Chapter 11

Civility Amongst Them

Flash sat perched precariously atop a barrel, taking in the sight of the room full of boys in front of her. The space they were in was quite large, bigger than her entire house back home. They were in an old decrepit warehouse, one that looked like it hadn't been used in quite some time. It looked like it had once been used as a shipping distribution center. Old travel flyers and advertisements lay strewn about the floor amongst crushed up cigarette butts that she decided must have come from this particular crowd.

For leaders, this group was a rather rowdy bunch, their voices echoing off the dingy walls and bouncing from the ceiling.

Flash crinkled her nose at the musty stench emanating from the damp room and wished she had a dozen of her mother's homemade beeswax candles to try and cover the smell.

She let her eyes scan the room until they found their way to Spot. She hadn't spoken to him since the day they had visited to talk about the mutiny. Flash had flat refused to go back to the docks, choosing to spend more time with the Manhattan bunch instead. It was nice to be able to get closer to them, nice to get to know them better. But a small part of her missed seeing him and having their witty and playful banter. Only a small part.

Spot was the only one out of them not conversing with anyone, choosing to isolate himself in a corner. He had a hand full of papers laid out in front of him and he looked to be studying them carefully, one hand resting thoughtfully under his chin and the other slowly tracing patterns on his temple. He looked lost in thought, his brow furrowed forming a slight v in his forehead and for a split-second Flash wanted nothing more than to run her thumb along it to smooth it out.

Flash shook her head to clear the thought away and sat up straight, craning her neck to try to get a glimpse at what he was studying. A laughable sight really considering he was clear across the room and there was no possible way she would be able to read what was written on the pages. Her vain attempt at snooping was interrupted by fingers snapping in front of her face.

"Hello? Earth to Flash. You day dreaming again?" Jack waved a hand back and forth in front of her, blocking her view.

She slouched back down in her seat and rested her hands on her lap, finally tearing her gaze away from Spot. "Something like that. Were you saying something?"

"I only repeated myself three times. But hell, what's one more. I was trying to point out who was who. It'll kinda be useful information to know, dontcha think?" Jack chuckled.

Flash shrugged her shoulders and let out a small sigh in agreement. "I mean, I guess so. Who is the short one with the glasses?" she asked pointing to the boy crouched on the floor. He and Race were engaged in what seemed to be an intense game of Gin Rummy.

"That's Shank. He's the leader up in Queens. His right-hand is Dodger," he told her, pointing at a taller boy in faded denim overalls. "Thick as thieves, those two. Grew up on the streets together when their parents threw them out."

Flash nodded her head to the right. "And the big one over there in the corner?"

"Reg. Runs the Bronx along with Pinwheel, the scrawny guy looking over Race's shoulder. Don't wanna find yourself in a tussle with Reg. He's busted almost as many skulls as Spot."

Flash glanced back over at Spot at the mention of his name only to find him staring at her. His expression was unreadable, his eyes dark. She could feel her stomach tighten like it usually did when they made eye contact. "Staten Island?" she asked Jack, not breaking eye contact with Spot. She could feel her cheeks flush, getting warmer by the second.

"That'd be the twins, Blue and Switch. I don't know much about them. They haven't had the reigns long. Which only leaves Topper, the one with the curly black hair. He doesn't have a right-hand. He's kind of the lone wolf of Harlem." Jack smiled to himself. "I always make fun of him, saying his hair looks like someone plopped a dirty mop on top of his head. He's good people though. Are you even listening?" He thumped her on the arm and she returned her attention back to him.

"Of course I am," she huffed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

Jack let his eyes follow the direction she had been looking in a second prior and clicked his tongue against his cheek. "Spotty Boy has his eye on you, don't he? What exactly happened there? I never asked."

Flash glared down at him and shook her head slowly, finding herself turning to peer back at Spot. He wasn't looking anymore, going back to studying his transcripts or whatever it was he had been reading before. His crisp blue eyes were darting across the pages with a speed that made Flash dizzy. "And here I thought you just had the good sense to leave well enough alone. Should've known better. My fault really."

Jack laughed. "You knew I was bound to ask at some point. It was rather interesting to see that you guys were familiar with one another without being aware."

Flash sighed with dissatisfaction. She didn't want to get into the innerworkings of her and Spot's private friendship. Or what used to be a friendship. But she had to give Jack something or else he would never shut up about it.

"I met him the day I met the rest of our little ragtag team. He was... I dunno... he was different than how I see him act around you guys. More human, I guess."

Jack cleared his throat, still looking in Spot's direction. "Spot is respected around here. Predictable but also very much... not, in a sense." Jack had a thoughtful look in his eye. Flash could see the gears turning in his head, working something out. "I bet there is more to him than he lets on," Jack considered.

"I don't really wanna talk about it anymore. What's done is done," Flash dismissed, sniffing derisively. She brought her thumb up to her mouth and bit down on her cuticle. There wasn't much left of it at this point and it started to sting with every scrape she made, but she continued chewing at it anyways.

Racetrack made his way over to them, his pockets jingling more than they had when they first arrived. Judging by the expression on Shank's face and the way he was muttering to himself, Flash assumed that Race had won more money than Shank had hoped.

"You won't have a thumb left if you keep eating it like that. If you're hungry, might I suggest real food instead of auto cannibalism?" Racetrack retorted, reaching the pair of them.

"Might I suggest shutting the hell up?" Flash shot back, taking her thumb out of her mouth and tucking her hand under her leg to resist the urge to continue mutilating her fingers.

"But then you won't be able to hear my beautiful speaking voice," he grinned.

"A tragedy of monstrous proportions," she muttered.

Racetrack took out a cigar and motioned for Jack to hand him a match. He lit it and took a few short puffs before letting it hang from the corner of his mouth. "What has your knickers in a twist this time?" he asked around his cigar.

Flash huffed and crossed her legs at the ankles, leaning back a bit to avoid toppling off the creaky barrel. "What do you care, Pony Boy?"

"I don't," he stated, but the look he gave Jack said otherwise. He was waiting for Jack to fill him in on why she seemed more irate than usual.

Jack glanced at Flash and then back to Race, shaking his head and frowning.

Racetrack had come to realize no matter how close of friends he and Jack were, Jack would never tell him anything Flash didn't want him to. They shared a bond, one much like he and Jack did. But different. And Racetrack knew trying to squeeze Jack for an explanation would prove pointless.

Racetrack puffed once more, letting the smoke billow from his nose. "Fine, be that way then. No skin off my nose. But just to let you know, you're getting really unpleasant to be around lately."

"Does it look like I care whether or not you enjoy being around me? Couldn't care less," she chided.

A whistle rang through the room, halting their conversation before Race could think of a comeback. Everyone stopped mid interaction and turned to face Spot, the cause of the loud noise.

"Alright, everyone settle down. It's time to call this meeting to order."

Everyone grabbed something to sit on and dragged their seats to form a semi-circle around Spot. When everyone was seated and mostly silent, Spot continued.

"As most of you know, I've called you here today in regards of the missing newsies that have kept disappearing from each of the boroughs over these past couple of weeks. You have all come to me, or vice versa, to express concerns. Well I'm here to tell you that Jacky Boy and I have devised a plan and we would like to explain it to you and tell you what part you will play in ensuring that it is successful."

Spot paused a moment, letting the boys have their own reactions to what he had said. He let them talk, his eyes wandering over each face, searching for one in particular. He found Flash seated in her original spot, gazing at him, her full attention trained on his every move. He felt the pit that had been forming in his stomach over the last few days grow. They locked eyes and Spot felt as if they were having a silent conversation, one that no one else was a part of. He tried to read her, staring intently at every small movement, every flicker of light across her face. He could see the slight sadness still present in her bright green eyes, mixed with resolve about something. And anger. The anger was still there. But so was something else, and he couldn't quite place his finger on what it was.

He motioned for her to join him and he could see her hesitate for a moment before jumping down. She trudged her way to the front and stood next to him, no longer meeting his stare, choosing to look in Jack's direction instead. Spot waited until the other boys were silent before continuing.

"This here is Flash. She's the key part of this plan. Let me explain how this is going to work. She is going to infiltrate this so-called mutiny. Find out who runs it, where, how many people there are. She's going to gather intel on weaknesses they might have."

Reg raised his hand and Spot stopped talking. "So she's gonna spy for us?" Spot nodded his head and Reg put his hand down and chuckled to himself. "That's all you had to say, Spot."

"Can I continue?" Spot asked crossly, looking around at everyone in the room. Everyone nodded and Spot started again. "Once she's able to gather enough information that is useful to us, we'll get our men and girls together and use everything she tells us to bust some kneecaps and break up this little uprising."

"Do you know why there are people going against us?" Blue asked him, fiddling with the frayed part of his little brown satchel. Flash remembered Jack saying that he and his brother hadn't been in their power positions too long and that probably explained the look of worry he wore on his face. Their newfound hold on their turf was already starting to crumble.

"No, I don't," Spot admitted shaking his head. He reached out to place a hand on Flash's shoulder. "But that's what dear old Flash is gonna find out for us."

Flash squirmed ever so slightly to get out of his reach, stepping sideways until his hand fell back to his side. She covered her movements by tugging at the bottom of her shirt, pulling it away from her body in order to fan herself.

"What do we need to do to help?" Topper asked, flicking a stray curl from his face.

Spot stretched his arms out on the podium in front of him, bending slightly at his knees so he could put some of his weight on it. "I need you to report anything you may hear to me. You're already doing that, but I mean everything. No one even so much as sneezes without my knowing about it. If you think there is going to be a problem, you let me know. The lines of communication need to be open among everyone in this room. But this stays between us. If she gets compromised, this whole plan goes to shit. Now any ideas on where she should start looking?"

The room filled with chatter, everyone spitting out ideas and criticizing what another person said. Flash was listening, trying to pick out bits and pieces of what they were saying when she heard Spot in her ear.

"Allie, we need to talk. You can't avoid me forever. And get your finger out of your mouth, you're bleeding," he murmured.

Flash tasted the salty copper taste on her tongue and let her hand drop to her side. She hadn't even realized she had been biting again. It was an old habit, a nervous tick she had when she was feeling anxious. She hadn't done it so much since she got older. She used to fight instead whenever her anxiety got the better of her but she had cut that down tremendously to avoid bigger issues. She guessed she was back to chewing her skin to compensate.

"What's there to talk about?" she murmured back, stealing a glance at him. He was giving her a look that said they had plenty to talk about. She silently shook her head and turned her attention back to the crowd in front of her.

"I recommend she start in Harlem," Topper shouted over the rest of them. "It's smaller than the rest of the boroughs. Better chance for her to run into someone there. Start small."

Spot raised a hand to quiet the rest of them. "That's actually not a bad idea. She can test the waters, and it's close enough to Manhattan if things start to head south. Good thinking, Topper."

Topper gave him a proud smile. "Happy to help."

"It's good to see you have a working brain under that head of what you call hair," Jack chuckled, punching his arm playfully.

"I'll show you what's good to see," Topper said good naturedly and they both stood to spar, knocking a few of the other newsboys off their seats. This caused a commotion and soon everyone was up and rooting for one or the other, placing bets on who would win along the way.

Spot inched closer to Flash and she could feel his warm breath on her ear. It sent a numbing chill down her spine and she couldn't bring herself to move away.

"We really do need to talk, Allie. Clear the air. You can't hate me while trying to help me," he whispered, his lips a mere inch away from her skin.

Flash closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before turning to face him. "I can hate you and still help. It might be better if I do anyways. No attachment or feelings to cloud my judgement."

"Feelings?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected her to say that word but hearing it made his cheeks burn ever so slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

Flash bit the edge of her lip before answering. "I just mean that it is better for me to try and stay neutral in this whole thing. Once it's over, I'll probably be gone. No sense in getting too wrapped up in emotion with anyone here."

This wasn't the answer that Spot was hoping for. He wasn't sure what exactly he wanted her to say, but this was not it.

"Can we at least stay cordial then? No more glaring at me like you would want nothing more than to set me on fire." Spot half teased, a small smile lingering on the corner of his lips.

Flash paused for a moment, taking in his request. She nodded in agreement. "Only if you can agree not to put on such a show like you did in front of people the other day. No being an ass for appearances. I'm not asking you to treat me like you did at the pier before. But I would like to be treated as a person and not a subordinate."

"Well I can't treat you like an equal."

"But I am your equal."

Spot scoffed and tried to hide his annoyance. She didn't get it. She didn't understand the importance of appearances and what being deemed as soft would do for his reputation. She was not his equal. They weren't on the same level. They weren't even playing the same game. But he would agree, for the sole purpose of civility amongst them.

"Fine," he said trying to keep all harshness out of his tone. "Basically equals. But you can't cause a stir trying to be funny like you did. You need to understand that. We'll be civil."

Flash rolled her eyes. "Fine. Civil. I'll keep my mouthy comments to myself."'

Spot gave her a genuine smile and spit in his hand, extending it to her. She spit and grabbed his hand, clutching it tightly. Their hands stayed entwined a fraction of a second longer than what would be considered normal and Flash quickly pulled her hand back, wiping it on her trousers, not looking at him.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Alright, nice talk. We all done here?"

"For now."

"Great." She made her way to stand beside Jack and Spot watched her as she quietly conversed with him.

He didn't like their closeness for some reason. They didn't seem to be more than just friends. More like a brother and sister. He didn't like that Jack knew more about her than he did. Was this jealousy? He shook his head and leaned back up against the podium, still watching the pair. Their conversation seemed intense and Spot could see Jack occasionally steal quick looks up at him. Flash grabbed his face to turn his attention back to her, seemingly getting annoyed. Jack threw his hands up in defense and Spot concentrated on his lips, trying to catch what he was saying. Flash was nodding and Jack looked like he was giving in to whatever she was saying.

Racetrack walked to join them and the two of them quickly stopped talking, turning to face him and the three of them seemed to start a different conversation.

The comment about feelings and attachment echoed in Spot's head and he decided he was going to do anything he could to get some sort of reaction out of Flash. He was certain there was more to it than what she had let on and he was determined to figure out what she meant. He tried to reverse the roles and imagine how Flash would feel if he was close to another girl. Would she be jealous? Would it bother her as much as it bothered him? He had so many questions. So many unfamiliar feelings that he needed to sift through. But one thing was for certain, Flash stirred something in him that most girls did not. He just needed to figure out what it was.