Okay we're moving along here! Quick note: this chapter takes place on the same day as the end of chapter 24, and all of 24 and 25; so two days after the sunset chapter. It's in between noon and pre-evening. I'm saying that to help me, and to help you all with what the chronological order of time is. Anyway. Enjoy! :)
"Let us help," Mush (with Blink standing by his side) says to Spot and Jack.
"No," Jack tells him. "You two need to stay here-"
"We wanna help get our friends back too!" Blink protests.
"Come on, Jack," Spot puts in, "it may be useful having two extra brains and pairs of eyes helping us."
Jack sighs. "You do have a point."
Now that Jack and Spot have a sort-of idea of why Race and David were taken, they're trying to find places that would make most sense to keep them. And, naturally, word gets around quickly. So, Blink and Mush insisted on joining their search party for Race and David.
"We wanna help too!" Les pipes up, with Crutchie right behind him.
"You two need to stay close to here," Jack tells them. "If you guys see anything, anything, that might help, find us, or at least someone who can find us. Can you do that for me?"
He understands that Les just wants his brother back and Crutchie would do literally anything for anyone, he wouldn't forgive himself if something bad happened to either of them.
Jack internally sighs with relief as they both reluctantly nod understandingly and walk away.
He turns back to the odd group he has right here; him, Spot, Kid Blink, and Mush.
What a bunch of queer newsies we are.
"Let's go over the plan," he says.
"We split into two groups," Spot starts. "One in Brooklyn, one in Manhattan. We go through all possible spots-" ("spots," Blink snickers to Mush, who laughs along with him. Spot glares at them pointedly) "-where they could be held up."
"If we've checked every possible spot, we move on to another borough," Mush continues.
"And no matter what, we meet back up at the Brooklyn Bridge by sunset," Blink finishes.
Spot winces a little bit at sunset. Jack tries to shoot him a sympathetic glance. He doesn't blame Spot for not like that word, since sunset was the last time he saw Race, before everything else happened.
"Okay," Jack says. "I'll start in Manhattan. Blink, you're with me. Spot, you and Mush start in Brooklyn. And hopefully, when we meet up when the sun sets, we've had found 'em by then."
Spot nods and with that he and Mush start heading to Brooklyn.
I just hope that Race and Davey are being kept in the same place, Jack thinks. This is gonna be a lot harder if they're in different places.
That's another thing to consider in this search of theirs.
I hope we come back successful. Because... he doesn't want to finish this thought. And yet he does. Because there is no way the Delanceys can win, especially when it comes to Davey and Race's lives.
"Come on, Blink," Jack says. "Let's begin."
--------------
Spot
The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge was mostly a subdued silence, both deeply troubled by the idea of their friends being taken.
"Why did they do this, Spot?" Mush asks.
Spot explains it as quickly as he can. "Race and Davey are bein' held as ransom. We know the Delanceys know that Jack and I are high up in the newsie world, and if word gets out that we'se both queer..." he knows first hand what will happen. "it won't get good. So, we know they either want us, or want something from us."
Mush nods thoughtfully. "So aren't we walkin' into a trap? Isn't this a lose-lose situation?"
"It very well could be. But, if we do this right, and if it's possible, we get our friends back before the Delanceys even notice, and then we all walk away happy."
Mush is satisfied with that answer.
Spot realizes that this is the first time he really talked to Mush ever since Irving Hall. Back when the three of them (because David was there) could joke around and make fun of each other for being hopelessly in love with one of their idiots, while being just as bad as the other two. Spot misses those few minutes of lighthearted fun.
"So, where in Brooklyn should we search first?" Mush asks.
"I think I have a couple of places in mind," Spot replies.
-------------------
Jack
"THAT'S IT!" Blink exclaims, after getting a bunch of smoke blown in his face after searching through a back window of a factory. "I ain't NEVER doin' that again!"
"Sorry 'bout that," Jack says guiltily, even though technically it's not his fault. It was Blink who decided to look through the window."
"Jack, we've checked everywhere," Blink tells him, close to defeated.
It's true. They checked inside the offices of the circulation center. All the streets. Any factory with a back room. They just...weren't there. The Refuge has been closed down. Even the Delanceys aren't high up enough to get into Pulitzer's place.
Jack sighs. "I know. But we cain't give up."
"Wasn't suggestin' that. But still."
"Yeah, I get what ya mean."
This seemed like a lost cause.
But it's not a lost cause.
Race and David are missing. That's cause enough to spend twice or ten times as many hours they've spent to keep trying to look for them.
"Any ideas where they could be?" Blink asks.
Jack shakes his head sullenly. "No." He brings his head up. "But we'll find him." His voice cracks a little. "We have to."
---------------------
Spot
There isn't an alleyway, house, factory, street, or anything else that Spot and Mush haven't already scoured, looking, hoping to find any trace at all of Race and/or David.
"Are we'se sure they're in Brooklyn?" Mush asks.
Spot hangs his head. "No. No, we ain't." He swallows. "I thought we had a good plan. I thought we'd find 'em soon. But..." He looks out to the sky. It's getting closer to sunset, the changing colors already beginning. Those beautiful colors.
All those colors.
See where the sun is? That's where it's an angry red. You go higher, and then there's yellow, but in between the red and the yellow is a nice orange. And then there's a little sliver of green in between the yellow and the blue. Oh, the blue. The color of a daylight sky, ya know? Then you have indigo or purple or whateva ya wanna call it, stretching all the way back.
Ya know?
Spot tries his hardest not to cry at that memory of Race. How he would give anything just to hear his voice again, to hear him talk about the sky, or gambling, or anything. Just as long he was safe...and most importantly, alive.
---------------------
Jack
Jack tries to swallow down the fluttering hope he feels as he and Blink make their way to the Brooklyn Bridge. They're meeting Mush and Spot half way on the Bridge.
Maybe they found them...? Jack thinks, allowing himself wishful thinking.
As they get closer, Jack's disappointed to see only two figures walking toward him. He was setting himself up for disappointment.
As soon as they could clearly make out each other's sullen faces, Blink and Mush run to each other, asking questions, running their hands against each other, concern for the other in their eyes. Jack and Spot hang farther back. Jack looks at Spot, hoping he doesn't have to use his voice to convey his question.
Did you find them?
Spot shakes his head.
Jack's face falls.
Did you? Spot's expression asks him.
Jack shakes his head.
Spot is just as crestfallen.
Blink and Mush turn back to Jack and Spot.
"We'll find 'em," Blink says confidently.
"Right?" Mush adds as an afterthought, just as hopefully.
Jack just doesn't know.
They eat a late dinner together, silently.
They failed.
Which is why they need to go back tomorrow, search harder, longer, go farther.
And maybe, just maybe...
...They'll all return home safely.
Not gonna lie that was kinda sad to write.
Turns out Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks encompass all kinds of emotions.
I hope I didn't seem like I was breaking Blush up by having them in two different search groups...I just wanted Jack to lead a Manhattan search and Spot to lead a Brooklyn search and have them each take one of the two with them, you know? I don't why but I've kinda resigned myself to only doing perspectives from the main four, so (sadly) not Blink or Mush. Does that make sense? I know for sure in my next Newsies story it's going to be pretty much entirely omniscient third person narrator, which I'm all here for.
I got so confused when I heard The Force theme play because I thought I was still listening to Pirates of the Caribbean but my phone decided to shuffle and I forgot that songs don't last forever haha.
Speaking of my next Newsies story, when I was originally developing this story, it was developing alongside said future Newsies story. And for a good run, I was only able to think on the track of this one while writing it here on Wattpad. But now, I'm kinda getting more excited to write the other one and I'm like NO I SPECIFICALLY DECIDED NOT TO DO THIS NO STOP IT because my brain loves writing more than one story at once, so I'm surprised I was actually able to make a commitment for once and managed to only do this one. So the bottom line is...I may accidentally overlap elements, and I know that's irrelevant now, but if it seems like I'm making the stories too alike...this is why. Oops...haha.
DON'T WORRY EVERYONE THIS ISN'T GONNA HAVE A SAD ENDING IT'LL BE OKAY I PROMISE. All stories need a moment of despair, right? That's in the list of things we need to write a hero's journey that we're being taught in school, right? I don't think I'm doing a true hero's journey, so ... good writing needs a moment of despair before it gets better, right?
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) <3
Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section.
Best,
~Your Beloved Author (who just wants it to be summer already)