It Started With a Carriage

Chapter 4-"You think I'm joking Dammit?"

Trigger Warning for themes dealing with death and suicide. 

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"He looks awful." Blink whispered to Mush who was standing next to him, just as shaken up.

"I guess that's what happens when you get hit by a carriage." Mush shook his head.

"Sempre." Race gained enough strength to answer back. Clarice gave a weak smile, giggling as she planted a kiss on his forehead as he laid there, her twin brother's body was barely holding on, he was gasping, his breathing was agonal and began coughing up blood again and choking on it.

"You can't leave me!" She sobbed against his bloody neck.

"Sorry." Was a gurgled reply.

"You promised me you'd protect me forever!" Was what she whispered into his ear clutching tighter to his shivering body.

"Cold." Was all he replied with, his brain stopped comprehending what his sister was saying.

"You'll be ok. It's ok." Her own body was shaking as tears continued to pour from her eyes.

"Pretty."

She looked at his face and there was a weird light to it and his gaze was far off. "No, no, no, Non sono pronto a morire per te." She stroked his cheek with her thumb. She'd never had to go more than a couple days not seeing him her entire life. The world as she knew it unraveled at the seams.

"Sempre." He whispered before coughing up dark red blood. 

Sempre was their word. It meant Always. Sempre was how they described their bond as twins. Sempre was how the world turned. Sempre meant that everything was going to work out. Sempre meant I love you. Sempre means I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Sempre meant there was no such thing as goodbye. Sempre meant everything that could not be expressed in words. Sempre was home. Sempre broke her heart.

"Non lasciarmi Antonio." Clarice begged

"Shh." He whispered, managing to brush his fingers against her before Race gasped and his eyes went cold and body slack.

"No, NO, NOOO!" Clarice screamed clutching onto her other half's now deceased corpse.

The boys surrounding them allowed her to have her moment. They were all just as shaken up as she was anyway.

Mush snuck out to go tell Spot who wasn't likely to take the news well.

Extricating herself from her only family left, her brown eyes were almost on fire and more than one Newsie backed up fearing she'd lose it. Which she did.

Clarice launched herself at Jack screaming at the top of her lungs hitting him as hard as she could with her fists. "This is all your fault!"

No one dared try to calm her down. There were a few others in the room that shared her thoughts.

Race was a Brooklyn Newsie. They all knew that. He'd always sold at Sheepshead. The only reason he lived in Manhattan was Jack, who'd convinced Race that because Hattan had taken them in as little more than toddlers, they owed it to the Hattan Newsies to stay there. Jack was three or four years older than the twins and Race especially looked up to Cowboy. He'd do anything if he thought it'd please the boy he saw as some kind of idol.

"HE WAS FINALLY WHERE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!" Clarice fought against Jack's attempts to capture her strong fists.

Things were great until a little over a week later Jack had talked Race into coming back across the bridge after selling and Race brought Clarice back with him.