I do not own Newsies or Skittery/Skylar. The name Skylar is mine, Eloise is mine, and the ideas expressed are mine. The strange newsie is credited to Smiles.
Chapter 2 - Two Years and Death
Two years later on Eloise's birthday, Skylar and his family, well his mother and he, got the final word. Eloise's body had been found, dumped carelessly into the river. She was dead. It was official now. There was no hoping and praying left that could bring her back. Eloise was lost to Skylar and his mother. Gone like dust in the wind. And there was no one to blame, but himself. But I could never admit... Skylar thought. He loved his sister, but he didn't want to bear the burden of everybody else blaming him for her loss. Skylar had a hard enough time dealing with his own personal grief. And everything, absolutely everything, had taken a turn for the worse in poor Skylar's life.
His mother was going to have another baby now. She'd been so happy! At least, until Skylar's newly found curse caught him. His father left. Walked out on the life he knew and ran away to Michigan with some women. Skylar was absolutely positive, although his mother, in half delerium, insisted that Mr. Funke just got called away to a war or something and just couldn't bear to say good-bye. The loss of income forced Skylar to drop school and work with a carriage house to support his mother. She couldn't work. She was weepy all the time and her hands always shook. She used to be young, vibrant, and one of the most talented seamstresses in all of New York, but since Eloise's disappearance she'd been slowly failing at everything. Even as a mother, but at fourteen, Skylar could fend for himself entirely, although he wasn't about to leave his mother out in the cold. It was the only thing that seemed right since Eloise left them.
The news was brought to the two in the most painful way possible. Nobody came to them directly. No message from the police, the city morgue, or even warning from the press. No. Skylar bought a paper from some newsboy with a smirk and blue eyes. Skylar knew he was being swindled by the boy. Just something about their personalities just didn't click right... Walking home from the Brooklyn Carriage House, Skylar was browsing the headlines when one in particular caught his eye. "Youth Eloise Funke Found Slaughtered In Hudson River". Skylar nearly jumped out of his skin. Looking at the bridge he was crossing, he sprinted across it and all the way home. As he ran, he felt the eyes of strangers staring at him. Anyone of them could be the murderer of his sister. And one day Skylar would find them, and they would be no more. Skylar would hunt them down and kill them exactly the same way that they killed Eloise.
That's when he felt it. An icy wraith clutched his wrist tightly. Skylar thought it was going to rip his hand off. He stopped suddenly and tried to shake the feeling that something not natural was here. After a while the pain subsided in his wrist. Whatever that was, it's gone now, Skylar decided and started to go home again. As he climbed the steps to their dilapidated apartment, the feeling returned. He just felt cold all over, no pain, just an eerie chill settled over him. Skylar clutched the newspaper and walked inside. "Mother!" Skylar called, headed toward her bedroom. "Mom, Eloise... She's..."
"What?" Mrs. Funke snapped. "Still missing? Come home?" Skylar sighed. His mother always got like this when Eloise was mentioned. Finally the tears came to his eyes. The shock of his sister being officially declared dead was enough to rack him full of tears. The salty water slid down his cheek and dripped onto the dark brown shirt. Unmoved by her sons tears, Mrs. Funke snatched the newspaper and skimmed the article written about Eloise. "Figures..." And that was all she said on the subject. Shortly after, she sent Skylar to bed.
As the young boy started to finally drift into to sleep, he heard quiet footsteps outside his door. Closing his eyes quickly, his mother peeked her head inside, then closed the door again. Skylar leapt to his feet silently. He left the tear stained pillow and crept forward. After hearing the front door open and shut again, Skylar left the safety of his room. On the table in the kitchen he saw a pink thing and a note besides it. I'll read it later, mom's probably going to Eloise's grave site without me, he thought and hurried out the door behind the older woman.
Skylar trailed his mother for a long while. She didn't seem to actually know where she was going and her path was curved and she stumbled a lot. Skylar knew the signs. His mother was drunk. Very drunk. He'd only seen his father drunk on occasion. Skylar didn't drink. That wasn't his scene. He did however smoke a cigarette on occasion. His mother didn't know, but they calmed Skylar down greatly. He probably shouldn't be smoking at his age, but he didn't care. The Carriage House boys smoked and Skylar joined them. That was his vice. Finally, his mother came to a halt. On the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge. Whoa! I think she's going to jump! Skylar thought and raced forward. He was about to call out to his mother, when the presence returned. It leeched onto his shoulder and crushed him. His lungs threatening to give out, and Skylar had but one choice. Stop. He did and a moment later his mother's long brown hair streamed out behind her as she plummeted toward the water. When the splash erupted, Skylar couldn't take it anymore. He ran at the bridge and stared after his mother.
Kicking and screaming, Skylar was practically attacking the metal structure. It wasn't like he could do much, but it made him feel better. "Why would you do that?" he screamed to the heavens. "You just left me here by myself! What the Hell am I supposed to do now?" Skylar had never sworn before. It was a first for him, but he was so upset. He was still at the anger stage, the next would be the tears. He intended on being at home when that one kicked in. He started to walk back home, swearing one thing. He would never think about what to say again. It lead to the death of his mother. Skylar was just about over the bridge when he heard a loud clatter. He jumped and turned. It was the same sound from that faithful day that ruined everything.
"Who are you? And why are you destroying my bridge? What's the matter with you? Do you need-" the blonde newsie asked, scowling at Skylar. Not waiting for the boy to finish, Skylar turned and raced away. The tears were coming and he didn't have time to deal with this boy now. Little did he know, of the two years of utter misery, that mistake just might as well have been his worst.