Hey hey hey!

Here's the next chappy! Alright, here's how it's going to work:

I'm not saying who got who. You'll see in the chapters.

Oh, and as it appears someone is with someone, they may not be.

Or, whoever the person is with now, they may not be with later. (So, boy switches may take place.) If you think that's a bad idea...er...tell me.

It's all up in the air at the moment, so... ya never know. I may, may not. You might just have to keep reading to find out more, huh? ((evil laughter))

---

Disclaimer:

I don't own shit. Not a damn thing. Well, I own a very nice pair of black and blue Audio's, but as for Newsies, nope, sorry. Don't own 'em.

---

Early in the morning a cute, three-year-old boy ran in to greet Phoenix. The blue eyed boy grinned when he saw his target relaxing in her bed still. He hadn't missed his opportunity. He unholstered his plastic gun, raised it in the air, and...

"BANG BANG! You're dead!" He exclaimed. Phoenix shot bolt right up in the bed. The boy giggled and ran over and opened the curtains. Light came pouring in.

The lights were much too bright. I hate this burning light early in the morning. Spot's room was so inconveniently placed... Phoenix thought, cuddling up underneath the covers.

"You're not really dead. We playing cops and robbers. You be the robber and I be the cop," He explained to the lump on the bed. "Ginny?"

Phoenix smiled. "I'm awake, Sethers," she yawned. She slowly pulled the covers off her head and glanced at the boys attire. "Seth Michael, what are you wearing!"

Seth looked at his outfit, smiling proudly. "Spot picked it out!"

Phoenix wrinkled her nose.Spot has horrible taste! And Seth is only three! Why is he wearing...this! Seth was wearing a Wake the Dead t-shirt, black pants complete with a silver chain, and black converse.

"You look silly. Go change!" Phoenix commanded.

The blonde boy sighed, but picked up his plastic gun (a gift) and trudged out of the room.

"Little brothers," Phoenix sighed, rolling out of bed. Just then the door swung open and Racetrack Higgins ran in, followed by none other than Silva Shot.

"Morning, Sunshine!" Racetrack exclaimed, then did a double take at Phoenix. "Whoa! Who hit you with a Mac truck!"

Silva Shot surpressed a laugh. "Nice one, Race!"

"Well, good morning to you to, Antony!" Phoenix mumbled. Racetrack sighed. He hated the way she said his name, Antony. She always forgot the 'H'. If she had to call him by his real name, couldn't she at least say it right? Anthony. Not hard. Or why couldn't she just say Racetrack like everyone else?

"For your information, I didn't get one wink of sleep last night," Phoenix grumbled.

"Another waking dream?" Silva asked, plopping down on the bed. Phoenix nodded.

"Maybe you should consult a doctor about it, Nixxy. You really need to get better. All of these nights without sleep are starting to take a toll on ya," Racetrack said.

"No kidding. She looks like shit! Or road kill! Or..." Silva began, but was cut off by Phoenix.

"I get the point already! I look terrible! You can stop elaborating now!"

Seth ran back in, screaching, and wearing only underwear. The three teens laughed.

"Seth, I told you to go get changed!" Phoenix exclaimed.

Seth rolled his eyes. "I did!"

"Well, go change again, bucko." Phoenix commanded, pointing at the door. "And into some real clothes."

Seth sighed. "This is ridiculus."

"The correct way to say it is..." Phoenix started.

"Let it go, Phoenix! He's only three!" Racetrack intervened.

"He goes into preschool soon! I don't want people thinking he's illiterate!" Phoenix objected. Racetrack rubbed his temple. "Umm...illiterate means...?"

Phoenix sighed. "I give up on you people."

It was silent for a few moments before Silva Shot spoke up.

"Well, we only came up here to tell you that we're all probably going to go visit Jack down in Santa Fe. So you might want to pack and get ready to leave."

"Oh, yah. That's why we came up here..." Racetrack mused.

"C'mon Racey. We need to get back to the others. They're loading up. Better hurry up." Silva Shot called, dragging Racetrack out the door and down the stairs. Phoenix headed over to her closet, pulling on a pair of dark blue jeans and a black and green Enya t-shirt. She went into the bathroom and stared at the figure in the mirror.

A pale, lifeless looking girl stared back at her. Green eyes that looked as though they would pierce the soul. Auburn hair that appeared as flames engulfing the head. A hurt smile. Pale skin that was randomly showered with freckles. A slim figure that hardly looked human. Suddenly, the figure shifted. The hair became black as midnight. The eyes, a fierce red. Across the lips formed a wicked grin. An evil cackle filled the room.

"STOP!" Phoenix screamed. The figure in the mirror reached out an arm, as if it was coming to claim Phoenix's soul.

She stepped back until she hit the wall. Pain piercing her mind. "Go away! You're not me!" she exclaimed. "GO AWAY!" She yelled with more conviction this time. She ran foreward, smashing her hand into the mirror with all her might. The pain hit her and she began to cry. She watched as the blood ran down her arm in torrents.

"Phoenix!" A familiar voice called. "Mush! In here!" Phoenix tried to yell to the boy. Mush ran over to her.

"I heard a scream. And a crash. Are you okay?" he asked, hugging the girl close.

"The mirror. That face... Mush, look in the mirror." She sobbed. Mush looked at her inquisitively. "The mirror...?"

Mush let Phoenix go, and went into the bathroom to investigate. All he saw was a broken mirror, some pieces covered in blood.

Mush grabbed Phoenix's right hand. "What did you do?"

"I broke the mirror. Mush... it was after me!"

"What? Phoenix what are you talking about what was after you?" Mush asked. Phoenix didn't repsond. Only stared past him at the broken shards of blood covered glass. "Phoenix!" Mush shook her shoulders gently. She still didn't respond.

The shards of glass. The red... Those eyes... The eyes that haunted her dreams, sparking the nightmares. The eyes that caused the sleepless nights. That started the waking visions.

The shadows that lurked in the darkness...

She couldn't get her mind away from those eyes. They always watched...always haunted her.

"Phoenix..." Mush called to her. She stared into his chocolate brown eyes, her own eyes glazed in fear.

"Mush, it is coming..." She whispered.

"What is coming? Ginny, what is wrong?" He asked the girl. She shuddered, but answered as best she could.

"The red eyes."

"The what?"

"The red eyes. The ones that start the visions..." She began. "You know the visions that I have. Remember the one about Blink losing his eye?" Phoenix asked. Mush nodded. "Vaguely..."

"He was in the barn, cleaning out in the hayloft. He jumped out. Landed where the hot horse shoes were. Burned his eye out. Odd, how they were right there, just at that very moment. And the only place it got him was his eye...Mush, behind him... Did you remember seeing anything?"

Mush shook his head. "Nothing."
"You didn't see the red eyes?" Phoenix asked fearfully. Mush shook his head. "I didn't see much of anything. I can hardly remember the incident anyways..."

"There was red eyes there!" Phoenix exclaimed. Mush sighed. "To be honest, I really don't think so."

"Mush, I really need a friend right now! Not another critic!" Phoenix sobbed. Mush pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Nix. I'll try not to be a critic...but...it's hard when you don't understand what is wrong! I don't know what it is like to have the visions or to know what you know. I don't get what you see and feel! I don't understand how the visions work. Why you have them. Or what happens in them. To be honest, I doubt anyone else does either." Mush admitted.

"They don't understand what this is like. I am afraid of sleep. Of dreams. Of others. Of visions. Of myself...

"I see things, Mush. Things people on this earth aren't supposed to see. The faces in the darkness. People for what they really are. It's like...seeing a soul. Their faces..." Phoenix paused and thought, trying depserately hard to make Mush understand. "Sometimes, when I look at someone, I don't see their outter appearance. I see... something different. It is like a horrific mask that is slowly consuming them. Eyes of demons... smirks that scream evil... Like...their soul. No one is as innocent as they seem, Mush. Everyone has a distorted side. Even me. And mine is what scares me the most. It's what I see when I look in the mirror. I don't see an auburn haired, green eyed girl. I see this midnight black haired, evil red eyed demon. And...she tries to get me... get my soul..." Phoenix became week and fainted in Mush's arms.

Alright, sorry. End chapter. Sorry it was so short, but all of the introductions come next chapter, along with The Car Ride. After that is Night On the Road. After that, comes The Museum (Part the First). Quite a few parts to that by the by.

MWHAHAHAHA! (each is a seperate chapter) There will be about nine/ten chapters to this story, by the by, so keep an eye out...

GiNnY