DISCLAIMER: I don't own Newsies.

Away From the Hunter

Ch. 6

-Who's Brooklyn?-

-ANNABELLE'S POV-

The boys all trudged down the stairs in one big group. And I could barely count all of them before they made it out the door. Like always, the last ones down were Mouse and Blink.

In the week that I was here, I've become good friends with the two of them. Of course, I've made other friends, but they were my closest friends here.

We walked out together. I would always go out and watch the newsies sell the morning edition, always being with one of them, since according to Jack, 'It's not safe for a goil as pretty as youse tah be out on da streets alone.' After tagging along with the newsies, I would always return to cook lunch, unless they decided to eat at Tibby's, then I'd go with them and enjoy a day without cooking. This week, I had sold with Jack, Mouse, Blink, Mush, and Skittery.

When we got to the distribution center, I waited patiently outside the gates for them to get their papers, not daring to step foot inside, for fear of the Delancey brothers seeing me again, I had learned my lesson last time.

Mouse came out first with his stack of papers and looked up at me with his big green eyes.

"Will you sell with me today, Ann?" Mouse asks earnestly.

"I would love too-" I start to say.

"But she's selling with me today, alright Mouse?" Kid Blink comes up and puts an arm around my shoulders, his stack of papers under his other arm.

Mouse pouts. Poor kid. I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with his since I got here. I bend down to comfort him. "How 'bout this, I'll sell with Blink today and then I'll take you to the park this Sunday, all right?" I try to compromise with him.

His face lights up, "'Kay Ann!" He runs up to his friends and before me and Blink walk away I hear him yell, "Ann's taking me to the park! Haha!"

I chuckle and so does Blink, and he puts his arm back around my shoulders and we walk to his usual selling spot.

"Extry! Extry! Mayor's daughter seen fraternizing with lowly newsboy! Read all about it!"

I roll my eyes when a bunch of people buy a paper from Blink, including group of flirty girls. Even though that's a completely made up headline, 'stretching the truth' as they say.

Anyway, that headline, which was formed up from one of Blink's dreams, he always wanted to take the mayor's daughter out on a Saturday night.

"Ya sure you don't wanna sell a few, Ann? Ya look awfully bored over there by ya self."

"I'm fine. Stop asking and get selling! The faster you sell, the faster we get to Tibby's!" I'm sprawled out on the grass in Central Park, waiting for Blink t finish selling. It's been 2 hours and I'm starving.

"Ya know ya don't have to wait for me." He says, his eyebrows arched. "Just go on down to Tibby's. I'll be there in a few minutes. I only got 3 papes left. Plus it's hard to work knowing that a beautiful goil like ya self is sitting," he looks down at me and chuckles at my position on the grass. "Or sprawled in the grass a mere 2 feet away from me."

I blush and pretend I didn't hear that last part. I gasp mockingly. "What? And let a little 'ole goil like meself walk on da streets all alone?" I say, trying to imitate Jack's accent. Blink looks amused, so I must have failed. "Unheard of! My, Mister Blink, where have your manners gone? What would Jack think when I walk into Tibby's without my babysitter?" I say sarcastically.

"He'll live. Anyway, Tibby's is just down the street. You shouldn't get into too much trouble." Blink says, clearly amused with my little rant. "If he asks where ya 'babysitter' is, be a newsie and stretch da truth a bit, and tell him I walked ya in." He gives me one oh his charming grins.

"As tempting as that offer sounds, I think I'll stay here and wait for you. No need to get you, or myself, into trouble for disobeying Jack's orders for me to have someone with me at all times." I wrinkle my nose, but in reality, I'm glad that rule was made. That means they really care about me. And it also means that there is no way for Hunter to get me without one of the newsies seeing.

He shrugged, "Suit ya self. Just means I got more time with you to meself." Again, he gave me his award winning smile.

I blush again, which I've been doing a lot whenever I'm around Blink.

This whole week, me and Blink have been doing innocent flirting here and there, nothing serious. But I have to ask, did I want it to be a serious thing?

-KID BLINK'S POV-

She's so beautiful, her long wavy brown hair flowing down past her shoulders. With those big brown eyes. She's like an angel, ad I bet she doesn't realize it.

She probably doesn't even realize that I like her. Maybe. Okay. Yes. But do I like her a lot? Probably not. I mean, I've only known her for a week.

I wasn't lying when I said she was distracting me from selling. I would have been done by now, if only I could stop looking at her.

But she's so sweet and caring. And she puts up with us rowdy boys everyday. Everyone loves having her around, I know I do. And she's so good with children. She treats them with respect and always makes them feel good about themselves, nothing us older newsies have ever done for them.

Plus, her cooking is way better than Kloppman's.

She's looking at me again, with that look of hers that says I better get selling 'cause she's hungry. Better sell these papes and take her to Tibby's!

-ANNABELLE'S POV-

It took Blink less than five minutes, give or take a few, to sell his remaining papers. Of course, he did sell them to a bunch of giggling girls, but he sold them nonetheless.

I should be happy he sold them all, but why do I feel so uneasy inside, especially when he sold to those pretty flirty girls?

I pushed the feeling away and got up from the grass with the help of Blink.

And then we started our journey to Tibby's.

Blink looked at me suddenly, like he just remember something important. "Oh! I almost forgot! Brooklyn's coming over tonight." Brooklyn? He must of seen my confused look, so he expanded on the subject. "Ya know, Conlon and his boys." I still must have looked pretty confused because he just kept on talking. "Spot Conlon. Leader of the Brooklyn newsies. Ever heard of 'im?" Spot Conlon. Spot Conlon… Have I ever heard of him? Nope, doesn't ring a bell. I shake my head no, and Blink's one eye nearly pops out of his head. "Ya kiddin' me right? Ya mean ya never heard of THE Spot Conlon? I though ya said ya lived in Brooklyn?"

"I did, thank you very much. I was just…a sheltered girl. Never got out much." I said indignantly.

"Uh huh. Anyway, he's bringin' some of his boys over for a poker night. We do that ever so often, since after the strike last year Spot and Jack became closer friends."

I nodded, but then thought of something. "What strike?"

Blink laughed and patted my back good naturedly, "Ya got a lot to learn 'bout us newsies, Ann."

He shook his head and led me inside Tibby's.

"I was just telling' ya about Spot comin' over 'cause ya need to be prepared for more boys.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

More rowdy boys. When I already got to take care of 20 boys, this Brooklyn guys brings over more? This is gonna be one night.

A/N: Here's chapter 6!

Sorry about updating later then usual, I spent the whole day with my cousin watching the anime show called Anohana, and anyway, it was so sad and me and her were bawling. Okay, I'm rambling, well back on topic.

Anyway, I don't think I'll be able to update tomorrow, family thing. I might, I'll try to, but it probably won't happen.

Thanks for everything! Reviews, alerts, favorites, all of that!

Enough of my rambling, enjoy and review(: