AHHHH!! Thank you so so much to the few reviews I got!! You all seem to love Bells and Twirls, and some of you- coughcandyk8cough- want to see Notes, so I will oblige. Just read on.
And to all you Bat Ears lovers, don't worry. Read on and you will see what will come of the little guy.
Thank you again!!
xXxXxXxXxXx
Bat Ears began to shake as he stared up into the cold black eyes of Dagger Smith, who gripped his skinny arm and pulled him rather forcefully to his feet.
"It's Conlon's spy," Dash said smugly, glad that he could provide another tidbit of information.
"Bat Ears, am I correct?" Daggers said almost softly, making his persona all the more creepy. "Well, some spy. But one we could use to our advantage."
Bat Ears was shaking horribly now and stuttered, "I-I'll t-tell! I'll t-tell S-Spot everything yoah up tah! I will! An' Pockets! I'll tell 'em Dash sneaked out! An' dat he's a spy too!"
Rodeo and Claw let out a raucus rough of laughter at this proclemation and Daggers chuckled softly, shaking his head back in forth in amusement.
"Yoah a funny little one, I'll give yah dat," he mused. "But do yah honestly think weah just gonna let yah walk away from dis? I think not."
He put Bat Ears down on a crate and knelt to his level.
"Yoah brudda..." he began. "Pockets. Nice boy, is he not?"
Bat Ears nodded fearfully and the knot in his stomach grew tighter as the possibilities of where this could lead ran through his head. The trio of Bronx boys now gathered around him also, looking menacing in the dying firelight.
"A nice boy," Daggers continued, "that could easily be ah, taken care of." As he spoke those three words, Daggers drew forth his namesake, a small, maybe 6 inches in length, dagger, tracing the edges against Bat Ear's cheek. "Now we wouldn't want that, would we?"
Bat Ears nodded, stunned. If he told, Pockets could be killed. Was reportubg a puny little spy that he could easily get one of the older boys to beat up really worth the death of only caretaker, his only family? Bat Ears was sure that Brooklyn could provail in a war. But what about the twins? Knowing Daggers and his reputation...maybe he could subtly tell Spot to keep a closer eye on the pair...
"So, do we have a deal?" Daggers asked, putting away his blade. He stood up. "Yah keep yoah mouth shut and report any news yah heah about Brookyn's battle plans tah Dah. Oddawise yoah bro is history."
Bat Ears nodded, holding out his hand. Daggers spit in his own and returned the grip. Even though Daggers was grasping his hand, Bat Ears felt like it was a lease around his neck.
xXxXxXxXxX
Twirls looked over her shoulder and lifted up her skirt as she stepped onto the Brooklyn Bridge, taking a deep breath. So far, so good. She smiled wryly, thinking of the last night.
She had Bells lay on Bells' bunk, hudled under the covers as the summer night turned chilly.
"Now," Bells said. "Repeat it back to me."
Twirls rolled her eyes, although Bells could not see the action so it was completely inaffective.
"I get up before you ring da bell," Twirls reiterated boredly. "An' go an' hide my skoit by da docks. I get my papes from Pockets like usual, but leave 'em on da crate my skoit's under when I change for yah tah pick up. Den I got tah 'Hattan."
"Exactly." Twirls felt the covers move as her sister nodded. "An' yah have tah be back by da time market's done. I can' cover for yah foreva."
"I will beh, calm down," Twirls said. She yawned and added, "Can I go tah sleep now?"
"One more thing." Twirls let out a soft groan.
"Sleep, Bells," she snapped. "It's impoitant, 'specially when yah get up at an ungodly hour like yah do. An' I have tah now, thanks tah this brilliant plan."
"Well yah figure out a different way tah get saftely tah 'Hattan, den, witout getting caught," Bells said, in a hushed tone of hurt. Here she was trying to be a good sister and Twirls wanted nothing to do with it.
Twirls felt her sister roll over and reached out to touch her back.
"Bells, I'm sorry," she said, meaning it. "I'm just tired and...noivous I guess."
Bells rolled back over, her eyebrow raised even though it went unseen by her sister.
"Scared? Why?"
"Well, I'm sneakin' ova tah see a boy," Twirls whispered. "I dunno, it just feels weird. An' then I get all jittery wonderin' if he would like me, an' then I get all these scenes runnin' through my head wheah he spends time wit me and finds that he doesn't like me and I just make a fool o' myself and then Spot finds out wha' we did, an' yah get in trouble and can' go see yah boy an-"
"Twirls. Breath," Bells ordered. "Foist things foist, as I mighta mentioned, Spot's goin' tah Queens again, and I doubt it's tah see Gambla, even though dat's wha' he is tellin' everybody. Second, Mush would be an idiot no' tah like yah. Yoah smart, cute, funny, wise-mouthish-"
"Bells, dat's no' a good thing."
"Hey, I'm tryin' tah make yah feel betta heah. Let me talk. An' I'll see Race. Have yah eva known me tah let Spot stop me when it comes tah boys?"
Twirls thought back to when Spot threatened to throw Pockets out if he didn't stop hooking up with Bells. She vividly remembered the night that Spot stood on the steps of the house, Pockets in front of him, nose bleeding from the fight that ensued. And then later that week, at the New Year's Party, she remembered drunkenly walking in on Pockets and Bells in a passionate liplock.
Twirls sighed. That was her sister for you.
"Okay, yah make yoah point," Twirls said. "I just-it's gonna be hard tah get close tah him when I can' tell 'em who I really even am."
This stunned Bells to silence, for it was a problem for her as well. At least Pockets had known who she was.
"Wow," Bells finally murmured. "I neva thought of it dat way. I guess yah..."
But even the ever wise Bells didn't have any advice to give.
Twirls walked briskly, enjoying the sun and warmth on her skin and hair, which rarely saw sunlight. It was a perfect summer day; the sky was blue, the clouds like cotton balls in the sky, the sun shining down, making the water in the river sparkle almost blindingly.
She made her way into the hustle and bustle of the morning market, crowded even though it was quite early. Twirls still didn't know her way around this part of the city, so she made her way over to the bench she had met Mush at the previous time.
Sitting down primly, Twirls smelled fresh bread and buns and turned to look behind her, where a bakery kept residence. She felt her stomach rumble; usually she went to the restaurant with the rest of the boys, but since she had taken off as soon as Pockets had handed her the papes, that had not happened.
"Emma?"
Twirls turned and smiled, seeing a puzzled but delighted Mush coming towards her.
"Suprise," she said, standing up. Mush shook his head, still smiliing.
"Yoah amazin'," he murmured, thinking Twirls couldn' hear even though she did. She prayed she did not blush.
"So, I see yah have quite a numba there," Twirls commented, motioning to the large stack of papes upon Mush's right shoulder. "Headline's good?"
Mush nodded.
"Best de've been since da strike," he replied. "Wonda how Brooklyn's are." He looked somewhat scornfully in the direction of the river. Twirls gulped.
"Yah know," she said cautiously, praying she would not regret this later, "I'm from Brooklyn."
Mush's mouth fell open slightly and he closed it quickly and said, "I didn' mean anything like yoah thinkin'! It's Conlon-I don' like him."
This Twirls smiled at and answered truthfully.
"I don' much edda."
"Oh. Whew!" Mush said with relief. He caught her glance looking at the fresh muffins and asked, "Did yah eat befoah yah hiked ova heah? Which, by da way, I thank yah foah."
"Oh, no, I didn'," Twirls responded. "An' don' worry, it was woith it."
Mush grinned goofishly and tripped over his feet on the way into the bakery, causing Twirls to smile and her feelings for him to grow even more.
Returning with two muffins, one of which he handed to Twirls, sending sparks flying between their fingertips as they touched, saying, "Heah yah go. So, do yah wanna sell wit me or..."
"Yeah, I do," Twirls said, shouldering half his papes. Mush goggled at her.
"Yah'd be suprised at how good at dat I am," she said. He nodded apprecietivly, shouldering the papes on one shoulder at taking her hand, leading her away to spend one of the best days she's had.
xXxXxXxXxX
Bells sat glumly in Jackie's, the restaurant of the Brooklyn boys. She was thinking of all the doings her sister could be getting up to, from G-rated scenes to some thoughts she shouldn't be having. But she knew Twirls. She wouldn't get up to much. She hoped.
But Spot was another story. Bells definetly didn't believe his hoity-toity about going to confer further with Gambler, because she had heard him say before that he spoke to Gambler as little as possible; she was strong-willed and hardheaded and most often disagreed with him.
This left only one other possible reason for her brother to travel to Queens and one reason that Bells had never known him to act upon before. If she was correct and someone had caused him to lie, she would pay the said person. For Spot Conlon had left his territory for a reason that his own sister could not believe: a girl.
xXxXxXxXxXxX
Spot didn't know what possessed him to return to Queens. He had been with many a girl, thinking he had seen them all. But no girl had ever drawn him to her before, at least not in a sexual way. There was something almost intoxicating about Notes.
Notes. Spot had barely thought of anything but her, except maybe the pressing problem of Daggers. But aside from that, Notes had haunted his thoughts. Her smile, smirk, laughter, that glint in her eye that almost seemed evil, in a good way if such a thing was possible.
His heart was going at an abnormally quick rate as he approached the fountain, knowing what would slow it. His eyes scanned the surrounding crowds and clumps of girls until he found the one he was looking for talking with Gambler. Thinking his heart would've slowed, it just quickened. He walked towards her.
"An' then it was-"
Notes stopped talking mid-sentence when a shadow was cast across her. She looked up, shading her eyes from the glare of the sun, and her mouth fell open but in a smile when she saw who was there.
"Conlon??"
Gambler's welcome was much less pleasent.
"Nice tah see yah too," Spot returned.
"Wha' da hell are you doin' here?" she questioned.
"Well I certainly ain't heah tah see you," he snapped back.
"An' yah came tah see Notes?"
"Yeah. Problem?"
"Yoah funeral."
She finally walked away and Spot turned to Notes and offered his hand. She took it with a small smile.
"Shall we?"
xXxXxXxXxXxX
Hope you all liked it!! candyk8 bugged me to no end to post, so you can all thank her. And thank me by reviewing.
-iheartron547
