Spot was on-edge the whole first half of the show. The show was a little different from what the newsies had seen at Coney island, there were less "freaks". Maybe Manhattan was a more refined audience. Some actors performed scenes from various plays like "The Matchmaker" and "Our American Cousin". Spot thought he had heard of the second play but he couldn't remember where. A man got onstage and told some jokes. A man and a woman, both dressed in drag, danced a waltz. Spot guessed it was supposed to be funny but he couldn't laugh in at a time like this. Then Shade and Prima had their contortionist act which seemed to last forever.
Then, there was intermission. He didn't dare leave his seat, but he did look around to see where everyone else was sitting.
Mush was a few rows behind him, in the aisle. Jack was across the way from Mush, also in an aisle seat. A few of Spot's and Jack's boys were scattered throughout the theatre. In the top left balcony seats were Helena, Story, David, Denton, Medda, and Mark.
The lights dimmed and the audience hushed as the second act began. The curtains opened. There stood Chase in the spotlight wearing a white lace dress decorated with pale pink ribbons. Spot caught his breath. She was so close he could touch her if he tried.
Bright lights were flashing in the grand ballroom, Softly the music playing sweet tunes. There came my sweetheart, my love, my own – "I wish some water; leave me alone."
Chase didn't look frightened or nervous, she never had stage fright, but Spot thought she looked grieved. It was barely detectable in her almost blank face. Everyone else probably wrote it off as indifference. She had the air of a diva, as if she owned the stage, something she's picked up from working with Medda. But Spot could see the pain behind her eyes.
When I returned a girl stood with my man, Kissing my sweetheart as lovers can. Down fell the glass pet, broken, that's all, Just as my heart was after the ball.
Chase hated this song. She had hated it when she'd heard it for the first time, at her school, and she hated it even more now. She hated that Shade was making her sing it.
After the ball is over, After the break of morn – After the dancers' leaving; After the stars are gone; Many a heart is aching, If you could read them all; Many the hopes that have vanished After the ball.
She knew why Shade picked the song, to prove his point. He wanted her to feel as if she had already lost. The message was not at all optimistic. Although she'd had a hard life, Chase had lived through her optimism. Her parents taught her that, both sets. And the Bible said it too. Everything would be alright in the end, even if you couldn't see it.
Long years have passed child, I've never wed. True to my lost love-
Chase's eyes landed on Spot in the front row. The lyrics caught in her throat.
-though he is dead. He tried to tell me, tried to explain; I would not listen, pleadings were vain. One day a letter came from that man, the girl was his sister – the letter ran.
Chase struggled to keep her voice even, she could feel the tears running down her cheeks. At least the emotions fit the lyrics.
That's why I'm lonely, no home at all; I broke his heart pet, after the ball.
Chase bowed at the applause, she got a standing ovation. She scanned the audience though her eyes were blurry from the tears. She could see Jack, Mush, and some other newsies in the audience. They came!
Chase stepped back behind the curtain as the next act was starting. Chase just closed her eyes and leaned against the wall as the tears continued to stream. She couldn't stop crying. The newsies had come. Chase didn't realize how much she had been holding back before. Both relief and fear conflicted in her heart.
Chase turned to go to the dressing room to change into her next costume. She bumped into someone in the dark.
"Wow, Chase, still crying? You're quite the actress."
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was Shade, who smirked down at her. She realized with a pang that the boys coming here played right into his hands. He had something dangerous up his sleeve.
Shade offered her a handkerchief. "Fix your makeup."
She snatched it out of his hand and quickly dabbed under her eyes.
"Also," said Shade. "Change of plans. Spark is gonna do the water escape and you will assist me for the bullet catch."
"What? But she hasn't even practiced that one!"
Shade shrugged. "It will add a little more suspense to the trick, don't you think?" He laughed. "Hopefully she knows how to swim."
"You're despicable." Chase glared.
"Strong words from a girl who has the lives of all of her friends in her hands."
"What's a matter?" Spark asked when she saw Chase's eyes which were red from crying.
Chase just shook her head and quickly pulled on her costume and tights without saying a word to the other girls. Spark gave her an encouraging hug. It helped a little.
Chase honestly never thought she would see Spot again. But seeing him here, in the same place as Shade who wanted to take Brooklyn and kill the king. She worried for Spot and her friends. But while she was in Shade's possession she knew there was nothing she could do.
The three girls left the dressing room to wait for their cue backstage.
Chase passed Shade in the wings just as the music changed signaling the girls' dance.
"Don't forget to-"
"I know!" she snapped at him. "Smile." she demonstrated, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
Shade smirked again.
Chase turned on her heel and entered the stage following Prima and Spark, still smiling falsely, as the music cued the dance to start.
"Chase," Spark whispered out of the corner of her mouth as they got into position. "They're here!"
"Yeah," Chase said. "I know."
Chase watched Spark's dancing out of the corner of her eye. Spark kept the tempo very well, but Chase could tell each step was painful by the smile that was plastered on her face and how she stepped gingerly. Shade hadn't let her wear the bandage around her ankle. He said it would ruin her "line" and it would look bad to the audience. It seemed as if all Shade wanted was to watch them suffer. It was like a sick game to him.
Chase saw that Shade's boys were also scattered throughout the audience. Even if she and Spark could jump off the stage to Spot and the others they wouldn't make it out of the theatre before they were caught and, knowing Shade, possibly killed. She couldn't put Spark's life in danger like that. They would have to wait until the end of the show.
At least the water escape comes up first. She doesn't have to wait standing backstage for the whole set until the finale.
Following the dance were Shade's magic tricks, While the girls changed costumes Chase and Prima tried their best to explain how to do the water escape trick to Spark. Spark grimaced as she saw her new costume. It would have been very pretty with its blue bodice and floral brocade embroidery except that somehow it was even shorter than her first one, barely hitting the middle of her thigh and she couldn't wear shoes or stockings. She felt completely exposed. The white lacy bloomers she wore underneath the short skirt were a little comfort for her.
"Turn out your feet a little when he ties your ankles so the hold is loose enough," Chase said. "And make sure Morris crosses the rope on your right wrist. That way your wrists will be bound by a loop and you can easily slip out of the rope under water."
"And if he forgets," Prima added. "Correct him immediately or the trick will fail. The knot has to be tight."
"Ok..." Spark said. She knew exactly what it would mean if the trick failed.
"He will be standing in front of you so the audience won't be able to see if you discretely signal him."
Spark nodded, trying to commit all of these steps to memory.
"But whatever you do," Chase said. "Keep your wrists together until the rigging drops you over the water. If you don't you'll either reveal the trick or fall from the flies."
"I don't think Shade will appreciate either of those situations." Prima shuddered a little. "Just don't panic. Panicking will slow you down and prevent you from executing the trick without fail." She paused a moment. "You'll do great. It's an easy trick if you remember the steps."
"Oh yeah," Spark used sarcasm to hide her fear. "It's just that simple, ain't it?"
At a knock on the door the girls returned to the stage with Shade.
"Break a leg," Chase whispered to Spark as the girls stepped into the spotlight.
Spark nodded, a nervous smile crossing her face.
"For my next trick I will need two volunteers." Shade surveyed the audience. Every newsie there raised their hands. "Ah, Vivienne, Roselia, those two gentlemen, there and there, in the back." Shade pointed to the back row of the audience.
Chase crossed the stage in front of Shade and Prima, a big no-no when it came to theatre etiquette. But there was no way she was going to escort Oscar Delancey to the stage, even if it was only for a few seconds. She tromped down the aisle pretending she didn't see Spot, Mush, and Jack in the audience, to the back row where Morris Delancey was sitting. Chase grabbed his arm roughly and practically dragged him towards the stage. The huge glass water tank was being rolled onstage. Spark stood in front of the tank and smiled.
"Five hundred gallons of water," Shade gestured to the tank. "Some rope and a padlock. Can Madeleine, my lovely assistant." he said it ironically. "Escape this watery prison? We shall find out."
There was an audible reaction from the audience. Spot looked back at Mush who stiffly watched the stage with a disturbed look on his face. He couldn't blame him. If this was one of Shade's first tricks, Spot couldn't imagine what he had in store for the finale.
Prima, Chase, and the Delancey brothers joined Shade and Spark at center stage.
"Bind her hands and feet." Shade said as he handed each of the Delancey brothers a length of rope.
Morris stepped in front of Spark as he began to tie her wrists.
"Are either of you two gentlemen sailors?" Shade asked.
"No," Both of the Delanceys said in turn.
"I'm sure you can both tie a strong knot."
Spark watched Morris cross the rope on her right wrist and then he tied a knot on her left. She exhaled a little. He remembered to tie it correctly at least. Spark turned her feet out as Chase had said. Oscar pulled the rope tight around her ankles causing her to gasp at the pain. He winked at her, enjoying her reaction. If she had the chance she would have kicked him in the face.
Shade dismissed Prima and Chase. They went to the wings and stood next to one of Shade's shadows. He had a stopwatch in one hand and a hatchet in the other. Hopefully he wouldn't need the hatchet.
A hook came down from the flies and Shade secured it to the rope around Spark's wrists. Spark took one last look to the wings. Prima smiled at her encouragingly while Chase bit her lip, looking worried. At Shade's signal Spark was hoisted into the air by the rigging. Once she was over the water tank, Spark hovered for a second and then dropped into the water with a splash. The lid on the tank slammed shut and the padlock was secured. Curtains dropped from the flies concealing the tank and Shade proceeded to circle the tank.
The water was quite cold. Spark supposed she should have known due to the fact that it was the middle of wintertime. But she couldn't let the shock cold slow her down. Spark had a little less than two minutes to escape before the potential disaster. The rope on her wrists was very simple to escape from just as Chase and Prima had promised. The rope around her ankles was another matter.
"How long has it been?" Chase asked Shade's "shadow". She recognized him as the nicely dressed one who would always buy two papers in the same day.
He looked at the pocket watch. "Forty-five seconds."
"And how much time does she have left?"
The boy rolled his eyes. "Relax, Your Highness."
Chase flared, drawing back her fist to punch him. Prima stopped her, putting her hand on Chase's shoulder.
"She'll be fine. She has another forty-five before-"
"Before what?" Chase looked at Prima.
"Before we have to use this." The boy held up the hatchet.
That idiot! Spark thought. He tied it too tight.
She kicked and jostled the rope but it was no use. She had to figure out a way to pull the knot apart or it would be too late. Don't panic. Prima's words rang in her head. Spark relaxed as best as she could and she began to think. She needed some leverage, to use Shade's word. She put a hand up to her hair as she thought. The hairpins were becoming loose in the water and tendrils of blonde hair swirled around her head. A hairpin! Yes! Spark pulled one of the pins from her hair and jammed it into the center of the tight knot and pulled with all of her strength. She finally broke free!
Spark propelled herself up to the top of the tank, banging her head on the lid in the process, realizing that now she was beginning to feel dizzy from holding her breath. She felt around the front of the tank for the chamber that would allow her to escape. She found it and slipped her hand through the opening and reached for the trick lock.
"Ten... nine... eight... seven..." Prima counted out loud.
"Shouldn't you be doing something? Time is almost up!" Chase cried. "She's been in there too long!"
"Can't do that, Shade's orders." The boy continued to look at the watch.
"Six... five... four..."
"Forget about Shades orders!" Chase couldn't hold back anymore. She smacked the boy across the face.
The boy's eyes locked with hers immediately. He was livid. "Alright, now you've done it." He grabbed Chase's wrist hard.
"Three... two... Wait!" Prima stood between them. She pointed to the stage.
The curtain around the tank had come up and a soaking wet Spark was posing next to it. The audience erupted in a roar of applause and cheers. Prima and Chase rushed onto the stage as Shade had ordered. Chase glanced back at the "shadow" and smirked at him. He couldn't touch her now.
Spark couldn't help but smile. She did it! She posed for the audience who applauded loudly. Shade took her hand and the two of them bowed deeply. When Spark looked up she saw Mush in the audience, standing up with his eyes wide. He was one of the only ones who weren't clapping. Seeing him so distraught brought her back to reality and tears pricked at her eyes.
"Don't you even think about cryin'." Shade whispered out of the corner of his mouth as he smiled for the crowd. He tightened his grip on her hand.
Spark gave a small nod.
"Thank you, gentleman." Shade said to the Delanceys as he directed them off the stage.
Prima, Chase, and Spark all blew them kisses flirtatiously as they left. Chase, especially, tried not to roll her eyes as she did so. The audience laughed, except for the newsies.
A/N: So if you're familiar with "The Prestige", you'll know about the water tank trick. I decided to write this trick with the same dialogue as from the movie (because of "The Turn") and the trick is executed pretty much the same way. It's interesting, when I was doing research on water escape tricks I could only come up with Harry Houdini's "Chinese Water Torture". Instead of rope Houdini was bound with chains and his wrists were locked in stocks that were in the lid of the tank (so his hands would be out of the water). Another trick I found also required several chains with different locks and a weight to drag the escape artist to the bottom of the tank as they unlocked each lock all with different keys. Personally I like the simplicity of the trick from "The Prestige" and even though I couldn't find any record of a trick with these specifications I'm sure people did underwater rope escapes back in the day. Also, to write this scene I read the script from "The Prestige" and I noticed some things that I hadn't noticed when I watched the movie. I've seen the film at least four times (probably more though) and every time I come back to it there's something more that I notice. It is such a great film!