Disclaimer - Some of the Newsies belongs to Disney, but most of the stuff belongs to me.

CHAPTER 6

Nothing more happened until December of that year. It was the first Christmas that I'd be having with my new family and all of us were excited with making gifts and keeping secrets. With the new snow, even selling papes had become more fun than usual. Snowball fights became a big part of the day. Shaun and me got into a fight where some innocent bystanders got hit and we had to run away with our lives. We were still poor, but that didn't matter so much when giving was most of the fun.

Then, there was the problem with the Christmas tree. You see, all the rich folks were having them brought in from the countryside. Maggie, Patrick, Conner, and little Alan had gotten their hearts set on getting one of our own. They were too expensive though, and the family would much rather have food and warm clothes in the long run.

Levi thought of a plan, though, a plan that might actually work. When the trees are carried by the wagons through the town, some of the branches fall onto the ground. If we were to collect all the branches that we saw, we could build a wooden frame and nail the branches to it. It would be our Christmas tree.

It took us four whole days of branch-collecting while we were selling papes to get what we needed. Levi built the frame out of scrap wood while we slept. Leah busied the younger children with making ornaments out of dried cranberries and paper chains out of the papes that we couldn't sell. Three days before Christmas Eve, we fitted together our tree in the kitchen, by the table. The kids loved it.

All of us there, even Levi's Dad, it was our first Christmas tree. We hung the cranberry strands and the newspaper chains on the tree on Christmas Eve. Dad (Levi's dad) told a story about Santa Claus and how he delivered presents. I listened hard. It was a good story.

After that, Dad told us to hang up a stocking on the dish cabinet. I took off one of my only socks and wondered how Leah and Maggie would like cold feet in the bed.

Us children chattered like birds for about an hour before we fell asleep. We were all excited about Christmas Day, although we knew we wouldn't get much.

I was woken up by Conner, who was jumping on me. I groaned until I remember what day it was. I caught Conner and set him on the floor.

"Leah," I shook her. "Leah, it's Christmas!"

Leah stirred and I pulled her up into a sitting position.

I thought of jumping on Levi and the thought made me giggle. Instead, I asked Conner and Patrick, who was also awake, to jump on him for me. They happily agreed.

Levi yelped and sprung up. Leah and I collapsed in laughter. Shaun and Maggie sat up and guessed what had happened. Slowly, Levi grinned and grabbed the twins and Alan.

All of us ran into the kitchen, where we gasped. Spread on the table was cinnamon buns and oranges. We stared in awe. Maggie was first to notice the stockings. They were bulging.

We all grabbed ours and found a spot to sit down. I was under the kitchen table with Patrick. I dumped out my sock carefully.

There were five peppermint sticks and at least ten toffees in it. Stuffed into the toe of the sock was a cap.

I had lost my old hat almost six months ago. This was a cap like some of the newsies wore. It was gray and had a stiff brim. I could tell it was used, but it was in good shape. I immediately set my cap on my head.

Aside from the candy, Patrick and Conner had both gotten new rubber balls in their stockings. Leah had gotten a pair of thick, warm mittens that were made out of blue wool. Levi had inherited a pocketknife from his Dad that was old, but well taken care of. Maggie found three ribbons, each a different color. Shaun was delighted with his small bag of marbles. Alan had gotten a small, wooden dog that Dad had carved.

I was sad that Dad had to work at the factory and wouldn't even know how happy everyone was with his surprise until tonight. Like any child though, I was soon sidetracked by the breakfast.

After all of our hands were sticky with the juice from the oranges and the frosting from the buns, we moved on to the tree. Levi, Shaun, Leah, and me had taken care of the presents. There was one for each person and no one knew what it would be. Each present was wrapped in newspaper, but one had a box shape and was stiff.

We started with the youngest, Alan. Maggie handed him his present, bouncing with excitement for her turn. Alan wasn't sure at first what to do with it, but Conner helped him rip the paper off. Inside were clothes. Leah and I had chanced upon some nuns giving out clothes to the poor children of Brooklyn. I had already made a personal pact to never pass up free stuff. We found something that looked a little big for Alan, but he'd grow into it. They were woolen trousers, a cotton shirt, and a woolen coat that went over it.

Patrick went next, because he was a couple minutes younger than Conner. He had been hard for us to pick out a present for us, because he never talked to us and seldom even bothered to communicate. I had remembered that Patrick talked to the stray cat and I had walked the streets looking for a kitten. It wasn't hard to find one, but the catching of the scrawny beastie was pretty hard. I did it though and had Leah hide it from the children.

When Patrick tore off the paper from the cardboard box, he looked slightly confused. He carefully pried the cover off and gasped in surprise when he saw the small face and little paws. He gently pulled it out of the box, giving support to both ends of the body. He held it to himself and cuddled it. The kitten was a calm female, and she liked it. She purred and kept still. Patrick smiled so wide I thought his face would break into pieces.

Conner was tired of watching Patrick and grabbed his present. He ripped off the paper and beamed with happiness when he saw the Indian headdress that Levi and Shaun had made for him. It was made of seagull feathers, scrap cloth, and glue.

Maggie's present had been an old doll that Leah and I had found in some trash. We had cleaned her and made her a new dress. The cloth doll was as good as new. Maggie hugged her to her when she saw it, so we knew that she liked it.

Shaun was also excited to find out what his present would be, but he kept it inside and slowly took off the paper with shaking hands. Inside was a real baseball so that Shaun could play stickball with his friends whenever he wanted. He bounced it on the floor until the old woman under us started hitting her ceiling with something hard.

Leah had told us that she wanted something practical. Leah and I had been window shopping outside of the shops and I caught her staring at a shawl. It was lacy and beautiful. I came back the next day with all of Shaun's money and mine and bought it. When Leah opened her present and seen what it was, her eyes filled with tears and she stroked the soft fabric of the shawl. Then, her voice husky, she told us that this wasn't exactly practical. I hugged her.

My turn was next. I made no motion to hide my excitement and even though I was fourteen now, I was bouncing up and down like Conner. I ripped off the paper as fast as I could and I pulled out what I saw. I shook out the fabric and watched in amazement as the folds fell out and revealed a skirt.

I hadn't worn one since the day that I left home. I hadn't wanted to, but during the last month or two, I'd been wondering how it would be. I had filled out a little, in my chest and my hips. The newsies hadn't noticed, but I had. I guess someone had noticed that I wanted to wear skirts again or something.

The skirt was a dark navy blue and would reach to my boot tops. I stood and held it up to myself. It was a perfect fit. I looked at Leah, who smiled.

"You are a heavy sleeper." She told me, with a what-am-I-to-do look on her face. "There's more."

I reached again inside the newspaper and pulled out a white long, sleeve shirt with a collar. It was the kind that most of the women and Leah wore.

I jumped up and hugged Leah tightly.

Levi was reaching for his package and opened it quickly and quietly. There were many layers of newspaper. He raised one eyebrow and looked at me. I giggled, because I had purposely wrapped it in as many layers as I could. Levi finally got down to the present and pulled out a handsome fountain pen and a bottle of ink. He looked happy with what he got.

For the rest of the day, we spent time together and enjoyed our presents. I changed into my dress and learned that sitting like a boy let the whole family see my underwear. They teased my mercilessly about it, but It was one of the best days of my life.

One week later, Levi, me, and Shaun were leaving to the Manhattan Distribution office. I was back into my pants and shirt, with my new cap on my head. We were running, as usual, and then I bumped into her.

Her was my older sister. I don't know how I recognized her, but I think she looked like me. I looked like her, obviously, because she recognized me. I took off running again, but faster this time. She started shouting and sooner than I thought it could happen, a policeman lifted me off my feet and shook me like a rat. He dragged me back to her and set me on my feet.

"What this kid steal from you?" The policeman asked as if there was no question that I had stolen something.

"He didn't steal anything." My sister said. "I know him. You can leave him here if he promises to stay."

I promised as quick as I could, but I wasn't planning on keeping it. I was grateful that she didn't let out that I was really a girl. The policeman left, which helped me to breathe a lot easier.

"Katie, what are you doing?" She asked. It felt weird to hear my birth name again. I guessed that she was about nineteen years old, if I remembered and added right.

"I don't know who Katie is. Are you one of those mad women?" I darted her question, hoping that she'd think that I wasn't her sister. It didn't work.

"Stop dancing around my question! Answer it!" This was the Emmy I remembered.

"I'm not doin' nothing!" I answered, looking around for Levi and Shaun. I spotted them leaning against a wall, watching the encounter. I cursed out loud, shocking Emmy.

"Who were those two boys you were with?"

"My brothers." I spoke without hesitation. "They're my brothers."

She sighed deeply. "How about I treat you for breakfast? We can talk there."

"I already ate."

"If you're living in the tenements, it couldn't have been much."

I didn't answer that.

"Please?" She begged. For a minute, I felt a pang of sorrow, knowing that I had missed out on six years of our relationship. I ignored it. I had Leah and Maggie now.

"Sure." I said hesitantly, waving over the two sucker boys, who were still watching.

"I'm gonna go to breakfast with her. I'll see you guys at dinner, okay? If I'm not back by then, tell the police she kidnapped me." I instructed Levi and Shaun.

Levi stepped up to me. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Right as fish in a barrel." Shaun laughed, which I shoved him for.

"I always turn up on my feet." I reassured Levi. "I'll be fine."

I followed Emmy through the streets. We didn't talk at all, I guess because I was kind of sulking.

I was surprised when I saw the place that Emmy was bringing me to. It was definitely one of the nicer restaurants in Brooklyn. For the first time, I really looked at her. She was wearing a fine factory made dress. She had a fancy hat on, with flowers sewn to the brim. She also had a purse over her shoulder. It looked like my family had done well enough in the money department since they left.

When we entered the shop, I felt out of place in my dirty pants that were still too long for me and had a huge hole in the knee. My shirt was the right size in the arms, but I didn't tuck it in and it looked funny with the shirttails hanging out. My face was smudged and dirty, and my hands were almost black. I couldn't smell it, but I probably stunk to high heaven. I still smelled better than Shaun. My new cap was the only thing clean about me.

We sat down at the table and my sister passed me a menu. David, or the Mouth, had taught me, but I still had to work to read. Emmy noticed.

"Can't you read?" She asked.

"I ain't never been to school." I shrugged. I wasn't even trying to correct my grammar, which usually I did.

"Just tell me what you want and I'll find something for you."

"I want orange juice and milk and eggs and bacon and ham and potatoes." I said in a big list, naming the things I didn't usually get.

Emmy looked surprised but called over a waiter and ordered what I had told her and what she wanted.

"So did you really kill Father?" She cut right to the quick, but at least she whispered it.

"No. I wouldn't kill anybody." I lied. What if she took me to the authorities and had me pay in jail time for the crime?

"Katie, I'm not going to tell..."

"My name is Max." I interrupted. Now she really looked confused.

"Why Max?"

"It's who I am." I answered. "I've made it something different." Something different than what our dad had been.

"Katie is who you are." She argued. "That's your name."

Our food came then, so I didn't answer back. I polished off the huge plate of food in record time. I guess I didn't mind my manners well at all, but I was hungry. I'd only had a roll and an apple this morning. I shared the apple with Shaun, too.

She had only ordered something small, so we both finished at the same time.

"Where have you been?" Emmy asked. I laughed at her question.

"Shouldn't I be asking where you've been?" I guess some of my old bitterness came out cause I laughed shortly after I said it.

Emmy sensed my hurt and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Katie. I really am."

I looked away pointedly. I wasn't ready for a tearful sisterly reunion.

"Was it you that Mama saw in the street a couple months ago?"

"She didn't recognize me." I shrugged.

"That doesn't bother you?" Emmy sounded shocked.

"Nope." I answered. "I was happy. Still am. I don't blame her, but she hasn't exactly been there. It's not like she's still my mother."

She shook her head. "But I meant it when I asked. Where have you been doing? If you left home in February, you've had ten months. What did you do with them?"

I laughed. Here was my leverage. I knew Emmy. If she hadn't changed, she was as curious as a dog. She wouldn't give up until I told her and I wouldn't give in. It was a nice fix.

"Well," I got up from my seat. "I better be getting to work." I said that purposely so that she'd notice that there was another thing that she didn't know.

"Katie Costa, you sit down this instant!"

I obeyed, knowing that she could tell someone I stole something and I'd be in jail. Or maybe I just didn't want to leave.

"Emily Costa, you stop ordering me around!" I said, mimicking her voice.

She somewhat brightened at my use of her name, but it died away. "It's not Costa anymore. Mama remarried about four years ago. She got a legal form and divorced Father. It's Emily Felton now."

It was my turn to be surprised. "So I don't relate to you anymore?"

"I'm still your sister, just not by name."

I was disappointed, but I didn't show it. I'm sure it would have hurt her.

"Are you going to come live with us again?" Emmy asked hopefully.

"I told you, I got a family now! A real one, with a dad, and younger brothers and sisters. Besides, I got friends and a job and a life! I'm not just going to leave it."

"We live in the country and have a horse farm." Emmy pleaded. "I'm sure you'd have fun."

I wasn't even tempted. "I have fun here. I can't even think of not living in the city."

"Will you at least visit?"

"I'm busy. I have to watch kids and work. I don't have time."

"Bring the children." Emmy was really begging now.

"Alright. I don't have any money though."

"Money's not an issue. When can you come?"

"Um, in a month?" I guessed.

"Alright. I'll send Frank on the train to get you."

"Emmy, I'm fourteen and I've been on my own for the longest time. I can ride a train by myself." I insisted.

She gave a little laugh. "I suppose you're right. How many children are there?"

"There's eight of us total."

Emmy took out a small pencil and scribbled some figures onto a napkin. Then she handed me the largest amount of money that I'd even held in my life.

It was a twenty dollar gold piece. I stuck it into my shoe, where I was sure not to lose it.

"Come as soon as you can." Emmy told me.

"As long as you get Mother and yourself out of the city and stop scaring me by turning up at every moment."

Emmy agreed and we parted our separate ways.

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