I, alas, hate naming chapters.

December 15th, 1900

___

(Y/N) jogged down the streets of New York, Lilac close at her side.

You see, she had to get to the pharmacy before they closed tonight. This was all in order to pick up some treats for herself - possibly a bag of mints, or caramels, or something along the lines of that.

And so, she did her light jog, her shoes slapping against the ground loudly, but (Y/N) didn't care. They probably wouldn't have done this had they been newer, but shoes were expensive - they could go up to five dollars in price!

Shoes aside, though, she had a good feeling in her heart. Hanging out with Crutchie had relaxed her, and it was nice to be relaxed for once. Crutchie was a very good friend to her, no doubt - he'd never said a vulgar thing about anyone, except maybe the Delancys.

He was also kind on the eyes. She didn't feel anything particularly romantic to him, but the girl who got him would be lucky. He had a nice figure, despite the leg, along with soft eyes and high cheekbones with a genuine smile that spread like butter. Not to mention the fact he was rather charismatic.

Yes, Crutchie was a fine boy.

Speaking of boys, (Y/N) wondered why they had all been outside her room before. Were they waiting for Crutchie, or did they want to talk to her? She would never know now, though, because she had escaped through the crowd without anybody noticing, hopefully.

Soon enough, though, she was awoken from her thinking by Lilac running off without her, causing her to groan and run after her the best she could, regretting having her head in the clouds.

Lilac made many twists and turns, dashing across streets and through narrow allies before she stopped suddenly at the entrance of an alley, (Y/N) panting for air and adjusting her cap.

She peered into the alley. Lilac wouldn't have led her here if it wasn't important, right?

Then she heard it. A whimper, and a sound of a fist hitting something to silence it. She looked in, also seeing a distinct glint.

Cautiously, she entered, confused what was going on. Was it a wounded animal, or perhaps, a child? Maybe it was somebody from the lodging center..

As the stepped further into the alley, her stomach dropped and a bad feeling set in her gut. Still, though, she inched forwards, Lilac behind her.

Another whimper as three shadowy figures emerged.

(Y/N) squinted her eyes to see better, only to regret the decision immediately.

What she saw before her was simply horrifying. There was Les, huddled in the corner, bloodied and bruised, surrounded by three bulky men, one of which had a knife.

On instinct, (Y/N) shrieked, causing the men's attention to divert from Les and to her.

"Well, what do we's got here?" The one with the knife asked.

"It's a newsboy! Ha!" One said, looking her over. The third, an older man with an ingrown beard, stepped forwards to get a better look at her, and scoffed.

"Its a goil!" He said with disgust.

(Y/N) sighed, clenching her fists. She looked Les in the eye, trying to get the point across that he should go.

So, silently as he could, the small boy lifted himself up, waiting for a signal from (Y/N).

"Les, go!" She yelled, throwing herself at one of the muggers, only for him to stumble back and shove her to the ground with a loud thump.

Les ran as fast as he could go, Lilac following him, probably from fear.

"Dammit!" One yelled out, kicking the wall as Les ran off. (Y/N) silently smiled to herself.. Les was safe.

What happened next, though, was the worst part. The three men, angry their prey got away, started lashing out on her, kicking her limbs, her gut, and punching her. At one point the knife-wielder even made a long cut on her leg, causing it to go numb.

They yelled vulgar insults at her. They said she was weak, a sapphic (A/N: y'all i like girls myself this isn't an insult, just with the time ya know) and so many more insults.

Everything blurred out, either from tears or the fact she was slipping into unconsciousness. She took a breath and let her body go limp, sulking into the depths of sleep.

As the men beat her, their anger was slowly let out. When they were finished up, they ran off, leaving (Y/N) to freeze in the cold, bitter alley.

_____

Les burst through the doors of the lodging house to a bunch of newsies playing a massive game of poker.

When Davey saw his brother, swollen and bloody, he freaked out. The other newsboys followed suit, asking a million questions a minute.

"Theres no time!" Les yelled out, causing about half of the newsboys to quiet down. "They got her! And its all my fault!"

Les's tired face then turned to a guilty and mournful one, as if he had just witnessed death. He had reason to feel this way though.

But the newsboys didn't pay attention to that. His words kept ringing in their heads. and the newsboys all had a common question: who did they get?

It couldn't be (Y/N), she was up in her room, no doubt. Was it Kathrine? No way, she was at home with her family - Jack had walked her there earlier.

"Les, who did they get?" Davey asked, kneeling down on the ground to his brother's level.

The boy at this point was crying uncontrollably, his face red. Tears filled his eyes more by the minute and dripped down his small, bruised face. When he could finally speak, he said one sentence.

"(Y/N), Davey! They got (Y/N)!" Les yelled out, the newsboys giving a collective gasp.

When Crutchie heard Les yell that out, his heart sank. He clasped his hand over his mouth, trying to mask the sobs that were sure to come out.

Davey, regaining his composure, asked Les another question.

"Les, who is 'they'?"

"M-muggers!" He exclaimed, sobs flowing freely from his face. Crutchie was silently feeling his eyes water up, mostly in fear. Jack noticed this and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Is she still alive? Can you take us to her?" Davey asked once more, pulling Les into a hug.

Les nodded and lead Davey and a few other newsboys off.

Once they were gone, Crutchie started crying.

A/N

ooh!

ooh!

I HATE MYSELF!! MY MENTAL HEALTH IS FUCKERY!! AAAAAA!!!!

goodnight :)

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