The Crutch's Sister

Never-Ending

"WAKE UP, KICKS!" seven voices shouted. I screamed at sat up in bed. I was on the edge of my bed and fell off, yelping. I looked up and saw Crutchie, Jack, Race, Specs, Driver and the girls laughing at me. I laughed, too.

"You're dead." I chuckled, shooting up and lunging at them. They all ran out the door and in different directions. I looked at Jack and he was carrying Crutchie bridal style. I laughed and chased after Race, Specs and the girls. I was gaining on them as we came to the stairs. Race and Specs lifted Rosie and Olive onto their laps and slid down the banister. I copied them and as I was about to grab onto Race's shirt, someone grabbed me and spun me away from them. 

"Run, guys!" Driver shouted, giggling. I started chasing after Driver, who ran outside. I sped after him down streets and alleys I knew well. As we were running, I grabbed onto his arm.

"Gotcha!" I declared. But Driver stumbled over a stack of wooden crates and we tumbled over them. One landed on my head and another trapped my legs. I was rolling on the ground as I laughed. I heard Driver shift through the crates and felt him raise the crate off of my head. 

"You okay?" he giggled. I nodded as he helped me stand up. I fell right back down.

"My prosthetic must've fallen off when we tripped." I mumbled to myself. I crawled among the crates in search for my leg. I found it and reached for it, but someone else picked it up. I looked up and saw a familiar face. I sat up as best as I could. "Hi Spot." I said softly. He grinned and bent down.

Spot's POV

I'll admit, I was a bit sad to see Kicks without an important part of her. But she still seemed like the tough kid I know.

Kick's POV

"Does this thing belong to you?" he asked. I nodded. I looked over at Driver, who was standing nearby and unsure of what to do.

"Tell my brother I'll be back in a little bit, please. We have some catching up to do." I explained. Driver nodded and walked away. Spot cleared some of the crates and sat down next to me. I retrieved the prosthetic from him and looked it over. One of the screws in the joints popped off. "Aw jeez." I muttered. I looked around on the sidewalk on my hands and knee.

"What're you lookin' for?" Spot asked, kneeling next to me. I picked up a large hairpin from a crack in the curb. I crawled back to my original spot and positioned the screw in its place.

"Can you hold the leg steady, please?" I asked, handing the prosthetic over. Spot held it down on the ground and I took the hairpin and used it to twist the screw back in place. I wiggled it to make sure it was secure. Once it was secured, I hooked it back on and started to stand. Spot took my arm and helped me up. Once I was able to stand by myself, I looked up at him and smiled. "Listen." I sighed. "I want to apologize for what Davey did. It was all a big misunderstanding. He'd never-"

"It's fine." Spot interrupted. "I get it. He was trying to protect his friend and I know I'm not the easiest guy to get along with. So, I know why he'd do that." He looked down. I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and I hugged him. He chuckled. "What's this for?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" I let go and took a breath.

"From the very beginning, you helped me. When I first ran away. When I thought I'd never see Crutchie again. You were pushing me to go on." He chuckled. I gave a confused grin. "What's so amusing?" I wondered.

"I always wondered what happened to that girl. I'd been keepin' an eye on her ever since I met her that night. I never planned that she'd turn into a smart, resourceful, pretty, tough girl. I never planned on someone like you." he grinned. I blushed lightly and hugged him again.

"KICKS!" a voice shouted. I turned and saw Crutchie hurrying towards us. When he reached us, he was out of breath. "They did it again." he gasped.

"Who did what?" I asked.

"The World went and jacked up the price for papes again, dammit! THEY GAVE US THEIR WORD!" he shouted. He looked at our confused and concerned faces. "Follow me." he said, hurrying down the street. We both ran after him to The World. He pointed up at the chalkboard where the headline was posted. 

Newspaper Selling Prices Raised.

I remember when the prices went up for the first time. Every newsboy in Manhattan went on strike and I had to stay off the streets because the police and Snyder were looking for kids to throw away in The Refuge.

Jack stormed up to us and threw his hat down in frustration.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" he screamed. "I GUESS THEY DIDN'T LEARN FROM LAST TIME!" I approached him and nudged his shoulder, getting his attention.

"When was the last time things were fair in this city?" I asked, furious. Jack was speechless. I turned to my brother and the crowd that had formed behind us. "WELL?!" No one spoke up. I climbed up on top of a wagon. "NO ONE IS JUST GOING TO GIVE US OUR RIGHTS! WHAT DID WE DO WHEN WE WERE A NEW COUNTRY! WE FOUGHT THE HIGHER POWER AN' PROVED THE ENTIRE WORLD WRONG, GODDAMMIT!" I shouted. I heard some shouts of approval from the crowd. "SOMETIMES THE HIGHER POWER DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE STRONGER THAN WE SEEM! WE NEED TO GET IT THROUGH PULITZER'S THICK SKULL THAT WE ARE PEOPLE, TOO! WE ARE ENTITLED TO OUR RIGHTS, TOO!" Everyone was getting excited now. I grinned and turned to the large building and cupped my mouth. "WE'RE PEOPLE TOO, PULITZER! IF YOU THINK OTHERWISE, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!" Jack climbed up onto the wagon and copied me.

"WE AIN'T GONNA STAND FOR THIS AGAIN!" Spot climbed up next to me and did the same.

"WE'RE GONNA GET EVEN! YA HEAR ME?! WE'RE GETTIN' EVEN!" 

Pulitzer's POV

I was looking out my office window, down at the crowd of newsboys.

"Maybe not the best idea to bring the prices back up." Hannah muttered, shaking her head and crossing her arms. I peered down and saw a figure standing on a wagon and shouting,

 "WE'RE PEOPLE TOO, PULITZER! IF YOU THINK OTHERWISE, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!" I turned to my daughter, who had stormed in right before.

"Who is that one on the wagon?" I asked.

"Kicks." Katherine replied coldly. I walked back to the window and watched her shout to the crowd. 

"He certainly has a mind of his own." I admitted. 

"Crutchie's younger sister. She's too talented to be a newsboy." Katherine murmured. She clasped her hands over her mouth. I turned back around to face her.

"Crutchie's younger sister?" I asked, surprised. Katherine hurried out of the room. I turned to Hannah, Seitz and Bunsen, my associates. "I believe I have an idea."