Chapter 10
"Let's see, where would he be?" Ashlee asked as they left Tibby's.
"Who knows? But if we stay in one place long enough, they'll find us..." Kaitlin responded, shrugging.
Ashlee nodded, "True, and it seems they have been following us around. But you know...since we want to find them we probably won't."
Kaitlin shrugged, "Well, I have no idea where they could be, so why don't we just wander around a bit and see if they turn up."
"Alright, sounds like a plan." The two girls started walking around Manhattan, keeping their eyes out for any of the gang.
After about an hour they finally stopped at Central Park and sat down on a nearby bench. "I give up, there's no way we're going to find them." Kaitlin said to Ashlee.
Ashlee slumped down, "Yeah I know it."
Right after she spoke 3 figures appeared before them, smirking. "Go figure, you were following us the whole time, weren't you, Christian." Ashlee said, glaring at the leader.
Christian nodded, "Of course."
Kaitlin frowned, "And you knew we were looking for you!"
Christian smirked, "That would be correct as well."
"ARGH! Then why didn't you say something?!" Ashlee yelled at the boy.
Christian smiled innocently, "Because it was more fun watching you wander about Manhattan looking for me, when we were right behind you." Matt and Chris snickered, and Kaitlin shot them visual daggers.
"But anyway, moving on, what exactly did you want to see me about? Did you change your minds?" Christian asked expectantly.
"There's no way in heck we changed our minds." Ashlee responded.
Kaitlin agreed, "The Newsies talked it over, and we want a rumble."
Christian raised an eyebrow in amusement. "A rumble, eh? Seriously, ladies, I really would have thought you would have had more brains then you're showing now. You know that newsboys can't fight gang members!"
Ashlee crossed her arms, "Well we have reason to believe we could beat you."
Christian snorted, "I doubt it, but if you really want to sacrifice your friends' lives, well then that's your choice. Now...to set a time, how about two nights from now at 8:00 PM, here?"
Ashlee and Kaitlin nodded, "Fine." The two girls turned on their heels and went back to the Lodging House.
"Heya Kloppman," Firefly said walking in to the lodging house.
"Is somethin' goin' on? Everybody has been actin' pretty strange lately..." he said as they walked past him to the stairs.
"Nope, nothing is wrong. What would be wrong?" Mystery asked, following Firefly upstairs.
"Alright guys, we found him," Firefly said sitting down on the floor. "He said two nights from now, 8:00PM. He also doesn't think we could beat him."
"Ah don't worry about it," Jack said and sat down next to Mystery putting his arm around her. "Nothing is going to happen, they'll just leave peacefully and quietly, and we're stronger than them anyway."
Cactus nodded in agreement, "Besides if they don't leave we're ready."
"I want all of you to promise me, if they use weapons, which they probably will, you won't do anything crazy, like pull out a knife or anything."
Firefly looked at Mystery a little sheepishly, and pulled two knives out of her pocket, and flicked open the blade, handing the other one to Mystery. "Took 'em when Chris and Matthew weren't paying attention, I wasn't Christian's greatest pick-pocket for nothing. Thought we might need them."
Mystery smiled as she opened the blade and tested the sharpness against her hand. She nodded as she felt the blade knick her palm. Then she quickly turned around and sent the knife flying across the room, watching it land with a thunk in the opposite wall. She grinned and went to retrieve her knife. "Yup, I've still got it."
Jack whistled, "Wow, you guys shoah don't kid around." He said, gulping as Mystery pulled the blade out of the wall.
Firefly turned the knife in her hand, "Nah, when you're in a gang you take things seriously, especially when Christian is the leader." She twirled the knife and then locked the blade down.
Mystery nodded in agreement, "Yup. Christian was always a tough and smart leader. He made us all take everything seriously, and definitely no fooling around."
"How long were ya in da gang?" Racetrack asked.
"Too long." Firefly answered. "We shouldn't have gotten mixed up with them in the first place. One of our worst mistakes, eh, Mystery?"
"Oh yeah." The girl answered. "Definitely too long."
"So ya two knew each uddah befoah ya joined da gang?" Jack asked.
Mystery nodded, "Yeah, we've been friends for a really long time. We practically grew up together. And then we met up with Christian and he convinced us the gang was the way to go, and for some odd and unknown reason we thought it sounded very appealing, I guess we were both looking for adventure. If I was able to go back and change that day we joined, I would definitely go back and do it."
Firefly nodded vigorously, "So would I. I'd do it in a heartbeat."
An awkward silence followed, and finally the Firefly got up. "Well, I think I'm going to go sell the evening edition."
Mystery followed suit, "Yeah, good idea. I think I will as well." The two girls left the room.
"I hope we're not getting in over our heads with this gang..." Cactus said as they heard the Mystery and Firefly go down the stairs.
"We're not. 'The Liberty' might be a good fighting gang, but we still have Brooklyn on our side, plus all our old buddies from our gang." Rebellion reassured the boy. "Plus, how good can a gang really be from New Jersey? I mean, they can't be any better then the gangs around here in this big city, where there's a gang lurking in practically every alley."
Jack laughed, "Dat's a bit of an exaggeration, but I get your point. We 'ave tons of gangs, an' we were also brought up ta be streetwise and tough. So yeah, I t'ink we can take 'em on."
"Yeah, I agree. I mean, 'ow tough can a gang be from a noice place loik New Joirsey be?" Race said.
Cactus shrugged, "I just hope you guys are right."
"Let's see, where would he be?" Ashlee asked as they left Tibby's.
"Who knows? But if we stay in one place long enough, they'll find us..." Kaitlin responded, shrugging.
Ashlee nodded, "True, and it seems they have been following us around. But you know...since we want to find them we probably won't."
Kaitlin shrugged, "Well, I have no idea where they could be, so why don't we just wander around a bit and see if they turn up."
"Alright, sounds like a plan." The two girls started walking around Manhattan, keeping their eyes out for any of the gang.
After about an hour they finally stopped at Central Park and sat down on a nearby bench. "I give up, there's no way we're going to find them." Kaitlin said to Ashlee.
Ashlee slumped down, "Yeah I know it."
Right after she spoke 3 figures appeared before them, smirking. "Go figure, you were following us the whole time, weren't you, Christian." Ashlee said, glaring at the leader.
Christian nodded, "Of course."
Kaitlin frowned, "And you knew we were looking for you!"
Christian smirked, "That would be correct as well."
"ARGH! Then why didn't you say something?!" Ashlee yelled at the boy.
Christian smiled innocently, "Because it was more fun watching you wander about Manhattan looking for me, when we were right behind you." Matt and Chris snickered, and Kaitlin shot them visual daggers.
"But anyway, moving on, what exactly did you want to see me about? Did you change your minds?" Christian asked expectantly.
"There's no way in heck we changed our minds." Ashlee responded.
Kaitlin agreed, "The Newsies talked it over, and we want a rumble."
Christian raised an eyebrow in amusement. "A rumble, eh? Seriously, ladies, I really would have thought you would have had more brains then you're showing now. You know that newsboys can't fight gang members!"
Ashlee crossed her arms, "Well we have reason to believe we could beat you."
Christian snorted, "I doubt it, but if you really want to sacrifice your friends' lives, well then that's your choice. Now...to set a time, how about two nights from now at 8:00 PM, here?"
Ashlee and Kaitlin nodded, "Fine." The two girls turned on their heels and went back to the Lodging House.
"Heya Kloppman," Firefly said walking in to the lodging house.
"Is somethin' goin' on? Everybody has been actin' pretty strange lately..." he said as they walked past him to the stairs.
"Nope, nothing is wrong. What would be wrong?" Mystery asked, following Firefly upstairs.
"Alright guys, we found him," Firefly said sitting down on the floor. "He said two nights from now, 8:00PM. He also doesn't think we could beat him."
"Ah don't worry about it," Jack said and sat down next to Mystery putting his arm around her. "Nothing is going to happen, they'll just leave peacefully and quietly, and we're stronger than them anyway."
Cactus nodded in agreement, "Besides if they don't leave we're ready."
"I want all of you to promise me, if they use weapons, which they probably will, you won't do anything crazy, like pull out a knife or anything."
Firefly looked at Mystery a little sheepishly, and pulled two knives out of her pocket, and flicked open the blade, handing the other one to Mystery. "Took 'em when Chris and Matthew weren't paying attention, I wasn't Christian's greatest pick-pocket for nothing. Thought we might need them."
Mystery smiled as she opened the blade and tested the sharpness against her hand. She nodded as she felt the blade knick her palm. Then she quickly turned around and sent the knife flying across the room, watching it land with a thunk in the opposite wall. She grinned and went to retrieve her knife. "Yup, I've still got it."
Jack whistled, "Wow, you guys shoah don't kid around." He said, gulping as Mystery pulled the blade out of the wall.
Firefly turned the knife in her hand, "Nah, when you're in a gang you take things seriously, especially when Christian is the leader." She twirled the knife and then locked the blade down.
Mystery nodded in agreement, "Yup. Christian was always a tough and smart leader. He made us all take everything seriously, and definitely no fooling around."
"How long were ya in da gang?" Racetrack asked.
"Too long." Firefly answered. "We shouldn't have gotten mixed up with them in the first place. One of our worst mistakes, eh, Mystery?"
"Oh yeah." The girl answered. "Definitely too long."
"So ya two knew each uddah befoah ya joined da gang?" Jack asked.
Mystery nodded, "Yeah, we've been friends for a really long time. We practically grew up together. And then we met up with Christian and he convinced us the gang was the way to go, and for some odd and unknown reason we thought it sounded very appealing, I guess we were both looking for adventure. If I was able to go back and change that day we joined, I would definitely go back and do it."
Firefly nodded vigorously, "So would I. I'd do it in a heartbeat."
An awkward silence followed, and finally the Firefly got up. "Well, I think I'm going to go sell the evening edition."
Mystery followed suit, "Yeah, good idea. I think I will as well." The two girls left the room.
"I hope we're not getting in over our heads with this gang..." Cactus said as they heard the Mystery and Firefly go down the stairs.
"We're not. 'The Liberty' might be a good fighting gang, but we still have Brooklyn on our side, plus all our old buddies from our gang." Rebellion reassured the boy. "Plus, how good can a gang really be from New Jersey? I mean, they can't be any better then the gangs around here in this big city, where there's a gang lurking in practically every alley."
Jack laughed, "Dat's a bit of an exaggeration, but I get your point. We 'ave tons of gangs, an' we were also brought up ta be streetwise and tough. So yeah, I t'ink we can take 'em on."
"Yeah, I agree. I mean, 'ow tough can a gang be from a noice place loik New Joirsey be?" Race said.
Cactus shrugged, "I just hope you guys are right."