Chapter 8



Kaitlin woke up early that morning, when she heard a crash and the sound of glass shattering. Looking around she noticed a brick that had come though the window, with a note attached to it. She picked it up, read the note, and shook Ashlee awake. "Get up! I need to talk to you!"

After a few minutes, and a lot of groaning, she finally woke up. "What do you want? It's like two in the morning."

"I think we should get out of here," Kaitlin explained. "I don't think we should stay here any longer."

"Can't this wait a little while? I'm tired."

"No, because if we're going to leave we should go before anyone wakes up."

Ashlee sat up, "what makes you think we should leave all of a sudden? And where are we going to go??"

"Who knows, but they know we're here," Kaitlin said, "see?" She held out the brick with the note still attached, "We better go."

"Where did that come from?!?"

"It just came through the window," she motioned to the broken glass, "I think someone wants to talk to us, let's go."

"Can't we sleep some more first?" Ashlee complained. "It's just a brick, who cares?"

"I do, c'mon," Kaitlin said pulling her out of bed, and throwing her clothes at her. "Get ready, we'll leave soon."

Ashlee and Kaitlin packed up their things. Ashlee yawned as she shouldered her bag, "I thought the Newsies were going to help us."

"Did you even read this note?" Kaitlin asked impatiently.

Ashlee shook her head, "It's dark outside, and you were waving it in front of my face, so no I didn't." She remarked sarcastically. Ashlee was always in a bad mood in the morning. She grabbed the brick out of Kaitlin's hand as they walked out of the Lodging House.

"Dear 'Mystery' and 'Firefly',
Heh, I find your names quite amusing actually, but on to more important things. Don't think that you can hide behind the 'Newsies' for the rest of your lives. You don't seem to understand how big my gang is. I have people everywhere, and there is no way that a bunch of kids selling newspapers can defeat my gang. You, of all people should know that, being that you've been in a couple of tough fights yourself with 'The Liberty' and we still pulled out a win. Yes, I've heard how tough the Brooklyn Newsies are, but they really don't hold a candle to us. Sure, they have 'slingshots', but you know that 'The Liberty' fights with a bit more intensity then with play-toys, such as slingshots. I remember as a child that I used to play with my slingshot. They are children's toys, and they won't be able to defend you in a fight. That's why I think it would be best to leave your new friends out of it, come back to New Jersey with us, and we can negotiate. You two are valuable gang members, top thieves in the gang, and I don't want to kill you unless I absolutely have to. Meaning, if you stay in New York any longer. Yes, I know that the rules call that we kill all traitors, but I am now the leader and I can make up my own rules now. Besides, I don't really consider you all 'traitors' more like scared gang members in trouble with the police. Please come to 'Central Park' as soon as you're able so we can talk things over a bit.

Sincerely,
Christian"

Ashlee almost fell over laughing, "Yeah, that's Christian for you."

Kaitlin shot Ashlee a disapproving look, "Ashlee, this is not laughing matter! Our lives and the lives of the Newsies are in danger, and you're just walking there laughing your head off! Sheesh! Sometimes I wonder at your sanity, and this would be one of them."

Ashlee shrugged, "Sorry. Anyway, are we running for it, or are we going to meet up with Christian and the gang at lovely Central Park?"

Kaitlin rolled her eyes, "I don't see how you can be so good humored about this. Anyway, Christian was right, he has people everywhere so it's not like we can run anywhere. I suppose that it would be best to go meet with him, and see what he's got to say. I mean, it does say in the letter that he won't kill us..."

Now, it was Ashlee's turn to roll her eyes, "Christian is about the best liar I know, and even better in a letter. But if that's what you want to do, then go for it."

Kaitlin and Ashlee soon reached Central Park, and easily spotted Christian, with Chris and Matthew. "Good, he only brought two people, the two idiots called Chris and Matthew. If they try anything, it shouldn't be too hard to beat them." Kaitlin whispered to her friend.

"Well Christian fights like about four people, so we should be careful." Ashlee responded.

They reached Christian and Chris and Matthew. Christian smiled, and shook hands with Kaitlin and Ashlee. "Nice to see you again, Mystery and Firefly."

The girls could hear snickering in the back by the two gang members. Kaitlin rolled her eyes, "Just cut to the chase, Christian. We don't have all night...well morning now..."

Christian nodded, "I agree, I'm a busy man, and taking so much time out of my schedule to come to New York doesn't exactly please me. Well to 'cut to the chase' as you put it, I just wanted to propose to you, that if you can prove yourself worthy to come back and be a gang member again we won't kill you. But if you refuse to do it, then we'll kill you now in New York without taking you back to Jersey, considering you aren't really gang members anymore either." He looked at their empty wrists that no longer held the gang member symbol.

Kaitlin and Ashlee immediately looked at each other, "Well before we commit to anything, at least tell us what you want us to do."

Christian smiled, "Of course, I would be happy to. To prove yourselves worthy again, you have to go back to the Lodging House, and steal all the money that the old man takes in everyday that the Newsies pay him for their room and board."

Ashlee's jaw dropped, "You have got to be kidding! Are you out of your mind!"

"Oh, and another thing, if you don't do that task, then not only will we brutally kill you, but also your new friends Jack and Racetrack." Christian smiled evilly. "Think about it for a couple of minutes," Christian turned to Chris and Matthew, and they walked a little ways away from the two girls, letting them think over Christian's idea.

Ashlee blinked for a moment, and then turned to Kaitlin. "Why don't we just beat them up now and get it over with?"

Kaitlin shook her head, "Because we'd be out numbered, Christian fights like four people remember?"

Ashlee shrugged, "I don't really care at this time. He's pretty much threatening the Newsies, and us and that makes me pretty ticked off. It's not like there's anything else we're going to do. There's no way I'm going to steal from Kloppman, and I definitely am not going to down without a fight."

Kaitlin thought about it for a moment, "Well...that's true. But maybe we could talk Christian out of it?"

"There is no way we can talk him out of it. Christian knows he's got the upper hand and he isn't going to let go."

Christian heard his name, and thinking they had reached a decision came over. "So decided yet?"

Ashlee smiled sweetly, "Yeah, this is our answer." And then she punched him in the eye with all her power.

Christian staggered back a moment, surprised. Kaitlin rolled her eyes at her friend. "She never listens, does she...?"

Christian snapped back to reality and chaos broke loose. Matt and Chris jumped Kaitlin. She dodged them both and hit Matt with a swift kick in his shins, then turned around and dealt a blow to Chris, knocking him to the ground.

Matt was the first to recover and then rushed at Kaitlin with full force. Kaitlin sidestepped and before he could stop himself, he ran into the trashcan, falling in, headfirst. Chris got up from the ground, and threw a punch at Kaitlin. He landed the punch at her eye, but Kaitlin recovered fast and gave him an upper jab to his chin. Matt finally dug himself out of the trashcan, and hit her in the back. Kaitlin turned around and threw him a palm strike at his nose.

Christian watched as Kaitlin beat up on Matt and Chris, and then turned to Ashlee, venom leaping into his eyes. "Not one of your best ideas, Ashlee." He said with a deceptively calm tone.

"Actually, it was one of my best. I should have done it a while ago." Ashlee shot back.

Christian and Ashlee stood there a moment, glaring at each other, and both waiting for the other one to make the first move. Finally Christian shot out a punch. Ashlee blocked it, and hit him in the stomach with a back kick.

Christian grabbed her foot before it could hit the ground, and flipped her over on her back. He was about to smash his foot into her face, when Ashlee quickly rolled to one side. Ashlee got up, and took a quick look at her friend who was holding her own with Matt and Chris. Suddenly she felt a blow to her eye, and she quickly turned and did a walking back hook kick, kicking Christian in the head. She followed her walking back hook kick with a swift punch at his nose, with all her might.

Christian felt his nose crack, and then blood gushed forth. His hand flew up to his nose to try and stop the bleeding. He looked up at Ashlee who was smirking at him, and then he hit her cheek, full force.

Ashlee staggered back a little way from the impact, and Christian motioned to Matt and Chris to leave. Matt had various bruises on his face, with bits of trash sticking to his hair, and Chris looked like he had gotten a mild concussion, and was following Christian kind of off balance, like he was drunk.

Kaitlin came panting up to Ashlee. "You just had to fight them, didn't ya...?" She looked in pretty good shape, except already discoloration started forming around her eye, and her nose was bleeding a bit.

"I guess you gave them more they you got, huh." Ashlee responded, as she felt a bruise forming on her check and eye.

Kaitlin shrugged, "They weren't all that hard. I guess we'll go back to the Lodging House, and see what Christian does next. Thanks to you he'll probably kill us at the first chance."

"Sorry, I just couldn't stand that he was threatening out friend's when they haven't done anything." Ashlee responded as they headed back to the Manhattan Lodging House.

They reached the Lodging House, and Ashlee put cold water on her face to try and stop the bruising, while Kaitlin worked on stopping the blood from her nose, while holding a cold cloth to her eye.

"Ugh," Kaitlin moaned. "I think I broke a couple ribs when Matt hit me in the back..."

"I think I did too, Christian has gotten better since we last saw him," Ashlee said grimacing.

"Here, hold on, I found some tape, I'll tape yours up for ya," Kaitlin said and started pulling the tape around her ribs. When she was finished, Ashlee did the same for Kaitlin.

"Good as new.... I think the blood has stopped... How are ya doing?" Kaitlin asked. "You have one heck of a shinah there."

"It'll be okay I think... just a little swollen and really bruised," Ashlee responded picking up a band aid and putting it on the cut on her arm.

"How are we going to explain this? I mean they're bound to notice, broken ribs, bruises, black eyes..."

"Just say we decided to work on our fighting skills," Ashlee answered. "There's no reason they should know, although it might be a good idea to tell them."

"I think we should warn Kloppman, they might try and steal his money too, although there isn't much of it, and we don't want the newsies to try and fight them, we don't know how good they are at fighting... Besides, I really don't want them involved."

"True, I would agree, c'mon let's go get our papes, we'll just act like nothing happened."