Only Time Will Tell
Chapter Ten: Shadowland
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Newsies.
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"Brooklyn," a voice cut into Brooklyn's dreams like a knife. But she didn't want to be woken up, it was much too early for that and she was still much too tired. "Brooklyn, you must wake up now!" And then she recognized the voice and she sat straight up in her bed. Her eyes met Theodore's, and instantly she knew that this was it.
She threw back her covers and immediately asked, "What's happening?"
"Never mind that now," her uncle told her, hastily rushing around the room. "You need to get out of here." He fished into his pocket and pulled out a wad of money. He thrust it at her, and she took it and put it in a satchel she had put around her waist.
"Uncle…" Brooklyn trailed as they went toward the balcony.
"There's no time for that now, my dear niece," Theodore replied. "Put on your cloak when you get to the stables. No one can recognize you."
"Why not?" Brooklyn questioned.
"You'll understand soon enough," Theodore replied. "Now please, go. Ride out the back and onto the road. Go straight into town and call for help, but do not stop. Get on the next train to New York and I will meet you there."
"Promise?" Brooklyn asked cautiously.
"I can't do that, Brooklyn," he replied, causing her to gasp.
"Uncle!"
A crash was heard downstairs, and her uncle pushed her down the first step of the balcony. "You have to go, now!" They hugged briefly before Brooklyn started down the stairs. "Give my regards to Dawson, for me." Brooklyn turned around to ask him what he meant, but he had already disappeared into the room.
Taking a deep, shaking breath, she nearly ran down the stairs. It was much easier to run in what she was wearing. So that no one would recognize her, she wore a plain, dark blue skirt and a white blouse, the sleeves reaching her wrists and the hem tightening around them. Her corset was tied loosely, for she had been sleeping in these clothes the past two nights.
When she made it to the stables, Eclipse was tacked and ready, Bear waiting with the stable hand. Brooklyn threw on her cloak and pulled the hood over her head. Rarely used, were cloaks nowadays, and Theodore had to pull this one out of the attic. It was black, and she and Eclipse would blend perfectly in the darkness.
The stable hand helped Brooklyn mount and get situated in the saddle. For a safer gallop, they had traded the side-saddle for a regular western saddle. It was an awkward position, but Brooklyn felt much safer with the large horn for her to hold.
After she was situated, the stable hand picked up the six month old Bear and handed her to Brooklyn. She put the dog in front of her, two legs over each side. They had four leashes on her that Brooklyn wrapped around her waist. One was around her neck, the other around her back lower abdomen. This was to ensure that she stayed in the saddle at a full gallop, and was tightly tied to Brooklyn's waist and the horn of the saddle.
Bear had grown immensely. She was big, muscular and furry. At about six and a half or seven months old, she weighed about sixty-five pounds. She was really living up to her name. She had grown into a gorgeous young lady, and the veterinarian estimated she would be over one-hundred pounds at full grown. Brooklyn felt bad for poor Eclipse, having all that weight at the base of his neck. She also felt bad for Bear. At the beginning of the week she had gotten her stitches out of her stomach from being spayed. But unfortunately, there was no time to think about that.
"Thank you, Harry," Brooklyn said quickly. She checked that she had her satchel and the saddle bag. With a last nod to Harry, she secured the hood of her cloak over her own head. She was lucky that Bear's coat was a mix of dark brown and black hair, excellent coverage. She gathered the reins in one hand, the other on Bear. Clicking her tongue, she kicked Eclipse into an immediate canter, and moved her into a gallop as soon as they reached the woods.
She followed the trail that her uncle had marked with pieces of white fabric. In the full-moonlight, they were easily visible and Brooklyn was out of the woods and onto the road in no time. Bear was not enjoying the ride, and was whining and shaking the whole way. Brooklyn tried to console her puppy, but in no way could find a way to console herself.
When they were on the road, Brooklyn slowed Eclipse to was walked and turned the horse around. What she saw pulled a scream from her lips. She saw the plantation, fully engulfed in flames. At the base of the house, around burning crosses, were what appeared to be ghosts. Men dressed all in white, holding torches and waving them about.
"Uncle!" she cried, and Eclipse sidestepped. Regaining her head and forcing herself to remember what her Uncle had said, she turned the Arabian gelding and kicked him into a gallop again. Tears were welling in her eyes, and she prayed that her uncle was all right. "Oh God, please save my Uncle," she murmured to herself as she galloped.
The country-side passed as a blur, and Brooklyn was only mildly aware when she reached Georgetown. But when she did, she began to raise hell with her voice. "Fire at the Rutger Plantation!" she screamed, causing both Bear and Eclipse to start. She ignored the both of them and repeated her cry over and over again.
Two blocks away from the train station, Brooklyn slowed Eclipse to a walk and began pulling off the straps that attached Bear to her and the saddle. When she was done, she sat there momentarily in thought. How was she to get her large pup down?
"Need help dere, Miss?" the voice caused her to utter a yelp, and she looked toward where she had heard it. Patrick, the newsboy she had met months ago, sauntered out from behind the building. He tipped his cap and Brooklyn welcomed the help.
"Can you just take my dog down from the saddle, please?" she asked him. He obliged and helped her get Bear down, commenting on her large size. "Thank you," Brooklyn said, dismounting herself. She pulled the saddlebag off Wish and tossed it to the side. She pulled the saddle off and tossed it next to the bag. She turned her horse around, back from where they came from and removed his bridle.
"Go!" she exclaimed, and then smacked Eclipse in the rear. The startled gelding threw his head up high and bolted down the street, his tail waving high behind him like a banner. She looked back to Patrick, who had raised an eyebrow. He handed Bear's leash to her, watching her carefully.
"Wheah you headin'?" he asked her in his New York-ish accent.
"Manhattan," she replied.
"Takin da train?"
"Yes."
"You're in luck," he replied, flashing a smile. "I's headin' ta Brooklyn, an' it looks ta me like yous need a escort." Brooklyn hesitated, but nodded.
"Yoah da Pulitza goil, right?" he asked her. "Da goil dat asked us bout Spot a few months back?" Brooklyn nodded as she picked up the saddle bag and slung it over her right arm, leading Wish in her left.
"Yes, I'm the Pulitzer girl," she replied.
"Runnin' away?"
"Not exactly," she replied carefully. Patrick didn't ask any questions. The two walked silently to the train station and up to the ticket holder.
"When's the next train to New York?" Brooklyn asked. The hood still shadowed most of her face, and she hit the saddlebag underneath her cloak.
"We've got the last one leavin' in bout two minutes or so," the clerk replied lazily.
"Are there any more tickets available?" she asked, her words quickening.
"Yes ma'am," he replied. "But they're in the back cars."
"Any car is fine," she replied hastily. She fished into her satchel and pulled out ten dollars. "Two tickets, please." The clerk made out two tickets, and she slapped the money down on the table.
"You're going to have to switch in Virginia," the clerk replied, handing them four tickets. "Those are the tickets for that right there. You better hurry on, now." Brooklyn nodded and she and Patrick made their way to the platform and showed the conductor their tickets. He led them to a car way in the back. Seats lined the rows, instead of compartments.
"No dogs allowed, Miss," he told her, looking at Wish. Brooklyn pulled ten more dollars from her satchel, handed it to him and then entered the car. He said nothing else.
"You don't have to sit with me," Brooklyn said as she sat down next to the window, sliding the saddlebag under her seat and having Wish hop up next to her. Patrick, however, sat down next to wish with a smile on his face.
"I know," he replied. "But I don't got no one else ta sit wit, sos I guess I'd ratha sit next ta yous." Brooklyn wanted to smile and thank him, but she couldn't. She was too worried for her Uncle to smile or be happy. The train lurched forward into the night, and Brooklyn realized they had a long journey ahead of them.
&--&--&
"Patrick," Brooklyn said gently as she stood up. "Patrick!" She shook the newsboy's shoulder gently. He awoke with a startled snort and looked around.
"Wha…?" he drawled.
"It's time to change trains," she told him. "And we haven't much time." The newsie opened one eye, and once he saw she was serious, got up and let Brooklyn lead the way.
It took them a few minutes to get to the train, and Patrick had stopped to pick up a newspaper. Before they boarded the train, Patrick stopped Brooklyn and smirked. "Do ya wanna really go for a train ride?" Confused by what he meant, she followed him to the last passenger car before the two luggage cars, all the way at the back of the train.
"Folla me," he told her. She followed him into the deserted back car. They walked to the back of it, and Patrick looked around to make sure that there wasn't anyone watching them. He then opened the back to the car and led her into the luggage car.
"What are we doing?" she asked, following him tentatively.
"Ridin' da train," he replied with a smirk. "Jus' a little different than yous richies." She followed him with even more hesitant steps as they entered the last car. Surprisingly, they found three others already back there. One girl and two boys, dressed in regular newsie attire.
"Heya fellas," Patrick said with a smile. "How's da ride?"
"Great, Pat," one of the girls replied, and the others agreed with her. Obviously, they knew each other.
"Who's da dame with da dog?" one of the guys asked, jabbing a thumb in Brooklyn's direction.
"That's Bro-"
"Rookie," Brooklyn replied firmly, looking to Patrick with pleading eyes, begging him not to ask questions. "I'll explain later," she murmured as they went to find a place to sit down on the floor amongst the luggage.
"Rookie?" the second girl asked. "Dat ain't no richie name. What's up wit chyou?"
"None of your business," Brooklyn snapped in reply, though she didn't like snapping at someone she didn't know. But the girl backed off quickly, glancing from Patrick and back to Brooklyn.
They sat down toward the back of the car, leaning up against the wall. Brooklyn had Bear lay down next to her and held her leash tightly. She would have to let her go quickly at one of the stops along the way. She had just gone, but there was a good day ahead of them. Brooklyn bit her lip, stroking Bear's long fur gently.
The train lurched forward, and one of the newsies toward the middle stood up. He walked over to the side of the car and grabbed the handle. Brooklyn watched him intently, though the corner of her eye caught Patrick opening his newspaper. When the newsie opened the sides of the cart, Brooklyn almost gasped. She struggled to remain silent and act as if she knew what was going on, but she didn't understand why anyone would ride the train in the luggage car with both sides open. It was extremely dangerous, and quite stupid, especially when they sat close to the edge.
"Shit," Brooklyn heard Patrick mutter. She looked to him, and saw him staring intently at the newspapers. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the headline:
Rutger Plantation Burned to the Ground No Survivors Found
Brooklyn grabbed the paper from Patrick, ignoring his reaction. She held it out in front of her, her hands shaking as she held it. Quickly her eyes scanned the picture of the plantation in flames, horses springing from their paddocks, complete chaos. The burning crosses in the front, just before the porch. Her eyes found the article and she began to read it.
Last night, cause unknown to police, the Rutger Plantation in Georgetown, South Carolina burst into flames. The flame engulfed the house in the middle of the night, eventually destroying the whole property, along with part of the barn. There were no survivors. The bodies of Theodore Rutger and his niece, Brooklyn Pulitzer, were found in the rubble. The police-
Brooklyn thrust the paper back at Patrick and pulled Wish onto her lap. She held back the tears that were welling in her eyes. Her uncle was dead, and the servants were gone also. How had they found her body? They probably mistook a servants' for her own.
She bit her lip and pulled Bear closer. The Shepherd-mutt licked her face gently, thumping her tail against the floor of the car. Brooklyn could not cry. She would not cry. Not in front of these newsies, not in front of Patrick. She gulped and pet Bear slowly, focusing with every fiber of her being not to cry. Patrick didn't attempt to talk to her, but he did send her a few wary glances. Brooklyn believed that he now understood why she wouldn't tell him why she was going to Manhattan and why she gave a false name.
Dawson. Rose. Annie. And now her Uncle? She had no one. She would not return to her family, they probably already thought she was dead. Not to mention, she had never wanted to return into the face book.
There were a few options presented to her. There was the first option: She could go to an orphanage under a different name and wind up working in a factory. The second option: When she got to Manhattan, hop onto another train and go further upstate. Somewhere she could hide and start a new life. Or, there was the third, the most difficult option.
She could always return to the Newsies.
X X Author's Note Oooh, a cliffeh. What path will she choose? I'm sorry that this chapter took so long. I'm working on a story which I hope to become a novel one day and then a short story for Holocaust Remembrance Day at our school. I've also been a bit preoccupied with end-of-semester grades and extra work and such. Hopefully, the next chapter will be out within 1-2 weeks. Thank you all for being such great readers and supporters! A big thanks to for your fantastic reviews. I can't believe that I'm only 3 reviews away from exceeding the amount I received on 'Hear the Bells in Brooklyn', with only nine chapters! Thank you guys so much, you are the best readers an author could ask for.