Hypnotized - Chapter Three

Snaps glanced around the Distribution Center as she let the Brooklyn newsies gather their papes for their usual routine. Her eyes wandered around, drifting from each newsie, looking for Spot, her older brother. It wasn't that hard to look for him, with his blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He used to be skinny and lanky, she had to admit, but the sudden growth spurt he had and the development of his muscles gave the other girls something to look at. How Spot can stay with that much girls, she couldn't understand. She understood everything that went about him… all except for that.

Since he had come into his power as the leader of the Brooklyn newsies, Snaps saw him slowly change… his feelings and emotions suddenly masked by his determined and strong look. It wasn't foreign to the newsies. He had glared at them, shouted, and looked at them with unyielding pressure, but Snaps knew that he still had a heart within. Didn't everybody? He's a good person; it was just hard for someone to look underneath all the wraps. But what mattered the most was that Spot loved her back. Not liked or infatuated. But loved. She just wanted to be here long enough to see the person to just to do that.

"Snaps? That you? Why aren't you selling at your spot at this time? Woke up late?" came a familiar voice not too far away.

She raised her eyebrow as she smirked and turned around to face Spot, his gray newsie cap pulled down low, revealing the tips of his eyes. But that wasn't what caught her attention. All through the years she had known him, he wouldn't easily show his feelings through his eyes. That was what the cap was for. She had no intention of finding out… he was a pretty complicated guy. Besides, there were other things to talk about.

"Haha, Spot," said Snap, mocking him. "Just needed to talk to you 'bout something…"

"Why? What's wrong?" asked Spot as he looked at her with concern. This was what she had wanted for the others to see… his heart. But no, he had to be strong and tough.

"PLEASE tell me you've been doing something about it, Spot. I know how you usually let your birds do the spying, but they've just been SO DAMN SLOW!" Snaps gulped as she looked at him. She knew that he didn't need this, but she had to talk to him. After what had happened to Jason, you can't just ignore this. Especially with the way it happened.

Spot glanced at her then shifted his papes in his other hand, his eyes wandering across the road. He knew how this had affected her… they were practically stuck together, for Christ's sake. He remembered him… Jason. He was one of the best Brooklyn newsies around, his right-hand, even. He was just as tough as Spot, but softer towards Snaps. He was happy for her… showing it from time to time. He didn't like the way it happened either. It wasn't something you saw everyday, it wasn't normal, which is why they hardly told anyone about it. He even liked him.

"Look, Snaps, it isn't that easy doing all of this, you know? My birds haven't found anything for weeks… they're probably hiding out somewhere or went to another place…"

"No," said Snaps sternly. "I don't care what you say… I'm finding them whether you like it or not. Doesn't it bother you, Spot? How the body's suddenly not there? Have you even thought of what COULD happen if that person kept on doing this?"

"We ain't heroes, Snaps," retorted Spot as he looked about him and shouted another headline. "We're just newsies… and you know that I ain't happy about what happened to him either. Please, I liked the guy… we were friends."

"You think it didn't hurt for me? And heroes… you know that we can fight them off with all the Brooklyn newsies we have!" started Snaps as she nervously began to crack her knuckles, giving off small snapping noises. That was how she got her nickname… from cracking knuckles. Who would've thunk?

Spot sighed as he put his hands on her shoulders and looked sternly into her brown eyes. "Remember that this is supposed to be known by only a few, Snaps. I can't have my newsies running around scared about some made-up creature that's killing off newsies. That doesn't help."

Snaps rolled her eyes and shrugged off his hands. She wasn't going to take any of this. She wanted and needed to look for that person… creature… monster, or whatever it was. "So what were you doing up at the rooftop, two nights ago, huh? With one of your whores again?" she snapped as she gave him a disdainful look.

"Why would I be? Its too uncomfortable up there," answered Spot teasingly.

Snaps groaned and gathered her brown hair up into a ponytail as she continued to talk to Spot. "I heard something and you know that I heard it too. What was that sound? Somebody else was up there wasn't there?"

"What's with all the questions, Snaps? You've been getting really nosy lately…"

"This concerns me too."

"Who's up on the roof with me? I think that's a little bit too much information for ya."

"Argh, Spot! You know what I meant…" This was supposed to be a SERIOUS talk… not a sarcastic one. Spot wasn't helping.

"I'm just teasing with you, don't worry," said Spot as he smiled cockily at her.

"I know… but…" said Snaps hesitantly. She opened her mouth once more to talk, but she saw Spot's look. He was getting enough of her talks and whining. But she needed to talk to him about those… things. She heard that they were neither dead or alive. The body of somebody who used to be there, empty and with no soul. They stalk the night, living off of the blood of others, killing them in the process. She thought it sounded all so unreal when she first heard about it. But what caught her attention the most were the marks. The marks that they left on their prey. The same marks on Jason.

"If you really need to know, I was just talking to one of the Brooklyn girl newsies… I guess you heard her climb up and down the fire escape."

Snaps sighed and decided to drop the subject. They weren't going anywhere. Now, this was something totally new. "One of the Brooklyn girl newsies? Really, Spot, you gotta pay more attention to some of your newsies… you don't even know some of their names! What's she like? Maybe I'll know her…"

"She's…" Spot paused to glance at his sister. Was he going to tell her? Nah. But he still remembered that night… and the pain in his stomach. It wasn't likely that somebody that he had met would punch him right out, well, except if that somebody's a guy or enemy. That was an exception. The memories of her emerald green eyes and auburn hair flashed through his mind. He could still feel the way her skin felt against his and smell strawberries from her place. It wasn't hard to forget. "She's… nothing. Just another girl, that's all."

Snaps' brow furrowed as she took a look at Spot, papers in hand and avoiding her look. Something was up. Sure, he had treated the other girls as nothing, but at least he talked about them like they were somebody. But was this worth thinking over? Maybe she was actually just another girl. But by the way Spot peered from his cap, his bright blue eyes hiding his own feelings and secrets, she knew that something was up.

~*~

sorry it took me so long to update, but i actually got the next chapter up! thanks for all the reviews! ^^ i already have the next chap, so i'll probably be posting that tomorrow!

-ershey