"Rinoa!" Mush yelled chasing her. She ran up to the bench in the park and curled up on it and cried. Mush stopped and spotted her on the bench. He walked over slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, talk to me." Mush told her.
Rinoa looked up at him with her blue eyes full of tears. Mush brushed away a tear running down her cheek. "Mush, it's so not fair." She sobbed quietly. "What's not?" He asked. "Casey just ran away and everyone's still all hung up over her....now what place do I stand in? No where that's what. I'm just some kind of drifter that no one cares about." Rinoa said sniffing.
"Oh c'mon you know that's not true. All of us care about you. We still haven't let anything happen to you. Well, nothing we couldn't prevent other than right now but I got her off you so you're safe. You know we don't just care about Casey. From what I just saw was unbelievable." Mush reassured her stroaking her cheek.
"You wouldn't understand." Rinoa said shaking her head and got off the bench and ran. Mush didn't bother to run it was obvious she wanted to be alone. Mush however just felt his insides churn in anger and he went to go find Casey. It didn't take very long. He looked up into a tree and saw Casey in it.
"Get down here." He said crossing his arms. She quickly got down but backed up a little into the tree. "Where've you been?" Mush asked her getting close to her face. "I uh...I've been around." Casey replied. "Why did you just do that to Rinoa?" Mush demanded.
"Look Mush, it was just one of those spur of the moment things. It really wasn't meant to happen ok? I'm sorry and it wont happen again. Just take her back home and forget it ever happened alright? Another thing, just leave me alone!" Casey said stalking away.
Mush rolled his eyes and went back to the lodging house. Racetrack was walking around Central Park when he spotted Rinoa iver by the pond. "Rinoa, what are you doing out here?" He asked sitting next to her. Rinoa was throwing rocks in the pond. "Who cares anyway?" She asked bitterly. "I do. Mush does.....all of us do." Race replied putting out his cigar.
"It's hard to explain but I had a run in with Casey today....ugh...I hate her." Rinoa muttered the last part. "You did?" Race asked raising his eyebrows. Rinoa nodded. "Look, it's getting kind of cold out here wanna go home?" Race asked standing up and helping her up. "Yeah, I'm kind of tired." She said swaying a little as she stood.
Once they got back Rinoa immediatly fell asleep once she got to her bed. Then they heard a knock on the door. Mush went down stairs to go and answer it. It was Casey at the door. "Get in here." Mush said grabbing her arm and keeping hold of it. "Look, I just came to apologize to Rinoa ok? Then I'm going." Casey told him. "No, I'm not letting you live on the streets. You had no reason to run away in the first place. You have no reason to run now. you belong here not out there. I'm not letting you go out there to die ok?" Mush said sternly.
"Mush, you're not my father, you don't need to look out for my well being." Casey said trying to throw his arm off. "Casey, you don't understand what it was like without you do you? We were miserable ok? Rinoa was going crazy and all of us were just going out of our minds worrying ok?" Mush told her. "You don't need to!" She yelled getting defensive. "I can take care of myself!"
"You're not so sure anymore are you?" Blink asked leaning against Kloppman's desk. "Oh c'mon! What's this? Gang up on Casey night?" She asked. "No, this is the make Casey make sense night." Mush said pulling her up the stairs. She tried to pull away but gave up. He pulled her into the bunk room where all the Newsboys were playing poker.
"Royal Flush!" Race yelled jumping up and slapping his cards down on the table in victory. Everyone turned and looked over at Mush who had Casey next to him. "Hey Casey!" They were all crowding around. "Look fellas who votes Casey should stay here?" Mush asked raising his hand and he held up Casey's arm causing her to have her hand raised.
All of them raised their hands except Rinoa who was sleeping. "No! Casey! Someone help! Casey! CASEY! Don't go! No! I can't stay here on my own! CASEY!!!!" Rinoa started to scream in her sleep. Casey threw Mush off and ran over to Rinoa. She threw her arms around Rinoa and stroaked her hair. She immediatly woke up breathing heavily. "Calm down, calm down...shhhh it's alright." Casey told her laying her back down and throwing the blanket back over her.
"It was just a bad dream it's going to be ok." Casey continued. She waited until Rinoa closed her eyes again and was asleep. "You see Casey? You got proof right there. Rinoa needs you. She's only 14 and all she's living with is boys." Race told her.
"I can't do anything about it. I really can't stay alright?!" Casey said striding for the door. "Casey, please stay." Race begged. "Look Casey, we're all worried about you because, you know what happens to kids on the street if they don't know where to go." Bumlets said.
"Well actually, I've been living on the streets the last 5 years and nothing's happened. I don't know what will happen." Casey stated. "Look, Casey kids on the streets get carted off to Orphanages around the city if they are out on their own. You don't belong there. You belong here." Skittery explained.
"I'm getting tired can we just talk about this tomorrow?" Casey asked. "Sure, your old bunk is right there." Jack pointed over to her old bed. "Thanks." She said with a smile. She walked over to it and layed down on it.
The next thing Casey knew she heard lightning and thunder. She knew it was storming. It was still the middle of the night so she turned back over and went back to sleep.
"CASEY!" Casey looked up to see fire all around the room. There was fire everywhere. Mush was near the door extending out his hand. "CASEY! You have to jump! If you don't you'll die!" He yelled. "What about Rinoa?!" Casey yelled coughing on hot smoke. "Forget about Rinoa! She's dead! Jump over here!" Mush yelled.
"NO!" Casey yelled sitting down on the bed. The last thing she knew flames engulfed the bed and....
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Casey screamed over and over. Mush jumped down from his bed and woke her up. "You need to stop dreaming like this." Mush sighed holding her. "I can see nothing's changed." Blink said fixing his eye patch. "What was the dream about?" Snipeshooter asked amazed.
"Snipe, that's not anything we should be asking." Specs said. "It was fire...fire was everywhere.....Rinoa was dead and Mush was telling me to jump...if not I'd die...." Casey said with chattering teeth. "It was just a dream." Mush said giving her a hug.
Dutchy came back in with a glass of water. He handed it to her and she took a sip of it. "I'm scared." She said curling up. "You don't need to be." Mush reassured her. "Man, maybe she should start taking some lessons from Spot." Itey said walking back over to his bed.
"Hey maybe she should." Race said thinking about it. "Who's Spot?" Casey asked still shaking. "Oh..he's the leader of Brooklyn." Jack replied. "Well I guess we could ask him." Casey said. "ok then it's settled. We'll go see Spot tomorrow." Jack said.
Rinoa looked up at him with her blue eyes full of tears. Mush brushed away a tear running down her cheek. "Mush, it's so not fair." She sobbed quietly. "What's not?" He asked. "Casey just ran away and everyone's still all hung up over her....now what place do I stand in? No where that's what. I'm just some kind of drifter that no one cares about." Rinoa said sniffing.
"Oh c'mon you know that's not true. All of us care about you. We still haven't let anything happen to you. Well, nothing we couldn't prevent other than right now but I got her off you so you're safe. You know we don't just care about Casey. From what I just saw was unbelievable." Mush reassured her stroaking her cheek.
"You wouldn't understand." Rinoa said shaking her head and got off the bench and ran. Mush didn't bother to run it was obvious she wanted to be alone. Mush however just felt his insides churn in anger and he went to go find Casey. It didn't take very long. He looked up into a tree and saw Casey in it.
"Get down here." He said crossing his arms. She quickly got down but backed up a little into the tree. "Where've you been?" Mush asked her getting close to her face. "I uh...I've been around." Casey replied. "Why did you just do that to Rinoa?" Mush demanded.
"Look Mush, it was just one of those spur of the moment things. It really wasn't meant to happen ok? I'm sorry and it wont happen again. Just take her back home and forget it ever happened alright? Another thing, just leave me alone!" Casey said stalking away.
Mush rolled his eyes and went back to the lodging house. Racetrack was walking around Central Park when he spotted Rinoa iver by the pond. "Rinoa, what are you doing out here?" He asked sitting next to her. Rinoa was throwing rocks in the pond. "Who cares anyway?" She asked bitterly. "I do. Mush does.....all of us do." Race replied putting out his cigar.
"It's hard to explain but I had a run in with Casey today....ugh...I hate her." Rinoa muttered the last part. "You did?" Race asked raising his eyebrows. Rinoa nodded. "Look, it's getting kind of cold out here wanna go home?" Race asked standing up and helping her up. "Yeah, I'm kind of tired." She said swaying a little as she stood.
Once they got back Rinoa immediatly fell asleep once she got to her bed. Then they heard a knock on the door. Mush went down stairs to go and answer it. It was Casey at the door. "Get in here." Mush said grabbing her arm and keeping hold of it. "Look, I just came to apologize to Rinoa ok? Then I'm going." Casey told him. "No, I'm not letting you live on the streets. You had no reason to run away in the first place. You have no reason to run now. you belong here not out there. I'm not letting you go out there to die ok?" Mush said sternly.
"Mush, you're not my father, you don't need to look out for my well being." Casey said trying to throw his arm off. "Casey, you don't understand what it was like without you do you? We were miserable ok? Rinoa was going crazy and all of us were just going out of our minds worrying ok?" Mush told her. "You don't need to!" She yelled getting defensive. "I can take care of myself!"
"You're not so sure anymore are you?" Blink asked leaning against Kloppman's desk. "Oh c'mon! What's this? Gang up on Casey night?" She asked. "No, this is the make Casey make sense night." Mush said pulling her up the stairs. She tried to pull away but gave up. He pulled her into the bunk room where all the Newsboys were playing poker.
"Royal Flush!" Race yelled jumping up and slapping his cards down on the table in victory. Everyone turned and looked over at Mush who had Casey next to him. "Hey Casey!" They were all crowding around. "Look fellas who votes Casey should stay here?" Mush asked raising his hand and he held up Casey's arm causing her to have her hand raised.
All of them raised their hands except Rinoa who was sleeping. "No! Casey! Someone help! Casey! CASEY! Don't go! No! I can't stay here on my own! CASEY!!!!" Rinoa started to scream in her sleep. Casey threw Mush off and ran over to Rinoa. She threw her arms around Rinoa and stroaked her hair. She immediatly woke up breathing heavily. "Calm down, calm down...shhhh it's alright." Casey told her laying her back down and throwing the blanket back over her.
"It was just a bad dream it's going to be ok." Casey continued. She waited until Rinoa closed her eyes again and was asleep. "You see Casey? You got proof right there. Rinoa needs you. She's only 14 and all she's living with is boys." Race told her.
"I can't do anything about it. I really can't stay alright?!" Casey said striding for the door. "Casey, please stay." Race begged. "Look Casey, we're all worried about you because, you know what happens to kids on the street if they don't know where to go." Bumlets said.
"Well actually, I've been living on the streets the last 5 years and nothing's happened. I don't know what will happen." Casey stated. "Look, Casey kids on the streets get carted off to Orphanages around the city if they are out on their own. You don't belong there. You belong here." Skittery explained.
"I'm getting tired can we just talk about this tomorrow?" Casey asked. "Sure, your old bunk is right there." Jack pointed over to her old bed. "Thanks." She said with a smile. She walked over to it and layed down on it.
The next thing Casey knew she heard lightning and thunder. She knew it was storming. It was still the middle of the night so she turned back over and went back to sleep.
"CASEY!" Casey looked up to see fire all around the room. There was fire everywhere. Mush was near the door extending out his hand. "CASEY! You have to jump! If you don't you'll die!" He yelled. "What about Rinoa?!" Casey yelled coughing on hot smoke. "Forget about Rinoa! She's dead! Jump over here!" Mush yelled.
"NO!" Casey yelled sitting down on the bed. The last thing she knew flames engulfed the bed and....
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Casey screamed over and over. Mush jumped down from his bed and woke her up. "You need to stop dreaming like this." Mush sighed holding her. "I can see nothing's changed." Blink said fixing his eye patch. "What was the dream about?" Snipeshooter asked amazed.
"Snipe, that's not anything we should be asking." Specs said. "It was fire...fire was everywhere.....Rinoa was dead and Mush was telling me to jump...if not I'd die...." Casey said with chattering teeth. "It was just a dream." Mush said giving her a hug.
Dutchy came back in with a glass of water. He handed it to her and she took a sip of it. "I'm scared." She said curling up. "You don't need to be." Mush reassured her. "Man, maybe she should start taking some lessons from Spot." Itey said walking back over to his bed.
"Hey maybe she should." Race said thinking about it. "Who's Spot?" Casey asked still shaking. "Oh..he's the leader of Brooklyn." Jack replied. "Well I guess we could ask him." Casey said. "ok then it's settled. We'll go see Spot tomorrow." Jack said.