Thanks to everyone who reviewed! This is probably going to be my last post
before I leave for camp. I'll be gone for 2 weeks, I'm so excited! Try
not to miss me too hard. JK. Does anyone have any ideas for what could
happen next? I'm sorta stuck on ideas.
Meet My Brother
Sunlight streamed throught the curtains as Caitlyn was awaken by the sounds of someone scurrying about the room that she and Cecile shared. She sat up and saw Cecile looking through their closet.
"Cecile, what are you doing?" She asked, groggily, falling back against her pillows. "It must be only 5 in the morning! Go back to sleep!" Cecile turned around.
"Why are you dressed like that? Where did you get that clothing?" Caitlyn asked. "It's too early in the morning for thinking." She thought sitting up again. Cecile was dressed in black pants and suspenders with a dark blue shirt underneath. She grinned and pulled her long, blonde hair up into a black Newsie cap.
"I got 'em from Jake." She said grinning. "They're a bit on the large side, but they'll do. Just do me a favor and don't tell him, I'm going to try and get them back to him before he realizes they're gone."
"Ok. You still haven't told me why you're dressed like a guy." Caitlyn said, strumming her fingers impatiently, as Cecile started out their bedroom door. She came back and sat on the edge of Caitlyn's bed.
"Have you ever had something that you needed to do? For no special reason, just for yourself. That's what I'm going to do. I'll be safe, don't worry. I'm taking Blink with me, that's where I'm headed. I'd take you too, but too many people might make it suspicious. I'll tell you about it later, when we get back. Just don't really mention it to anyone, it has to do with my past that I don't want a lot of people to know about at the moment." She finished. "Promise me Caitlyn."
"I promise. You have to tell me when you get back though."
"I will. I'll see you later." Cecile said, heading out the door. She tiptoed down the stairs and upon reaching the street, broke into a run in the direction of the Lodging House.
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"Blink! Blink! Wake up!"
"What the..?" Blink asked, confused, as he awoke to see a familiar looking boy standing above him and almost fell out of his bunk.
"Good. You're awake! Put on your clothes and meet me in the lobby in 5 minutes." The boy demanded, throwing him his pants.
"Wait a sec. Do I know you?" Blink asked, catching the pants and looking at the boy with a puzzled expression. To his surprise, the boy started to laugh. He took off his hat and out came a tangled mess of blonde hair.
"Cecile!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here at this ungodly hour? Why are you dressed like this? What is going on?" His voice gradually growing louder as he spoke.
"Blink, shh!" Cecile said, as Jack shifted positions in the next bunk over, placing her hand over his mouth. "I'll explain everything when you're ready. Hurry up."
"Blink, hurry up. I'll explain when you're ready. Well, you know what. What if I don't want to wait? What if I want to know now?" He asked, mocking her. Luckily, she had already left.
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"What's the deal Cecile?" Blink asked, once he was dressed. Cecile tossed him a half a loaf of bread.
"There's breakfast. Eat up." She said. "First of all, we're going to the train station."
"Train station? The train station is a."
"A 45 minute walk from here, I know. It'll give me time to explain everything to you." She interrupted, walking down the street.
"So explain."
"You're one of the only ones who knows about my past, and I'd like to keep it that way. So please don't tell anyone about any of this." Blink nodded his agreement. "I have three other brothers other than Spot. They are James, Lucas and Josh. James and Lucas are both married. They both live back in Boston. Josh is still going through medical school. He was living with Grandfather and I when I left. Right before I ran away, he was accepted into an excellent medical school in Virginia. Josh and I, after certain circumstances that I don't want to discuss, are probably the closest siblings out of any of us. He is leaving today on the 8:45 train to Richmond Virginia. That's why I'm going to the train station. I needed to see him before he left. There's no telling how long it will be before I see him again." She finished.
"Alright. And I'm here why?" He asked.
"You know you're way around New York better than I do, so that's one reason. And just to keep me company because you're such a cutie." She said, smiling sarcastically, pinching his cheeks.
"Gee, I feel so honored. Could we stop by the distribution office on the way? I could probably get a head start on selling my papes today. I got something extra I need to take care of."
"Would it by any chance have something to do with a certain bet that we made yesterday? Today's your last day, you know. Yesterday counted as a day." She added, dodging Blink's playful fists.
"Don't worry, I'll win that bet. You can count on it." He said, as he picked up his papers by a very angry looking Mr. Kraft, the bookeeper at the World.
"Whatever. All I can say is that you better start getting five cents together. Who do you have in mind anyway?" She asked, curiously.
"I really, really like Charlotte. I would want her to be my girl, even if there wasn't five cents involved. She's so beautiful, on the inside and out. The other day, I was going with her to see one of her old friend's sick mother. You should have seen the way she acted. It was amazing, she's amazing. I've never felt this way about anyone before." He finished, with a contented sigh.
"It'll work out." Cecile said.
"How do you know?"
"Because of the way you looked when you were talking about her. You feel something real for her, and I'm sure she returns those feelings, although you didn't hear it from me. Oh God, I wish that someone would feel that way about me." She said wishfully.
"No one's ever loved you before? But you're almost perfect. You're beautiful, nice and caring. Who could ask for me? I'm amazed that you're still single."
"Beauty can be a curse. So many times, people have just fallen in love with the outside me. They don't care about anything else other than my looks. And then if I don't look good enough for them, they forget all about me. Do you have any idea how that feels, to have someone dump you for one stupid thing." She asked, tears in her eyes. Blink put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
"I love you Cecile." He said. She looked up at him, a smile showing through her tear-filled eyes.
"That's not going to help you win the bet at all, Blink." She said.
"I know. But I do love you Cecile. Like a friend loves another friend. That's how I love you."
"I knew that. I was just kidding you." She said, then completely changing the topic, she jumped in front of him. "So what do you think, could I pass for a boy?"
"A very feminine looking boy, but a boy all the same, I guess." Blink responded, analyzing her as they walked into the train station.
"Excuse me, where is the train that departs for Richmond Virginia at 8:45?" Cecile asked, her voice an octave lower, to the man at a desk.
"Platform 4."
"Thank you." Blink and Cecile made their way through the busy crowd to Platform 4, where they found a good spot where Blink could sell his papers and Cecile could look for her brother.
"This is good, he always arrives early to everything. We still have about 1 1/2 hours until his train leaves. Blink, Blink!" She said, taking one of his papers and hitting him with it.
"If you like Charlotte so much, then don't flirt with every pretty girl you see!" She exclaimed, turning back around to look for her brother. "He might buy a paper too." She said. "Blink if he does, I'll sell it to him and then we can go."
"Alright." They both sat down on a nearby bench to wait.
Thirty minutes later, Cecile sat up. "Blink! Blink!" She said shaking him. "That's him. That's my brother, Josh." She pointed to a handsome young man with brown hair, who was wearing a blue button down shirt and nice slacks. He was nearing them. "Quick, let me have a pape." Blink gave her one as he came over to them.
"Excuse me, can I buy a paper?" Josh asked, handing them a couple of coins.
"Of course." Cecile said handing him her paper. "Thank you, have a nice day." She said, as he stared into her eyes. She nudged Blink with her foot and they ran around him out of there. Suddenly he recognized her eyes. Her eyes always did give her away when they were kids.
"Cecile! Cecile! Come back here!" He yelled, trying to chase them through the crowd, but there were too many people around him to see the two running off.
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"That was close." Cecile said as soon as they were outside of the train station. She leaned over, panting. "He recognized me, I know it."
"Do you think he'll tell your Grandfather?"
"No. He didn't agree with the arranged marriage anymore than I did."
"Let's head back, just in case he comes outside looking for us." They turned around and headed towards the lodging house.
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"Cecile!" Sullivan exclaimed, as they neared Tibbys. "Where have you been? Spot is looking everywhere for you. He was so mad when he found out that you left Meddas. Come on." He said, taking her arm and leading her towards the restaurant.
"What right does he have to be worried about me? He lost that right when he ran away from us. I'm not a weak little girl anymore, I can roam about freely, just like he does. And besides, I had Blink with me in case anything did happen."
"Tell that to him." Sullivan said, dragging her through the door to Tibbys.
"What's this Sullivan? I told you to look for me sister, not pick up new Newsies." Spot said, as Sullivan thrust her in front of him. She smiled playfully as she realized that he didn't recognize her.
"Well actually, I dids see her, your sister I guess." She said, lowering her voice again.
"Where?" Spot asked, suddenly interested in what this boy had to say.
"Well, it was about 6 o clock and I was headin off to work. She comes barreling into me and pushes me into an alley. She said she wanted some right there, right then and starts kissing me. Tell your sister when you find her that she's one hellavu a kisser. She's amazing, she is." Spot jumped up and started for the boy.
"Don't you ever talk about my sister like that!" He said, punching her in the stomach. She doubled over and her hat came off.
"God, Spot I was only joking!" She said, running her fingers through her hair. "That really hurt!"
He backed up. "Cecile, what are you doing? You should be at Medda's, rehearsing."
"Well, I had some.family business to take care of." She said.
"What family business? I'm part of your family too."
"Not this family. You haven't been there for so long. I'm sorry, but you just don't need to know."
Spot took her by the shoulders and shook her. "What business did you have to take of?" He yelled. Everyone in the restaurant backed away.
"Fine. I went to go see my, our brother, Josh who was leaving today to go to medical school in Virginia!" She yelled back.
"Josh? God, I barely remember him."
"Yeah well, that's what you get for not being there for there for seven years."
"Are you still stuck on that? I already explained to you why I had to leave."
"Sometimes, it takes more than words to heal past wounds, Spot." She said bitterly and left the restaurant.
Spot sat there for a couple of hours, thinking. Later that night they all went to Medda's, where Spot saw her perform. He saw her as the little ten- year-old girl that used to dress up in their mother's clothes and sing for him.
"Cecile, can I talk to you." He asked, after the show was over. She shrugged.
"If you want."
"I've been doing some thinking and like I said before, I'm not sorry for leaving. I'm happy I did, because I love my life now. But I am sorry for all of the pain that I caused you, I wish somehow I could have been there for you and been a Newsie too. But you can't be in two places at once. I made a choice to leave, just like you made a choice to go to Europe. We each had to experience life for ourselves and it just happened to be away from each other. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. What can I do to make it up for you?" He asked.
"Don't be my protector. I've had enough of those. Just be here for me now." She said and walked out of the room.
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"Charlotte, can I talk to you for a second?" Blink asked, interrupting Skittery who gave him a loathing look. He took her by the hand and led her away. "Can we go outside, I think we need some privacy?"
"Sure." She said, giving him an odd look.
Once they were outside, Blink said, "Charlotte, I like you a lot. More than any other girl in fact. And I was wondering if you'd be my girl?"
Charlotte looked at him, with an unreadable look in her eyes. "Blink, I'm not going to lie to you. I like you a lot. But I'm not going to be your girl. I was there when you and Cecile made that bet. I don't want to go out with a guy who is just putting up with me for 5 cents. If you really like me, then you will lose that bet. Although, you're doing that already. But if you really do like me, then you'll ask me again tomorrow. Maybe the time will shed a new light on things." She said, turning around and coming inside. Blink sighed and followed her.
"Blink! Come here!" Cecile called out. Sighing, he walked over to her. "I do believe you owe me five cents." Sighing he dug into his pocket, pulled out a nickel and gave it to her. "Thanks."
"Grrr.." He said jokingly.
Meet My Brother
Sunlight streamed throught the curtains as Caitlyn was awaken by the sounds of someone scurrying about the room that she and Cecile shared. She sat up and saw Cecile looking through their closet.
"Cecile, what are you doing?" She asked, groggily, falling back against her pillows. "It must be only 5 in the morning! Go back to sleep!" Cecile turned around.
"Why are you dressed like that? Where did you get that clothing?" Caitlyn asked. "It's too early in the morning for thinking." She thought sitting up again. Cecile was dressed in black pants and suspenders with a dark blue shirt underneath. She grinned and pulled her long, blonde hair up into a black Newsie cap.
"I got 'em from Jake." She said grinning. "They're a bit on the large side, but they'll do. Just do me a favor and don't tell him, I'm going to try and get them back to him before he realizes they're gone."
"Ok. You still haven't told me why you're dressed like a guy." Caitlyn said, strumming her fingers impatiently, as Cecile started out their bedroom door. She came back and sat on the edge of Caitlyn's bed.
"Have you ever had something that you needed to do? For no special reason, just for yourself. That's what I'm going to do. I'll be safe, don't worry. I'm taking Blink with me, that's where I'm headed. I'd take you too, but too many people might make it suspicious. I'll tell you about it later, when we get back. Just don't really mention it to anyone, it has to do with my past that I don't want a lot of people to know about at the moment." She finished. "Promise me Caitlyn."
"I promise. You have to tell me when you get back though."
"I will. I'll see you later." Cecile said, heading out the door. She tiptoed down the stairs and upon reaching the street, broke into a run in the direction of the Lodging House.
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"Blink! Blink! Wake up!"
"What the..?" Blink asked, confused, as he awoke to see a familiar looking boy standing above him and almost fell out of his bunk.
"Good. You're awake! Put on your clothes and meet me in the lobby in 5 minutes." The boy demanded, throwing him his pants.
"Wait a sec. Do I know you?" Blink asked, catching the pants and looking at the boy with a puzzled expression. To his surprise, the boy started to laugh. He took off his hat and out came a tangled mess of blonde hair.
"Cecile!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here at this ungodly hour? Why are you dressed like this? What is going on?" His voice gradually growing louder as he spoke.
"Blink, shh!" Cecile said, as Jack shifted positions in the next bunk over, placing her hand over his mouth. "I'll explain everything when you're ready. Hurry up."
"Blink, hurry up. I'll explain when you're ready. Well, you know what. What if I don't want to wait? What if I want to know now?" He asked, mocking her. Luckily, she had already left.
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"What's the deal Cecile?" Blink asked, once he was dressed. Cecile tossed him a half a loaf of bread.
"There's breakfast. Eat up." She said. "First of all, we're going to the train station."
"Train station? The train station is a."
"A 45 minute walk from here, I know. It'll give me time to explain everything to you." She interrupted, walking down the street.
"So explain."
"You're one of the only ones who knows about my past, and I'd like to keep it that way. So please don't tell anyone about any of this." Blink nodded his agreement. "I have three other brothers other than Spot. They are James, Lucas and Josh. James and Lucas are both married. They both live back in Boston. Josh is still going through medical school. He was living with Grandfather and I when I left. Right before I ran away, he was accepted into an excellent medical school in Virginia. Josh and I, after certain circumstances that I don't want to discuss, are probably the closest siblings out of any of us. He is leaving today on the 8:45 train to Richmond Virginia. That's why I'm going to the train station. I needed to see him before he left. There's no telling how long it will be before I see him again." She finished.
"Alright. And I'm here why?" He asked.
"You know you're way around New York better than I do, so that's one reason. And just to keep me company because you're such a cutie." She said, smiling sarcastically, pinching his cheeks.
"Gee, I feel so honored. Could we stop by the distribution office on the way? I could probably get a head start on selling my papes today. I got something extra I need to take care of."
"Would it by any chance have something to do with a certain bet that we made yesterday? Today's your last day, you know. Yesterday counted as a day." She added, dodging Blink's playful fists.
"Don't worry, I'll win that bet. You can count on it." He said, as he picked up his papers by a very angry looking Mr. Kraft, the bookeeper at the World.
"Whatever. All I can say is that you better start getting five cents together. Who do you have in mind anyway?" She asked, curiously.
"I really, really like Charlotte. I would want her to be my girl, even if there wasn't five cents involved. She's so beautiful, on the inside and out. The other day, I was going with her to see one of her old friend's sick mother. You should have seen the way she acted. It was amazing, she's amazing. I've never felt this way about anyone before." He finished, with a contented sigh.
"It'll work out." Cecile said.
"How do you know?"
"Because of the way you looked when you were talking about her. You feel something real for her, and I'm sure she returns those feelings, although you didn't hear it from me. Oh God, I wish that someone would feel that way about me." She said wishfully.
"No one's ever loved you before? But you're almost perfect. You're beautiful, nice and caring. Who could ask for me? I'm amazed that you're still single."
"Beauty can be a curse. So many times, people have just fallen in love with the outside me. They don't care about anything else other than my looks. And then if I don't look good enough for them, they forget all about me. Do you have any idea how that feels, to have someone dump you for one stupid thing." She asked, tears in her eyes. Blink put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
"I love you Cecile." He said. She looked up at him, a smile showing through her tear-filled eyes.
"That's not going to help you win the bet at all, Blink." She said.
"I know. But I do love you Cecile. Like a friend loves another friend. That's how I love you."
"I knew that. I was just kidding you." She said, then completely changing the topic, she jumped in front of him. "So what do you think, could I pass for a boy?"
"A very feminine looking boy, but a boy all the same, I guess." Blink responded, analyzing her as they walked into the train station.
"Excuse me, where is the train that departs for Richmond Virginia at 8:45?" Cecile asked, her voice an octave lower, to the man at a desk.
"Platform 4."
"Thank you." Blink and Cecile made their way through the busy crowd to Platform 4, where they found a good spot where Blink could sell his papers and Cecile could look for her brother.
"This is good, he always arrives early to everything. We still have about 1 1/2 hours until his train leaves. Blink, Blink!" She said, taking one of his papers and hitting him with it.
"If you like Charlotte so much, then don't flirt with every pretty girl you see!" She exclaimed, turning back around to look for her brother. "He might buy a paper too." She said. "Blink if he does, I'll sell it to him and then we can go."
"Alright." They both sat down on a nearby bench to wait.
Thirty minutes later, Cecile sat up. "Blink! Blink!" She said shaking him. "That's him. That's my brother, Josh." She pointed to a handsome young man with brown hair, who was wearing a blue button down shirt and nice slacks. He was nearing them. "Quick, let me have a pape." Blink gave her one as he came over to them.
"Excuse me, can I buy a paper?" Josh asked, handing them a couple of coins.
"Of course." Cecile said handing him her paper. "Thank you, have a nice day." She said, as he stared into her eyes. She nudged Blink with her foot and they ran around him out of there. Suddenly he recognized her eyes. Her eyes always did give her away when they were kids.
"Cecile! Cecile! Come back here!" He yelled, trying to chase them through the crowd, but there were too many people around him to see the two running off.
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"That was close." Cecile said as soon as they were outside of the train station. She leaned over, panting. "He recognized me, I know it."
"Do you think he'll tell your Grandfather?"
"No. He didn't agree with the arranged marriage anymore than I did."
"Let's head back, just in case he comes outside looking for us." They turned around and headed towards the lodging house.
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"Cecile!" Sullivan exclaimed, as they neared Tibbys. "Where have you been? Spot is looking everywhere for you. He was so mad when he found out that you left Meddas. Come on." He said, taking her arm and leading her towards the restaurant.
"What right does he have to be worried about me? He lost that right when he ran away from us. I'm not a weak little girl anymore, I can roam about freely, just like he does. And besides, I had Blink with me in case anything did happen."
"Tell that to him." Sullivan said, dragging her through the door to Tibbys.
"What's this Sullivan? I told you to look for me sister, not pick up new Newsies." Spot said, as Sullivan thrust her in front of him. She smiled playfully as she realized that he didn't recognize her.
"Well actually, I dids see her, your sister I guess." She said, lowering her voice again.
"Where?" Spot asked, suddenly interested in what this boy had to say.
"Well, it was about 6 o clock and I was headin off to work. She comes barreling into me and pushes me into an alley. She said she wanted some right there, right then and starts kissing me. Tell your sister when you find her that she's one hellavu a kisser. She's amazing, she is." Spot jumped up and started for the boy.
"Don't you ever talk about my sister like that!" He said, punching her in the stomach. She doubled over and her hat came off.
"God, Spot I was only joking!" She said, running her fingers through her hair. "That really hurt!"
He backed up. "Cecile, what are you doing? You should be at Medda's, rehearsing."
"Well, I had some.family business to take care of." She said.
"What family business? I'm part of your family too."
"Not this family. You haven't been there for so long. I'm sorry, but you just don't need to know."
Spot took her by the shoulders and shook her. "What business did you have to take of?" He yelled. Everyone in the restaurant backed away.
"Fine. I went to go see my, our brother, Josh who was leaving today to go to medical school in Virginia!" She yelled back.
"Josh? God, I barely remember him."
"Yeah well, that's what you get for not being there for there for seven years."
"Are you still stuck on that? I already explained to you why I had to leave."
"Sometimes, it takes more than words to heal past wounds, Spot." She said bitterly and left the restaurant.
Spot sat there for a couple of hours, thinking. Later that night they all went to Medda's, where Spot saw her perform. He saw her as the little ten- year-old girl that used to dress up in their mother's clothes and sing for him.
"Cecile, can I talk to you." He asked, after the show was over. She shrugged.
"If you want."
"I've been doing some thinking and like I said before, I'm not sorry for leaving. I'm happy I did, because I love my life now. But I am sorry for all of the pain that I caused you, I wish somehow I could have been there for you and been a Newsie too. But you can't be in two places at once. I made a choice to leave, just like you made a choice to go to Europe. We each had to experience life for ourselves and it just happened to be away from each other. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. What can I do to make it up for you?" He asked.
"Don't be my protector. I've had enough of those. Just be here for me now." She said and walked out of the room.
**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~* *~**~**~
"Charlotte, can I talk to you for a second?" Blink asked, interrupting Skittery who gave him a loathing look. He took her by the hand and led her away. "Can we go outside, I think we need some privacy?"
"Sure." She said, giving him an odd look.
Once they were outside, Blink said, "Charlotte, I like you a lot. More than any other girl in fact. And I was wondering if you'd be my girl?"
Charlotte looked at him, with an unreadable look in her eyes. "Blink, I'm not going to lie to you. I like you a lot. But I'm not going to be your girl. I was there when you and Cecile made that bet. I don't want to go out with a guy who is just putting up with me for 5 cents. If you really like me, then you will lose that bet. Although, you're doing that already. But if you really do like me, then you'll ask me again tomorrow. Maybe the time will shed a new light on things." She said, turning around and coming inside. Blink sighed and followed her.
"Blink! Come here!" Cecile called out. Sighing, he walked over to her. "I do believe you owe me five cents." Sighing he dug into his pocket, pulled out a nickel and gave it to her. "Thanks."
"Grrr.." He said jokingly.