You Don't See Me

Disclaimer: None of these characters (except for Ember) belong to me, nor do the song lyrics. The lyrics are from the movie Josie & the Pussycats.

---Author's note: I'm sorry for the complete lack of character development, but I had a dream and this was it. I spend all of maybe an hour or two writing this story (during skool… bad me! ^,^), so it's not good at all. I'm only posting it here so's I have sumthin' here for y'all to read. Again, I apologize for craptacular-ness.---

- - - - - - - - - -
She panted heavily, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth with her tattered sleeve. The newsies of Manhattan closed around her.
"You really worked them ovah. What'd ya do to make the Delancey brothahs get on ya like that?" Racetrack asked, stepping towards the girl. She lifted her chin and flicked the end of her ponytail back over her shoulder.
"They wanted somethin' they wasn't gonna get," she retorted. "Who are you?"
Racetrack grinned. "I'm Racetrack, and this here's Jack Kelly." Racetrack gestured at the tall boy with a red bandanna tied around his neck. "And this is his turf yer on, so ya bettah tell us your name."
"The call me Ember," she replied, sweeping a few stray strands of her copper hair out of her face.
"Why they call you that?"
"'Cuz someday I'm gonna burn like a star, and I'm gonna light up the world." A dreamy looked flooded the redhead's emerald eyes. Racetrack snorted.
"Oh yeah? So why don't they just call ya 'Star'?"
"'Cuz right now I'm coolin' it. What's it to ya?" Ember said, bristling. She took a menacing step towards the boy, but paused when a new voice chimed in.
"I dunno, Jack. I think she's lyin'."
Ember changed the focus of her glare onto the brunette boy using a crutch to prop himself up. "You call me a liar?" she demanded.
He smiled. "I think they call her that 'cuz of her temper."
The boy called Jack Kelly laughed and slung an arm around the cripple's shoulders. "Good one, Crutchy. What else have you observed about out new friend here?"
A somber expression came over Crutchy's features. "Don't mess wit' her, Jack. She don't look so good."
He was right. Ember's face was drained off all color but the red of the blood at the side of her mouth and a quickly darkening bruise on her left eye. Her hands were shaking, and as Jack inspected her more closely she swayed slightly on her feet. Jack stepped forward just in time to catch her as she blacked out.


This is the place where I sit
This is the part where
I love you too much
Is this as hard as it gets?
'Cause I'm getting tired
Of pretending I'm tough


Ember stopped, the papers almost slipping form her hands, and stared at the new sign on the billboard. The huge sign read, "Come see sunny SANTA FE!" and had a picture of the sun beating down on hot desert sands.
Ahead of her, Crutchy stopped. "Em?" He turned around, looking for her. "Hey, Em! I need a few more papes... Hey, you ok?" Ember snapped back to herself.
"Yeah, Crutchy. I'm great. Here's your papes." A smile split her face as the handed Crutchy three of his papers. He hobbled ahead, shouting headlines, selling papers mostly by inciting peoples' pity. Over Crutchy's tremulous voice, Ember could hear Jack's ringing tones calling out headlines.
She listened carefully, trying to figure out where Jack was by his voice, when suddenly - mid-headline - it stopped. Ember whipped around, searching for some sign of the boy. 'Crutchy, I gotta take care of somethin', be right back," she called over her shoulder. Then she took of running in the direction Jack's voice had come from.
In a dirty alleyway, the Delancey brothers ganged up on Jack. When Ember got there, Jack was holding his own against them, but both brothers had clubs while Jack was weaponless.
"Now boys, that's ha'dly fair." All three boys looked to where Ember stood in the alley entrance. Morris took a threatening step towards her, grinning lustily. The grin disappeared from his face when Ember held up a slingshot. She scooped a rock from the ground and loaded it. 'I believe you fellahs have somewhere else ya need to be."
The brother scrambled away and Ember sauntered over to her friend. "I coulda handled 'em, ya know," Jack said, scowling.
"And deny me my fun? No way, Jack. I gotta get my own back from those scabbers." Ember grinned.
"Hey, Em..." Jack looked down at his feet, trailing off. Ember gently laid a hand on his arm. He looked up and smiles. "Thanks, I guess. Hey, ain't you supposed to be helpin' Crutchy?"
"Shit!" Jack watched her run, doubling over with laughter.
- - -
That night, while the boys were celebrating Racetrack's luck at down at the tracks, Ember pulled a chair close to the crate Jack was sitting on.
"Heya, Jack. How's things?"
"Oh, hey Em. They's ok," Jack answered, sounding distracted and scanning the room.
"Will you tell me more about Santa Fe?" Ember asked, eyes shining with hopes and dreams of her own.
"Sure, sometime," Jack replied absently. "Hey, have you seen Sarah 'round?"


I'm here if you want me
I'm yours, you can hold me
I'm empty and taken
Tumbling and breakin'
'Cause you don't see me
And you don't need me
And you don't love me
The way I wish you would
The way I know you could



Jack reached down and grasped Ember's hand, pulling her up onto the rooftop. She tripped over a loose brick on the edge and fell forwards. Jack caught her, laughing, and whirled her around in his arms. They settled on the rooftop, side by side, and looked up at the stars.
"So why'd ya bring me here, Cowboy?" Ember asked, her voice teasing.
"Well... You asked about Santa Fe." Jack grinned at Ember's enthusiastic response.
"So tell me! I always wanted to go out west. Tell me about Santa Fe!"
"Settle down, Em!" Jack laughed. "Well, in Santa Fe, the sun is always shinin' and nobody's evah cold..."
For two hours Ember listened as Jack happily babbled about his dreams and Santa Fe. When he finished, they sat in companionable silence, just watching the stars.
"Hey, Em? Can I ask you somethin'?" Ember focused her attention from the stars back to Earth at the nervous note in her friend's voice.
"Always and anythin'. What's on your mind?"
"...How do ya tell if you're in love?" Ember's heart jumped into her throat. 'Does he mean he's in love? With me?' She felt her heart expanding, felt as if her soul was glowing and that the light was shining right through her skin. "'Cause I really like Sarah," Jack continued in a rush, glad to finally have it out in the open, "an' I don't know what ta do. Whenevah I see her I sorta glow, like.. Well, it's not like nothin' else I evah felt. And..." Ember blinked back tears and sought comfort in the stars as Jack told her about how much he loved Sarah.


I dream of worlds
Where you'd understand
And I dream a
Million sleepless nights
I dream of fire when
You're touching my hand
But it twists into smoke
When I turn on the light
I'm speechless and faded
It's too complicated
Is this where it ends
Nothin' but good friends?



Ember halted in the doorway. Sarah's arms were wrapped around Jack's neck, and he bent and touched his lips softly to hers. "I love you, Sarah," he whispered, kissing her again. The fragile orange blossom fell from Ember's hand as she whirled and ran from the scene. The beautiful flower, called Indian Paint brush, was left lying in the dirt.


'Cause you don't see me
And you don't need me
And you don't love me
The way I wish you would



"What!? You can't do that!"
"Calm down, Crutchy. You don't understand." Ember tried to help Crutchy sit, but he jerked away from her outstretched hand.
"I do understand. I understand you're crazy!"
Tears slipped down Ember's cheeks, and she wrung her shaking hands. "Please try to understand, Crutchy. I can't stay here."
"So you goin' out west? All by yahself?!"
"Settle down before ya hurt yahself."
"I'm already hurt! ...You must have some pretty big problems, Em, to run so far away."
"I ain't runnin' away from nothin'! If you was my friend you'd support me!" Ember cried.
Crutchy stopped hobbling around and faced her. "No. I'm your friend, so I'm tellin' ya not to go. If you was my friend, you'd listen. But the only one you care about is Jack." And with that, he left.
"Crutchy..." Ember dashed tears from her eyes. She looked out the window and saw Jack talking to Racetrack. Almost as if he could sense her presence, Jack raised his eyes and met hers. He smiled and waved, and she turned away. She dashed tears from her cheeks with her fingertips, then prepared to leave.


Isn't this just where we met?
And is this the last chance
That I'll ever get?
I wish I was lonely
Instead of just only
Crystal and see-through
And not enough to you



What? You're goin' to Santa Fe?" Jack sat down heavily in an old chair, the wood creaking ominously under his weight.
"Yeah... I figured I can't stay in New York forevah. I wanna get on with my life." Ember paced the room.
"Isn't there any way you'd stay?"
Ember stopped mid-step and turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a hope she didn't dare let herself feel. "Do you want me to stay?"
"Well... yeah. And Crutchy'll really miss ya."
Ember's face fell. "I'll miss him, too." She walked to the door and turned the handle. "Goodbye, Cowboy."


'Cause you don't see me
And you don't need me
And you don't love me
The way I wish you would
'Cause you don't see me
And you don't need me
And you don't love me
The way I wish you would
The way I know you could

- - - - - - - - -

[End Transmission]

Yes, the story is over. No, there will not be another chapter, so stop asking! . This is it, nada, the end. You can decide for yourself if Jack goes after Ember, or if she finds a new love in Santa Fe, or if she even makes it at all. And, hey, if you're inspired to write a second chapter, make sure ya show it to me, 'kay? That'd be cool.

Good night, all!