After Jack showed us the Distribution Office, he had to take Sarah home, so we parted our separate ways.
We were on our way to our new home. Now, our home is very different from any of the other Newsie homes. We don't live in a warehouse, or in an abandoned apartment. We live in a Mansion, yes, I said Mansion. Now, we live there legally, we didn't fight anybody for it, we didn't kill anybody for it. We inherited it, and all the money that came with it.
No, we did not inherit it from our parents. Me and Ace lost our parents in a crowd when we came over here from France. But I'm going off track.
Me and my sister and the Cards, are rich. I know we don't have to be Newsies or professional thieves, but we like to work for our money.
I was knocked out of my revere by Ace, to see we close to our home.
"Ok, Race. When you see our home you can't go all crazy on us," I said. Looking at the short Italian boy walking next to me.
"Yeah, we don't want to have to call the bulls on you,"joked Ace, punching Race in the arm to show him she was kidding.
We came up to a beautiful brick Mansion with a big fence around it. "Here we are," I said, walking up to the front door.
"Dis is where youse guys live?" Race exclaimed, staring open mouthed at the big house. Everybody walked past him to get inside.
"Yup," Ace stated, pulling the dazed Racetrack into the house.
"How… What…. When…?" Race babbled.
"Where?" Joker finished, grinning from ear to ear. Five rolled her eyes and smacked the newsie in the back of the head. Everybody looked at Race trying to comprehend what he was saying.
"Member that old couple we helped out a few years back, when you joined the Cards?" I asked Race. Club shoved Race when he didn't answer.
Race knocked out of his stupor stuttered "Y..ye..yeah." He finally finished.
"Well they passed away a few weeks ago, and they left they're house and money to me and Deck, since Deck was the leader and I was second in command," I said, choking on the last part.
"Wow," he paused for a minute. "So where is Deck?" Race asked, looking around the big room they were in.
"Um..." Ace started, but couldn't finish and walked swiftly out of the room trying to choke back sobs. Five followed her out and Joker followed, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head mournfully.
"Well he..." Club said, looking at me, and then left to help Five and Joker soothe Ace. Everybody looked down in sorrow.
"Don't worry guys, I'll tell him," I said choking down a sob. Diamond took Cohon and followed everybody out of the room, leaving me and Race alone. I looked at Race and told him how Jeremy "Deck" Turner died.
"He got into a fight with Slader, in the back room of the Queens Lodging House. We heard someone scream for help and tried to get in but the door was locked. We tried, but the door wouldn't budge," I sobbed uncontrollably. I controlled myself and began again. "We finally got the door open. We saw Deck, lying on the floor with Slader's knife in his side, but Slader wasn't there. We tried to help Deck, we sent Zig to get a doctor, but Deck died," I said, as a single tear slid down my cheek.
"Ise… sorry Spades," Race said, pulling me in a hug and letting cry on to his shoulder. After a while of non-stop tears I settled down a bit.
"Race… will you go to Brooklyn with me tomorrow after selling?" I asked, rubbing my eyes and suddenly feeling very tired.
"Why do you have to go to Brooklyn?" asked Race following me up the stairs to the nursery, to put Cohon to bed. When I was done putting Cohon in bed, I walked toward the library, where Race went off to, to talk to Joker and Five. Their always in there because Five loves to read, and Joker doesn't like to read but he sure does love Five. He would follow her anywhere.
"Now, why do we have to go to Brooklyn?" Race asked again, when I walked into the room.
"Well we have to tell Spot about Deck," I said, sitting next to Joker and Five on the sofa. Picking up Fives forgotten drink and gulping it down.
"Why?" Race asked, looking very confused.
"You're just full of questions today," I said, taking the very inappropriate book from Joker and putting it back on the shelf, and returning to my seat, giving Joker a stern glare. "Joker your only fourteen, you're too young to be reading those kind of books." I wagged my finger at him disapprovingly.
"Why?" asked Joker. "Five always gets to read what she wants, no offense, doll." He looked at Five and she in turn ignored him.
"Well Five wouldn't read those kind of books, so get off the subject," I said ending the argument before Joker could start it. Joker loves to start arguments, he will push at it until you feel like jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Hello, did we forget me question?" asked Race getting very impatient.
"No Race we didn't forget about you. Spot and Deck are brothers. Spot needs to know about his brother," I said matter of fact. Giving the boy a 'duh' look.
"When did dat happen?" asked Race, sitting on the opposite side of Joker. While Five left the room to read her book elsewhere, muttering to herself 'about people who wanna have a conversation, they come to the library. What is that about,' shaking her head she looked back at us to glare. I chuckled and looked at Joker who just shrugged.
"Now Race, do we need to have a talk about the birds and the bees again?" asked Joker, referring to my earlier statement, chuckling at Race's confused expression.
"So let me get dis straight. Deck and Spot are bruddahs. I've known youse guys a couple of years an I'm just finding out about dis NOW?" Race exclaimed standing and setting me with a stern glare.
"I guessed it just slipped our minds," I said giving him a big grin, standing and leaving the room.
"Just slipped from ya minds, huh," Race said, following me down the hall to my room. "Yeah, I guess I'll go to Brooklyn with ya ... So where do I sleep…?" Race asked, looking at me.
"Don't know. Go find a room. But make sure you know how to get back to the main room. Ace got lost trying to go to the bathroom. We didn't see her for two days, well it ain't like we missed her," I hollered down the hall to Race who laughed.
"Hey I heard that!" Ace screamed down the hall.
Next day
"Hurry up Race," I said, balancing Cohon on my hip and giving an old couple a newspaper. "We have to finish selling our papes, and get to Brooklyn," I said, while handing yet another paper to a couple. They only buy papers to look at the 'adorable baby'.
"I'm hurryin, keep ya pants on," Race said, trying to keep up to mine and Ace's fast pace. Selling here and there, on our way to the Brooklyn Bridge; stopping once or twice so Race could catch up to us.
"How do you think Spot will take it?" Ace asked, breaking the silence, stopping to look at the water.
"He'll be jumping for joy," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's his brother Ace, how do you think he will take it?"
"Sorry," Ace mumbled, walking forward a bit.
Once again we walked in silence, listening to Cohon shriek in joy at all the birds flying around and laughing at the funny face's Race was making at the back of Ace's head. What really made him laugh was when Ace smacked Race over the head with her boot.
"Hey Spades, der's Spot," Race said pointing to someone off in the distance.
"Which one is he?" asked Ace, straining to see which one was Spot.
"Youse don't know who Spot Conlon is?" Race asked, looking at Ace like she had three heads.
"Nope. Heard of him, never met him," Ace said, watching a boy walk toward us.
"Hey Spot," said Race spitting in his hand and extending it to Spot.
"Hey Race," Spot said, doing the same. "Spades nice to see you again," he said pulling me into a hug, and eyeing the cooing baby in my arms.
"Hi Spot, I'm Ace, Spade's sister," Ace said, spitting in her hand and extending it to Spot.
Spot blinked a couple of times and smirked. He gripped his cane tightly in his hand and began to circle Ace nodding in satisfaction.
Ace dropped her arm and planted her hands firmly on her hips. "Why are you circling me? What were you a vulture in a past life?"
"Well, Kate..." Spot started.
"Ace!" Ace hissed, cutting Spot off and getting into his face.
"Yea, dat's what I said, Barbara," Spot said, smirking.
I stepped in holding my hand out to keep my sister from attacking Brooklyn's pride and joy, while balancing Cohon on my hip. "Now calm down, Merrick; you don't want to mess up the King's face. God knows the lady's wont like that."
"Merrick!" Ace snapped. "How dare you real name me in public, Emi Rose."
My jaw dropped in astonishment and immediately shoved Cohn in Spot's arms.
Spot held Cohon out at arms length. "Uh, Spades, what do I do with dis?" Spot asked.
I ignored Spot and glared fiercely at my sister. "You can't talk to me like dat, I'm your leader."
"Like that matters?" Ace shot back. "I'm second in command. If you die, I'm in charge!"
"Actually, if I died, then Zig is in charge. Like I'd trust you with the infamous Card gang!" I said, sensing the anger repelling off of Ace.
Zig?" Ace shouted. "The kid you appointed to be the new leader of Queens?"
"Yep," I said, grinning evilly.
"Fine, I guess I'll have to kill the both of you!" said Ace.
"Hey Brandi, leadership ain't dat easy, doll," Spot said to the already fuming Ace.
"Listen, pretty boy, anyone can wake up and comb their hair, it's not that hard," Ace said, glaring at the people staring at our little fight. "What the hell are you looking at, mind your own damn business, you don't see me all up in yours."
"Hey, leadership ain't jus' lookin good, sweetheart, you gotta sweat blood and…" Spot strated. "Enough! Geez, can you say 'Married Couple'? We didn't come here to have battle of the sexes, we came to..." I looked towards Spot and blinked. "Spot….. Where is Cohon?"
Spot looked puzzled and furrowed his eyebrows. "Co-who?" he asked.
"Cohon!" I exclaimed. "My son…. My child you were just holding."
"You have a son?" Spot nearly shouted. "Does Deck know about dis?"
"Who do you think his father is?" I exclaimed.
Oh, okay," Spot nodded. "Race took him."
"What?" Ace and I said in unison. We all turned around long enough to watch Race head back toward Manhattan with Cohon, muttering to himself incoherently, while Cohon waved bye to us and started chewing on Race's hat.
"Oh, it's okay," I said, waving it away. I fixed my eyes on Spot, my mood turning serious. "I have something to tell you about Deck."
So there you go. Again. Give me your thoughts and let me know if I should put the other chapters up.