Keeping it Safe
Chapter Six: Regroup

"Too much happens in a day. Not enough."

I bolted. Inside I was screaming, outside crying, shaking, stumbling down the stairs a clattering mess. I flew past the other patrons, oblivious to their displeasure and snide remarks. Outside it was still pouring and I slipped on the slick cobblestones and landed hand on my elbows. I scrambled to get up and took off again, adrenaline pumping with the fear of someone chasing me, Swifty, Bumlets, Snitch… Pie's ghost. But my steps echoed along in the rain and after a few blocks I slowed to a painful walk, wheezing… my ribs were still sore from my 'talk' with Bumlets and I had twisted an ankle during my fall outside McSweeney's.

I made my way back to the Lodging House, the last place I wanted to go and the only place I had. I didn't have any idea what would greet me there, but it was sure to be better than what I had left.

A sudden thought slowed my stride. Swifty. This is the first place he'd look. But what reason would Swifty have to bring me harm? Ok, I had been close to Pie. But he had been closer. I decided to chance it - my mind was too cold to think of any other option. I made out the familiar sign in the rain and let myself in, though the streets were dark and deserted it was still on the early side of the night, and I probably wouldn't be the last to enter.

The bottom floor was empty, or so I thought as I signed my name in carefully practiced letters, but the creak of a chair argued otherwise. Bumlets appeared in the doorway to the house's office and leaned casually against the frame. He inspected his nails, silent, but a degree of tension flooded into the room that made it hard for me to breathe. Bumlets seemed content in the quiet, gazing at me through half lidded eyes. I watched all this from the corner of my vision, finished signing in and made for the stairs, moving slowly. I got to the top and glanced back down, but there was nothing.

"Snoddy. There you are," Racetrack ushered me into the bunkroom. "I was wondering when you'd get back." His gaze flickered to the shadows near the door, almost too quick for me to catch. I looked over on my own accord, and there was Snitch, the ever watchful eye.

"Come on," Race said loudly. "Join us for the next hand of poker." I followed him over wordlessly. Something was up.

My seat was between Jake and Specs, with Dutchy on Specs' other side. Race was across from me and Skittery and Blink sat on either side of him. I blinked.

"Skittery?!"

Skittery looked up from his hand and nodded a greeting.

"I thought you went to Jersey for good."

"I'm back," he said dryly. "It… didn't work out so well. Sounds like a missed a lot."

I glanced at my hand but didn't really see the cards. Even more surprising to see at the table was Blink - Blink without Jack. He looked a little nervous but not unhappy. I tried to study him without being obvious, tried to see what he was doing here. I knew the company I was in, the quiet ones, like me, who saw all and said little. The poker game was a cover up, almost like a disguise. With Bumlets in charge - if it truly was that way - everyone would have to keep quiet and act normal.

I picked up my cards again. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Specs muttered from behind his hand. "Almost disappointing, really."

Dutchy flicked a few pennies onto the table. Race looked shocked.

"This is a gentleman's game!" He cried. "Make a gentleman's bet!"

"You're right," Dutchy said coolly, and removed a penny from his wager. Race chuckled.

"Bumlets didn't even enter the 'House until he knew you two - you and Pie - where gone," he said in a low voice. "I know. I was right behind him."

"He watched you until you had turned down third," Skittery agreed, looking bored. "Smug little bastard."

I kept my eyes down. All I could think about was Pie, and the expression on his face. I was having a hard time keeping it together. I could feel Skittery's eyes on me, and cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Call," he said in response to someone else's prodding, then, "where did you go, Snoddy?" I knew it would come up… and Skittery was the only one bold enough - ignorant enough - to say it. All the others knew everything that had been happening and knew not to bug me about it, but Skittery had an excuse. I could see he enjoyed exercising that power. I waited until Specs had folded to speak.

"Call," I said, and dropped in my money. "I went to follow Pie, to bring him back."

"Raise… two… where?" Jake was speaking now.

I leaned back in my chair and stretched, looking nonchalantly over to the door where Snitch still resided, himself still surveying the room lazily. "McSweeney's," I murmured finally, and only Race showed any sign of recognition, he cringed.

"Where's he now?" Race asked. "Raise, four."

"McSweeney's," I repeated, and hoped Snitch's ears weren't as good as his eyes. Race sucked his breath in through his teeth. Blink's 'call' was barely audible, even at the silence of our table. Elsewhere the din was increasing as the last stragglers came in for the night… Jack among them.

"Damn," Skittery drawled, his face slowly lighting up into an almost hopeful expression. He loved to make fun of Jack more than anything. Skittery stood up and moved away still carrying his cards.

"Kid has the attention span of a housefly," Race grumbled. I noticed that Blink was looking especially uncomfortable. Race leaned in over the table. "Tell me what happened," he said urgently. My face was still full of questions. He sighed. "Yes, Bumlets is in control, no, he didn't do it alone. Now, what about Pie?"

I wanted to forget Pie. "What about Swifty!?" I demanded, a little louder than I meant to.

Race looked confused. "What about him?" He sat back in his chair, looking at my warily. Again I lowered my eyes to my cards, which by then I had memorized several times over.

"Don't make him talk if he don't want to," Jake said. "What does it matter anyway, now?"

"Call," Race said.

I twisted around in my chair to search for Snitch again, and couldn't find him. "I don't feel comfortable talking in here," I said. "It's not safe. I know it."

"It's perfectly safe!" A strangely cheery voice entered our circle and Snitch put me into a 'friendly headlock' that was a little tighter than necessary. I swallowed with a bit of effort.

"Lemme go."

Snitch released me with another 'playful' push that set my chair on two legs and me almost to the floor. Jack then appeared and took Skittery's empty seat. No one was paying attention to the game anymore, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Race carefully gathering the coins into his palms. Jack and Snitch had a sort of stare down before Snitch turned away, muttering something about locking up.

"Hello, boy," Jack said, looking only slightly less than sober.

Echoes of 'hello' drifted back towards him. Specs and Dutchy found a reason to leave and did so, blushing as they bumped into each other in their haste to get away. I sighed and relinquished my cards.

"How ya doing, Jack?" I said and tried to be interested in the answer. Jack loved an audience.

"Mad as a fox!" Skittery said gleefully. He took Dutchy's seat with a grin. "Drunk as a fish."

Jack snorted and threw a comradely arm around Skittery's shoulder… it only took him three tries.

"Noo," he said. I exchanged an exasperated glance with Race, who looked fit to kill. Race finished clearing away the table's money and cleared his throat.

"So, Jack," he said. "What do ya think about Bumlets being in charge round these parts?"

Jack was giggling, but stopped at Race's words. "What?"

"Bumlets," I said. "He's in charge now."

"Hell," Jack said, and stood up. I cast another, slightly panicked glance towards Race, but he just shrugged. Skittery was having a grand old time, and chuckled before standing up himself.

"Jacky!" Skittery exclaimed. "Lemme help ya. Where you going?"

Jack rubbed at his eyes. "There," he said, and motioned vaguely to the floor. After a pause he pointed towards the door to the stair. "No. There."

I knew what that meant, and resisted standing up myself, instead staying hunched over in my chair. I could tell from the sudden decrease in noise and Jack's loud, slurred curses that Bumlets had finally decided to grace us with his presence.

"Shit," Race muttered, and disappeared to the back of the bunkroom. I wanted to do the same but remained glued to my chair by some unknown force. I turned my head.

Bumlets shut the door behind him and looked around slowly, a smirk growing on his lips.

"I hope I'm not going to have any trouble here," he said as his eyes landed on me, Jake, Skittery, and the other, older inhabitants. "Looks like some of you may be getting a little long in the tooth for this business."

My eyes narrowed. Of course. Get rid of the ones who could do something, the ones who could hurt you.

"Fucking greaser… I'll give ya… trouble," Jack said. I winced. Skittery almost giggled. Bumlets caught sight of Jack and glowered. Snitch, who was standing at his right, had a sort of amused sneer on his face. Jack stumbled forward and steadied himself on another boy's shoulder. "Let's go," he said to Bumlets. "Here… go… let's now. Uhm… me and you. Right."

I stood up then. Jack may have usually been the better fighter, but he was drunk, and Bumlets, who could hold his own, never touched alcohol. While Jack smiled around at the crowd that had begun to develop, Bumlets scowled and pushed up his sleeves.

"Fine," Bumlets spat. "I'd love to embarrass you one last time."

Jack cackled, then ducked as Bumlets' first punch was thrown. He grabbed onto Bumlets' wrist but caught Bumlets' other hand in the jaw before he was able to do anything. Jack let go, backed away, and stood straighter with a light in his eyes.

"Whoooo!" He cried. Yeah, Jack was drunk alright. But not nearly as badly as he had made us believe. Bumlets lost a bit of his shine, no longer was he so positive.

They circled each other, Jack only occasionally falling into a misstep, Bumlets almost shaking with concentration. I made my way to the group and pushed to the front of the circle, absorbing in the excitement that was in the air. Race, who I thought had been hiding, was up to his usual mischief and reputation, wandering around and taking bets from the younger kids and older suckers.

Bumlets made his move so quickly I almost missed it. The next time Jack stumbled over himself Bumlets lunged in, throwing a fake with his right fist so he could strike Jack with his left. And Jack fell for it too, in every way possible - he went to block the right, which fell short, and was caught off guard from Bumlets' surprisingly strong attack from the left. His cheek absorbed the blow but still sent him staggering sharply to the right. Bumlets brought his right fist back and nailed Jack with an uppercut that sent him reeling and a final push to land him on the floor.

Jack's head hit the wood with a resounding crack but even as that was happening his legs were moving and a second later Bumlets too found himself earth bound. Jack rolled over and grabbed a fistful of Bumlets' hair, using it as a hold to smash his head into the floor. Bumlets kicked out and managed to hit Jack in the stomach, but Jack wouldn't let go and gave his head another push.

I watched in horror. His face running with blood, Bumlets let loose an almost cat-like snarl and kicked out again, landing a lucky hit to Jack's knee. Jack cried out and released his hold, then stood up, favoring the knee. Bumlets scooted away before standing up himself.

I guessed it was the combined effect of alcohol and Bumlets' blood on his hands that gave Jack an unneeded boost of confidence. He was the next to make an attack, an awkward sort of run that Bumlets easily stepped away from. Bumlets grabbed both of his shoulders and steadied him, then forced him against the wall and began to do his best to mess Jack's face up. Jack let himself slump in Bumlets' grasp, defeated, but if Bumlets noticed this, he didn't show it - he didn't lighten up on his assault or even acknowledge the fact that Jack was no longer struggling. I turned away.

Skittery almost knocked me flat when he brushed by, eyes angry and hands carrying a wide piece of wood that was always kicking around the bunkroom. Racetrack used it to keep track of who owed him what, and the board passed so close to my head that I could read the chicken scratch.

Skittery wasted no time. He crossed the rest of the distance in two stride and smashed the flat side of the board against the back of Bumlets' head. Bumlets collapsed to the floor, with Jack on top of him, both seeming to be unconscious. But Skittery, he was mad. And I think he would have gone in for another hit with the board if a new pair of hands hadn't steadied his own.

Swifty was back.

Author's Note: We are now taking votes for 'which Newsie in this story do you actually LIKE?!' contact Keza for more info… Heh heh heh. Chapter seven and chapter eight actually shouldn't be too far behind, so, hurrah! I'm psyched because I may actually finish a story. (Current number of chaptered stories finished: one. Oye vey.)

Reviewers! Woo! -encourages-
Cards: HAHA! I know. The ultimate sacrifice, eh? Or is that slashing your favorite Newsie? I can never get it straight. Alas, you are in the real world, and I am insane. What's new, really?
Tabloid: -mad sixing- Glad you like it. We can at least have ghost!Pie build us our castle, or something. Poor Snoddy is too much of a wuss to really do anything. Aye yi yi.
Falco Conlon: I SO did not lie and you will see and you will… uhm… be wrong! HAH! Why? BECAUSE.
Thistle: Nope, there's actually no slash in this story… well… except for some random bits of awkward, implied Dutchy/Specs. (Spiff!) The Swifty and Pie stuff will be explained fairly soon.
Lute: Jazzy jazz jazz woo. -blink- Join the non-trusting club. -grumble-
Shade: Sorry, he already (tried to) washed the blood off his hands… maybe next time? I mean… oi.
Mondie: NEENER NEENER NEENER! (-is mature-)
ershey: That mental kicking can get taxing, trust me, I know. Yes! More Race! Race is cool! And there will be MUCH more Race to come. Hurrah! Swifty's quite cuckoo 'up there.' Yes… a sketchy fellow, that one. I'm glad you're liking it! I hope it continues to surprise you.
Llama: I feel like I've been reviving people a lot these days. I'm gonna miss Pie. -sigh- Oh, and tell me about exams, man! Tomorrow is my last day, thank god.