Elizabeth

Dream

"You wretched little girl."

"I didn't mean to."

"You stole from me, I'm calling the cops!!"

"Jack! Help me!"

I ran towards Jack begging for his help. "Get off me ya runt, you's gon slow me down!" He shook me off his arms and ran away.

"We'll have you in the Refuge for the rest of ya days you little brat!"

Jack

"Stop it! Stop it! Please! It won't happen again! I won't do it again!" I heard. I get out of my bunk climbing down to Ellie's. "No! Don' hoit 'im!!!" She yelled. "Someone shut 'er up!" Elmer yelled. Groans and grumbles erupted as Ellie started screaming from her nightmares. "I's got it handled!" I shout. "If she don't stop her screamin I'll soak 'er myself," Albert warned. "Jus go backs ta sleep all of ya! She's mah little sista an' imma get 'er backs ta sleep," I say.

They all roll back into their beds and I knelt down by my sister's bed. "Bubbles l, wake up," I say shaking her around a bit. "I'll pay you back!" She shouts as she woke up. "Shut up!" The guys yelled. "I's got this!" I shout back before turning my attention back to Ellie. She was panting and crying like she'd just seen a ghost. "Yer okay Liz," I said. She flinched from my touch as I attempted to hug her. "Hey it's me, Jack, yer brotha," I say sliding in front of her. Tears fell from her big blue eyes and she leapt into my arms.

"I's gotcha, I's gotcha," I say rubbing her back. "Don' leave me," she whispered. "I ain't," I tell her. She hugged me crying on my chest and I just stroke her hair. "Jackie," she said looking up. "Yeah Princess?" I ask. "Promise me," she said. I roll my eyes, "I's promise that I will neva leave you alone," I say spitting on my hand and extending it to her. She did the same and we shook on it.

I get her off my lap and pull her blanket up. "Cmon now kid it's time for bed," I say placing her in the bed. "But what if I have another bad dream?" She asked. "Then you yell for me an' I'll scare em away," I said with a smug smile. I tuck her in letting her get comfortable and just as I'm about to climb up she pulled my hand. "Jackie... stay," she said. "What?" I ask. "Stay," she said again. I pull her hand away and climb up to my bed. Only a few seconds after I heard shuffling and someone jumped on top of me.

"I's tol you to stay," Ellie said. "Youse tol me huh?" I ask. "Yup," she said sassily. "Now what do ya want, we's only gots a few hours left?" I ask. "I's sleep here," she said. "Whatever you want kid," I agree pulling her towards me. She wrapped her scrawny arms around me and I smiled as we both drifted to sleep.

Elizabeth

That next morning Kloppman woke me up with his yelling and screaming. "Get up! It's time to sell the papes!!" He yelled. "Aww looks like Cowboy and Bubbles wanna be bunk mates," Finch said. "Shut up," Jack said hopping out of his bunk. "Cmon get down and get dressed we have a job to do!" Jack yelled at everyone. Ever since Runner left with his wife Jack became the leader of the Newsies. Jack lead me to the tub so I could wash. Then after we both got dressed we walk to the distribution center.

"Jack do you think I could go to school sometime?" I ask. "Urgh! Not now Liz, don't do this today," Jack groans. "But-" "Look Liza, I'd love to send ya to school, but we don't have the money right now," Jack explains. "Les and David went to school," I pointed out. "School's for rich kids with parents whos can pay fer it," he told me. I frown a little. "Look once we get ta Santa Fe I swear I's can try to getcha to school," He promised. "Okay," I said giving up.

"Heya boys, what are youse standing around for?" Jack asked once we get to the center. "They jacked up the price!" Kid blink says as soon as he saw us. "Whats that mean?" I ask. "Hey Bubbles, whys don't youse go sit over there with Les I'll figure this out," he suggested. I push past to find Les in the front. Sometimes the Newsies call me Bubbles or Princess which confused a lot of first timers, but you get used to it. Every Newsie in New York has a nickname. It's a symbol of acceptance into our family, if you don't have at least one nickname then you were not to be trusted.

Jack was Cowboy, Anthony was Racetrack, Joey was Jojo, and I was Bubbles or Princess. I had two because I was a baby when Jack and I got there first. Runner used to tell me that they had originally agreed to calling me Princess, but then when I was 3 they used to bathe me. I used to run out the tub covered in bubbles and call myself Princess Bubbles. So I got myself a new nickname, Bubbles. "Bubbles?" Les asked when I finally found them. "I thought your name was Eliza?" Davey asked.

" Bubbles is my nickname, every New York newsie has one," I explain. "Do I have one?" Les asked. I wasn't expecting that. "I don't think so," I say quietly. Les frowned at that. "Maybe youse might gets one someday," I say. "How long did it take you?" Les asked. "I dunno I was a baby," I say. "What if I gave myself one?" He asked. "Youse don't give yerself a nickname, you have to earn it," I explain. "Bubbles lets go we're taking our business to The Sun," Jack said grabbing my hand. "Same all around town, new day... new price," Weasel said. "Then bring the damn price back down," I say. "Not up to me, you want the lower price, you gotta talk to the man in charge," he explains.

We all sat down, me on Jack's lap. "It ain't fair, we got no rights at all," Boots complained. "Cmon it's a rigged deck, they got all the marbles, okay?" Race tried. I looked from head to head trying to find what was happening. "Jack, we got no choice," Mush said, "let's get our lousy papes while they still got some." Jack stopped them, "No, nobody's goin anywhere!" He shouted. All at once they all start yelling and fighting. That's when Les came in. "Clear out! Clear out! Give 'im some room!" He said. "What do ya thinks yer doin ya dumb mug?" I asked him. He didn't answer he just went back to telling them to give him some room and let him think.

I honestly didn't get him. Why did he like Jack so much. He practically idolized him, it was weird. I didn't like how he clung to every word Jack said. Weasel started yelling again and then we all yelled back. "Listen if we don't sell papes, no one sells papes," Jack decided, "No one comes through those gates 'til they put the price back where it was," Jack said. "What like a strike?" David asked. "Yeah, like a strike," Jack said. The boys all laughed. "Jack I was joking, we can't strike we don't have a union," David said.

"But if we go on strike then we are a union, right?" Jack asked. "No, we're just a bunch of angry kids with no money," David explains. I hop off of Jack's lap to go play fight with Ice and Tumbler. I know Jack will decide what he thinks is best for me and everyone else, and I also knew that things go faster when you don't bother them. "Cowboy's giving a speech," Ice said. Ice and Tumbler were 8 making them the closest people my age. Since everyone is older than me. "Yeah, do youse think we's gonna hafta strike?" I ask. "Maybe," Tumbler said. "What do youse twos think of the new kid?" I ask. "Well youse sold with 'im, whats you think?" Ice asked.

"He really likes my brudda," I say watching Les crowd around Jack. "Youse jealous?" Tumbler asked. I shook my head, "I don't get jealous." Suddenly Les yelled out the words strike and people all agreed. Dave covered his mouth but it was already done. Jack broke into a full on speech and everyone was egging him on. The group came towards us kids, "When the circulation bell starts ringing will we hear it?" Jack asked us. "No!" We shouted. "What if the Delancey's come out swinging, will we hear it?!" I ask. "No!" They shout. "When you got 100 voices singing, who can hear a lousy whistle blow?" We sang. "And the world will know. That this ain't no game. That we got a ton of rotten fruit an perfect aim," we all sing. We sang and dance through Newsie Square.

Jack then drew these weird squiggly lines over the headline and we wall flung our caps off yelling Strike. "We gotta get the word out to all the newsies of New York, I need some of those...watcha call em?" Jack asked. "Uh Ambassadors?" David asked. "Yeah! Right, you guys, you gotta be ambassadors and go tell the others that we're on strike," Jack yelled. Everyone called out where they wanted to go. Until he said Brooklyn. "Cmon, Spot Conlon's territory," Jack said. I ran to stand beside Jack. "What's the matta, youse scared a Brooklyn?" I ask. "Eh, we ain't scared o' Brooklyn,... Spot Conlon makes us a lil nervous," Boots said. "Well he don't make me nervous," Jack said, "So you and me, Boots, we'll go to Brooklyn." "Alright," he said. "And Dave can keep us company, right David?" Jack asked.

"Sure, just as soon as you take our demands to Pulitzer," David said mockingly. He thought we was full of it. I could tell Jack was nervous, but he grabbed Les and walked to Pulitzer's office. "As he did everyone cleared out. "Yo Bubbles, wanna play some darts?" Ice asked. I decided not to, "I's just wait for Jackie," I tell him. He ran off to play darts with Tumbler and I stood next to Boots. "Can I's come to Brooklyn with youse?" I ask him. "What, you wanna see Snake?" He asked. I nodded, Snake was the only other girl newsie, she was 7 like me, and she was my best friend. Only problem is she's one of Spot's newsies and lives in Brooklyn. "Aight, if youse can get yer brudda to agree then youse can go to Brooklyn," Boots agreed.

Just as he said this Jack and Les got pushed outta Pulitzer's place. What people don't know is Jack and Spot were friends. Jack used to be a Brooklyn Newsie for like a month before he moved us to Manhattan. I don't remember it because I was a baby, but I've been to Brooklyn and met Spot on more than a few times. Then the guy Dave was talking to wanted to talk to Jack so he took us to a restaurant. "So this real snooty mug says to me,'You can't see Mr. Pulitzer, no one sees Mr. Pulitzer,'" Jack said. We were all eating lunch, "Real hoity-toity, ya know the type?" Jack asked. "Real hoity-toity," Les echos. I punch his arm telling him to shut up. It was annoying having Les be Jack's echo all the time, it was weird.

"Does it scare you?" Denton asked, "You're going up against the most powerful man in New York City." "Oh yeah, look at me I'm trembling," Jack said sarcastically. "All right, keep me informed," Denton said handing us cards. "So my names really gonna be in the papes?" I ask. "Any objections?" He asked. "Not as long as you get it right, Kelly, Jack and El Kelly," he said. "Oh and Denton," Jack called, "No pictures." After we finish eating I turn to Jack. "Can I come to Brooklyn with you?" I ask. "You wanna see Spot and Snake again?" Jack asked. I nodded. "Fine," he said. I smile jumping on top of him. "Can I come?" Les asked. "No," David said. "Why not?" Les asked. "Those boys didn't wanna go for a reason, it's dangerous and no place for a kid," David said. "But she's a kid, and a girl," Les pointed out. "A girl who can soak you in the next 5 seconds if you don't shut up," I tell him. "Take it easy Bubbles, Les, we're all on the same side," Jack said. So we walk Les home then go to the lodge to get Boots before headed to Brooklyn.