Shout Outs~
Silver Sapphire: Thanks! We can't wait to see what we have planned either! XD
Rae Kelly: Good thing, right? ^^
Dreamcoat: There'll be humor in there. It's just not enough to be a main genre.
Bluehag: ::blinks:: Make idle threats? And that's different from what you usually do, how…?
Ann: Yeah, I did get it. *_* I ran around for a week going "Mark David has a *pretty* voice!" quite randomly. It does seem to be following the GotP formula, huh? ::stabs:: NO SLASH!
Vinyl: ^_^ Aw, thanks. You make us feel all warm and fluffly…
Bam: Patience child, patience.
****
"There's her window." ToT pointed at the southernmost window, third from the left. "So what's the plan, Stage?"
"You distract whoever starts coming around here and I'll get her out."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"Why not tell them about groceries? You seemed to enjoy that."
"What else was I supposed to do?"
"Nevermind. This is neither the time nor the place for bickering."
"Great. A distraction." ToT walked around the side of the building and waited. Stage pulled a small metal mallet from her pocket and walked up to the wall. She peered in through the bars and grinned when she saw the girl she was looking for.
"Sparks. Wake up!" Stage called through the bars. The girl sitting on the bed looked up in surprise.
"Stage! What are you doing in this end of the country?"
"Selling newspapers. We'll talk later." Stage replied. She held the mallet up to the middle bar and struck it. A clear note rang through the air. "Ah, perfect F#."
"Forget the notes, get me out of here!"
"Fine, fine. No appreciation for the arts." Stage grumbled, disappearing from view. She popped back up a minute later. "Stand back."
Sparkles obediently stood against the opposite wall and Stage raised a giant hammer and swung. The bars were knocked clean out of their holdings and Sparkles made her way to the window quickly. Stage pulled her out through the narrow space.
"It's a good thing you didn't grow any." She commented, looking down at her friend. "Come on, ToT's 'round the next corner."
****
After they had picked up ToT, the three took an intricate route back to the Lodging House, leaving behind fake trails. The three scrambled inside the bunkroom and faced the newsies inside who had since doubled in amount.
"Heya fellas!" ToT greeted them. "How are y'all doing?"
"Is she…being friendly…?" Jack mumbled out the corner of his mouth to David.
"We're back from the grocery store!" Stage exclaimed.
"Grocery store?" Sparkles mumbled.
"The grocery store…that starts with the 'J'."
"Educated, aren't we?" David muttered, rolling his eyes.
"If you insist, its Jim's Grocery Store! Therefore it does start with a 'J'!" ToT nodded furiously.
"We have a Jim's Grocery Store?" Itey asked.
"Yeah, so…yeah." ToT's vocabulary wasn't at it's best.
"We are so dead," Sparkles muttered. Unfortunately, it didn't escape Jack's ears.
"Why are youse so dead?" he asked.
"Cause Jim's Grocery Store has rotten produce," Stage piped up.
Silence.
"So, ah, how 'bout a walk?" Jack asked, eyeing Sparkles.
"Sounds good!" all the girls yelled unanimously. They each grabbed an arm, desperate to get out of the room.
"Um…" Snoddy looked down at Stage who had, somehow, mistaken his arm for Specs'.
"Ise didn' t'ink youse was in ta me," Dutchy grinned, looking down at ToT.
"Hello, I's don't t'ink we's met." Specs commented, looking down at the blonde the dwarf who had latched onto the closet arm--which happened to be Specs'.
"Stage, wanna trade?" Sparkles called, leaning over so she could look past Specs. Stage was rather--erm--distracted by Snoddy.
"Hey…I never noticed you around…" Stage grinned. Snoddy looked considerably nervous.
"Snoddy…" Specs began.
"No! No! It aint my fault! She latched onto me!" Snoddy exclaimed, waving his hands in a "I surrender" manner.
"Sparkles, I don't think you want that one." ToT told her friend.
"I don't think so either." Sparkles replied. She then pointed at Jack. "I want that one!"
"And you are…six?" Jack guessed. Sparkles glared.
"Add a ten."
Jack began to count on his fingers and was promptly told the answer by Crutchy.
"Stage, come on." Specs said, tapping her on the shoulder. "Everyone else's leavin'."
"Yeah, later, Billy." Stage made a vague motion with her hand. Specs raised an eyebrow at Snoddy who paled, then blushed bright red. Specs glanced over his shoulder for some help in the matter, but didn't see much hope of some. ToT had found her Spot and Sparkles was latched to Jack's wrist. Surprisingly--or not, depending on how you look at it--Jack wasn't objecting in the least.
"Anyone?" Specs asked. ToT hopped off the bunk and strolled over.
"What's she doing?"
"Dat." He said simply, nodding towards Stage. ToT glanced at her and gave an aggravated sigh.
"She promised not to do this again."
"Do what?"
"That." ToT walked up behind Stage and covered her eyes.
"Hey!" She exclaimed. ToT turned Stage around so that she was facing Specs. ToT took away her hands and backed up. Stage blinked several times, trying to adjust her eyes to the light. She squinted and then brightened.
"Specs!" Stage exclaimed--again--and glomped onto him. Specs looked a little surprised at the attack and staggered.
"Okay! Walk time!" ToT yanked Sparkles away from Jack and he trotted after her. Spot guided Specs as he couldn't see past Stage. Once outside, they borrowed a crowbar and pried Stage off.
They continued on their walk, Sparkles and Jack holding hands. A pair of older women approached them.
"Oh, is she yours? She's so cute!" They cooed.
"Yes, she is mine." Jack grinned broadly.
"Aw, how old is she?"
"Sixteen." Sparkles retorted, a bit miffed.
"Aww! She even wants to be older! How cute!"
"No, seriously. She's sixteen." Stage answered. The ladies stared at her and gasped. She blinked and glanced over her shoulder, then at Specs who shrugged. "He's not that ugly…I mean, he's no Snoddy…"
"HEY!" Specs exclaimed. "What makes you think they're looking at me?"
"Officer! Officer, help!" The first lady shrieked, waving her hand at an officer. He rushed over.
"What's the problem, ladies?" He asked. They pointed at where the guys had formed a wall. They smiled pleasantly.
"Its them, its them!" Shrieked the second lady. "Those three who were in the papers on Sunday!"
"Alright, move aside. There's a trio of dangerous criminals about." The officer looked surprised when he moved Dutchy aside and the boy was promptly pulled back to his original position. "Stand back, son."
"I ain't your son."
"Just get out of my way."
"Just playing--" cough. "Ahem, 'scuse me. Just playin' a little game of hide and go seek officer. I'm afraid we might have frightened these poor ladies." ToT replied--after standing up--in her lowest voice that she could muster. He hair was stuffed up underneath her hat and the brim pulled down low. Sparkles and Stage had followed her example.
"Well…all seems to be in order." The officer said warily.
"Goodbye, sir." Sparkles said, turning and following the rest of them as they walked. Unfortunately, the brim of her hat greatly impaired her vision and she walked right into Jack's back. Her newsie hat fell off and her hair fell down. The officer immediately brought the whistle to his lips and blew.
"RUN FOR IT!" ToT yelled, grabbing the nearest arm and yanking. She ducked into the alley to the right, Stage bolted down the street, Sparkles dove through the officer's legs, and the boys randomly followed.
****