Author's note: Ah, finally, a chance to update. Sorry, I had end-of-the-year-80-percent-of-my-grade projects to do, and I passed my big tests! Anyways, I'm sure you want some excuses as to why I didn't update. Well, excuse number one – my friend was in a car accident, so I was fairly shaken up. But he's okay, I talked to him, and it turns out his brother fell asleep behind the wheel and flipped the truck. And number two – my uncle died today, and now I'm really depressed…I miss him…

Friday was a day of chaos. For many reasons, I should add, and one is because it is the day of the party. Ned definitely had something planned – something up his sleeve, and it had to do with me.

But, to be totally honest, I wasn't even worried about that. The few days before the party I was researching and spying, and I knew exactly what to do. Now my mind was stuck on one thing and one thing only – Spot Conlon.

I couldn't tell you why he was the main point of my thoughts, but then again I didn't want to know, myself. The morning of Friday woke me with a startling scream…

I fell face first out of my bed, a short scream escaping my throat.

"Wha?" Erica rose immediately from her slumber and looked down at me with droopy eyes. "What happened?" she inquired, rubbing her sand-filled eyes.

"Nightmare," I said, pushing myself up from the floor.

I sat on the edge of my bed as I ran my fingers through my hair in attempt to comb it down. I had a nightmare, yes, but the odd thing was I didn't know what about.

Erica chuckled and threw her feet over the side of her bed, rising slowly. "I hate nightmares," she yawned while stretching.

"Yeah," I said. "So do I."

"I don't really want to go to the party tonight," said Erica as she began to change clothes.

I stared at the floor shortly, letting my mind come back to its senses.

"Oh," I finally said. "The party...I think it's absolutely ridiculous."

I stood to my feet and began to dress as well. I could only frown from the memory of the chaos of this week. What a week it has been, and I was totally prepared for anything coming my way. I spent hours and hours listening in on Ned, and watching his every move.

I freshened up as quickly as I could and hurried out of the building, leaving my friends behind. Stumbling into Joy's I nearly tripped over my feet as I looked around. My eyes scanned over the newsies in a rush and landed on their leader, not sitting too far away from the front door.

He sat around with a couple of his guys and two other newsie girls, laughing at something Blade said. I let out a short breath and quickly walked over to him, trying not to look too eager.

I approached him slowly, standing behind him. "Spot," I said, looking at him.

Spot leaned his head back and grinned. "Hey Anomie," he said, leaning up and turning around slightly.

His cap sat on the table before him, and his cane rested in his belt loop as always. He had that relaxed look on his face as I stepped to his side.

"Can I speak with you shortly?" I asked, biting my lip.

Spot looked as if he were thinking this over, and then politely excused himself from the table.

We stepped outside, and Spot's grin widened. "What can I help ya with, Parker?" he asked.

"Here," I said, shoving a folded up piece of paper in his direction.

"What is this?" he asked, taking it from my possession.

"Don't read it now," I instructed him. "Read it alone; you and Blade..."

I turned on my heel to leave, but Spot caught my arm.

"That's it?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Spot, things are going to change tonight, and I don't know if I'll end up in jail or somewhere else," I said.

"What're you talkin 'bout?" asked Spot, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Just understand, Spot, that I'm not a bad person, I swear. I hurt, I cheat, I hate, but I don't lie…I merely keep the truth to myself until all is safe."

I quickly pecked Spot's lips, although it seemed to take forever. I swiftly turned around and was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving my puzzled friend, or whatever he is to me, behind.

The note merely read for him and Blade to meet me outside of Joy's tomorrow morning, that is, if I'm still alive.

Tonight, at the party, was the night everything finally resolved itself, and my huge test would be complete…only if I passed. The war between good and evil has started, and nothing can stop the good from winning, even if we died trying. I had too much pride to let Ned get away with torturing us any longer. Somebody has to step up to him, and bring the problem to the public…and, proudly, that somebody is me…and that somebody is pissed.

The plan was already setup, and it wasn't just my gang of close friends in on it. Trey and some of his friends were involved, and a lot of other people…Ned wouldn't expect me, of all people, to ask for someone else's help, so it was perfect.

Although I was ready for this war/test to begin, I knew I wasn't completely prepared. The only thing that held me back was the location of the remedy…

"I could kill him for this," I said harshly as I slipped into a pink skirt.

I shuddered, making Erica laugh as she fixed her hair in the mirror. "Are we all set up?" she asked, turning towards me with her angelic grin.

"Yeah," I said proudly. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, chief," she said, giving me a small salute.

The door slowly opened as Cadince and Stephen entered the room, both reluctantly dressed up.

"This is nasty," Cadince whined, pointing at her high-classed clothing.

I shrugged and followed my friends out the door, heading for the main hall. As I passed Trey, one of my companions, he quickly slipped a note into my hand. Nobody saw, for our eyes and minds were set straight ahead, not even concentrating on the other person, other than the note switching.

We sat at our regular table as we waited for the party to begin. The room was nicely decorated, a little too classy. I silently opened the note in my hand, and looked down long enough to scan over the sentence: Everything is ready, on your signal…

I crumbled up the piece of paper and ripped it into shreds, and carelessly released its remains under the table.

"Please take your seats," said a man from the front of the room. "Before we begin, I would like to say a few words about Mr. Neeley." He pointed with his hand in Ned's direction.

Ned smiled and waved him away as if he were embarrassed.

"Ned Neeley is a close friend of mine," the man started. "And I would like to start off by telling you how much he accomplished these past few years. I've never seen a man so eager to help children, such as yourselves, learn. He saw an opportunity and jumped for it, and now he's a wonderful headmaster for a school full of bright, young, intelligent people…"

"We must be looking at different crowds," I whispered to my friends, making them snicker.

"A toast," the man said, "to the most encouraging and trustworthy person known to man."

People began to raise their glasses in Ned direction, and I simply knocked mine over, the one and only, professionally thought up signal.

Coming up in the last few chapters: Good and evil battle it out for life or death, and death seems to be an inch away from the good. In the streets of Brooklyn, out in public, a secret untold and ever so deadly is revealed, and evil can do nothing but fight. Not only is good failing to succeed, but the life of a loved one is taken…

Author note: Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go mourn the death of my uncle, in whom I loved very much. I'll update ASAP since school is let out for summer break Wed.