New Kid, New Century • A Newsies Fanfic

chapter sixteen.

chapter sixteen.
october 14, 1900.

Another sleepless night passed by, this time thanks to Gracie's scars and bruises. Every time she tried to fall asleep, the throbbing and stinging from her cuts reminded her that she wasn't safe.

But there was also some good that came out of the discovery.

Gracie was finally getting the opportunity to spend time looking out for Liv again. She didn't have to worry about her running off, or getting caught, or anything that fell under that category. She could be "Guard Dog Gracie," as Liv loved to call her, again. And that was the way she preferred it.

Although she wasn't sure how she'd be able to support the two, she was sure she could figure something out. She could find work somewhere else. She had to. It was New York City, after all. There would be something that she could do that didn't involve mistreatment. There had to be. Right?

And if that didn't work, she could always resort back to what she originally had to do. Back when she and Liv first had to flee from their home. What she had to do for almost five years.

It wasn't something she was proud of, but she had stolen from a few people's homes and even their own pockets. Okay, more than just a few people. She had stolen from a lot of people. Stealing wasn't all that hard to do, and it got her and Liv along just fine. Sure, it was wrong, but that was how she and Liv survived. Besides, Liv wasn't the one stealing. She wasn't the one that was going to go to jail if she got caught. Gracie didn't mind doing it, so long as Liv wasn't punished along with her. Just like everything else in her universe.

Gracie's universe worked just like any other universe would work. It consisted of planets, and a star, and pieces of debris that floated throughout the atmosphere. The planets would orbit around the sun, and they would never get pulled out of their path, no matter what may interfere with them. Maybe they'd get a little off-course sometimes, but they would always come right back.

That was just like Liv and Gracie. As in, Liv was a star, and Gracie was a planet, forced to revolve around her. That was how it had always been, even before the event that sent the girls' lives into hell. Gracie had come to terms with this a while back, and it had never allowed itself to bother her. It was just the way things were. Not anything to freak out about.

Gracie stared down at Liv's sleeping body and ran her hand through her younger sister's hair. It was almost noon, but Gracie had let Liv sleep in. She figured that Liv deserved it. The two had stayed up for a little longer than they normally did, just talking. Surprisingly, Liv seemed less upset about Gracie being found out than Gracie thought. She hadn't even cried. She'd simply said, "Gracie, you didn't fail me." And that was all they had spoken on the subject. Which Gracie was grateful for. Everything had began to feel serene and safe again. And for her, that was such an amazing feeling to hold.

She didn't have to worry about work, or about getting caught stealing, or about anything like that.

For now, she could be Gracie again. Just plain old Gracie.

• • •
october 16, 1900

Two days passed by, and Gracie almost entirely forgot that she had ever been a newsie. She wanted to lock that entire experience in a box and toss it over the side of the Brooklyn Bridge, never to see it again. And that was what seemed to be happening, which she was grateful for.

"Gracie!" Liv called out from the other side of the alleyway. Gracie was a little bit surprised; she'd gotten lost in her own world again, but she quickly got over the surprise and faced Liv. Liv had wrapped herself in a black blanket that had obviously come from the clothing line. She looked a little bit like a nun, and Gracie almost snickered at the thought. "Look, I'm a witch!" She said, trying to make her voice gravelly and menacing. Gracie rolled her eyes.