Back to the Past (Newsies)

21. Lucid Dreams

Kit found herself with a very rare opportunity at hand. For the first time in a while, she had free time to herself with no one expecting her to hang out with them. She loved all of the newsies very dearly, but it was exhausting to be around them. 

She had to constantly make sure that she didn't slip up and blow her cover that she was from the future, and there was always something  going on. Always papers to sell, always some trouble Jack or the other newsies were getting in. The only times she could truly breathe by herself without anyone expecting something of her was when she was alone taking a bath. And that was a luxury she couldn't afford as often as she would like. 

After selling their papers, Cowboy was hanging out with Sarah, and Blink was doing some errands for his family. Kit was glad that Blink was opening up after running away to ease his family's stress of a full home with 6 kids to feed. 

The rest of the newsies were watching some big boxing fight that she was able to weasel herself out of. Earlier, she gave 10 cents to Race to bet on who he thought was the best contender and to ensure he didn't tattle on her to Cowboy that she wanted a more independent night. 

She knew that the Jack and Blink cared about her, but they didn't understand how she felt. Kit was grateful for everything Jack has done for her and didn't want to seem ungrateful. But she didn't want him to focus so much on her when he should be focusing on his life and future. Even though Jack knew her secret, she didn't want him to worry about her more than he already did. He has already done more than she deserved.

Jack assumed she was blending in and fully becoming a newsie, which she was. He helped her find a new family amongst the newsies. But, there was a storm brewing inside of her. There was a darker side to Kit she didn't want burden him with: a constant battle in her brain about why she was brought to the year 1900, what her purpose was here, and what it all meant. He didn't know how much her brain couldn't seem to shut off at night when she was trying to go to sleep. 

A soft smile graced her face when she began to think about her new routine of sneaking into Blink's bed after everyone went to bed. Being wrapped in his arms made her feel safe and comforted her beyond belief. She loved slowly drifting to sleep to Blink's fingertips softly caressing her arms or his gentle hands kneading the tension at the base of her skull. She loved falling asleep and waking up to him. And of course, she made sure to wake up early so Cowboy wouldn't soak Blink. 

Kit felt endless guilt that she couldn't confide in Blink, that she was lying to him. But on the other hand, she understood that she couldn't risk revealing herself. She trusted him with her whole heart, but deep down she was terrified of him finding out the truth. He would think different of her, and Kit feared any negative judgement. The truth might scare him away, and Kit knew she needed him in her life. 

So, she found herself alone but not lonely, with The World (pun intended) at her fingertips. She walked down to Central Park to stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively.

Kit gave some other Manhattan newsies a head nod of respect, making sure to show she came empty handed other than a heavy hard cover book. She saw Spat, Eggman, Hoop, and TinMan. She's met them in passing and at a couple of newsie hang outs. 

They were part of the Central Park newsies, who were a little harder around the edges than her Manhattan newsies, which could be expected as Central Park is a hub for many New Yorkers and the competition is fierce to hawk the headlines. Each of them had earned their spot the hard way.

Cowboy was still a leader to them, but he had Hoop designated as an acting region leader. They respected each other, and she wanted to make sure they knew she came there for leisure, not to steal any of their selling spots. Newsies are very territorial over their selling locations.