A/N-welp, I'm here, and I'm updating. I've been really busy lately, and it's been hard for me to update, for my carpal tunnel is getting worse, not better. Also, I'm in the process of searching for/buying a car, so that's taking up a good amount of my time. WARNING: This chapter contains some cursing, so this is just an advance warning. I try not to put so much in, but I decided that with the direction this story is going in right now, it's understandable that some people are strung out and cursing. And some characters being used in this chapter are the kind of people that curse. Now…
CHAPTER NINE: LOYALTY LIES IN LIESJack was a bit reluctant to accompany Spot on his next mission, but he knew that his loyalty lay with Spot, and was more than willing to help a friend in trouble. It was turning out to be an interesting day, first a deceleration of war, and now this, which could either be their break or downfall in the battle. Jack looked at Spot, whose face was impassive, just a block of stone with no visible emotion. But by looking at Spot's hand, and the fact that he was spinning his cane around incessantly, Jack could tell he was anxious, nervous, and maybe even a little scared.
"Ya shoah dis'll woik?" Jack asked, jogging to catch up with Spot, who was walking quickly in front of him.
"If it doesn't, we'ah fucked" Spot said tersely. Jack only nodded, sensing Spot was in no mood for chitchat. The two leaders entered the into the Five Points area, a shiver running down Jack's spine. He wasn't looking forward to this encounter. The stories he had heard about this borough were frightening enough.
"Hey Conlon. Bout time ya got heah. Things ah goin down da shittah wit dis whole Fist and Donovan thing" a voice spoke out from the shadows of an alley. Out stepped a grimy looking boy, not older than 15. A ratty hat adorned his head, with pieces of dirty, unruly brown hair sticking out from underneath it. Across his face was a thick red scar, running from the middle of his left eyebrow to the middle of his cheek, crossing through his left eye. He turned towards Jack; his head tilted a little in a hostile manner, staring at him, his right green eye boring into Jacks skull, his left eye opaque and glazed over. Another shiver ran down Jack's spine and the kid blinked, turning back toward Spot.
"Nice ta see you'se too Howlah" Spot replied, spitting into his hand and shaking Howler's.
"We've been waitin foah ya" the boy continued, ignoring Jack. "Hell isn't gonna announce sides til tonight. If you'se hadn't came…" Howler trailed off, before letting out a chilling laugh. "Dat don mattah now though. Follow me" Howler said with a jerk of his head in the direction of a worn down looking building, it's past function unknown now. Spot followed Howler without hesitation, but Jack took a little time deciding whether or not it was safe. A menacing look shot from Spot back towards him made up Jack's mind and he hurried to catch up.
The door of the building hung on one hinge, and the only light of the main hall came from two flickering candles and a dim oil lamp, with cracked glass. Howler led them down the hallway, past other boys in the same type of clothing as Howler, torn shirts, patched pants, and stains that ranged from dirt, to ink, to blood. The condition of the Five Points newsies alarmed Jack, he didn't make his way down here that often, for a reason. He'd heard rumors that they were tough, hard, and dirty, but Brooklyn was too. Comparing the two boroughs now though, Brooklyn looked like they were the children of aristocrats. There were rooms off the hall, few of them having actual doors. After peering in the first open door, and seeing what looked like a 14 year old boy having sex with an overly made up whore, Jack decided to keep his eyes straight ahead of him. An odd smell rose to his nose, a smell similar to that of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoke, but different. Jack took a quick glance down to see two newsies passing a pipe back and forth, which led Jack to the conclusion that they were smoking hashish, a relatively new concept to Jack. Howler stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall, which had plenty of wooden splinters coming off of it, and a large number of scratch markers.
"And I don't evah want ta heah from you'se again, ya undahstand you'se bastahd?" a female voice screamed from behind the door. "We'ah through! And if I see you'se one moah time, yoah gonna regret it. Yoah gonna regret everythin you'se evah said, ya son of a bitch!" the door then slammed open and out stormed an angry girl, almost 17, her red hair falling to her shoulders in choppy layers, and her green eyes filled with rage. She pushed past the three boys, and stomped down the hall, newsies scattering to clear the way for her. Upon reaching the front door, she gave it a large kick and left. The door shuddered from the blow, and after a bit of swinging, it collapsed from it's remaining hinge. A boy stopped in the doorway of the door Jack, Spot, and Howler stood in front of, looking very enraged, but fear lingered in his eyes.
"Dat is one crazy bitch" he said, combing a hand through his short black hair. Without another word, he walked down the hall, and stepped over the door, out into the outside. Jack turned to Howler incredulously, and Howler simply laughed in reply.
"Hell'll be back. Don worry" he replied, laughter in his voice. Spot nodded at his reply, but Jack was hesitant to believe him. After that display, he didn't know just what to expect now. He was starting to regret agreeing to accompany Spot.
"Relax Jack" Spot hissed into his ear, sensing Jack's tension. "Dis'll woik. It has to." Jack only nodded, trying to believe is friend, but finding it hard to. A few awkward minutes passed before, much to Jack's surprise, the girl who had stormed out earlier walked back in, a bottle wrapped in a paper back in one hand. It was at this moment that Jack was able to see her nails, which seemed more like claws. They were long, though not too long, but it wasn't the length that got to him. Her nails were filed to a sharp point, like five knives on the end of her fingers. She started to head straight toward them, presumably to re-enter the room, when her eyes locked upon Spot, and her face brightened a little.
"Dammit" she muttered, her lips turning up in a small smile. "I didn't see ya Spot. Ya shoulda stopped me. But now I sees ya, and I can guess why youah heah" the mirth in her voice had turned into a serious tone, and the smile disappeared. "Please…" she gestured to the room, door still open "…step inta me office." She turned to enter the room, before turning around, throwing a glance at Howler. "No one entahs. Undahstand?"
"Shoah thing Hell" Howler replied. "Enjoy yoahselfs." Spot nodded, and began to follow Hell into the room.
"C'mon Jack" he threw over his shoulder. "I need ya wit me." Reluctantly Jack followed Spot and Hell into the room, and was pleasantly surprised by the furnishings. To be completely honest, Jack half expected the room to be torn apart like the rest of the building, with perhaps only a thin mattress to sleep on. But this room was well furnished, with a mahogany bed, a small bedside table, a dresser, and a round wooden table, the top consisting of some scratch marks, surrounded by three matching chairs. Jack wondered if there was a fourth chair, and his eyes soon landed on the remains of the last chair, which appeared to have been thrown against the wall in rage.
"I was a bit worried ya wouldn't be comin Spot" Hell said, closing the door behind Jack. It was at this moment that she finally noticed Jack, and a look of suspicion crossed her face. "Who ah you'se?" she demanded fiercely.
"C'mon Hell, doncha recognize him? Dis is Jack Kelly, leadah of da Manhattan Newsies" Spot replied for his friend, who appeared a little shell shocked.
"Of coise" Hell laughed. "Fohgive me mannahs. I'm Hell Cat, leadah of da Five Points Newsies. But I guess you'se knew dat by now" she spit on her hand and offered it to Jack, who seemed a little wary of the claws. Deciding that it was in his best interest, Jack spit in his hand, and gave Hell's a firm shake.
"Honah ta meet you'se" he said as sincerely as he could. "Ya weahn't leadah durin da strike, weah ya?"
"Nah" Hell said lightly. "Though, I will admit dat da strike is da reason I'm leadah. It was da strike dat made us realize what a shitty leadah Gouge really was. I lead da uprising, I took da powah."
"What happened ta Gouge?" Jack asked, showing a little concern for the former leader. He had to admit, though, that Gouge hadn't exactly been that supportive during the strike, and seemed to back away from a lot of chances that they had.
"He left. Foah a long time. I don think he'll be comin back no time soon" Hell laughed again. "But yoah not heah ta talk about Gouge, ah ya? I think we'se got moah impoahtant issues ta deal wit." Hell pulled out a chair from the table and sat. "Please, have a seat." Spot and Jack both sat down, Jack looking intently at Hell, and Spot focusing on a spot on the wall.
"Well" Spot began, keeping his gaze on the spot. "I guess we ah heah ta get ya ta help us. Dat is, if ya haven't already pledged yoah alliance ta Donovan" this last word Spot spit out with much disdain in his voice.
"I hate dat bastahd" Hell said sharply. "I know, everyone thinks dat jus because I'm Irish, and he's Irish, dat I'm gonna help him. But dat's not how it woiks all da time. Shoah, theah's loyalty in background. But me? I find dat loyalty lies wit da people who share sometin in common. Such as da same lowly, doity job. Us newsies. We'ah da same, even if we don look da same. I don caeah if da gang decides ta join wit Donovan. I don caeah if ouah parents decide ta toin against us. Da newsies united once befoah ta help each othah, when help was needed. Now, newsies ah callin out foah help again, and we'ah gonna help, wit or witout da Five Points Gang. I know weah my loyalty lies" Hell turned her fierce green eyes on Spot, who met her gaze with one just as fierce, but with relief as well.
"I'm glad ya feel dat way Hell" Spot said. "But, can we, jus da newsies, beat Fist, Donovan, and whoevah else dat they call ta help dem?"
"Honestly, I don think so" Hell admitted pointedly. "Which is wheah we come in. I know Donovan, I know da way he fights. So I know da way we can beat him. We jus need a lil moah help."
"From who though?" Jack said, offering his first opinion on the matter. "I mean, obviously Donovan's gonna recruit all da gangs. Weah can we, a bunch of newsies, find people who ahn't newsies in New Yoik?"
"Who said we'ah gettin help from people in New Yoik?" Hell replied slyly with a smirk across her face. "I jus happen ta know some gang leadahs in Philadelphia who broke away from Donovan a few yeahs ago and would love ta see him fall, and would love it even moah to help in his downfall. They'll help. Wit dem, we'se can beat him."
"Ya shoah?" Spot asked, taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it.
"Of coise I'm shoah" Hell rolled her eyes. "Look around ya Spot. Look at my borough. Do ya think jus anyone could take ovah dis place? And ta add ta dat, I'm a goil. And no one has challenged me. No one will. It's cause I know what I'm doin. I got dis undah control. I'll send a few of me boys ta Philadelphia. It will take three days, max. I hate Donovan. I would like nothin bettah den ta see him fail. And nothin will stand in my way of makin dat happen. Da Five Points Newsies ah wit you'se Spot. We'ah wit you'se til da end" Hell spit in her hand, and stuck it out to Spot. He looked down at her hand, taking a long drag on his cigarette. Thirty seconds passed, Hell giving him a questioning look as he continued to puff away on his cigarette. Then, his infamous smirk crept up on his face and, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he spit in his hand, then proceeded to shake Hell's.
"What da hell Hell" he said with laughter in his voice. "I got nothin ta loose but all me pride and Brooklyn. I feel like gamblin tonight."
"Good" Hell said, standing up. "Cause da Bronx is comin ovah foah Pokah. I hope you'll stay around."
"I'll stay" Spot replied, turning to look at Jack.
"I should get ta da weahhouse" Jack said, with a small shrug. "Someone wit a brain needs ta be theah. You stay."
"Yoah a good man Cowboy" Spot said with a laugh, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Thanks foah doin this wit me."
"Spot, I think we'll be doin a lot moah strangah things togethah" Jack said with a laugh, that was soon echoed by Spot.
"Boys" Hell said to herself softly with a smile. "Dey nevah change…"