Room is strangely empty. Then a head peeks out of the near by closet Oh, hello! As you can see, I'm hiding! I'm hiding from the boys because of how much they hated this chappy. They are ready to tar and feather my sorry butt. peeks around the room once more So, I'm afraid there shall be no special solos by any of them. ducks rotten fruit Wait! Don't hurt me! You'll love this chappy! I swears it on the head of Skittery! peeks through fingers to see no more fruit Much better! Well, shall I get started? Oh, before I forget, I would like to thanks Hawk for all her ideas that are included in this chappy. Ok, moving on!

Disclaimer: (man I hate it!) I do not own in any way, shape, or form the newsies or the girls in this story! I only own myself and Tripper. bows thank you.

Now for the shout outs, done by me!

RealDramaQueen817: I'm glad you liked the last chappy! I'm trying to include the other characters as much as possible. In the near future, there will be a chappy dedicated to Kitten, entirely to Kitten!

madmbutterfly713: blushes Awww..tanks! I'm glad you liked it! Yesh! Girls will rule over all newsiedom! And we shall rule well with chocolate for everyone! types on computer Ok, you are officially added to the hard-core Spot lover list! Sorry this chappy wasn't finished sooner. Life got busy really fast, and I hardly had any time to write. But, I got it done and it is good!

Tears in a Bottle: Spice? You wanted spice! So, that's what you got! I bet my shoe that you will fall out of your chair with laughter! accepts the bows given her brilliance Tank you! Tank you! I'll be here all week! Good thing you didn't explode, or you wouldn't be able to read this story huh? Sorry to keep you in suspence for so long. But, you know how busy I've been. So, I'm sure you understand. Oh, you already know this, but I love my nickname! huggles Froggie Lubs you! The saps shall rule over Skittery and all the other luvely newsies!

mistymixwolf aka perch: joins evil laughter Yesh! Spice is the best thing to bring upon our unsuspecting boyos! Read on and be prepared to die laughing! (just don't really die cause then I would miss you!)

newsiefreak9er9er: Oh yes, they shall suffer! You must read on to find out how! glomps Hawk Tanks ever so much for your ideas! I added some of mine and tweaked a few of yours, but they are still really good! And, I tinks you should go with the cannon as your ultimate weapon! It is a wise choice. nods solemnly Smart you are! giggles Ok, I gotta go work on the other shout outs now!

elleestJenn: Yesh, when girls get together with a set purpose in mind, it can be down right deadly! Makes torturing the suckers even more fun! Don't you think? I love the power that comes with evilness! (not a bad evilness though :P) Makes me feel so...so...evil! laughs crazily

Ok folks, that's it for the shout outs! loud voices are heard outside room That can't be a good thing! angry mob of newsies enter room Ahhhhh! They found me! runs around room dodging newsies Ok, you know what to do! Read and review! Hurry so I can move onto the next chappy so these blokes don't kill me! runs out of room with newsies nipping at her heels

Chapter Sixteen

The lodging house was silent. All was dark and shadowy. Soft snores and sighs could be heard coming from the boys' bunkroom where every one of them was sleeping sounding in their beds. Down the hall from the bunkroom, the sick room door opened, and seven dark figures crept quietly from the doorway, melting into the shadows that lined the hallway. They slipped down the hall step by quiet step making sure to miss every squeaky spot and loose floorboard.

Reaching the end of the hall, the seven figures congregated around the door leading to the boy's room. Their shadowy shoulders shook with silent giggles and attempts to hold their mirth inside. One brave soul reached out a tentative hand and grasped the doorknob. With agonizing slowness, the knob was turned, and the door pushed open just enough to allow the shadows in before it was quickly shut again.

From this point, the seven figures split up into groups of two or one. Two figures weaved in and out of the bunks leaving thin lines of string trailing behind them. Two others took jars out of the sacks thrown over their shoulders and carefully started outlining the sleeping boys with its contents. The last pair moved carefully in and out of the shower stalls, removing some of the bottles and replacing them with something else. The lone figure also moved around the washroom. It fumbled blindly with Jack's shaving cream cup for a little while before moving onto the toothbrushes lying on the counter. Once everyone had finished their tasks, the dark shadows quietly exited the room and slipped down the hall to the sickroom. The last noises heard were the click of the sickroom's lock and a heavy piece of furniture sliding in front of the door. Then, once again, silence reined supreme throughout the building.

The next morning dawned gray and dull, promising snow for later. The boys were just starting to wake up. Skittery yawned and went to stretch when he felt something sticky on the side of his face.

"What da…!"

"Eww! Gross! What da heck happened!" Blink's voice rang out loud and shrill, waking those still dreaming.

All the boys were wide-awake now. They stared at the room around them. A web of string had been woven between their bunks and through out the rest of the room. Covering the bodies of the newsies was honey, frosting, and shaving cream. Wide-eyed, the boys stared at each other while trying to wipe the gunk off their clothes.

Snitch and Itey sat up in the bunk they shared, looked at each other and screamed! Their hair was molded into thin spikes that stood straight up. Their faces had been painted to resemble laughing and crying clowns. The boys' eyes were huge as they stared at each other. Hesitant hands reached up and felt the stiff pieces of hair on the other's head.

The other boys started to look at each other as well, noticing that each one had a 'splendid' new hairdo and weird face paint. Jack climbed from his as best he could, being covered with honey. The minute his feet touched the floor, they slipped out from under him. He landed hard on his butt with a loud oomph! The floor had been covered with a thin layer of cooking oil.

The boys were upset now! They knew exactly who was to blame for this! They clambered down from their bunks; not caring about the honey that dripped from their bodies onto their beds. Many fell to their knees when they stepped on the slick floor.

Skittery took his time climbing down from his bunk. Tentatively, he placed his right foot on the floor. Immediately, it slipped out from under him. With a loud yell, Skittery fell flat on his back. He hit so hard the breath was knocked from his lungs. He gasped for a second for the air he desperately needed before it rushed to fill his empty lungs. Once he had gotten his breath back, Skittery turned over onto his stomach and slowly drew his knees and hands underneath him. He cautiously tested his weight on his hands and lifted himself so that he rested on all fours.

He grinned triumphantly to himself before lifting his gaze to check on his friends' progress. Most of them either were lying flat on their backs, flat on their faces, or sitting on their butts looking a bit dazed. A few of the braver boys were scooting on their hands and knees toward the safety of the washroom. Tumbler, being the smart kid he was, tied two of his shirts to his feet, and was now able to nearly skate across the floor like he was on ice.

It didn't take much longer for the boys to make it to the washroom, each at his own pace and in his own way. Once they reached the bathroom, there was a general stampede for the showers and washtubs. Jack, Race, Skittery, and a few of the other older boys rushed around establishing peace, stopping fights, and getting a system going that eventually would get each of the boys chance to shower.

Blink was one of the first boys to get a shower. He jumped under the blast of luke warm water and immediately started lathering up his honey coated body. It took three lathers and rinses before his skin was clean again. He then attacked his spiked hair with shampoo and finally succeeded in freeing it from whatever substance was used to make it stiff. Blink sighed with happiness at the feeling of cleanliness that he felt. He started whistling a merry carol while reaching for his towel and wrapping it around his middle.

"Shower's open!" He yelled above the conversations and arguments. As Skittery walked past him to take possession of the empty stall, he gave Blink a look of confusion, shook his head, and entered the stall.

Mush, Dutchy, and Snoddy exited their respective stalls at the same moment and looked around. They were the last boys to shower.

"Oh, no! Dey got youse too!" Jack stood there, arms folded across his chest shaking his head.

Mush scratched his head in confusion; "Of coise dey got us too! Didn't ya see da honey on us, or our spiked hair, or da way we was fallin' on our faces?"

Jack shook his head in amazement. "Mush, Mush, Mush. Didn't ya notice…?"

Snoddy and Dutchy took a good look at Jack and the others.

"Um…Jack, is youse not feelin' good? Youse lookin' a bit green." Dutchy looked Jack over with concern.

"Yeah, well, so do you fellas." Skittery said with a sullen chuckle.

The three rushed over to the mirror.

"Ah! I's green!" Snoddy pulled at his face as he tried to wipe away the color.

Dutchy pushed him out of the way and actually turned a shade greener then he was already when he caught sight of his reflection. His trembling hand went up to his normally bright blonde feathery locks, which were now a bright cherry red.

"My-my-my hair is red!" His bright blue eyes began to fill with tears at his loss.

Mush stared around at the boys. Each had a green tint to his skin and a reddish color to his hair.

"What did dey do? Why is our skin and hair different?"

Skittery stared at his rather thick friend as if he'd grown horns. "Don't ya git it? Dey put dye in da soap. Dey are out ta make us miserable!" Skittery shook his head and scowled.

Jack scowled at the floor. "Well, I's got papes ta sell. Let's finish getting' ready."

He walked over to the sink and grabbed his toothbrush from among the others. The boys grumbled darkly before moving about the room finishing up what grooming was left. Jack squirted some toothpaste on his brush and put it in his mouth. He has just started brushing when his eyes went wide.

"Yuck!" He threw the brush in the sink and gagged. The boys could only stand there staring at their leader who was gagging in the sink and rinsing out his mouth with tons of water.

Race decided to be brave and moved over beside the spitting Jack.

"Hey, uh, Jacky boy? What's da mattah?"

Jack spit one last time before glaring up at Race.

"Dey put soap on me brush!"

Several of the boys gagged at the thought while others turned an even greener shade of green then they already were.

Jack wiped his mouth on a near by towel and threw it in the sink in annoyance.

"Dat's da last straw!" He marched out of the washroom, nearly slipped on the oily floor, and stomped down the hall to the girls' room. Just as upset as Jack, the other boys kept close to his heals.

Jack reached the sickroom door and immediately started pounding on it.

"Goils! Open dis door!" Only silence came from behind the door. Jack's face went a greenish-red as he pounded harder.

"Trippah! I knows dis was youse idea! Open dis door before I comes in dere!" No movement was heard. The door didn't open, and not a peep did the girls make.

Jack was nearly livid by now. He grabbed the knob and rammed his shoulder against the locked door. It gave way easily beneath Jack's force. The boys streamed inside to find the room completely deserted. Skittery ran to the window to look at the fire escape but saw no one.

"Hey Jack! Look at what I found!" Specs held a white paper in his hand. "It's addressed ta us!"

Blink snatched it out of Specs' hands and began reading it aloud.

Dear Jack and fellows,

If you are reading this, then you are awake and have had some interesting…things happen to you. Well, being the smart girls we are, we left extra early this morning. What? Do ya think we're stupid enough to just sit here and wait for you to attack us? So, we went to our respective job sites. Oh, good luck finding Tripper! She's hiding as soon as she finishes her selling. Hope you all enjoy your day! We know that you all must look lovely with your new colors!

With much fun making laughter,

Tripper, Perch, Sweeps, Hawk, Kitten, Accent, and Shooter

P.S.

Wish we could have seen your faces!