I know it's been forever and I apologize. I am currently working two jobs and don't always have time to veg out and write. But I wish I did. So here's me attempting to make up for it. Hope you like the new addition. RR!

Chapter 7: A Past Told and Returned

Dear Elizabeth,

I was so excited to receive your letter. I've missed you so much. It sounds like you've had an awful time and I wish I could've been there with you. I would've done everything in my power to prevent it, not that those boys didn't. Father is the same as usual, which is bad, but you know I've learned to live with it. But I'm glad that you no longer have to. He was searching for you out of spite and anger but I believe he's given it up for he can no longer walk straight, period, or move for that matter. You mustn't come home until I tell you to. If you come home, Father will surely kill you. You know how he gets and when he discovered you were gone he nearly killed me but I stopped him. Don't worry. You know I can handle myself, but you can't. Not against him. I do have a surprise for you though. Now that you're out of harm's way with father, I plan to be coming up to finish my schooling. I already have an apartment ready and I am coming up for orientation two days from now, and will be staying from then till the end of the semester. The apartment is big enough for the both of us. It's a two bedroom and two bathrooms, so you'll have your own room and bathroom. On the plus side, it's in Manhattan so you'd be close to your new friends. I can't currently remember the name of the building, but it's in the middle of town on the right side of Sally's bakery. It's number 1037 if you want to check it out early. I can't wait to see you. My train arrives at 1:35 in two days, so meet me at the Manhattan station. Until then, I love you baby sister.

Always yours,

Michael

I put away my brother's letter and proceeded to open Jack's. It read:

Dear Lizzi,

My injuries hardly bother me now. They were only minor, so don't you worry about me. I'm fine. This is not your fault in the least. You did not make them attack you or want them to for that matter. Please don't beat yourself up over something like this. There was nothing you could've done to prevent it. Please don't leave. I have gotten so close to you since you've come into my life, in just this short amount of time. I'm possibly even closer to you than friends I've had for years. And I don't know what I'd do if you went so far away for good. Especially not knowing the reason you left it in the first place, and knowing you were going back to it just to keep us from getting beat up. I beg you not to. We need a good beating every now and then. It keeps us from getting to arrogant. I know being with Spot isn't your preference, but hang in there. We'll all be together again soon. Just let everything die down so that there's no risk of what happened happening again. I don't mind the beating but I couldn't let that happen to you. Don't worry about us. We'll all be fine.

Until you're back in my arms,

Jack

I then proceeded to put that letter away with my brother's. I knew he was lying. I was sure his injuries were so much worse than he was leading me to believe, but I understood he was trying to keep me from worrying or blaming myself, which was sweet. 'Little does he know he'll be seeing me sooner than he thinks. I'll surprise him and wait in the bunkroom and when he walks in I'll be sitting on his bed. He'll be so shocked,' I thought excitedly to myself.

"So what's da deal wid ya brudda?" Spot said as he entered his room.

"He's coming to live up here! I'm gonna be able to live with my brother again! I'm so excited!" I squealed as I jumped with my arms around his neck giving him a huge hug. I could feel his cheek reddening, for warmth was suddenly exuberating from it. I then heard him mumble something, but I couldn't hear. So I released him in order to fully face him. "What'd you say?"

"I said, if I were ya bruddah, I wouldn't have let you come up here alone in da foist place. Especially if I'd lived heah befoah and knew how dangerous it was fa goils like you. I mean it's as if he didn't care at all."

I stepped back to distance myself from him with a look of curiosity in my eyes. "How dare you say such a thing. You have no idea why I left or why he stayed. You know nothing about me Spot so don't ever judge me or my brother again!" With that I ran out of the room, calling three or four boys after me to come along. I could hear him calling after me but I continued to walk through the lobby and out the door, with the four boys behind.

Later in Manhattan

"Yo Race! What time is it?" Jack asked Race, for he was the only one who owned a decent watch.

"10:30," he replied.

"I'ma head back. Wanta come?"

Race nodded and the two said their farewells, and headed back for the LH. Race looked over at his old friend, his head hung low. "Whatsamatta pal? Ya missing South?"

Jack looked up straight. "I know it's only been a couple'a weeks since she's been gone, but I just can't stop thinking' about 'er. She's always on my mind. I'm so used to seeing her smile every day. And her pout every morning. It's just weird to not have it for two weeks solid. Or maybe I'm just being dumb. But I just can't help it. She drives me crazy."

"No man. I get it. I miss 'er jist as much as you do. Not in da same way, but still jist as much."

The two boys made it solemnly into the LH and up the stairs, opening the door of the bunkroom. They drug their feet through the door when Jack heard Race stop.

"Whatsamatta man?" he asked, looking up to see what the problem was. He then saw what had Race so stunned. There, lying in his bunk was the girl they'd just been speaking of. Jack looked to Race to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

When Race confirmed it to be real, he nodded and flicked his hat, backing out to give the couple time alone.

Jack slowly made his way to the sleeping girl. Her long blond hair was everywhere but strands were randomly around her face. He made his way up to his bed and sat close to her at her side. He pushed the various strands away and just took in everything he'd missed about her. Her face was so peaceful. As he looked onto her face, he noticed something there he'd never seen before. He saw little freckles caressing her face all over. They were just subtle enough for she was by now very tan from being outside all the time.

I felt someone pushing my hair off my face and it stirred me awake. As my eyes fluttered open I was met with a face I'd missed for so long. Jack was sitting next to me just pleasantly looking down on me. "Jack? What are you doing?" I asked rubbing my eyes in an attempt to wake up.

He just continued to look at me. "Looking at the face of an angel," he replied.

I smiled. "What a line."

He laughed. "Only if it's true."

I smiled and then sat up to face him. I then noticed his injuries he'd claimed were fine. He had a cut on his bottom lip, and left black eye, a shiner on his right cheek, and he hunched and breather harder than normal telling me some of his ribs were injured as well. "Didja miss me?" I smirked and scrunched my nose and trying to not worry as he'd told me, laughing as tears came to his eyes. "Jack. What's wrong?" I said, continuing to smile and laugh as I said this.

"I did miss ya. I missed ya a lot. but I'm jist replaying why ya left in the foist place. I should'a never let dat.."

I simply put my finger to his lips, silencing him. "Don't talk about that ok?" My eyes were begging him not to bring that horrible night up in my mind more than it already was.

He smiled and leaned in, kissing me gently so as not to hurt his lip. "Faget it," he said, kissing me more loving than ever.

I could feel him wince at first but then he seemed to not feel it.

His arms snaked around my waist and mine in return made their way around his neck.

"So that's a yes?"

"Of course I missed ya. Ya know I did. But.. Why are ya heah? I told you to lie low for a bit."

"I know but my brother wrote back saying he was coming to finish school since he didn't have to worry about leaving me alone. So.. He wanted me to meet him at the train station two days from now. He's got an apartment and everything. He wants me to live with him again. I'll have my own bedroom, my own bathroom, and I'll have my brother. Aren't you excited for me?" I asked, noticing Jack's face of happiness turn to a face of almost anger. "Jack? What's wrong?"

"Does stuff really matta dat much ta you? Does it matta so much fa you to have ya own room and ya own bathroom? Well you'ah lucky ya get da opportunity den. Cuz all of us.. We can't even imagine what it'd be like to have you'ah own place." Jack proceeded to move away from me to the other end of the bunk, looking at the wall across from him.

"Jack. I don't understand why you're not happy for me. You know how much I've missed my brother. I came here for a reason that included him staying home. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again. Aren't you happy at all that I'll be able to not only see him but live with him."

"The guy let this stuff happen to you and then just shipped you off to a dangerous city you've neva even been to befoah and I'm supposed to be happy that you'ah gonna be living with someone so careless."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Not only Spot, but now Jack, was saying these things as well. Who were they to judge? They knew nothing about why she came in the first place. "Jack, you know I care about you a lot." I said, looking away and facing the wall perpendicular to his. "But how dare you judge my brother. You have no idea why I came to Manhattan in the first place. You have no clue the situation that forced my brother to do something so hard as he did."

"I have no clue Liz, because ya won't tell me! I respect your privacy and such but you can't expect me to be excited based on what I know. If I knew I could judge differently. But you don't trust me enough to tell me. You said in your letter you wanted to but you jist won't. What have I done? I can only go on what I know. And based on what I've been told or gathad.. Your brudda's a careless guy who sent his beautiful younger sister into a city that's one of the most dangerous in our country for her to be in."

"Well, next time, before you judge my brother, consider the fact that you're also judging me." With that I ran out of the room.

"Come on Liz!" I heard him yelling after me.

I leaped down the stairs only to crash into Race standing at the foot.

"Liz, what's wrong?" I heard him ask, but I just kept heading for the door. When I opened it, I ran out, crashing once again into someone else. When I looked up, I saw that it was Spot. With the emotions from our previous fight on my conscience, I collapsed in his arms, crying and burying my face into his chest to hide my tears. I could feel Spot's hesitation, but it disappeared as soon as it had come, and he enveloped me in his embrace.

He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the top of my head, saying, "It's ok Liz. Don't worry. You'ah alright."

I heard the door open and Jack's voice followed by Race's. "What's goin' on Spot? Why is she hugging you? She doesn't even like you." Jack said angrily.

"I know. But we got in a huge fight over her brother earlier and that's why she came here. Maybe she just felt bad." I heard him whisper.

"No we just got in a fight and dat's why she's upset."

"Both of you just shut up. Your egos amaze me." I screamed as I eyed Jack and Spot. I then got incredibly close to Jack, my lips mere centimeters from his, and eyed him dead on saying, "Maybe I chose wrong."

With that I turned and walked across the porch towards the stairs. I angrily sat down and looked dead straight ahead, refusing to show Jack I was sad, fingering my brother's silver key necklace he'd given to me. I couldn't believe they'd ruined the news of my brother's coming to live with me for me. But they would have to accept him. She would tell them eventually. But for now, it would be silence on that part of her life.

The next day went by incredibly slow. All she could think about was her brother coming. She also had to avoid Jack and Spot for she was still incredibly angry with them. It was getting to be evening, and she was out on the fire escape to watch the sunset as she usually did, when Race came out and closed the window.

"Eya South."

"Hey Race. How are you today? I know I haven't really talked to you since I've been back. I'm sorry about that."

"No. I undastand. Ya've been upset. Anyone would be. But ya know Jack's been cursing himself all day. He feels so bad. But he was right ya know. How can you expect him to judge if he has nothing to go on."

"I know. It's just.. That part of my life is not one I'm proud of or one that I want everyone to know. The people back home would give me sympathy because of it. I don't want that here." I nervously looked to my hands, sensing I would probably have to tell Race.

"Liz. You know we're your friends. You don't have to worry about that. But you don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable."

"No. I think it's time I told someone."

So Race gave me his complete and total attention.

"Well… three years ago, my mom died of cancer. And our family took it pretty hard. My brother and I the most. Our family was a fairly normal one until we got the news that she was sick. Then things began to change. When she died, my father resorted to alcohol. He would leave my brother and I alone all day until he came home at around two or three that next morning. I would wait up for him on the staircase and wait until he passed out on the couch or in his chair, and I would stay up with him to make sure he was ok. I did this every night. But a year after my mom died, he came home different than usual. He saw me on the stairs and yelled at me, asking why I was still awake. And how dare I not go to bed when he told me to. He went and found an old baseball bat of my brother's and beat me almost to death with it. I was in the hospital for nearly two months." At this statement, I could see tears forming in Race's eyes. "Well.. when this happened my brother had been away at his first year of college here. I wouldn't have told him but the hospital somehow got his address and sent him a letter informing him. He dropped out of college and raced home to take care of me. He wouldn't leave me alone with our father from then on. But one night, about a three and a half months later, I insisted he go to spend time with his friends. I hadn't been hurt the entire time after I'd been in the hospital and I hated that he'd stay home for me and lose his friends. So I convinced him to go. Well, that night, I waited up in my room for our father, for it was later than usual. And I was worried father had been hurt. When he got home, he came upstairs and into our rooms to make sure we'd obeyed him. I'd assumed he would pass out in his chair. But I was wrong. He saw that I wasn't in my room and came into Michael's. I tried to get to a special emergency hiding place Michael'd made for me in his closet, but I wasn't quick enough. My father picked me up by my hair and threw me down our 32 stairs staircase."

At this point, Race's head was in his hands. When I looked closely, I saw that his body was shaking.

"Race?" I put my hand on his back to try to comfort him.

"I can't imagine what that could've been like. For you or ya brudda."

"Race, it's ok. It's in the past now. But to make it short, after that last incident, my brother sent me away, hoping I'd do as good as he did here. Because this stuff had become a nightly thing. And he hoped he could help me before our father killed me."

"Why ah you comforting me! I shouldn't be cryin' or feelin' bad. I'm supposed ta be comfortin' you!" Race said smiling and trying to shake off his sadness. "And don't worry. I'll let ya tell 'em when ya ready to. I won't say a woid."

I smiled in gratitude and hugged him before we headed back inside. When we walked in I saw that Jack noticed that Race's eyes and face were puffy. He then looked at me. But I simply looked away. I then felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see the face of a sad Spot standing behind me.

"Liz.. I'm so sorry I said dose things. It was wrong'a me at judge like dat. I shouldn't have said anything till I got da whole story. I would like to know but I won't pressure you to tell me if ya don't wanta."

I then decided, he deserved to know as well. For I could see in his eyes how truly sincere, which was rare, he was. So I pulled him aside and told him everything I'd told Race, and this act resulted in the same outcome. I then noticed a look of jealousy come over Jack. For he now knew what I was telling them had to be the story of why I was here. I turned around, now facing the door, and my eyes were met with the greatest surprise I could imagine. There in the doorway stood my six foot two, brown haired, blue eyed, tan skinned, twenty year old big brother. "MICHAEL!" I squealed and ran to him, jumping into his arms and hugging him tighter than death held it's next victim.

"I missed you to baby sister." he said laughing, speaking in that deep soothing voice I remembered so well.

"Not that I'm not happy but what are you doing here!" I said pulling him over to my bed, directly below where Jack was now sitting. I simply ignored him and focused on Michael.

"Well I thought I'd surprise you. I got here at the time I said, just not the day. I settled into my apartment and then perused my old grounds where I am once again going to college." He looked so thrilled about the fact that he was living here once more.

"You'ah obviously South's brudda. Ya sha'h da accent." Race said smiling, and putting his hand out to shake Michael's.

Michael then surprised him by spitting in his hand and holding it out as well.

Race looked impressed and returned the gesture. "So you did used to be a newsie. Dat much is true." Race gave Michael a toothy smile and then proceeded to name the other boys standing before him.

"So where's this Jack Kelly I've heard so much about?" he asked, looking to me.

I simply rolled my eyes and pointed up.

Michael stood to see who I was talking about.

Jack then hopped down from his bed to meet Michael square in the eyes. Jack was slightly shorter but he made it seem as if there was no difference. He spit in his hand and strongly held it out, trying to make an impression on Michael.

But Michael simply smiled and returned the shake. "Nice to meet you finally." And with that he returned his attention to me.

"Come on." I said, grabbing his hand. "Let's go out here."

He followed me out onto the fire escape. I instantly began to check him. "Are you ok? Did dad hit you any? You said he tried to kill you when he gave up on me. What'd he do? Michael? Why are you laughing at me!" I placed my hands on my hips in frustration.

"You're just so cute when you worry about me. I'm the older one. I am supposed to worry about you. Don't worry. I'm here. I'm fine. But I do need you for one thing. I hate to ask you but there's no one else."

"Name it."

"I need you to come back with me just to help me get the rest of my stuff. I can't get it all on my own. You could even bring Jack. I have enough for one other to come with me and you. The only reason I'm asking you is because dad's going on some week long trip starting this week with some people he drinks with and so he won't be home."

I simply nodded and agreed. The Jack part I'd think about, but I doubted it would happen. I was just so furious with him. And the way he accepted Michael in that unfriendly way just made it worse.

The window opened and Race stuck his head out. "Hey guys. Sorry at interrupt but don't faget Liz. Medda's dance is this weekend. That's three days away. So if ya need…"

"No Race. I'll have my own dress. I'm going home for a bit but I'll be back in time."

Race's face suddenly got very serious.

"Don't worry. He's not there."

Race, still looking skeptical, smiled to Michael. "You're welcome to come also. It's for all the newsies and friends of us. So join us if ya want. They're pretty fun. Well I'll let ya'll talk."

Before the window could close, another head poked out. It was Jack.

I instantly turned away.

He climbed out and asked Michael if we could talk, and of course Michael excused himself and closed the window after wishing Jack good luck.

"He seems like a cool guy." Jack said after being silent for a while.

"Now you judge correctly?" I muttered, still not facing him.

"Liz, please don't be mad. Ya can't really blame me can ya? What else was I supposed to think?" He inched closer to me, trying to place his hand on the small of my back.

I moved away, shaking it off.

"Liz. Please.. I'm sorry." he said finally. "I shouldn't have…"

I turned and looked him square in the eye. "I know you're upset because I told Spot and Race and not you. But you've got to understand, I don't want to be looked at with sympathy. I left all that behind. I just want to be normal. So if you can forgive me for not telling you, I can forgive you for misjudging,"

He nodded and added, "And flipping out about living away from us. I'm just so used to seeing you every morning when I wake up and all day that it would suck so bad to lose that. And I just got caught off guard. I just thought you liked it here." His insecurity was written all over his face.

"I do love it. But I have missed my brother so much. And he's family. I would still see you every day. I'd make sure I came to see ya'll almost as much as I do now. I just wouldn't sleep and wake up here. That's all."

"I know, but that's the part I love the most. It helps me know you're safe when I know you're in the bed directly below me."

'We'll work it out later. I promise we'll get it fixed." I smiled, hoping he'd return it.

He did, and then placed his arms around my waist, pulling me close.

"Ok so now I have some news for you." I snaked my arms around his neck before I continued. "I'm going back home just for a little bit. Like a couple of days. But you're welcome to with me if it would make you feel better. Don't worry. My father's not supposed to be there all week. We would leave tomorrow and come back on Friday. And be just in time for Medda's dance that night."

"Yes. I want to come." he said, more serious than I'd ever seen him before.

"Then it's settled." I smiled broadly at him before planting a long awaited kiss onto his poor injured lip.

I hope you guys liked it. I know it's been forever, but like I said before, I've been busy. And right now I should be studying for the ACT but looks like I'm not so oh well. Lol well Hope ya'll like and please R&R!