y'know, it took me forever to get around writing this chapter. lol. but i still liked how it turned out - even though it was longer than i expected. and so begins the chaos at the LH on the 25th of December! dun dun dun! first victim? *raises eyebrow* duck!

~*~

POV: Duck

Day: December 25, 1900

Time: 6:48 PM

~*~

"Jingle bells, jingle bells…" sang Snooza at the top of her voice as she entered the Lodging House, her face all flushed from the cold. That's Snooza for you – she can come in from the cold but still keep a happy face. Ooh, wait, she's singing Christmas carols!

"JINGLE ALL THE WAY!" I sang, joining Snooza and her attempts to spread Christmas joy.

"Really, can't you guys stop? You've been singing all day and night!" barked Sapphy from Kloppman's office. "I have to keep order around here, y'know?"

"Aw, Sapphy, just 'cause Kloppman left you in charge when he left to get some food doesn't mean you can't have any fun!" said Stretch, putting the book down she was previously reading and patting Sapphy on the head.

"I ain't a dog," mumbled Sapphy.

Actually, Sapphy would make a pretty cute doggie if you asked me. Come here, Sapphy, come on!

"Why don't y'all just leave her alone? She's always like this during Christmas!" said Swifty, looking up from his poker game with Itey.

"You see?! Listen to Swifty! He's a smart one!" shouted Sapphy from Kloppman's office as she continued to do her previous work.

You know what I really think? Swifty's one of the nicest guys here at the Lodging House, it just takes a little getting to know to… know him, you know? Does that make any sense? Let's just put it this way – it takes a little determination to find out who he really is. Not that you have to work at it, you just have to be patient. You see, Swifty doesn't really open up that easily as other newsboys around here do.

But goodness, when he falls for a girl, the boy turns into a stalker. He's not really like that – he gets a little… obsessed over his new prized possession. If you could call it a possession.

"Are we still going to Brooklyn tonight?" asked Itey, putting down his deck of cards to listen in to the conversation.

"Hey!" came a retort from Swifty. "I could've won!"

"Tonight?" I asked. "I know it's Christmas and all, but it's cold! And walking all the way over to Brooklyn doesn't exactly sound pleasing to me."

The only form of water I like is the liquid form. The kind that goes swoosh when you run your hand through it instead of hitting a block of ice.

"I agree on Duck with that one! I hate snow!" shouted Snooza.

"I really think its up to Jack… since he's leader and all," came a voice from Kloppman's office. Sapphy.

"So the girl's listenin' in to our conversation, eh?" said Stretch teasingly.

"No, I ain't!" shouted Sapphy. "You guys are just using your outside voices!"

"Sapphy, we're inside."

"That's NOT the point!"

Itey snorted. "Big brother Jack would probably make us go all the way over there since anything can go his way."

"Well, I don't think Jack's THAT bad…" said Stretch.

"Really?" answered Itey. Oh geez, he's getting mad. I love Itey and all, but you DON'T want to see him when he gets mad. "Have you SEEN what he's done to…"

Oh. I remember that night.

"Don't worry, I bet you guys will make up any second now," nodded Snooza.

Itey rolled his eyes and turned back to Swifty. "Another game?" Swifty nodded and began to collect the cards on the table, then expertly shuffling them in his hand.

Silence.

We really didn't need that right now. Goodness, you can practically hear a pin drop from the silence that's happening right now. Who would've thought that little argument would've escalated to something much bigger? I didn't think so.

Okay, I hate uncomfortable silences. We need noise… music… anything!

"WHY DID ALL OF YOU STOP TALKING?! ARE YOU DEAD OR SOMETHIN'?" came a sudden shout from Sapphy.

"Hey, YOU wanted order!" retorted Stretch.

"I did, didn't I?"

"Yup."

"Okay, you can go back to what you were doing now."

Really. Can't Sapphy get anymore hilarious?

"OH HOLY NIGHT!" sang Snooza once again.

Thank goodness. I was dying from the silence.

"The stars are brightly shining…" came a muffled voice, as the door slowly opened letting the cold gust of wind inside.

"More like the lodgers are sadly shivering," said Itey, still in his grumpy mood. "Skitts, close that door, its cold!"

Skittery? Did he just say Skittery? I don't know if it's been the mistletoe (or should I say lettuce?) and Christmas and all, but I'm suddenly feeling – a little… giddier around Skittery. Does that make sense? I mean, we've been bestfriends forever… but… have you ever had that feeling when you just woke up and looked at the world differently? Skittery can just be so Skittery, but he can also be so…

"Duck? Hello? You in there?"

Whoa! Skittery up close!

"What does it look like?" I said, rolling my eyes.

"It looks like you were off thinkin' about something else… or somebody else…" taunted Skittery as he nudged my shoulder.

Oh geez. Not again. Okay, I admit, I used to have a thing for Spot a while ago. Used, being the main word. Come on, I mean who wouldn't fall for Spot? Goodness, the boy can have any girl when he wanted. But no, no, no, no… it's Skittery this time. Yup. Skittery. But then we're best friends! How is that going to…

"DUCK!"

"Huh? What?"

"You know, if you're not going to listen to me, I'm not going to give you your Christmas present," said Skittery as he pouted and crossed his arms, giving me an upset look.

Did he say presents?! I love presents!

"Presents?! Okay, okay, I'm listening!"

Skittery's eyes blazed with excitement and he slowly smiled as he reached into his pants pocket to reveal the present.

"Can't you go any faster? Skittery!"

"What? You deserve it for not listening to me!"

"Okay, I'll be patient."

"Good. Ta-dah!" said Skittery as he pulled out a small white piece of string from his pocket.

Eh?

"This is my Christmas gift to you!" said Skittery happily.

Are you serious? A piece of string?!

"Duck? Hello? You don't like it?"

Call me crazy for expecting something more, but a piece of string?

"Of course I do!" Let's just hope I can pull of a smile. "I've always wanted… one of these! I mean, I've been looking and looking and looking and…"

"That's great!"

Argh. It is, isn't it?

"Here…" said Skittery as he tied the string around my wrist. "It's a friendship thing… you see? I have one too…"

Oh. He has one too.

"Ah… since we're best friends…" Am I sounding convincing enough, 'cause I really don't think so…

"Right!"

BAM.

"ITEY!!!" came a sudden shout from the door. What the…? Brownie? That's the fastest I've seen that girl run… okay, well, probably 'cause she's running towards Itey. That's reasonable. But this? Is this reasonable? Ah. Go on. Call me selfish.

"Brownie!"

"Itey!"

"Brow-."

"Okay, stop!" shouted Swifty.

"Come on," said Brownie as she tugged on Itey's shirt, pulling him up to his feet. "It's Christmas and Jack's not here and…"

"He's not?" said Itey. "Then…"

"Goodness, just go!" shouted Swifty, rolling his eyes as he stood up and pushed the pair up the stairs.

Okay, I know you'd think that I'd be more interest with Brownie's entrance, but a string? A little itty-bitty piece of string? Geez, give me an hour and I can find one for myself!

"Glad that you liked it," said Skittery, giving me a peck on the cheek and running up the stairs towards the boys' bunkroom.

I watched him go up the stairs and disappear with this piece of string tied around my wrist. What just happened?

"Did you see THAT?" I shouted at Stretch and Snooza. Okay, maybe Swifty can listen in too. No doubt Sapphy's still listening because of our outside voices.

"Yeah, he gave you a piece of string," said Stretch with a shrug.

"EXACTLY! You'd think he'd given a little bit of thought to what he was going to give… I mean, he's my best friend for goodness sakes!"

What? I'm angry.

"It's the thought that counts!" said Snooza.

"I bet you – I bet you he gave this to all his other friends! Yeah, sure, I'm happy! I'm glad! I'm… giddy! Do YOU have a piece of string?! 'Cause I sure do!"

"Well, actually…"

"This… this thing can break! It can… rip!"

"It's a string, Duck, not paper…" shouted Sapphy from Kloppman's office.

"Shush! Maybe just a Merry Christmas would've cut it, but a STRING! I thought that—what now, Swifty?!"

"Just thought I'd let you know that Skittery's right over there."

Oh damn.

"I… um… I…"

"Are you sure you like my gift?"

"Well, yeah, I always wanted one!"

"Liar."

"It's a pretty string!"

"'Cause if you're so content with that, then I guess I don't have to give you your other present."

OTHER PRESENT?!

"What?!"

Skittery smiled and dug his hands into his pockets. "Just dress up, okay? I'll meet you back here in an hour." With that, Skittery turned around and ran back up the stairs.

"Did you hear THAT?!"

"He told you to dress up…" said Swifty uncertainly.

"Ooh, fun!" said Snooza, jumping up from her seat and running over to my side. Oh no. I may be a girl and all, but I don't like dressing up that much. "I'll help you! We'll help you!"

"WE?" said Stretch. "Who said we?"

I really have no idea what happened. Clueless, that's what I was. Snooza and Stretch circled me like two hawks and rummaged through my clothes AND theirs to figure out what I should wear. I've never been pampered like this. Well, nobody has. The point is… its weird. What was Skittery up to? Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but what the hell is going on?

But I guess it paid off when I saw Skittery in his dress clothes. Damn, that boy can clean up.

"You look really…" started Skittery.

"MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY! MOVE PEOPLE, MOVE!" came a sudden shout from the doorway. Dammit, Specs! You know how I thought things were weird? Well, it's getting weirder. Specs just walked in with a big bad with red stuff poking out of it. I find this scary. Really scary.

"Come on, let's go…" said Skittery, as he held out his hand for me.

Once again. Weird.

Actually, it wasn't that bad. Walking outside in pretty clothes with Skittery, hand in hand… what could go wrong? We suddenly came upon a small restaurant with a sign that said "Maria Teresa." Are you kidding me? He's taking me HERE? This is for hoity-toity (according to Jack) people go! People with money. Out of all the places…

"You did all of this?" I said, as he led me up the stairs towards the second floor that supposedly lead to our table.

"I had some strings pulled," said Skittery.

"Hah, you got that right."

You'd think that you'd keep on walking until you reach the top of the stairs, right? I thought so too. But Skittery just stopped at the top of the stairs and smiled at me. What the…?

"Come on, Skittery," I said, "don't tell me you're scared of those hoity-toity…"

Skittery chuckled and shook his head. "No, this is where I leave you."

Huh? And I thought things weren't going to get even weirder.

"But I thought you…"

"No, go on… its okay."

Now what was I to do? Say no? Of course not. So I walked on by myself and left Skittery by the stairs. Goodness, I feel so left out in this place… all of those people dressed up and wearing their jewels and… I'm not saying I need jewels or anything, but being a newsie all your life changes your perspective on things.

"Miss Kathryne?"

"Yeah?" I turned around to see a waiter all decked out in white. Geez, Skittery had this all planned out didn't he?

"Follow me, please."

I didn't know whether I should've been scared or what – but I followed the guy. He looked decent enough. We finally reached the farthest corner of the room, with windows overlooking the street outside. I don't think I realized that the waiter left me alone, because I was too preoccupied with what was standing in front of me. It was a guy – more or less my age. His back was turned to me, so I couldn't really tell who it was. But from what I could see, he had blonde-brown hair. That, and he's strong – because of the way he was standing, with authority and strength.

"Hello, Kathryne," said the mystery man slowly turning around. "I'm your date for tonight."

It didn't take me long to figure out who it was. Spot.

~*~

Shout-outs

Striker: hahah, i know you secretly love swifty! *wink* hahah, jk! and you DID say you liked shooters! :P

Kit Blink: all i gotta say is... you just gotta love christmas. ^^

Sapphy: awww, poor sapphy! *hugs* don't feel bad! *sings* i feel pretty! i feel pretty and witty and gay! whoa... that came OUTTA NOWHERE. :P that's what i get for staying up until one in the morning on a saturday night.

JustDuck: lmao, i thought that first line you wrote was funny. *nod* aw, thankies! ^^

FrenchyGoil: hahah, you're a sneaky one with the presents thing! hahah. aw, don't worry, everything gets sorted out on christmas day. lol! yeah, and the bag's comin'! *gasps* squirrel!!! hahahh! i know what a squirrel is, but i didn't know what the official meaning of it was! that's good then... go look up words you don't know! here, i'll give you one! *draws a blank* maybe later, ok?

Emu: wow, first review that's not an email! hahah, you know i was even thinking whether i portrayed you right or wrong! lol. i seem to be good at this thing... hahah. ooh, and i can't wait to see what happens with your ff! *hugs swifty* poor kid.

Deanie: But everybody needs to rant now and then, right? right. *nod* hahah. you know what? i've planned out everything for everybody, but i have no idea what to do for ershey (myself!) hahah! aw, well, everybody hates school - but its good for you. wow, that sounds like i'm making you take your vitamins or something. lol. and yup, i'm a freshman.