Right now, I want you to get up, turn off the computer, go to the video store and either rent or buy the movie Newsies.  Do not look for the songs on Kazaa or take any other shortcuts.  You need to watch.  That.  Movie.

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The Bayville Mall…

The electric doors of the department store slid open, giving entrance to Lance Alvers, Tabitha Smith, Fred Dukes, Todd Tolanski, and Pietro Maximoff.  All five kids wore their usual civilian garb.  Tabitha was displaying several plastic cards, and along with Lance seemed to be leading the group.

"I still don't know about this," whined Fred as he looked over Tabitha's shoulder.  "I mean—"

Tabitha interrupted Fred in her usual manner.  "Mean what, Freddy?  We've struck it!  Why shouldn't we?"  The blond happily threw up her arms for emphasis.

Off to the side, Pietro cautiously regarded the Brotherhood's new addition.  "Fred's got a point, Lance.  Those cards aren't ours.  They're Mystique's.  If she finds out…"

As the group continued walking, Lance darted out ahead and walked backwards.  "How many times do I have to say this?"  He asked with his arms slightly away from his side.  "Mystique is gone.  She's not going to find out."

"Yo, but she is alive!" Countered Todd.  "And you were the one who said that himself!"

Lance shook his head in mock disbelief.  "Well, yeah, she's out there, but she's not coming back.  If she were, she would have by now!"

Fred put his hand to his chin.  "Yeah, but—"

"And if she doesn't come back, who pays for those?"  Pietro continued.  "If we were short on cash before…"

Lance slowed his pace, and let the others catch up.  Casually, he threw his arm around Pietro's shoulder.  "Petey.  Buddy.  You get to the mail before any of us.  Have you ever seen a bill come to our place?  Ever?"  Lance gave the boy a rough squeeze, causing Pietro to quickly dart away.  Lance only smiled.  "They're gunna be paid for!"

Todd frowned.  "Yeah, but what if she—"

"What are you boys worrying about?"  Demanded Tabitha.  Grabbing Todd by the collar of his shirt, she pulled him near and waved the cards in front of his face.  "He just said things have always been paid for," she continued in a low, tempting voice.  "And even if they're not, it's not going to get traced back to us…"

A smile slowly formed on Todd's face as the sight of the plastic drove his worries away.

Releasing Todd, Tabitha looked slyly at the other boys.  "We've got five credit cards here…"  Walking as if entranced by a dance, she stepped into the first big crossroad in the department store walkway. "And no one watching over our shoulders…"  Fanning out the cards in front of her, Tabitha grinned wickedly.  "Just think of what we could get…"

Feeling the mood overtake him, Todd stepped forward and grabbed a card.  "A pair o' new shoes with matchin' la-ces…"

Looking back at the others, Lance casually picked a card of his own.  "One of those shirts with the snar-lin' fac-ces…"

"That old CD by Mr. Mis-ter…"  Sang Fred, finally given the confidence to go along.

The fourth card disappeared from Tabitha's hand.  All four kids whirled to their right to See Pietro standing on a pedestal with his arm draped across the waist of a scantly clad blond mannequin.  "A Saturday night with Black-bolt's sis-ter!"

Lance and Fred playfully pelted Pietro with a couple of wadded up shirts.

"Look at me!"  Proclaimed Todd, sliding in front of the pedestal and falling down to one knee.  "I'm the king of Bay-ville…  Sud-den-ly!  I'm respectable…"  Todd inched his way back upright with each syllable.  "Starin' right at 'cha, lousy with stature…"

Lance lightly cuffed the back of Todd's head as he walked past.  "Nobbin' with all the muckety-mucks.  I'm blowin' my dough and goin' de-luxe!"  Lance twirled his card during the line and clenched it tight to emphasize the last beat.

"And here I be!"  Yelled Tabitha, darting up beside Lance.  "Ain't I pretty?"

Lance favored the girl a smile as they paraded down the isle.  "It's my city," they sang in tandem.  "I'm the King of Bay-ville!"

All five kids sprinted down the isle and dispersed at the end.

With a chip on his shoulders, Pietro walked past the shirt racks.  "…A new tank top ta make the girls go wi-ld…

Across the way, Lance was checking out some hampers.  "…Some-thing to clean where my clothes are pi-led…"

With half hooded eyes, Todd browsed through a display of baseball caps.  "…Cust-om hats that're made ta' or-der…"

The four boys stepped back onto the main walkway.   Lance and Fred both had some clothes draped over their shoulders, and Todd tossed each of them a hat he had grabbed.  Snatching his in midair, Pietro glanced at the still-shopping Tabitha out of the corner of his eye.  "…An of-ficial welcome to our new board-der!"

Pietro disappeared in a flash, and Tabitha appeared a half-second later, with a bright red sheet draped across her shoulders. 

"Tip your hat!"  The boys declared in unison, kneeling before the girl in mock devotion.  "She's the queen of Bayville!"

Tabitha cheerfully grabbed the sheet and tossed it away.  "Aw, screw that!  I'm the king of Bay-ville!"

Back on their feet, the boys continued singing and meandering back into the displays.  "In not-thin' flat, we'll be lookin' like some-one on GQ.  Wait'll they see you…"

Twirling a new hammer around in his hand, Pietro jumped up onto the top of a jacket display.  "Pull-lin' our old wreck out of a crunch!"  With a flourish, Pietro tossed the hammer to Fred, who stuck it in a tool-case he was looking through.

"Shop-pin' for a week," continued Tabitha as she draped another shirt over her arm.

Todd hopped through Tabitha's line of sight.  "…And pickin' up lunch…"

Tabitha rolled her eyes, but took the hint.  "When I'm ar-round, stores will put out…"

Standing in the main isle, Lance gestured to the other boys.  "Time ta check out…"

Tabitha smirked as she fell into step beside Lance.  "I'm (she's) the king of Bay-ville!"

The kids hit the register simultaneously, dropping their items as a single load.  The Cashier blinked once, and promptly went to work.

"I gotta be eith-ther dead or dream-min'," sang the five, in a drawn-out, quiet tone.  "'Cause look at this card with numbers gleam-min'!"  A credit check just won't de-mean it…"  As their voices built to a head, the five kids collectively thrust up their cards.  "'Cause we were rich for one whole minute!"

The register beeped, displaying the first total.  Fred made a big show of handing his card to the cashier, who quickly swiped it.  The big man signed the receipt, and then hefted the now full tool-chest over his head.  In celebration, he pumped it a few times, one-handed.

The register beeped again, prompting Todd to casually flicked his card the Cashier's way.  The card went horribly wild, and forcing the girl to leave the register to get it.  Undaunted, Todd jumped onto the counter and grabbed his bag.  After a few pseudo-dance twirls, he leapt again and bounced off a few nearby displays.

Tabitha leaned forward and swiped her own card as the Cashier rung up the next total.  At the Cashier's dirty look, Tabitha blew the girl a mock-kiss.  Tabitha grabbed her own bag, whirling it around like a sling.  After getting slightly dizzy, she tossed it up, letting the contents spill down on top of her.

Sneering, the cashier hit the next total. Picking a cowboy hat off of a nearby rack, Lance swaggered up to the counter and politely handed the girl his card.  However, the Cashier waited before running the card, and pointed towards Lance's new hat.  Feigning surprise, Lance tipped the hat.  When the Cashier continued to glare at him, Lance flipped the hat off, made a quick show of rolling it down his arm, and then planted the hat neatly on the Cashier's head.  Taking his card out of her hand, he ran it himself, grabbed his bag and spun away.

The Cashier angrily set the hat on the display of her register.  She turned to ring up the final order, but found her counter empty, save for five signed receipts.  Glancing up, she saw Pietro flashing her a smile, saluting, and twirling his card in his hand.  The boy tossed the card into the air, rushed forward and ruffled the Cashier's hair, and darted away, catching the card as it came down.

With their bags flinging around them, the five kids exploded out of the department store and into the mall proper.  "Startin' now!"  They yelled, hitting various poses as the other mall-goes turned to look.  "I'm the king of Bay-ville…"

Tabitha smirked and waved at the onlookers.  "Ain't ya heard?  I'm the king of Bay-ville…"  Snapping her finger for emphasis, Tabitha pointed to the second floor promenade.

"Holy cow!"  The guys continued, matching her gaze.  "It's a mic-acle!"  As the crowd parted, Fred and Tabitha began ambling over to the main staircase.  "Magnus is cryin'…"  Shouldering his bag, Lance hoped the side-rail onto the down escalator, and began speudo-moonwalking in place.  "Raven, she's dyin'!"  Todd hopped up rocks in the central fountain display, while Lance jumped rail again onto the up escalator.  "Flapshots are shoot-tin' bright as a the sun!"  At the second floor, Lance jumped the rail again, and Pietro appeared at his side.  Across the way, Todd leapt off the peak of the rock toward the promenade walkway.  Leaning over the railing, Pietro and Lance both caught him by his outstretched arms.  "I'm one highfalutin' son-of a gun!"  With a flair, Pietro and Lance yanked Todd upward, letting him front-flip onto the walkway.

The three boys flicked their hair in unison, and sauntered toward the staircase.

Meeting Tabitha and Fred, they meshed together to reform their ranks.  "Don't ask me how, for-tune found me.  Fate just crowned me.  Now I'm the king of Bay-ville!"

The kids turned a corner, entering the food-court wing of the mall.  "Look and see!"  Obediently, the crowd did so, parting before the advancing quintet.  "Once a gru-unt, now up fro-ont!  I'm the king of Bay-ville."

With the food-court consisting of a big looped promenade with an open atrium below, the kids immediately came upon a T-intersection.  Darting forward, Pietro jumped onto the railing and threw his arms outward.  "Vic-tor-ry!"  Everyone in the food-court and all shoppers on the ground below paused to look at Pietro.  "That's out story!"  Todd clung to the railing to Pietro's right while Lance jumped onto a chair to Pietro's left.  Fred and Tabitha took positions flanking them.  "Guts and glory!"  The kids finished, letting their vices fill the court.  "I'm the king of Bay-ville!"

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