Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the newsies are not mine. Ella and Jayson are, though?? ...Yeah, you're right... Still not the same. ::sigh::
WOO! Five days since I last posted. I'm working my way down, guys. Maybe soon I'll be back at updating every two or three days. Hopefully. So here goes: Long chapter with a lot of stuff happening.
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Instead of the Newsies being in the lobby like they usually were after selling, it was empty. Silver and I climbed the stairs and opened the door to find our friends sitting on the floor or lying on their bunks. It was exactly like the night we found out about this whole thing, right before we figured out what was wrong. No one said a word.
Even Kloppman was there, leaning stiffly against the wall. He acknowledged us with a small nod.
The metal box with all our savings was lying on the foot of Specs' bed, which was one of the bunks towards the middle of the room. Specs sat as far away from it as he could without falling off his bed. Everyone glanced nervously at it every once in a while, as if it was cursed.
The newsies decided early on that we wouldn't count our savings as they came; if we weren't making money as quickly as we would've hoped, it would be discouraging. Then we'd stop working so hard, making it even more difficult to reach our goal. We were better off just not knowing until the end.
After putting the money we earned that day on Specs' bed, Silver and I quietly went over to my bunk. I leaned up against the headboard and Silver sat at the foot of the bed with her legs crossed and her chin in her hand.
"Who're we missin' still?" Snoddy muttered, breaking the silence.
The rest of us peered around, trying to figure out who wasn't in the bunk room.
"Racetrack," Bumlets said.
Crutchy sighed. "Why ain't he heah yet?"
"I ain't seen him all day..." Snitch added.
Boots nodded. "Me neither."
Cowboy glanced uneasily at the metal box. "I say we should wait a lil' while longa for him."
The room fell silent again. The months leading up to now had flown by so quickly, but now every single minute felt like an eternity. We all waited to hear the front door open, but the sound never came.
Skittery inhaled, holding the air in for a second before letting it out. "He ain't comin'..." he decided. "Let's jus' do it."
Everyone mumbled halfheartedly in agreement and shifted a little closer to the center of the room.
"Who's gonna count it?" Itey whispered.
"I think Jack should." Kid Blink suggested.
I looked over at Jack. He nodded slowly. "Yeah... Yeah, a'right." He mumbled, getting down off his bunk. Cowboy took the box and sat down with it on the floor, leaning against the front of Specs' bed.
He slid the clasp over and the box sprang open. Jack laid the money on the floor while he counted it, doing it slowly and carefully so he wouldn't miss a cent. The minutes crept by even slower than before.
Cowboy finished, tossing the last dime into the pile. He stared at the money and blinked, showing absolutely no emotion. Every single one of us held our breath.
"It ain't enough." he struggled to get the words out, but everyone in the room heard him. I let myself breathe again, but my lungs felt weighed down. All these months of working ourselves to death, and we still lost.
Everyone glanced around the bunk room for a minute. None of us knew what to do or say. Silver got up and went over to her bunk, while I crawled into mine; clothes and all. Jack left the money on the floor and climbed back up to his bed. The rest of them followed suit without saying anything to anyone.
Kloppman didn't budge from where he stood, staring blankly at a spot on the floor for a while. He finally sighed. "Can't say we didn't try," the old man muttered. "We tried. Put up a good fight, kids... I'se sorry."
Kloppman turned off the light and closed the door.
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Even though I was supposed to be working at Tibby's the next day, I never showed up. No one went to sell papers, either. Kloppman didn't wake us up that morning, knowing that we wouldn't be leaving the lodging house until evening.
We had the rest of the day to pack up our things. Even though none of us had more than a few changes of clothes and one or two personal items, it took us the majority of the afternoon.
The weather that day reflected everyone's mood. The thick clouds that covered the sky made it so dark that it barely mattered if the sun had decided to rise that morning. The wind hit against the windows all day, making them creak and groan.
I took my time putting my belongings into the knapsack that I had brought from the orphanage when I first came here. I guess I had it in my mind that if I dragged it out as long as possible, something would change between now and the time we would have to be out of there. Nothing did.
One by one, the newsies picked up their things and made their way downstairs to the lobby until it was just Jack and I in the bunk room. He was lying in his bunk with his arms folded behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.
"Jack... You a'right?" I asked softly. He didn't budge, didn't even blink. I sighed inwardly and picked up my bag, slinging it over one of my shoulders. I turned to leave and made it to the doorway when Cowboy spoke.
"I'm da leader... I was supposed to be able to keep all a'dem togedda," His voice was unnaturally calm.
I turned back around to face him and was met with a complete view of the bunk room. Every bed was neatly made, worn brown blankets tucked in under the mattresses. Some of the open drawers revealed that there was nothing in them and the hooks on the walls were bare, too. In the short time that I'd been there, I'd never seen this room even close to being so orderly. The usual untidiness, with clothes thrown everywhere and belongings scattered across the dressers, gave it a lived-in feeling. I liked it better that way.
"It ain't yer fault, Cowboy," I mumbled. "Like Kloppman said, we put up a good fight." I put my hand on the door knob and faced the hallway. "You comin'?"
Even though I wasn't looking at him, I knew that he shook his head. "I'll be down in a lil' while," he replied.
We could've left at any time, but we wanted to stay until the last possible second.
Sometime around five in the evening, it started to snow outside the lodging house. It was the first snowfall that year. At first it alternated between snow and icy rain as the temperature teetered between freezing and just above freezing. But once it got dark, it dropped steadily and turned to strictly snow.
Three minutes after Jack came downstairs, (Just about a quarter to eight), Kloppman came out of his office in the back. He went over behind his desk, which was just as empty as the bunk room, and took the spare set of keys out from a drawer. They joined the main keys in his pocket.
"Everyone got everythin'?" Kloppman asked. Instead of answering, the newsies stood up from the couches and chairs, shuffling towards the door. Kloppman waited until we were all outside before he locked the door to the lodging house. He wished us all good luck and then started off down the street, heading for Mr. Bartlett's house so he could drop off the keys that no longer belonged to Kloppman at all. We stared after him, quickly losing sight of him through the thick downfall.
Then we turned to each other and exchanged glances. Everyone muttered their goodbyes before we split up, going different ways. We weren't the Manhattan newsies anymore. Some would become Brooklyn newsies, or Harlem newsies; Others would sell in the Bronx or Queens or Midtown.
Silver and I started to walk in no particular direction. Blink walked next to Silver, and Specs ran to catch up with us. "Where are you guys headin'?" His voice was almost lost in the wind, but not quite. I peered over and saw that Dutchy was next to him.
"Ain't shoah yet," Kid Blink replied. "But I don't think we'se gettin' too far in dis storm..."
The wind whipped my hair around my face wildly. I hugged my jacket around myself as tight as I could, but the cold air seeped through like it was netting. Watching it from behind the lodging house window, the snow seemed to fall silently. But now that we were out in it, it was brutal.
Our group of five headed down towards Brooklyn, but not one of us had any intention of making it there. The storm was getting worse, throwing almost 3 inches of snow at us every hour. Our shoes were soaked through and through and the wind was beating so hard against our faces that they were going numb. Our hands were so painfully cold that they felt the exact opposite; like they were on fire.
About halfway between Queens and Manhattan, we stopped. There was no way to escape the cold, but we could escape the wind. The five of us found a dead-ended alleyway and decided to stop there for a while. Crowded against the walls of the narrow alley, we were at least guarded on three sides. Snow still fell from above us.
"E-E-Ella..." Silver's voice was weak and irregular. "El, ya sh-should go back to d-da orphanage."
I shook my head.
"Y-yes. Dis s-storms bad, El. You'se gotta g-get inside."
There was no way I was going back to the orphanage unless Silver came with me, and we both knew damn well that she couldn't. I shook my head again. "I-I ain't... l-leavin' ya out h-heah."
The side of her mouth turned slightly upwards in a grateful smile. "Y-you'se real stupid, El," she joked.
I laughed slightly, but it turned into a chain of weak coughs. My lungs felt like they were frozen.
For hours we huddled in the alley, dreading when we'd have to start walking again. I knew that we were all silently debating staying there. The cold was slowing down our bodies, making our blood move sluggishly. Every time I made a sharp movement, I felt dizzy. One thought kept coming back into my head. If I could just fall asleep, everything would be okay.
"Sp-Specs..." Kid Blink whispered in a raspy voice. It took all my energy just to pick up my head. Blink was shaking Specs' arm, but he wasn't stirring.
"H-he ain't movin'..." Blink shook his arm again with more force this time. Silver crawled over to where Specs was lying against the wall. She took her numb hand out of her jacket pocket and put it over Specs' forehead. "Crap... He's g-got a fever, I think."
Dutchy's eyes went wide as he stared at his unconscious best friend. "No, n-no..."
"W-we'se gotta get him in-inside somewheah," Blink decided. "If d-dat fever gets any h-higher, he c-could..." His voice faded out. Dutchy's face turned even whiter.
"W-we can try to make it t-to Queens," Silver suggested.
"What if d-dey're ain't a-any room?" I asked. "The way d-dis snow's fallin', every lodgin' house in New Yawk City's gonna be filled to da brim."
"It's worth a sh-shot. S-say dey don't have room for all of u-us, all we gotta d-do is make 'em t-take Specs... He's in d-da worst shape," Blink said.
Using one of the crates next to me, I pushed myself up from the ground. My head surged with pain and I closed my eyes tightly, seeing lights flashing. I steadied my breathing and my balance before I opened my eyes again.
Dutchy was having trouble lifting himself out of the snow. Very slowly, he pressed his hands against the wall behind him, working his way up. When he finally got to his feet, he swayed for a few seconds.
"Dutchy... Y-you a'right?"
His legs buckled and he collapsed forward onto his knees.
Silver stumbled to her feet and hurried towards him, helping him out of the snow. "I... I c-can't walk right... M-me legs are too numb. I can't f-feel 'em." Dutchy whispered anxiously.
There was no way Dutchy would be able to make it to Queens.
I racked my brain for a solution, but nothing seemed like it would work. If we stayed in the alleyway Specs could die from the cold, but we couldn't make it to Queens when Dutchy's legs were giving out on him.
"I'se got an i-idea..." Silver said. "E-Ella, you stay heah wit D-Dutchy. M-Me 'nd Blink will carry Specs to d-da Queens lodgin' h-house. If dey'se got r-room for all of u-us, we'll c-come back heah 'nd da three of us will b-bring Dutchy th-there."
My brain was moving so slow that I had to wait a few seconds for Silver's words to sink in. Finally, I nodded. "A'right."
I watched Silver and Blink drag Specs to the center of the alleyway so he was lying flat against the snow. "R-ready?" Blink asked. "On da c-count of three."
The two counted in unison and, with Silver holding his shoulders and Blink holding his feet, they picked Specs up. I waited for them to disappear from the mouth of the alleyway before I slid back down into the snow.
Dutchy was sitting up against the opposite wall. I snuck a glance at him. His entire body trembled and his breathing was loud and jagged. Behind his glasses, Dutchy's eyes were open wide and focused on the bricks that made up the dead end.
My eyelids were slowly closing, feeling almost as heavy as my lungs. I couldn't focus. The sound of wind whistling loudly through a nearby chimney barely registered in my brain. My head bobbed forward like a cork in water and I started to nod off.
I'm not positive how long I was in that heavy, dreamless state, but after a while my eyelids fluttered open again. The burning sensation in my hands and feet was gone now; all I felt was numbness. Snow was still falling mercilessly from the dark gray sky above the alleyway. Looking around, I figured that about 4 more inches had gathered while I was asleep.
I raised my head from where it lay on my folded arms. Dutchy was still sitting against the wall, but his eyes were closed now. He slept with his head lolling forward against his chest. Dutchy's body was still shaking violently.
"D-Dutchy..." I was amazed at how feeble my voice was. Even though we were only sitting about six feet away, he would never hear me through the storm.
Using all my strength, I pushed off the wall and landed on my hands and knees. I didn't bother trying to get to my feet, because I knew I wouldn't be able to. I stayed on the ground and crawled towards him.
"Dutchy... W-Wake up," I begged. Unlike Specs, Dutchy showed some sign of being alive. He moved his head so that it rolled to the side and rested against the brick wall. His eyes didn't open, though.
I studied the boy. There was a layer of thick snow that had built up on his shoulders and legs. The blonde strands of hair that hung in front of his eyes were coated in ice. His lips were chapped and bloody.
I pressed my hand against his face. He didn't have a fever, I thought, but if he continued to sit out here in the snow it wouldn't be long until he got one.
The closest lodging house was Queens, but I knew I couldn't get him there on my own; I'd have to wait for Silver and Kid Blink to come back and help me.
I desperately looked around the alleyway. There were a few crates sitting near the opening. It was better than nothing.
Retrieving one of the crates, I went back over to where Dutchy was. I kicked in the front and back boards of the wooden box. Then I ripped out the collapsed planks of wood so that the crate resembled a small square tunnel.
With much difficulty, I was able to drag Dutchy inside. His legs stuck out the back, but at least the upper half of his body would be warmer. After a few minutes of debating, I crawled in with him.
The walls of the crate were so confined that even when I scooted as far away as I could and laid on my side, my arms were still touching his chest. Still, the crate would keep the snow off of our skin and our body heat inside a closed area. I decided that maybe both of our body heat combined would be enough to keep us from freezing. Ignoring the nervous butterflies in my stomach, I curled up my body and put my head against Dutchy's chest. Then I fell back asleep.
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So Dutchy and Ella are taking a little catnap together :). Awww...
Too bad they're in the middle of a blizzard, stuffed in a crate.
Thanks so much for reading, guys. I really appreciate it. Reviews would be cool, too, if you get the time. I'd love to hear what you think of this.
I'll have a new chapter out soon. Hopefully in four days?