One more chapter to go :D

That night, the group found themselves knocking on Denton's apartment door. David was still a little sour about everything that had happened with Jack and Denton, but he was slowly getting over it.

"Jack…" Brenna said quietly. "Uh, there's somethin' I have to tell ya. Denton knows my secret."

"What?" Jack exclaimed rounding on her. "When? How?"

"I was…somewhere I thought no one could see me, so I took my cap off and he found me."

"Why didn't ya tell me about this earlier?"

While Jack was speaking, Denton's door swung open and he smiled at the sight of Sarah, David, Les, Jack, and Brenna standing in front of him and the fact that he caught Jack mid-sentence.

Jack turned to Denton and chose to ignore what Brenna had told him for the time being. "Did ya mean what ya wrote here?" he asked, holding up his article. "'Bout all these sweat shop kids listenin' to me?"

"I don't write anything I don't mean," Denton smiled. "Come on in. I'm just packing a few things."

They all walked into Denton's apartment, and it was evident he was getting ready to leave for his next story for the paper. No one missed the hard look David gave the man as he shut the door.

"So, yes, I mean it," Denton explained. "The city thrives on child labor. A lot of people make money that way. They're terrified that the newsies strike will spread."

"Well, there's really not much chance of dat as long as they got da power," Jack said.

"Sometimes, all it takes is a voice, one voice. Then a thousand. Unless it's silenced."

"Why can't we spread da strike? Have another big rally and get da word out to all da sweat shop kids? Why not?"

"The last rally didn't go too well, Jack," Brenna said to him. "Look at everythin' dat happened since then."

"Well this time, we'll get even more people and make da whole thing even bigger. I ain't gonna make da same mistakes twice."

"What are we going to do? Print an ad in the newspaper?" David asked.

"No! We'll do better than dat! We'll make our own paper. We tell 'em they gotta join us. Isn't dat a good idea?" Jack said.

"Yeah, it is," David admitted. "But what do we know about printing a newspaper?"

"Nothing. But our man Denton…"

"Yeah, but our man Denton has something more important to do. He's going to be an ace war correspondent, right Denton?"

Brenna was about to reprimand him for being so rude, until she saw the smile on both of the boys' faces.

"Alright," Denton agreed. "Where do we start?"

Everyone took a seat at the table. "Alright, we gotta move fast," Jack said. "Now, we'll need da newsies to circulate."

"There's something else that we need. We need a printing press."

"Just so happens I know a guy with a printing press." He looked over at Brenna with a glimmer in his eye. She smiled back at him. She knew exactly what he was getting at.

Sure enough, Jack led them all to the basement of the World Distribution Center where Jack and Brenna had had their little heart-to-heart the night before.

"You've been living here?" Sarah asked.

"Shh," Jack and Brenna shushed. "They're right above us. Weasel catches us here, we're all in da slammer."

Jack uncovered a small printing machine and Denton gasped. "Alright!" he whispered. "A Platen press. Looks like old man Pulitzer never threw anything away."

"Is it going to work?" David asked.

"It better. We have a deadline."

They worked in the basement all night and Denton showed them how to use the printing press to create a newspaper that got the word out about the newsies strike and also exposed Snyder and the corruption that went on in the House of Refuge.

Sarah smiled and leaned her head on Jack's shoulder as she watched him work. There was that funny feeling inside Brenna's stomach again. Unfortunately, she now had a name for that funny feeling. Jealousy. She tried not to think too much about it and continued helping David and Denton work the press.

"Hey, Tricks!" Jack called as the sun began to rise in the sky.

Brenna walked over to him. "Whaddya need?"

"Go get da boys in da Lodging House and tell 'em to come here." He showed her a small door where they could pass out their papers to the newsies in complete secrecy. "We got papes to sell."

Brenna smiled and ran back to the Lodging House as fast as she could. She saw Kloppman heading for the stairs to get the boys up, but she stopped the man. Pulling her cap down further over her eyes, she said to him, "Hey, I'll wake up da boys this mornin', Kloppman."

He gave her a suspicious look, but allowed her to take over. She bolted up the stairs and slammed the door to the boys' room open.

"Guys, get up now!" she yelled.

This was met by moans and groans from all over the room. But there was no time for their usual routine of taking forever to get ready. She grabbed a pillow out from under Boots, and proceeded to walk by each bed, hitting all the boys with the pillow.

"This is not a joke! Ya need to get up right now!"

"Is da place on fire?" Racetrack asked drowsily. "No? Then it ain't worth my time."

Brenna went over to him and pushed him out of his bed and he fell to the floor with a shout. "This is about Jack!"

All the boys immediately silenced and looked at her, the anger evident in their eyes.

"He needs our help!"

"Why would we want to help a scabber?" Blink asked. "He's a traitor."

Brenna gave him such a fierce glare, no one could look directly at her. "No, he's not."

"What are ya talkin' about, Tricks?" Racetrack asked. "Ya saw him. Ya heard what he said. We all did. Whatever he needs, he can get it without us."

The other boys mumbled their agreements.

"He only did all those things to protect us!" Brenna screamed.

"What do ya mean?" Skittery asked her.

Brenna lowered her voice, having finally got their attention. "When David and I followed Jack in da carriage, he was taken to Pulitzer's house. Pulitzer threatened to throw all of us in jail, not da Refuge but jail, if Jack didn't step down from da strike. He promised to hurt every single one of us. Jack was only doing what he thought he had to in order to keep all of us safe."

Silence enveloped the room once again.

"But he came around when…when Morris attacked me. Turns out he and his cousin are da ones who tried to hurt me when Jack first found me."

All the boys ran over to her, checking to make sure the poor girl was alright.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted. "Trust me, da broken bone in his cheek will tell ya that. Jack stopped him and Oscar from hurting me and David. Then we all went to Denton's house to ask for his help again. We've spent all night making our own newspaper to give to everyone, telling all about da newsies strike…and what goes on in da Refuge."

The boys' eyes got brighter and brighter with each part of the story she told. Brenna smiled.

"Now all we need are some newsies to start distributin'. So whaddya say?"

There was a painstaking silence as all the boys looked at each other trying to come to a decision.

"Carryin' da banner!" Racetrack finally yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

"Carryin' da banner!" all the newsies shouted in reply. They bounded down the steps and rushed to the Distribution Center. Brenna showed them the secret door and each boy picked up their papers and began handing them out to every person they could find.

This is for kids shining shoes on the streets

With no shoes on their feet everyday

This is for guys sweating blood in da shops

While their bosses and cops look away

This is to even da score

We ain't just newsies no more

This ain't just kids with some pie in da sky

This is do it or die

This is war!

Once and for all

We'll be there to defend one another

Once and for all

Every kid is a friend

Every friend a brother

Five thousand fists in da sky

Five thousand reasons to try

We're going over da wall

Better to die than to crawl

Either we stand or we fall

For once

Once and for all!