**Another two-chapter day! Yes, I have no life but my stories, but that's
okay! As long as I keep getting reviews, I'm happy! Well, chapter five,
here it comes!**
Chapter Five
Lizzy woke up the next morning with a pillow under her head and a blanket covering her from the cold. At first, she didn't remember where she was. Then, she saw the Newsies sleeping in the bunks around her and she remembered what had happened. Spot had let her stay.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood up still wearing the clothes from the day before. It was early, and none of the Newsies had gotten up yet. She brushed her hair and pulled on her cabbie hat, deciding to go for an early morning walk on the docks. Lizzy looked at Spot, sleeping on the bunk above her own.
"He's much more agreeable when he's sleepin' den when he's awake," she thought as she looked at him. He wasn't wearing his shirt, just his pants, showing his well formed arms and stomach. His cabbie was hung on the bedpost and his blondish-brown hair fell across his eyes. (A/N- YUMMY!) Lizzy shook her head and turned away, walking to the docks.
Lizzy sat, looking down at the water, and thinking about her life before she was a handler. She thought about her parents and her younger brother, Adam. He was only ten when she had last seen him. She began to sing a soft lullaby that she had heard her mother sing when she was little.
Lizzy suddenly became aware that someone was watching her. She stopped singing and turned around to see Spot watching her with his icy blue gaze. "Ya know," Spot said, sitting down beside her on the docks, "Youse is pretty good."
"Oh," Lizzy could feel herself turning red. "Tanks. Me mudda taught me dat song. She used ta sing it all da time."
"So, what happened ta dem?"
"Who?"
"Your family. Sometin' had to've happened ta dem. It's not like you was just suddenly out on your own."
To Spot's surprise, Lizzy didn't yell at him to mind his own business. Instead, she looked back down at the water and murmured, "I don't really like ta talk about dat."
They sat in silence for a moment, then Spot asked, "Ya gotta woik wit Black Sand taday?"
"Nah," she answered, "Only on da racin' days. Dey got anudda kid ta do da usual tings."
"Den ya oughtta consida sellin' papes wit us. Ya could make some extra money an' it'll give ya a chance ta get ta know da boys."
"Okay, sure."
They stood up and walked back to the lodging house. Most of the other Newsies were awake now and getting ready to sell their papers. The ones who weren't up, Spot shoved off their bunks. One of the Newsies Lizzy had met the day before walked up to her while pulling on his cabbie hat.
"So," Shiner asked, "Ya gonna sell papes wit us Lizzy?"
"Guess so," she answered.
After Spot had aroused all of the Newsies, he told Lizzy to get two bits and all the Newsies headed out to sell their papers. Lizzy bought fifty and Spot bought his usual one hundred. The Newsies split up and began to sell their papers,
Spot soon found himself always staying where he could see Lizzy. He just had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. Then, he realized that he wasn't the only one watching her. A man, who looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, had been following her for a few minutes already, keeping a safe distance behind her so that she wouldn't notice him.
As Lizzy moved into an area where there were less people, the man sped up his pace and quickly closed the gap between them. Spot sped up as well, trying to stay close enough to use his slingshot if he had to. Lizzy became aware of the stranger's presence and turned around to face him, thinking that he might want one of her last papers.
She began to speak to the man. Spot couldn't hear what they were saying, but he didn't like the way that man kept looking at Lizzy. Spot knew what the hungry look in his eyes meant, because he had seen so many people with that look before. Lizzy figured out that he didn't want a paper and turned to go. As she started to leave, the man grabbed her by the arm. She reacted quickly and swung at him with her free arm. She hit him square in the nose, then ran.
The stranger cursed as he held his bloody nose, then chased after her. Spot followed as quickly as he could. The man caught Lizzy again and dragged her, kicking and shouting into an alley.
"Now what's a beautiful girl like you doing selling newspapers?" the man asked. He held her firmly against the wall by her shoulders.
"Let go a me ya moron!" Lizzy shouted.
The man laughed and his hand's slid to Lizzy's waist, keeping her arms pinned to her body, as he leaned in to kiss her. Suddenly, a marble hit the man hard in the head. Lizzy looked to the alley entrance. Spot was standing there, slingshot raised, another marble already positioned to fire. His usually cold and empty eyes now seemed to be alive with a fiery anger that had never been there before. "Get your paws offa her!" he shouted at the man.
"You lousy street rat!" the man shouted back. He released his hold on Lizzy and lunged at Spot. Spot released another marble, then charged into the man's stomach, knocking him on his back.
"Run!" Spot yelled. He and Lizzy bolted from the alley and ran into the crowd. By the time the stranger had recovered from the blow, Spot and Lizzy were long gone.
When Spot and Lizzy finally stopped to catch their breath, Lizzy rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to reveal large bruises where the man's hands had been. She cursed him under her breath and her sleeves back down.
"Do ya know dat joik?" Spot asked.
Lizzy shook her head. "He just came up ta me and I asked if he wanted a pape. He said no, so I started ta leave, but he stopped me."
"Do ya have ta deal wit fellas like dat all da time?"
She shrugged. "Every now den, but I can usually handle by meself."
"Did dey eva," Spot hesitated, not knowing quite how to put it, "Ya know, try ta do anyting to ya like dat udda guy did?"
"Yeah, but dat's da closest anyone's eva come ta succeedin'. In fact, if it wasn't for you, he would have. Tanks a lot Spot."
"No problem. Youse is a Newsie now an' nobody away wit treatin' any Newsie like dat wit out gettin' soaked."
**Hoorah! That's two chappies and it only 11:45 a.m.! This on didn't go as long as I had hope. Oh well! I'll probably do another chapter today too. R&R please! Click that button down there!** ~*spots_lil_boidie*~ | \./
| \./
| \./ Yeah, that one! Click it!
Chapter Five
Lizzy woke up the next morning with a pillow under her head and a blanket covering her from the cold. At first, she didn't remember where she was. Then, she saw the Newsies sleeping in the bunks around her and she remembered what had happened. Spot had let her stay.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood up still wearing the clothes from the day before. It was early, and none of the Newsies had gotten up yet. She brushed her hair and pulled on her cabbie hat, deciding to go for an early morning walk on the docks. Lizzy looked at Spot, sleeping on the bunk above her own.
"He's much more agreeable when he's sleepin' den when he's awake," she thought as she looked at him. He wasn't wearing his shirt, just his pants, showing his well formed arms and stomach. His cabbie was hung on the bedpost and his blondish-brown hair fell across his eyes. (A/N- YUMMY!) Lizzy shook her head and turned away, walking to the docks.
Lizzy sat, looking down at the water, and thinking about her life before she was a handler. She thought about her parents and her younger brother, Adam. He was only ten when she had last seen him. She began to sing a soft lullaby that she had heard her mother sing when she was little.
Lizzy suddenly became aware that someone was watching her. She stopped singing and turned around to see Spot watching her with his icy blue gaze. "Ya know," Spot said, sitting down beside her on the docks, "Youse is pretty good."
"Oh," Lizzy could feel herself turning red. "Tanks. Me mudda taught me dat song. She used ta sing it all da time."
"So, what happened ta dem?"
"Who?"
"Your family. Sometin' had to've happened ta dem. It's not like you was just suddenly out on your own."
To Spot's surprise, Lizzy didn't yell at him to mind his own business. Instead, she looked back down at the water and murmured, "I don't really like ta talk about dat."
They sat in silence for a moment, then Spot asked, "Ya gotta woik wit Black Sand taday?"
"Nah," she answered, "Only on da racin' days. Dey got anudda kid ta do da usual tings."
"Den ya oughtta consida sellin' papes wit us. Ya could make some extra money an' it'll give ya a chance ta get ta know da boys."
"Okay, sure."
They stood up and walked back to the lodging house. Most of the other Newsies were awake now and getting ready to sell their papers. The ones who weren't up, Spot shoved off their bunks. One of the Newsies Lizzy had met the day before walked up to her while pulling on his cabbie hat.
"So," Shiner asked, "Ya gonna sell papes wit us Lizzy?"
"Guess so," she answered.
After Spot had aroused all of the Newsies, he told Lizzy to get two bits and all the Newsies headed out to sell their papers. Lizzy bought fifty and Spot bought his usual one hundred. The Newsies split up and began to sell their papers,
Spot soon found himself always staying where he could see Lizzy. He just had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. Then, he realized that he wasn't the only one watching her. A man, who looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, had been following her for a few minutes already, keeping a safe distance behind her so that she wouldn't notice him.
As Lizzy moved into an area where there were less people, the man sped up his pace and quickly closed the gap between them. Spot sped up as well, trying to stay close enough to use his slingshot if he had to. Lizzy became aware of the stranger's presence and turned around to face him, thinking that he might want one of her last papers.
She began to speak to the man. Spot couldn't hear what they were saying, but he didn't like the way that man kept looking at Lizzy. Spot knew what the hungry look in his eyes meant, because he had seen so many people with that look before. Lizzy figured out that he didn't want a paper and turned to go. As she started to leave, the man grabbed her by the arm. She reacted quickly and swung at him with her free arm. She hit him square in the nose, then ran.
The stranger cursed as he held his bloody nose, then chased after her. Spot followed as quickly as he could. The man caught Lizzy again and dragged her, kicking and shouting into an alley.
"Now what's a beautiful girl like you doing selling newspapers?" the man asked. He held her firmly against the wall by her shoulders.
"Let go a me ya moron!" Lizzy shouted.
The man laughed and his hand's slid to Lizzy's waist, keeping her arms pinned to her body, as he leaned in to kiss her. Suddenly, a marble hit the man hard in the head. Lizzy looked to the alley entrance. Spot was standing there, slingshot raised, another marble already positioned to fire. His usually cold and empty eyes now seemed to be alive with a fiery anger that had never been there before. "Get your paws offa her!" he shouted at the man.
"You lousy street rat!" the man shouted back. He released his hold on Lizzy and lunged at Spot. Spot released another marble, then charged into the man's stomach, knocking him on his back.
"Run!" Spot yelled. He and Lizzy bolted from the alley and ran into the crowd. By the time the stranger had recovered from the blow, Spot and Lizzy were long gone.
When Spot and Lizzy finally stopped to catch their breath, Lizzy rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to reveal large bruises where the man's hands had been. She cursed him under her breath and her sleeves back down.
"Do ya know dat joik?" Spot asked.
Lizzy shook her head. "He just came up ta me and I asked if he wanted a pape. He said no, so I started ta leave, but he stopped me."
"Do ya have ta deal wit fellas like dat all da time?"
She shrugged. "Every now den, but I can usually handle by meself."
"Did dey eva," Spot hesitated, not knowing quite how to put it, "Ya know, try ta do anyting to ya like dat udda guy did?"
"Yeah, but dat's da closest anyone's eva come ta succeedin'. In fact, if it wasn't for you, he would have. Tanks a lot Spot."
"No problem. Youse is a Newsie now an' nobody away wit treatin' any Newsie like dat wit out gettin' soaked."
**Hoorah! That's two chappies and it only 11:45 a.m.! This on didn't go as long as I had hope. Oh well! I'll probably do another chapter today too. R&R please! Click that button down there!** ~*spots_lil_boidie*~ | \./
| \./
| \./ Yeah, that one! Click it!