(Warning: From here on in, you can expect violent themes to pop up (implied and actual) Just in case I forget to head each chapter- though I'll do my best :0) )
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"What's the matter? You scared?" Spot said, a faint smile creeping into the corner of his mouth.
Spot knew he was. It was in your best interest to be. Scared and stupid. That's what everyone was in his eyes. Blink could see it. It was one of the few things Spot took for granted. A weakness if he had one.
Blink didn't respond.
Was he afraid of Spot? You'd have to be crazy not to be, but that didn't mean he was going to confess it.
He was stubborn, but it had gotten him into worse trouble than this…well, maybe not.
"You should be," Spot said, not giving him the chance to answer even if he had wanted to, "Every second you're still breathin' you owe to me. Knowin' what I know, I shouldn't even be wastin' my time talkin' with you."
"What do you know?" Blink asked, trying to feign composure and innocence at the same time. Stalling? In a word. If he was going to die, he was going to do it on his feet and with his fists, not in some back alley where he couldn't put up a fight.
The only way he was getting out of this was if Spot decided the information he had was wrong, which was a given, though the thought of Spot admitting he was wrong was something else entirely. There was no one who could pin him except-
Race.
Race wouldn't give him up, though. Names were one thing; he didn't blame him for that. He deserved it. But Race knew what giving him up would mean, especially to the likes of Spot. He'd never do it.
"Nah, it don't work that way," Spot said, the smile abruptly falling from his lips as he took a step forward, closing the small distance between them.
Blink got the impression that he had crossed some invisible line he should have been aware of. Reflexively he tried to take a step back, but found only the wall behind him.
"I ask the questions and you answer 'em. You don't speak until I tell you to. Understand?" Spot said plainly, any trace of amusement, feigned or otherwise, gone from his voice.
Blink nodded only once and that was more than he wanted to give Spot. He knew the darkness was on his side, as it hid the challenging glare in his eye that he couldn't suppress. But the silence was all Spot wanted, or at least that's what Blink reasoned. No matter how dark the shadows were, he knew Spot could still see him. If he wanted Blink scared enough not to look at him, he wouldn't hesitate in giving him a reason.
"You ain't as stupid as you look," Spot seemed satisfied with Blink's grasp of the situation and turned away, but didn't go far before turning around again. He had put distance between them, but was still close enough for discomfort. Spot within arms length was always a dangerous thing, and that was when he didn't have it in for you.
Crossing his arms, Spot returned Blink's almost confrontational stare. It wasn't something he would normally entertain, but maybe it didn't matter to him because Blink wouldn't be around much longer anyway. He just stood solidly and unwaveringly, almost as if he was testing the silence and seeing if Blink would be foolish enough to break it first. Blink wasn't going to give him an excuse at this point, so he kept his mouth shut and waited.
What seemed like a small eternity passed. Spot didn't move and Blink could have sworn he didn't blink once. Maybe he practiced, Blink thought absently. A couple hours a day, a few days a week. It couldn't be that hard to learn how to wilt flowers with one look. The thought caused him to laugh to himself, the absurdity of it so out of place in the very serious situation he was in. Was he losing his mind? Probably. It would go a long way to explaining his sudden loss of interest in self-preservation as of late.
The dull throbbing in the back of his head became more pronounced as the seconds passed, probably because it was the only thing he had to think about besides his imminent demise. At this point he didn't know which was less painful to think about. His eye glanced away long enough to steady himself against the wall.
At that moment, Spot uncrossed his arms and finally decided to end the tense silence. Maybe that's what he was waiting for all along, for Blink to be the first to look away. Blink hadn't dealt with Spot before, not in any situation where Jack wasn't a mitigating force. Apparently there were rules he was only starting to figure out. Too bad he wouldn't last long enough to make any use of it.
"Who'd you think I was?" Spot nodded in the direction he came, no doubt referring to the less than warm welcome.
"Nobody," Blink responded after a moment of hesitation.
Was it worth it to keep the act up? He couldn't get much closer to being dead to everyone he knew. Once they pinned him a traitor, the mark wouldn't be easily erased. No one would acknowledge his existence and sooner spit in his face than give him the time of day. Something like that tended to follow you wherever you went. Unless he left the city, he could look forward to being nothing but a shadow. And if Spot was out looking for him it could only mean he was close to death in the literal sense as well. He was kidding himself to think he would even survive long enough to suffer the stigma of a traitor.
He was dead either way. Spot now or Box Greene later, it was going to end the same.
It wasn't worth it. If he had any sense in his skull he would have just said his piece and hoped to God that Spot believed him. But he didn't have any sense in him, or at least that's what Mush and Race got great satisfaction in telling him daily.
They wouldn't take him back anyway, Blink told himself. It was too late for that. And even if they did, he knew only trouble would come from it. Jack had wanted to keep Manhattan clear of any scores Greene was looking to settle. For the good of everyone else, Jack would have no other choice but to ask him to leave.
"I'm gonna make this real easy for you to understand. That was me askin' you a question," Spot said with a hint of annoyance, not being accustomed to repeating himself, "And this is me given you another chance to answer it."
"Look, it don't matter-" Blink's response was cut short with his breath as he slammed back into the brick wall. The suddenness of it caught him off guard and ripped a gasp of pain from his throat as every bone seemed jar sharply into his sore muscles. His face twisted into a grimace as he tried to unlock Spot's fist from its grip on his shirt.
"I ain't in the mood to play games," Spot warned him through narrowed eyes, his fingers digging into the cloth and ignoring Blink's attempt to shake him off. "Don't make me knock your brains all over the street. Kelly wouldn't like cleanin' that up."
Blink managed a nod, only getting the gist of what Spot had said without actually hearing the words. His heart pounded in his ears and drown out everything except the pain.
That was when it hit him: He wasn't going to make it out. He couldn't defend himself; he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of it.
Well, at least he could say Spot had done it. No doubt he would just be one name at the end of a very long list, but still. . . God, he was losing it. The end means the end, Kid. You won't be tellin' no one about it, he told himself. At least that would mean no one would know how he died backed into a corner.
He opened his eye, not remembering when he closed it
"You think I'm jokin'?" Spot pulled Blink forward just enough to make sure he heard.
Blink tried to clear his mind enough to respond, but apparently it wasn't fast enough for Spot's liking. Before he could brace himself, Spot shoved him back against the brick again.
"I asked you, if you thought I was jokin'."
"No, I don't think you're jokin'," Blink said through clenched teeth, getting the point of the exercise too late to save himself the trouble.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"What?" Blink asked automatically, noticing his error as he felt Spot's fist tighten. "No, it wasn't," he corrected himself quickly. Self-preservation wasn't exactly as low on his list as he thought.
"Good, you're gettin' it," Spot said, "Now I got another one for ya: Who'd you think I was?" He said it slowly and deliberately, making each word a threat in itself.
Say it, Blink willed himself, just tell him what he wants to know. He'll leave you alone. Yeah right, he'll leave you alone. . . face down in a ditch.
"He thought you was me," a voice answered from the opening of the alley.
Blink snapped his attention to the direction of the voice, ignoring the pain that accompanied the quick movement. If it was possible, his heart began beating faster. His eye searched the silhouette that had decided to make its presence known, trying to find an identity. He didn't need to though, the voice was more than enough.
It couldn't be.
There was no way he was getting out of this one alive. Any trace of hope he had dared himself to keep was gone.
"Yeah? And who would you be?" Spot shot back, not even bothering to look at the owner of the voice. His tone was unfriendly and cold enough to make it clear they were not welcome.
Whether Spot was unaware of who exactly he was dealing with or merely playing the part, Blink didn't know. He only knew it wasn't smart to keep your back turned to such a threat and if he cared about Spot's life he probably would have said something.
Spot only turned his head when no response came. Instead of leaving as quickly as it could, the figure instead began walking toward them slowly. The steps were easy and not threatening or nervous. They knew where they were going and weren't afraid.
Spot released his grip on Blink, but didn't move away. He wanted his hands to be free in case he needed them. There were a very small number of people in the city that would approach him alone. Cut that number in half for those that were willing to do it outside of Brooklyn. Of those there were only two that would risk it at night, and one was back at the Manhattan lodging house. The other was dead.
Run, Blink told himself. He couldn't move his legs. No matter how much he willed them to move, they wouldn't budge from the cement. His eyes remained locked on the steadily approaching source of concern, the warning in his mind growing louder with each step. But he couldn't compel himself to run.
"Don't even think about moving," Spot said warningly under his breath to Blink, almost as if he was anticipating his thought of running.
Spot's eyes stayed trained on the approaching figure, not needing to look further down the alley to make sure his boys were there. They were watching as much as he was, and with the slightest signal from him, they would knock the kid into last Tuesday.
The stranger came to a stop a safe distance away, within a stream of light from one of the windows above. Settling on his features, the light cast dim shadows over the angles of his face. Though obscured slightly, his identity was immediately revealed if there was any question before. He wanted to be recognized.
If Spot felt anything but boredom, he didn't show it. He wouldn't show anything to this kid. That had been the last mistake he made that he regretted.
"Come on, you tellin' me you don't remember?" the newcomer said with a smile that seemed to communicate everything but amusement.
"Yeah, I suppose I do," Spot said with ease, taking the edge off of his move to pull his cane from its belt loop. Though he held it loosely, he held it with the intention to use it.
The last time they met, one of them ended up dead.
"It's been a long time, Box."
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A/N: I ran into a bit of a wall, but I have found my way around it. This was actually the first half of the intended chapter, but I really wanted to post for you guys, you have been so patient! Finals are swooping in for the kill, so wish me luck! Or at least wave large umbrellas at them ;0) Time is still a scarce commodity, so I'm still trying to catch up on all my reading and reviewing :0)
Many thank yous to 24601 again, for taking time out of her busy schedule to test-drive this for me.
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Ler Shoutouts!
HilaRyB- Ohh! I made you happy! That makes me happy! breaks out the happy dance music Race will be back in action next chapter. Mwhahaha cough cough Oh dear, did that sound maniacal? No, not at all, it will be nice and happy and lollipops will be had by all, Mwhahahahahah! cough Thank you so much for all your kind words and I'm really glad you like the story, Thank you again!
Geogal- Why won't that boy run? Well, I could also ask why your boys haven't gotten relationship counseling yet, hehehe. Are you going to be doing that sequel, by the by? birthday balloons spontaneously fall on geogal Happy birthday: the sequel :0) Thank you muchly for your review darlin'!
J "Spotted One"
I so played with polly pocket when I was a young'un.I always wondered how that go by the safety board, it practically saying "I'm a choking hazard!" on the box, heheh, not like that ever stopped me from playing with it. Thank you for your review! Playing is definitely allowed and encouraged during the review process ;0)
KidBlink182-Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you soooooo very much for letting me know! It means a lot to me to know people are enjoying this, so thank you again :0) Good characters hugs characters now I just have to get them to continue to cooperate ;0)
24601-You just are the bestest reader/beta/ newsie tamer a girl could ask for ;0) Hahaha Blink's past (I love there was a " he starved to death and then." he is that good of a survivor that he can come back form the dead and still be a scrumptious newsie ;0) ) One of these chapters I'm going to have to write an ode to you ;0) Thank you so much, as always :0)
Bottles- Ooooo literary deception, I like the sound of that, its all literary and deceptive :0) Let's get ready to rumble! Odds are 50 to one on scary!spot ( well he's scary and can fly.oh wait no, no he can't ;0) 30 to 1 then) Thank you for your review!
Peachy/Elensiluva- Peachy sounds like a newsie name to me, and you have your hat, all you need now is. Race hands Peachy a stack of papes, with a tip of his hat ( he's such a nice boy) thank you for your review(s), it really encourage me to get going on this one :0) I hope you enjoyed.
Nerikla- Yay! Blink has won support! The poor guy was getting such a bad rap :0) Not that I had anything to do with that of course whistles innocently :0) Thank you so much for reading and for your nice words, I hope you enjoy this chap!
Jenn C- Dear me! You say "dear me!" too ( I say that all the time for some reason) I have met a kindred spirit. I do love some good tension and I'm glad you have been enjoying it and the story, thank you for reading and being so faithful a reviewer!
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As
always. thank you for reading and if you have a minute or two to
spare, please let me know what you think so far. :0)