Blood on the Wall

Chapter 1: In Which The Newsies Get a Good Headline

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up, Race!"

Racetrack Higgins groaned and pushed the 7-year-old body off.

"Howie! Get offa me!" he whined.

The boy landed on the floor laughing, and immediately jumped back up.

"But it's wake-up time! Jack said!"

Race grunted and turned over in bed.

"C'mon Race!" With no answer, Howie bounded over to Jack Kelly, buttoning his shirt across the room, and complained, "Race won't get up."

Jack laughed and ruffled the younger boy's hair.

"Don't worry, How, I'll get him up."

With that, Jack crossed to Race's bed, leaned down so that his head was level with Race's ear, and yelled, "Antonio Higgins! Get up, or I'll tell everyone 'bout you and Spot and how youse kissed last-"

Race immediately shot up and punched the shoulder of a laughing Jack.

"Shut up, Jack! Don't need all of New York knowin'!"

Albert DaSilva jumped down from the top bunk and said, "No need, we already do!"

Race pushed his friend out of the way, popped his cigar in his mouth, and stalked off, muttering something about "No good, lousy pieces of-"

"C'mon, boys!" Jack shouted. "Let's get goin' before the year 1900!"

Jojo de la Guerra rolled his eyes. "Jack, that's tomorrow."

Jack shrugged.

Albert and Jack, along with Jojo, Crutchie, and Specs, and Howie trailing along, started to make their way to Newspaper Row and the stand where the boys bought their papes each morning.

Albert smirked. "Should we tell Race that the whole lodging house already knows that he and Spot are dating?"

"I say we let him figure that out for himself," Crutchie answered, grinning slyly.

"Good call."

The group neared the sign where the day's headline was written. A few newsies, including Elmer, Buttons, and Henry, were already there.

"Hey, guys," Elmer greeted the group. One of the many newsies unable to read, he wasn't looking at the headline, but both Henry and Buttons were staring at it, and didn't even look up when their friends joined them.

For good reason, too. The words read, "TWO BROOKLYN NEWSIES STABBED TO DEATH".

Jack gasped and Elmer looked at him, confused.

"What's it say?"

Crutchie answered slowly, "It says..., 'Two Brooklyn Newsies Stabbed to Death.'"

"No!"

Everyone spun around to see Race standing there, his normally tan skin chalk white, his cigar hanging out of his mouth.

Jack said quickly, "Race, we don't know if it's Spot. It's probably not. You know how many newsies there are."

"But it could be!" Race's voice quivered. "I need to go check. Now." With that, he spun around and started sprinting in the direction of Brooklyn.

Crutchie shook his head. "I really hope it's not Spot who's dead, for Race's sake."

Right then Howie whimpered and the older boys, as if they had forgotten he was there, turned around to see their fellow newsie trembling.

"Jackie?" he said. "I'm scared."

"Hey." Jack knelt down so he was the same height as the kid and looked him in the eyes. "It's fine to be scared, but we's gonna be fine. You got that? I ain't gonna let nothin' bad happen to you." He pulled Howie into a hug. "Promise."

Am I posting this instead of working on my other fanfiction?

Yes, I am.

Do I feel guilty?

No, I do not.

Don't worry, I'll get back to Tales of the Refuge eventually. School's starting, so I might not have as much time to write, but I promise I will when I have time.