Disclaimer: I own none of the Newsies characters from The Disney movie of
"Newsies". I only hold the rights to my own original characters. I am not
and have no intention of making a profit off of this story.
---------------------------------------------*CHAPTER 2*-------------------- ---------------------------
The bed was hard, the sheets were thin, the pillows were flat, the boys were loud and the air smelled. I longed to lie in my featherbed in a warm apartment, but that wasn't going to happen. I snuffed out the stubby candle beside my bed and yawned. The breeze whistled through a large crack in the wall behind the head of my bunk. It blew down the back of my neck and I hugged the sheets closer to my body. Just as I had closed my eyes I heard the floor creak. I looked over my left shoulder towards the door. The door was open and in the dim light of the hallway stood an older man. He entered the room as quietly as possible and knelt down by a bed. I could hear his strained whisper.
"Blink, how many times do I hafta tell yous? No goils in da bordin' house! Dey tend to ...provoke... da odda boys..." he scolded. I could see the boy's chest heave in a sigh. He cupped his hand and whispered something into the man's ear and rolled over in his bed. "Fine...one more night...odda wise, yous gots ta teach her to carry da bannah. She can't live for free, ya know."
I shut my eyes tightly, realizing that he was right. There was only so long that I could survive without having to work. Without my father... I was simply another street rat... not even a dollar to my name.
Closing my eyes once more, I was inches away from no doubt a restless sleep when the floor under my bed shook. I sat up and looked into the bunk below me to faintly spy a gangly boy tangled up in his bed sheet, fast asleep on the ground. I carefully climbed down from my bed and knelt down next to the boy.
"Uhm...excuse me? Hey... wake up!" I shook him as hard as I could. Suddenly a fist flew towards my face. I ducked just in time. The boy sat up.
"Who is it?" He squinted, and I could tell that it was hard for him to make out my features in the dark. I searched blindly for the candle. I wrapped my fingers around what must have been the wick and immediately dropped it. The wax was still hot. I picked it up again and struck a match on the ground. The candle lit immediately and cast an odd shadow upon everything. The boy opened his eyes, then rubbed them and opened them even wider. "Whos is you?" he questioned loudly, obviously having no regard for the silence.
"My name is Margaret."
"No, I mean your newsie name."
"I-I'm afraid I don't have one of those." I said, puzzled.
"Mine is Skittery"
"Skittery..." I mimicked, deciding that it had a catchy sound to it.
"Yous is a rare one. Not too many newsies don't gots a newsie name."
"Oh, I'm not a newsie," I said looking down at the candle. It was almost completely burnt out, "I'm just here for a night."
"Really? Who brought ya?" I pointed over at the boy with the eye patch who, at the moment, was sleeping on his side so that he was facing us. His mouth was hanging wide open. Skittery laughed. "Blink. How you knows him?" he asked.
"Actually... I just met him tonight" Skittery looked at me with those same wide eyes and blinked again,
"One night...boy, yous must be easy!" I scowled at him slightly and he laughed. "I's is just kiddin' ya."
"I should hope so!" I said firmly. He hushed me and laughed under his breath. The light from the candle went out completely and we were thrown into the darkness.
"You seem pretty classy. How come yous is here?"
I hesitated slightly. "... I ran away from home." I whispered, not wanting to admit that I was alone. I looked down glumly at the dark floor.
"Hey... cheer up. None of us gots nobody either. Tell yous what... tomorrow, if yous want to... yous can sell papes wid me an some of my boys. I'll even help yous pick a name." He offered. I looked up, and in the moonlight I could see that he was smiling at me. I went to reply, but all that came out was a yawn, so instead, I nodded. "Get some sleep, We's is gettin' up early tomorrow." With that he helped me back up into my bunk, and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep.
A/N: I know I know... this chapter was a little bit shorter than the first one, but I'm just trying to get into the swing of things. I'm working on filling out the characters now... their likes, dislikes, ambitions and fears...those things. I usually do this when I act... I love this stuff. I would also like to say thank you to my first 2 reviewers, Southern Spell(the cake was deliscious) & Strawberry Bunny.
---------------------------------------------*CHAPTER 2*-------------------- ---------------------------
The bed was hard, the sheets were thin, the pillows were flat, the boys were loud and the air smelled. I longed to lie in my featherbed in a warm apartment, but that wasn't going to happen. I snuffed out the stubby candle beside my bed and yawned. The breeze whistled through a large crack in the wall behind the head of my bunk. It blew down the back of my neck and I hugged the sheets closer to my body. Just as I had closed my eyes I heard the floor creak. I looked over my left shoulder towards the door. The door was open and in the dim light of the hallway stood an older man. He entered the room as quietly as possible and knelt down by a bed. I could hear his strained whisper.
"Blink, how many times do I hafta tell yous? No goils in da bordin' house! Dey tend to ...provoke... da odda boys..." he scolded. I could see the boy's chest heave in a sigh. He cupped his hand and whispered something into the man's ear and rolled over in his bed. "Fine...one more night...odda wise, yous gots ta teach her to carry da bannah. She can't live for free, ya know."
I shut my eyes tightly, realizing that he was right. There was only so long that I could survive without having to work. Without my father... I was simply another street rat... not even a dollar to my name.
Closing my eyes once more, I was inches away from no doubt a restless sleep when the floor under my bed shook. I sat up and looked into the bunk below me to faintly spy a gangly boy tangled up in his bed sheet, fast asleep on the ground. I carefully climbed down from my bed and knelt down next to the boy.
"Uhm...excuse me? Hey... wake up!" I shook him as hard as I could. Suddenly a fist flew towards my face. I ducked just in time. The boy sat up.
"Who is it?" He squinted, and I could tell that it was hard for him to make out my features in the dark. I searched blindly for the candle. I wrapped my fingers around what must have been the wick and immediately dropped it. The wax was still hot. I picked it up again and struck a match on the ground. The candle lit immediately and cast an odd shadow upon everything. The boy opened his eyes, then rubbed them and opened them even wider. "Whos is you?" he questioned loudly, obviously having no regard for the silence.
"My name is Margaret."
"No, I mean your newsie name."
"I-I'm afraid I don't have one of those." I said, puzzled.
"Mine is Skittery"
"Skittery..." I mimicked, deciding that it had a catchy sound to it.
"Yous is a rare one. Not too many newsies don't gots a newsie name."
"Oh, I'm not a newsie," I said looking down at the candle. It was almost completely burnt out, "I'm just here for a night."
"Really? Who brought ya?" I pointed over at the boy with the eye patch who, at the moment, was sleeping on his side so that he was facing us. His mouth was hanging wide open. Skittery laughed. "Blink. How you knows him?" he asked.
"Actually... I just met him tonight" Skittery looked at me with those same wide eyes and blinked again,
"One night...boy, yous must be easy!" I scowled at him slightly and he laughed. "I's is just kiddin' ya."
"I should hope so!" I said firmly. He hushed me and laughed under his breath. The light from the candle went out completely and we were thrown into the darkness.
"You seem pretty classy. How come yous is here?"
I hesitated slightly. "... I ran away from home." I whispered, not wanting to admit that I was alone. I looked down glumly at the dark floor.
"Hey... cheer up. None of us gots nobody either. Tell yous what... tomorrow, if yous want to... yous can sell papes wid me an some of my boys. I'll even help yous pick a name." He offered. I looked up, and in the moonlight I could see that he was smiling at me. I went to reply, but all that came out was a yawn, so instead, I nodded. "Get some sleep, We's is gettin' up early tomorrow." With that he helped me back up into my bunk, and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep.
A/N: I know I know... this chapter was a little bit shorter than the first one, but I'm just trying to get into the swing of things. I'm working on filling out the characters now... their likes, dislikes, ambitions and fears...those things. I usually do this when I act... I love this stuff. I would also like to say thank you to my first 2 reviewers, Southern Spell(the cake was deliscious) & Strawberry Bunny.