Hey again!  Here comes the third part.. I don't really like this part.  I was a little disappointed with the way it turned out.  Let me know what ya think!  

Kimi – Yaay!  I'm glad the second chapter was disappointing!  :o)  Thanks so much for reviewing!

Kate – Hehe, thanks for reviewing!  You're so nice! ^_^

Kaylee – Hmm.. in answer to your questions.. 1. Hmm.. I dunno.  Will they?!  Haha, the suspense!  2.  Er.. even I don't know why I chose the name Ant.. poor Ant, it's a kinda stinky name.  3.  Soon soon!  Once Uhm goes to Manhatten, it won't be long.  But I can't say more then that!  Hehe, hope you like the story!  I'll try and add some cute, quick Kaylee/Race moments for ya!

New York City

Brooklyn

October, 10th 12:01 AM

1900

       "Ow!  Damn hell!" Spot growled out.  He gave a sharp kick to the stove that had just burnt him causing his toe to hurt.  The poor leader was having such a hard time and all he wanted to do was boil some water.  But then again, you have to give him a break.  It was midnight.  "Ya goddamn," Spot cursed to the stove as he gingerly removed the bucket from the stove.  He quickly glanced around then dashed up the stairs, the hot bucket banging against his legs.

       The boy skidded to a stop outside the bathroom.  Lucky for him, the washroom was actually a separate room in this lodging house.  He heard some newsboys slept and washed in the same room.  He chuckled at that, merrily walking into the Brooklyn washroom.  One dim light was lit causing enough light for him to be able to see the wash bucket.  Spot poured his recent load of hot water into it.  He smiled at his work, having poured a dozen other loads in just before.

       Then with a start, the newsie raced from the washroom.  He slowed his pace and tiptoed into the bedroom.  Spot felt his way around, edging for the far right corner.  Every time he heard someone move in their bed, the boy froze waiting to be found out.  But luckily, he wasn't and came upon his destination easily.

       Although Spot couldn't see her, he knew the girl he was standing next to was Selece.  He remembered how she sounded in her sleep.  Soft and gentle like the wind.  Carefully the boy felt around for her on the bed.  He found her quite quickly in the darkness then pulled her up into his arms.  She actually wasn't that heavy.  Spot prayed she was a heavy sleeper then dashed from the bedroom, carrying her.

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       "Uhm?  Uhm?  You up?"

       Selece moaned, opening her eyes slowly.  She blinked as she was met with an up close view of Spot's mesmerizing eyes.  Her jaw moved up and down for a few seconds before she found her voice, "Wha.. what time is it?"

       "Eh, 'round midnight," Spot's face lit up with child like eagerness.  "I got sometin' fer ya!"

       "Show me it tomorrow," Selece mumbled, closing her eyes.  She was just about to fall into yet another blissful sleep when she felt two strong thin arms grab her.  Selece just barely had time to open her eyes before she was dumped into a bucket full of warm water.  "What the?!  Are you insane?!"

       "I burned myself to make dat wata hot.  You betta take a nice long bath, got it?!"

       Selece blinked, sitting there in the water.  Her pajama's were now soaked but she didn't really mind.  "You did this for me?"

       "Yeah, 'cause I felt bad 'bout dinner."

       Selece smiled, staring at him.  She tried to make out the expression on his face.  The light was too dim, though.  Maybe he wasn't such a jerk.

       "Well?  You gonna take da damn bath?"

       Or maybe he was.  Selece nodded.  "Yeah, I can't wait to.  I'll be out in a little while, okay?  Uhm, thanks so much for this, Mr. Spot.. sir."

       "What?  I ain't leavin'."

       "But.. what?  B.. but.." Her face light up in flames and her fingers twitched.

       "I'm gonna be yer mudda, ya knows.. talk to you and stuff."

       Selece's eyes went wide.  Was she hearing things?  Was this truly the fearless leader of the Brooklyn newsie speaking to her?  This must be a dream.  A violent pinch to her arm told her it wasn't. 

       "Um, er.. really, Spot.  You don't have to!  Heh, heh.  It would be way too weird, you know?  In fact, I'm not even that dirty.  We could just talk, minus the bath part?  Sounds good to me, what about you?  Yeah?"  She rambled, nervously and quickly as she began to stand up from the bath.  She shivered as her body left the hot water in the chilly night air.

            "No!  You said ya missed talkin' to yer mudda and I wanna.. you don't always have to be alone, you know," Spot growled out.  Although his tone was angry, the words made Selece's heart flutter and as though in a trance she sank back into the water, staring dumbly at him.

       "I'll leave fer a second," Spot said, causing Selece to breath out a sigh of relief.  The boy slipped out of the bathroom.  He leaned against the door, hearing the girl move around inside.  What was she doing to him?  This annoying little brat was making him feel weird inside.  He wasn't sure if he liked that.  He hated not having control of things.

       He heard water splashing around and knew he could enter again.  Quickly, he peeked his head into the bedroom.  His ears were met with snores and even breathing.  Everyone was still asleep.  Phew.  He slithered into the bathroom and pulled up a stool a few feet from the bathtub. 

       "So, what do you and yer mudda talk about?"

       "We talk about why boys have street accents on minute and then don't the next," commented Selece.  She slunk down further under the water until it was only her head poking out.

       Spot's head jerked up, his eyes coming in contact with Selece's.  The girl's eyes seemed to pry into him, learning every secret he had kept hidden.  Spot tore his eyes away; breathing heavy as though he had just ran a marathon.

       "Are you Irish, Spot?  It's not that big of a deal, ya know?" Selece spoke again, her voice sounding almost smug.  Spot wondered if he would have liked to have kept her 'uhm'ing instead of becoming comfortable. But when he glanced back over to her, he knew he liked the way things had turned out.  She was sitting there in the water he had boiled, her skin a shimmery pale under the moonlight that peeked in through the windows.  Her long hair was swirled all around her as it touched the water.  And her eyes were more wondrous then ever.  Spot rubbed his eyes.  The moonlight was playing tricks on him, she was never that pretty in the daylight! 

       "Oh, really?  Betta tell dat to all da Irish boys," Spot commented, trying hard not to look into her eyes.  He knew that if he dared one peek into them, he'd fall apart and spill his guts.

       "Tell me about your past, Mr. Spot.. sir," Selece said slowly and softly.  She waited for the boy to flip out on her.  And she didn't have to wait long.

       "Why the hell do you care?!  Yer askin' too many questions!  I neva tell no one 'bout my past and dat's the way it is!  You got no damn right, got it?!  Every newsie gots his secrets and I dun see you tellin' me nuttin' 'bout yer past!" Spot bellowed, eyes flashing.

       "I.. I'm sorry.  I just thought," Selece trailed off. "Well, the water's gone cold.  Uhm, thanks really.  It was, uhm, nice.  I'm, uhm, gonna, uhm, go back to bed."

       Spot stared at the girl as she scanned the bathroom for a towel.  He knew it couldn't be cold yet.  The water had been boiling!  He also knew he had made Selece go back to being nervous and shy, again.  And he also knew that he wouldn't be able to stand her constant 'uhm's anymore.  But he wasn't going to just break down and tell her all the things he never told anyone.  She wasn't that special.

       Or maybe she was..

       "Just stay a liddle bit longa', will ya?" Spot questioned, the anger slipping from his voice.

       "Uhm, well, all right," Selece mumbled after a few moments she took to think about her answer.  The girl then slipped under the water, staying there for what seemed eternity.  Finally, after Spot had gotten worried that he had just watched someone commit suicide, she popped back up.  Water slithered down her face and her hair clung to her skin but her eyes were shining.  "I always do that just before my mummy and I start talking.."

       "Tell me about her.  Your mummy I mean."

       Selece's eyes narrowed as she noticed the accent again but she wasn't going to irritate the boy any more.  "Well, let's see.  All my life, it was just my mummy and me.  I never had a father.  I don't even know who he is.  My mummy," Selece paused, staring down into the water.  She splashed around a bit with her hand before continuing, "My mummy worked on the streets but I think she loved me.  All the men she worked fer, they were kinda nice to me."

       Spot's anger rose.  Those men.. they had better have been nice.  He didn't know why he felt that way.  Why should he care? 

"If she loved ya, why'd ya end up here?"

"Well, things happened," Selece trailed off, pretending to examine the wall beyond Spot to avoid looking directly at him.

"Yer gonna hafta tell me what happened, ya know?" Spot said, a gentle smirk flashing across his face.

       "Well," Selece let out a sigh before deciding to just get it all out.  "They'd come in, late at night and I'd pretend I couldn't hear them.  My mummy told me I wasn't allowed to interrupt and I never wanted to.  Usually I slept on the fire escape. Even in the winter.

       "But one night, I heard screaming and a man's angry voice.  But.. but.." Selece's voice choked as she found it harder and harder to continue her tale.  She hadn't told anyone this story.  It had happened too recently and the wounds were reopening mighty quick.

       "But I was trained not to interrupt.  I thought it was just part of the session.  Then morning came and I knew I was allowed back in.  I walked back in and my mummy, my mummy," the girl covered her head in her hands.  The warm water didn't stop her from feeling numb all over.  She didn't want to move.  She didn't want to continue.  She just wanted to block it all out.

       Spot stared at her.  No newsie was ever this open about their past.  Their true past at least.  Spot knew this wasn't the usual tall tale a newsie would tell to sound brave.  Spot actually felt a bit of respect for the girl building up in him.  She had the courage to do something he couldn't.  "You don't have to continue, Uhm."

       Selece looked up at him but it was as if she really wasn't looking at him.  She was seeing something else.  Watching something else.  She began speaking again, her voice suddenly monotone, "I walked back in and there was my mummy.  She was hanging from the ceiling.  I was certain it must have taken that man a long time to do what he did.  There were marks all over her so he mustn't have killed her right away.  He tortured her, my own mummy.  And I was there the whole time.

       "I could have ran and got help.  He didn't know I was even there.  My mummy must have thought I was getting help but instead, I was just.. just sitting outside.  Listening to her die.

       "I ran.  I ran to wherever my legs wanted me to go.  And they led me to one of my mother's customers.  I told him, I told him what had happened but he didn't seem fazed.  All he kept saying was that I would have to take up my mother's job since I was the one, the one who let her die.  All I could do was cry.  He called me a murderer and said I'd better be good at my job or he'd turn me in.  Part of me knew he was feeding me lies.  It wasn't my fault.  It wasn't!  But the other part ate his words and believed them. 

       "He said the first couple jobs I did would have to be free in order to pay them back for killing her.  So I let him.  But, but he was so violent and I was so scared.  I.. I didn't know where to go.  I just came here because I knew; I knew you'd be here.  And you don't let anyone hurt your newsies.  I didn't want to be hurt anymore."

       Selece finished, breathless.  Her heart was pounding away as the images of the past few days replayed over and over in her mind.  Salty tears began running down her cheeks as Spot watched on, speechless.  Slowly he crept over to her and wrapped his arms around the weeping girl.  She turned her head and buried it into Spot's shirt, letting the tough newsie comfort her.  Neither seemed to mind how terrible it would look if someone walked in on them.

Will someone walk in on that 'holy perverted' scene?!

Will it be Sugar?!

And who the hell writes this crap?!

Find out next time in…

THE..

STORY..

OF..

UHM!!!!!!!