Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions! As you will see, this story is coming to a close, as all the newsies are getting really tired:) There will be two more chapters after this: Spec's question and Les's question. In the meantime, I'll be working on a oneshot based on Jack's promise in the previous chapter, to show everyone the drawings he made of them. But for now, enjoy Albert's question!

"Finally!" Albert exclaimed, leaning into the circle. "Because I've got a real good one. Ready?" Everyone nodded. "Okay. Everyone has to tell what life was like before you came here. Make it as detailed or simple as you like. Just no lying. Agreed?"

"Oh, boy," Jack muttered.

"Agreed," the rest of them chorused.

"Okay, so Specs? You first."

"Specs, not too detailed now, kid," Jack said.

Specs took a deep breath. "Well. I kinda already told you. About my dad, I mean."

"That's for sure," Jack said.

"He was pretty…bad."

"Mm-hm."

"I got away when I was ten and then came here after a couple weeks on the street."

"Anything else?"

"That's about it," Specs said.

"Okay. Next, then?"

"There was actually something else."

"Oh boy."

"Before I came here, I was in the Refuge for a year."

Silence.

Finally Jack spoke. "I'm sorry 'bout that, Specs."

"Me too."

Another long pause.

"Okay, well, phew. No tears this time, at least."

"You can shut—"

"Les! You'se turn!"

Specs glared at Jack but clamped his mouth shut. It seemed he'd revealed enough about his past for one night.

Les looked at Davey as he spoke, as if making sure he was saying the right things. "I grew up with Mother and Dad and Davey and our sister. I went to school for a while until Dad got hurt, and then we started selling papes. That's it."

"Cool. Davey."

"Well, my story is similar to Les's—I grew up with Mother, Father, Sarah, and Les. I'm the oldest. Our family is pretty close, but when I was younger I didn't have too many friends. I tried too hard in school, I wasn't athletic enough, and the other kids didn't like me for that."

"You're keeping this short, right, Davey? You remember the newsie part of it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there. So when I had to drop out of school, I missed the learning part of it, but not the other kids. I have more friends—brothers—here than I ever did there."

"Done?"

"Are you anxious for this to be over or what?"

"I just don't want you'se guys to be overtired tomorrow!"

"I think we'se already past that point," Race said.

"Fine! Fine! Davey, are you done or what?"

"Yeah." Davey rolled his eyes, adding in a low voice, "Now who's overtired?"

Jack glared at him. "I never told you guys my story because you don't need to know it," he said slowly. "But I'll give you a quick rundown. My dad was a good guy who made some bad choices. He couldn't take care of me anymore, so I took off. Lucky I found this place, or I would've ended up right beside him on the curb, like yesterday's paper," he said, glancing at Crutchie. "So I ended up here, when Bear was the leader, and so…here I am. That's it."

"That's most certainly not it," Davey said.

"But if it's all Jack wants to tell us, then that's it," Albert said with finality. "And it's my question. So it's Crutchie's turn."

"Well, I don't remember too much of my parents, except that they took me to the hospital and left me there. They probably thought I was for the dead. You know, with polio eating up my leg and all," Crutchie said carefully. "They tried a bunch of things to stop it—stuff they'd never tried before, just because I didn't have any parents there they would have to approve it with. A lot of it hurt. Bad. What finally stopped it—well, what they said stopped it, anyway—was tying something around my leg, up by my hip. They tied it so tight that my leg started prickling, and then I lost all feeling in it. It was just cold then. When they released me, I crawled along the streets until some nice man took pity on me, and carved me a crutch. I found my way here somehow, and Jack let me in."

"You let yourself in," Jack said, apparently not having a problem with Crutchie's detailed story.

"Well. I guess. Um, Race?" Crutchie said abruptly. "You can go now."

"My mother—uh, died. And, my dad wasn't a real good dad. So I came here."

"Um, okay. That was pretty short," Davey said uncertainly.

"So what?" Race threatened.

"Fine, okay. Elmer?"

"I don't remember what happened to my folks. I just remember being on the street. I used to be a chimney sweep, actually, but I wasn't too good at that. For a couple months I sold matches—"

A couple of boys made exaggerated gagging noises.

"—I know, I know, but I was like, eight, okay? And then I just begged for a week or two—obviously didn't work out too well for me—and finally…"

"Finally," Jack muttered.

"…I came here. The end."

"Mush?"

Mush shrugged. "Can I go to bed?"

"Answer my question!" Albert demanded.

"I don't remember. My life was bad. Then I was here. Now, can I go to bed?"

"If you don't look at my stuff," Jack warned, holding up a finger.

"I wasn't going to—Elmer! Get the heck off me!"

In the few seconds since he'd answered, Elmer had nodded off against Mush's shoulder and was snoring softly. At Mush's exclamation, he snorted and blinked. "Wha…"

"Just take him with you!" Jack said disgustedly. "What is with you guys? You can't stay up past midnight or what?"

"We're down to…" Davey did a quick head count as Mush dragged Elmer to the stairs. "Eight people. Move closer, guys, come on!" They slid their chairs closer to the bunk where Les, Davey, Jack, and Crutchie sat. "Okay. Romeo?"

"I—I ran away. I don't really wanna talk about it," he said in a choked voice. "I ran away and found my way straight here, and that's all that really matters."

Race opened his mouth, but Romeo cut him off in a rare display of forcefulness.

"I don't," he whispered, "want to talk about it."

Race closed his mouth.

"Okay, Albert?" Davey said after an intense moment. "Back to you."

"Oh. Well, my past is pretty boring, to tell you the truth. My parents is still alive. I grew up with a bunch of siblings and they couldn't afford us all, so a few of us younger ones hit the streets. I go back there every once in a while, to check on everyone, you know. Not so much anymore…not since the strike. I think I've got a good enough family here, you know?"

"We know," Jack said with a grin, slinging his arms around Crutchie's and Davey's shoulders.

Review, if you please! Thank you all!

-Sis