Author's Note: For any of you who are familiar with the Lord of the Rings
soundtrack, you will recognize the title. It fits very well with this
chapter I think. If you don't share the same sentiments, then I'm sorry
for your misfortunes. Oh, for any of you who read other stuff besides
Newsies, (blasphemy? Maybe) I've written a Braveheart fic. Go check it out
if you feel like it. Talk to you all soon. Toodles!!!!
Now, enough of my babbling and betting to the story..
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Chapter 9: A Knife in the Dark
Alyssa went home that night, anxious about what was going to happen. It had been a long time since she had been in a House. It was a memory that she did not want to resurface. She really did not want to do this, but she had to; for a friend. At least Race would be going with her.
She arrived at the Lodgings to find Mercy waiting for her. "You get da stuff?"
"Sure did." Mercy smiled at Alyssa, knowing that she was going to ask where. "A friend a mine owes me a favor."
Silently, they made their way upstairs. On the second floor, they found Jack going over the plans one last time with Blink, Specs, Skittery and Mush. He was not going to allow any mistakes. Jack saw the two girls and walked over.
"Yous don' hafta do dis," he said to Alyssa while putting his hands on her shoulders. The act of brotherly affection was overwhelming. It almost made Alyssa say that she would not do it.
"Jack, I's gotta."
Cowboy looked at his sister for a good long time before answering. "Alright, if ya say so. Just don' want nothin' bad ta happen to ya." He gave her a sad smile. "Now, just ta warn ya, when ya get upstairs, you'll prob'ly find Race runnin' round like a madman."
The table behind them snickered.
Once upstairs, Mercy and Alyssa saw that Cowboy was right. Race kept dashing between his bunk and the washroom. This was a source of great amusement for all of the Newsies who were still in the bunkroom. Mercy laughed and Alyssa just shook her head.
Mercy drew a warm bath while Alyssa looked through the clothes that Mercy had brought. She dug through, trying to find something that was going to be both warm but yet at the same time trashy. She finally decided on a dark green sarong like skirt and a cream off the shoulder top. Alyssa was going to wear the black bodice, just to have a bit of protection in case she got into a fight.
Once out of the bath and dressed, Alyssa allowed Mercy to fiddle with her hair. Mercy curled it and then pinned a good amount of it up in a messy bun. Here and there, long curls hung down Alyssa's back.
On her way to the washroom, Alyssa glanced at the clock. Half hour before show time. The rest of the guys had come up and were torturing Race. She could hear them in the next room. Some of the comments that were made Alyssa gin widely.
"Race, it's not like yer goin' ta a banquet er something," Blink pointed out.
""Yer not supposed ta look nice," Mush said. "Yer goin' ta da House fer cryin' out loud!"
Race grumbled and hurried off to the washroom. Maybe Alyssa would be more supportive.
Wrong.
"Race, ya look like yer goin' ta Sunday church!" Alyssa gave him an affectionate slap on the cheek. He glared at her and then looked at himself in the mirror.
"Lose da tie?"
"Definitely. Oh, and dis'll help." Alyssa took out her lipstick and smeared some on his shirt. She then unbuttoned the top buttons and untucked his shirt a little. "Dere we go."
"Why ya bein' so picky?" For the life of him, Race could not figure out why.
"Race, don' tink dat I wanna do dis. I really don' wanna step inside a dat House. Once was enough." Alyssa curled her arms around Race's neck. "It's gotta look natural so dat we don' cause suspicion. If dey notice dat we don' belong, we're screwed. I's only doin' dis fer Leila." She put her head on Race's shoulder and stood there.
"I just don' like it. Da whole point a yous bein' here wid us is so dat yous can forget yer past and start a new life. Dis just ruins all dat we've done." His fingers were playing with a few loose curls. Alyssa gave a sniffle, then buried her face in Race's shirt.
Blink walked in and saw the two of them. He figured that Alyssa was having a minor anxiety attack so he walked over and patted her back. In a sense she was so Blink's words of "It's alright. We won' let nothin' happen," were comforting.
Alyssa forced a smile and a weak laugh. "Thanks. Once I get dis over with, I'll be fine."
Blink left and Race held Alyssa for a few more moments. Then she shooed him away, saying that she needed to finish up, away from prying eyes. Race gave her a look of hurt, then broke into a grin. She laughed at him, and shoved him out of the washroom.
Alyssa knew that she had to look trashy. She knew how she had to act and what she had to say. Though her experience was limited, she did know the 'rules.' To achiever the ideal look, she had to overdo the makeup and adjust the clothes to the extremes. Alyssa pulled the skirt down so that it sat low on her hips and pulled the shirt off her shoulders. She tightened the bodice so that her breasts were practically spilling out. Just as a safety precaution, Alyssa fastened her knife around her waist.
During her time with the Newsies, Alyssa never had a reason to wear her knife. She felt safe with them. She knew that they would protect her if she needed them to. New York was much bigger than Boston, but, for some reason she felt safer. Probably because there was less of a chance of her being found.
Satisfied with her appearance, Alyssa walked out into the bunkroom. "Any comments outta yous, an' I soak ya good," she warned.
The Newsies looked at their sister, shocked at the change in her appearance. They knew that this was the way that she had to look, but they were unhappy nonetheless.
"Mercy," Jack said after a while of silence. "Yous'll be in charge while we're gone. Can ya do dat?"
"'Course. Alyssa, yous be careful. Stay wid Race."
"Yes mudder. Do I's look trashy enough?"
"Hun, yous couldn't look trashier if ya tried." Mercy handed Alyssa an old black shawl. "Ya can't exactly wear a coat."
"If only it wasn't winter. Den I wouldn't hafta freeze." She arranged the shawl around herself so that she would stay warm while still pulling off the whole look.
Jack looked at Race. "Stay close ta her. Make sure she don' freeze." Jack looked around the bunkroom. "All yous better behave fer Mercy. One wrong move an' I's gonna soak ya good. And, I won't let ya sell fer two weeks."
The last warning made everyone stop thinking about ways to get into trouble. Not selling meant no food or home or money.
After Jack cleared everything up, he, Blink, Specs, Skittery, Mush, Race, and Alyssa were ready to go. Mercy quickly talked with Alyssa before she went. As they were walking out, Specs stopped in the doorway. He spun around and gave Mercy a massive hug. She was shocked, but smiled despite herself.
Once outside, Alyssa gave a rundown of how everything was going to work. She and Race would walk down with everyone following in the shadows. Then, the group would wait in an alley. Race and Alyssa would go in and get Leila. Race would then walk out with Leila. Alyssa assured everyone that she could get out on her own.
"Once yous got Leila, beat it. Get her ta da Lodgin' House as fast as ya can. Don' come lookin' fer me. I's gonna hafta take a different way home."
Blink shifted for a moment before asking, "Are ya sure dat yous don't want one a us ta follow in behind ta get ya out?"
"No," Alyssa shook her head. "Yous need all da guys ya got to keep da security from gettin' Leila."
"Den let da games begin." Mush said this as he silently sunk into the shadows. Everyone followed his lead, leaving Race and Alyssa alone under the street light. Race slipped his arm around Alyssa's waist and muttered, "Les' get goin'."
The pair walked in silence for a while. They knew the Newsies were following them like unseen ghosts. As they got closer to the House, they had to begin the act. This meant dodging into dark alleyways for kisses and getting cozy while walking down the street. It seemed to do the trick because the rich passer-bys snubbed Alyssa and Race.
In a dark alley, Alyssa gave Race a good warning. "Dey catch ya, its yer ass in da slamma. None a us got enough money ta bail ya out." They eased into the light a little and shared a long kiss while a group of rich people sauntered by.
"Oh, dear me." one lady said.
"See what our city is coming to." a man said.
Nearby, the five Newsies that were following Race and Alyssa could not contain their laughter. Before they could be heard anymore, they moved away to the alley that they were supposed to be in.
"It's weird," Alyssa murmured.
"Wha' is?"
"Well, we're standin' here kissin' right in front a our friends and dey don't know what's actually goin' on."
"Den let's keep it dat way."
Racetrack was ready to piss his pants. Being a Newsie prepared you for most of what life will throw at you. Unfortunately, it does not prepare you for the day when you have to walk into a whore house with your girl.
They sauntered up to the door and walked in. As if she knew exactly where she was going, Alyssa began to steer Race toward the rooms.
The lady at the desk called out, "Hey, ya new here?"
Alyssa did not hesitate in her answer. "Yeah, just moved in from da West."
"Oh yeah, we got a note about ya comin'. Da names Ivy, right?"
"Yup." Alyssa though for a moment. "Do ya know what room Leila's workin'? She tol' me ta see her."
"Room 23. Ya can take room 24; it's open. Dey adjoin so ya can poke yer head in when ya got a moment." The lady surveyed Race. Conveniently, to keep the act up, he had been kissing Alyssa's neck and running his hands along her. "He's a good 'un. Get yer money's worth outta him."
Alyssa nodded her agreement and walked down the hall. Too many time she had walked down a hall like this one. Too many times she had a conversation just like the one that just happened. Easily, they found number 24 and went in.
"Dat was close." Race shook his head in astonishment. "How'd ya know dat dey got a new goil from da West?"
"I didn't." Alyssa walked over to the adjoining door and knocked. "Leila, you in dere?"
The door slowly opened and Leila's face appeared in the doorway. "Alyssa, Race, yous made it in!"
"Ya ready?"
Leila nodded and looked slightly nervous. "Will I be alright?"
"'Course ya will. Ya got Race wid ya. How can I get outta here?"
Leila thought for a moment before answering. "Go upstairs tad a pub. Dere's a fire escape behind a green velvet curtain. Careful, dere's usually a guard below da escape. Sometimes dere's even a guard by da curtain. Dat's da safest way dat I know." She looked at Alyssa. "Yous sure ya can get out?"
"I did it 'afore, didn' I?"
Race glanced at his pocket watch. "We's gotta get goin'. Alys, don' do anythin' stupid." He walked over and drew her in his arms. I don' wanna hafta work ta get ya outta da slamma." He kissed her nice and long, not really wanting to let go. Pulling away, Race took Leila without a word and hurried out.
A crowd was walking out, providing the perfect cover for them. They scurried away towards the alley. They found the Newsies and then waited silently in the dark.
Back in the room, Alyssa wondered how she was going to pull this off. On her way to the pub, she prepared herself for a fight. The pub was crowded with lots of drunken men and the girls trying to make a bit of money. 'Don't miss dis at all,' Alyssa thought as she began to blend in with the other girls.
A guard sat in front of the curtain that Leila had talked about. Alyssa sidled over to a group of drunken young men and riled them up. It broke into a fight, bringing the guard over to break it up.
Quietly, she slipped behind the curtain and hauled herself out onto the fire escape. Instead of going down to the guard, who would most likely catch her, Alyssa jumped across to the opposite fire escape.
The guard look up and saw Alyssa's figure illuminated against the moon. Just to cover herself, Alyssa called, "Coming momma," just loud enough for the guard to hear. Then she stole up on to the roof.
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Jack waited anxiously in the alley. He knew that Alyssa had said to beat it when they got Leila, but things were too quiet.
"She'll be alright," Race assured Jack. "She can take care a herself."
Blink and Mush agreed, saying that everyone was going to start to worry.
Suddenly, the alarm was raised that two girls were missing. That made them scam. Their feet pounded the pavement as they ran through the alleyways to escape their pursuers. Somehow, they managed to get to the Lodging House without being caught. Now all they could do was wait for Alyssa.
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Alyssa was in an alley when she heard the alarm. She ran like hell knowing that she would be followed. Voices followed her every move, making it impossible for her to take the route that she wanted. She was forced to double back a number of times before she lost the guards that were following her.
Streaking past Tibby's, Alyssa heard what sounded like a fight. Then, she heard Spot Conlon's voice. "C'mon, ya doity son-of-a-bitches. Try an' take me."
Alyssa moved closer, trying to see what Spot was up against. The pale moonlight showed Spot, all alone, against about seven big bruisers. He was getting beat pretty bad, confirming Alyssa's choice of action.
With stealth and speed, she crept up on the first one. The steel of her knife flashed in the moonlight before striking down. In a fury, Alyssa fought, knowing that these men could quite possibly kill Spot, leaving Brooklyn leaderless. Once Spot fell, Brooklyn would soon fall as well. Alyssa had no regard for her own safety; if she died it would be no huge loss. Two men left after being slashed to ribbons by Alyssa. A third man threw Spot against a wall, rendering him unconscious. The sounds of the police coming sent everyone that was left running, except the man who had thrown Spot.
"He yer boyfriend?" the man growled.
"Nope, just a friend."
With quick efficiency, Alyssa struck out, catching the man with the hilt of the knife. It broke his jaw, and he became infuriated. He pulled out his own knife and slashed at Alyssa. She kicked and punched, just like her brothers had taught her. He turned to run, shocked by Alyssa's skill, but received a deep slash across his chest. Once he left, Alyssa bent down to check on Spot.
The pale moonlight showed that he was hurt really bad, and that he was still unconscious. Sheathing her knife, Alyssa picked up the scrawny King of Brooklyn and slung him over her shoulders, despite all of her wounds. She began the long walk home wincing under the pain caused by Spot's weight.
Around midnight, Alyssa banged on the front door of the Lodging House. Kloppman answered it and Alyssa whipped past him, running up the stairs. She went to her room and set Spot on her bed.
Alyssa limped out of her room into the deathly quiet bunkroom. Gleaming eyes stared at her as she stood in the doorway.
"Jack, you better came with me." Alyssa spoke evenly, trying to ignore her own wounds and the pain they were causing her.
"Alyssa." Jack began.
"I'll be fine. This is something more important than my own health." As much as Alyssa was not fond of Spot, she respected him and his ability to lead Brooklyn.
Silently, like a scolded child, Jack followed. The sight that was shown to him was unnerving. "Where.?"
"In an alley beside Tibby's. He's lucky I decided to take the long way home. He could have died if no one found him." Alyssa lighted a candle so they could see more clearly. Without orders or question, she moved and began removing Spot's tattered clothes. "Go get Mercy."
Jack went next door and fond Mercy setting Leila in place. "Alyssa needs you."
Mercy came without question. Entering Alyssa's room, she saw her best friend, beaten and bloody, cleaning the wounds of an even more beaten and bloody Spot Conlon.
"Go clean yerself up. I'll take care a Spot." She watched as Alyssa mutely grabbed Blinks old shirt that hung down to her knees, off of the spinning wheel. She walked away to the washroom, to take stock of her wounds, leaving Mercy with Spot.
Pulling off her clothes showed Alyssa just how many wounds she had. Huge bruises covered her body looking like a bad painting. Gashes, cuts and scrapes were etched everywhere, making it impossible to move without pain. Gently she cleaned as many as she could. Dressing in Blink's shirt, she took a bowl of hot water and a cloth, and walked into the bunkroom.
Alyssa sunk onto the edge of Racetrack's bunk and bit back tears. The Newsies could see her wounds and they knew about Spot, thus knowing about how much pain she was in. They knew that she was being foolish, trying to hold back her tears and anguish.
Making a bold move, Race sat up and pulled Alyssa close. Then, after not being able to hold it back anymore, her tears came flooding forth. Sobs racked her body, and she would occasionally let loose with a piecing wail, similar to a banshee's. She quieted after a while, and only gave an occasional sob. Soon, she fell asleep, and lay within the circle of Race's arms. She clung to Race like a frightened child and every Newsie saw that she was not about to let go. Race lay back down on his bunk with Alyssa, aware of the fact that there was no way in hell that she could be moved.
Mercy came in and tucked a blanket around the two of them. She gave Race a secret smile, and Race shook his head at her. There was no way that he would allow Mercy to reveal their secret. The night would be long, but they would deal.
Now, enough of my babbling and betting to the story..
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Chapter 9: A Knife in the Dark
Alyssa went home that night, anxious about what was going to happen. It had been a long time since she had been in a House. It was a memory that she did not want to resurface. She really did not want to do this, but she had to; for a friend. At least Race would be going with her.
She arrived at the Lodgings to find Mercy waiting for her. "You get da stuff?"
"Sure did." Mercy smiled at Alyssa, knowing that she was going to ask where. "A friend a mine owes me a favor."
Silently, they made their way upstairs. On the second floor, they found Jack going over the plans one last time with Blink, Specs, Skittery and Mush. He was not going to allow any mistakes. Jack saw the two girls and walked over.
"Yous don' hafta do dis," he said to Alyssa while putting his hands on her shoulders. The act of brotherly affection was overwhelming. It almost made Alyssa say that she would not do it.
"Jack, I's gotta."
Cowboy looked at his sister for a good long time before answering. "Alright, if ya say so. Just don' want nothin' bad ta happen to ya." He gave her a sad smile. "Now, just ta warn ya, when ya get upstairs, you'll prob'ly find Race runnin' round like a madman."
The table behind them snickered.
Once upstairs, Mercy and Alyssa saw that Cowboy was right. Race kept dashing between his bunk and the washroom. This was a source of great amusement for all of the Newsies who were still in the bunkroom. Mercy laughed and Alyssa just shook her head.
Mercy drew a warm bath while Alyssa looked through the clothes that Mercy had brought. She dug through, trying to find something that was going to be both warm but yet at the same time trashy. She finally decided on a dark green sarong like skirt and a cream off the shoulder top. Alyssa was going to wear the black bodice, just to have a bit of protection in case she got into a fight.
Once out of the bath and dressed, Alyssa allowed Mercy to fiddle with her hair. Mercy curled it and then pinned a good amount of it up in a messy bun. Here and there, long curls hung down Alyssa's back.
On her way to the washroom, Alyssa glanced at the clock. Half hour before show time. The rest of the guys had come up and were torturing Race. She could hear them in the next room. Some of the comments that were made Alyssa gin widely.
"Race, it's not like yer goin' ta a banquet er something," Blink pointed out.
""Yer not supposed ta look nice," Mush said. "Yer goin' ta da House fer cryin' out loud!"
Race grumbled and hurried off to the washroom. Maybe Alyssa would be more supportive.
Wrong.
"Race, ya look like yer goin' ta Sunday church!" Alyssa gave him an affectionate slap on the cheek. He glared at her and then looked at himself in the mirror.
"Lose da tie?"
"Definitely. Oh, and dis'll help." Alyssa took out her lipstick and smeared some on his shirt. She then unbuttoned the top buttons and untucked his shirt a little. "Dere we go."
"Why ya bein' so picky?" For the life of him, Race could not figure out why.
"Race, don' tink dat I wanna do dis. I really don' wanna step inside a dat House. Once was enough." Alyssa curled her arms around Race's neck. "It's gotta look natural so dat we don' cause suspicion. If dey notice dat we don' belong, we're screwed. I's only doin' dis fer Leila." She put her head on Race's shoulder and stood there.
"I just don' like it. Da whole point a yous bein' here wid us is so dat yous can forget yer past and start a new life. Dis just ruins all dat we've done." His fingers were playing with a few loose curls. Alyssa gave a sniffle, then buried her face in Race's shirt.
Blink walked in and saw the two of them. He figured that Alyssa was having a minor anxiety attack so he walked over and patted her back. In a sense she was so Blink's words of "It's alright. We won' let nothin' happen," were comforting.
Alyssa forced a smile and a weak laugh. "Thanks. Once I get dis over with, I'll be fine."
Blink left and Race held Alyssa for a few more moments. Then she shooed him away, saying that she needed to finish up, away from prying eyes. Race gave her a look of hurt, then broke into a grin. She laughed at him, and shoved him out of the washroom.
Alyssa knew that she had to look trashy. She knew how she had to act and what she had to say. Though her experience was limited, she did know the 'rules.' To achiever the ideal look, she had to overdo the makeup and adjust the clothes to the extremes. Alyssa pulled the skirt down so that it sat low on her hips and pulled the shirt off her shoulders. She tightened the bodice so that her breasts were practically spilling out. Just as a safety precaution, Alyssa fastened her knife around her waist.
During her time with the Newsies, Alyssa never had a reason to wear her knife. She felt safe with them. She knew that they would protect her if she needed them to. New York was much bigger than Boston, but, for some reason she felt safer. Probably because there was less of a chance of her being found.
Satisfied with her appearance, Alyssa walked out into the bunkroom. "Any comments outta yous, an' I soak ya good," she warned.
The Newsies looked at their sister, shocked at the change in her appearance. They knew that this was the way that she had to look, but they were unhappy nonetheless.
"Mercy," Jack said after a while of silence. "Yous'll be in charge while we're gone. Can ya do dat?"
"'Course. Alyssa, yous be careful. Stay wid Race."
"Yes mudder. Do I's look trashy enough?"
"Hun, yous couldn't look trashier if ya tried." Mercy handed Alyssa an old black shawl. "Ya can't exactly wear a coat."
"If only it wasn't winter. Den I wouldn't hafta freeze." She arranged the shawl around herself so that she would stay warm while still pulling off the whole look.
Jack looked at Race. "Stay close ta her. Make sure she don' freeze." Jack looked around the bunkroom. "All yous better behave fer Mercy. One wrong move an' I's gonna soak ya good. And, I won't let ya sell fer two weeks."
The last warning made everyone stop thinking about ways to get into trouble. Not selling meant no food or home or money.
After Jack cleared everything up, he, Blink, Specs, Skittery, Mush, Race, and Alyssa were ready to go. Mercy quickly talked with Alyssa before she went. As they were walking out, Specs stopped in the doorway. He spun around and gave Mercy a massive hug. She was shocked, but smiled despite herself.
Once outside, Alyssa gave a rundown of how everything was going to work. She and Race would walk down with everyone following in the shadows. Then, the group would wait in an alley. Race and Alyssa would go in and get Leila. Race would then walk out with Leila. Alyssa assured everyone that she could get out on her own.
"Once yous got Leila, beat it. Get her ta da Lodgin' House as fast as ya can. Don' come lookin' fer me. I's gonna hafta take a different way home."
Blink shifted for a moment before asking, "Are ya sure dat yous don't want one a us ta follow in behind ta get ya out?"
"No," Alyssa shook her head. "Yous need all da guys ya got to keep da security from gettin' Leila."
"Den let da games begin." Mush said this as he silently sunk into the shadows. Everyone followed his lead, leaving Race and Alyssa alone under the street light. Race slipped his arm around Alyssa's waist and muttered, "Les' get goin'."
The pair walked in silence for a while. They knew the Newsies were following them like unseen ghosts. As they got closer to the House, they had to begin the act. This meant dodging into dark alleyways for kisses and getting cozy while walking down the street. It seemed to do the trick because the rich passer-bys snubbed Alyssa and Race.
In a dark alley, Alyssa gave Race a good warning. "Dey catch ya, its yer ass in da slamma. None a us got enough money ta bail ya out." They eased into the light a little and shared a long kiss while a group of rich people sauntered by.
"Oh, dear me." one lady said.
"See what our city is coming to." a man said.
Nearby, the five Newsies that were following Race and Alyssa could not contain their laughter. Before they could be heard anymore, they moved away to the alley that they were supposed to be in.
"It's weird," Alyssa murmured.
"Wha' is?"
"Well, we're standin' here kissin' right in front a our friends and dey don't know what's actually goin' on."
"Den let's keep it dat way."
Racetrack was ready to piss his pants. Being a Newsie prepared you for most of what life will throw at you. Unfortunately, it does not prepare you for the day when you have to walk into a whore house with your girl.
They sauntered up to the door and walked in. As if she knew exactly where she was going, Alyssa began to steer Race toward the rooms.
The lady at the desk called out, "Hey, ya new here?"
Alyssa did not hesitate in her answer. "Yeah, just moved in from da West."
"Oh yeah, we got a note about ya comin'. Da names Ivy, right?"
"Yup." Alyssa though for a moment. "Do ya know what room Leila's workin'? She tol' me ta see her."
"Room 23. Ya can take room 24; it's open. Dey adjoin so ya can poke yer head in when ya got a moment." The lady surveyed Race. Conveniently, to keep the act up, he had been kissing Alyssa's neck and running his hands along her. "He's a good 'un. Get yer money's worth outta him."
Alyssa nodded her agreement and walked down the hall. Too many time she had walked down a hall like this one. Too many times she had a conversation just like the one that just happened. Easily, they found number 24 and went in.
"Dat was close." Race shook his head in astonishment. "How'd ya know dat dey got a new goil from da West?"
"I didn't." Alyssa walked over to the adjoining door and knocked. "Leila, you in dere?"
The door slowly opened and Leila's face appeared in the doorway. "Alyssa, Race, yous made it in!"
"Ya ready?"
Leila nodded and looked slightly nervous. "Will I be alright?"
"'Course ya will. Ya got Race wid ya. How can I get outta here?"
Leila thought for a moment before answering. "Go upstairs tad a pub. Dere's a fire escape behind a green velvet curtain. Careful, dere's usually a guard below da escape. Sometimes dere's even a guard by da curtain. Dat's da safest way dat I know." She looked at Alyssa. "Yous sure ya can get out?"
"I did it 'afore, didn' I?"
Race glanced at his pocket watch. "We's gotta get goin'. Alys, don' do anythin' stupid." He walked over and drew her in his arms. I don' wanna hafta work ta get ya outta da slamma." He kissed her nice and long, not really wanting to let go. Pulling away, Race took Leila without a word and hurried out.
A crowd was walking out, providing the perfect cover for them. They scurried away towards the alley. They found the Newsies and then waited silently in the dark.
Back in the room, Alyssa wondered how she was going to pull this off. On her way to the pub, she prepared herself for a fight. The pub was crowded with lots of drunken men and the girls trying to make a bit of money. 'Don't miss dis at all,' Alyssa thought as she began to blend in with the other girls.
A guard sat in front of the curtain that Leila had talked about. Alyssa sidled over to a group of drunken young men and riled them up. It broke into a fight, bringing the guard over to break it up.
Quietly, she slipped behind the curtain and hauled herself out onto the fire escape. Instead of going down to the guard, who would most likely catch her, Alyssa jumped across to the opposite fire escape.
The guard look up and saw Alyssa's figure illuminated against the moon. Just to cover herself, Alyssa called, "Coming momma," just loud enough for the guard to hear. Then she stole up on to the roof.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jack waited anxiously in the alley. He knew that Alyssa had said to beat it when they got Leila, but things were too quiet.
"She'll be alright," Race assured Jack. "She can take care a herself."
Blink and Mush agreed, saying that everyone was going to start to worry.
Suddenly, the alarm was raised that two girls were missing. That made them scam. Their feet pounded the pavement as they ran through the alleyways to escape their pursuers. Somehow, they managed to get to the Lodging House without being caught. Now all they could do was wait for Alyssa.
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Alyssa was in an alley when she heard the alarm. She ran like hell knowing that she would be followed. Voices followed her every move, making it impossible for her to take the route that she wanted. She was forced to double back a number of times before she lost the guards that were following her.
Streaking past Tibby's, Alyssa heard what sounded like a fight. Then, she heard Spot Conlon's voice. "C'mon, ya doity son-of-a-bitches. Try an' take me."
Alyssa moved closer, trying to see what Spot was up against. The pale moonlight showed Spot, all alone, against about seven big bruisers. He was getting beat pretty bad, confirming Alyssa's choice of action.
With stealth and speed, she crept up on the first one. The steel of her knife flashed in the moonlight before striking down. In a fury, Alyssa fought, knowing that these men could quite possibly kill Spot, leaving Brooklyn leaderless. Once Spot fell, Brooklyn would soon fall as well. Alyssa had no regard for her own safety; if she died it would be no huge loss. Two men left after being slashed to ribbons by Alyssa. A third man threw Spot against a wall, rendering him unconscious. The sounds of the police coming sent everyone that was left running, except the man who had thrown Spot.
"He yer boyfriend?" the man growled.
"Nope, just a friend."
With quick efficiency, Alyssa struck out, catching the man with the hilt of the knife. It broke his jaw, and he became infuriated. He pulled out his own knife and slashed at Alyssa. She kicked and punched, just like her brothers had taught her. He turned to run, shocked by Alyssa's skill, but received a deep slash across his chest. Once he left, Alyssa bent down to check on Spot.
The pale moonlight showed that he was hurt really bad, and that he was still unconscious. Sheathing her knife, Alyssa picked up the scrawny King of Brooklyn and slung him over her shoulders, despite all of her wounds. She began the long walk home wincing under the pain caused by Spot's weight.
Around midnight, Alyssa banged on the front door of the Lodging House. Kloppman answered it and Alyssa whipped past him, running up the stairs. She went to her room and set Spot on her bed.
Alyssa limped out of her room into the deathly quiet bunkroom. Gleaming eyes stared at her as she stood in the doorway.
"Jack, you better came with me." Alyssa spoke evenly, trying to ignore her own wounds and the pain they were causing her.
"Alyssa." Jack began.
"I'll be fine. This is something more important than my own health." As much as Alyssa was not fond of Spot, she respected him and his ability to lead Brooklyn.
Silently, like a scolded child, Jack followed. The sight that was shown to him was unnerving. "Where.?"
"In an alley beside Tibby's. He's lucky I decided to take the long way home. He could have died if no one found him." Alyssa lighted a candle so they could see more clearly. Without orders or question, she moved and began removing Spot's tattered clothes. "Go get Mercy."
Jack went next door and fond Mercy setting Leila in place. "Alyssa needs you."
Mercy came without question. Entering Alyssa's room, she saw her best friend, beaten and bloody, cleaning the wounds of an even more beaten and bloody Spot Conlon.
"Go clean yerself up. I'll take care a Spot." She watched as Alyssa mutely grabbed Blinks old shirt that hung down to her knees, off of the spinning wheel. She walked away to the washroom, to take stock of her wounds, leaving Mercy with Spot.
Pulling off her clothes showed Alyssa just how many wounds she had. Huge bruises covered her body looking like a bad painting. Gashes, cuts and scrapes were etched everywhere, making it impossible to move without pain. Gently she cleaned as many as she could. Dressing in Blink's shirt, she took a bowl of hot water and a cloth, and walked into the bunkroom.
Alyssa sunk onto the edge of Racetrack's bunk and bit back tears. The Newsies could see her wounds and they knew about Spot, thus knowing about how much pain she was in. They knew that she was being foolish, trying to hold back her tears and anguish.
Making a bold move, Race sat up and pulled Alyssa close. Then, after not being able to hold it back anymore, her tears came flooding forth. Sobs racked her body, and she would occasionally let loose with a piecing wail, similar to a banshee's. She quieted after a while, and only gave an occasional sob. Soon, she fell asleep, and lay within the circle of Race's arms. She clung to Race like a frightened child and every Newsie saw that she was not about to let go. Race lay back down on his bunk with Alyssa, aware of the fact that there was no way in hell that she could be moved.
Mercy came in and tucked a blanket around the two of them. She gave Race a secret smile, and Race shook his head at her. There was no way that he would allow Mercy to reveal their secret. The night would be long, but they would deal.