Disclaimer- I have kidnapped Mush and the rest of the Newsies and won't give them back until Disney says I can keep them!
L/N- Well, well, well, what have we here? Shortie with an update? No, it can't be! Well it is! I haven't forgotten about you guys *blows kisses* I know it's been ages but I've been mucho busy and have had squat time to write… and then something happened with our good friend FFN and I couldn't log in, but now I can and everything's all smiles!
Shout outs-
Sphinx- There was a time lapse between Question's personality change, he didn't just randomly decide to be evil, I'll go over that a little more here. YAY! Ice skating newsies! Nah, don't mind slash, as long as my Mush is straight…*sigh* Obesession, ya know? Dude… this girl in my school looks like Michael Jackson- no joke. How scary is that?~
Rumor- Ew, who is that moron that reviewed for the wrong story? J/K… I've done stuff like that before, not a problem. Hey, it boosts my reviews one and that's never a bad thing. Hmmm, you may want to watch what you say to my new and (un)improved Question, he was taking notes! Thanks for the review! (The RIGHT review!)~
Blinks-Tiger- I haven't forgotten about you, I WILL send the profile thingy, I've just been busy beyond belief. Read on and you will learn Question's escape artist tricks.~
Duchess- Ahhh! No! Don't make ME jump! I know I took ages to update (sorry!) but look at it this way, if you kill me then no more ficcy! What? Evil twin? Oh. Lol, thanks for the review!~
Raeghann- Talent? Woah, wanna tell that to my L/A teacher? Yes, I agree, because then you have to worry about making your characters out of what their character is in canon and such. Newsies is especially hard I think, because it's such a stretch. It's fun though, thanks for reviewing and NEW UPDATE SOON! You're a GENIUS! (I found myself another idol!)!~
Falco Conlon- You're just saving everyone! Blink, the review button… SUPER FALCO! Thanks for the review! (Save the button again!)~
Keza- Blink's in a pretty screwed up mindset at the moment, who knows what his guilt will lead him to do… (Was that a hint? Hmmm I dunno! You'll have to wait to find out!) LOL! I can imagine how hard that was! Eh—Just be happy I go by Lexa here (See, my name is really long so my nicknames change with my mood) Most times I go with Alex… try rhyming something with THAT! Thanks for reviewing oh goddess of insert fics! (Hehe- now you don't have to send me anymore hate mail for the lack of updates)~
SparksdaNewsie- AHHH a spider!?!? GET IT!! Me? Evil? Never… (Haha that's why I own Hell… true story) Yeah, Question is a little disturbing… he's still a cutie… *sheepish* I haven't read your stuff yet, but I WILL! I promise!~
Cards- Lol, thanks for the review!~
Il Salto di Honor
"I'se worried about 'im. He don't eat, he don't sleep, an' he hardly tawks!" Mush whispered to a group of newsies.
They all turned to look at Blink, staring up at the ceiling with no expression on his face. Had he not been blinking every few seconds, they wouldn't have been able to tell if he was even alive.
"He's changed ever since the t'ing wit da kid," Snipeshooter pointed out.
"No shit, Snipes," Race threw a pillow at him.
"Well, what're we's gonna do about it?" Boots asked "If we don't do not'ing den he's gonna hoit himself!"
As if on cue, everyone turned to look at Jack, he always had the answers. "I'se guess da boy a'tually has a conscience," he shrugged. "I'se dunno if dere's anyt'in' we's can do. He may be too fah gone."
~~~
From his position on the top bunk, Blink could hear the hushed voices and see the others sneaking glances at him, even though he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. He wasn't stupid, he knew they were talking about him, and unless he was much mistaken, he was positive on what their conversation was about.
Him. How he had become such a burden lately; waking up half the lodging house in the middle of the night, his attitude, and the fact that Mush had to pay his fare since he'd quit selling a few days before.
The guilt had completely taken over him, consuming him more and more as each day went by. It had come to a point that he couldn't even take it anymore. Without saying a word- without even a glance at the others- he walked out the lodging house door.
He barely saw the city as he strode past at an unnaturally fast pace. He had a destination in mind- he had to go back to the place where it had all started.
~~~
Dusk was settling by the time Question made it to the lodging house. His leg was hurting something horrible, so he crouched down behind a corner where he could rest and watch who came in and went out without being seen himself.
He glared down at his leg, which was raw and throbbing from the rough wood rubbing over the recently healed skin. He hated Kid Blink for doing this to him, but soon he would have justice.
He remembered exactly what Ten Pin and the others had told him as they had lowered him out the window, "Always go for your enemy's weakness."
Guilt, he had thought as the boys fitted the rigged bars back into the window. Question wasn't stupid, he knew what a little bit of guilt could do to a person, and if Kid Blink had even the tiniest bit of a conscience, then he would be in complete agony.
The door swung open suddenly with a loud bang, startling Question out of his thoughts, and Blink rushed out. Question got to his feet as fast as he could with his wooden leg and rushed after the quickly disappearing Blink. It was hard, but he somehow managed to keep up with the older boy and remain unnoticed despite the loud clump his wooden leg made whenever it hit the ground.
Soon, the outline of the Brooklyn Bridge came into view and Question realized where Blink was leading them. Blink stopped in front of the gate and looked around nervously. He hadn't seen Question yet. Good, now he could surprise him. He reached into his pocket and felt for the knife Bull Dog had given him before he had left The Refuge; it was still there. Feeling much bigger than his actual size, he stepped out of the shadows and cleared his throat.
~~~
Blink hadn't known anyone else was there. The sudden noise in the still of the night shocked and scared him. He whipped around, eyes darting frantically to see who had broken the silence. His eyes finally found what they were looking for as they rested on the person he thought he'd never see again. The nightmare flashed before his eyes as he looked at Question. He shook with fear as the Question in his imagination's skin shriveled up…eyes fell out… went for him…
He scrambled back against the fence, which broke at the sudden impact. Without even noticing where he was going, he kept backing up, never taking his eyes off the young boy who followed him with a knife in his hand and a bright smile on his face which didn't quite reach his eyes. Every inch brought him closer and closer to the tower he had come to fear more than anything, until he bumped right up against it. Fear gripped him in its icy claw when he realized that he was trapped- cornered by a ghost who wanted revenge.
Slowly, Question lifted the knife. It gleamed in the faint light of the moon, reflecting in Question's eyes, making them look eerie and frightening.
"Climb Blink."
Blink was confused- the voice sounded just like the Question he had remembered. It wasn't the raspy voice from the skeleton in his dream. But then again, with the exception of the setting, this wasn't his dream at all. He bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. It hurt. This wasn't a dream.
"Didn't ya heah me, Blink? I'se said climb."
Blink nodded his head- better not to anger the ghost. Maybe he could still get out of this alive if he played his cards right. Rigid with fear, he pulled himself up on the ladder and painstakingly slowly, began to climb. He felt a sharp pain on the back of his ankle. Question had nicked him to show him he wasn't afraid to use the knife.
But why does a ghost have a knife? Better yet… how does a ghost have a knife?
The only logical explanation to that would be that Question was alive- that he wasn't a ghost. But that didn't make sense either. Blink had read the article; it had clearly said that Question had died.
The top came sooner than he expected. He pulled himself onto the platform and Question followed suit behind him, though Blink noted that he seemed to have trouble getting one leg up onto the platform.
"What're ya gonna do?" He practically whispered the words, which were now so familiar from his dream.
"I'se doin' what da boys in da Refuge tol' me ta do…" Question muttered, more to himself it seemed.
"Question, I, I'se sorry!" Blink cried, desperate for one more chance to save himself.
"Yeah, I'se shouah you'se so sorry. Dat's why ya left, right? You'se left me ta die ta save youah own ass. Ya ain't foolin' no one, Blink." Question spat bitterly.
"I know. An' I'se regret it moah den anyt'in' I'se evah done befoah. You'se didn't desoive ta die like dat… you'se too young and its awl my fault…"
"Whaddya mean, Blink? I ain't dead, I'se a crip, but I'se alive, no t'anks ta you." The malice in Question's voice went down a notch as he spoke.
Blink felt his inside twist painfully in guilt. He willed himself to shut up- the ghost obviously just wanted to throw him off track- but curiosity got the best of him. "I'se saw da article in Da Woild, Question. You'se died in da Refuge."
Question shook his head. "Dat wa'n't me."
"Well if ya ain't a ghost, den how are ya heah? And how do ya have two legs?"
"Da guys from da Refuge- dey actually have hearts. One carved me dis leg," Question pulled up his pant leg to show Blink the wood underneath. "Looks real undah pants, don't it? Den da uddahs broke me outta dere. Wanna know why?" Blink nodded slightly, still a little confused. "Cause I wa'n't supposed ta be in dere. I wa'n't supposed ta be left alone and knocked out, wit half a leg, foah da bulls ta collect. Everyt'in' dats happened ta me in da past few months is youah fault, Blink, and dey helped me realize dat. I was stupid befoah, I'se t'ought dat you'se left me foah my sake, but now da boys tol' me da truth- dat you'se a coward, Blink, an' dey helped me out cause dey want me ta get revenge on ya foah doin' dis ta me."
It took Blink a moment to register what Question was saying, and before he even fully understood what he was planning to do to him, Question had the knife back into clear view and was quickly advancing on Blink.
Despite Question's much smaller size, he had Blink terrified. The young boy had a scary gleam in his eye, one of determination, which told him that Question would stop at nothing to get back at Blink.
"Ya know what, Blink? I'se wish I had died dat night. Do ya know what it's like havin' a 'andicap like dis? Oh ya do, don't ya. Youah eye." He answered his own question. "Wha's wrong wit it, Blink? Lemme heah, I'se always like a good story."
"Not'ing," Kid Blink muttered, not taking his eye off the boy in front of him. He was still in shock of everything that had happened so far in only the past hour. Question was alive and walking. With his leg, he lost his little boy, naïve charm, leaving him as a cold hearted creature, capable of murder and overpowering Blink. The tables sure had turned.
Question laughed, a low hollow sound, much like Jack's had been when he'd found out what Blink had done. "You'se shy about it, ain't ya?" In a flash, he had whipped the knife up toward Blink's face. Blink flinched, but the knife had gone straight to the string holding the patch up, cutting it away and not even touching Blink's skin. What Question saw behind the patch made him stare in shock.
There was nothing wrong with Blink's eye.
"You'se really are a coward; a coward an' a liar. Even youah name is a lie." Question said, his voice filled with unmasked surprise. "I'se can't believe I'se evah looked up ta ya. It ain't gonna be hard at awl ta kill you'se now- if youah friends knew what I know, dey'd prolly want me ta do it too."
Was that true? Would Mush, Race, Skittery, and the others really hate him for lying? For cheating? Nah, of course not… but somehow he couldn't quite get himself to believe that.
Question was coming towards him again, knife in hand. "Let's see if whatevah got me will get you." he said in a harsh whisper. This was it; it would all be over soon…
No.
Screw his conscience, he would not die now; not like this. He tackled Question, taking him completely by surprise. Using his larger size, he easily pinned the younger boy and knocked the knife out of his hand, sending it spinning out of his reach.
Question stopped struggling beneath him. "You'se so gonna pay foah dat."
Had he not been in this situation, he would have laughed. In any case, now that the knife was gone, he dropped his guard. Question used the opportunity to scramble out from under Blink and stupidly went to push him over the edge, obviously not thinking about the size difference between them.
Even though Question was virtually harmless without the knife, Blink still moved out of the way of his little hands, sending Question off balance toward the edge of the platform. He teetered slightly before tipping over. Blink dove to the edge, grabbing Question's leg a second before it was too late.
"Don't drop me, Blink! Please, don't drop me!" Question wailed in a high pitched voice filled with utter fear and panic.
"I'se got ya," Blink said, pulling Question up. A ripping sound filled the air, as Question's wooden attachment was torn completely from his leg a moment before he reached the platform. His screams followed him all the way down to the water, until they were cut off suddenly with a loud splash.
This time, Blink didn't waste any time. With a dreadful feeling of deja-vu, he jumped off the platform. Hell if he'd let this happen twice.
He hit the water a few seconds later and searched for Question. The boy couldn't swim; he knew that. He'd be lucky if he was still alive even. Blink broke the surface of the water and looked around frantically.
"QUESTION! QUESTION! ANSWER ME! ARE YOU'SE DERE? CAN YA HEAH ME?"
All was silent- all he could hear was his own breaths, shaky with both fear and cold, and his heart beating a hole in his chest. He felt a huge wave of relief pass over his when he saw the bubbles; they were faint, but definitely there. His eyes had not deceived him.
He swam swiftly over to where he saw them and closed his hand around Question's lifeless arm. He held the small boy to his side by wrapping an arm around his waist and then used the other to swim.
The sudden pain cut through him quickly. It was worse than anything he'd ever felt before, he could hardly breathe, and the burning hot pain caused bright, white spots to dance in front of his eyes. Looking down through his obstructed vision, he saw a knife sticking out of his chest; a very familiar looking knife, Question's knife. He'd somehow gotten it back before falling.
The pain began to fade and Blink felt nothing. He couldn't move, couldn't think. The arm holding Question let go as everything started to spin… then everything Blink knew ceased to exist as everything went black.
Question had gotten his revenge
~~~
Stabbing Blink had probably been the stupidest thing he'd ever done. Question couldn't swim; Blink was going to save him. With Blink dead, Question was trapped in an endless body of water deeper than he could stand in. The harder he tried to swim toward the shore, the more he seemed to just flop around in the same place. He needed something, anything, to keep him above the surface. His head was bobbing under water now; he was getting tired and was choking on water. It was hopeless, he was going to drown.
"I'se sorry." He whispered to no one and everyone before he went under for the last time.
~~~
And it's done, but don't worry! It's not over, I'll be adding an epilogue within a few days (hopefully).
Please review and tell me what you think. Was this too rushed?
Seriously, I live for reviews, and since this is the second to last time for this story…
Come on; make my day, week, month, year… that's how much you guys mean to me.
Plus- In my profile, I have a link to a petition to get the Newsies on Broadway- please sign it! I KNOW you all want to see your favorite boys up on stage!