For Starters: I know this doesn't sound Newsies related for the first, very
short, chapters. But it shall get more into them! I swear on Kid Blink's
eyes! *Crosses heart* Why, I even bet my life on Racetrack. Yessirree.
So there. Please R & R pals! I love you! MUAH!
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Chapter 1
Promises Made And Broken
Katie Louden
Ben Wood trudged through the muddy streets of New York. The rain was coming down in hard clumps as it slowly began turning into hail. He covered his face and dashed underneath the awning of "The Vienna Model Bakery". He peered through the downpour and up at the cloudy sky. Everything in his life was looking a lot like the sky, dark and dreary. His foster Mother, Penny, was always out working, he got kicked out of school for smoking in the bathroom, his real Father had recently died, and everything just seemed so wrong.
Ben stood about 5 foot, 3 inches, at his age of 14. He had curly, brown hair and his face was cluttered with tiny freckles. He hated himself. He wanted to just never have been born, or at least have been born with a decent life. He made a fist and pounded his other hand. Thoughts of his real Mother clouded his mind all the time. He remembered, at the age of 10, when she had tucked him into his bed and told him to be good and to always stay away from the shit that comes out of nowhere. Ben always thought about it and couldn't understand why he didn't get that she was leaving when he was 10. She had never said anything or tucked him in. It was the first and last time. She hadn't even said "I love you".
His real Father, Joe Wood, hadn't even been in his life. His foster Mother had met Joe at the workplace, "Irving Hall", and had invited him to dinner one night. Coincidentally, Joe had been working backstage all the time Ben thought he was gone. Ben had seen his Father and knew right away. He visited him often, but Ben didn't go to the funeral. He thought it was just too strange to see a grave of someone you didn't know.
Now Ben was running away. He was running from Penny, school, his Fathers' grave, his past with his Mother, and from everything. He wanted to start a new life.
"Ay, ya got a smoke?"
Ben flung around to face a black-haired, brown-eyed, ruggedly dressed newsie. "Huh?"
"Name's Racetrack," he said. He stuck his hand out and Ben stared at it. "OK. Well, ya got a smoke kid?" he repeated, retrieving his hand.
Ben shook his head, "No. And my name's Ben. What kind of name is Racetrack?"
Racetrack chuckled, "It's da kind'a name ya give ta someone who likes goin' to da racetracks. Dat's who."
Ben nodded, turning back around. He glanced back at Racetrack and realized he wasn't wet. "It's raining," Ben pointed out.
Racetrack's eyes beamed and he laughed, "Yeah, dat's obvious." He thought for a minute. "Oh, why am I dry? I see… Well, I just came from da Bakery." He motioned to the door he had emerged from. "Dey wouldn't let me stay inside till da rain passed, so I'm waitin' out here."
"Right." Ben faced the streets. A wagon slowly passed by and a few people ran to their homes, splashing water on Ben and Racetrack.
"Ya got a place?" Racetrack asked Ben, not even realizing he'd been splashed.
Ben shook his head and then shrugged. "I did," he simply replied.
"Family troubles?"
"Sure."
"Ya ain't much a talkin' are…"
"Just leave me alone." Ben crossed his arms and wished Racetrack would run out into the rain and go away.
Racetrack did just the opposite. "Me and da newsies got ourselves a lodgin' house. If ya want ta stay with us we won't mind. Der was a big fire near 'ere and a few'a da guys…" He trailed off and then stated, "We's got's extra beds."
Ben opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. "Thanks."
Racetrack stood beside him and looked from left to right. "Looks like it's comin' to an end. Da lodgin' house is only a few feet from da statue'a Horace. Come on." With that said, he sprinted across the street and right to the lodging house, flinging the door open, and waiting for Ben.
Ben ran to the house, complaining, "I don't have any clothes," when he reached Racetrack.
"We's probably got some dat fit ya." He looked Ben over from head to toe. "Yeah," he stated, "probably." He walked up the stairs, Ben following. He then turned the doorknob. "Ay," he greeted everyone.
The room was packed with about 10 or 20 newsies. Nobody had done anything all day because of the rain. They all looked very glum. "Ay," a few replied.
"Dis is Ben." Racetrack sat down on his bed, placing his elbows on his knees, and propping his head on top of his hands. "He's got no place ta stay, so I offered here, till we get him back to where he was. Right Ben?"
Ben didn't seem to hear Racetrack. He was looking from eye-to-eye of each newsie. They all seemed in a state of anxiety, almost everyone in the same position as Racetrack, or playing with their fingers.
A tall, brown-haired boy stood, crossing his arms. He had caramel brown eyes, and as he spoke, they turned a golden brown. "I'm Jack," he stated. He pointed to a group of newsies on the floor. "Dat's Mush, Dutchy, Bumletts, and Skittery." He pointed to 2 boys sitting on a bed beside Racetrack. "Dat's Jake and Crutchy." He went on to name a few other newsies. His tone of voice dropped and so did his head, "A few'a da guys got caught up in a big fire, mostly da kids… Maybe Race told ya… We still got der beds, but I don't tink youse should sleep in dem. Somebody can sleep on da floor, if ya want… it's…"
A few of the newsies got up, walking into the bathroom area, disappearing in the stall. Racetrack stood up, wiping a tear from his eye, "Uh, youse can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep on da couch down in da lobby." Before anyone could retort, Racetrack was down the stairs.
Jack reached over to a nightstand and grabbed a towel, tossing it over to Ben. "Here." He got into bed, the others doing the same.
Ben swallowed a big lump down his throat, feeling out of place. "Thanks," he whispered. He dried himself quickly off and hopped right into the bed. Now, thoughts of his foster Mother filled his head. He knew she was out looking for him.
READ ON!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 1
Promises Made And Broken
Katie Louden
Ben Wood trudged through the muddy streets of New York. The rain was coming down in hard clumps as it slowly began turning into hail. He covered his face and dashed underneath the awning of "The Vienna Model Bakery". He peered through the downpour and up at the cloudy sky. Everything in his life was looking a lot like the sky, dark and dreary. His foster Mother, Penny, was always out working, he got kicked out of school for smoking in the bathroom, his real Father had recently died, and everything just seemed so wrong.
Ben stood about 5 foot, 3 inches, at his age of 14. He had curly, brown hair and his face was cluttered with tiny freckles. He hated himself. He wanted to just never have been born, or at least have been born with a decent life. He made a fist and pounded his other hand. Thoughts of his real Mother clouded his mind all the time. He remembered, at the age of 10, when she had tucked him into his bed and told him to be good and to always stay away from the shit that comes out of nowhere. Ben always thought about it and couldn't understand why he didn't get that she was leaving when he was 10. She had never said anything or tucked him in. It was the first and last time. She hadn't even said "I love you".
His real Father, Joe Wood, hadn't even been in his life. His foster Mother had met Joe at the workplace, "Irving Hall", and had invited him to dinner one night. Coincidentally, Joe had been working backstage all the time Ben thought he was gone. Ben had seen his Father and knew right away. He visited him often, but Ben didn't go to the funeral. He thought it was just too strange to see a grave of someone you didn't know.
Now Ben was running away. He was running from Penny, school, his Fathers' grave, his past with his Mother, and from everything. He wanted to start a new life.
"Ay, ya got a smoke?"
Ben flung around to face a black-haired, brown-eyed, ruggedly dressed newsie. "Huh?"
"Name's Racetrack," he said. He stuck his hand out and Ben stared at it. "OK. Well, ya got a smoke kid?" he repeated, retrieving his hand.
Ben shook his head, "No. And my name's Ben. What kind of name is Racetrack?"
Racetrack chuckled, "It's da kind'a name ya give ta someone who likes goin' to da racetracks. Dat's who."
Ben nodded, turning back around. He glanced back at Racetrack and realized he wasn't wet. "It's raining," Ben pointed out.
Racetrack's eyes beamed and he laughed, "Yeah, dat's obvious." He thought for a minute. "Oh, why am I dry? I see… Well, I just came from da Bakery." He motioned to the door he had emerged from. "Dey wouldn't let me stay inside till da rain passed, so I'm waitin' out here."
"Right." Ben faced the streets. A wagon slowly passed by and a few people ran to their homes, splashing water on Ben and Racetrack.
"Ya got a place?" Racetrack asked Ben, not even realizing he'd been splashed.
Ben shook his head and then shrugged. "I did," he simply replied.
"Family troubles?"
"Sure."
"Ya ain't much a talkin' are…"
"Just leave me alone." Ben crossed his arms and wished Racetrack would run out into the rain and go away.
Racetrack did just the opposite. "Me and da newsies got ourselves a lodgin' house. If ya want ta stay with us we won't mind. Der was a big fire near 'ere and a few'a da guys…" He trailed off and then stated, "We's got's extra beds."
Ben opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. "Thanks."
Racetrack stood beside him and looked from left to right. "Looks like it's comin' to an end. Da lodgin' house is only a few feet from da statue'a Horace. Come on." With that said, he sprinted across the street and right to the lodging house, flinging the door open, and waiting for Ben.
Ben ran to the house, complaining, "I don't have any clothes," when he reached Racetrack.
"We's probably got some dat fit ya." He looked Ben over from head to toe. "Yeah," he stated, "probably." He walked up the stairs, Ben following. He then turned the doorknob. "Ay," he greeted everyone.
The room was packed with about 10 or 20 newsies. Nobody had done anything all day because of the rain. They all looked very glum. "Ay," a few replied.
"Dis is Ben." Racetrack sat down on his bed, placing his elbows on his knees, and propping his head on top of his hands. "He's got no place ta stay, so I offered here, till we get him back to where he was. Right Ben?"
Ben didn't seem to hear Racetrack. He was looking from eye-to-eye of each newsie. They all seemed in a state of anxiety, almost everyone in the same position as Racetrack, or playing with their fingers.
A tall, brown-haired boy stood, crossing his arms. He had caramel brown eyes, and as he spoke, they turned a golden brown. "I'm Jack," he stated. He pointed to a group of newsies on the floor. "Dat's Mush, Dutchy, Bumletts, and Skittery." He pointed to 2 boys sitting on a bed beside Racetrack. "Dat's Jake and Crutchy." He went on to name a few other newsies. His tone of voice dropped and so did his head, "A few'a da guys got caught up in a big fire, mostly da kids… Maybe Race told ya… We still got der beds, but I don't tink youse should sleep in dem. Somebody can sleep on da floor, if ya want… it's…"
A few of the newsies got up, walking into the bathroom area, disappearing in the stall. Racetrack stood up, wiping a tear from his eye, "Uh, youse can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep on da couch down in da lobby." Before anyone could retort, Racetrack was down the stairs.
Jack reached over to a nightstand and grabbed a towel, tossing it over to Ben. "Here." He got into bed, the others doing the same.
Ben swallowed a big lump down his throat, feeling out of place. "Thanks," he whispered. He dried himself quickly off and hopped right into the bed. Now, thoughts of his foster Mother filled his head. He knew she was out looking for him.
READ ON!