"STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!"

We heard loud voices shouting these words. Strike? Is the Trolley Strike causing a commotion again? We hurried to the direction where the commotion has broken out. There are some curious people checking out the people who started this. They were only a few, so we made our way through easily. As we reached the spot, we realized that the noise starters were none other than the boys themselves. The newsies.

"We gotta get woid out to all da newsies of New York! I need some 'o those…um, what'dja call 'em?"

It was Jack who was leading the commotion, no doubt about it. But a strike? Why? Wait a minute…this must be how it started! The Newsboys' Strike…We're going to see it with our own eyes!

"Hallie, this…" I prodded my sister in the arm. She turned around with a gleaming wide smile on her face.

"Yes, I know! Isn't this simply fascinating?!?"

"Yeah…but it's kinda weird to be here, witnessing this."

"It is. But this'll be an experience!"

Yeah, an experience indeed. First, we got ripped off from our own time, and ended up here, then I meet Jack, then we found stuff about Selene & the aeons, and now…this. An experience indeed.

"Okay, you guys, ya gotta be am-bastards & go tell da others dat we're on strike."

Gail hopped her way on to Jack's side, grinning like a kid high on candy.

"Say, Jack, I'll take Harlem."

"I got Midtown."

"I got da Battery, Jack."

"Hey, I'll take da Bronx"

Kid Blink, Racetrack, Mush, & Crutchy left. Jack assigned more people to be 'am-bastards' to certain places in New York. I was about to say something to him when he gave me a look I can't decipher. Then, he turned away from me & continued on talking.

"Alright. And Bumlets, an' Specs an' Skittery, you take Queens. Pie Eater! Snoddy! East Side! Snipeshooter, you go wid 'em."

Jack had said every part in New York & assigned a few or more newsies to negotiate in that area, except one. And that is-

"So, what about Brooklyn? Who wants Brooklyn? C'mon, Spot Conlon's territory?"

None of the other newsies who are still here volunteered to go to Brooklyn. Hmm, I wonder why? Who is this Spot Conlon? Is he the reason why no one's volunteering? I caught a sight at Gail's face. I think the moment she heard the word 'Brooklyn', she wiped off the wide, child-like grin from her face. I remember last night when she arrived at the Lodging House, soaking wet, (probably because of the rain) with a facial expression an artist cannot paint. She was so mad last night, I remember that she kept pacing around the room, muttering foul words to herself. I wonder who's that she's mad at?

"What'sa matta? You scared of Brooklyn?"

"Hey, we ain't scared of Brooklyn!" Boots shouted bravely. But that brave image soon faded away when he continued the sentence with his voice quivering.

"It's Spot Conlon dat makes us a little nervous."

"Well, he don't make me nervous." Jack said, maybe a little bit airy for my own opinion, but that's just the way he is.

"So you an' me, Boots, we'll go ta Brooklyn. And-"

Suddenly, Gail interrupted him.

"Hey, I wanna go too! I wanna go too!"

She skipped & hopped like a five-year old, but without the kiddy expression. It was kind of serious, actually. More like…angry, I think.

"Hey, Jack, we want to go with you guys." I said. Jack turned around & faced me.

"Umm, I t'ink you & the others would betta stay heah."

And do what? Sit at home & knit? No way!

"Why? We want to help too!" Hallie said.

"Yeah! Right guys?" I said, turning to Taylor & Dawn, who weren't paying any attention at all. How nice.

"Huh? Did you say something, Haylie?" Dawn said, blinking innocently. Okay, that's annoying.

"Oh no, I didn't say anything. Nothing at all." I glared at her but she chose to ignore me.

"Taylor?" I said, looking at her, who was looking a bit sick. She didn't reply. She looks a bit nauseous & paler than ever. Oh my God, we better get her home.

"Taylor, are you alright?" I asked. She ignored me again.

"Goils, ya betta get Taylor home." Jack instructed us. I nodded.

"Hey, I still wanna go with you guys!" Gail said, hopping again.

"Alright, alright! And Dave heah can keep us company." Jack said.

"Sure, just as soon as you deliver our demands to Pulitzer." Davey said. Jack looked a bit surprised at what he heard. But we have no time for that now. We have to get Taylor back to the Lodging House. I wonder what's wrong? It's pretty hot today & beads of sweat slid down my cheeks. Is it the heat that made Taylor nauseous? Davey urged Jack to go to Pulitzer & give him our, or rather, the Newsies' demands & to let the old man know that we're on strike. Jack looked a bit hesitant to go inside the World building, but did so, taking Les with him.

"Well, the kid'll soften him up."

The boys cheered & started shouting "Strike! Strike! Strike!" again. After that, they go off in different directions to carry out the word. We left with haste to Lodging House to let Taylor rest. Gail stayed with Davey to wait for Jack & Les. She is, after all, insistently going to Brooklyn with them. As I looked back, I saw a man around the age of thirty talking to Davey. He must be asking about the whole strike thing. We hurried on to the Lodging House since Taylor looks worse than ever.


We finally made it to the Lodging House. As soon as we went inside, Mr. Kloppman emerged from behind the reception desk to ask what wrong with Taylor. We told him about it helped us carry off Taylor to bed.

"Haylie, get a basin of cold water & a towel." Hallie told me. I did what she said & went to the bathroom stalls. Taylor was laid in Dutchy's bed. She looks paler than she usually is. Hallie took the towel & dipped it into the basin. She wiped it on Taylor's ash-white face to relieve her of the nausea. I remember that on the way here, she almost fainted & can't walk properly. We were relieved she didn't. She was about to close her eyelids to go to sleep when she suddenly stood up from the bed, much to our surprise. She walked lethargically inside a comfort room & slammed the door. We heard loud barfing sounds from inside.

"Eww…" Dawn said, having a completely disgusted look on her face that would suggest she had something nasty under her nose.

After the barf-a-thon, Taylor opened the door & splashed her face with water. After that, she faced a mirror & started poking her eyes.

"Oh my God! Taylor, what are you doing?!?" I said, surprised at her. What I thought that she was poking her eyes turned out to be that she was taking off contact lenses.

Contact lenses? I never knew she had contact lenses. She never mentioned a thing about those. She took out a box from her pocket. It has some kind of small case inside it. She opened it & poured a gelatinous substance in it. She placed her contact lenses inside, placed it inside the box & put it back on her pocket. Then, she splashed her eyes gently with water & blinked a few times. She walked towards the bed lethargically with her eyes partially closed. Closed to she almost can't see anything. She made her way through the bed without falling down & went to sleep.

"What was that all about?" Hallie said, scratching her head. Dawn just shrugged.

"Well, at least we know that she's alright." I said. Then, we left the room quietly so we wouldn't disturb her from sleeping peacefully. You know what they say, "Fool around with a drunk all you want, but do not ever fool around with someone who's sleeping, especially someone who just woke up." And especially, if that someone is Taylor Winters.