Chapter 5

Dragonfly woke up to the sound of snoring and hurriedly got up pulling on her olive pants and white shirt, she didn't bother with her green vest this morning. She wanted to see if yesterday had only been a dream. She was a little dizzy but pushed it off as skipping dinner last night. Just as she reached the door a hand reached out and grabbed the handle preventing her from opening the door. Dragonfly spun around to attack who ever it was that was keeping her trapped. She saw it was Hades looking none to pleased to be out of bed before she had to.

"You can't go see him Dragonfly, he needs his sleep and Poison has to see him before anyone else is allowed to. He didn't come in till late last night with Silk, he'll be fine, he just needs rest for right now."

Dragonfly shook her head no, it couldn't be possible. Last night * couldn't * have happened…then it all came rushing back to her.

She had woken up later that night hearing voices shouting downstairs and had wandered downstairs unsure of what was going on. She had come upon the common room divided. One side was saying they should throw Race out and the other side was saying no that they protect their own. Poison stood between the two rubbing her face tiredly making motions for them to be quiet. Suddenly out of nowhere Poison yelled,

"Hush already! You blockheads! You ain't gonna get anything figured out if yous keep yelling at each other," it seemed as though she was glaring specifically at Jack and Spot who had the decency to at least look slightly ashamed. Then Spot had glanced towards the stairs and seen her, he seemed to freeze as if unsure of what to do or say. Poison had looked at him quizzically and followed his gaze to the stairs and seen her standing there. Then Poison turned and looked at the newsies crowded into the common room and said,

"Keep it down," then she turned around and took Dragonfly to Kloppy's office. Then she had explained what was wrong with Race as if he was just some creature that was suffering and needed to be put out of its misery

Dragonfly put her head against the door as the memories ceased. She didn't want them to be true…but they had to be true. It wasn't fair, Race couldn't possibly be a…

~*~

Poison sighed and rubbed her eyes getting rid of the sleep that clouded her mind and eyes. She cracked her neck like every morning and went to climb down from her top bunk and fell.

"Oof" She said as she hit the floor, the ladder wasn't where it should have been. She looked around more awake. Idiot, you're in Manhattan, not Brooklyn. She got up and saw no one else was in the room. She shook her head, last night had not been good, people had fought into the early morning.

Poison pulled on her black pants and gray shirt from yesterday sighing. It smelled of chemicals and probably would until she washed it. She ran her fingers through her chin length blonde hair before jamming her black news cap onto her head. She walked down the stairs to the guy's bunkroom's and went to Racetrack's door. She knocked and waited.

"Who is it?" a voice asked suspiciously.

"It's Poison."

Silk opened the door and looked at Poison with speculation. Poison sighed and pushed her way into the room. She saw Race was up this morning, he still wasn't looking wonderful, but Poison suspected it had to do with the fact that the entire newsie population of the area now knew about his drug dependency.

"How's it rollin' Race, still queasy?" Poison asked as if she were asking a friend how their day was. Race made an incoherent noise and flopped back onto the bed.

"Uh-uh, you're getting' up," Poison said gripping him by his wrist and pulling him up again. She looked over at Silk who still didn't look like she wanted anyone near Race or her for that matter.

"Silk, can yous leave us alone for a little bit?"

Silk looked as if she was going to say something when Race interuppted her,

"Go on, I'll be fine, I've known Poison 'ere for awhile."

Silk nodded and went out the door closing it behind her. Poison smiled a little.

"Bet you she's sitting right outside the door,"

"I ain't takin' that bet, I * know * she's right outside the door. She prolly wants to see me torn apart by the newsies."

"You almost * did * get torn apart by the newsies. Let's just say they aren't thrilled with you," Poison said settling down on a chair in the room watching Race.

"So how are you this morning?"

"Feeling like I was the track for da racehorses ta race on."

Poison smirked, only Race would find a way to incorporate racing into how he felt. Race was looking through a can next to his bed as if he was looking for something.

"If you're looking for your cigar yous won't find it. Everything was taken out," Poison said calmly. Race looked up at her a little desperately.

"Everythin'?"

"Everything," Poison confirmed, "they don't know how long you've been clean. Ghosts can come anytime from a month to a year after they've been clean and will come back. I'm assuming that's what they are…unless you're not telling me some other info," Poison said raising her eyebrow in a silent question. She had heard the account from Silk, but she was sure Race would add in some things that Silk hadn't mentioned in her dislike of people in general.

Race sighed and made as if to lay back on his bed and caught himself. He didn't want to be pulled out of his bunk and onto the floor as he was sure Poison would do if he didn't stay sitting up. He decided to stand up. He stood up and swayed a little, Poison got up in case he decided to do a nose dive.

"Partly my fault on the dizziness, Dragonfly's probably dizzy this morning too, it's a side effect of a lot of things, but that's off topic, how long."

Race leaned against the bunk and began, "I got started on racing because of me addiction. It started when I got sick, really sick, me mum was given cocaine to supposedly cure me, I gots betta…but I was hooked on da stuff. In order ta pay for it I started bettin' at da races. My da disapproved of bettin' so he kicked me out," Race paused and shrugged slightly, he seemed like he wasn't actually in the room, like he was far away remembering, Poison sat patiently waiting for him to continue,

"I met Silk one day comin' home from the races, I liked her…eventually I asked her ta be my girl, she said yes…things were good till she caught me smoking, she thought it was just a normal cigar, but the effects were different…she made me stop, she'd cut open me cigars just ta check. I got clean…and she left, I hurt her, I was stupid…" Race looked up and met Poison's eyes coming back to the real world for the first time since he began the story, "I'm clean though, I have been for 3 months."

Poison nodded but wasn't sure she believed him. She wanted too, he was one of her friends but…ghosts didn't usually come till about a year later.

"I'll leave you to get some more rest," she said getting up. She decided to get Jack and Spot to discuss what to do about Race.

She opened the door and as predicted Silk was standing there scowling at the door,


"You can keep him company now, if ya want, just don't let him outta the lodging house."

Silk glared at Poison on her way by shoving her slightly. Poison grinned, it was fair, Silk had been pushed when Poison came in, now it was her turn to get pushed.

~*~

Poison was tired and irritated, where the hell was Spot? He hadn't been at his normal selling spots or the distribution center. The docks! Of, course, he goes there whenever he's got problems to think about. Now that Poison had a destination in mind she hurried through the streets of Brooklyn towards the docks. When she reached them she discovered she was right. Spot was sitting in his crow's nest made of crates looking morosely over the water.

"Spot!" she called a little ways away. When he looked over and saw her he hopped down and walked towards her.

"Jack, you, and me are going to have a meeting."

"By who's orders?" Spot asked.

"Mine, your highness," Poison said irritated. Spot catching her mood let the comment lie, he didn't feel like gaining anymore bruises…or ending up in the river.

"Alright, where have ya looked for Jacky-boy?"

"I was looking for you first, you know him better," Poison responded.

"We should try Tibby's or Irving Hall," he said starting down the dock towards the bridge. As they walked Spot kept glancing at Poison, she looked different…what was it? Then he realized what it was, she didn't have her bag, the bag she took everywhere.

"Where's your bag?"

Poison looked at him a little surprised he'd noticed it gone, "It's back at the lodging house, do me no good out here, plus if I don't have my bag people are less likely to try and buy off of me."

Spot nodded his head in agreement and they continued their way towards Tibby's in silence. When they got there Spot opened the door for Poison out of habit before following her in. They scanned the interior of the restraunt before spotting him in a corner booth spinning his coffee cup around and around on the table top.

Poison grabbed Spot's wrist pulling him along behind her till they were standing in front of his table.

"What is the thing with looking sad today?" Poison asked. Jack looked sharply up,

"It has something to do with the fact one of my best friends isn't who I thought he was."

Poison raised her eyebrow, "We need to talk, about Racetrack. He's going to be fine, it's ghosts."

When Jack and Spot looked at her blankly she explained, "Ghosts…symptoms of withdrawl when the person has already been clean for awhile. It's the body remembering the effects."

Jack and Spot nodded their head as if they knew what she had said but secretly hadn't understood a word she'd said. Spot decided to get the english version out of her later.

"So what is there to be discussed? He doesn't belong in my lodging house, the rules are no drugs," Jack said.

Poison reached across the table and whapped Jack behind the head solidly,

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? He's clean…and if you don't stop laughing Spot you'll get yourself hit too," Poison said warningly.