Blitz: A Newsies Story

Chapter 4: Newsies Family

((Hey guys - sorry it has been a while since I updated! My free time is very limited and spaced out, so I don't have much time to update my works all the time. Anyways, here is the next chapter of Blitz. Please read, share, comment and vote! Hope you like it! -Wolf))

((By the way - this chapter is for WanderingMind963 - ask and you shall receive! Thanks for the comment!))

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Chapter 4: Newsies Family

Inside the lodging house, there was a counter with a large book on it. Off to the left was a staircase leading up to the next floor, and I could hear several voices coming from upstairs. Jack looked around quickly, then said, "Guess he already went to bed," and motioned for Race and I to follow him as he climbed the stairs. Assuming that "he" was the man whom I would normally have to pay to stay here, I shrugged, then followed Jack and Race up the staircase. At the top of the stairs, I was greeted by the sight of dozens of boys lying, sitting and hanging on various bunk beds, most of them only half dressed. Surpressing a laugh, I followed Jack and Race between the bunk beds over to the corner by the window.

There were two bunk beds there, and a boy with glasses was sitting on the top bunk of one of the beds. He looked at me curiously as we approached and I then realized that it wasn't just him. In fact, every single Newsie that was awake was staring at me. Suddenly feeling rather self-conscious, I elbowed Race in the side. "Why're they all lookin' at me like that?" I asked. Racetrack laughed. "You're a girl, ya dumb bum. They ain't used to beautiful girls walkin' in on them half dressed." I blushed slightly, which caused Race's grin to grow even bigger.

I looked away from the Newsies and turned to the boy with glasses. "Hiya Specs, how've ya been?" asked Jack as we walked up to him. "Good Jack, you?" Jack nodded. "Fine. Crutchie got soaked bad though. He wanted to stay in the Refuge for a little while to recover." The boy nodded. "Who's this?" he asked, gesturing at me. "This is," "I'm Blitz," I interrupted, giving Jack a look. I spit in my hand and held it out to shake. The boy raised his eyebrows, they shrugged and spit in his own hand, shaking mine and saying, "They call me Specs. Nice to meet you." I nodded. "You too." "She broke out of the Refuge as we were leaving after trying to get Crutchie out," Jack told Specs. "And she knocked out Warden Snyder!" crowed Race, loud enough for the rest of the Newsies in the room to hear, even over their own conversations.

A rather muscular boy with curly brown hair and a warm smile came over to us. "What was that, Race?" he asked, though his eyes were on me. I raised my eyebrows and before he could ask me even more questions, I simply said, "I'm Blitz." The boy grinned at me. "The name's Mush," he said, and the two of us spit in our hands and shook. I glanced over at Jack and saw that he was grinning, and by the looks of it, trying not to laugh. Racetrack smirked, then repeated himself. "Blitz here, broke out of the Refuge, and knocked Warden Snyder unconscious!" Both Specs and Mush looked amazed. I couldn't help but grin as the two boys turned to stare at me in awe. "Really?" asked Specs, his eyes wide. I nodded in confirmation. Jack gave up on trying not to and burst out laughing, his eyes gleaming.

I rolled my eyes and punched him in the arm. "Ow," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his arm and frowning. I laughed and so did Race, Specs and Mush. "So are you staying here?" asked Mush. I nodded. He grinned, about to say something else but was interrupted by Jack. "She can take Crutchie's bunk while he's in the Refuge," he said, patting the bottom bunk of the empty bunk bed. I raised my eyebrows. "Who's got the top bunk?" I asked. "Me, a'course," said Jack with a smirk as he climbed up to the top bunk and sat down, dangling his feet over the edge. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bunk below Jack while Race took the bottom bunk on Specs' bunk bed. Mush grinned. "Well, goodnight," he said, and turned and headed back across the room to his own bunk. "Night, Mush," Jack, Race, Specs and I called after him.

I looked around the room and noticed that most of the boys had fallen asleep, and that the room was quite dark now. Specs yawned, and then took off his glasses, wrapping them in a strip of cloth and putting them down beside his pillow. "G'night Jack. G'night Race. G'night Blitz," he said softly, before he drifted off. I smiled slightly. "Night Specs," I whispered. I glanced over at Race, who had pulled his suspenders off of his shoulders, taken off his shoes and his cap, and unbuttoned his shirt. I raised my eyebrows at him and he shrugged, laying down on his bunk beside mine. "Night Blitz," he murmured with a smile. "Night Race," I whispered back as the boy's eyes closed.

"So, whadda ya think?" asked Jack softly from above me. "I still think that you 'hattan boys ask way too many questions," I muttered with a grin as I pulled my suspenders off of my shoulders and took my cap off of my head, putting it down beside the pillow. Jack laughed softly. "We do talk a lot, I'll give you that, but we look out for each other and that's what matters," he said. I sighed, taking off my shoes. "Mush and Specs seem nice, and I have a feeling I'll get to meet the rest of the boys tomorrow... So at the moment Jack, for once, I'm happy," I said as I lay down on my bunk. "I'm glad," said Jack with a yawn. "After having a family like that, and then being locked up in the Refuge for a while, you deserve to be happy for a little while at least, right?" I smiled at this. "I'd hope so," I murmured. Jack sighed and I heard movement. Sitting up, I saw Jack's head peering down from his bunk. "Blitz..." he said slowly, then paused for a moment, as if unsure what to say. "Yes?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Well, since you don't have a family no more... well, uh, ya know... we could be your family. Ya know, if ya want..." Jack trailed off, looking at me with a hesitant expression. I smiled, a real, genuine smile. "Thank you, Jack," I said softly. "I'd like a family again."

((What do you guys think? Please comment and vote!!! -Wolf))