Carrying the banner ||Newsies|| (♡ Jack Kelly)

iii.

~ If your dreams don't scare you they aren't big enough ~

[ C h a p t e r t h r e e ]

{ p a s t }

I walk further into the room, seeing that no boy is talking to me. At the end of the room is a window. I walk towards it and look outside. The window overlooks the courtyard I walked across when the policemen were bringing me to Snyder. I sigh, I still cannot believe that I got myself caught. How stupid am I?! I turn around and look at the boys, they aren't staring at me anymore. They are just hanging around there beds, talking to each other. I look to the left and see that there is one bed, nobody is laying in, or hanging around. The bed is on the top of the bunk beds. I don't see a ladder leading up there so I stand on the wooden edge of the lower bed, put my feet against the wall and lift myself up onto the bed. I lie down and close my eyes, trying to get some rest. "Ey sweetheart." someone next to the bunk bed says. A few boys laugh. I open my eyes, sit up and look at the person who stands in front of the group of boys. A boy with brown hair and hazel eyes stands there laughing with the rest of the boys. He's about half a head taller than me and I am guessing a year older. "Yes, Dan Leno?" I ask. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow. "What's wrong, you don't know who that is?" I ask him. I don't wait for him to answer, lie back down and close my eyes.

After I don't know how long I hear the door open and I hear all the boys rush towards the front of the bunk beds. I hear footsteps walking towards the end of the bunk bed. Towards me. "Wake up sweetheart. Where leaving." Snyder says. I don't respond. "Well, come on get up, I know you are awake." he says, his voice a little bit irritated. I smile. It really doesn't take much to get this man angry, I need to remember that. "Com on. Wake up!" he says loudly. I can't help prevent a smile from creeping on my face. "Do you know that you get irritated really fast." I ask him without moving or opening my eyes. "Get out of the bed." he grunts. I sit up and jump out of the bed. "So are we going on a road trip?" I ask. A boy snorts and I look at the boys standing in line in front of their beds. They are all standing perfectly stil. I look at Snyder and he is scanning the faces of the boys, undoubtingly looking for the boy who snorted, but the boys just stand their with a blank expression on their faces. "I thought you said we were going to leave, shouldn't we get moving in order to do that?" I ask him with a smirk on my face. He looks at me and squints his eyes and then he walks towards the door. I walk after him into the hallway. "See ya later fellas." I yell back towards the room full of boys.

I now I haven't had my hearing yet, but lets face it. Snyder probably fixed a judge that he knows and he has probably promised him some money if the judge convicts mee. So yeah, I will be coming back here. I just hope it isn't going to be a long time. When I walk onto the courtyard after Snyder I see a carriage standing in the middle of the courtyard. Snyder gets into the carriage but I stop walking a few steps in front of the entrance. I turn around the courtyard for no particular reason. My gaze lands on a window with boys looking out of it. They are looking at me. I recognize a few of the faces. It are the boys from the room I will be staying in for who knows how long. I smile at them. "Step in the carriage." Snyder says and I turn towards the carriage and step in. The driver closes the door and we are off.

{ p r e s e n t }

After Miss Medda and I ate our lunch we went back to the theater and I continued with my painting. I am quite happy so far. The painting feels very magical, just like that courtyard did. I look at my painting and then I look around. I need better lighting. I see a window above a door and turn the canvas so that the light is falling on the canvas. "That's better." I mutter to myself.

When I am about halfway through the painting I hear the door behind me opens and a voice says "I want some answers." I look behind me and my eyes widen. Jack, the new kid, and that little boy just came through the door. I quickly turn my head towards the canvas and listen to their conversation. "Shut up." Jack says. "Who is he and why was he chasing you, and what's this Refuge?" the new kid asks. Aha, so Snyder has been chasing him. "Refuge is this jail for kids. The guy chasing me is Snyder, he's the warden." Jack says. "You were in jail?" a small voice asks, that must be the little kid. "Yeah." Jack says. "Why?" the little kid asks. "Well, I was starvin' so I stole some food." Jack says. "Right, food." new kid says with sarcasm all over his voice. "Yeah, food." Jack says back. "He called you Sullivan." new kid says. "Yeah, well my name's Kelly. Jack Kelly. You think I'm lyin'?" Jack says. I snort and I can feel Jack's eyes on me. "Well, you have a way of improving the truth." new kid says. Thank you for saving me out of this one buddy. "Yeah?" Jack asks. "Why was he chasing you?" new kid asks. "Because I escaped." Jack says. Yeah damn right he escaped, the bastard. "Oh, boy. How?" the little kid asks. "Well, this big shot gimme a ride out in his carriage." Jack says. So that's how he did it. I finally got the answer to the question I've been asking myself over and over the past six months. "I bet it was the mayor, right?" new kid states. "No, Teddy Roosevelt. You ever heard of him?" Jack asks him. Teddy Roosevelt, that bastard, he came by, the refuge the day that Jack escaped, and he didn't notice that there was something wrong in the Refuge. He was just smiling the whole time.

"What is going on there?" Miss Medda asks. "Out, out, out, out." she says. "You wouldn't kick me out without a kiss goodbye, would you, Medda?" Jack asks. I gag, ugh he's such a flirt, but Miss Medda loves him, and all of the newsies. "Oh, Kelly. Hahaha. Where you been kid? Oh, I miss seeing you up in the balcony." she says as she probably hugs him. I am too scared to turn around and look because maybe Jack sees me. "Hanging on your every word." Jack says. "So, Medda, this is David and Les," he says, introducing the new kid and the little one. "Hello." Miss Medda says. "And this is the greatest star of the vaudeville stage today, Miss Medda Larkson, the Swedish meadowlark." Jack says. Ugh, slimeball. "Welcome, gentlemen." Miss Medda says with a Swedish accent. "Medda also owns the joint." Jack says. "Well, what have we here? Oh, aren't you the cutest little fellow that ever was?" Miss Medda says to the little boy I assume named Les. He coughs. "Are you alright?" Miss Medda asks. "Buy me last pape, lady?" Les says with a British accent. "Oh, you are good. Oh, Yeah. Oh, this kid is really good." Miss Medda says to Jack and David. "So is it all right if we stay here for a while? Just till the problem outside goes away?" a voice a few steps behind me asks. It's Jack, I tens. "Oh, sure. Sure, stay as long as you like." Miss Medda says. I dip my paintbrush into the brown color and start painting again, pretending to not have heard the whole thing. "That's a beautiful painting you're painting." Jack says. "Thank you." I say. He takes a step towards me and then another. I see him approaching out of the corner of my eye. I quickly walk towards the table and put the painter's plate down. "I'm sorry, but have we met before?" he asks. I grab the brown paint and put some more on the painter's plate. "No, I don't think so." I say. "Hm." he hums. I close my eyes, please don't come closer, please just stay where you are. "Hey Jack, come watch Miss Medda with us." David says in a dreamy voice. Please go with him, please just go. "Yeah, I'm coming." Jack says to David. I let out a breath of relief. "Well sorry for disturbing you." Jack says and I hear footsteps walking up the stairs. Well, that was close. I pick up the painter's plate and start painting again. When Miss Medda finishes singing the boys walk down the stairs, they open the door and walk back outside.

When I finish the painting I take a few steps to give it a good look. I nod, I am satisfied. I really get the feeling of walking into that little courtyard. While I am cleaning the brushes I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Then they stop. I turn around and see Miss Medda standing in the middle of the stairs staring at my painting. "Wouw Clara. Your talent amazes me every time." she says as she walks down the rest of the stairs. "You're too kind Miss Medda." I say. "Don't be so modest kid. You really got talent." she says. I feel myself get red and look down. "Thank you." I say. "Here are your clothes." she says. I look up and take the clothes from her. "Thank you Miss Medda." I say. "I will change into them and then I will be on my way." I say as I start to walk away. "You will do no such thing." Miss Medda says as she grabs my arm. "Why not?" I ask. "It's almost midnight. I won't let you go out that late." she says. "Well, what would you have me do then?" I ask. "You will sleep here with me tonight." she says. "Please, Miss Medda. You've done so much for me alr..." I start, but she puts her hand up silencing me. "I won't hear it." she says. I sigh and she smiles. "Follow me." she says. I follow her and we walk upstairs. She opens a door and I follow her in. It's a small room with a bed, a desk and a window. "You can sleep here." she says. "Wait a minute." she says and she walks out of the room. I put my clean clothes on the desk. A minute later she walks back in with a nightgown. "You can wair this." she says as she puts the nightgown on the bed. "Are you good?" she asks me. I nod. She walks to the door. "Well, goodnight then." she says. "Goodnight." I say. She is about to close the door when a thought crosses my mind. "Wait, Miss Medda." I say before she shuts the door. She sticks her head through the door. "Yes, my dear?" she says. "Will you please wake me in time tomorrow?" I ask her. "Of course I will." she says and closes the door. I get my hair out of the bun and change into the nightgown. I walk towards the window and look outside. After a while of thinking, I walk towards the bed and lie down.

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2008 words
(13/06/2020)