Note: this is almost the end now, and I am currently battling myself over how to end it.
David agreed to accompany pagan to the lodging house. Things had to be straightened out and he and he wanted to help set things right. On their way there, pagan was tightly hanging onto his hand and was allowing david to lead her along. David had never seen her so scared before. She was just like a little girl being led towards some kind of great unknown. Hesitation was the rhythm in her step. " maybe dis ain't such a hot idea, davy," she kept saying every ten paces or so.
"either we do this or we don't, pagan," david said sternly.
The lodging house didn't change much except for a few more loose boards and chipped paint. Pagan stared at it, her heart filling up with an intense longing to be inside, on her beloved ledge with racetrack and skittery.
David was saying something to a distracted pagan. " now, you saty here and I'll go inside and get jack, okay?"
"hm? I'm sorry, what?" pagan said. Davis simply raised his eyebrows and the look in his eyes was telling her to focus. "okay, mouth," she said resignedly.
David sighed. Okay, he thought. Let's get this over with. As he walked towards the lodging house, he wished things would go back to the way they were- jack and pagan still together, pagan and david finding new things to debate about and pagan, showing anything except surrender.
Pagan prepared for the worst as david went up to get jack. She didn't want to come up- she didn't want the other newsies watching while she made amends. finally two figures emerged from the building. The first was david, and following him was jack. Pagan's heart jumped to her throat and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. The closer they came, the harder it was for her to breathe. So she stayed in the shadows.
" so what was it yah wanted tah tawk tah me dat can';t wait til mawnin?" jack asked david. David peerd into the shadows, like telling pagan this was the time to come out.
Leave it to david to orchestrate a dramatic confrontation, pagan thought. Here goes...
The look jack had on his face when he saw her sliced her in two. Recognition clouded his eyes as he stiffened. Pagan dared not speak. Her legs had turned into feathers encased in boxes of lead. Jack slowly walked up to her. The closest they had ever been in years.
" jus like dat, huh?" coming face to face with jack himself overwhelmed pagan. His presence...she'd almost forgotten hoe much of her being his presence filled. Pagan trembled visibly, and she literally had to hold on to herself to keep from shaking. She felt exposed and naked.
" youse lucky youse a goil, pagan, " jack said in a vicious tone. "cause I ain't nevah wanted tah saok no one the way I wanna soak youse." With that, he shook his head and walked away from her.
"jack!" it was david.
Jack held up a hand to stop him from saying any more. " dis nevah happened, dave." He said. " so I'll fahget about it."
From the ledge of the lodging house, racetrack and the rest were watching the whole thing take place.
" betchah 50 cents theys get back tahgeddah ta'night."
Skittery shook his head. It would be an easy bet to win, but he didn't feel right, knowing that there would be pain involved.
Nobody took racetrack up on his bet.
When jack returned to the room, it was unnaturally quiet. A contrived silence, actually, where the guys either pretended to be asleep or nonchallant. Jack took one look at tem and knew they knew. But they didn't mention it, and neither did he.
Jack falls into a restless dream-filled sleep.
He dreams of a desert and cacti- the santa fe of his thoughts. Above him is a brilliant blue sky, shooting stars everywhere, visible even as the sun shone down on him.
The sun...jack looks up to see it has turned black with intense heat. He walks on, he walks forever until he collapses from exhaustion.
Jack wakes up inside a tent. He is lying facedown on the prickly sand. He sits up.
There is a girl sitting on the other side of the tent, her back towards him. He can hear her crying softly. Jack reaches out, grazing her shoulder with his shadow.
He is standing in front of her. Jack touches her cheek. Instead of tears, there is blood in his hand. He stares in horror and sees her chest- a gaping hole of pitch black. Her arms are riddled with scabs. She opens her mouth and spits out needles. Her teeth are blades.
" I am a soldier whose heart is broken," she tells him.
A deafening sound is heard, and jack steps back in time to avoid being crushed by an oncoming train. The girl is obliterated into a thousand pieces. He backs away, into a bottomless cliff. He is falling...falling...
With a start, jack woke up. He was sweating and his face was wet with tears. Forgetting himself, he thought that pagan was safe sleeping on the bunk below his. Whispering her name, he reached out over the side of the bed for hers, but no hand came up to touch his.
David agreed to accompany pagan to the lodging house. Things had to be straightened out and he and he wanted to help set things right. On their way there, pagan was tightly hanging onto his hand and was allowing david to lead her along. David had never seen her so scared before. She was just like a little girl being led towards some kind of great unknown. Hesitation was the rhythm in her step. " maybe dis ain't such a hot idea, davy," she kept saying every ten paces or so.
"either we do this or we don't, pagan," david said sternly.
The lodging house didn't change much except for a few more loose boards and chipped paint. Pagan stared at it, her heart filling up with an intense longing to be inside, on her beloved ledge with racetrack and skittery.
David was saying something to a distracted pagan. " now, you saty here and I'll go inside and get jack, okay?"
"hm? I'm sorry, what?" pagan said. Davis simply raised his eyebrows and the look in his eyes was telling her to focus. "okay, mouth," she said resignedly.
David sighed. Okay, he thought. Let's get this over with. As he walked towards the lodging house, he wished things would go back to the way they were- jack and pagan still together, pagan and david finding new things to debate about and pagan, showing anything except surrender.
Pagan prepared for the worst as david went up to get jack. She didn't want to come up- she didn't want the other newsies watching while she made amends. finally two figures emerged from the building. The first was david, and following him was jack. Pagan's heart jumped to her throat and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. The closer they came, the harder it was for her to breathe. So she stayed in the shadows.
" so what was it yah wanted tah tawk tah me dat can';t wait til mawnin?" jack asked david. David peerd into the shadows, like telling pagan this was the time to come out.
Leave it to david to orchestrate a dramatic confrontation, pagan thought. Here goes...
The look jack had on his face when he saw her sliced her in two. Recognition clouded his eyes as he stiffened. Pagan dared not speak. Her legs had turned into feathers encased in boxes of lead. Jack slowly walked up to her. The closest they had ever been in years.
" jus like dat, huh?" coming face to face with jack himself overwhelmed pagan. His presence...she'd almost forgotten hoe much of her being his presence filled. Pagan trembled visibly, and she literally had to hold on to herself to keep from shaking. She felt exposed and naked.
" youse lucky youse a goil, pagan, " jack said in a vicious tone. "cause I ain't nevah wanted tah saok no one the way I wanna soak youse." With that, he shook his head and walked away from her.
"jack!" it was david.
Jack held up a hand to stop him from saying any more. " dis nevah happened, dave." He said. " so I'll fahget about it."
From the ledge of the lodging house, racetrack and the rest were watching the whole thing take place.
" betchah 50 cents theys get back tahgeddah ta'night."
Skittery shook his head. It would be an easy bet to win, but he didn't feel right, knowing that there would be pain involved.
Nobody took racetrack up on his bet.
When jack returned to the room, it was unnaturally quiet. A contrived silence, actually, where the guys either pretended to be asleep or nonchallant. Jack took one look at tem and knew they knew. But they didn't mention it, and neither did he.
Jack falls into a restless dream-filled sleep.
He dreams of a desert and cacti- the santa fe of his thoughts. Above him is a brilliant blue sky, shooting stars everywhere, visible even as the sun shone down on him.
The sun...jack looks up to see it has turned black with intense heat. He walks on, he walks forever until he collapses from exhaustion.
Jack wakes up inside a tent. He is lying facedown on the prickly sand. He sits up.
There is a girl sitting on the other side of the tent, her back towards him. He can hear her crying softly. Jack reaches out, grazing her shoulder with his shadow.
He is standing in front of her. Jack touches her cheek. Instead of tears, there is blood in his hand. He stares in horror and sees her chest- a gaping hole of pitch black. Her arms are riddled with scabs. She opens her mouth and spits out needles. Her teeth are blades.
" I am a soldier whose heart is broken," she tells him.
A deafening sound is heard, and jack steps back in time to avoid being crushed by an oncoming train. The girl is obliterated into a thousand pieces. He backs away, into a bottomless cliff. He is falling...falling...
With a start, jack woke up. He was sweating and his face was wet with tears. Forgetting himself, he thought that pagan was safe sleeping on the bunk below his. Whispering her name, he reached out over the side of the bed for hers, but no hand came up to touch his.