"What do yous wanna do next?" asked Mush. He, Spark, Chase, and Spot had just finished riding Cages of Wild Wolves, which was quite scary. Medda had rescued the king and queen of Brooklyn from the younger set of newsies so they could join the other couples on the more grown-up rides.

"I don't know," Spark glanced around at what was close by. "Oooh, we could go da- never mind." She had seen a sign advertising the famous Coney Island Ballroom. Remembering Chase's condition, she bit her tongue.

Chase, seeing the same sign, stiffened and and walked faster. She pushed past a few people without even saying "excuse me" which was not like her. Spot followed close behind and snatched her arm before she could go any farther.

"You're gonna trip, walkin' that fast."

"I'm only going to trip if you keep grabbing me like this." she stopped. Instead of looking at Spot, she turned her eyes to the ground. Chase wasn't in the mood to argue with him today. Spot led her to a bench and they sat down together.

He kissed her hand. "Is this all 'cause you can't dance?"

Chase nodded and tears filled her eyes. Since the rally, it was like something inside her was lost. Sure, she was as still opinionated and stubborn as ever. And she still drove Spot and Mush crazy, but her light was gone. The sparkle in her eyes, the glow when she laughed, weren't there anymore. The boys figured it would come back when she got used to her brace, which was like a prison to her. Spot had seen a faint glimmer return the night before, when she sang at Medda's but it left as quickly as it came.

"You know you're gonna get that thing off soon and you won't have to use this stupid crutch no more." Spot brushed Chase's hair out of her face. "Medda said you might even get it off before Christmas. And then we can dance all day and night, if you want."

Chase looked up and stared into Spot's bright blue eyes. To Chase's knowledge, Spot had only danced once in public and that was to save her life. She figured it was a phenomenon she would never see again. "You really mean that?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course." He squeezed her hand. They stayed like that for a moment. "Oh," said Spot. "I got somethin' for ya."

"What?"

"Well, it's your birthday, ain't it?"

"I guess it is," said Chase, remembering the date. She hadn't really celebrated her birthday much since her and Mush's parents had died. At Ms. Trenton's school no one really cared about her enough to acknowledge her birthday, besides Katherine. Katherine was the daughter of Joseph Pulitzer. When Pulitzer gained custody of Mush and Chase, (they had no other living relatives) he sent Chase to the same school as his daughter. One year Katherine had her family's chef bake a cake for her to share with Chase.

Spot produced a small packet made of folded newspaper. "It ain't much, but I hope you like it."

Chase tore through the paper and smiled immediately at what she saw. They were beautiful pink silk ribbons, Chase's favorite color.

"Oh, Spot, they're lovely!" she exclaimed.

"I'm glad ya like 'em," he smiled. "Want me to help you put them in your hair?"

"Of course," said Chase. "Where did you get them?"

"I have my ways..." Spot said cryptically as he tied one ribbon in Chase's hair.

"You didn't steal them, did you?"

"What kind of a man do you take me for?" Spot pretended to be offended.

"Well..."

"I can promise ya I didn't steal 'em. I know a girl that works in a dress shop. There were just some scraps lyin' around so I gave her a pape for free in exchange for the ribbons."

"Oh," Chase said icily. "A girl that works in a dress shop?"

Spot looked at Chase. "Aww, come on. You're not seriously jealous of some girl I know. I promise you, there's nothin'-"

Chase began to laugh. "I'm just kidding."

Mush and Spark finally caught up with them. "You ok?" Mush asked his sister right away.

"Yeah," she smiled. Spot saw that brief glint in her eye for a second. Real happiness. Not the fake smile she put on for show.

The boys helped Chase stand up and Spark, Spot, and Mush pulled her into a group hug.

"What's goin' on?" The four of them looked up. It was Jack and Sarah.

"Just tryin' to cheer Rosie up." Mush answered.

"Aww, what's wrong?" Sarah took both of Chase's hands and studied the girl's face maternally. Chase's eyes were still a little bit red from crying.

"Nothing." Chase reported.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You sure about that?" Chase was like a younger sister to Jack and he treated her as such.

"I'm fine now, really." She had enough people feeling sorry for her already.

The couple thought for a second but after a beat they accepted Chase's answer.

Jack's arm returned to its normal spot, casually slung around Sarah's shoulders. "We're headin' to the roller coaster, wanna come?"

"Oh! The roller coaster sounds like a great idea!" Spark jumped up and down excitedly. "Let's go."

Spot glanced in Chase's direction again. Music drifted out of the ballroom. He could see the longing in her eyes. "Yous go on ahead," he said. "All these rides is makin' me tired."

"Suit yourself," said Jack. The others followed him.

Chase raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

"Shh..." Spot said. "You hear that?"

The swell of the music was loud enough that it almost sounded as if they were inside the ballroom instead of sitting on a bench outside. It was a romantic waltz time piece. A memory of Spot and his mother dancing together as the muffled sounds of piano music from another apartment floated through the window came to his mind.

"Yes," Chase sighed dreamily. The sun was dipping in the autumn sky giving her hair a golden glow.

"I reckon that's our song, ma chère." Spot stood up and leaned Chase's crutch against the bench. He helped her stand, placing her left hand on his shoulder, and clasping her other hand in his.

"I want you to step onto my feet," he said.

Recognition flashed in Chase's eyes. Nodding, she obeyed. She gasped, stumbling a little as she had to bear weight on her injured leg.

"I gotcha," Spot wrapped his arm around Chase's waist holding her tight to him. They had never been this close before. It was intimate and thrilling. A little scary too. He entwined his fingers with hers.

"A waltz is the one like a box, right?" he asked.

Her cheeks were flushed as she nodded.

He began the waltz step, Chase, balancing on on Spot's toes, moved with him. 1 2 3, 1 2 3.

"I used to do this with my mother," he said. "Can't believe I didn't think of it sooner."

Chase's eyes met his, tears filled her vision. This time they were of joy, not pain. "Thank you," she said. Chase closed her eyes, reveling in the movement of their feet gliding with the music. She could feel her muscles anticipating the steps even though Spot was doing most of the work. It wasn't exactly the same as dancing on her own but it would do.

The song ended and they stood there, an electric gaze caught between them.

"We can do this all night, if you want." Spot said. "Let me be your crutch and we can keep dancing."


After the Ferris Wheel, Helena and Skittery met up with a few of Skittery's friends: Bumlets, Pie Eater, Snoddy, Swifty, and Dutchy. They were interesting to talk to, much more interesting than the high-society boys her parents kept trying to set her up with. They seemed seemed surprised as to why a "dame", as they put it, would pay a guy like Skittery any attention. Helena simply smiled or laughed in response, deciding they were complimenting her. After about twenty minutes of that, the seven of them found themselves at the roller coaster.

Skittery spotted Story and David entering the line together. "Let's go on this." He got into line without waiting for the rest of them.

Helena and the boys followed.

"What's going on with him?" Helena lowered her voice.

"Skittery," Bumlets whispered. "Really likes Story."

"Ahh, I see." a knowing smile crossed Helena's face. "But isn't she with-"

"Yeah," Swifty answered. "So be quiet about it."

"He's hoping she'll leave Dave for him one day." Dutchy added.

"Skittery's a dreamer?" Helena couldn't see it. He seemed very pessimistic.

Snoddy cut in. "It's a lost cause if you ask me."

Bumlets smacked him. "Nobody asked you."

Helena looked over and saw Skittery making casual conversation with Story. David commented here and there but the other two were doing most of the talking. Helena wondered if David knew as much as these three boys how much Skittery liked his girl. He seemed absolutely oblivious to that fact. So did Story.

"What are yous lookin' at?" Helena and the boys turned to see Racetrack and Kid Blink getting in line. It was Racetrack who had spoken.

"Our own personal romance novel." Pie Eater remarked.

The two other boys glanced at each other with confused expressions. Helena jerked her head in the direction of the love triangle.

"Ohhh," Blink said after a second. "You mean them."

Racetrack pushed by his friends to get a better look. "What's Skittery gettin' himself into now?"

"Trouble, tryin' to get another guy's girl. Is Mush watchin'? He's gotta see this!"

Helena was amazed how these newsies were so interested in love-related drama. She didn't think such worldly boys would be fascinated with something like this.

Finally, the line started moving.

"Dave, over here!" Les pulled his older brother into the first car.

"Sorry Story," David said. There wasn't any room for her to sit next to him.

"It's ok, Dave," Story grabbed Skittery's arm. "I'll just ride with Skittery." she smiled at him (giving Skittery butterflies once again) and she pulled him into the car behind David and Les.

After that, everyone made a mad dash to get in their cars. Somehow Helena ended up next to Kid Blink, who was very talkative. But he made her laugh. Their conversation was interesting, to say the least.

"You ever been on a roller coaster?" he asked, casually reclining with his hands behind his head.

"Once, a couple years ago."

"Oh..." He trailed off for a few seconds. "You got a significant other?"

"No,"

He smiled at her, interested. "You want one?"

"No, not at the moment." Helena laughed self consciously. Of course she wanted one, but not necessarily Kid Blink. He was cute, the eyepatch didn't throw her, but she'd just barely met him. And her mother would die if she ever told her she was in love with a newsboy.


As soon as the roller coaster cars returned to the station Story jumped out and took David's arm, giggling from the adrenaline rush.

Skittery just stood there feeling completely rejected.

"Are you alright?" Helena had come up on his left.

"Yeah..." He kicked up dirt, watching the happy couple walk away hand in hand.

Helena wasn't convinced. "You're trying too hard," she said. "Just be yourself and she'll come to you."

Skittery stopped short. "How do you know-"

"Relax," Helena smiled. "I'm a girl, I know these things."

Everyone headed toward the show, the last of the day and the season, which was located under a tent in the middle of the park. Coney Island was famous for its bizarre shows and displays. People came from all over the world to see it.

Half of the seats under the tent were taken up by the newsies. They did their best to be polite for the other half of the audience. The show was a set of several acts. Some were very disturbing, which meant a lot of screaming from the girls. The boys loved it because it gave them an excuse to keep their girls close. Katrina and Ellie ended up on Spot and Chase's laps halfway through the show, which meant less cuddling for them. Being Brooklyn's leaders, they were used to this by now.

The final act were the headliners, The Children of Darkness. They were (according to the host) seventeen year old twins born of the Devil himself, given all kinds of strange abilities. They were both very attractive. The girl had bleached blonde hair and she wore a black and red costume that was almost scandalous. Her eyes were thickly lined with kohl. The boy was tall and lean. He had dark hair, almost black, and very dark eyes. The two of them could contort their bodies into impossible positions. They could make dangerous stunts look easy. Their final act was spectacular. It was a magic act.

The boy did several simple but amazing tricks. He made a dove disappear and then reappear. He read people's minds. He was somehow able to switch a girl's parasol with a gentleman's cane on the other side of the room. By his last trick, the audience was completely enthralled.

"For my final trick I need a volunteer from the audience. Someone why isn't afraid to be faced with the power of the Darkness." The boy got an amused, almost devilish smirk on his face. His statement was met with a nervous laugh from the audience. The boy and his sister stepped down from the stage, she from stage right and he from stage left, and walked through the aisles.

The twins stopped on both sides of the second row where Mush, Spark, Spot (and Ellie), and Chase (and Katrina) sat. They took a good look at the row before making eye contact with each other. It looked like they were communicating somehow. He raised an eyebrow and lifted his chin.

She quickly shook her head.

He nodded slowly.

And then she nodded.

The audience was completely silent.

After a moment, the boy looked down and set his eyes on Chase.

"Would you like to be part of my trick?" He gave her a charming smile, patiently awaiting her answer.

Spot stared at the boy. He looked vaguely familiar, usually Spot had a pretty good mind for faces. This boy's face was hard to pinpoint as to where Spot had seen him before. He didn't like the way he was eyeing up Chase.

As she was about to answer the boy's question, Spot grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She glanced at Spot and then back to the boy, understanding the message.

"I'm sorry," she smiled apologetically. "I can't." Chase lifted her left leg to show him her brace. "I understand." The boy bowed and turned to find someone else.

After the last trick, all of the acts came onstage for a curtain call. Spot studied the boy and his sister's faces. He had seen both of them before, but where?


As soon as they got back to the lodging house Racetrack started a poker game with Spark, Mush, Jack, Kid Blink, and a few others. Spot and Skittery both joined to get their mind off of things for different and David read books in the corner. Chase wasn't in the mood to play poker or read so she sat on the couch and talked to Helena.

"So you're going to Ms. Trenton's school in Brooklyn?" "Yes," said Helena.

"Have you met her?" Chase hesitated to ask this question. Helena grimaced in response.

"She is awful, isn't she?"

"I don't think I'm going to have a good time there," Helena smiled sadly. "I'm probably not going to make any friends."

Chase nodded, understanding. "I didn't have many friends there either, just Pulitzer's daughter Katherine. I bet you two would get along great, but I heard she's going to college someplace else now." Katherine had been a prominent writer during the strike, writing under the name Katherine Plumber. Chase hadn't been able to see her before she convinced her father to let her attend college. "You have friends here though, Spot and I have our lodging houses in Brooklyn and you can stop by anytime."

"Thank you," Helena smiled.

The poker game ended and Spark was the winner.

Spot got up from the table and crossed the room to the other girls. "Yous ready to go?" Spot addressed Chase and Story as Spark danced around the room, taking money from the boys who owed her.

"Yeah, hold on a second." Spark said, jete-ing across the room and running into Mush's arms as they kissed.

Story and David stood up together, barely breaking eye contact for a second. "Bye, Davey." Story said, hugging him.

"Bye, Story." He said. They stayed like that for a moment. Skittery grit his teeth, trying not to get too jealous, although that was inevitable.

"Come'ere, Hon'." Spot said, helping Chase up.

Chase raised her eyebrow at Spot. The two of them played this game where they came up with affectionate nicknames for each other. None of them ever seemed to fit. All of her ideas made Spot sound like a pansy (at least to him) and Spot liked calling her either Chase (he was the one who gave her her newsie name) or (rarely) Roselia. But he felt like her given name was too pretty for him to throw around in everyday conversation.

She smiled as she took his hand. At least he was trying. "Coming, Dear."

"All this love in here is killing us!" Racetrack quipped. "And get a room, will ya?" he smacked Mush on the back, who was in mid-kiss with Spark.

"Race!" Spark yelled. "Mind your own business."

"Don't mind him," Mush retorted. "He's just jealous 'cause he don't have a girl." The room erupted with "Ooooh"s from the other newsies.

"Don't need a girl when I have Lady Luck." Said Racetrack.

"Hmmm, are you sure she hasn't left ya? Because you owe me two bucks." Spark said, crossing her arms, a triumphant smile on her face.

Before Racetrack could think up a good comeback, Story grabbed her sister's hand. "We better go."

"One more kiss." Mush said.

"Tomorrow, you'll see each other tomorrow." Chase said, exasperated.

Mush stuck his tongue out at Chase and then pecked Spark on the lips one last time. "Bye guys!"

"Finally, we're outta there." Spot exhaled dramatically. Chase pulled his hat over his eyes. "Hey, if I fall you'll fall." He readjusted his hat and pulled her closer.

"At least we'll fall together." Chase laid her head on his shoulder as they walked. Spot was still bothered by the memory of those twins. He had to figure this out.

Spot snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a sound. It sounded like footsteps. Like someone was following them. He glanced over his shoulder but it was too dark to see.

"What is it, Love?" Chase asked.

"Nothin'... Cupcake."

"Cupcake? Is that the best you can-"

"Shhh!" Spot stopped her. "Did you hear that?" he whispered. But the sound was gone.


A/N: Annnnnd cue the Twilight Zone theme music.