Chapter 4
Anthony and Chrys were walking down the halls of the Refuge. They were laughing hard. They walked by Snyder's office. Anthony saw something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and watched the scene. Slowly his eyes began to widen as…
Suddenly Racetrack shot up from his bed screaming. (I'm so mean) His head hit the metal bar and he fell back onto his pillow, clutching his forehead. Kid jumped down from the upper bunk.
"You okay Race?" he asked.
"Yeah I'm fine. I gotta sell." Race said starting to get dressed.
"You sure you want to sell today?" Mush called out from the other side of the room.
"Yeah, yeah I'm sure." Race yelled back. They walked in complete silence on the way to the Distribution Office. Race bought his papes and began to scan for some good headlines.
"What's up with Race?" David asked Jack.
"Don't know." Answered Jack. "He was like that since yesterday morning. I think it has something to do with the circus."
"Then maybe we should visit the circus to see what's bothering Race." Suggested Les.
Before Jack could answer, they heard someone yell "No!"
All three of them rushed over to the bench Race was sitting on. Kid and Mush were patting him on the back and talking softly to him.
"It's okay Race. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Mush said while trying not to laugh.
"Yeah Race." Said a grinning Kid. "It will be fine soon."
"What happened?" asked David. Mush silently held up the newspaper and pointed at a headline. David and Jack literally had to bite their tongue to stop from laughing out loud. There in big bold letters was the headline, 'Sheepshead Races closed for the next month.'
"Come on." Said Jack. "Let's go for a walk." But they didn't get to far. Spot Conlon walked up and motioned Jack to come closer. They both bent their heads and talked in whispers. Finally, they turned around.
"Spot's gonna be staying in Manhattan with us for awhile." Announced Jack. They began walking away from the Distribution Office. Race was to upset about the races that he didn't even know where they were walking until it was too late.
"No I'm not going!" he screamed as Spot and Kid dragged him to the entrance of the circus grounds.
"What's the big deal?" Jack asked. "We figured that you would need some cheering up so we decide to bring you here."
"I'll go anywhere but here." Race pleaded.
"Too bad." Kid said. "Les really wants to go to the circus so we're going." They walked through the circus grounds until they came to a big tent. They entered and what they saw astonished them. The boy and girl they saw yesterday were standing on two horses and doing numerous stunts. Everyone seemed to be in great awe, except for Race, until they heard a voice behind them.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" They slowly turned around, only to be greeted with a big, tall, and strong looking man.
"Uhhh… you see… well…" Kid stuttered. The big man grabbed their shirts and was about to drag them outside when someone said, "Wait."
They all turned around to see the girl standing there.
"It's alright Max. They can stay." She said. Max then let them go and walked away.
"Sorry about that. That was our bodyguard, Max. By the way, I'm Chrys, this is Michael," she said pointing at the boy next to her who was about her age, "and that is Jack also known as Tenderfoot." She said pointing at a little blonde kid carrying a broomstick. ""He cleans the cages. An you are?"
"This is David and his little brother Les, that's Kid Blink, over there is Spot Conlon, and I'm Jack Kelly. And this is Racetrack Higgins." Jack said.
"Well its nice to meet you but was there a certain reason you came here?" Michael asked. "Cause we have to do a lot of practice or our boss Harold will kill us."
"Actually yeah there is a reason we came here." Said Spot. "Our friend Race wants to meet your friend Chrys."
"I'm sure he does." Said Tenderfoot as he eyed Race. Jack looked over and saw why they were beginning to laugh. Race was struggling like crazy trying to leave.
"What time is it?" asked Michael.
"I'll find out." Said Chrys. She walked over to Race and pulled out his pocket watch.
"Chrys, is there any way you can ask?" said Michael.
"No. I'm a pick. I pick locks and pockets. So kill me if you don't like it." She said.
"Don't tempt me." He shot back. Chrys started to say something back when her face seemed to pale. Slowly she faced Race and looked at him in the eye.
"Anthony?" she said. Race could only nod. Chrys's face lit up in a smile as she jumped onto Race and hugged him.
"Oh my god I can't believe it's you!" she screamed. Race suddenly grabbed Chrys and whispered something in her ear. Chrys immediately paled once again.
"It's fine. There's nothing to worry about." She said. However, if she said that to calm Race down, it didn't work. Quickly, he pushed Chrys, jumped up, and ran out of the circus grounds.
"What did he say to you?" Jack asked.
"He said 'Snyder's still here.' Tell him that if he wants, he can work here for a while until the circus leaves. Then he can do whatever he wants to."
"Why?" asked Kid.
"Because if Snyder links me and Race together, then his life will be in danger. If he works at the circus, Snyder won't know because he would rather be dead then come to a place like this." She said as she indicated the dirty grounds surrounding them. "Tell him that." She turned around and walked away.
"Chrys isn't usually like that." Michael told them. "She's usually loud and crazy. Something must be really bugging her." The newsies turned around and left the tent. They saw Race sitting on the curb, smoking his cigar.
"Race, what's going on?" asked Spot. Race could only shake his head.
"Race." Said David. Race looked up at him. "If you want help, then you have to tell us. Then we can help you but we can't if we don't know what's going on."
"Yeah, I can be dead and so can you guys if you know too much." Race responded.
"Just tell them." They whirled around and saw Chrys and Michael standing behind them. "Tony or Race. My friends Michael and Tenderfoot know and they would rather die then see me dead. We watch each other's backs and we would let nothing break us apart. If your friends are like that too then I think it's time that they know too."
Race sighed. He knew they were right.
(A/N: Next chapter. The Secret comes out.)
Anthony and Chrys were walking down the halls of the Refuge. They were laughing hard. They walked by Snyder's office. Anthony saw something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and watched the scene. Slowly his eyes began to widen as…
Suddenly Racetrack shot up from his bed screaming. (I'm so mean) His head hit the metal bar and he fell back onto his pillow, clutching his forehead. Kid jumped down from the upper bunk.
"You okay Race?" he asked.
"Yeah I'm fine. I gotta sell." Race said starting to get dressed.
"You sure you want to sell today?" Mush called out from the other side of the room.
"Yeah, yeah I'm sure." Race yelled back. They walked in complete silence on the way to the Distribution Office. Race bought his papes and began to scan for some good headlines.
"What's up with Race?" David asked Jack.
"Don't know." Answered Jack. "He was like that since yesterday morning. I think it has something to do with the circus."
"Then maybe we should visit the circus to see what's bothering Race." Suggested Les.
Before Jack could answer, they heard someone yell "No!"
All three of them rushed over to the bench Race was sitting on. Kid and Mush were patting him on the back and talking softly to him.
"It's okay Race. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Mush said while trying not to laugh.
"Yeah Race." Said a grinning Kid. "It will be fine soon."
"What happened?" asked David. Mush silently held up the newspaper and pointed at a headline. David and Jack literally had to bite their tongue to stop from laughing out loud. There in big bold letters was the headline, 'Sheepshead Races closed for the next month.'
"Come on." Said Jack. "Let's go for a walk." But they didn't get to far. Spot Conlon walked up and motioned Jack to come closer. They both bent their heads and talked in whispers. Finally, they turned around.
"Spot's gonna be staying in Manhattan with us for awhile." Announced Jack. They began walking away from the Distribution Office. Race was to upset about the races that he didn't even know where they were walking until it was too late.
"No I'm not going!" he screamed as Spot and Kid dragged him to the entrance of the circus grounds.
"What's the big deal?" Jack asked. "We figured that you would need some cheering up so we decide to bring you here."
"I'll go anywhere but here." Race pleaded.
"Too bad." Kid said. "Les really wants to go to the circus so we're going." They walked through the circus grounds until they came to a big tent. They entered and what they saw astonished them. The boy and girl they saw yesterday were standing on two horses and doing numerous stunts. Everyone seemed to be in great awe, except for Race, until they heard a voice behind them.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" They slowly turned around, only to be greeted with a big, tall, and strong looking man.
"Uhhh… you see… well…" Kid stuttered. The big man grabbed their shirts and was about to drag them outside when someone said, "Wait."
They all turned around to see the girl standing there.
"It's alright Max. They can stay." She said. Max then let them go and walked away.
"Sorry about that. That was our bodyguard, Max. By the way, I'm Chrys, this is Michael," she said pointing at the boy next to her who was about her age, "and that is Jack also known as Tenderfoot." She said pointing at a little blonde kid carrying a broomstick. ""He cleans the cages. An you are?"
"This is David and his little brother Les, that's Kid Blink, over there is Spot Conlon, and I'm Jack Kelly. And this is Racetrack Higgins." Jack said.
"Well its nice to meet you but was there a certain reason you came here?" Michael asked. "Cause we have to do a lot of practice or our boss Harold will kill us."
"Actually yeah there is a reason we came here." Said Spot. "Our friend Race wants to meet your friend Chrys."
"I'm sure he does." Said Tenderfoot as he eyed Race. Jack looked over and saw why they were beginning to laugh. Race was struggling like crazy trying to leave.
"What time is it?" asked Michael.
"I'll find out." Said Chrys. She walked over to Race and pulled out his pocket watch.
"Chrys, is there any way you can ask?" said Michael.
"No. I'm a pick. I pick locks and pockets. So kill me if you don't like it." She said.
"Don't tempt me." He shot back. Chrys started to say something back when her face seemed to pale. Slowly she faced Race and looked at him in the eye.
"Anthony?" she said. Race could only nod. Chrys's face lit up in a smile as she jumped onto Race and hugged him.
"Oh my god I can't believe it's you!" she screamed. Race suddenly grabbed Chrys and whispered something in her ear. Chrys immediately paled once again.
"It's fine. There's nothing to worry about." She said. However, if she said that to calm Race down, it didn't work. Quickly, he pushed Chrys, jumped up, and ran out of the circus grounds.
"What did he say to you?" Jack asked.
"He said 'Snyder's still here.' Tell him that if he wants, he can work here for a while until the circus leaves. Then he can do whatever he wants to."
"Why?" asked Kid.
"Because if Snyder links me and Race together, then his life will be in danger. If he works at the circus, Snyder won't know because he would rather be dead then come to a place like this." She said as she indicated the dirty grounds surrounding them. "Tell him that." She turned around and walked away.
"Chrys isn't usually like that." Michael told them. "She's usually loud and crazy. Something must be really bugging her." The newsies turned around and left the tent. They saw Race sitting on the curb, smoking his cigar.
"Race, what's going on?" asked Spot. Race could only shake his head.
"Race." Said David. Race looked up at him. "If you want help, then you have to tell us. Then we can help you but we can't if we don't know what's going on."
"Yeah, I can be dead and so can you guys if you know too much." Race responded.
"Just tell them." They whirled around and saw Chrys and Michael standing behind them. "Tony or Race. My friends Michael and Tenderfoot know and they would rather die then see me dead. We watch each other's backs and we would let nothing break us apart. If your friends are like that too then I think it's time that they know too."
Race sighed. He knew they were right.
(A/N: Next chapter. The Secret comes out.)
