Chapter 5

As much as Heather loved Daisy for getting her to have alone time with David, she hated her a little for just leaving them standing there awkwardly. They were both just looking anywhere but at each other and David was shuffling with his papers.

"Um," he finally spoke up, "I-I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm David."

"Heather. But everyone just calls me Lace." There was another awkward silence until Heather broke it with, "Well, we should get to selling. We don't have long until we need to met Jack and Daisy."

"And I'm assuming Daisy is Cherry."

"Yes."

"And the other girl?"
"That's Delilah, but her newsie name is Spunk." With that, they headed off together.

"C'mon Les. Les?" David turned around and saw that his little brother was no where to be found. His eyes widened with worry.

"Don't worry. I saw him run after Jack and Daisy." She saw his body relax and followed after Heather.

"So, who was the guy you were originally gonna go selling with?" David asked her a little while into their selling.

"That's Racetrack."

"And you two are close?"
"Real close. He's become one of my best friends here."

"Are you, you know, sweet on him?"

"I used to be. But I got over that real fast. No I just see him as a friend."

"Okay." She looked up at him and she swore she saw him try to force down a grin, but she pushed that out of her mind.

She instead focused on teaching David everything she knew about selling. Using fronts, improving the truth, everything. David wasn't too keen on the idea of lying, but Heather assured him that it was a sure fire way of selling. And this proved to be very true when Heather had sold almost all her papes and David, still bent in using the real headlines, barely sold any. After an hour, they made their way to the boxing ring. They found Jack and daisy sitting on one of the benches watching the fight. They must've been taking a quick break.

Daisy looked over and saw the two of them approaching. "How'd you do on your first day newbie?" she asked David when the two reached them.

"He refuses to make things up. He only sticks with the original headlines," Heather explained.

"And you think you'll sell?"

"My father taught me not to lie," David told them.

"And mine taught me not ta starve so I guess we both got an education," Jack retorted.

Suddenly, David noticed something and looked around, "Where's Les?"

As if on cue, the little newsie broke through the crowd to the group.

"The guy gave me a quarter!" he announced excited. "Quick, give me so more last papes." He was about to go back in, when David stopped him.

"Wait." He bent down and sniffed his brother. "You smell like beer."

"That's how I got the quarter. The guy bet me I wouldn't drink some."

Heather, Jack and Daisy started laughing. David looked to Heather, and she quickly hid her smile behind her remaining papes.

In between laughs, Jack scolded Les, "'Ey, no drinking on the job. It's bad for business. And what if someone called a cop on ya?"

Across the ring, David saw an older man staring at them. He bent down to Jack and asked, "Is he a friend of yours?"

Jack looked to where David was pointing and his smile dropped instantly. Heather saw him too and paled. "Beat it!" Jack called out. "It's da bulls!" He took Heather's hand and the two of them booked it, the others close behind them. They tried to lose the man by cutting across the ring, but sure enough, the man was right on their tail.

They led him out of the boxing ring, down a few blocks and into another lodge house. David's head was filling with questions that he was determined to get answers to.

The group ran up the stairs of the building to the roof. Jack and Heather jumped over the edge while David, Les and Daisy stopped to look for them. Suddenly, the pairs' heads popped up, showing that they did not jump off the building, but just off the ledge onto another part of the roof. The other three quickly followed. And the second they were hidden, they heard the door to the roof open and someone run up.

"Sullivan! Montgomery! Just wait til I get you both to the Refuge!" The group silently sneaked away.

They made it back onto the street and took a minute to catch their breath. They figured they were safe, but to be sure Jack thought they should go a little further.

"GAH! I don't exercise!" Daisy commented, but followed anyways.

David finally had enough. He stopped in front of Jack and told him, "I'm not running any farther."

"Good. Cause this is where we wanted to go," Daisy told him. Jack opened the door for the girls to enter with the boys behind them.

"I want some answers," David practically yelled at Jack and Heather.

"Shh!" Jack tried to quiet him, but it didn't work.

"Who was he and why was he chasing you? And what is this Refuge?"
"Quiet! You wanna get us kicked out?" Heather scolded, whispering. She then looked at Jack, knowing they had some explaining to do.

"The Refuge is dis jail for kids. The guy chasin' us was Snydah, da warden," Jack told him.

"You were in jail? Both of you?" Les questioned. They nodded. "Why?"
"Well I was starvin' so I stole some food."

"Food?" David countered disbelieveingly.

"Yeah, food," Daisy confirmed, a little pissed off that her boyfriend was being called a liar. She walked next to him and put an arm around is waist.

"What about you?" David turned his attention to Heather.

"One of our younger newsies a couple months back was sick real bad. He needed medicine or he wouldn't have made it. So I went to the pharmacy and stole what he needed. I didn't have the money to pay for it. I've also stolen food for some of the smaller boys and our newsies that live on the street. He's never actually gotten me in the Refuge before. I keep getting out of his sights."

David seemed to believe her story, so he turned back to Jack. "He called you Sullivan."

"Well my names's Kelly. Jack Kelly. Ya think I'm lyin'?"

"Well you do have a way of improving the truth." Jack felt Daisy's grip on him tighten out of anger. He kissed her on the cheek, allowing her to calm down. "Why was he chasing you?"

"Well, like I said, he's never actually caught me, so he's after me to get me in," Heather explained.

"And for me, I escaped," Jack said.

"Oh boy, how?" Les questioned, in awe.

"Well dis big shot gave me a ride out in 'is carriage."

"I bet it was the mayor," David guessed almost sarcastically.

"You looking for a soaking Jacobs?" Daisy threatened, moving closer. But Jack pulled her back, without moving his eyes from David.

"It was Teddy Roosevelt. Ya evah hoid of 'im?" Jack shot back.

"What is going on out here?" a voice came from behind them. They turned and saw a red-headed woman in a purple dress at the top of the stairs. "Out! Out! Out!" She started to make her way down the stairs, but Jack met her halfway.

"You wouldn't kick me out wid out a kiss goodbye, would ya Medda?"
Seeing how it was, Medda started laughing and hugged Jack. "Oh, Kelly. Where ya been kid? I miss seeing you up in the balcony."

"Hangin' on ya every woid," Jack replied, kissing her hand.

Medda looked behind him and saw the two girls. "Ladies, ladies, ladies, when are you going to come and sing in my theatre? And where is Delilah?"
"Selling with Race," Heather answered.

"And you're not?"
"Nope. I decided to help the newbie today."

"Medda, dis is David and Les," Jack introduced.

"Hello," she greeted them.

"And dis is da greatest star of da Vaudeville stage Miss Medda Larkin, da Swedish Meadow Lark."

"Velcome gentlemen."

"Medda also own da joint." Then. Medda noticed Les and bent down to him.

"Oh, what do we have here? Aren't you the cutest thing that ever was. Yes you are." She brushed his face with her fan, and Les started coughing. Medda's face looked concerned. "Are you alright?"

Les then took a paper, still coughing, and asked, "Buy me last pape lady?"
Medda's smile grew. "Oh you are good. Oh yes, this kid is really good. Speaking as one professional to another, I say you have a great future."

"So is it alright if we stay 'ere for a little while Medda?" Jack asked. "Just til a little problem outside goes away?"

"Sure. Stay as long as you like. Toby?" she called over to a concessions worker. "Give my guests whatever they like." Medda then walked away to go onstage to start her song with David and Jack following close behind. The two stood at the edge of the wings, watching intently. Heather and Daisy tried to hold in their laughter, but when they saw Les was listeing, they quickly ran over and covered his ears.

"Guys! Cut it out!" he cried. He batted at their hands and they eventually gave up.

The group stayed for a few more songs, then decided to head out. Outside, Jack lit a cigarette and asked, David, "So you like that?"

"Oh I loved that. I loved it. She is beautiful. How do you know her?"
"She's a friend of my faddah's."

"And we met her through him," Daisy answered, sitting on his lap when he was in a shoe shining chair.

David took out his pocket watch to check the time. "Oh, it's getting late. My parents are gonna be worried. What about yours?" He asked more looking at Heather.

Heather and Daisy gave each other a look and Heather just answered, "It's a long story." They had only just recently told the newsies about them being from the future and they had to prove it was true. They didn't want to go through all of that right now, and David was a smart kid and he might go running to the authorities. And they didn't want to risk that.

"My folks are out west lookin' for a place ta live," Jack spoke up, "like dis." Daisy got off him so he could fish a comic out of his pocket and showed it to David and Les. "See, dat's Santa Fe, New Mexico. As soon as dey find da right ranch, dey're gonna send for me."

"Then you'll be a real cowboy," Les stated.

Before anything else could be said, there was a loud crash from around the corner.

The four teenagers booked it with Les after them, calling for them to wait up. They turned the corner and saw a building on fire with lots of people outside all fighting. The group quickly made their way to the sidewalk.

David, never having seen violence like this before, suggested, "Guys, why don't we go to my place and divvy up? You can meet my folks."

"Don't look so scared Dave, it's just the trolley strike," Daisy said.

"Dese couple of dumb-asses must not've joined or somethin'," Jack added.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," David pushed.

"Maybe we'll get a good headline tomorrow," Heather guessed, clapping David on the back. She turned back and saw Les asleep on the bench. "Look at thism he slept the whole way through it." She went to sit next to him and stroked his hair soothingly.

"So, are you guys coming?" David asked.

"I think I'm actually gonna head back, I'm pretty beat," Daisy said.

"I'll walk ya back. But Lace, you go on," Jack followed. Heather furrowed her brow in confusion as to why they would leave her, but agreed. "We'll see ya tomorrow Dave."

Daisy waved bye, and the two interlocked fingers and walked away. David and Heather couldn't hear them, but they were whispering about how the two they just left needed the time alone.

Heather then picked up Les in her arms. "Lead the way," she said to David.

Another long chap! Yay! Please review!