips brushed her in a farewell kiss before he whispered, "I love you, Sarah," in her ear. He looked at her moment and then turned on his heel and clamped down the stairs. It could of been his imagination, but along with his resonant footsteps, he thought he heard Sarah whisper after him, "I love you too, Jack."
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Racetrack held his breath as the overwhelming sound of hooves hitting the dirt with incredible power zoomed past him. He caught a glimpse of number 12, the horse's body dripping in sweat as the jockey pushed the creature onward. The horse was slowly inching its way towards the front.
"Go...go..." Racetrack whispered to himself, his hands clutching the rail in front of him with fear and excitement. Number 12 was so close to the finish line and coming into second place.
Race let out a yell as number 12 eventually passed the first horse and broke through the finish line. He took off his cap and waved it in the air with a burst of adrenaline, screaming the horse's name as he raced to the box office. The crowd was in uproar.
"I knew it! I knew it!" he yelled with excitement, slamming open the door to the office. A man, who was standing at the window watching the race, now moved behind the row of box windows.
"Here ya go, kid. Congratulations!" He handed Racetrack his reward.
"Thank you!" Racetrack said with a huge smile, quickly exiting the small building. He counted his money as he walked back to the rail. People crowded around the jockey, congratulating him and taking pictures.
"Ha, I knew that bum 17 would never win," he muttered to himself with a triumphant look, briefly glancing up at number 12 before stuffing the cash in his pocket.
As he was watching the jockey and his horse, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Racetrack whirled around, ready to knock out anyone who dare try to steal his winnings. He let out a breath, realizing it was just a kid who in no way appeared threatening.
"Hey. Congrats on finally winning your bet," the kid said with a sincere smile. He held out a hand. Race ignored the gesture and looked at him warily.
"Finally?" Race asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, I've been watching you. You haven't won anything in awhile." The boy laughed nervously, glancing over quickly at the happy jockey. Racetrack looked the boy up and down. He was a small fry. A little shorter than Racetrack and had to be younger.
"What's your name, kid?" Racetrack asked, sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning back on his heels.
"Danny." He had a funny grin on his face while staring up at Racetrack.
"Nice to meet ya. Now mind your own business," Racetrack replied flatly. He took out a cigar. Danny gave a hurt look, but Race didn't give a hoot. He started for the exit of the track, eager to get home and tell the boys of his winnings.
"Wait!" Danny cried, catching up to him. Race kept on walking, throwing an exasperated glance at the kid.
"How'd ya know it was number 12?" Danny persisted, sticking to Racetrack's side as he made his way back to Newsies Square.
Race stopped, took the cigar out of his mouth and let out a swirl of smoke.
"Look, kid, I've been there awhile. I just knew 12 was the one," Racetrack said, a boastful smile creeping across his face. Like he was going to tell this shrimp his secret to success.
"Go home," Racetrack said, pushing the kid back in the direction of the track.
"I ain't got a home," Danny said meekly, coming back after him.
"What else is new?" he muttered to himself. A lot of kids didn't have homes. Racetrack decided to ignore the boy.
Danny trailed after Racetrack like a dog the whole way back to Manhattan. Actually, worse than a dog. There's was not a moment of silence between the two, although it was more of a one-sided conversation. Danny asked Racetrack about everything. Where he lived, what he did for a living, who his family was, his age, and a whole bunch of favorite questions...It was never ending.
Racetrack was just about to shove the kid in an alley and run away when they finally made it to the big gates of the distribution center.
"Race! Glad you're back! We's got us a hot one today," Race heard Mush call from the front of the line. Passing all the small boys in the back, Race stopped behind Specs.
"What's da headline?" Race asked, putting out his cigar and stuffing it in his pocket.
"A bridge collapsed somewhere in Staten; killed two people," Specs said with a big smile. Race watched as Jack walked out the gates with more than a hundred papes under his arm.
"That's awful!" Race heard a high pitched voice behind him shriek. Specs laughed, looking past Racetrack.
Racetrack groaned, turning around to face Danny. The boy had a look of pure horror on his face.
"Who's 'dis?" Mush asked, staring down at the kid with a puzzled look.
"I have no idea," Race muttered, taking a step forward as the line progressed.
"I'm Danny; his new friend!" he said with a beaming look, pointing at Race. Mush tossed Race an amused look. Race just shrugged. Friend, sure. More like an annoying fly that wouldn't leave him alone.
"We call him Racetrack. Race for short," Mush explained before buying his papers, a little more than usual. Racetrack glared at the Mush.
A new light dawned in Danny's eyes. "They call you that because you're at the track all day!"
Racetrack threw up his hands. "Now I understand!" he said with mock surprise. Danny grinned ear to ear.
"I've gotta get to work," Race said after Specs had bought his papes. Race decided to get some extra also. 20 more than his usual 50.
"Well, I can help ya!" Danny volunteered eagerly. Racetrack had to laugh at that.
"What's it ya do?" Danny asked, grabbing a paper from Race's stack.
"I'm gonna sell these," Racetrack explained shortly, walking out the gates. He grabbed the paper out of the boy's hands.
Danny hung back a bit as he watched Racetrack sell 7 papers in less than 10 minutes. He soon learned Racetrack's tactic.
"Gimme some," Danny said when Racetrack took a breath. Racetrack shrugged and handed him a small stack.
"Just gimme the money that you've made," Racetrack said, giving him a menacing look.
Racetrack decided to a break while observing Danny. Looking up a the sky, he saw clear blue. 'Good summer day. Not too hot...' He thought, glad to have gone to races earlier this morning instead after he was done selling. That was usually in the afternoon, when it was unbearably hot. He watched with some interest as the kid sold 3 papers faster than Race would of thought.
Soon, Danny was coming back to Race for more papers.
"Here's your money," he said with a triumphant smile, putting the coins in Race's hand. The kid thought he was hot stuff. Racetrack raised an eyebrow.
"You're gonna have to buy your own papes if you want to keep on sellin'," he said, stashing the coins in his pockets. Danny seemed to deflate. Race looked at him strangely but said nothing. Taking his stack of papers, Race continued selling. Danny, sensing the feeling that he was being ignored, decided to leave. Racetrack didn't notice till he took a break for lunch.
Racetrack just chuckled to himself. Maybe the poor kid had finally gotten the hint.
Pulling out his watch, Race decided to eat lunch at Tibby's today. After all, he did have some extra money. Smirking, he set off for the place.
Not more than 10 minutes later, Racetrack entered the small restaurant. He was greeted by some newsies already settled at the tables.
Smiling a victorious smile, Race returned greetings while making his way to the table where Jack, Boots, David, Les, Specs, and Mush were already seated.
"Heya Race," Boots welcomed, taking a huge bite of a sandwich.
"Heard about your big win today," David said, with an unbelieving smile and holding back a laugh. Race stuck out his chin with a smug smile. He pulled out a chair from under the table.
"Wait, Race, this Racetrack Higgins, was right about a horse?" Jack said, glancing at David and then at Racetrack, his eyebrows raised.
"Darn right. 10 whole bucks," Racetrack said, smacking a fist on the table. Jack burst out laughing. Nearly everyone followed suite.
"Hey! HEY!" Racetrack said, standing and pretending to be angry. They brought their laughing down a level, but still giving Race thumps on the back as if it were a huge deal.
"Guess who's buyin' lunch today, fellas!" Mush called out. The newsies hooted. Race whacked him upside the head.
"You'll buy your own lunch, ya bum!" Racetrack sat back down, tipping his chair back on the back legs. Mush snickered.
"Congrats, Race." Les said with a genuine smile after Race had ordered some soup. He nodded his thanks.
"I see you ditched that kid," Specs said after looking around the room briefly.
Jack looked up from his plate. "What kid?" he asked, curious.
"I hope ya didn't throw him in an alley. He seemed like he really liked you," Mush said, giving Race a stern look.
"Psh." Race waved them off with his hand. "He ditched me. One second he was watching me sell papes and the next, he was gone."
"Whose the kid?" Jack said, his tone demanding an answer.
Mush and Specs shrugged, looking at Race.
"Name's Danny. He followed me from the track and wouldn't stop buggin' me," Racetrack explained. He eagerly received his bowl of soup as it was brought to the table. Racetrack knew he had been giving Danny the cold shoulder, but the kid wasn't his responsibility.
Jack thought about it for a moment. Mush glanced out the big window, tapping a fork on the table.
"Never hoid of him," Jack finally said, chewing on some bread. That ended the conversation.
The newsies moved to talking about how fast they sold their papers this morning, the topic about Danny forgotten.
Hehe. What'd ya think?
Okay? Iffy? Awesome? Loved it? Not really?
Please review!
I'll probably get the next chapter out tomorrow. Thanks for reading!