Newsies' Little Sister

Chapter 13 - Penthouse

A/N Yo! Sorry about the very slow update! Homework really is a bitch! Anyways...I hope you like this chapter <3

TW's: Nightmare, shouting, general sadness

Nick/Mush's POV

I was woken up suddenly by a sharp scream. It pierced the air and was so loud it could've woken half of Manhattan. All thoughts aside, I shot up in my bed and looked around quickly to see who screamed - but I was already pretty certain who it was - my sister...

Ignoring the pain in my ankle, I jumped out of bed and half-hopped half-ran over to where her bed was. Some of the other boys were doing the same thing. They were trying to wake her up, they shook her and shouted her name.

"NO! Stop shouting at her!" I said as I reached them. They all looked at me weirdly, silently asking why. "I know what she's dreaming about! Get ya hands off her and keep quiet!" I gave all of them the death stare and they backed off, hands up defensively.

Once they'd all backed off and sat on the various beds nearby, I knelt down next to her band looked at her.

She was drenched with sweat and the look on her face was painful to look at from what I could see. She was frozen in one place, curled up into a ball with her arms protecting her head. She looked so scared, but thank god I knew how to get her out of the nightmare.

I gently put my hands on her shoulders and said her name at a normal volume. Then I had to jerk my arms away quickly as she straightened out and bolted upright. She calmed down a bit when she realised where she was, but still had tears streaming down her face.

"Nick?" She chocked out through tears. She looked at me and hugged close into me.

"It's me, It's Nick...Don't worry Em. I've got ya. Ya safe here..." I said to her. I could feel her calm down a bit and she stopped crying, but she shook like a leaf...

"Ya safe here..."

"I--I--I know...I just need to know you'se safe..." 

Elmer's POV

When Em screamed, I was the first one to wake up and try and snap her out of it. I knelt down next to her bed and shook her and called out her name, but that didn't do anythin'... I was panicking and I had absolutely no idea what to do! 

"HELP!" I yelled, waking people up if they hadn't been woken up by her scream.

A few others came and tried to help me until Mush came over and told us to back off. I ran my fingers through my hair, sat down on my bed with Jojo and fiddled with a loose end of string that was trailing off my blanket.

Everyone was just milling around, not really knowin' what to do. Some guys sat on the beds nearby and some just stood there awkwardly...Although I could feel that people were worried about her...

I looked around, scanning the room, and saw that some people had decided to go back to bed. Well, it was still dark outside and we always have to get up real early to sell the papes.

"A'right boys...all of ya back to bed. We'se gotta carry da banner tomorrow and ya all need ta sleep." Jack spoke out reasonably quickly and everyone that was still left went back into bed.

"Ya too Mush..."

"Mush...I can make sure Em's ok...just go get some rest."

"But..."

"Mush. Sleep." Jack interjected, putting a firm hand on Mush's shoulder.

He tuned back to face her.

Emmeline's POV

The memory flashes had died down by the time Mush let go of me.

"I don't wanna leave ya."

"Nick...I'll be fine...trust me..." I said as reassuringly as I could. He looked really tired and I felt awful for wakin' everyone up...

~ Time Skip - the morning ~

 I was already awake when a bell rang out. I was used to being woken up at sunrise, it just became a reflex...well more like a body clock.

When it was sunrise, forced myself to get out of the comfort of my new bed, and wiped the sleep out of my eyes tiredly. I lent down and felt around under the bed; I was searching for the clothed Elmer gave me, I put them under the bed before I went to sleep last night. I felt a bit of rough fabric, and a bit of worn leather, then a shoelace. 

I grabbed them and dragged them out from under the bed. I got up and walked over to the bathroom stalls. I quickly scanned the room, just to be completely sure no one else was awake; although I could hear light snores from some of the boys, I just wanted to be entirely certain...

I snuck into the stall closest to me, closing the door softly. I got changed into my new clothes and gave myself a quick once over in the mirror, or tried to; it was barely light, and it was almost pitch black in the stall. I could make out the vague outlines of a candle and a box of something, I guessed matches. I picked up the box and opened it, trying not to shake it.

I was right. Matches. I took one out, stuck it alight and fumbled around for the candle. In the darkness, I hadn't seen or heard it roll off the ledge over the sink I'd found it on. The flame was getting closer to my fingers when I knelt down and swept he floor, attempting to find the candlestick. I somehow managed to find it and light it before I burnt my fingers.

I blew out the match and held the candle  up so it cast its light over me just enough to see what I looked like. I imagined I either looked like one of the boys, or what I looked like when that boy, Spot I think his name was, threw me into the water. 

As I looked into the mirror, I was pleasantly surprised! For once I wasn't ashamed by how I looked and felt. I felt clean and looked it too for once! I looked surprisingly good although my clothes were a bit big for me, but oh well...at least they were mine...I laughed to myself a bit. Not quite sure why, though...

Enough of that...I grabbed the candle, ignoring the hot wax dripping for the side. I snuck back out of the bathroom stall and over to the other side of the dorm, where I saw an exit to a fire escape. I managed to get across the room, jam open the door and get outside to close it again without anyone waking up!

Only after I closed the door did I realise that I might not be able to get back in again! Oh crap! Never mind, I'll find a way if I have to...that's basically how I've been living for my entire life: I'll find a way if I have to.

Anyways, I climbed up the fire escape and found myself on a raised platform with metal railings making sure no one could fall down onto the street below...

I sat down and looked down over the city, slowly being drenched with sunlight; I was completely unaware of the two boys sleeping up there, not 6 feet away from me...

A/N thanks for sticking with me btw this is unedited... enjoy? <3