wouldn't you like to know

- 12 -

"rise an' shine, boys!" Race yelled as he ran around the bunkroom while making as much noise as he could. "a banner is printin' and it ain't gonna handout themselves!" He then took Albert's stick from under his bed and started to bang the bunkbeds with it.

The sun hadn't even rose yet when Race got back from Pulitzer's basement after helping Jack, Davey, Katherine and the heirs of the Journal and the Trib, Darcy and Bill, write Katherine's paper. She had this wonderful idea of writing a small article on the overexploitation and mistreatment of the working kids of New York city called The Children's Crusade. The plan was to have all the papers delivered out of Pulitzer's basement by the morning bell and have them handed out to everybody possible by afternoon.

"Albert!" He ripped the covers off of his best friend, who punched his gut in return. "ya want rights or not?"

"no, I wants sleep!"

"well too bad, yer getting rights today." He grabbed the redhead's hands and pulled him up. "now go wake Lilly." He winked and swiftly walked away as he woke up all the other newsies.

Albert finally got up and trudged down the ladder. He then shook Lilly awake. "and the world's most annoyin' award goes to Racetrack Higgins!" Lilly groaned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "wakey wakey, Princess."

Lilly's cheeks heated up as a small smile formed. "I could wake up ta this everyday." She flirted.

Albert lazily smirked. "I can say the same." He replied, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of bed. "now come on, we got a pape ta hand out."

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧

"hey!" Lilly called as she approached a boy who was in the same type of attire as she was. But she didn't recognize him as a newsie so he must have been a factory worker. "can ya read?" The boy nodded, in which she shoved a paper in his hands. "read this an' meet us at Newsie Square in a hald hour."

"hey kid come back!" Albert begged as he chased a school boy down the streets. Once he got far enough, he gave up. "ah man."

"what a good mornin' it is." Lilly smiled as she skipped to him.

"it's mornin' alright'." He grumbled as he shoved the paper back into his bag.

She let out a short laugh. "not a mornin' person either, I 'spose?"

"ain't an afternoon or night person eithah."

"hey Lilly," Spot jogged to the two newsies who were, well... doing their jobs actually. "come wit us into Pulitzah's office, ya has the right words I knows it."

"I- he won't listen ta me."

"he's gotta!" Spot argued and pulled on her arm.

"he don't even take his assistants seriously, so I don't expect 'im ta take a girlsie seriously." She protested.

"yer powerful, Princess-"

Spot shot a glare towards the redhead. "what did ya call her?"

"Lilly." Albert quickly corrected as Lilly rolled her eyes. "we all knows it and its you who can find the right words to make Pulitzah see us as equals."