Two figures ran through the dark wet streets of Manhattan. Rain poured down, soaking everything it could touch. The two raced each other to an old building. Suddenly someone else darted out in front of the taller of the two, and fell.

"Hey! Watch it!" the 17 year old boy yelled. The other boy joined him.

"What's dis, Jack?" the 16 year old boy asked. Jack shrugged.

"I dunno, Race. Dat's what I'se tryin' ta figger out." Jack and Race helped the figure up.

"Git yer hands off me! I'se fine!"

"We'se jist tryin' ta help youse. Sorry," said Jack, taken aback. "I guess youse a goil den?"

"Yeah I am. Youse a genuis or sumptin'?" she snapped.

"Hey, hey, hey! We'se jist tryin' ta be friendly!" Race exclaimed defensively. "Youse don' need ta bit our 'eads off!"

"Sorry," the girl mumbled. "I ain't used ta strangers doin' dat."

"What'cha doin' out in da rain like dis?" Jack asked.

"Nothin' I wanna talk 'bout," she said quietly.

"Okay den," said Jack. "You gotta place ta stay? 'Cause if not, you kin come to da Lodgin' House wit us." Race let out a yelp of disagreement, but was silenced by an elbow of Jack's that found it's way to Race's ribs.

"No t'anks," the girl replied. "I don' need yer help."

"Den youse gotta place?" Jack questioned. The girl looked down at her feet.

"No."

"Den youse comin' wit us," Jack spit in his hand and held it out. "I'se Jack Kelly, and dis is Racetrack." The girl paused and then spit in her hand and shook. Race bowed jauntily.

"Pleazed ta meet ya."

"I'se Lissa Allen." Jack took her hand.

"C'mon Lissa. We'se soppin' wet, an' gettin' wetah by da minute." The three ran to the Newsboys Lodging House, and stumbled in together.

"Hey Kloppman!" Jack called out. In a moment an old man walked into the foyer,

"Need sumthing, Jack?" he asked.

"I do. Dis is Race and me's friend Lissa. She needs a place to stay for a bit."

"A newsie?" Kloppman asked dubiously. Jack looked at Lissa. She shook her head.

"Take her upstairs," Kloppman instructed. "There should be a spare bunk. And watch the boys, so they don't try something." Lissa followed Jack up the stairs, and Race followed after her. They stepped into a brightly lit room, filled with boys of all ages. Some lay sprawled on bunks, couting change. Three or four were in the middle of a poker game. Half of them were only partially dressed. Jack couldn't help but grin. Home.

"Boys...dis is Lissa," Every head in the room snapped up. "She'll be stayin' wit us till she find 'erself a place, un'erstan'?" The boys nodded. "An' you'll treat 'er right, too. Ya heah? No foolin' aroun' wit 'er." They nodded again, a few looking somewhat less interested. "Kloppman said we's got an extra bunk. Which is it?" A dark-haired boy with a crutch spoke up.

"Der ain't one. Da only empty bunk is Spot's."

"Hang Spot." Jack replied easily. The boy looked uncomfortable.

"Jack, you know dat Spot uses it when 'e comes ta Manhattan fer da night. He ain't gonna pleased about dis." Jack shrugged.

"It ain't like 'e's a Manhattan newsie anyhow, Crutchy. 'e's jist gonna have ta deal wit it." He led Lissa over to the bunk, and for the first time, got a good look at her. Her dark hair was in a long braid down her back. She wore a torn, stained, dark blue dress, that was stuck to her skin, and she was shivering violently. Jack realised she was drenched. So was he, for that matter. Race had long since disappeared into the washroom. Jack looked around.

"Any of youse have sumpt'in' she kin wear?" All the boys anywhere near Lissa's size shook their heads.

"Da rain got us too, Jack," a blond boy with a eye patch over his left eye said. "Dese is our only uddah clothes." Jack frowned, tryingto solve the dilemma. The boy with the patch spoke again. Heya Jack, don' Spot keep some clothes heah?" Jack's eyes lit up.

"Dat's right, Blink! An' she's about Spot's size too!" He lifted the pillow to reveal a set of clothes. He picked them up and handed them to Lissa. Then he pounded on the washroom door until Race came out

While Lissa changed the boys resumed their activities. In a few minutes she returned, her hair lying unbraided down her back. Spot's clothes fit her almost perfectly, aside from the suspenders, which were not exactly ideal for her figure. She smiled self-conciously. Everyone in the room was staring at her, wide-eyed. Jack stood up and introduced her to everyone.

"Lissa, dis is Kid Blink, Snoddy, Itey, Boots, Crutchy, you know Race, Skittery, Mush," Lissa quickly looked away from the one named Mush. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He wasn't the only one, she noticed. It felt weird, having all the strange boys staring at her. It felt very odd. So did the clothes she was wearing. They had an interesting smell. Not bad really, just different. She supposd it was that Spot person Jack kept talking about. Whoever that was.

Jack could tell Lissa wasn't really paying attention, but he kept rattling off the names of the boys. She wouldn't remember the names of most of them anyhow, he figured.

"Pie Eater, Specs, Jake, Snipeshooter, Swifty, Dutchy, Slider, Bumlets, an' den der's me. Ya got all dat?" Lissa nodded, lost in her own thoughts.

What's it gonna be like, livin' heah wit all dese boys?

"C'mon Lissa, we's goin' ta bed now," Jack interupted her thoughts. She climbed into her bunk uncertainly, silently wondering if Spot would show up and demand to sleep in his bed. The rest of the boys went to bed as well.

"Wher'dya fin' 'er?" Kid Blink asked.

"She fell right in front of us," Race answered. "Like da rain," he joked.

"'Night Raindrop!" Mush immediatly called out. The other newsies let out a chorus of goodnights. Then all was quiet. Raindrop drew the blanket tight around her and fell asleep, pushing away thoughts of her family with curiousity about the newsies.

Jack lay awake for hours after the rest had fallen asleep. He thought a lot about Lissa, or Raindrop, as Mush had so fondly nicknamed her. Mush was as girl-crazy as they came. The others weren't too far off themselves. He'd have to keep an eye on them. It didn't help that Raindrop was quite pretty. Even he had to admit it, and he was pretty much sworn off girls. After Sarah had broken it off for some Ned guy, Jack had lost most of his interest in girls. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep. Time enough to think tomorrow.