first off, you all must read Riley Higgins, by Riley Higgins, my bestest friend in the world! my beloved reviewers:

Garen Ruy Maxwell- brooklynite...thats such a cool word...i shall indeed!

elleestJenn-very good!

RileyHiggins-go away, you filthy scabba. no, just kidding, i love you...dont hurt me...please

so many of you all...(sniff) thank you, thank you (Miss America wave)

Dutchy quietly watched Mustang as she slept. She had passed out again after recounting her arrival in New York and began to say something about arriving at the lodging house. He started to hum a little and was lost in thought. There was something she had mentioned that was familiar. She had said she brought only a hew things with her when she left Santa Fe, and that she still had all but one of them. Somehow that one thing seemed terribly significant to him. Then he remembered what it was.
He ran out of the small room on the first floor and took the stairs two at a time. A few of the others were back and gave him strange looks. "Hey, where's da fire?" Kid Blink yelled as Dutchy just about knocked him over.
"Sorry. No fire," he muttered in a terribly distracted sort of way. He ran to his bunk and dug around in his pillow case for a moment until he found what he was looking for. He ran back down stairs, slightly slower, running gentle fingers over tiny leather horse.
"Mustang," he whispered, as her eyes blinked open, "I found somethin I think might help yeh remember." She sat up and took the horse from him. Tears ran down her cheeks as she hugged it close.
"Even if I can't remember who you are, I know now how incredibly special you must have been to me." She threw her arms around his neck. "Dutchy," she whispered. He held her tighter and could feel tears running down her cheek onto his shoulder. "I remember it, I remember you, I remember you were my best friend, and you always will be. I don't ever want to forget that again-" She meant to continue, but she had fainted. Dutchy lay her back down and wiped the tears from her face. For a moment he just watched her as she slept, holding the tiny horse close to her. Then he started to hum again, he knew he wasn't much of a singer, but she was asleep, so she probably wouldn't mind. It was just a bit of a song he had heard Jack singing before.
"Will ya keep a candle burnin, will you help me find my way? You're my chance to break free, and who knows when my next one will be, Sante Fe, wait for me" He hadn't heard it too much since the strike ended, but every once in awhile he'd catch Jack singing it to himself still, mostly when he got back from selling early and thought no one else was around.
"How do you know that song?" Dutchy jumped and turned to see Jack stading in the doorway, not looking too pleased.
"I heard ya singing it. Didn't realize it was a secret." Jack just shrugged. He wasn't crazy about the newsies knowing he still considered Santa Fe as an option for a better life, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. It was just a song after all. Dutchy waited a moment after Jack left. He brushed some hair out of Mustang's face and left. It was late and he had to sell papers tomorrow.

In the middle of the night, Mustang sat bolt upright. Since she had been recounting her past, she had been forced to think about it more. This wasn't the first nightmare fire to wake her up. Silently, she crept from her room and the lodging house to the pen in the back where Cowgirl stayed. In the soft silver moonlight, she seemed to glow eerily. In proper light, she was a beautiful deep chestnut with a hint of red, the prettiest horse Mustang had ever seen. In the pale glow, she was enchanting. Mustang climbed over the fence and approched her. It took a moment for the horse to wake up and another to recognize her master and best friend. When she did, she rubbed her head against the girl and gave a soft whinney.
"Shhhh, love. We don't want ta wake them. I'm not supposed to be out of bed." She walked to the horse's side and tapped the back of her knee. Cowgirl obediantly dropped to her knees and Mustang sat down in the curve of her warm body. "Is this where we're supposed to be? Should we go back to Long Island? Maybe even make a run back to Santa Fe. I know you'd like it. A nice long run as fast sa you can go."
"Hey! What's going on out here?" A voice came from the shadows of the lodging house. Cowgirl started, but didn't get up, because Mustang was still right next to her.
"Show yourself, and maybe I'll answer." Mustang slowly rose to her feet and Cowgirl followed suit. Racetrack, Kid Blink, and a few other newsies emerged into the moonlight. Racetrack had a good amount of moeny in his hand, leading Mustang to believe they had been gambling. "Who are you?"
"We could ask you da same question. And what are you doin in our territory?"
"The name's Mustang." All of them froze. Of course they remembered her, other than Sarah and Medda, she was the only girl they had ever been in regular contact with.
"But dat was two years ago. When'd you come back?" Kid Blink said slowly.
"A few days ago. I'm afraid, however, that in those two years I managed to lose my memory and no longer know who you are." She placed a hand on Cowgirl's nose as she pinned her ears and began to snort. "So if you don't tell me, I'll be forced to use the only defense I have at the moment." She nodded toward the over protective horse.
"You really expect us ta believe that?"
"She does have da horse."
"Yeah, I guess. But we need proof first."
"But I told you, I don't remember-"
"Just that you are who you say you are. Yeh know, basic stuff about you that we would know." She shrugged. "Who did you hang out with the most when you were here?" She paused. She knew his name...
"Dutchy." Racetrack nodded. Dutchy wasn't widely known, so this seemed proof enough. They all ran toward her. Kid Blink grabbed her in a hugand spun her around. She couldn't help but laugh.
"I can't believe you're back!" This explained why Dutchy had been dissapearing so much.
"Neither can I. Now if only I could remember who you all were. Don't tell me!" Racetrack had opened his mouth to speak. "I can do this. Alright." She looked first at Racetrack. "Let's see. Short. Gambler. Doesn't like bein told he's wrong...Racetrack."
"Very good." He hugged her. It was a bit akward, seeing as she was right and he was about an inch shorter than her. She went through, naming all the newsies and came last to Kid Blink.
"Tall, dirty blonde...the eye patch. Tht should give it away, shouldn't it. There's something about you...Kid Blink." They all froze. No one knew what to do. She had fainted. Cowgirl lay down again beside her.
"I think we'd better get Dutchy..." Racetrack said, heading back towards the lodging house. "Blink, stay here, make sure nothin happens to her." They ran inside. Kid Blink stroked Cowgirl's nose and knelt beside Mustang.