Oh, I've been forgetting to put a disclaimer! Gah!

Okay, here it is.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Newsies. None. Just Annabelle, Hunter and his friends, and Mouse.


Away From the Hunter

Ch. 3

-Falling in Tibby's-


-ANNABELLE'S POV-

I kept walking with Mouse while he sold all his 'papes' (he told me that's what all newsies called their papers) and we kept talking.

He was telling me about a newsies' life, while I listened, fascinated by how hard newsies had to work, everyday. And some of the newsies were really young!

I guess he forgot, because he never mention the incident at the park, and I'm sure not gonna bring it up.

We were walking down the street, when I noticed that Mouse had only one paper left.

"Mouse? Can I please sell your last paper?" I was beyond whining right now. I was practically begging him. "Please? I'll give you the money for it! Can I just try and sell a paper?" I wanted to try my hand at selling, in case I need a job, I could probably persuade Mouse to let me become a newsie. It looked easy enough, all you have you have to do is yell out the headlines, right?

He gave me a skeptical look. "Are ya sure ya wanna?"

"Yes! It can't be that hard!" I was jumping for joy now, and people were starting to stare at me.

He started laughing, and I stopped jumping and looked at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh it's-. Nothing, never mind. Here. Sell the pape and I'll be standin' right here."

I grabbed the paper and walked towards the center of the street, screaming the headline.

"Extra! Extra!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Young boy helps cat from tree!" Passersby just kept walking on, without even sending a second glance my way.

Finally, after 5 minutes of yelling the headline, while watching a little amused boy on the sidelines (who futilely kept offering unwanted help), I sold my first 'pape'.

A nice young gentleman bought it from me. And he handed me a nickel and told me to keep the change.

"What's a nice young lady like you doing out on the streets selling papers?"

"Oh! They're not my newspapers to sell! I'm helping my friend over there!" I then proceeded to point to Mouse, who looked a little uncomfortable under the scrutinizing eye of the gentleman.

"Why are you talking to newsboys? A young woman of your high class should not be associating with street rats." He then walked away, his nose held high.

I walked back to Mouse, upset. I was offended! Just because I am, or was, rich, doesn't mean I can't talk to newsies! What a horrible thing to say!

And even though I've only known Mouse for a few hours, I've already came to loving and caring for the boy, and he and any other newsies, are not street rats! The nerve of that man!

My mother taught me to be kind and respectful to all kinds of people. And to be kind and considerate to everyone. The newsies included!

"Ann? Miss? Are you okay?" Mouse's tiny voice interrupted my train of thought.

"Oh. Yes, sweety?"

He blushed when I called him Sweety. But he's so cute! I can't help it!

"I was just wonderin' why ya were mumbling to ya self, that's all."

"Oh, it's nothing, honey. I was just upset about what that man I was talking to said to me, that's all."

"Ya mean that real hoity-toity man?" He realized what he said and then tried to undo his mistake. "Not that I have anything against those people! It's just that-"

I cut him off and started laughing. "It's okay darling. I'm not offended" I realized I was still holding his money. "Here you go, Mouse. The 'hoity-toity' man gave me a nickel."

He smiled and accepted it gladly.

"Now, I think it's about lunch time. How about this, I'll take you out to lunch, a reward for being so nice and helpful to me today, all right? How does that sound?"

His eyes got wide and he smiled again.

"Sounds great! But I don't want 'cha to spend ya money on me." He said the last part while looking down at his feet. He must have realized I had on a fancy dress, even though it is dirty from running and falling asleep in it, and had quite a lot of money with me.

I bent down on my knees to get down on eye level with him.

"Mouse, I'm gonna let you in on a secret, okay? You're an orphan, right?" He nodded slowly, not fully comprehending where this conversation is heading. "Well," I took in a big breath. "I'm an orphan as well." Mouse stared at me in shock. I was shocked myself. After six years, I still hadn't been able to admit that to myself, ever. Now I was spilling all my secrets a little newsie. But there was something about him that made me trust him, either that, or I just trust people too easily. I really hope it's the former. "Yes, you heard me all right. I am an orphan too. My parents died in a fire six years ago. I was left in my brother's care. But now he's…gone." That wasn't technically a lie. Since I don't consider Hunter my brother anymore. The older brother I had known and loved was gone, only to be replaced by a cold heartless one. I didn't even realize I was crying until a tear drop landed on my hand. I wiped it away.

Then, Mouse did the last thing I suspected he would do. He hugged me. We must have been a sight to passersby. A 9 year old raggedy newsie, hugging a 16 year old crying rich girl.

Once we were done with that, I continued on with my talk. "My point is, just because I'm rich, was rich, doesn't mean I don't care. And you're not any less than me, no matter what society says. You newsies are probably better than us rich folks anyway." He shook his head and opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off again. "No, I'm serious. We take everything for granted, but you, you newsies, you know what the worth of a dollar is. You know how to save money for more important things like food, while we waste our money on less important things, like fancy dresses and other not needed things we call 'necessities'. And you work hard for your money. Your well deserved, hard earned money. And don't let anyone tell you different, got it?" He nodded, and I stood up.

"Now that we got that through with," Mouse chuckled slightly. "Where shall we go to lunch?"

His whole face lit up and he took my hand. "Tibby's! We'll go to Tibby's! It's where all the newsies eat! You can meet some of me friends! You can meet Jack, he's our leader, he's real nice! Then there's Race, he likes to gamble a lot and play cards, but everyone once in a while, he'll let us kids play with him. Then, there's my best friend, Les, he doesn't live with us, he has parents and a house. Oh! He's David's little brother! Oh yah! And then there's David, and-"

I tuned him out. Poor Mouse didn't even notice I wasn't paying attention anymore. He just kept talking about all his friends. There must have been at least 20 newsies he's named so far. I wonder where they all stay. From what I've heard, a lot of the newsies are orphans, trying to make a living. I hope none of these kids have to live on the streets. That'd be just a shame.

Oh no, where am I going to stay?

I'm glad to hear that a lot of newsie are around my age. Maybe's I'll ask one of them to see if they know of a place I can stay.

"Ann. We're here." Mouse's voice pulled me back to reality.

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't even notice we had stopped in front of a small restaurant named Tibby's.

"Ready to go in?" He gave me an adorable little grin.

Who could say no to that?

I smiled. "Lead the way!"

He was still holding my hand, and with his free hand, pushed the door open.

The sights inside made me stop dead in my tracks.

There were about 20 or so boys in there, how they all fit in the tiny restaurant, I'll never know. First thing you notice when you walk into Tibby's is that it's loud. Very loud.

These people are very rowdy.

Second thing you notice is that it's filled with boys. From all different ages and sizes. Ranging from about 7 years old all the way to 18 years old. Short to tall.

Next thing to remember, always make sure you look presentable. Especially if you're a girl. These newsies were attractive. The little ones were adorable and cute. But the older ones. Aye. They were very attractive.

I started moving again, against my will, by a 9 year old Mouse, pulling me towards a table where most of the older newsies were sitting.

Every table I passed, the newsies would go silent, staring at me. Until the only noise was coming from the table I was heading directly towards.

There were 5 guys sitting or standing around the table. All of them, very handsome.

The first I noticed was the kid with the eye patch. He just stood out to me the most. Not because of his eye patch, but because he was gorgeous. He looked about 17. He was tall, (he was one of the few people standing up) and had blonde hair. And he had a beautiful smile, one that seemed to never leave his face.

In the chair next to him, was a kid with curly brown hair. He was well dressed for a newsie and looked out of place and a little uncomfortable sitting there with the others.

The center of attention was directed towards what seemed like the leader. He had brownish blond hair, and he was talking very loudly, everything he said getting a laugh from others. He had a red bandana tie around his neck and a cowboy hat by his side.

The next guy was holding a pack of cards, shuffling aimlessly (he wasn't even paying attention, must have been doing it out of habit). He had dark curly hair and had a cigar sticking out of his mouth. He looked obviously Italian, and he was short for his age (he looked about 17, same as the others).

The last guy around the table had dark curly hair and was very well built. He had a wonderful smile and seemed to be enjoying himself. He, like the others (except for the cowboy hat guy), had on a newsie hat and a pair of suspenders.

Those weren't the only other older guys there, the rest were just scattered about the room.

We finally reach the table, and now everyone was silent. It was eerie, compared to just how loud it was a few minutes ago.

"Heya guys!" Mouse said, loudly, oblivious to the quietness.

"Who's the hoity-toity chick, Mouse?" The kid with the cigar asked, getting straight to the point.

I forced a smile on my face and introduced myself.

"Hello. I'm Annabelle Matthews, but I'd prefer it if you all called me Ann." I said as sweetly as I could manage. "I met Mouse awhile ago, and he's been too adorable for his own good, and so I offered to pay for his lunch. He brought me here."

I gave Mouse some money and told him to go eat. By now, everyone else in the room has lost interest, so they continued whatever it was they were doing before I came about.

The kid with the eye patch (you know, the gorgeous one) caught my eye and winked at me and smiled. His smile could make any girl's heart melt. I smiled back.

The guy with the bandana spoke up first. "Hi. My name's Jack Kelly, also known as Cowboy."

Cowboy. How fitting of a name.

He pointed to the kid next to him, the one that spoke up earlier. "This is Racetrack, or Race, whichever you prefer."

"Nice to meet ya." He looked up and smiled.

"You too."

Jack spoke up again, going around the table, he introduced everyone. "Then that's Davey, Mush, and finally, Kid Blink." Kid Blink smiled at me again and held out his ink-stained hand.

I shook it. "Pleasure to meet you."

He smirked. "The pleasure's all mine, Ann."

We both just stood there, looking at each other and smiling.

I heard someone coughing behind us, and I broke the eye contact.

"Heya Ann! I'm Mush! I couldn't help but smile. His cheery attitude was just so contagious.

"Hey Ann. I'm David, or Davey. Nice to meet you. I gotta go home though, so maybe I'll see you later?" He asked more than stated. "Bye guys. Bye Ann." And with that, he left with who I assumed to be his little brother, Les, the one Mouse told me about earlier.

"Aw, don't worry 'bout Davey, he's a party pooper." Jack patted the seat next to him, the seat David occupied just seconds ago, and I gratefully sat down.

I know I've only met these guys for only a couple minutes, but something about them made me feel comfortable, kinda like home.

Except, the only home I've known had turned abusive, so I wouldn't know a real home.

My thoughts went back to Hunter, and Brooklyn, and Ma and Pa. I didn't realize I was staring off into space until Mush spoke up.

"Ann? Ya okay?" Concern filled his voice. "You've been sitting there staring off into space for a while now."

I looked around and realized that the others were looking at me too. I immediately blushed.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about…stuff."

There was an awkward moment of silence until Blink broke it and started talking. "So…what's a pretty lady like you doin' around Mouse anyway?" He looked at me in curiosity.

Should I tell them the truth? How crazy would I sound? 'Oh yeah, my parents died six years ago and my brother took care me. He abused me and I ran away. I fell asleep in the middle of Central Park, waking up crying, and then Mouse found me!' Actually, now that I think about it… It doesn't sound that bad… Maybe I'll just… I don't know… embellish the truth a bit?

Or I can just tell them what I told Mouse. The second option seems the best, I don't wanna get caught in a tangle of lies with my newfound friends.

I took a deep breath and told them what I told Mouse, not the whole truth, but enough of it to not get me in trouble later.

"Well, I'm an orphan." I ignored the gasps as I told my story. "My parents died when I was 10, my brother, Hunter, he was my only family member left, so he took care of me. He was only 15 at the time. He took two hard working jobs to make ends meet. I think one of those jobs was being a newsie, he never told me. Well, now, he's…gone. So I don't have anywhere to go. I used to live in Brooklyn, but I decided that Brooklyn wasn't the place for a girl like me to be sleeping on the streets, so I went to Manhattan for the day. I guess I fell asleep in Central Park, and when I woke up, I remember what had happened and I started crying. Mouse was out selling nearby, and he approached me, we talked…and here I am." I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. There, I told them my story…now I just gotta see what they say…

I looked all around the table…from face to face…and each had a different expression. Mush looked shock. Jack looked like he understood where I was coming from. Race had surprise written all over his face, like he didn't expect me to tell him my life story. And Blink, he had a look of sympathy.

Now I finally understood why newsies are always so happy. Everyday, when I was locked inside by Hunter, I look out the window and see some of the newsies, laughing, and having a good time with one another. I now understand why. Even though they barely earn a dollar a day, they are always so happy. That's because they care about each other. They're family. They know that at the end of the day, they'll always have someone who cares about them, and they'll always have a shoulder to lean onto. They have hope. Something I've never had…until now.

Look, they care about me, I can tell, and they have only known me for 20 minutes, tops. And they care. Newsies care about each other. Because that's the only thing they have. Each other. They have a family.

They all started talking at once, cutting each other off.

"Oh, I-"

"We're so sorry you-"

"I didn't know-"

Jack looked at the other three and shook his head.

"What we all mean to say is that we're sorry, we didn't know. Ya seem like a nice goil. You don't deserve all that." He smiled and I felt a little better. I managed a weak smile.

"Thanks guys. You sure know how to make someone feel better." They all beamed at me.

"Ann, do ya really have no place to go?" Mush looked truly concerned.

I nodded, embarrassed. Here I am, wearing a fancy dress that probably cost more than they could make in a month, with a bag full of money, and I don't even know where I'm going to sleep tonight.

The guys all looked at each other, exchanging a look I couldn't decipher.

Race spoke up, "Excuse us a second."

They got up from the table and moved towards the door, a few feet away. They stood there and started arguing. I could hear snippets of the conversation.

"-lodging house. There's enough room."

"But Kloppman-"

"-no where else to go."

"-few days? Then see happens"

"-complete stranger! We met her an hour ago!"

"-no home."

It was pretty obvious they were talking about me, whether they wanted it to be obvious or not. Anyone within a 4 feet radius knew they were talking about me.

What was that they mentioned about a lodging house? And who's Kloppman?

After a few minutes of some more audible arguing that increased in volume every few seconds, three smiling newsies came back, followed by a sulking Racetrack.

"Well, Ann? How about you come stay with us for a while? At the Newsboy Lodging House? There's an extra room, and you can stay there if ya want.

Jack's announcement made me burst with happiness! I have a place to stay!

"Of course, you'll have to pay rent, but it's only a nickel, you'll manage I'm sure. And I'm pretty sure Kloppman won't mind having and extra hand around the house helping him."

"Kloppman?"

"Oh, he's the guy that runs the lodgin' house for all of us." Blink gestured around the room.

"Oh, well then, I would love to. Thank you. But I don't want to intrude or anything." I looked pointedly at Race.

"Oh! No! Of course not!" Blink, Jack, and Mush reassured me. Race was too busy sulking in his little corner.

"Okay, if you insist. I would have to get a job, to keep up with rent and all, but not for a while, I don't think. But I'm sure I'll find one. Thank you so much! I don't think I'll be able to repay you all for your hospitality!"

"I'm sure Kloppman will help you find a job."

"Thank you! I don't know how I'll ever repay you!"

"Don't mention it. We couldn't just let a pretty goil like you sleep on the streets." Blink gave me an award-winning smile.

I smiled a charming smile of my own, and told them that I really appreciated this.

I went up to all of them and gave them each a hug, which they returned willingly. I even hugged Race, who had returned from his corner, and he even smiled and hugged me back.

I took a step back and admired my new friends.

I guess all good things have to come to an end, because suddenly, everything went black, and the last thing I heard was, "Annabelle? Ann! Are you okay?"


-JACK'S POV-

"Ann! Wake up! C'mon! What just happened?"

I tell Mush and Blink to help me carry her back to the lodging house.

On our way there, I notice what a pretty girl she is. Wavy brown hair, big brown eyes… Why does she look so familiar? Where have I seen her before?

When we reach the lodging house, Kloppman's about to have a heart attack.

"Why are you carrying a girl?" He nearly shouts at me.

"Calm down, Kloppy. We met her at Tibby's and she just fell unconscious. So we brought her here." I hear him sigh and motions for us to bring her to the bunkroom.

Questions can be asked later, now we have to help Ann.


A/N: Okay, wow. that was long. 3557 words. I told you it was gonna be long! 11 pages on Microsoft Word.

I hope I got everything right. Like the description of everything and everyone. If something's wrong, just tell me!

Again, thanks for the reviews and everyone who put this story on their alerts and favorites list.

Another thing, I don't really know if I like the story title much, so I'm open to any ideas right now!(:

Okay, like always, enjoy and review!(: