The Grave Digger

Chapter 7: The New Kid

Chuckles could not stop smiling. "So, wha' ya gonna do, now you're King?" He asked. She hardly spent time thinking, before replying, "I'm taking away tha stupid tax. It ain't fair. And I's gotta new rule. No one sells alone. Tha' way we's can make sure ev'ryone gits back alive. An older kid always wit a younger one. An' no one gits soaked unless I gives de ordahs ta soak 'em. Also, no one can sneak in or out of Brooklyn, we'll have guards posted at da bridge, and uddah ways out. I don't wanna lose any good newsies. They's gotta have permission from me to come through. Especially since it's almost wintah." Chuckles nodded, and left to spread the word.
Rebel knew he had been a jerk, and it was all Bolts' fault. He didn't want to fight with Bones, but Bolts said if Rebel kept helping her, he would be in trouble, too. He wished he had as much guts as Bones did. And when she disappeared without a trace, he knew what was coming. He just let it come. But he wasn't scared of Bolts' goons, and they weren't much bigger than he, anyway. He just pretended like it hurt, and that they had gotten him, so they would be pleased and would leave him alone. And when she came back, Rebel was surprised Bolts didn't kill her right there when she stepped up to him, and whispered something in his ear. And after he saw Bolts sneak out, he wished he had apologized. He knew he was never going to see Bones again. But the next morning, everyone was taken by surprise when, not Bolts was standing on the pier, but Bones. Rebel actually laughed. She had a black eye and a chipped tooth, but it seemed as if she'd gotten out okay, and if that's what she looked like, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what Bolts looked like. He walked up to her, and looked her up and down. "Wow. You look like a million bucks." He joked. She laughed, and not an awkward one. She laughed an actual Bones laugh. One she had come to be esteemed for. "Not doin' too bad ya-self." Rebel was glad the old Bones was back. The one that always joked about everything, and not the one that yelled at everybody. "So, uh, wha' d'ya do to de uddah guy?" he raised an eyebrow. Bones looked at her fingers. "Oh, ya know, jus' run 'im off," she shrugged. Rebel smiled, but quickly looked back at his feet, and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want ta be a joik, but if I weren't then Bolts woulda hoit ya a lot woise." She looked him in the eyes, and with her standing on a platform, he didn't have to bend his neck as far. "Tha' was yesta-day's trash. I've taken it out, and Bolts went along wit it." Rebel scrunched up his nose and hugged her. "Well, Rebel, I put some new rules into effect. But, uh, I's needin' some guards fo' da bridge, can ya's help me out wit dat?" Rebel nodded, and brought his hand up to his forehead in a salute. Bones rolled her eyes, and nudged his shoulder.
Everything went fairly smooth from there. She still had troubles selling papers, although she was selling with Rebel again. But the next day truly tested her patience. She knew one kid was after her since she got rid of Bolts, he was one of Bolts' goons, and had been planning to take over, but Bones did before he could. She could never remember his name, in her head she called him Spaz because he had one green eye, and one blue eye, and he was pretty crazy. She told Rebel and Chuckles about this, and they jokingly started calling him that, too, and then it just stuck. But he had been after her. She was on the bridge, looking to see if Race was coming to sell at Sheepshead, and he was there, too, and he bumped into her. But not like an accidental bump. Like he meant to push her so hard, she almost fell off the bridge. In fact, if Rebel hadn't been standing behind her and caught her, she would have. She knew that wasn't going to be the end of it. And, later that day, she was sitting on the docks, alone, thinking, at least that's what she told everyone. Really she was drawing. But she was thinking, when Viper and Blaze come up to her, dragging Race behind them. She jumped up. "Wha' happened?" She screamed. Blaze looked nervous, as he said, "well, he was tryin' ta cross da bridge, an' we tol' him youse says no one can, an' he said you would let him, an' we's tol' him you was busy, an' then we accidentally pushed him into da bridge." Bones put her face in her hands, as Race woke up. "OUCH!" He yelled out. Bones laughed, glad he was okay. "Blaze, Viper, go back to your positions. An' thank you fo' lettin' me know." The two nodded, and sprinted back in the direction of the bridge. Race rubbed the back of his head. Bones smiled. "Why ya tryin' ta cross my bridge, Higgins?" He scrunched his nose at her. "Was gonna ask if I was allowed ta sell at Sheepshead again. Didn't know you was gonna put guards up." He mumbled, annoyed more than excited. Bones kept laughing at him. "It's not funny." He defended. She couldn't stop laughing. He was ridiculous. Her laughing made him start to laugh, and he said, "shuddup," through his laughs. "Is dat de only reason youse here?" She asked, still smiling. "No, I was wondrin' if ya wanted ta play pok-ah." She thought about it. "I can't. Maybe anuddah time." Race sighed. "A'ight. I'll see ya tu-morrow." She waved, and watched him leave. She let out a long sigh, and plopped back down on her seat on the dock.
Time went by fast, and she had already been king for eight months. And the only person seemingly interested in getting rid of her was Spaz, but she wasn't really too terrified of him. There wasn't much he could do. She had gotten all the Newsies, minus him, on her side. She wasn't scared of anything anymore. Well, maybe one thing. Lately, the newspapers had been reporting about someone robbing graves, and had even dubbed them the 'Graveyard Ghoul.' And Bones knew it was about her. They had said they'd only seen one set of small footprints leading to and from the graves, and she couldn't believe how stupid she was for forgetting to cover that up. Not only that, but the bulls just hated her. One day, she had sold most of her papers, and was gonna head back to the pier, stopping by the bridge first, when she noticed she was being followed. She was just whistling, and walking with her hands in her pockets. To make sure, she started to speed up, ever so slightly, and noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that he did as well. So she started walking even faster, and kept increasing her speed until she was sprinting, and he started sprinting, too. After a good minute, she was halfway across the bridge, and well ahead of the officer. She still had to hide, though, in case he did see her, and she couldn't turn back, going his way. But a kid was standing in the only good spot to hide, so she ran at him, put her hand over his mouth, and pulled him down next to her. "Shh!" she hastily whispered in his ear. "Are you gonna kill me?" She noticed he didn't have a very strong 'street' accent, but he was surely dressed like a street kid. "No, I ain't gonna kill ya, now shaddup, seriously." He looked at her confused. "Why'd ya p-" he was cut off when she forced her lips onto his. Bones thought it was the absolute worst kiss she'd ever had, and she'd kissed a drunk guy before. At least she got a dollar off of that one. She pulled away, and gagged. He just stared at her in silence. She turned her head, and watched as the confused policeman looked around, gave up, and walked back across the bridge. She looked back to the kid. "Oh, now ya'll be quiet," she said, annoyed. He shook off his confused look, and asked why she did that. "'Cause ya wouldn't shuddup!" she exclaimed. They stood up, and Bones took a deep breath. This time she actually looked him over a bit. She noted the pink spotted suspenders he was wearing. At least, she thought they were pink spotted. It might just have been from them being aged, but she wasn't sure. Either way, it was a bold fashion statement. But she couldn't really judge. She didn't even have shoes, and both her trousers and her shirt were five times too big. The now gray, faded purple, suspenders were the only things keeping her clothed. "Ya gotta name?" she asked, hoping he'd stop staring, and making her feel tiny. He may have been short, but he was still nearly a foot taller than her, and he seemed about her age. "Yeah, sorry." He shook himself out of his daze. "Sean. Sean Conlon." Bones wrinkled her nose. "Sean? Really? Whatevah. Wha' are ya doin' walkin' alone on da bridge? Ya run away from home? Or are ya an oi-phan?" He looked down. "Both. I was lookin' for a job, though, and some people were sayin' ta look for a kid named Bones. Do you know him?" Bones laughed. She knew a bunch of people still thought she was a boy, and she wasn't gonna change that. "Yeah, I do, actially." "Really? Can you take me to him, so I could start sellin' papers?" Bones loved messing with this kid, but she had to stop it there. "Ya lookin' at 'im. Well, her." He formed an 'oh' shape with his mouth. "You're Bones?" She nodded. "So, ya lookin' ta be a newsie? Well, I'll start out wit givin' ya a nickname. Hardly nobody goes by dere Christan name. An' I jus' don't like yours. It ain't gotta good ring to it. I'm thinkin' Spot, cause ya suspendahs look a little spotted, I don't know." In her head she applauded herself for her quick, clever idea. "Okay, Spot. How 'bout tu-morrow, I teach ya how ta sell papes? Bu' now, ya's gotta come to da pier, it's where we's all hang out." He nodded, and they started walking.
On the way to the pier, they got to know each other. Bones learned what happened with Spot's family, and why he was seeking refuge as a newsie, and he learned stuff about her that she had only told one person: Rebel. He also learned about her taking a liking to Rebel, and he learned how she became king. Spot was glad she liked to talk, because ever since what happened with his family, he didn't really enjoy conversing with others. But she made him feel included, and he found out on his own that she had all the traits of a good King. Finally, they reached the pier. "Hey!" Bones screamed, and immediately, it was silent, and Spot felt all eyes on him. "This our new friend. He's," she bent over to ask him his age. "10," he said, quietly. "10! You's all gonna treat him wit ru-spect, ors ya gonna hear from me! His name is Spot! Spot Conlon!"