STRIKE! ; davey jacobs

TEN

x. ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL

the five stood at bryan denton's apartment door. jack knocked, holding the paper that denton had wrote on the rally. denton opened the door and jack held the folded up paper out to him, "did you mean what you wrote here? bout all these sweatshops kids listening to me?" jack asked. "i don't write anything i don't mean. come on in. i'm just packing a few things." josephine stood hand in hand with david. as the others enetered denton's apartment david stood in the doorway. he pulled josephine inside with him before closing the door.

"so yes, i mean it. the city thrives on child labor. a lot of people make money that way. they're terrified that the newsies strike will spread." denton explained. "well there's not really much chance of that as long as they got power." jack said. josephine scoffed as she walked to stand next to denton. "we've got the power, jack. tell him, denton." the girl nudged the older man. denton nodded, "jo's right. sometimes, all it takes is a voice, one voice. then a thousand. unless it's silenced." "that's exactly what they've done to us. we just need to do something so they hear us." josephine mumbled, trying to think. jack tilted his head as he snapped his fingers, "well why can't we spread the strike? have another big rally and get the word out to all the sweat shop kids. why not?"

josephine nodded her head as she thought about it. it could work. "what are we going to do? print an ad in the paper?" david sarcastically asked, playing into what jack was saying. josephine smiled slightly as she looked at jack. "no! we'll do better than that. we'll make our own paper. we tell 'em they gotta join us. isn't that a good idea?"

josephine wandered over to david, linking her arm though his, "yeah, but what do us kids know about printing a paper? it's not like we'd know what to do." "nothing, but our man denton..." jack looked over at denton. josephine smirked as she leaned her head against david. "yeah, but our man denton has something more important to do." "he's going to an ace war correspondent, right bryan?" josephine asked sarcastically as she looked at the older man. denton smiled as he looked at the five kids, "alright. where do we start?" josephine tightened her grip on david as she jumped up, smiling brightly.

the five all sat around denton's table. josephine sat between david and les. her hand was resting in david's as they all talked. "alright, we gotta move fast. now, we'll need the newsies to circulate." jack explained. josephine and david nodded, still thinking. denton agreed, "there's something else that we need. we need a printing press." "it just so happens i know a guy with a printing press." jack smugly stated. josephine smiled, "maybe your big mouth can be useful."

the group was off, not before dropping les off at home. the basement of the world building was no place for a little kid. "you've been living here?" sarah asked as they walked down the stairs into the basement. jack shushed her, "they're right above us. weasel catches us and we're all in the slammer and jo will be married off without even saying i do." josephine held on tightly to david's hand as he helped her down the stairs and across to the printing press.

"alright! a platen press. looks like old man pulitzer never threw anything away." denton whispered as he looked at the printing press. david and josephine joined the three at the press. "is it going to work?" david asked. denton looked at the boy as he shrugged, "it better. we have a deadline." josephine stood up straight, pulling her hair up and out of her face, "let's get to work then." the group of four all got to work. josephine was helping david and denton while sarah and jack were working together. they were taking papers and putting them into the press and taking the made papers and putting them in stacks.

josephine leaned against david, her knee starting to hurt from all the walking and standing. david wrapped an arm around her as he finished helping denton print the last few papers. the other newsies had showed up to help too, taking big stacks of the newspapers from the window of the basement. now it was time for the five to leave too. they climbed out through the window. david went first and then sarah. josephine looked at denton and jack, "can't i just walk out the front door?" "come on, jo. we've got you." sarah said. both david and sarah held their arms down to josephine. denton and jack also helped the girl up, giving her boost so she didn't need to do much.

skittery, racetrack, and kid blink were also with david and sarah. "hey, jo!" kid blink said, smiling at the girl. skittery stood next to kid blink, smiling too. "how ya doin'?" "good and horrible. thanks davey. thanks sarah." denton and jack were the last to exit. "okay, now we have to get them handed out." jack said, pointing between him and the boys. josephine grabbed onto sarah's hand, "we can help too. it's all of us or nothing." sarah nodded, squeezing the girl's hand.

"jo, your knee." jack warned. josephine shrugged it off, "it feels fine. now let's go. skit and blink help me would ya?" josephine began to climb in, sarah following after her. david was already inside so he reached down, helping her in. "maybe he's right, jo." kid blink said, also climbing in. racetrack, bumlets, boots, and snoddy also sat in the carriage. "yeah if you mess up your knee it wouldn't help down at irving hall." racetrack commented. david nodded his head, "yeah. you can wait and hand us the stacks as we need them. you shouldn't walk too much more. you've been on it all night." "just listen to dave. he knows what he's talkin' bout." skittery said.

"i hate to say he's right." sarah also said, giving the girl a sad smile. josephine clenched her fists, "i'm going to give that delancey a big swollen eye." her teeth gritted together as they got moving. josephine did as told, staying with the newspapers. she had given out a few to the newsies that had contuined to show up. "hey, jo! what're you doin' here by ya self?" one of the kids had asked, adjusting his hat as the girl gave him a stack. "helping as much as i can. you boys go down to the sweat shops and pass them out to every boy you can. go!" josephine rubbed over her knee, massaging it to help relieve some of the pain from being on feet all day and night.

she just prayed this would work and it would all be over soon. not for her, but her boys and all the other newsies. all the kids of new york.