Hey, third chapter! YAY!
Shout ins:
Kate Lawrence: And enter! THE GREAT KATE LAWRENCE! I hope you like this new chapter! I wrote it with you in mind. :) Your reviews are wonderful, too. (Hugs Kate)
CiCi: Oh, I know EXACTLY how you feel! I don't like it when they immediately know what's going on and WHY they're back in time. And I don't want the newsies to be such softies that they instantly fall head over heels. Yeah, when I was writing this, I was really striving to avoid that. Hope I still am. Let me know what you think of the chapter! (Hugs CiCi) Oh, and I loved your paper!
Raven: I haven't written your chapter, yet, but I hope to soon! Let me know what you think of this. Yes, you and Spot get to hang out. :D Don't worry. The reason she's there will be revealed...heheh. Thank you for the awesome reviews! (Hugs Raven)
Sureshot Higgins: Thank you, daaaaahling! And Kristen isn't ditzy in this. I met this girl the other day that kind of helped me see her in my head. Anyway, Kristen is already getting to be a favorite character here. I think Tanya likes her, too. Let me know what happens with American Idol since I can't see it tonight, will you? (Hugs Sureshot)
Lil Rain Angel: Lol. Yeah, I would definitely need my inhaler during any kind of time travel. (Wheezes slightly) Thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter! (Gives lil rain a hug)
Imaginelet: I love your pen name! Yeah, my dad liked that part with the dress, too. Which is cool. My dad's a tough critic. Thanks so much for reviewing! Let me know what you think of this chapter! (Hugs let)
Disclaimer: Disney owns the movie Newsies
The song in this chapter is from the musical "Calamity Jane" with Doris Day (great movie...)
The real people own themselves
Kate is owned by Kate Lawrence
Kristen is owned by Sureshot
Tanya is mine. Mine. MINE. So is Mr. Siding. (He's Warden Snyder's cousin, "in case yous was wonderin'.) Oh, yes, I am also the owner of Siding Hall. I give performances there regularly. :D
Merrily we roll along...
Tanya's stomach was starting to make embarrassing noises. Rooooowwwwwrrrgggfff!
She pulled her arms tighter around herself and tried to ignore the hollow rumblings her empty belly was producing. One more tiny proof that this was no dream.
"Think about somethin' besides food," the voice in her head advised.
"Like what?"
"Like wheah you're gonna sleep tonight?"
Tanya groaned, "You had to bring that up, didn't you?"
"Hey, you act like this is my fault!"
"It probably is!"
The voice was silent for moment. "You must be really hungry. You're not usually this irrational."
"Arrrrrrrrggh!" Tanya shook herself. "Okay, think. I need food and shelter. How would a girl go about acquiring that in 1900?"
"Get married?" the voice asked innocently.
"Shut up. You are no help!"
"You could try getting a job."
"Doing...?"
A bespectacled newsie passed her, wielding a paper. "Mayah seen dancin' wid chorus goil! That shockin' vaudeville scandal right heah!"
Tanya stood up...
"Yer an actress?" the man eyed Tanya skeptically, his moustache twitching oddly.
Tanya threw her shoulders back as she perched herself on the man's desk. "But of course! Tanya Farthing-the lovely penny queen of the vaudeville stage!"
"How come I nevah hoid a you befoah now?"he queried suspiciously.
The girl raised her eyebrows with surprise. "You say you've never heard of me?" She snorted, "I think I've come to the wrong theater. What kind of a showman hasn't heard of the most sought-after actress in Chicago?"
The man squirmed in his chair. "Well, I may have...heard the name in passing."
Tanya pushed herself off the desk disgustedly. "You don't say. Well, I think I'll be going now. You wouldn't happen to know how to get to Irving Hall from here, would you?"
The man huffed, flustered, "Now wait a minute. I thought you were in here for a job."
"Well...I was." She put a dainty hand to the tip of her nose. "But I was expecting more deference from such a distinguished theater." She walked slowly towards the door.
"2 dollahs a night. And the tips you can manage."
Twirling gracefully around, Tanya seemed to consider this. A hand on her hip she walked closer and leaned forward into his face, nearly choking on his putrid breath. Her hazel eyes met his green eyes staunchly. "Ya got yourself one heck of a deal, Mister Siding."
He smiled (or winced) grimly.
A crash sounded from up the back stairs. Tanya followed the man out of the room.
Sniding shook his head as several giggles and an audible curse burst from one of the dressing rooms. Mounting the stairs he paused at the top and sighed as if trying to calm himself. And then, without knocking, he threw the door open.
Tanya had crept up behind him and could see three young women, two sprawled precariously on top of the other. The redhead rested on her elbow and winked mischievously at Sniding before she and the brunette burst head long into another round of giggles. There was a sudden movement and the two were thrown off as the furious third stood up. Her midnight colored hair fell down her back as she glared ferociously at the other two girls, "I swear I'm gonna..." she saw Tanya then. "Don't tell me. You're new."
Sniding rolled his eyes and left the girls standing there, sizing each other up.
"My name's Tanya." She started to hold out her hand then drew it back. This girl didn't look like the shaking hands type.
"This is Kristen," the raven-haired girl announced, elbowing the redhead. She smiled half-heartedly than giggled at the gangly brunette's antics.
"Katherine, say hello to Tanya." Katherine stopped trying to distort her face and smiled sheepishly, "Hello." She then promptly returned to crossing her eyes much to the amusement of Kristen.
The girl watched the two with resignation than looked up again at Tanya, "I'm Kate."
Tanya nodded.
Kate seemed to accept this greeting. "Well, I guess that wraps up introductions. Except for Priscilla. You'll have to meet her." The way Kate said it and the way the other girls quit laughing made Tanya wonder if she wanted to.
She didn't have time to decide. The door burst open and a blonde haired, blue eyed doll stepped across the threshold. "Have you girls seen my fan?"
"It's on the dressing table."
Priscilla snatched it up and waved it in front of her flushed rouged face. Her eyes traveled from face to face and landed on Tanya. "And who are you?" she demanded.
"She's new," offered Kristen.
"Really?" Priscilla's voice dripped with sarcasm. She looked the girl up and down, her feathers fluttering with the breeze from her fan. "What's your name?"
"Tanya."
"Katherine, Kristen, Kate, and Tanya..." Priscilla's mouth turned suddenly to a pout, "Your name doesn't go with the others."
Tanya's eyes sparkled, "That's because I'm one of a kind." She threw her arms wide and gave the other girls a dazzling smile. They snickered.
Priscilla sniffed, "I like all my girls to have the same kind of name. It helps make my performance as the star stand out more."
"Yeah, just the way the rest of you stands out," muttered Kate, "Like a sore thumb."
The blond whirled around to stare at Kate, "You hush! I am in charge here!" She turned back to Tanya, gave her the once over, and sniffed again.
"Gentlemen, Siding Hall invites you to welcome the breath-taking darling of New York...Miss Priscilla Manning!" The applause was loud and rowdy as Priscilla threw herself on from backstage.
Tanya choked back a guffaw. Now was not the time to lose her job. But the way the girl pranced around the stage like a powdered gorilla was just flat out amusing.
She and Kate entered next, followed by Katherine and Kristen.
The whistling and cat-calls increased but Tanya was enjoying the show so much she didn't notice.
Priscilla twirled around and then threw her arms out in front of her...
I've got two wonderful arms
I've got two wonderful lips
I'm over twenty-one and I'm free
Oh, I've got a hive full a honey
For the right kinda honey bee
Kate stepped forward then...
I'm not the glamorous type
But I'm the amorous type
You love the way I sit on your knee
A young man with blue eyes and dirty blond hair shouted, "Don't yous wish, Kate!"
There were mixed cries as Kate leaned down to say loud enough for the front row to hear, "Watch yourself, Conlon."
All the girls joined in...
Oh, I've got a high full a honey
For the right kinda honey bee
It was then that Tanya noticed the newsboys in the second row. The guy called "Conlon," one with an eyepatch-Blink she remembered, a brown-skinned boy with curly hair and a sweet smile-was it Mush, a guy older than the rest with an intense expression-ah, the strike leader Kelly, and on the end the one she had seen earlier-the boy she had bought the paper from, the cigar still dangling from his mouth, his brown eyes wide...Racetrack, wasn't it? They were cheering and whistling along with the rest and didn't seem to notice her watching them at all.
Priscilla was bouncing to the end of the stage where she could blow kisses at the audience.
...my daddy owns a railroad
and my ma is a millionaire
and besides I'm an only child
do you think you could learn to care?
"I could!" Blink hollered.
Priscilla blew a kiss.
Tanya strolled her way to center stage, taking a moment to pose in her costume before singing...
If you're the one I adore
Come on and get it before
Somebody shakes it down from the tree...
Tanya caught Racetrack's eyes. He recognized her from the street. She saw him lean over and whisper something to Jack, making a motion towards her.
Everyone in the theater sang...
Oh, I've got a hive full a honey
For the right kinda honey bee!
Priscilla bounded back to the center and repeated...
I've got two wonderful arms
I've got two wonderful lips
I"m over twenty one and I'm freeeeeeeeee!
Oh, I've got a hive full a honey
For the right kinda honey bee!
The applause had been tremendous as the curtain fell and the girls hurried backstage to their dressing rooms. Once inside, they begin to talk excitedly and laugh at the funny compliments they had received.
A knock came at the door. Kate walked over and leaned against it, "Yeah?"
Siding's voice could be heard, "Deah's a gentleman ta see one a yous."
Kate opened the door a crack, her eyes narrowing to slits, "If that's Spot out theah, tell him ta jump off the Brooklyn Bridge!"
Siding sighed and went back down the stairs to relay the message to the Brooklyn leader.
Priscilla pushed the door open then. "Where's my fan?" she shrieked.
"I have no idea," said Kate, pulling the pins out of her dark hair.
"Did you leave it on the stage?" Katherine asked, unbuttoning the garter from her leg.
Priscilla's face turned purple, "You!" she announced, pointing at Kristen, "Get me my fan!"
Kristen, who was leaning against the far wall, looking cross, "Why should I have to get your fan? I'm not your slave." The idea somehow struck both her and Katherine as hysterical and they burst out laughing.
"Yeah, me either!" declared Katherine, giggling.
Priscilla looked at Kate. The girl ignored her and continued to remove flowers from her hair.
"Get. My. Fan." Priscilla said.
Kate looked at her calmly, "I'll get your fan the day you get over yourself."
Tanya thought the blond was going to have a stroke. She rolled her eyes, "I'll get it." Out the door, and down the steps, she opened the door to the back stage area and was just stepping inside when she heard voices around the corner of the wall.
"Dat's the goil I was showin' ya, Jack. The looney one on the street this mownin'"
"Yeah, I sees 'er, Race."
"Not bad looking, dough, is she? Wondah if she's okay, now."
She could hear the grin in Kelly's voice, "Well, why don't yous go ask her, Racetrack?"
"Yeah, Racetrack!" a chorus of boyish voices echoed their leader.
Racetrack's face appeared then. She pretended not to have seen him and appeared very interested in the fabric of traveler curtain.
"Hey, uh, miss, yous prolly don't recall meetin' the likes a me this mownin' but I just wanted ta make shoa yous was feelin' bettah."
Tanya looked at him then, "Yes, I remember you," she said.
"Oh, good," he nodded, not sure what to say after that.
"Thank you for worrying about me. It was very sweet of you."
The cackles from the newsies standing behind him listening made the boy's face go bright red. He recovered quickly, "Yeah, well, shoa thing." He shrugged and started to leave but turned back, "I'm Anthony Higgins. But everybody just calls me Racetrack. In case you was wonderin' or somethin'."
"It's nice to meet you, Racetrack." Talk about the Twilight Zone...
"Uh, ya gotta name?"
She blushed slightly, "Tanya. Tanya Farthing."
Racetrack stared at his hand for a moment. For a second, she wondered if he was going to try spit-shaking with her. But he simply held it out.
She took it. It was a warm friendly hand.
"Well, uh, I'd bettah be goin'. Yous have a nice night."
"Thank you."
He turned to follow his friends out the door. Pausing at the front doors, he turned around and yelled back, "Yous was great up dere!"
And then he was gone.
She shivered as she realized the spookiness of the whole encounter. "Wow," she murmured, picking up Priscilla's fan from the stage floor.
a/n: Did you like it? (Becomes demanding and petulant) Review. NOW! (Small, pleading voice) please? I hope to have another chapter soon but we have soooo much company coming this weekend that it may take me more than a day. We'll see. Reviews make me go faster! (Hint...hint) Love you all!
Legs comments on:
Medda- I think she looks soooo funny singing, "then you said toodle-ee-doo..." her eyes get so big and everything.
Medda: Kelly! (Laughing) Where ya been, kid? Oh, I miss seeing you up in the balcony.
