"Spot, will you please explain what's going on?" Duchess asked, walking back into the main room of the Brooklyn LH, wearing the black clothes he had given her.
"Just a little tradition we have around her." he answered.
"Spot, answer the girl." Sippi growled as he entered the room.
"For as long as I can remember on October 19th every year the Brooklyn newsies have challenged the Manhattan newsies to a game of capture the flag. The championship has gone back and forth between Brooklyn and Manhattan every year. Brooklyn won last year, but I'm determined that Brooklyn will win again this year."
"What do we get if we win?" Sippi asked.
"Winner considers the Bridge their selling territory for the next year. It's also for bragging rights. No one has ever won two years in a row."
"So what do we do?" Duchess asked.
"Wait for Rae to get back."
"And then..."
"And then we make our plans for the evening. With any luck the Manhattan boys had forgotten completely about it."
"They did." Rae said from the door. She took the cloak off and threw it across a chair. "I think Hades and Stress had just remembered and were coming to remind them when I walked in."
"Good. That means they will spend at least an hour trying to decide where to hide their flag. Bookworm, come here." Spot ordered.
A young girl sitting in the corner of the room reading a book, stood and walked over to him. "Yeah Spot?" she asked.
"You are guarding the flag tonight."
"Yes, sir." she said with a mock salute. "Where is the flag to be hidden?"
Spot looked at Rae. "I know. I know." Rae said rolling her eyes. She turned away from them and unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a sleeveless black undershirt. She slipped the long sleeved one off and held out her left arm to Spot. He pulled a blue cloth from his pocket and tied it around her arm. She slipped her shirt back on and quickly buttoned it. "This is where it stays for now. Duch, Sippi, you two don't worry about getting our flag. Just get theirs." Duchess and Sippi nodded. "Ready, BW?" Rae asked. The younger girl nodded and they slipped out of the building into the shadows.
"What is she doing with the flag?" Duchess asked.
"You'll see."
~*~*~*~
"What was that all about?" David asked when the door closed behind the three dark figures.
"Tradition. Every year Brooklyn challenges Manhattan to a game of capture the flag." Stress explained, picking up the red cloth that had been dropped.
Jack looked around. "Blink, you, Race, Pie Eater and Snoddy go start watching. If I know Brooklyn, they'll be over here trying to get our flag before we have a chance to hide it." The four boys stood and left the building.
"Where are we going to hide it?" Hades asked.
"Let's not hide it." Stress suggested.
"Have you gone mad?"
"I'm serious. Let's tack it to the wall there above the fireplace and just sit here and wait for them."
"I'm not sure I follow you Stress." Hades, sending her friend a 'you've lost it!' look.
"I do and it makes perfect sense." David said. "They won't try to take it with us sitting right here in the room."
"But some of us need to go find they're flag." Jack said. "Mush, Hades, Stress, Fearless, and David stay here. The rest of us will go find the flag."