AN: Nothing here, people, just read and review and input!

                                                                                                                                                           

            "Dis ain't a good idea, Denton. You could get yourself into big trouble pullin' a stunt like dis."

            I couldn't believe I was hearing these words come out of the mouth of Jack Kelly, a boy who I thought would be up for just about anything. Now he was refusing to help me? I followed him around to the other side of his bunk, knowing that he was going to be leaving soon to go back to Tibby's.

            "You were willing to give your story, Jack. Why wouldn't they be the same?"

            "Cause some of them have had it a lot worse den me, and it drags up a whole lot of painful memories. Most of them I don't even know the stories to, and you know how close I am to them. Do ya really think dey'll tell you?"

            "That's why I came here, Jack. I figured I may need your help. Maybe you could come along when I do the interviews, coax them out of their protective state."

            He gave me a furious look, and I took a step back as he practically tore the bandana off of his neck. "I ain't havin' any part of dis. You're gonna be hurtin' a lot of 'em, doin' somethin' like dis."

            He walked out of the bunkroom, leaving me a bit confused and quite upset. It wasn't like I was doing this to cause them pain- in fact, I was trying to do the opposite. I was trying to bring their plight to the eyes of the world so they could have a chance to actually be seen.

            I was about to walk out when Skittery walked in with Mush, both of them laughing hysterically and having been soaked from head to toe with water. I wasn't even about to ask the reason for that.

            "Hey, Denton! What brings you to dis part of town?" Mush asked, still laughing, but not quite as loudly. He tossed a towel to Skittery, and they both began trying to soak the water out of their hair.

            "Just a little research, that's all. I was hoping you boys could help me out."

            Skittery looked a bit skeptical, but tried his best, for the moment, to be open minded. "Yeah, what with?"

            "I'm doing a series of articles in the Sun about the Manhattan newsboys and how they got to where they are now. I was kinda hoping you guys could sit down with me at dinner or something and tell me about your past."

            It almost seemed as though a freezing cold wind had gone through the bunkroom. I saw both boys visibly tense up, and I could practically feel the animosity growing by the second.

            "Sorry, Denton. No can do. We don't talk about dat stuff around heah." Mush finally said, pulling a clean shirt out of a box underneath his bed.

            "Well…I mean…I was just thinking…"

            Skittery finally let the facade go and gave me an open, furious look. "I believe dat he said 'no', Denty-boy. And he speaks for all of us. So jest scram, okay?"

            I considered walking out, but then I decided that enough was enough and I put my more formal, reporter personality in charge. "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt you guys to just give an outline of what you've been through for New York to see."

            "New York is what I've been through. People look out their windows at it every day and it doesn't change 'em, does it?" Mush asked quietly, but with a measure of tension in his voice that I hadn't heard before.

            "But hearing it straight from someone like you-"

            Before I could say another word, I was suddenly grabbed by the collar and slammed up against the bunk, the rough corner of the wood digging into my back. Despite his skinny frame, Skittery was able to hold me with an iron grip, but with his face still over a foot from mine.

            "Don't you dare push him." He hissed, staring me straight in the eye. I was surprised Mush hadn't pulled him off of me by now- I was scared to death that he was about to punch me or something. He dropped me, glanced at Mush, and then said, "Take your notebook and go back to your wars. I don't wanna have to hurt you, but I will if I hear dat you been botherin' any Manhattan boys. You got dat?"

            I quickly nodded, not wanting to fuel his temper any further than I already had. I heard Mush clear his throat, and after one more menacing glare in my direction, Skittery followed him out the door.

            Maybe Jack was right, I thought as I watched them go. I think I might need more than a week to pull this off.

            I stood in thought for a moment before deciding where I needed to start- If I couldn't get through to Skittery, I wasn't going to get through to any of them. I'd have to start there, since he was probably going to be the hardest to win over to this idea.

I wasn't going to get through to him just by talking, though. My first order of business would have to be to try to find out his real name. From there I could get the bare outline, and maybe once I had that, he'd be more open to talking about it.

            I trudged down the stairs and went straight to Kloppman's office, where he was busy checking the ledger and income from the night before. He looked up at me and smiled, and I immediately felt more comfortable. He's like their father, I thought as I sat down across from him.

            "Mr. Kloppman, I need your help with something."

            He gave me a strange look, but didn't seem to mind the interruption. "What do you need?"

            I took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm doing a series of articles in the Sun about the Manhattan newsies, you know, featuring one newsie each day. Telling their story, so to speak. I was hoping you may have a few of their real names on record so I could dig up a few things. I'm looking particularly at Skittery to start with."

            "I'm sorry…you're on your own with this one."

            "What? You mean you're not going to help me either?"

            He laughed quietly, although I didn't see a single thing that was funny about this. "I can't. You couldn't possibly understand them or what they've been through, Denton. I don't even quite understand, and I don't try to anymore. These boys have been hurt, all of them in one way or another. They need their space."

            "I know, but-"

            "No buts. I can't help you. It would be breaking a trust with each one of them that I've had since they walked through that door. I don't break promises. And I would recommend that you not waste your time with this. These boys look out for each other, and you're going to be treading on thin ice."

            "They're going to have to face up to their pasts someday, Kloppman, or else it's going to come back to haunt them. If you just help me get started, just give me one clue that could help me out, then they would never know. Please, you've got to."

            But he didn't. He waved me out of his office, and I stood up to leave.

            "Oh, Denton?"

            "Yes?"

            "I've been reading some old copies of the Sun, and I found an awfully disturbing article about a murder on 5th Avenue about ten years ago. You didn't happen to write that article, did you?"

            I smiled broadly. I knew that eventually someone would see this my way and help me out a bit. "No, but I'll check into it. I might be able to find out who did."

            "Good. You do that. Have a nice day, Denton."

            "You too. And thank you."

            This may go a little smoother than I thought…

                                                                                                                                                           

AN: Haha, Denton's getting' bashed a little in this chapter. He probably will in future chapters too, but it's his own fault. Alright, any suggestions? Any at all?

Denty-boy. Haha…that's kinda funny…

And what could Skittery possibly have to do with a ten-year-old murder case? We'll find out, won't we?