It was a very rainy day in Lower Manhattan, which meant that the newsies weren't able to sell as many papers as they usually would, which meant they only bought half their usual and then it was back to the Lodge.

While that was going on Will was wondering what he was going to do with Claire. Though he wanted her back so they could be a family again, even though she made it very clear that she didn't want nothing to do with him anymore, but he's her brother. So, that should count for something, right?

But things had changed in the ten years he's been gone. Claire wasn't the shy, and quiet girl he knew anymore, she was a tough, and loud news girl who's named "Feister". Will rolled his eyes at the stupid name.

What kind of idiot comes up with a name like that!? But that's beside the point. The point was that Claire had moved on with her life. She had a "new family" and "new brothers", and, on top of all of that there was a small chance that she had a crush on one of them.

In the little time he's been spying on Claire he noticed more and more that the one they called "Mush" seemed way too close to Claire for his liking. And Claire seemed to like..Mush as well, and Will didn't like the thought of his little sister liking a boy, even if she doesn't want anything to do with him he's still her brother.

It had been a few weeks since Will last saw Claire, which meant that the black and blue she gave him was gone. Which made him wonder to what happened to the shy, quiet and innocent girl he knew way back when?

Over at the Lodge the newsies were having the usual night in, which was the same old same old. But the good thing was that the next day Mush would be able to go selling again, and Feister was beyond excited. It had been four days since she had went back out on the streets.

But that was all going to change. Anyways, it was the same old same old, the boys were doing who knows what and Feister was playing a game of war with Mush, who had been acting a bit weirder than usual, but she shook it off thinking it was the after affect of the Refuge.

While Feister was shuffling the deck she was telling Mush about how the headlines still stink, the Delanceys stink even more, how she was excited for tomorrow, and a few things from before she became a newsie. Mush was listening with a smile since he loves hearing Feister's voice. While she was talking

Mush started to notice the little things about Feister that he's never really noticed before, like when she's trying to remember something she'll put her thumb in between her pinky and her ring finger and move her thumb up in a snapping motion. He didn't know how she was able to somehow snap all her fingers, she just did. That was the thing he noticed most about her.

"How do ya do that?" Mush asked without thinking very much.

Feister looked up with a very confused face. "Do what?" she asked. Mush then realized that he said something he didn't mean to say. His cheeks then started to turn pink when he saw she was waiting for him to answer.

"That snappin' thing," he managed to get out.

"Ya mean this?" Feister then started to snap all her fingers a few times. Mush nodded his head slightly. She smiled, then put the deck of cards on the nightstand and said, "Lemme see yer hand." Mush gulped but did so and tried hard not to blush as Feister was showing him how to snap all his fingers.

But he wasn't paying attention because her voice went in one ear and out the other. Her hand felt soft and smooth. It was also smaller than his and he guessed that if they were to hold hands it would feel like a tiny, little, fragile thing. Sure, they've held hands before. But that was before he realized he likes her.

While that was going on a million thoughts were running through Feister's head. She was trying hard not to blush since well...She accepted the fact that she likes Mush a long time ago and whenever she was around him she'd either feel awkward, or like she's on cloud 9.

Anyways, after a few minutes she showed him how to snap all his fingers and they did that for a few minutes which made the other boys think that they couldn't be more of a perfect match. Before long it was lights out and it was off to sleep.

Of course this took about five minutes to do since well...Romeo wouldn't shut up about some girl, Albert had once again stolen Race's cigar and refused to give it back. Ike and Mike were fighting about who won the card game, while Jojo, Henry, and Tommy boy just watched quietly.

Elmer had taken Specs' glasses and almost broke them. Sniper had found Finch's slingshot and was now annoying the older boys shooting little pieces of paper with it while Finch chased him around, and Jack was just done. In other words The Lodging House was a madhouse.

Luckily, after Jack took a few moments to realize that this is his life he calmed down everyone and they all headed to bed. But apparently Mush and Feister thought it would be fun to annoy the living daylights out of everyone. In other words they were whispering about who knows what. Which lead to a bunch of "shut ups" which only made them laugh.

It was going to be one long night. Thankfully, after a few warnings from Jack that he would soak the next person to talk they all finally shut up and went to sleep.

───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────

"Rise an' shine Mush brains!" was the next thing Mush heard. He grumbled since it was way too early to deal with this. In fact the last thing he remembered was going to sleep and that was it. "C'mon up an' at 'em." he only grumbled more since he knew that voice anywhere.

"Five more minutes," he grumbled while slamming the pillow over his head.

"Please, my grandma wakes up faster than ya," Feister scoffed. "An' she's been dead for..." she started doing the math in her head. But when her head started to hurt from all the numbers running left and right she then said, "A really long time."

"How bout ya go join 'er," Jojo grumbled very loudly from the top bunk.

"Shut up!" Feister yelled making the whole room of sleeping teenage boys grumble in annoyance.

"Also, tonight I want my bed back." For about a week and a few days Jojo had to switch to the top since Mush couldn't climb up to his. "This one smells an' I's pretty sure I's gonna die cause it smells like the sewers."

"That smell is you'se," Mush replied.

"For once we agree," Feister said innocently. "Now, get off yer lazy bum already!" she yelled.

"Go back ta sleep. It ain't time ta wake up yet."

Feister then looked at the clock, then smirked before going to the middle of the bunk room. She knew she'd probably get soaked, but she didn't care.

So, she took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs, "UP AN' AT 'EM BOYS, THE PAPES AIN'T GONNA SELL THEMSELVES." She then went bunk to bunk and did what Jack did every morning, which was yell while pulling off the boys blankets and or whacking them with a pillow.

"TIME TA CARRY THE BANNER. I'VE SEEN OLD PEOPLE WAKE UP FASTER THAN YOU'SE. C'MON LADIES, DON'T WORRY BOUT YER BEAUTY SLEEP OTHERWISE IT WOULDA WORKED A LONG TIME AGO!"

"Feisty, the mornin' bell ain't-" before Jack could finish the morning bell rung, which was met by a bunch of groans, grumbles and lots of complaining.

"An' you'se says I's in a bad mood in the mornin'," she said with a smirk.

"Whose bright idea was it ta bring this nut job here again?" Race asked with his face in the pillow.

"It was yer bright idea Racetrack!" Specs yelled. This was true. After all eight years ago when Jack, Race and Specs saved a scrawny and scared little girl from some thug, Race was the one who talked her into coming to the Lodge in the first place.

"You'se agreed ta it," Race snapped back.

"Cowboy gave the final call."

"Oh shut it!" Feister yelled breaking up the fight. "Ya love me, ya know ya do." Just then a pillow it the back of her head.

She turned around and saw that Mush just so happened to be missing a pillow. "So that's how you wanna play it." the next thing that happened was well...a full blown pillow fight broke out into the bunk room.

Even Jack joined in, Crutchie stayed on the side lines and at one point when a pillow landed by him he threw it at Jack. So in other words a bunk room full of teenage boys, a girl and a preteen were all whacking each other senseless with pillows that they forgot about selling the papers.

Heck, they were so busy with the pillow fight that they didn't even notice Kloppman was standing right there. The old man's eyes widened when he saw the chaos. Then again running a Lodge with a bunch of boys plus one girl something crazy was bound to happen at least once a day.

Anyways after a few minutes Kloppman said, "Boys." which made everyone stop and stare at him. In fact they looked like statues.  Until Feister whacked Mush's head with a pillow and he elbowed her. Kloppman had to try not to smile since it was now very obvious who started the pillow fight. "Can you please save the pillow fights till after the papes have been sold."

A course of "oks" and "You got it" rang through the air. Kloppman then left to let the boys, and Feister get ready for the day. After getting ready they all headed out for another day's work.

It was a bright sunny day and Mush was able to finally go out and sell again, which Feister was happy about. After getting the morning papers they headed off to their selling spot while having a good time, it was like nothing ever changed.

Except for the fact that Mush was acting a little weird. But Feister brushed it off thinking that he was just a little rusty from not selling for a long time. Throughout the day things were definitely back on track.

But, both Mush and Feister were more on guard since the last time they sold together they got jumped. So far there was no sign of the Delanceys or Will. and they thought that he had finally given up, which was good news.

In a nearby alley Will was watching Claire at a short distance, and he noticed more and more that his little sister did have a little crush on Mush, and it looked like Mush has a crush on her too. It was the way they looked at each other that gave it away. Which got Will thinking that maybe, just maybe Claire's better off with the newsies than with him.

After all, he ran away when she was only four, and he didn't know what happened after that. But by the looks of things he guessed she could take care of herself, and she did say that the other newsies are her brothers and they've been there for her much longer than he has.