Katrina lay in bed, she felt numb all over. She could hear the boys
coming in. Right now they were probably finding out about Jack. She didn't
want to have to talk with them. Jack's lifeless face burned in her mind.
She could feel his lips, cold and tainted blue, on her finger tips.
Shuddering she heard the boys heading up the stairs she rolled over and
pulled the blankets over her head.
She heard the somber tones around her. There was some crying even. Again she saw Jacks body. She mentally kicked herself, and tried to banish those thoughts from her mind. She let out muffled moan into the pillow and prayed for sleep to come to her.
She was back at the gray. How quaint this was becoming a repetitive dream. She waited expectantly for the voice.
"Well, hello. So nice to have you back."
"I bet!"
"I see you found Jack. Poor, poor you, this must be branded upon you're brain. Finding Jack Kelly, the leader of the Manhattan newsies, dead by his own hand how dreadful."
"Why did you do it?"
"I am not a murder, he killed himself."
"You made him."
"Don't be so hasty, this is you're nightmare after all. If we're going to point fingers, I believe it was you who made him."
"You brought me here!"
"This is you're mind is it not?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm you."
"What? You can't be me I would never do this to myself."
"And yet here you are."
"Take me back."
"I can't do that at the moment."
"Why."
"That is none of your concern."
"It damn well it my concern."
"Touchy aren't we? Hmm iney minie miney moe which newsie is next to go?" The voice let out an evil chuckle, "I think you should go now Miss Madden. I will look forward to seeing you again."
Katrina eyes flew open. She felt a moist object against her mouth and tried to scream again. "Stop screaming, you're going to wake up the whole building. They need to sleep," Sprite's voice cut through the air. Katrina swung he legs off the side of the bed, "Why are you up?"
"You, I heard you." Katrina nodded, "Oh." She stood up and looked around at all the sleeping boys. She saw Blink twitch, and Racetrack had a pained expression on his face. She looked away and heard the voice echoing in her mind, "You made him." She pushed past Sprite and ran out of the lodging house. She ran to newsie square and central park. She sat down for a moment in the park, but thoughts of Jack flooded her mind. There was no place she could go in New York where she wouldn't think of his body, or Spot's death. She let out a scream of frustration. She walked back to the lodging house and climbed the staircase onto the roof. It was newsies right? She was supposed to go on the roof. She lay on her back staring at nothing. There were no stars, just the black of night. She began to hum to herself, "I never thought, I'd die alone, I laughed the loudest who'dve known? I traced the cord back to the wall. No wonder it was never plugged in at all. I took my time, I hurried up. The choice was mine I didn't think enough. I'm too depressed to go on, you'll be sorry when I'm gone." She knew she sounded bad, her voiced continued to crack because she was crying throughout the whole song. She curled up into a little ball and continued to hum to herself.
It was noon when she awoke, coming back to the world of the living. She gave off a bitter laugh at the thought. In her mind the voice came back to her, "Enie minee miney moe, which newsie is next to go." She scrambled down the stairs and ran to the D.O. Seeing Sprite waiting in line she ran up to her, "Is anyone dead?"
"What?"
"The other newsies no one is dead right?" Sprite shook her head not understand where Slider was going with this. "There's going to be a funeral for Jack tomorrow. I think you should come."
"I dunno, I didn't really know him that well." Katrina didn't want to see Jack. "That doesn't matter, you're a newsie, and you should be there."
"I found him, do you know what that's like. He was just t-there and," Katrina chocked on her words. "It was you?" Nodding she stared at Sprite, "Who did you think it was?" Sprite shrugged, "I assumed it was Kloppman, do you want me to stay with you?" Katrina shook her head, "No, you go ahead." Sprite nodded and went to buy her papes.
She heard the somber tones around her. There was some crying even. Again she saw Jacks body. She mentally kicked herself, and tried to banish those thoughts from her mind. She let out muffled moan into the pillow and prayed for sleep to come to her.
She was back at the gray. How quaint this was becoming a repetitive dream. She waited expectantly for the voice.
"Well, hello. So nice to have you back."
"I bet!"
"I see you found Jack. Poor, poor you, this must be branded upon you're brain. Finding Jack Kelly, the leader of the Manhattan newsies, dead by his own hand how dreadful."
"Why did you do it?"
"I am not a murder, he killed himself."
"You made him."
"Don't be so hasty, this is you're nightmare after all. If we're going to point fingers, I believe it was you who made him."
"You brought me here!"
"This is you're mind is it not?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm you."
"What? You can't be me I would never do this to myself."
"And yet here you are."
"Take me back."
"I can't do that at the moment."
"Why."
"That is none of your concern."
"It damn well it my concern."
"Touchy aren't we? Hmm iney minie miney moe which newsie is next to go?" The voice let out an evil chuckle, "I think you should go now Miss Madden. I will look forward to seeing you again."
Katrina eyes flew open. She felt a moist object against her mouth and tried to scream again. "Stop screaming, you're going to wake up the whole building. They need to sleep," Sprite's voice cut through the air. Katrina swung he legs off the side of the bed, "Why are you up?"
"You, I heard you." Katrina nodded, "Oh." She stood up and looked around at all the sleeping boys. She saw Blink twitch, and Racetrack had a pained expression on his face. She looked away and heard the voice echoing in her mind, "You made him." She pushed past Sprite and ran out of the lodging house. She ran to newsie square and central park. She sat down for a moment in the park, but thoughts of Jack flooded her mind. There was no place she could go in New York where she wouldn't think of his body, or Spot's death. She let out a scream of frustration. She walked back to the lodging house and climbed the staircase onto the roof. It was newsies right? She was supposed to go on the roof. She lay on her back staring at nothing. There were no stars, just the black of night. She began to hum to herself, "I never thought, I'd die alone, I laughed the loudest who'dve known? I traced the cord back to the wall. No wonder it was never plugged in at all. I took my time, I hurried up. The choice was mine I didn't think enough. I'm too depressed to go on, you'll be sorry when I'm gone." She knew she sounded bad, her voiced continued to crack because she was crying throughout the whole song. She curled up into a little ball and continued to hum to herself.
It was noon when she awoke, coming back to the world of the living. She gave off a bitter laugh at the thought. In her mind the voice came back to her, "Enie minee miney moe, which newsie is next to go." She scrambled down the stairs and ran to the D.O. Seeing Sprite waiting in line she ran up to her, "Is anyone dead?"
"What?"
"The other newsies no one is dead right?" Sprite shook her head not understand where Slider was going with this. "There's going to be a funeral for Jack tomorrow. I think you should come."
"I dunno, I didn't really know him that well." Katrina didn't want to see Jack. "That doesn't matter, you're a newsie, and you should be there."
"I found him, do you know what that's like. He was just t-there and," Katrina chocked on her words. "It was you?" Nodding she stared at Sprite, "Who did you think it was?" Sprite shrugged, "I assumed it was Kloppman, do you want me to stay with you?" Katrina shook her head, "No, you go ahead." Sprite nodded and went to buy her papes.