Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies. I take all claims to Liz, Hoodlie, Chicken Wing and Josh. I do not own Christina, she's owned by Blue Boxer; I do not own Tag Along, she's owned by Tag Along.

"You look da same. I'm different. You can tell. You can't see the burden I carry on my shoulders, you see happiness. A sort of shine coming from my aura. A smiling face. The voice of a child. The unconditional love of a child. See Snitch, she hasn't gone anywhere. She's still living, inside of you."

Liz ran as fast as she could. She had to get away from Snitch. She didn't want to, but she had to. He wouldn't understand, he doesn't understand. The thing was, she didn't understand herself. Why does she do this? Why would she do this? How could she? She didn't know. She had no idea, but she continued turning to the one person she should turn away from. She promised herself that she would always fight for what she believed in, no matter whom it was against, or what they did to her, she would fight. And she's not. She's given up. She betrayed herself.

Confused, she ran. Crying, she lived blindly. She ran as fast as she could. Where would she go? Anywhere, everywhere, somewhere. So many dreams she used to have, so many things to live up to, they all faded away, like the leaves were doing. They were on the trees for so long, but eventually, their time came and they all fell to the ground, and were covered in dirt, forgotten and never again seen. Sort of like what she wanted to be. Forgotten. She didn't want to be known to anyone. She was just there, she was in between living. Not living for herself, nor those to whom she used to, but to the Devil himself, or so it seemed. No one understood, no one can consider the facts and keep them straight. It's hard to believe this is happening to such a smart and talented girl. They never believed she'd decinigrate into nothing, but to their surprise, she already has.

Wait! Please! Snitch thought as he ran as fast as he could. Running, he was always running. His whole life he ran away from something he didn't know about. He always thought it was his past, but he had put it behind him. Now he finally knew who he was running after and he knew exactly why he was running after her too. He was to save her from herself. Oscar was not the person to fear, it was herself. He wouldn't kill her, she would kill her. That was Snitch's theory, he didn't think Oscar had the strength or courage to kill her, he knew she had it though. It was just a matter of time, before she ends everything.

She ran until she couldn't run anymore. Panting from exhaustion, she fell to the ground, and she stayed there. Trying to feel safe, trying to imagine a different place for her to be, all she saw was the one face she didn't want to see. Her savior, her rescuer, her demon.

"Liz? Are you alright?" He said as he kneeled down beside her, worried. "Please talk tah me, Liz. Are you alright?"

"Don't you ever give up?!" She screamed at him as she pushed him away.

"What? I'm only tryin' tah help you."

"Can't you see I don't want your fucking help?! I don't want anyone's fucking help. Leave me here, Snitch! Just leave me! I'm fine. Can't you see dat? I'm fine!" She sat up as she cried.

"You're not fine! Everyone can see dat. Liz, stop tellin' yourself dat you're fine when you're not!"

"How do you know? How does anyone know? Do they know me? Do they know anything about me?"

"Liz, I know you..."

"I'm not da same goil I used tah be, Snitch. Can't you see dat? Are you blind or somethin'? I'm not da same Liz, I used tah be. I've changed! I've grown up!" She screamed at him again.

"An' you call dis grown up? Bein' a slave tah other people, dat ain't grown up."

"You don't know anythin' about me!"

"Dat's right, I don't! You know why? Because you don't tell me anythin'. You want nothin' tah do wid me!"

"Dat's right, Snitch! I don't want anythin' tah do wid you! Ever! Jus' leave me alone, let me live how I want tah live." She commanded him.

"Live? You call dis livin'? Havin' tah do everythin' someone else tells ya tah do against your own will? Being a totally different person because you have to be. Dat ain't livin'!"

"And what do you know about it?"

"You think I miss everythin' don't ya? You think dat I can't see what you're doin' behind closed doors? I know I'm not as smart as Specs or Itey or anythin', but I ain't dumb, I know dat much. I can figure things out on my own. It's so obvious, Liz. You make it so obvious and you don't think you do! Everyone knows! Everyone knows what happened." He explained. "It's not a big surprise. Da only thing I'm surprised about is dat you're doing it willingly. What happened tah you? Da real Liz would never agree tah dat! Where did she go?"

"She left. A long time ago."

"I want her back."

"You can't get her back, Snitch! She died! She's gone. Get over it!"

"Get over it? The love of my life, my best friend, practically my sister, just disappears in a matter of seconds. How can I get over dat?" He argued.

"I had to, God damnit! I had tah get over it. I didn't have a choice! Snitch, listen tah me. I'm not doin' dis tah hoit you, dat's da last thing I wanted tah do. I'm doin' dis for myself, alright. I'm doin' dis so I can live."

"But you have to be free, Liz. Dat's all you ever wanted. Remember everythin' you once told me? You just wanted tah be free. You could never be free here. No one would let you. We couldn't be free, and finally you found your freedom, and something happens so you forget about it. I don't understand."

"And you think I do? I'm just tryin' tah live my life for myself. I'm tryin' tah live a life alone, without anyone else. Do you know how hard dat is? I've grown up with everyone else, and now I can't. I can't be who I used tah be, do you understand dat? I can't be da playful, innocent, sweet goil dat I once was. I just can't, it's not possible."

"I understand dat, but dis! Look at you! You've given up. You've just...given up."

"I live, Snitch." She shrugged as she stood up. "I live." She turned and started to walk away.

"Oh no you don't. Liz wait." Snitch begged as he ran over to her. "Remember dat promise we made tah each other a long time ago? Remember? We promised dat no matter what happens we'll always be dere for each other. We'll be best friends forever, and we'll never change. We'll be together, always." He told her, trying to persuade her to give up her ways and go back to the way they were.

"You were. She kept da promise. She took it tah da grave. She still believes it though."

"What?"

"Don't you see? She's over dere. Just as you are." She pointed over to an area where they used to play hide-and-seek. "You look da same. I'm different. You can tell. You can't see the burden I carry on my shoulders, you see happiness. A sort of shine coming from my aura. A smiling face. The voice of a child. The unconditional love of a child. See Snitch, she hasn't gone anywhere. She's still living, inside of you."

"She? Who is she? Liz, she's you! I don't understand." Snitch told her. What? She talks as if she's a completely different person.

"You will." She said as she walked closer to him and grabbed his hand. "Keep her close." She put his hand on his heart. "She's with you. I'm not." And with those words she turned and walked away in a direction unknown.

He could not understand what she meant. How could their memories together be held in another being? They made them together, Liz, the girl to whom he was talking to. Their memories were made together not apart. How could she have forgotten so much? Or maybe she didn't forget anything. Maybe she truly believed she was someone else. Possibly she wanted to be someone else. The memories were too much for her to live with, so she withheld those into someone else, a mere image of herself, when she was happy and free. A careless spirit that lives on forever, playing and living. Something she wished was so easy, something she wished she could achieve, but she didn't know how to achieve it, she didn't know how to live it, she didn't know how to accomplish it. She was just there. Wishing to be invisible, envying all those who were invisible, wanting to switch places with those few. Being nothing was here dream, being able to see right through her, was what she was working for. Alone.

Yet she walked along. She went on to wherever. Traveling somewhere, wishing, thinking, living.

SO's to:

Blue Boxer

Splashey

C.M. Higgins

And JustDuck

I love you guys so much. You are awesomeness in the flesh. Thank you guys so much for being there through everything. I love you guys!!!