Thanks for the reviews, everyone!!!
Raider – Thanks goilie! I loved Race in the last chappy too… particularly his "Stupidville" comment… Ah-heh! He cracketh me upeth.
Moon*Star – Wow! Thanks!! I love this story too. **Mondie huggles story** **Then Mondie realizes that's even worse than a self-plug, and stops** Hehe…
Maniac Conlon – Oh, I know you love Spot's hump… erm, I mean Spot THE CAMEL'S hump. Yeah. …Right. LOLOL! I love Race too… he's fun. Yes, Mario came from the video games I was playing while babysitting… *sigh* Quite sad. But I DO enjoy Smash Brothers Melee. Young Link is my fave character to play with… heh heh… I'll shuddup now so you can get to reading. I love Swifts too! So what'd ya think of the rest of the chappy since you had to go?
Court Jester – Hey t'anks! Yeah, Fluffy… hehe… I couldn't help myself. Hope your room isn't messy anymore! ((Just shove it all in the closet, that's what I do)) ~~Of course, I now can't find ANY of my clothes because they're all in the closet in a huge thigh-high (seriously) mess… but oh well!~~
Sobe A Lizard – Hey, it was coolie talking to you last night on ICQ! Wahoo! LOLOL. Thanks for the review! And yes, I heart Race…
kimimay85 – Heya hun! Thanks for ALL the reviews. You're splendiferous. Nope, Spot isn't six years younger than Mush and Blink… though that WOULD be interesting… Sorry I killed off three people in chappy 2… it had to happen… **Mondie nods decisively** I'm glad you shout at me with my initials now… it's like ACK but not… Haha so since you now call me AMK, does that mean I can call you KMM? Hehehe… Yeah… HAHAHA! Guess what? "I have to pee… I LOVE NEWSIES!" and "I'm a cowboy but you're a pansy!" AHAHAHAHA! We should have movie nights more often…
Pegasus – Yes, I loved chappy 3 as well! Thank you for the NIIIIIICE review! It made me feel loved. :D And *I* thought the Stupidville comment was funny, too. Guess we just have sense of humors like Mushy Darling…
Dizzy – Oh yes, Lucy's a little spoiled… she'll get worse, too… LOL Mush is too good to her. Yeah, Racetrack sounded like me when I'm hyper, as well… that's probably where I got it from, actually… LOLOL.
Holiday – THANKS! I don't know why you never read any of my stuff before! Read it all now! Bwahahaha j/j, it would take you about a year to sift through all my stories… And here's your wish… more "tomorrow", which is now today. And I've got the next chappy ready to go after that. :D
Megan – Yeah, slowly but surely, the Lodging House is filling up with characters that we know and love… this next chappy is them when they're 12… and more of the guys have come. I heart it. **Mondie huggles story again** Thanks for the nice review!!!!!
Growth - Chapter 4
Summer, 1895
"Shhh!"
"Quiet!"
"Would ya shuddap? I can't heah what dey's sayin'!"
"You shuddap!"
"SHHHHH!"
Seven boys, ranging in ages from eleven to sixteen, crowded on the fire escape. They were peering down towards the ground, hoping to catch a glimpse of their leader, Freckle, and his newest girl, Lavender. They weren't doing a good job on the listening part, however.
Mush, now twelve, elbowed Skittery, thirteen, by accident. "Ouch!" yelped Skittery.
"SHHHH!" six voices came back, in alarm.
Kid Blink, also twelve, had the best view. He'd climbed over the railing and hung on with one hand, his feet on the edge, and he crouched, looking down from the outside of the fire escape. Directly above him, in the second-best spot, was Six Strings, the oldest one present at sixteen. Fifteen-year olds Rudolph and Scales were there as well. The youngest (and therefore pushed to the back) was Racetrack, eleven.
"LET ME SEE!"
The loud screech made all seven boys sigh in disappointment. They all went to head inside as Lavender and Freckle, down on the ground, looked up in confusion.
"T'anks a lot, kid," Race said, pushing his way in first. Mush was the last to get in. He smiled at the little screamer.
"It's okay, Lucy," he said lightly, hugging her to him. Her lower lip had been trembling, as if she were about to cry (she hated it when Race yelled at her), but at the words her face brightened. She slid her little hand into his bigger one and walked further into the room with him.
A moment later, Freckle was up in the room. "All right, who was spyin' on me?" he asked, raising one of his eyebrows. It was almost comical looking. His pale face was flushed, and the red matched his freckles. All the newsies remained blank-faced, staring at him. He looked hard at Racetrack, but Race had such a good poker face, it was impossible to tell whether or not he had been in on it. I could've sworn I heard his voice, though… Freckle thought to himself. He narrowed his bright green eyes. "A'right, if you'se ain' gonna talk, inta bed!" he cried.
He was met with groans. No one wanted to sleep yet. He headed into the washroom. "A'right, I'll give ya's fifteen more minutes. Then bed!" he shouted over his shoulder, not wanting to seem like too much of a pushover. Then he smirked as he bent over a sink, washing his face. He had done the same thing to Trickster when he'd been younger.
Six Strings picked up his guitar. It was his pride and joy, the only thing he ever took everywhere with him. He only knew three regular songs, and then he had one that he made up himself, except it didn't have any words. He began playing the latter.
Lucy smiled. She liked it when Six Strings played that song, because Mush would make up the words as the song went along, and sing to her. Sure enough, Mush walked over to Six Strings' bunk and sat down next to the boy. Lucy ran over and scrambled up into his lap, then leaned against him. His body was comforting and familiar to her.
Six Strings was bent over the instrument, his longish straw-colored hair falling into his eyes. His brown eyes looked over at Mush and then he nodded, and started the song over again.
Slowly rocking Lucy back and forth, Mush began to sing quietly to her:
Keep your chin up little one, it will be all right
Look forward to the daytime, don't concern yourself with night
Your life will be splendid, filled with lemon drops and flowers
It may take some time, but you will find your unique powers
Be sure to watch for lions in your safe meadow of sheep
Even if you're alone, dance!, don't just walk through the street
Choose your best friends wisely, and hold them to your heart
When given a choice, don't choose end, rather, start
Spend your money happily, but save enough to live off
Don't stomp in circles loud, don't speak your opinions soft
Cry, for wildly crying will cleanse your heart and being
Seeing may be believing, but believing isn't always seeing
Live your life, but be safe, and you always must remember
If you are in doubt, I will always watch you as you slumber
Your happiness means more to me than my own life and might
So keep your chin up, little one, it will be all right.
By the end of the song, activity had dwindled down in the room, and everyone was listening, smiles on their faces. Lucy was fast asleep in Mush's arms. He kissed her forehead softly, then carried her down the stairs to her room next to Kloppman's. Then he returned upstairs.
Freckle came out of the washroom finally, and ordered everyone to their beds. All a little drowsy by now, they happily complied. Freckle went around, blowing out the candles on the nightstands. As soon as the last one was blown out, Mush's voice rose into the darkness.
"Deah God, t'ank ya for ta-day. It was a great sellin' day fer all a' us. Please keep Cowboy safe in da Refuge. I cain't believe 'e's alrea'y back in dere, it seems like jus' yestah-day 'e broke out. Oh wait, it WAS yestah-day." There were a few random chuckles. Mush continued, "Specs likes a new goil, so let's hope dat goes somewhere." Specs called out in protest, but he was quickly shushed. "An' Snodds an' Pie, well, dey're oveh in da Bowery dis week, let 'em be safe, though I really don' t'ink I need ta say dat. Uh, Race… well, 'e almost won a bet ta-day, so jus' a liddle moah help ta him, please? 'E is gettin' closeh ta winnin', an' if dat ain't a miracle, den I don' know what one is. Chocolate got ta go visit 'is muddah ta-day, an' 'e says she's gettin' bettah, so t'anks a whole bunch fer dat. Please keep Tricksteh, Spunky, Cali, Terrain, Tweedle, Tree, an' Chesteh safe up dere in Heaven. I miss dem all a bunch. Please bless Swifty, an' Six Strings, an' Scales, an' Chahlie, an' Skitts, an' Boots, an' Dafty, an' Rudy, an' Monsteh, an' Dutchy, an' Bumlets an' Crutchy an' Snipes. Oh, an' t'anks dat Freckle got ta go on dat hot date ta-night wit' Lavendeh. An' t'anks dat 'e'll neveh catch da se'en a' us dat was out dere spyin' on 'im—dat se'en would be me, Kid, Scales, Six Strings, Skitts, Rudy, an' Race, by da way—" Mush grinned as he said the names slowly and clearly. Freckle laughed along with everyone else in the bunkroom. "Please bless Lucy, Lord. She's gettin' so cute. An' she's so smaht, too. Let 'er get smahteh an' cuteh an' let 'er always be happy wit' 'er life. An', as always, keep me bes' frien' in da woild, Kid Blink, safe too. In Jesus' name, Amen."
"A-men," said all the other newsies.
"Deah God, bless Mush. Amen," Freckle called out.
"A-men." Then the usual squeaking of the metal springs occurred as the boys situated themselves for sleep. It came quickly that night to all of them.
All of them, that is, but Mush. His brows came together as he lay, with his hands behind his head, his face twisted into a thinking look. He still wished that Trickster, Terrain, California, Spunky, Tree, Chester, and Tweedle were around to see him now. They'd all died for such pointless reasons, too.
He remembered vividly one day the year before, when five-year old Lucy had sat on his knee one day at Tibby's. "Mushy," she'd said, looking up into his eyes with her big blues, "Wha' is you gonna be afteh a newsie?"
Mush hadn't given that thought the time of day before; it'd never even crossed his mind. "Whaddya mean?" he'd asked, looking at her closely.
"When you'se done bein' a newsie. Wha's gonna be yer job den?"
Newsies didn't usually stay newsies past seventeen, sometimes eighteen. But it was practically unheard of, their futures. Nobody thought like that. The point was to get from day to day. If you lived to be eighteen and get out of the newsies' job, you were considered lucky.
But the thought returned to him almost nightly now. He was only twelve, so he had a good five, six years in before he was too old to be a newsie. But what then? What could he do? He'd heard some schoolboys the other day chattering as they walked home from their school, about what they wanted to do with their lives. Ten-year old boys knew better than he did. One wanted to work for the government, one for the state, one wanted to be a reporter, and one… one had aspirations to be the president. The President! Of the United States! That blew Mush away. To be able to dream like that…
But he wasn't foolish enough to do so. He probably wouldn't live old enough to be a president.
He shoved the thought back to the depths of his mind and settled on thinking about happy things, to get to sleep. He imagined Vaudeville shows, and moving-pictures, and popcorn. Then he imagined Lucy's face, lighting up whenever she saw him. That was the key.
Nothing like adoration to get a fella to sleep… he thought to himself as he drifted off.
He was awoken soon after, as were all the boys in the room, by loud clattering steps on the stairs. Freckle hurriedly lit his candle, and walked over to the two intruders who had burst into the room. The light flickered and showed that it was only Snoddy and Pie Eater.
"Why're ya fellas back so soon?" asked Mush, walking over too.
The boys looked shaken. "'E's dead," Snoddy finally said. "Challenge is dead. Da Holy-Mary-Muddah-a-Jesus leadah a' Brooklyn is dead!"
A/N: The song that Mush sings to Lucy is part of a poem that I wrote earlier this summer in my poetry-writing phase… actually it's for my little cousin, Hallie… I just changed some stuff to make it more for Lucy. :) And yes, I realize that Snodds and Pie Eater weren't in Brooklyn… it gets explained the next chapter. I should know, I wrote it last night. Bwahahaha, you guys are gonna KILL me for Chapter 5… especially Kimi…