Chapter 11

Aslyn squinted as the morning sun reached through the window and burned her eyes. She rolled onto her side to find Spot awake. He was facing her, and he was smiling.

"Mornin'," he said, wearily.

"Good morning," she replied, yawning and stretching, "we should probably get up to sell our papes," she said as she began to rise from the bed.

"No," Spot said, pulling her back down to him. He wrapped his strong arms around her. "We's stayin' here today," he said, kissing her cheek softly.

"Spot," Aslyn sighed, "We can't miss a day of selling."

"Sure we can," he replied, "'Sides (*besides), I wanna' stay like 'dis forever."

Aslyn laughed, "Come on, Conlon, it's time to get up," she said, poking him in the side. She proceeded to get out of the bed, but again Spot pulled her back down.

"I told ya'," he said, "We's stayin' here today."

"Fine. Fine," Aslyn said, laughing.

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"We gots the whole place to ourselves," Spot told Aslyn, after all of the other newsies had left, "All me (*my) boys are gone, and Books has gotta' some errands ta' run. He should be gone all mornin'."

"Hm. That's nice," Aslyn murmured, as Spot kissed her neck seductively.

Spot had gotten the two of them breakfast while the other newsies were getting ready for the day, and now he and Aslyn sat in his room, eating in silence.

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The hours passed lazily, and it was around noon when Spot and Aslyn heard Mr. Booker return from his errands. They listened as his footsteps pounded up the stairs and down the small hallway.

"Why's Books comin' upstairs?" Spot thought aloud.

The door to his room opened, and Spot was taken aback by whom he saw. Matthew stood in the doorway, fire in his eyes.

"You stupid bitch," he screamed at Aslyn, "You stupid whore, you thought you could get away from me that easily. You thought you could get away, didn't you? Well, you can't!"

Matthew advanced toward Aslyn, but Spot stepped in front of him.

"Don't touch her," Spot said, looking at his cane, which was resting in the corner.

Matthew followed Spot's gaze and saw the cane. He changed his direction away from Aslyn and toward Spot's cane. When he reached it, he wrapped his hand around the hilt, gripping it tightly. With cane in hand, he advanced toward Aslyn again, and again Spot stepped between the two of them.

"Don't touch her," Spot growled.

"Don't tell me what to do, street rat," Matthew said.

He raised the cane above his head and connected it forcefully with Spot's jaw. Spot yelped in pain and stumbled backwards. That was when Aslyn made her move. Luckily, in Matthew attempt to retrieve Spot's cane, Aslyn had been able to position herself between Matthew and the door. Now, she turned on her heels and ran into the hallway. She bolted down the stairs, and ducked behind Mr. Booker's desk. Aslyn flung open the bottom drawer and pulled out a small pocketknife she had seen Books place there only a few days before.

As she did, she saw Matthew bound down the stairs with Spot on his heels. Matthew approached her quickly, not seeing the knife in her hand. He raised the cane to strike her, but was cut short by a searing pain in his stomach. Aslyn plunged the knife into his side and twisted it. She gained satisfaction from seeing blood seep from her brother's wound.

Spot was silent as he watched Matthew fall to the floor. He grasped at his bleeding side and cursed Aslyn. Spot and Aslyn stood in shock for a few moments. Then Spot moved to Matthew's lifeless body and nudged it with his foot.

"He's dead," Spot said, the knife falling from Aslyn's hand and shattering the silence as it hit the floor.