Chapter 14: Secrets

It was a long, restless night for Tug. With so many things running through her head, she stayed awake long after the boys' soft snoring filled the room - holding onto Skittery's hand until it slipped away when she finally did close her eyes.

All too soon, they were roused from their uncomfortable slumber by an explosion of noise. An officer stood at the door banging against the wall and shouting for them to wake up. Tug's eyes popped open and she could hear groans of protests from all around. When they officer moved on, it only took a second of sleepy confusion for her to realize the thing she was leaned against was breathing.

She quickly sat up, stretching her stiff limbs. Yawning, Tug looked down at Skittery. He was still asleep. She marveled at this feat; most everyone else was awake. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Tug gave him a nudge.

"Nah, that ain't gonna do it," explained Specs, peering over the edge of a top bunk. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Skittery!"

A hand shot out from the bottom bunk and thwacked Skittery over the head. It had done the trick, because Skittery sat up quickly, mumbling sleepily,

"What? I didn't do it."

All the boys chuckled. Amused, Tug watched the little routine develop. She tried to stifle a giggle at the result, but didn't manage so well.

"What're ya laughin' at?" Skittery muttered, shoving her gently.

"Nothin'." Tug chuckled, taking a look around the room.

Most of the boys were still trying to regain consciousness, looking around blearily. Their hair was sticking out a odd angles, making them look completely out of sorts, and slightly deranged. It was quite a sight to behold, but she soon realized if that was what they looked like, she wouldn't be much better. So, doing the best she could, she ran her fingers through her hair and stuffed her hat on.

It wasn't long before a team of bulls arrived to escort them to the trial, the place where their fate would be determined. Tug felt her stomach churning as both she and Boots were grabbed by the same officer and pulled from the room. Their little caravan moved quickly through the hallways of the jail and out to where the wagons were waiting. The boys were piled inside until there was hardly any room to move.

It seemed that word had gotten out about the arrests at the rally, because the street in front of the courthouse was filled with the newsboys, likely those who had eluded capture. They filled the air with a buzz of protests as the wagons pulled in. The newsies were quickly unloaded and herded, like cattle, into a gated area inside the courtroom.

Looking all high and mighty as he was announced, the judge strolled into the room. He had an aura of strictness about him as he eyed up the rabble from his position of power.

"Are any of you boys represented by council?" No one answered; they had no idea what he was talking about. "No? Good. That will move things along considerably."

Tug scowled. She could tell the judge didn't want to hear what they had to say. They hadn't even broken any laws, as far as she knew. He just wanted things quick and simple. After all, to him they were simply a bunch of kids who had nowhere else to go but back on the street; sending them to the Refuge would remedy that situation for a while.

"Hey, yer honor. I object!" Spot called out.

"On what grounds?" the judge asked, staring down at him with a hard expression.

"On the grounds of Brooklyn, yer honor," Spot retorted with a sly grin, causing the other boys to burst out laughing.

Tug closed her eyes, annoyed. They were just going to make things worse by saying stupid things like that. Sometimes they just didn't think things all the way through before opening their mouths. Looking back up at the judge, Tug saw him sneering down at Spot and she could tell he was deliberating their sentence.

"I fine each of you five dollars or two weeks confinement in the House of Refuge," he ordered.

Tug gasped audibly. She could never pay that fine; it was too much. She couldn't do two weeks at the Refuge either. Her mother would never make it two days, let alone two weeks, without her. Tug felt her heart racing, unable to think of a way out of this.

"Whoa! We ain't got five bucks. We ain't even got five cents." Racetrack spoke up in their defense. "Hey, yer honor. How 'bout I roll ya for it? Double or nothing?"

The judged looked down on them, not amused. He cracked his mallet against the wooden panel. "Move along. Move along."

Tug blanched; she couldn't believe it. She was going to the Refuge. A lump rose in her throat as she thought of her mother - how worried she had to be when she realized Tug hadn't made it home last night, and how it would destroy her mother's already fading health when she didn't return at all. That same overwhelming rise of emotion that she had felt last night returned and Tug thought she might collapse right then and there, but then something happened that relieved all her anxiety.

Bryan Denton, the newspaper reporter, had entered the courtroom, offering to pay all of their fines. It was very generous of him; five dollars a boy was a lot of money, more than any of them would ever see. Tug stared at Denton as he handed over the money. She choked back the tears that came with the realization of what he was doing for them. There was no reason to worry any more; she would be home soon.

There was some commotion which shook her from her daze. Jack was being shown into the room, followed closely by Snyder, the warden at the Refuge. Snyder seemed very keen on getting Jack back into the custody of his establishment as he explained Jack's situation to the judge.

It seemed Tug wasn't the only newsie with a secret. Jack had one as well; he wasn't exactly who he claimed be either. His name wasn't even Jack Kelly. Some of the boys seemed surprise by this discovery as whispers broke out in group. But, with a secret of her own, Tug couldn't pass judgement on Jack; he must have had his reasons for not telling them the truth, same as her. It came as an even bigger shock when Jack was unable to benefit from Denton's charity; his sentence put him back in the Refuge until he turned twenty-one.

Back out on the street, disheartened by Jack's arrest, they slowly made their way to Tibby's. Denton had asked that they meet him there; he needed to talk to them about something. Tug was not planning to stick around; someone could always fill her in later. All she wanted to do was get home to her mother.

Slowing down her pace, Tug found her way to the back of the procession, hoping to steal away when the opportunity presented itself. Her actions, however, did not go unnoticed.

"You wanna go home, don't ya?" Skittery said, falling in step beside her.

"Yeah," Tug replied, glancing sideways at him. "She's gotta be real worried by now."

He nodded. "Yeah, you should go then. I'll meet up with ya later and let ya know what's happenin' next, alright?"

Tug smiled; she appreciated his understanding of the situation. Taking a quick look at the others to make sure they were well ahead, Tug stopped and grabbed Skittery's arm so that he would stop walking as well. Pursing her lip, she chose her words carefully.

"How come ya didn't tell the others 'bout me bein'...ya know?" she asked quietly.

Skittery shrugged. "I ain't for me to tell. Yer gonna have to do it - when the time is right."

Tug nodded; then smiled. "Thanks, Skittery."

"Now, get outta here," he said, gently pushing her away. "I'll see ya later."

Without another thought, Tug turned and ran.