Part 4
Ivy bit her lip when the silence grew. The boys were just examining the quarter that Big Jill had given them to pay for lodging… Her brows furrowed slightly as she wondered what was the matter. Then it hit her. The quarter! She didn't know what kind Big Jill had given them, but chances were it was one of those new state quarters, or something odd was on it. She started worrying, panicking in her mind as she ran through a million different scenarios.
She happened to be facing Racetrack and saw him look at them with wide eyes. "Is dis t'ing foah real?" he asked in a somewhat shaky voice. It immediately got the attention of everyone else in the room.
"Whaddya mean?" The question rose from several lips, not the least of which was Ivy's. Dear Lord, how were they going to explain this?
Race looked right at her. "Dis," he said, handing her the quarter. Mush stood behind him, in a sort of daze. Ivy took the coin and looked at it. Not only was the coin minted in 2001, but it was a New York quarter. Some god of irony was at work, that much was obvious.
"Shit," Ivy heard muttered in her ear. She turned to see her sister right behind her. She knew Jill would be kicking herself for letting this happen. Ivy turned back to Race.
"Yeah, it's real," she sighed. Those newsboys who had not seen the coin crowded about Ivy while Race and Mush were slowly backing away from the girls.
"Twenty-oh-one?!?"(1) The shout came from Jack, who was staring at the coin incredulously.
"Actually, we say it two-thousand-one," Ivy's sister said in an only somewhat meek voice that was just the tiniest bit condescending.
"Don't mattah! What mattahs is dat dis ain't gonna be minted for anuddah hundred an' one years!" That came from Snitch, of all people. Ivy could see that Jill looked a bit hurt. But Jill would know better than to let a guy's opinion matter, especially after what happened before.
Regardless, the newsboys were backing away from them. "Listen," Big Jill said, "we can explain."
"Kinda," came Luna's contribution. Ivy smiled a bit at the honesty.
"Then explain." Cowboy's voice was chilly, and Ivy knew she did not like that tone. Before the others could speak, she started.
**************
Itey was trying to process the information Ivy had given them as fast as he could. It was almost unbelievable, what she'd said. These girls were from over a hundred years in the future! Itey wondered briefly what it was like, then figured it wasn't his problem. He, like the others, turned to Jack. Whether or not the girls stayed was all up to Jack at this point, though Itey found himself hoping they would be allowed to stay.
Jack was looking coolly at the girls, studying them. Shorthaired Jill seemed a bit depressed as she looked at the floor. Ivy was staring right back at Jack, as if daring him to tell her she was lying. Longhaired Jill was watching Jack, but also kept flicking her gaze to the sides, as if trying to regard the reactions of the other newsboys. Luna, or Katie, or whatever she was called, was leaning against the wall and looking at Ivy.
"Ya can stay heah tonight, but we'll see about tamarrah," came Jack's pronouncement. A general sigh of relief filled the room. Itey took the opportunity to approach the girls. He heard Ivy's sister answering some questions posed to her.
"Yes, I was really born in 1986," she said with a smile. "Yes, clothing really does change this much. You might even live to see it." She smiled and winked at the younger boys. Itey was about to ask Ivy a question when Kloppman declared bedtime.
"What are we gonna do tomorrow?" Luna asked. Jack grinned.
"We'se gonna see how you'se do as Newsies" he replied. The girls' eyes went wide, but that was all Itey could see before he was herded up the stairs to the main bunkroom.
**************
"Didja' hear that? Newsies!" Little Jill's excited whisper had its desired effect. The other girls came out of their shock. Luna blinked and, as the idea settled in her mind, she grinned maniacally.
"W00t!" she exclaimed. Little Jill laughed.
"Is this really real?" Big Jill asked. Ivy giggled.
"I sure hope so!" she exclaimed. By this time the girls had returned to their room. They shut the door carefully before falling to their bunks in a fit of giggles and laughter. Little Jill soon sobered, though.
"Hey guy?" she asked. "Do you think we'll ever get home?" At their stares she hurriedly continued, "I mean, not that I want to go back a whole lot right now, but still. It's the only home I've known."
Ivy sighed. "I know what you mean, but let's not think about that right now."
"We've been given a chance to escape that dull life. Let's take advantage of it while we can!" Big Jill seemed a bit too enthusiastic about this. Luna nodded her vehement agreement.
"As long as I'm not home, it's okay," she said. Little Jill was one of the few people who knew about her home life, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"Y'know," Little Jill said, "I feel almost like we should be here, but at the same time not." The girls nodded. "Anyway, let's get some sleep. These boys get up early, from what I know." Good nights were said, and the girls soon fell to sleep.
****************
Meanwhile, things were anything but calm in the boy's bunkroom. It would be a long time until the ruckus the girls' appearance caused would die down. This night, though, the bunkroom was abuzz with excited chatter. Jack, however, was still able to exert some control over the crowd with a raise hand for silence.
"Thoughts?" he asked. The room practically exploded with the noise of twenty-plus boys trying to talk at the same time. Again the raised hand brought silence. "Race?"
"I think we're nuts, personally, keeping them here," the young Italian said. "I like them though. They're unique, different, and pretty friendly."
Jack nodded in consent. Race's was an opinion he valued as the Italian was an excellent judge of character. As the Cowboy looked back out over the crowd of boys, he noticed that Snitch and Itey weren't there. He spotted the two friends over by their bunk talking softly. Jack, curious, dismissed the others for bed, hoping to at least get a few hours of sleep tonight and crossed the room to the pair.
"Whatcha' talkin' about?" the unofficial but universally acknowledged leader asked. Snitch and Itey both turned a bit red at the question.
"Da goils," Itey said quietly. Jack looked at him keenly.
"Dat Ivy goil?" he asked. Itey turned even redder. Jack smirked, having hit the nail on the head. He turned to Snitch. "And you?"
Snitch answered before Jack could guess. "'Er sistah, Jill." Jack's face took on a thoughtful look. He knew how painfully shy Itey was, though Snitch was a bit more relaxed around pretty girls. And these girls were certainly pretty, if not exotic in a sense. They were so different from normal girls.
"I'se was jus' wonderin, seein' as you'se two wasn't wit' the rest of us ovah dere," Jack said by way of explanation as he walked toward his own bunk. As Jack walked away, Snitch looked at Itey.
"Dat was odd," he said. Itey nodded in agreement. Snitch continued their conversation. "So, why her?"
"Well," said Itey, "I t'ink it's 'er poisonality. She's not like oddah goils."
"Yeah, but she seemed kinda scary when she was starin' down Jacky-boy."
Itey sighed. "I know. Dat's da only t'ing. She's kinda intimidatin' like dat."
Snitch clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, all I'se can say is good luck." The young thief left his best friend by their bunk as he went to get himself ready for bed. On the way to the washroom he passed Mush talking to Bumlets.
"Yeah," Mush was saying, "I'se okay wit' dem. Dey're kinda nice ta look at, and da one Jill, da one wit da long hair, is really funny."
Bumlets grinned. "Don' tell me you'se gonna start chasin' her," he said, even though he knew the answer. Mush got like this occasionally. He would start chasing after a pretty girl, and he usually ended up scaring them away.
Mush's face fell. "I don' know. I don' t'ink she'd like dat," he said. Bumlets was surprised by Mush's behavior. This was certainly not normal. It seemed like he was almost serious about this girl. Bumlets was about to ask Mush if he really was serious about this when Kloppman shouted up the stairs for quiet. Instead, Bumlets said his goodnights and the bunkroom did indeed quiet down some, though the murmuring continued long into the night.
This is really how I think we should pronounce 2001, based on how we've pronounced previous years. Yes, I really am nuts like that.A/N: Yay for Part Four! It's finally done, and they can stop bothering me about it. And maybe I'll finally have Heather off my back, considering what the next chapter is going to deal with. ^_^;; Many, many kudos to Ivy, Heather, Jill and Luna for letting me run my ideas past you guys, and the most thanks to Ivy for that talk over breakfast yesterday. It helped me so much with the last part of this chapter, as you saw. ^_^
Shout Outs:
Y'know, this is getting smaller and smaller for every chapter. **pouts**
Luna: I don't know that I should even write you a shout out, seeing as how you're sitting behind me as I type this, but you're not looking over so I can type what I want and you won't know! :p Anyway, thanks for the review!
