Shoutouts…
littlewitch1899 ~ Thanks! I agree, little newsies are my fave thing to write about. I tend to write about them a lot. LOL! Thanks so much for the review.
Moon*Star ~ You obviously don't know me and my stories! LOL if I ever killed Mushy Darling, I would never forgive myself!!! **Mondie huggles Mushy** Don't worry, he's pretty much immune in all my stories. Thank you for all the reviews!!!!
Megan ~ Yuppers, here comes Spotness. Not very nice Spot… I think I need to next write a NICE Spot fic… anyhow. I'm not really sure if the prayer is gonna be a big part yet or not, I just thought it was cute in the beginning and then I wanted to continue it… LOL I never know where my fanfics are going…
Dizzy ~ Thanks!! I know, I love Mush's nightly prayer too… dang, he's so cute… haha I love how I write him in stories. He's always perfect. LOLOL!
Court Jester ~ I'll never tell whether or not Lucy's gonna die! Well, Kimi knows, but she knows where the entire story's going… LOL. Thanks for updating RENT! Wahooness!
Sobe A Lizard ~ Spot's mean… very mean… in this story. :/ Whoops. Sorry, Spot.
Maniac Conlon ~ "I crack myself up… of course, not with drugs…" HAHAHAHA! Timby, you're insane! Awesome! I usually make Racetrack 15 at the time of the movie… **Mondie shrugs** I generally go by the age of the actor, except Mush, cuz I make him 16 and Aaron was 15. But since Max was 25, I'm not making Race in his twenties… Yeah, Lucy's a little spoiled… Do you really want Trickster's profile? And about Spot… you'll find out in about five seconds. LOL!
Raider ~ Entire continent of Europe? Lucky you! LOLOL. Yes, Mushy Darling's gonna be an awesome daddy some day… he's so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!
kimimay85 ~ I'm glad you know the inside scoop too. LOL but that's like all we talk about on the phone are our stories, so haha! Of course you know! Yay, I have to get ready for going to lunch with you and Curt in half an hour!!!
Pegasus ~ Erm… one more death in this chappy… **Mondie ducks flying tomatoes** Sorry! Thanks for all your reviews, hun!
Blinks-Tiger ~ Thanks dear! And wahoo for notes on FOD! :D Here's more now!
Gypsy ~ WOW! Thanks for catching up on the story. Sorry you couldn't get to sleep! Kimi keeps trying to get me to update Untouchables too… haha she keeps bugging me about it on the phone and ICQ ((Right, Kimi?? LOL)). And I'm glad you like how long the chappies are… I just write til … I stop. Hahahahahahahaha! There's a good quote for ya!
rumor ~ I don't mind the questions, they're not stupid!!! What'd ya think of chappies 3 and 4?
Holiday ~ Thank you so much! Yeah… there's another death in this chapter… just to warn ya… Thanks for all the great reviews!
Growth – Chapter 5
"Dead?" repeated Mush.
"Challenge is dead?" Freckle said, and the room became lighter as more and more candles were lit. Everyone knew there would be no sleep that night, at least not for a long time. "How'd it happen?" he demanded.
Snoddy still looked ghostly pale, so he quickly sat down and let Pie Eater do the explaining. "We was jus' hangin' out in da Bowery like we had planned fer so long, ya know? An' den dis kid, 'is name is Ransom, an 'e's dis runnah between da Bowery an' Brooklyn, like how Chahlie heah is between heah an' Queens, ya know?" Charlie smiled, throwing back his head so that his green-gray eyes were no longer hidden behind his curtain of pale, almost-white hair. Pie Eater continued, "Anyhow, Ransom comes a'runnin' in, an' says dat dere's trouble in Brooklyn. Some kid is causin' a heck a' a lot a' damage."
"Spot Conlon," everyone in the bunkroom said knowledgeably. They'd all come into contact with the loud-mouthed, hard-to-impress and harder-to-beat Spot Conlon at some point.
"Spot Conlon," agreed Pie Eater. "So Clippeh—you all remember Clippeh, 'e's da leadah a' da Bowery—anyway, Clippeh goes ta Brooklyn ta see wha' 'e can do ta' help, righ'? 'E came back wit' da news dat Challenge is dead. Apparen'ly Spot got tageddah wit' Pirate from Harlem an' dey came up wit' dis plan."
"Pirate killed Challenge?" Chocolate asked quietly. Boots, who looked up to Chocolate to the point of idolatry, gulped as he saw the sadness in his hero's eyes.
"Pirate AN' Spot Conlon," Pie Eater corrected. "Both a' 'em."
Rudolph, whose face was even more flushed than usual when he stood (he had allergies, and he had gotten his name for his red nose), glared around. He had been exceptionally close to Challenge for reasons no one really understood. "We'se gotsta soak 'em," he said.
"Dat's da t'ing. We can't." Snoddy finally spoke up, looking around at his friends. "You know Brooklyn. If one a' deir leadahs is killed, dey figger it's jus' cuz he was too weak. Dey've alrea'y accepted Spot as deir leadah."
Monster, who had been given his name for good reason, stood up from his bunk suddenly. He cracked his knuckles, and his handsome face twisted into a grimace. He had olive skin, black hair, and dark eyes, which now flashed dangerously. He was bigger than any Brooklyn newsie, which was saying something. "Well, le's go teach 'im a lesson, den," he said menacingly. "Spot Conlon ain't but nine yeahs old. 'E can't run Brooklyn all by hisself."
"Which is why 'e's signed a treaty bringin' Harlem an' Brooklyn tageddah ta protect each uddah," Pie Eater said.
Freckle suddenly seemed to realize the hour. "Everyone, back into bed," he barked. "Da youngah kids, you'se is gonna sell ta-morra like ya usually do, ya heah me? All kids oveh fouhteen yeahs, you'se gonna come wit' me ta Brooklyn ta talk ta dis Spot Conlon."
Everyone, talking in hushed tones, got back into bed, with the exception of Charlie. His white-blond hair shimmered in the candlelight as he stood alone in the middle of the bunkroom. "Freckle?" he asked quietly, staring at the leader. "Can I run ta Queens? I'se wantsa see wha's goin' on wit' dem…"
Freckle sighed. "Can't it wait til ta-morra, Chahlie?" he asked.
Charlie shook his head. "I'se gotsta go now, Frecks."
"Okay, den. But be careful on da streets. It's dangah-ous at night." Charlie nodded and rushed out the door. No one was really surprised—he was originally from Queens, and that's where his loyalties truly laid. If there was going to be a huge upset in the newsies world and somehow Queens and Manhattan ended up on rival sides, it would be much more difficult for Charlie to get to Queens. He was safer going now.
The candles were blown out for a second time that evening. After a moment, Mush's voice said quietly, "Deah God, please let Chahlie get ta Queens safely. Please keep Challenge safe up dere in Heaven. An' please help Brooklyn. A-men." Everyone repeated the amen.
This time, Mush wasn't the only one who couldn't fall asleep. The night was filled with coughs and sighs of discontented boys.
The next day, the streets seemed unusually empty. Freckle had spread the word to the newsies who slept on the streets instead of the Lodging House, and they too had gone to Brooklyn. Those who had left from the Lodging House were Six Strings, Freckle, Scales, Chocolate, Dafty, Rudolph, and Monster.
Mush and Kid Blink, with Lucy's help, sold their papers easily without the older competition, and then meandered through the city. They talked about everything except Brooklyn. Lucy didn't understand what the big deal was, and Mush wanted to keep it that way.
"'Ey, who's dat oveh dere, talkin' wit' Otteh?" asked Kid Blink, pointing across the street. Otter was a girl newsie. She was pretty, but Kid Blink had laid claim on her the first day he'd seen her, so Mush couldn't do anything to get her. And anyway, the girl she was chattering with caught Mush's fancy much more acutely, anyway.
She had blonde hair which bounced up in curls at the ends, and as Mush cut across the street and closer to the girls (with Blink and Lucy close behind him), he saw that her eyes were such a light green, they looked yellow.
She was captivating.
She had a few blemishes on her face, and she wasn't the thinnest girl Mush had ever seen, but he was pretty damn sure he'd never seen a more beautiful girl in all his life. "Heya, Otteh," he said, sidling over. "Who's dis?"
Otter smiled at Mush. Even though Kid Blink had a crush on her, she had a crush on Mush. Her blue eyes lost a little shimmer as they noticed the way he was staring at her companion. "Dis is a new newsie," she said, stating the obvious. "'Er real name is Monica, but we's can't t'ink a' a newsie name fer 'er. We was gonna call 'er Goldie, but we call Goldielocks dat sometimes."
"I know what ta call 'er," Mush said, taking the blonde girl's hand and kissing the back of it. He'd once seen a gentleman in the street do it and it had seemed classy. "'Er name is Seraphim."
Seraphim giggled, patting her blonde curls with her free hand. Otter scowled, but Mush didn't notice.
"Wouldja like ta walk wit' me?" he asked Seraphim sweetly, still holding her hand.
"I'd love ta," she answered. Her voice was a bit nasal, but he figured it was manageable.
Lucy watched the pair walk off, and her eyes glared at their retreating backs. Just like she'd been at three, she was incredibly possessive of Mush.
"Heya, Otteh," Kid Blink said, smiling at the girl left behind.
"Oh, don' talk ta me, Blink!" she burst out, and turned and stomped away. Kid Blink sighed.
"I'll win 'er oveh some day, Luce," he said. Lucy pouted. "C'mon, le's go get lunch," he suggested. Lucy only brightened slightly, but she reached for Blink's hand and they walked to Tibby's.
After lunch, Blink convinced Specs to take Lucy for the rest of the afternoon. He decided to walk around a bit by himself, something he hadn't been able to do in a long while. He stretched his long legs out—he was just beginning a growth spurt—and smiled as a mid-summer breeze ruffled his hair.
He suddenly caught sight of Otter ahead of him, her brown hair wafting in the breeze. He picked up his pace, deciding to follow her. He noted subconsciously that they were headed in the direction of Queens. He lazily wondered whether or not Charlie had made it last night.
Otter turned around, and Blink panicked. He knew that she wouldn't be flattered that he was following her. He ducked into the nearest alley to hide from her.
"'Ey, what're ya doin'?" he asked, noticing a group of about five street urchins gathered around something in the middle of the alley. They were all much younger than him, and took off running as he advanced towards them. Suddenly, he realized the worst, and his knees buckled under him as he stared with horror at the sight that answered his wondering mind from earlier.
"Oh, GAWD!" he said, and vomited. Lying in the middle of the alley, his white-blond hair sticking up in every direction, was Charlie. Or some form of Charlie. The hair was about the only identifying part of him left. Kid Blink realized that the street rats had been going through his pockets, searching for any money.
"Oh, GAWD!" he screamed again, trying to turn his head away from the sight. Charlie's beautiful green-gray eyes were pooled with red blood, and the crimson substance had dried, caked on his face, his chest, his legs… so much blood…
"Blink? Wha's wrong?"
Too late, he realized his scream had alerted Otter. She was stepping cautiously towards him, further into the alley.
"No! No! Get outta heah!" he shouted, not wanting her to see the gruesome sight. He only wished someone could have done the same for him.
It was too late. She let out a shriek as she caught sight of the seventeen-year old boy, who'd only wanted to get home to Queens. Then she collapsed into Kid Blink's arms, which were trembling just as much as she was.
When they finally turned for home, both drained and weak, there was only one thought that crossed Kid Blink's mind: Thank God Lucy wasn't with me. He'd never been so grateful for such a thought in his life.
They entered the Lodging House. The girls had their own lodging house, but would come over in the evenings to the boys' to socialize. Mush, sitting with Seraphim in his lap, smiled at Kid Blink when he saw him come in the door with Otter.
"So ya fin'ly hooked Otteh, huh?" he shouted out.
Otter looked at Mush blankly, as if she didn't see him, and hugged Kid Blink tighter. Mush noticed that Blink had the same vague, unseeing look in his eyes, too.
"Kid? Wha's wrong?" he tried again.
Kid Blink looked at him, then at Lucy, who was sitting firmly at Mush's side, glaring at Seraphim. He shook his head once, then muttered, "Latah." Then he pulled Otter away to a far corner of the room, where they both collapsed, drained, clutching onto each other. Mush shrugged and joined back into the game of poker.
A/N: Don't kill me… but please review! LOLOL. I'm sorry about Charlie… really… I don't know how it happened… **Mondie shrugs** Ah well… as I've told some of you, we're almost to the strike and then the story takes a turn and there'll soon be another direction, away from murders… hopefully…