June 1890

"Is he from the Refuge?" one voice asked.

"I's dunno," another replied. "Just found 'im shiverin' in a box an' lugged his tired bum here."

"Nah Snipes," a third said. "Look at the bandages. No way that kid coulda gotten his hands on 'em in that place. Maybe he ran away from home or somethin'."

"Well we's won't know nothin' till the kid wakes up ya know."

And, it was in that moment, he finally woke up. His eyes quickly darted around the room, meeting at least several pairs staring back at him. A shiver ran down his spine from the sudden cold he felt. That's when he realized he wasn't wearing his shirt anymore. Ok what was going on and where was he? The last memory he had was talking to some kid about taking him to some safe place. Was this it? Or had he died. He didn't die right? He never should've ran away from home, he should've stayed put. Been more stubborn instead of doing what's right all the time! And yet, he could never bring himself to do it. Stand his ground that is. Not to say he's a soft push over, it's more along the lines of not wanting to start any trouble.

"Hey calm down kid," a boy, who was much older than he said, "No one's gonna hurt ya. Just tryin' ta patch ya up is all."

"Did ya run away from the Refuge?" a younger boy asked.

"What's the Refuge?" he slowly asked. Never in his life had he heard of a place like that. "An' where am I's? An' who are you'se?"

"Relax kid," another, older boy piped up. Seriously, why where there so many boys here? Is this an orphanage? Nope no just no, now he really had to get home! "Blink was the one who found ya. You'se at the Lodge now. An' completely safe from any harm. Now, can ya let us dry ya off fore ya get sick."

Ok well, that was sort of a relief to hear. He wasn't in a orphanage...but he might as well be an orphan at this point. Great, what was he going to do with his life now? But, the young boy was too tired to care at this point, so he only nodded in reply and let the older boys dry him off and help get him into some warmer clothes. Which were a bit big on him, but at least it was warm and dry. All the while the rest of the group kept asking him a million questions at the same time.

"What's yer name?"

"Where are ya from?

"Why did ya run away?"

And many more like that. But it all went in one ear and out the other. Everything was so confusing...new...it made him home sick actually. Especially when they would say how he was now their brother. The only sibling he has is a sister, who he'll probably never seen again. It hurt to think that, but there was a reason why he was told to run and never look back. As nervous as he was to be around these boys, they seemed alright for the most part. He took note of each and every one of them. Or at least tried too. There was a boy with a crutch and a wide smile. One with dark skin and glasses. Another was tall and lanky with a slingshot in his pocket. A blonde boy with a cigar that never seemed to shut up, and a redhead with a backwards cap that made a lot of jokes (bad ones at that). The list went on and on.

"You'se can ask the kid questions in the mornin', now off ta bed." there was a chorus of "Aww Wolf", "C'mon Wolf it ain't even late." rang through the air, but the boy, Wolf, ignored all the protests and sent them all to bed before turning back to him and said, "Top bunk over Jojo's is yers."

He looked at...Wolf in pure confusion. And what was with that name anyways? Rather strange if you ask him.

"C'mon kid, just follow me," a burnette who he assumed was Jojo said and he gestured him to follow. Which he did. "If ya happen ta roll outta bed, try not ta land on me, alright?"

He only hummed in response, for he was trying to figure out how in the world he was going to get on top when there wasn't a latter to help him get there in the first place. Thinking for a moment or so, he finally decided to use the nightstand as a step stool, jump onto the bed and hope he doesn't fall flat on his butt. Luckily, it worked out. So he took off his boots and let them land on the floor with a thud before snuggling into the warm covers as thunder boom outside. As mentioned before, he was much too tired to care what was going on, where he was or even the finer details of how he ended up here in the first place. That would be left to figure out in the morning. He soon fell into a deep sleep the moment his head softly landed on the pillow. The sound of pouring rain and thunder mixed with the soft snores of the rest of the boys. A few mumbled in their sleep, but it was somehow when all mixed together, it was soothing.

───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────

"C'mon new kid! Up an' at 'em!" someone yelled, which was followed by a hard pillow whack and the blanket being yanked away with a swoosh. He sat up with open eyes, and through his blurry vision he saw the two oldest boys going around waking everyone up, screaming about how it's time to carry the banner. The other boys moaned and groaned their protests to get up at such an unruly hour of the day. Which was true, the sun was barely out, but apparently it didn't matter if it was up or not.

"Hey! Look at that! New kid didn't fall outta his bunk durin' wake up call!" the redhead exclaimed from the otherside of the room. "Looks like ya owe me lunch Racer!"

"Ah shut it Al!" the blonde - Race - replied as he chucked a pillow at the redhead. "The bummer was shocked half ta death when that pillow hit his - OW! Wolf what was that for?!"

"If you'se ladies can tawk you'se can go wash up!" Wolf said in a stern tone before whacking Race one more time. Then he whacked the redhead just as he was about to say something.

"Ignore 'em alright," the one who had whacked him with the pillow said. "Just go get washed up an' such. Gotta look good for yer first day on the job, right?"

"First day for what?" he asked. Finally speaking up, asking a question about this whole confusing, chaotic nonsense.

"Ta sell papes of course. You'se wanna live here ya gotta pay rent. An' ta pay rent you'se gotta sell the papes. This is a newsboys Lodging house after all, wouldn't make much sense if a shoe shiner lived here. Though, Klopp wouldn't kick one of 'em shoe cleaners away if they needed a bed."

"What?"

"Ya know what a newsie is?"

"Yes."

"Do ya know how ta lie?"

"Well...yeah, but-"

"Yer already perfect for the job!" the older boy beamed. "An' with a fresh face like yers, you'se will be sellin' 'em like hot cakes." his smile widened. "Especially ta the ladies. Just bat those blue eyes of yers an' ends will be met.

What was that phrase his father would say when a sales man would come knocking on their door? Oh yeah, "the hell is this idiot talkin' bout?!" Not that he was ever allowed to repeat it. Even more so when his old man started to drink his life away. His brows furrowed in confusion, but went along with it nonetheless. He's seen newsies plenty of times back home, so how hard could it be? Plus, at least it gave him some money and a roof over his head at night. Along with food, which he could use right about now. The morning went on as he went about getting dressed and washing up for the day while the rest of the boys continued to ask him relentless questions and introduce themselves. He quickly learned the two oldest boys were the leaders of Lower Manhattan, Wolf and second in command Jumps. Odd names, but that was just the beginning.

"Names Racetrack Higgins!" the loud, cigar holding blonde introduced with a smug smile. "But you'se can call me Race new kid."

"An' I's Albert!" the redhead added proudly. "I's think we's should call ya Mute, or Fox, or..."

"Nah if anythin' we's should be callin' you'se Fox." Race cut off. "He's more of...actually....I's say we's call 'im Blue."

"That's worse than Albert's suggestions!"

"I's don't see you'se comin' up with any ideas Blink, seein' as yer the one who brought the kid here in the first place," Race stated.

Kid Blink rolled his eyes and turned to the new kid. "Ignore 'em, arlight, they's never know when ta shut up. There's nothin' wrong with bein' quiet, lotta the fellas were like that when they' first came. We'll figure out a nickname for ya fore ya know it."

"Why do I need a nickname?"

Albert gasped out loud. "HE CAN TAWK!"

"Course he can tawk ya nitwit!" Kid Blink exclaimed as he slapped Albert upside the head, which of course caused Race to go into a fit of endless laughter. "He's just a bit shy is all."

Taking this moment to slip away he made his way over to the sink to wash up his face. And maybe also hope the cold water will wake him up from this madness. In the process two more boys came up and introduced themselves. The one with the sling shot was Finch, and the one with the glasses was Specs? Strange, but what was stranger with the one with the crutch came up and said his name was Crutchie. Straight and to the point, alright. Anyone else have any obvious features that have a nickname or was that it?

It wasn't long before he found himself trailing behind the rest of the boys down the steps and into the unfamiliar streets of Manhattan. He stayed as close to the boys as possible, who all seemed to be having a complete ball. Running around, sword fighting, rough housing, you name it. It was yet another strange sight to see. He couldn't remember the last time he himself had fun like that. He was too busy looking out for his mother and sister while trying to figure out the money situation. He wasn't cut out for the sweat shop life, much less spending endless days threading thread through needles, cleaning up buttons and rerolling ribbon like his sister. On the contrary he was more built for the street life. Not that there was much of a choice...his father would send him out to find work, leading him to start building thick skin.

Breakfast was some bread and coffee from the nuns, to which he was grateful for. Though it wasn't much it filled his stomach nicely. Then it was on the way to some place called "The World". Once there he gathered at the gate with the rest of the boys as they waited for the headline.

"How old are ya anyways, kid?" Elmer asked.

"Seven," he managed to reply.

"Cool! Me too!" the dark haired boy replied with the biggest smile. "Lotta the fellas are the same age as us. Crutchie, Blink, Tommy, Jojo, just ta name a few." he continued. "So did ya run away from home or-"

"Look here comes the headline!" someone yelled.

Getting the newspapers was an interesting thing...he didn't know how many to buy, or if he even had enough money on him. The man distributing the papers was rather grumpy, and so were the two boys along side him. They both made comments about how "the new scrawny kid won't last a week". Obviously it was pointed at him, but Wolf had shut them up quick. After getting the newspapers it was a long walk to some park. He now found himself standing underneath the tree as the two leaders explained how to make a sale. There were many methods to this. Improving the headlines, making up some sob story, acting sick, and if he really wanted to, he could use a bit of charm with the ladies. Apparently his little baby face should do the trick. But he was unsure about all of the tactics given, so he just kept his fingers crossed, hope for the best and to go with whatever came out of his mouth. "Excuse me Miss, would ya like a pape? It's hot off the presses, a real page turner." he said to a nice looking young lady. Alright so he was going with charm for this. Ok, he can work with that. A few seconds passed, the lady gave him a penny, he gave her a paper, and a proud smile turned up onto his face. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────

It was his third night as a newsie, and things were going pretty well surprisingly enough. Though he was still quiet and kept to himself a lot, the rest of the boys always tried to include him or make some sort of small talk. Which was usually just them ranting about while he nodded and hummed to show he was paying attention. They still asked what his name was, his backstory and such, but not as much as they used to. Sometimes it would come up, other times one of the more open boys will tell him about their past. Not much, but just enough to let him know it was ok to talk about the subject when he was ready too. The rest of the time however was a different story. The topic of his nickname.

So far they called him "Kid" or "Blink's boy" since Kid Blink was the one who had found him, just until an actual name was settled upon. Other than that, Albert was still sold on "Mute", "Fox" or even "Mouse". All of which were declined by the boys and him. He didn't want to be called any of those things! So far, a majority of the newsies liked Blue, but he was unsure on that. Names like Shorty, Squirt, and anything along the lines about his height were also taken into account. Still. None of them seemed to fit. Was it always this hard to figure out nicknames, or was it just him? Specs, Crutchie, Jojo and even Buttons had gotten theirs right way. Then again, it was only his third night there. Besides, Finch had taken nearly a month to figure out. Snipeshooter too, but everyone just called him Sniper for short. But none of that mattered at the moment, for it was late and Wolf was freaking out when Jack, Race and Specs hadn't come back from selling.

Besides that, there was some chaos among the boys. Albert had taken Race's cigar yet again, the twins were in a heated argument, Finch and Sniper were in the middle of a slingshot battle, while Jumps did his best to calm everyone down since Wolf was dealing with his own stuff right now. All the while he simply stayed where he sat watching things unfold quietly. Though he hadn't been there for long, he quickly noticed a thing or two. Finch would play around with the band of his slingshot or hum a little tune. Albert seemed to be the prankster of the group. Elmer, though nice, was on the clueless side. And the list went on. Specs would sometimes read, Crutchie was able to predict the weather, Buttons knew how to sew, and Sniper seemed to have some anger issues. Just a few things he picked up on. Everyone seemed to have a unique trait. And then there was him. The odd one out. Yup, everything was normal alright. That is until Wolf had yelled out, "Where have ya been?" in an angry tone.

He turned his head up to see the three missing newsies had finally returned. A little scuffed up, but back nonetheless.

"Well ya see, some thug was soakin' this kid." Jack started to explain. "So we's go an' help the kid out. After that the thug ran off. Poor thing was scared ta death." he continued to ramble to Wolf about why they were late for another minute or so.

"Well the important thing is that yer safe an' that-wait did you say her? As in a goil?!" Wolf asked in disbelief.

The room seemed to freeze at that very moment. He quickly got up to get a better look at this girl along with the rest of the boys. The rest of the conversation seemed to have melted away as he got a good look at her. The girl in question was named Claire, her eyes seemed to dart from one point to another. She stayed close to the three boys. Race at first, then she got nudged towards Jack. That's when he really got a good look at her. Soft skin, long braided hair, wide, dark eyes that held both fear and curiosity. Not to mention scuffed up from being on the streets. Her dress was torn and tattered, she had a few unattended wounds....the sight almost reminded him of his sister, and for a brief moment, he felt sorry for her. Sorry that she didn't have anyone looking out for her.

"Alright Claire, try an' keep up." was the next thing he heard. "This is Crutchie, Albert, Elmer, Jojo, Finch, Henry, Buttons, Sniper, Mike, Ike, Kid Blink, Tommy boy, an' Wisp." when their name was called said boy would wave their hand and gave her a shy smile. But Wolf had skipped over him because he didn't have a name yet, and it would be weird to introduce the new kid to the other new kid. But at least they would be easily told apart since the girl's name was now known. His, not so much.

She seemed to have caught this as well, because the next thing he knew was that this girl had walked up to him and shyly asked, "What's your name?"

"Me?" he asked a little shocked. When she nodded in response he was struck dumb. His cheeks turned red hot. Not because a girl was talking to him, but because he was still debating on revealing it or not. "I-um-ah...ya see...well...it's just that..."

Claire let out a small laugh. "Whatsa matter?" she questioned. "Cat got yer tongue."

It was in that moment, his brain stopped functioning and his mouth took over. "You wanna know somethin'? Ya probably don't know the first thing bout being a newsie. In fact can a goil even be a newsie? Is that even legal?" he had no idea where that confidence came from. It just happened. In fact it was the first full sentence he seemed to have managed to actually say without stopping for even one second. Maybe this will show the boys that he wasn't a shy helpless thing like they all thought he was. Maybe it would prove he can be just as loud and chaotic like the rest of them.

Which seemed to have gotten on this girl's case because she shot back with twice the fire. Literally. Those soft, innocent, big brown eyes seemed to have been set ablaze in those few seconds. "Hey, I could be just a good a newsie as you!" Claire yelled as she took a step closer to him, while crossing her arms. "Sides, you don't even know your own name."

"She's got ya there pal," Kid Blink said from across the room.

"You should listen to your friend. You could learn somethin'."

"Just a moment ago you'se was quiet, how bout ya go back ta that."

"If you got a problem with me then go ahead an' say it to my face mush brains, cause I ain't scared of you."

"Yer a little feisty one," he huffed. "With a mouth like that it can get you'se in trouble."

"An' maybe you'se need ta watch yer mouth, cause you'se has no idea what I's can do." she replied mimicking his accent.

"Oh please like a little five year old will actually hurt a fly," he retorted while crossing his arms.

"I'm six idiot!" Claire yelled as she stomped her foot. "And do ya really wanna test me mush brains?!"

"How is it possible that you can go from quiet ta feisty in just what? A minute?"

"An' how can someone have so much mush in their brain."

Now he was really at a loss for words. This shy little girl who he's barely known for five minutes suddenly had the loudest voice in the entire Lodge. Talk about a personality switch. Why did Wolf agree to keep her on a trail base? If she was going to be like this for the next seven days then it'll be hell. He has no doubt about it. So, instead of saying anything back he just stared her down. But her eyes were raging with a fire like never before. What felt like forever was only seconds when Wolf walked up to them, put a hand on their shoulders and said, "Ok, you two, calm down."

"Quiet as a mouse, huh Racer," Jumps said while looking down at Race, who shrugged.

"Who cares if she's quiet or not?!" Jack yelled. "The goil has been corrupted within five minutes of bein' here!" Jack threw his arms into the air. "How is that even possible!? Al took more time ta become a whacko than 'er! This must be some sort of record! No way someone can be that feisty in a short amount of time!"

"Yer gonna be one handful!" he said while pointing a finger at Claire's chest.

"Get yer filthy finger off of me mush brains! At least I's actually know my name. Unlike you'se," Claire replied in a sassy tone.

"Alright you two!" Wolf barked, making everyone jump up. "Just forget about this little argument. Now, I want ya ta spit an' shake on it," Wolf said. Neither of them made a move. "Mush brains!" Wolf said, using the name Claire had constantly called him. He winced at the name, hating the sound of it, but complied anyway. He spat in his hand and held it out to the feisty girl.

"That's gross," Claire said out loud. "I's rather kiss the bummer than get - actually, I's rather-"

"Feisty!" Wolf exclaimed. "Zip it an' shake already!"

She rolled her eyes, but went through with it. As soon as Claire let go of his hand, she made a sound and wiped her hand onto his shirt with a disgusted face "Yer germs, you'se keep 'em mush for brains. Thank you very much!" Claire said when she pushed him away.

"I's like this goil," one of the boys laughed. The rest soon followed in the laughter, making Claire roll her eyes again as she went to go wash up for the night before going to bed.

"That goil is crazy," he mumbled underneath his breath as he climbed back into his bunk and simply laid on his back. It wasn't long before lights were called out. Over on the left he heard a bit of ruffling and saw a quick flash of a dark braid. Great, little Miss Feisty was bunking next to him. Just as he was about to roll onto the other side of the bed, guilt started to wash over him for snapping at her so quickly. Yes she was annoying, but his mother had taught him better than that. Oh who was he kidding, his mother would have scolded him for yelling like that at Claire, who was probably scared for a multitude of reasons. He knew he was his first day, so Claire must've felt the same way. In fact, she probably had more reason to be nervous than he was.

"Hey," he whispered quietly, rolling on his side so he could face her.

When she had turned around to face him, she asked, "Whaddya want?"

"Just wanted ta say sorry for saying that you couldn't be a newsie when ya haven't even sold a pape yet. Ya see I's new here too and wanted ta prove that I's like the others, ya know."

"Oh please, you're gonna have an easier time proving yourself then I am. I'm a girl an' you're a boy. It's just how things are, ya know."

"Are ya kidding?" he asked quietly, making sure not to wake anybody. "I's actually thought you'se was gonna punch me! I's never met a goil who can tawk ta anyone like how you just did. Most goils are scared ta do that, ya know. But You? Yer gonna make a great newsie."

"Think so?" Claire asked hopefully.

"I know so. Yer smart, quick on yer feet, an' yer....kinda cute when ya get mad," he replied as his cheeks warmed up a bit. That bit was true. It was hard to explain, but it was a little cute when she got all mad at him. Even if he feared for his life at that moment. Maybe it was the way her eyes lit up, or how she wouldn't be pushed around so easily. Stubborn thing, this girl. And yet in the same breath, there was something about her that drew him in. Good. bad. He wasn't sure.

"That's just bout the mushiest thing you could've said.

"So first I have mush for brains an' now I'm flat out mushy. You really are a feisty little one aren't ya." there was a small smile across his face as he said these words. Though, she couldn't tell because of how dark it was. Either way, he knew this Claire girl was going to be a handful if she kept up that feisty little attitude. But, he hoped that wouldn't be the case.

The following morning was a bit of a doozy considering all the boys suddenly started to call him "Mush" instead of "Kid". he soon found out that was now his nickname, and there was no going back whatsoever. Great...a girl who had called him out had somehow nicknamed him, but it wasn't all bad, for he soon learned that he was responsible for hers. It was a mixed feeling, but nevertheless. He went along with it, seeing as there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. The cherry on top? Apparently they were going to be selling partners since again, they're the newbies of the group and needed the most watching. He kept his fingers crossed she wasn't going to chew him out like she did last night.

Little did he know that the girl with braids would become the most important person to ever walk into his life. He'd know and understand her in a way that nobody else would. Have a one of a kind bond with her and show her that it's ok to let her guard down, that she doesn't need to be strong all the time. The road wouldn't be an easy one of course, but he would develop a deep care for her. And maybe, just maybe sometime in the future, something more will happen between them.

───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────

Author's note

Yes, I'm still alive! Once again this is something I've had drafted for maybe a year or so, 99% of it was already written and just sitting around collecting dust. Finally I got myself to edit this and now here we are. It's pretty obvious by now I love a good backstory, and getting to go more in-depth on Mush's first day as a newsie and how he first meet Feister was fun to explore. Small update, I do have another book in the works, but it won't be out for the foreseeable future, but it is moving along smoothly so there is that. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading.

Crystal.