Author's Note: Let me know if you were expecting this twist, K?

And thanks to:

Holiday

Dragonfly

Lucky

Lange

for reviewing the last chapter.  *MWAH*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

August 20, 1899

Dear Journal,

Oh my goodness, you will never believe what happened today.  I just got word about what happened and I'm sitting here in the lodging house, numb and in shock. 

"Wake up, wake up!"

Secrets rolled over in her bunk and ignored the frantic voice.

But Iris didn't.  "What's da mattah, Dragonfly?"

Dragonfly panted heavily as she leaned against the frame of the door, using it for support.

"Dragonfly?" Rae questioned as she, too, crawled out of her cozy bunk and addressed the excited newsie.

"Guess what?" Dragonfly began before sinking to the floor in exhaustion.  She had woken early and headed to the distribution center so that she was first in line.  While she was waiting there, anxious to rub in Race's face that she had won their bet, she overheard some of the workers discussing a certain article.  "New York Orphan Slain in Back Alley" was the headline they were discussing.

Upon hearing that it was an orphan that was murdered, Dragonfly's curiousity was peaked.  She waited until she heard their voices no longer and snuck inside, eager to snatch a paper to read while she stood outside the order window.

Once she had the paper in her hand, Dragonfly searched through the pages for the article.  And there it was, page three.  "New York Orphan Slain in Back Alley."  She skimmed the article and a few choice words leapt out.  Female...Around seventeen or eighteen... Long light brown curls... wide golden eyes... Dressed as a common newsgirl except for a simple silver chain on her neck... Stabbed seven times in the back...On the forehead of the victim was a blood red kiss mark...

Dragonfly almost dropped the paper onto the ground.  "Stress?  Naw, it couldn't be..."  Dragonfly reread the article three more times before shaking her head.  Stress was known for the silver chain she wore around her neck, a present from her mother right before she had died.  And the similarities in appearance were quite uncanny.  Dragonfly looked over to where the sun was beginning to rise.  "Maybe I should go ovah ta da lodgin' house an' let da uddahs know.  Even if it ain't Stress, it might jist be a goil we know."

And, still clutching the paper in her hand, Dragonfly left her post at the Distribution Center's doors, heading back to the Bottle Alley Lodging House.

As she stood, leaning against the doorway, she tried to catch her breath as quickly as possible as to spread the news.  "Guess what?"

Holiday yawned and stretched out on her bunk.  "Can't it wait 'til we'se at da distribution centah, Dragonfly?"

Dragonfly shook her head and quickly searched the bunkroom for Stress' familiar face.  "Hey, Hol, wheah's Stress?"

Holiday followed Dragonfly's gaze and shrugged her shoulders.  "I dunno, prolly wit' Jack.  Ain't dat wheah she awlways is?"

Iris exchanged a look with Rae before interrupting Holiday and Dragonfly's conversation.  "Naw, dey got in a huge stink yestahday.  What's da mattah, Dragonfly?  Ya came runnin' in heah like a wild woman a moment ago.  is sumting wrong."

"Yeah, lissen.  'A young orphan girl was found slain in a back alley early this morning.  The girl, a young girl, around seventeen or eighteen years of age, had long light brown curls and wide golden eyes and was dressed as a common newsgirl except for a simple silver chain on her neck.'  Yadda yadda yadda, deah's moah ta da article.  But heah dis.  'On the forehead of the victim was a blood red kiss mark.'  Now, I hate ta say dis, but don't dat goil sound like it could be Stress?"

All the girls in the lodging house, girls just waking up to start their day, paused as they listened to Dragonfly read aloud from the paper.  The first one to comprehend what she was saying, Gip, scoffed at the idea.  "Naw, deah must be some uddah goil like dat in Manhattan.  I mean, Stress can't be dead."

"I dunno, Gip.  Dey did mention a goil wit' a silver chain." Moneybags said thoughtfully as she sat indian-style on the bunk and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"True." added Dice.

Hades looked around at all the girls in surprise.  "Lissen ta you'se.  When we finish decidin' wheddah or not Stress was killed...  I mean, why don't we go lookin' fer her.  I'se shoah she's fine."

Chorusses of "Yeah"'s and "Good idea, Hades"'s rang through the lodging house as the girls reached for their selling clothes and began to prepare themselves for the day.

Only two girls, Dragonfly and Secrets, stood where they were.  Dragonfly was still a little worried.  Truth be told, she was convinced that the article made it out that it was Stress that was killed.  Secrets, on the other hand, was preoccupied about something else entirely.

"Whaddya mean, deah was a kiss mark on her forehead?" Secrets asked.

Dragonfly looked at Secrets as if she were insane.  Here she was, telling all of the girls that one of their own, Stress, might have been killed and all Secrets was interested in was the fact that the murderer had kissed the victim goodbye.  "Dat's what da pape said.  Heah, look fer yourself."  Dragonfly tossed Secrets the crumpled newspaper before turning to speak to Moody.

Secrets caught the paper easily and began to read the article. 

            And what makes this murder more curious than the others in the past few weeks was the murderer's signature.  On the forehead of the victim was a blood red kiss mark.  Upon

closer inspection, the police were able to discern that it was, in fact, the victim's own blood. 

The...

That was as far as Secrets got.  As a searing pain shot through her head, she fell down onto the floor, the paper floating carelessly from her fingertips.

It was the day after she had received word of Nicolas' death.  Layna was dwelling outside of Madame Pearson's office, her head down on her lap. To the average bystander she looked to be grieving the loss of her only friend.  But she wasn't.

Instead she was eavesdropping on a conversation being held by Madame Pearson and Officer Murphy.  "But Officer, why do they think it was a young girl who killed poor Nicolas?"

Layna began to tremble as she heard Officer Murphy sigh and then speak.  "Well, you see ma'am, it's true that the boy was stabbed.  Stabbed, seven times right in his back.  But that wasn't what was strange about the murder.  What was strange was the fact that he had a kiss mark, a child-sized kiss mark, directly in the middle of his forehead."

"Yes, that is quite strange."

"But that's not the worst of it, ma'am.  The kiss mark wasn't done in lipstick as we initially thought.  The kiss mark was made from spilt blood."

Layna grimaced at the thought.  "Dat shoah is seven kinds o' creepy." she murmured to herself.

"Do you have any suspects, Officer Murphy?"  Madame Pearson's curious nature was beginning to stir.

Though she couldn't actually see him, Layna knew that Officer Murphy was shaking his head.  "Sorry, ma'am.  The only idea we might have is if he had any enemies here at the orphanage.  There was no sign of a struggle, so we can only assume that the murderer somehow knew the victim."

"Oh, I see."

"Well, I'll let you know if we find anything out, as I'm sure you will do the same for the police."

"Oh, definitely.  If I hear any word of a connection to Nicolas' death, I'll be sure to let you know."

Layna heard them rustling and quickly jumped up and ran to her room.  You got two weeks indoor punishment if you were caught snooping around the headmistress' office.

"Secrets?"

Secrets slowly opened her eyes as the remnants of her unconsiousness faded with every second that passed.  "David?"

"Secrets, are you alright?" David's look of concern scared here.

Secrets nodded slowly, looking around the bunkroom and finding it empty.  "Wheah is ev'ryone?"

David shrugged.  "I think they all went to comfort Jack.  He just came back from the coroner with Kloppman."

Secrets looked at him, confused.  "What was Jack and Kloppman doin' at da coronah's?"  With her most recent fainting spell, Secrets had plum forgot that one of their own was killed.

David sighed and stayed where he was.  "Didn't you hear?  I thought that was why you passed out?"

"Oh my Gawd, I almost fergot.  Did dey find out who was killed?" Secrets covered her mouth with her hand.

David slowly nodded.  "The police went around and asked anyone if they knew who the mystery orphan was that was killed late last night.  Someone sent them over to the lodging house early this morning and Jack went with them.  From what he told me before I came here to get you, the police knew that the victim was a Manhattan newsie and Jack figured that, as the leader of the Manhattan newsies, he was the best man for the job of identifying the victim.  Unfortunately for Jack, he did recognize the girl.  Secrets, it was Stress who was murdered last night."

Yes, I've just received word from David that Jack went down to the coroner to see if it was Stress.  It was.

"Oh, Dave.  I'se so sorry." Secrets got up slowly and walked over to where David stood, leaning against the edge of the bunk as if he would collapse if it weren't there.

David looked down at Secrets, tears visible in his blue eyes.  "Me too, Secrets."  He opened his arms and welcomed Secrets into his embrace.  "She was one of my best friends," he murmured into her hair.

 "Just a friend?" Secrets whispered, jealously, though she regretted the comment the moment it was uttered.

David pulled away from Secrets and stared at her in disbelief.  "Secrets, I just found out that my best friend was murdered and all you care about is whether or not I liked her as more than a friend.  Well I'm going to be honest with you.  Yes, I loved her.  She was one of my closest friends.  Is that what you wanted to hear?"  David opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped when he noticed that she was flinching.  "I'm sorry, but it's kind of hard to find out that your friend has been killed.  I've never had to deal with that before."

As she watched her boyfriend collapse onto the floor and dissolve into sobs, Secrets felt a twinge of guilt.  David was going through exactly what she went through when she found out Nicolas was killed.  "I'se sorry."

David nodded and began to head away.  "I know.  And, are you alright?  I was a little worried when Dice told me that you had blacked out upon hearing that one of your new friends were dead."

"Yeah, I'se fine."  She didn't want to get into the details about how it was Nicolas' death that made her pass out.

"Well, now that I know you're O.K., I'm going to go back to the lodging house and talk to Jack.  I think he's going to need all the help he can get right now."

"I'll go too," she offered at once.

"No, I think it would be better if I talked to Jack alone.  I hate to be rude or anything but I don't think you'd be any help today.  Remember, you've only been her for a few days and you don't know how Jack gets at times."

Secrets felt an uncharacteristic flash of anger course through her body but pushed it to the side at once.  "Shoah, Dave.  Have fun."

"Thanks, Secrets." David walked over and kissed Secrets on the cheek.  "I'll talk to you later."

"Latah."

Secrets stared at the door long after David had walked out of it.  When she finally realized that he wasn't coming back any time soon, Secrets turned over on her bunk and, laying on her belly, pulled her journal out.

Layna,

No need to say thank you. 

Kisses

What?!