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Chapter 4:

The kids ran all the way to Brooklyn to see what there old pal Spot Conlon wanted.

"Spot!" Kitty called out to her friend upon seeing him, she ran ahead of the others to hug him.

"Hiya, Nance," He smiled at her. "Hey, guys!" he yelled at the others.

"Hey, Spot," Jack answered while walking up to him. Jack spit in his hand while Spot did the same and they shook hands.

"Kiki!" Kitty yelled running over to the girl who came around the corner.

"Hey, hunny," she smiled at her good friend giving her a hug. "Long time no see, eh?" Kitty laughed. "Hey, Candy, haven't seen you in a long time," she said.

"Yah, I know! I've been so…." The two girls began to talk until Spot interrupted them.

"Who's up for some swimmin'?" Spot suggested taking his shirt off.

"Yeah!" Jack said pulling his shirt off also. They walked over the docks and look at the dirty river. It wasn't the cleanest river ever but it was all they had. Spot picked up Kiki.

"Spot Conlon, what do you dink you are doin'?" Kiki asked giggling. Spot laughed and threw her off the dock.

"Spot!" she yelled when she submerged. Spot shrugged.

"Your gonna get it! Get down here!" she said trying to be serious but her smiled snuck through. Spot jumped into the river. Kiki motioned from him to come to her. He reluctantly swam over to her. Kiki put her hand on his shoulders and planted a kiss on his lips.

"I dink I should get it more often," he said smiling a lopsided smiled. Kiki laughed and pushed him underwater. He broke free form her.

"Ya still want it?" she laughed. He shook his no but not before he had pushed her under also. Candy stood at the edge of the dock and laughed at the two in the water. Mush snuck up carefully behind his girlfriend.

"Candy," he whispered in her ear. She turned around and he pushed her in but she grabbed his arm and he fell in also.

"Ah! Help me! Ise drown'!" Mush panicked in the water.

"Mush, stand up," Jack yelled from the dock. Mush obeyed and the water came up to his shoulders.

"Oops," he grinned sheepishly. Jack ran off the dock and did a cannon ball right into the water. Kitty sat down on the edge of the dock.

"Come in, Kitty, the water's great!" Mush said taking off his shirt and throwing it on shore.

"Kitty? Didja change youse name, Nancy?" Spot asked.

"Yes, I did," she replied.

"Good, I always hated Nancy, I hated Francis more!" Spot laughed. Jack splashed him. David sat down next to Kitty.

"Are you going in?" he asked her.

"No," she said.

"C'mon, you wimp!" Spot yelled at her.

"Well, I think you are going in," David said putting his arm around her. She looked at him strangely.

"But I'm not goin' in, Dave," she said reinforcing that she wasn't going in. David grinned and pushed her off the dock. She came to the surface and swam to the ladder. As David watched Kitty climb up the ladder, he stood up on the dock and back up a little bit.

"David!" she grinned when she stepped on the dock. She opened her arms to him motioning for a hug. David shook his head at her. She laughed and started to walk towards him. David took a couple steps back but tripped over a piece of wood that was coming out of dock. Kitty laughed at him as she continued to walk to him. But when she got closer she tripped over that same piece of wood and fell right on top of David. They didn't say anything for a moment, because neither of them really knew what to say.

"Kitty," David said breaking the silence.

"Yah," she said.

"You're getting me wet,"

"Oh," she said a little taken back. She stood up and put her hand out to help David up. He grabbed it and got up also.

"Where did that come from? 'You're getting me wet', why do I never know what to say?" David mentally hit himself.

"Let's go skinny dippin'!" Blink yelled ripping off his shirt.

"Keep your clothes on boi!" Jack yelled from the water.

"Youse ruin all me fun!" Blink said, and then did a perfect dive into the water.

"C'mon, Race!" Blink yelled up to him.

"Nah, youse guys go ahead and have fun. I dink I'll just stay up here…..where it's dry," Race answered.

"What? Can't you swim?" Mush asked. Race turned red.

"No….." he said quietly.

"You can't swim!" Spot said in disbelief. Race nodded despite his embarrassment.

"You hear dat, fellahs! Race can't swim!" Spot called to the others who all started to laugh.

"Youse be nice to Racetrack!" Candy said splashing Spot.

"All right, Candy's right, we should be nice to Race, even if he can't swim," Jack laughed. "Hey, Spot, why didja bring us here? To go swimin'?" Spot sighed.

"Kitty, Kiki, and Candy, go find us some clothes," Spot said to the girls.

"Where are we gonna get clothes?" Kiki asked

"I dunno go look!" he exclaimed. Candy and Kiki climbed the ladder and met Kitty at the top and they went to find clothes.

"Let's go on the dock," Spot said. They all climbed up to the dock and sat with Race and David.

"What's up, Spot?" Mush asked.

"Ise been hearin' dings, dat dere is a man who escaped from da city jail," he told them.

"That's no big deal, I mean the police can take care of it," David said.

"He's a murderah, Davey," Spot said being very serious. The boys were silent for a second.

"Where is he loose?" Blink asked. Spot hesitated.

"Manhattan," he finally said. "Doan tell da goils and doan let dem go anywhere alone."

"Do you know anyting 'bout 'im?" Racetrack asked.

"Yah, I did some talkin' to people around town, dey say he murdahed three people 'bout 7 years ago," he answered.

"Jack, didn't your faddah…" Mush started.

"Let's not talk about be faddah," Jack snapped at him.

"Sorry, Jack," Mush apologized.

"What about daddy?" Kitty said walking over to them.

"Nothin'," Jack mumbled angrily. The two other girls came over to the guys. Kitty laughed a little bit.

"What is it?" Blink asked.

"It's nothin', just a memory of a time when me faddah took me and Jack down to Central Pahk for da day. It was just a little bit before Christmas so Central Pahk was filled wit snow and…." Jack jumped up and stormed off.

"Jack….?" Kitty called after him. Jack just kept walking away.

"What's up wit him?" Kiki asked.

"He hates his faddah," Spot said. Kitty started after her brother when a thought came to her…

"Spot! I've told ya a million times! I doan wanna see him! Evah!" Francis Sullivan told his friend. I had a problem of ease droppin' on me bruddah and Spot. I was pretty good for an 11 year old, I hadn't gotten caught yet.

"He wants to see you, Francis! Why would he have gone through so much trouble to get you dis lettah," Spot said.

"Daddy wants to see us…? Daddy wants to see us!" I exclaimed a little loudah then I should have. Spot laughed nervously under his breath. He always tried so hard to not let Francis see me. He said dat if me bruddah saw me he would insist on takin' me back and dat wouldn't be good for 'im cause he can't take care of me.

"I'll be right back," Spot said and walked over to the staircase around the corner were I was sitting. I was caught.

"Up!" he mouthed to me and I trudged upstairs. I nevah undahstood why Francis hated daddy so much.

"Jack!" Kitty said jumping up after him. She ran up to him and he pulled her into a brotherly hug.

"What happened wit dere faddah?" Candy asked.

"Jack doan like talkin' 'bout it," Race said.

"But why does Kitty like 'im and Jack hate 'im?" Candy asked. Spot shrugged.

"I dunno, she wouldn't tell me anything about him after the incident," Spot said. "Jack won't talk about him at all."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Kitty said pulling away from her brother, "I miss him, dats all."

"How could you miss a murerah!" he asked her. Kitty tried to search for words. She couldn't tell me, not now….not ever.

"I dunno," she said softly after a period of time.

"Well, we doan haveta worry about dis right now," he said seeing how upset his sister was. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Ise sorry I got mad at youse."

"It's alright, Jack," Kitty replied.

"C'mon let's go back to da othahs," Jack smiled. Kitty nodded and they returned to the others.

Manhattan

Skittery and Crutchy were on the ground playing poker.

"Ha! I win!" Skittery yelled, grabbing the money sitting in between him and Crutchy.

"Let's play again!" Skittery laughed.

"No way! You already beat me nine times. Ise done," Crutchy said throwing down his cards. Skittery laughed evilly.

Charlotte looked around corner of the alleyway she was hiding in. As much as she was scared of them she found them so interesting. She had never known anyone like them in her life. As she watched them, she didn't she Jack. She hated him especially with what her grandfather told her about him and with what she saw….but her grandfather never told her how handsome he was.

"Man, when's Jack and da othah's gettin' back?" Boots asked.

"Who cares, Ise winin'!" Skittery said. He had convinced Dutchy to play with him.

"Hey, guys," Snipeshooter said looking at the girl watching them. "Ain't dat da goil Jack chased off earliah?"

"Yah, it is," Skittery said slowly getting up.

"Oh no," Charlotte thought, quickly turning into the alleyway. "They saw me." Charlotte closed her eyes and hoped they didn't recognize her. Things were silent and she thought she was safe until a hand grabbed onto her arm. It pulled her out of the alley way and into a group of newsies. Skittery tightened his grip on her arm.

"What are you doin' 'round dese parts again?" he asked.

"I….uuummm…well…." she stammered.

"I dink Boots here is gonna have ta take youse ta see Jack," Skittery grinned at her.

"Yah….wait!" Boots exclaimed at him. Skittery pushed Charlotte into Boot's direction.

"Why me?" Boots asked grabbing her arm. "She'll brake from me….I'm…to…"

"What is it, Boots?" Dutchy asked.

"I'm too small," he said looking at the ground. Some of the guys started to laugh.

"Oh, fine, uuhhh, I'll go wit you," Skittery said taking a grip on her arm. "Let's go."

Brooklyn

"I'm still wet," Blink said lying down on the dock.

"We know, Blink," Jack said. "Well, Spot, we should be on our way back home."

"Ok…hey, ain't dat Skits and Boots?" Spot said pointing to some figures on the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Yah it is,"

"SKITTS! BOOTS!" Race yelled up to them. Skittery waved to them and head down that way.

"What's wit da goil?" Kiki asked.

"Oh no," Kitty said upon seeing her face. "Its dat rich goil."

"Great," Jack sighed.

"She must have gotten caught hangin' 'round," Mush said. Skittery and Boots went up to them, holding a struggling Charlotte.

"We meet again," Jack said approaching her.

"What's your name, goil?" Blink said rather harshly.

"Be nice to the lady now," Jack said with a hint of sarcasm.

"So, what's your name?" Mush asked trying to be nice.

"Charlotte Ray," She said in disgust.

"And where are you from?" Spot started, "Uppah Queens? Uppah Harlem? Dare I say Uppah Brooklyn?"

"Upper Manhattan," She muttered.

"Jacky boi, she's your responsibility," Spot said backing up.

"Fine," Jack took a harsh hold on Charlotte. She let out a small squeal of pain. "C'mon guys, let's figure out ta do wit dis goil. Bye, Spot, Kiki." They waved goodbye and headed back for Manhattan.