AN: Here's another chapter. I hope you guys like it. I own nothing of Newsies or anything that is brought up.
Pendulums
The woman's news made me even more restless. I was back but two years in the future. My mind was racing as footsteps echoed through the wooden structure. I could feel my stomach turning. How could this happen? As if it wasn't hard enough to attempt to get used to life in the twenty-first century. Now I'm thrown back into this. I saw Race's head pop into the doorway. HE seemed as shocked to see me as I was to even be in the lodge again.
"Hi Race." I managed to say past the lump in my throat.
"Yous is really he'e." Race said still in shock.
"Yeah." I whispered.
"Fraid we got lots a new faces." Race said with a little smile.
"What happened to the old ones?" I asked getting up unable to bear sitting any longer.
"Jack went ta Santa Fe. Writes every once in a while. Skitt left ta go South. Not really sure where, but we get letters frum him too. Sume udders left to but ya pro'lly don' member them." Race said quietly.
I looked around and saw Mush heading up the stairs completely oblivious to me beign there. I looked through the crowd searching for blink when I didn't see him I made the mistake of asking.
"Where's Blink?" I asked confused.
"Blink? He…uh…maybe ya should follow me." Race said quietly heading back out the door. We walked a long ways till we came to a mostly empty field.
I followed Race till he stopped under a tree. I looked closer and there was a decent sized rock with only two words scratched on it. Kid Blink. I nearly fell over when I read it. Race caught me and hugged me. Probably the nicest thing he ever did.
"When…when did it happen?" I asked not taking my head off his shoulder.
"Last summer. He got sick. Doctor's didn' know what ta do." Race said quietly. I cried a lot more. Race took me on a walk when I stopped crying enough to not look depressed. I didn't pay much attention to where we were going till Race stopped me in front of the Lodge…in Brooklyn.
"I can't go in there." I whispered as new tears came down my face.
"Ya need ta talk to him. He's goin' crazy." Race said trying to push me through the doors.
"Race I can't." I said sternly.
"Ya came back." A voice said from the doors. I turned to see a much taller and older and sadder looking Spot.
"Didn't have much choice in where I landed." I said quietly starting to cry again. Sadness sucks.
"Ya came back. That's all that matters." He said wrapping his arms around me.
"I have a feeling I'm not supposed to stay for long." I whispered through my tears.
"Neva were suppose ta." He replied. "This is yours no matter where you are dough." He said latching a chain around my neck. I just closed my eyes and sighed. Note to anyone. Never fall in love in a different century. It hurts a lot when you have to leave. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "They want ya back now I think." I turned to see a black hole waiting for me. "I'll find ya again. We all will." He said pushing me through.
The hum of a Prius told me I was back home. I sat in the alley that I was hiding in and cried some more. Still no fun. I faintly heard my name but why bother getting up. It was coming closer anyway. Eventually I would be found by someone. Before I knew it my prediction came true and I was found. I was pulled to my feet not too happy about the crying part of being found. I didn't care who found me though because I needed a hug like crazy, so by executive decision I evoked the power of hugs on my finder.
"Hey ya alright de'e?" A voice asked in my ear. I knew who it was just needed more hugs.
"Just fine." I whispered when my tears started to stop.
"Let's get ya home." He said pushing me off him his eyes seemed to catch something around my neck. I looked down and remembered the necklace. I stashed it under my shirt so it was out of view and let him walk me home in silence that he seemed to need.
(Pearl's POV)
Laurel hadn't told her friend about going out with the Racetrack look alike. She loved him and he seemed like the old one but more technology savvy. She knew she should have told her but she would have a panic attack. Laurel knew of Luna's chats with the Skittery look alike and Amy struggling to stay with her boyfriend. If Sid knew about her little sister and Jack number two her mind might explode. Laurel walked to the door and waited for an answer.
"Thank God. I should've known better than to take her out. Can you try to talk to her?" Sid's mother asked pushing her up the stairs not waiting for an answer.
Laurel went up the stairs and barged into the room to see her friend asleep. There was a small book on the nightstand that Laurel knew she hadn't seen before. Curiosity reined and she grabbed the book and started reading the pages. It talked about all they had gone through. The newest entry talked about how she saw everyone in 1901. Laurel felt her heart tighten when she read the words. She couldn't imagine how her friend took the news of Blink's death. Laurel put the book down and left the room quietly. She knew her friend needed time and everything would be fine. Laurel stayed for the lunch Sid's mom made on the delightful Saturday.
(Connor's POV)
Connor knew he had seen the necklace before. How had that girl, Sid, get it? he searched through the boxes of books they had brought with them. He found an old leather bound book that the spine was cracking on. Just then Connor's dad walked in with a newspaper in his hands.
"Why are you readin' that old book? Nothing in it but fairytales of a boy." He said quickly.
Connor opened the book anyways and saw the name on the inside cover. Spot Conlon. The book had been passed down since it was written. Connor wasn't sure how he was related to this Spot Conlon but he knew he was. He ran the book up to his room when he saw the necklace that was drawn in the top corner. He read the first line and knew something strange was going on. He read it over and over again.
'I promised I would find her, so I hope that whoever is reading this somehow makes her as happy as I wish I could have made her.'
He read past the other pages quickly remembering some of the things that he dreamed about. He finally reached the end of the book to a page ripped out. Connor scrambled down the stairs and searched through the boxes looking for the missing page that would end the tale, but there was no page anywhere in the boxes or the house. He fell back into his room reading the story again hoping it might make more sense.
(Nut Job's POV)
I refused to stay in the house any longer. I pulled clothes on and hitched a ride the New York way, walking. I just walked with 'On My Own' looping through the parts that I remembered anyway. I looked at stores not really looking and finally I went to painting to pottery. I painted the same cup for three and a half hours. I went to the Thai place not far from the pottery place and ate my lunch while my friends were in class learning. The Spot look alike walked past and our eyes met. Mistake number one. he walked in and sat down just as my food came, and suddenly I wasn't very hungry anymore.
"I'm Connor." He said quickly.
"Course your Connor…" I mumbled. "Sid." I replied coldly eyeing my food hoping he would leave.
"Can I see your necklace?" He asked reaching for the locket.
"NO!" I said sliding back in my chair not wanting him anywhere near what I had left of Spot.
"Sorry. Maybe…do ya wanna go to a movie?" He asked slumping back in his chair.
"Will it get you to leave me alone?" I asked harshly knowing it was rude.
"Maybe." He replied with a smirk that made me want to cry.
"Sure." I said quickly keeping myself from crying.
I ate my food quickly than we went to a movie. The theater was completely empty so we sat in the middle and watched the movie in silence. The credits started rolling and we stood up. Connor turned and faced me suddenly.
"Do you trust me?" He asked with the same seriousness that Spot did in Irving Hall before he went on the stage. I said the words before I could think.
"Yeah." I breathed out. Then he kissed me pulling me into him. I suddenly felt like I was back in Irving Hall. I wished I was back at Irving Hall. When he pulled away I felt like crying just because I wished he was Spot so much. Connor picked a piece of paper off the ground and I looked down to realize the locket was open. Anger was more powerful than anything. "You…you did that for a look at a necklace? What is wrong with you?" I screamed trying to get past him opening the folded piece of paper.
"You…you're Nut Job. Dat means…everything he wrote was true." He said staring at the piece of paper in awe.
"How do you know any of that?" I asked still in a rage.
He turned the paper so I could see what was on it. There in slightly faded pencil was one of the pictures of me Spot drew with a little note off to the side. 'Congratulations. You found her. Keep her close the universe could take her away any time.' I felt my breathing come faster as the dark room started to spin faster and faster. I ran not wanting it to be true, but somehow wanting it to be. Connor caught me though and hugged me not letting go.
"I promise I won' let ya go." He whispered.
"I wasn't supposed to leave him like that, not at all." I said blankly.
"I know I'm not Spot, but let me try ta make ya happy like he wanted. I was s'pposed ta find you. I know it." He said quickly.
"Alright." I said feeling the room slow. "Alright."
Connor and I spent the rest of the day together trying to get to know each other better. The sun was creeping down when a wave of familiar faces came and I couldn't help but smile. It was the old gang. The girls and the boys. I just smiled and my friends came running excited to see me with Connor. There was a flurry of words and confessions and I just smiled and nodded. He wasn't Spot. I knew that and he knew that, but he was what I needed and I wasn't going to throw it away like it was nothing.